Well, if someone comes into your studio, and they’re completely sober, and they want a small, discreetly placed tattoo of another person’s name, there’s not really a good reason to send them away. You could warn the person it’s not a great idea but I think that’s a given. If you’re already sure that you want a lover’s name tattooed, then one person or five people or ten people telling you it’s not a great idea probably won’t change your mind.
Most of the inkers I know would ask a few questions about why the person would want the tattoo, and would definitely have the person make an appointment a few days away - even if they had some unbooked time that day. My own opinion is that it’s pretty strange - are you worried you or your partner will forget their name? Doesn’t it kind of feel like being branded, like property? Do you have a realistic plan for what you’ll do if the two of you break up? I mean, I love my husband and I love tattoos - I’d never combine those two things. But to each their own, and like I said, if the person wanted something discreet and they are sober, that’s their choice. No one but me has to like my tattoos, I don’t have to like anyone else’s.
I know a girl who wanted her boyfriend’s name tattooed on her lower back, but just in case they didn’t stay together, she got the numbers that represented the letters of his name instead. Now, sure enough, they have broken up. The hilarious part (to me) is that she had enough foresight to see that they might not always be together, but not enough to just get some different design. Now she has these numbers that people ask about.
One of my best friends is a tattoo artist. When he started out he worked in somebody’s shop on walk-ins, then did both walk-ins and appointments. Now he owns a couple of shops and employs about a dozen or so artists, and works himself by appointment only, booked a few months in advance. Not a bad deal for a guy our age at all. I’m pretty proud of him.
His attitude is pretty much identical to bearato’s friend - the more successful you get the more choosy you can affiord to be, and indeed have to be since that person is representing your work to the world. You can find somebody somewhere to give you nearly anything you want, but somebody serious about it as a career will usually refuse to do anything that will reflect badly on them. He’s got quite a few funny stories about trying to talk someone out of or flatly refusing to do something hilariously bad, shockingly ill-advised, completely horrific, or all three.
It’s easy enough to lie and say it’s the name of your sibling or child (or deceased relative etc) instead of significant other. My cousin has a tattoo with her three children’s names in it, but when she got the first session done right after her first kid was born, it just had the name Bradley inside a heart.
Well of course, yes. When it comes down to it, your tattoo artist really doesn’t care what you want to get. It’s your body, it’s your money, it’s about to be his or her money, and he or she doesn’t have to see it ever again. You don’t have to go to Thailand to find sketchy tattoo parlours that smell like stale beer and cigarettes, staffed with people who have never heard of an autoclave. Doesn’t matter how terrible or racist or ugly your tattoo idea is, someone out there will take your money to ink it.
But when it comes to artists who are trying to make a career and a name for themselves, their greatest advertising comes from word of mouth. When people are happy with their art and their experience, they’ll tell others, and they’ll keep coming back.
If you just want a hair cut, you can go to a place in a strip mall that charges 8 bucks, right? You’re in, you’re out, your hair is shorter than when you went in. Job done. I know plenty of men and women who are happy with that. If you want to go talk to a hairdresser that will advise you on the most flattering style, or color, or the products best suited to you, you’re going to pay a bit more. If you like what they do, you’ll develop a relationship that will be beneficial to both of you. Most tattoo artists would prefer to have the second type of relationship, though if you’re really insistent on getting Billy Bob’s name on your butt, then sure, why not. If I had three small children running around I’d probably need the tattoo to remember their names.
That would be jackass. Steve O was getting a smiley tattoo’d on his back. I think he lost a bet or something?
My first tattoo was done by a girl that normally would not do it… she was highly resistant to doing skulls, or “death themed” work. But when I explained why I wanted it, she went ahead and did it. She’s a bit granola, sorta. Or at least was… last I saw, she had gone a bit more rockabilly.
The lady who did my first tatt wouldn’t do racist or hateful tattoos, and she was very hesitant to do name tattoos unless they were like a parent getting their kid’s name done. Of course she’s one of the best in her area so she can afford to be picky. But yes, I’ve heard tattoo artists telling people no before, and the same goes with the two piercers I’ve dealt with.
One time I was chatting with a bargirl who had a remarkably ugly tattoo on her upper arm. It was LARGE, some comically drawn goldfish and these weird lines crisscrossed over them, extremely poor workmanship. Trying to be sociable, I mentioned: “Oh, that’s a, um, nice tattoo you’ve got there.” She: “I hate it.” “Oh? Then why’d you get it?” “I was drunk.” It turns out that she’d been drunk AND 14 years old at the time she’d gotten it. It looked as if the tattoo artist had also been drunk. I can certainly understand the laws in some countries that require the receiver to be sober and an adult when getting a tattoo.
What about tats on the hands? I’ve read that the general public strongly associates hand tattoos with criminality, and remember reading only about ten years ago that some inkers wouldn’t do them. Has that changed to any great extent?
Thanks for all the replies - it’s a really interesting thread, at least to me. I’m glad to hear the tattoo artists do what people seem to be saying they do.
Tattooed skin also sweats less, or even not at all, due to damage to the dermis.QUOTE]
Wow. honestly, WOW! I didn’t know that. Now that I’m thinking about it…it makes a lot of sense.
To the OP, I was all upset and chemically enhanced one night, so wanted to get a heart and name inked on the palm of my hand. My thought was to have his heart in the palm of my hand. The guy who did such a wonderful job on my arm told me “Not just no, fuck no!” and took my bike keys at the same time. As i recall, i slept on the couch until they opened up again in the morning. At least I think I think I stayed there all night, but in the morning, I didn’t have new ink, or spunk in my special place.
I do know that that a friend, who examines lots of dead bodies, has told me about one who had a cherry tattoed on the head of his cock. Friend said that it looked professional. We have had lots of talks about how one would find tattoo artist who would keep penis hard while inking it.
I know I do, but my reaction to seeing a star or cross tat on the web of the hand of my supermarket cashier is to think “good for her for moving on, and good for the supermarket for hiring her!”
