So, in or around December 18 2022 I made some promises, for reasons that will become clear.
I’ve already abstained from alcoholic beverages and coca-cola for a year, so that’s done (done in December 18, 2023 to be precise).
But now I need to tattoo myself with 4 different images:
Diego Armando Maradona
Lionel Andres Messi
Emiliano Damian “Dibu” Martinez.
The “Five of Cups” card of the Spanish cards suit.
The problem is that I know next to nothing about tattooing, does it take a lot of time? is it very expensive? how do I make sure it is done in a safe manner?
Also I’ve been told that even number of tattoos are contrary to the norm, is that true?
Is “a few hours” a lot of time? Some tattoos are so intricate that they may be done in stages, but you should expect each session to last several hours.
I don’t think there’s a standard rate, but even a basic tattoo is going to cost a few hundred dollars.
Go to a tattoo parlor (instead of some dude’s basement), and be sure they dispose of the needles after they use them. You should also ask them for pictures of their work (but it will help if you bring in pictures, in the size you want, of each tattoo you intend to get)
I’ve never heard that. But I can tell you that after you get one you start thinking about what you’d do if you got another. I have 2 - they were done about 20 years apart. I’m pretty sure I already know what my third will be.
In addition you’re seeking a particular genre of tattoo, portrait, illustrated or realism tattoos. Not every artist can pull off a realistic portrait. You want an expert. Most artists have a social media presence where you can scroll through the work.
That’s another problem, I didn’t think about that at the moment but an actual depiction of a real person is far harder to do than some letters or stylized images, I wonder if the football gods would be angry if I just tattoo myself with their names? I don’t remember the exact wording of my promise. Considering my mental state at that moment it’s a wonder I remember anything.
Is this thread some kind of weird parody that’s supposed to mean something? You don’t actually sound like you want tattoos so I am not sure what you are trying to make fun of?
Yes, tattoos are expensive, especially portraits. They will be several $100s per hour and they will take many hours if you actually want them to look good and not like crap.
No no, I really am asking those questions, no parody intended.
How many tattoos I will get will depend on my money and energy availability, but I promised to get them and I’ll get at least one.
I don’t have any, but I know people who do. Be sure to shop around - a good artist will have a portfolio you can browse to judge the quality of work, and if the artist is any good at the type of tattoo you want. Good, safe work will be costly, but on something like this, if I were to do it, I would spend to get good work.
Given that @Frodo is in Argentina I think US prices aren’t highly relevant.
Tattoos are certainly a popular fad right now in the USA, so they’ve become expensive relative to the price of other self-indulgences. I can’t speak to their popularity or their pricing in Argentina.
Depends on location. I had one done on my forearm, about 4" in diameter with lots of black fill, and I barely felt it. A few minor stings here and there as the artist was doing his thing but otherwise I mostly just felt the vibration of the tattoo gun.
I suspect if I had one done on a very sensitive part of my body the pain involved would be more significant.
The few days after getting it it felt like a bad sunburn where I had the tattoo done. That was worse than getting the ink itself – and worse as in “that’s mighty annoying” and not “oh shit, that hurts!”
I don’t have any, but have thought of getting one. If I did, it would be some place where I could see it easily but would be covered most of the time in public. The front part of the thighs is what I would recommend.
I remember Lawrence Block character (I think), who said “I like a woman with tattoos. It shows that she’s willing to have something stuck into her, that she will later regret”
I’m mentally translating the prices, I *hope’ they are not in the hundreds of dollars here anyway. (they may very well be, but probably in the lower range of “hundreds”, may be 50-100 dollars?)
My son got arm tattoos a few years ago. Never asked my advice – I would have strongly recommended against it. But he did it. He likes them. As to cost, he was intent on getting really good ones. He waited months to get an appointment with his desired tattoo artist (is that what they’re called?) and the cost was thousands of dollars.
I think the more accurate statement is that tattoos have become more and more trendy. My disapproval of my son’s tattoos was refuted by other members of the family who declared me to be an old fart out of touch with the modern world.
Depends on pain sensitivity too. I’ve got one about half that size on the back of my neck, which is considered one of the more sensitive areas. But it felt mostly like getting slightly poked (not punctured or pricked) with a pin, or lightly touching a cactus spine, with an occasional pain zinger like a not-too-bad bee sting. I had no trouble sitting motionless for the whole time. (Middle-aged female with fairly high pain tolerance, for what that’s worth.)
Yes, it was “sore as a sunburned neck”, to coin a phrase, for about a day afterwards, but not terrible.
Inner or outer forearm? I had my first tattoo made last October, a big one on my inner forearm, and it hurt. The pain wasn’t so much specific as it was cumulative - it was never extraordinarily painful at any given moment, but by the time she finished an hour and a half later, I had really had enough.
I don’t have any tattoos myself, nor do I want any. I do remember the sign in the window of the tattoo parlor at the Mirage in Las Vegas, that said: “Non-Americans: Get a tattoo. It’s a souvenir that you won’t have to declare to Customs when you get back home.”
One suggestion, though: Carefully consider what it is, and where you plan to put it. Maybe ten years ago, I was talking to a young lady who planned to get an eagle with spread wings, from armpit to armpit, across her cleavage. And she was studying to be a paralegal. I told her that if she ever expects to get a job in a law firm, she might want to rethink that. (I’m a lawyer, and I know how conservative law firms can be.) Of course, she still could get it if she wished, but she’d better get a lot of turtleneck sweaters, and be prepared to wear them daily at work.
Point is that not everybody will see your tattoos the way you do. Just sayin’, is all.
