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I have been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for ages. I am now decided. I thought about Kanji lettering, my friends have told me this is tacky. They say go tribal. I don't know. What would you have?

2007-02-01 21:38:40 · 31 answers · asked by Dante 2 in Beauty & Style Skin & Body Tattoos

31 answers

Hey whats the rush? Why rush into getting a tattoo that your not even sure about. It will take you a whole lot longer and more money to get it removed later.

I have a tattoo on my shoulder blade. I grew up fascinated with the oriental arts and culture. I chose my tattoo because it was personal and meant something to me, not anybody else.

Some tattoo fans claim that their body is an canvas and it represents their soul. Maybe I am just talking mince here!!

I orginally wanted a little tattoo but when I went to the tattoo parlour in Leith 12 years ago with my friend, I told the artist what I wanted and what I was after.

After a gruelling 2 half hours working on my first tattoo..... I was a little surprised to see that he had enlarged it about 3 times bigger as he said it looked better at that side. He was right. I have not regretted having my tattoo ever since... love it and still do.

A tattoo for me is something personal... not what others want or tell you to have done. Its your body....

I must say I am bored seeing so many women with butterflies, roses and tiny devils on their ankles or shoulders..... its like a fad. Mine is nothing like that for sure.

I recall few years ago a guy was boasting and showing off to me and my friend his tattoos at a cocktail bar in Greece. He just had a tattoo done on his arm and it was tiny. My friend just rolled up his sleeve to show his tattoo which was about 5 times bigger than his tattoo. The poor guy just shrunk away.

What I am suggesting is that instead of a milti of tiny tacky tattoos... get a nice reasonable tattoo (I am not suggesting a massive tattoo that covers your whole back??!).

At the end of the day.... remember its YOUR BODY... nobody elses. I hope you find the tattoo you want.

Before I got my tattoo done even though I knew what I wanted, I got a couple of tattoo magazines and even checked images online to see if there was anything that grabbed me. I saw many fanastic ideas but ended up going with my original choice.

Worth checking out a few of those links:

Tattoo health (worth reading before gettinga tattoo):
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/skin_stuff/safe_tattooing.html

Fun art and ideas:
Tattoo Johnny: http://www.tattoojohnny.com/

Every tattoo: (large archive of images and information)
http://www.everytattoo.com/

I hope I have helped you and that you will find your tattoo that suits you and your personality not others.

2007-02-02 01:28:24 · answer #1 · answered by _ 4 · 4 2

Seriously - if you don't know what you want for you tattoo don't get one. You have to live with it for the rest of your life so choosing something on a whim, or based on some ideas from strangers on the net is a bad idea.

If you must get one though - please don't for God's sake "go tribal" unless you can go back to 2002 before it was played out! also any kind of lettering - kanji, Chinese etc - all been done to death - avoid like the plague! Also don't get anything just off the wall in the place.

You should think of something important to you and try to get a tattoo based on that, get an original design done for you - it'll cost more but be well worth it fro something that is just yours and not on 100's of other people as well. Or better still, if you have the skill, create your own design.

2007-02-01 21:44:39 · answer #2 · answered by board-stupid 3 · 2 0

First off, don't get a tattoo because it looks cool. Being a tattoo artist and seeing some crazy designs, you need to take your time in deciding a tattoo. It took the better part of 9 years to decide on a design that I was comfortable with gettting and it now covers over 45% of my body.
Nothing sucks more than seeing someone come in and asking for a cover up.
Now days artists are a lot more user friendly. When I first started tattooing it was alot of bikers and a#$holes! Go to your local shops and check out thier portfolios. Find someone you like and you are comfortable with. Don't bargain shop! Remember that you get what you pay for. And last but not least go custom. Nobody wants to see thier tattoo on someone else's body ever. Happy hunting!

2007-02-01 23:03:04 · answer #3 · answered by Tat2Junkie 1 · 3 0

I think the fact that you are getting a tattoo is great. That being said, you should NOT get a tattoo based on "I think that looks cool" because....ya know what....what you think is "cool" at 23 is NOT going to be cool at 30 or 35 or 40......How do I know this? Because I've been there. The two most covered-up tattoos (according to the tattooartists website)...#1 Lettering (which would include Kanji and the names of girl friends and wives). #2 Tribal.....Tribal has its place....on people that come from a background of tribal tattoos...including Samoans and Maori ....

If you feel that you need a tattoo, then pick something you can live with for the rest of your life. Get something that has meaning to you. Look within yourself....do you have hidden addictions or demons that you wrestle with ....get them out there on your skin. Has something traumatic happened to you? If so use it. Maybe a tattoo based on your livelyhood....or your religious beliefs. Once you have an idea of what you want.....get together with your artist and tell him your ideas. Any artist worth his salt with be able to take your ideas and build/improve on them. You are going to like this tattoo so much more if it comes from YOU and not from the wall of a tattoo shop. Last but NOT least....Dude....please use the best artist you can afford....money should be no object when it comes to ink.....This is going to be ART on your skin....make it a Picasso ....not "Elvis" on black velvet.

2007-02-02 10:05:39 · answer #4 · answered by Rider (12NI) 5 · 2 0

I'm certainly not anti-tattoo - I have several, and I don't regret any of them - but I do think it's something you need to give a lot of thought to.

I have a couple of problems with kanji. Firstly, they're often either badly translated or badly executed as a result of being drawn out by someone who doesn't know the principles of the calligraphy involved. We've all seen pictures of tattoos that were supposed to say 'Peace, Love and Harmony' but turned out to really say 'Special Barbecue Sauce' as written by a five-year old. Seems to me a bad risk. And secondly, I just don't see the point of appropriating another culture for your tattoo when you can have something that's really a reflection of you.

So that's my advice, in a nutshell. Think about it, think about what matters to you and why, what your interests are, what represents you. Spend time on this. Build up a sheet or notebook of ideas - they don't have to be perfect pictures, just scribble down shapes or keywords or stick in pictures from magazines. Then when your ideas start to coalesce, find a good tattoo artist and work with them to come up with a unique design.

If you do that, then I think you'll end up with a great tattoo, and more to the point I think it'll be one you won't regret in later life - because even if you and your interests and priorities change, it'll act as a reminder of the person you were; a sort of time capsule. I don't think you can say that for kanji, or for a vague idea of 'going tribal'. But if you put in the time and thought you'll have a fantastic tattoo.

Good luck!

2007-02-01 22:09:56 · answer #5 · answered by Marzipan 4 · 3 0

Hi
go to WWW.bullseyetattos and they have hundreads of tattoos you can look through, if you find on you like you can purchase it (price anything from $2 - $20) you will then be sent the design to take to a tattoo shop of your choice
They have Kanji lettering Tribal at least it can give you a good idea of the many different designs there is out there.
But at the end of the day you have to choice what you want.............Dont ever let someone else do that

2007-02-02 06:19:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Whatever you get make sure you get it by a licensed professional. Choose someone by their portfolio, not the flash on the walls. I would put Kanji in the same group as tribal. Both have been done to death but, if you like it it doesn't matter. A great tribal piece (even if it is flash) looks far better than a custom piece that has been done poorly. Just find something that means something to you or that you really like. I have lettering in my grandparent's native tongue, tattoos representing my children and my hobbies, artwork drawn by my best friend, etc.

2007-02-01 21:45:01 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

here's what to do,
1. you are really ready?
2. are you sure of what you want
3. where is it going?
does this make you happy?
4. how much are you will to spend?
is this the right thing for you?
do you like the place you chosen?
are you that much in need of a tattoo?
if you are not sure then you don't need one right now.
you know that it's for ever and can't wash off and the laser will mess you up even more.
your the one that has to look at it Evey day.
think before you act.
I have 6 tattoo's and haft to wear cover up makeup when i go to work and i work at a hospital in the er.
believe me it's there to stay.
buy for you, you need to makeup your mind on what, where and how big.

2007-02-02 07:50:31 · answer #8 · answered by DENISE 6 · 0 0

Everyone has different opinions on what they think is "tacky" when it comes to tattoos. My best friend has her name written in script on her lower back with hearts and I thought it was a little over the top but she likes it and that's what matters. The same applies to you, if you really want Kanji than that is your decision. The only problems with the Kanji itself is sometimes the translation isn't always right. My mother is Japanese and I designed a tattoo for a guy I knew and had his name written in Japanese characters (through her of course as she still is very fluent in reading, writing and speakin). They guy who did the tattoo for him said what my mom had written was apparently "wrong" even though the guy was not of Japanese or any type of Asian descent. Another problem with the Kanji is, if you have it in a visible spot, be prepared to be asked what it means as my husband had that problem.

If you're willing to wait, try looking around online for ideas. One of my favorite sites is Bme. All the tattooos are categorized so you can jump to whatever it is you want. If you have an idea or see something you like but want to modify it, try drawing it out yourself, maybe having a friend do it for you or going to a tatto shop and explaining to an artist what it is you like and coming up with the design together.

This is something you are going to have for the rest of your life (that is unless you can afford to have it removed), make sure its something you want and like and not what everyone else thinks. Good Luck =o)

2007-02-01 23:31:44 · answer #9 · answered by galaciel21 2 · 3 0

hey look at all the good advice you've got there :)
i'll just add this: once you find something you like, think about it, for a couple of months, and if you start liking it more and more as time goes by, you know you're onto a winner.
i had my first tatoo done 10 years ago, and knew i wanted a dragon as a second one, however i couldn't find anything i wanted. it took me 8 years, but now i've got exactly what i wanted and i couldn't be happier!!
i applied my wait and see method to both, and have not regretted either :)

2007-02-02 02:32:36 · answer #10 · answered by misspimousse 3 · 0 0

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