ATTN: Loki's wife (or other tattoo experts)

[danthemjfan23]

mike, i definitely appreciate your input, but let me ask you this... if the person is happy with their tattoo and they don't recognize its faults, then what's the difference? if it takes a superbly-trained eye to notice something wrong, then is there really something wrong?

and trust me, the "design" i'm having done is not hard at all. no shading at all. just straight black.

also, do you really think if i'm contemplating saving $50 by having my buddy do it for me that i'd travel all the way to michigan to get one?

if you have any recommendations for artists in Chicago, i'm all ears. but again, i really am not sure i'm sold on there being a HUGE difference. my buddy is 37 years old and has experience doing this. it's not like i got wasted with a few of my 22 year old friends and we came up with this idea.

i'm asking about the gun/kit itself, not about whether it's a good idea or not.

[lechevre]

[controlthebleeding]

you're from chicago area. there are tons of good artists in your area. i should check all my tattoo mags and give you names. as come to think about GUY is probably booked.

circlingvultures: i once almost got tattooed by PAUL BOOTH but shit happened and i couldn't make it at the time they wanted.. i fucking felt bad declining when i got the email.. i gave up after that. as i had already been waiting 8 months..

[danthemjfan23]

another aspect in my decision is doing this ON my 23rd birthday, which is on a wednesday. so the shop might not even be open after i get off work and drive to it, and if the artist is booked, then i'm fucked.

having my buddy do it means i have complete control over the timing of the situation.

[aviolentworld]

you're from chicago area. there are tons of good artists in your area. i should check all my tattoo mags and give you names. as come to think about GUY is probably booked.

circlingvultures: i once almost got tattooed by PAUL BOOTH but shit happened and i couldn't make it at the time they wanted.. i fucking felt bad declining when i got the email.. i gave up after that. as i had already been waiting 8 months..

paul booth is the shit. if im not getting my shit twisted he does the bio-mech right?

dan check out metamorphis tattoo in chicago. im talking to a dude now to throw some shit on me.

[circlingvultures]

My friend who has moved to MASS to tattoo has worked with both guy and paul before. I love both their work. I would like to get work done by either but I have a backlog of tattoo ideas and tend to get a little impatient so I could never book that far in advance with someone. Somedays I feel like getting work done and some I don't. Luckily Buffalo has a oddly large number of awesome artists and shops in the area.

[danthemjfan23]

link mark? a google search came up with no results in chicago.

[silentgods]

hey Mike, wheres this dude Guy at in Michigan? i'm going there tomorrow and if its the general vicinity i may check it out.

[aviolentworld]

link mark? a google search came up with no results in chicago.

yeah probably cuz its metamorph. my bad

http://www.myspace.com/92442100

[aviolentworld]

also dont really know how big a piece you are getting.......but usually artists will charge by the hour. if they are good and you are getting something simple then it shouldnt cost 400 dollars imo.

[controlthebleeding]

mike, i definitely appreciate your input, but let me ask you this... if the person is happy with their tattoo and they don't recognize its faults, then what's the difference? if it takes a superbly-trained eye to notice something wrong, then is there really something wrong?

and trust me, the "design" i'm having done is not hard at all. no shading at all. just straight black.

also, do you really think if i'm contemplating saving $50 by having my buddy do it for me that i'd travel all the way to michigan to get one?

if you have any recommendations for artists in Chicago, i'm all ears. but again, i really am not sure i'm sold on there being a HUGE difference. my buddy is 37 years old and has experience doing this. it's not like i got wasted with a few of my 22 year old friends and we came up with this idea.

i'm asking about the gun/kit itself, not about whether it's a good idea or not.

you're right. maybe if they are happy with it. but here's the thing. anyone who has more experience with something is going to be vocal for the sake of the person they are telling. just to help out. Whether it be a producer with a band, a piercer with a person who has a crooked piercing, a friend telling another friend about their bad haircut. I'm sure if you're friend got a mullet you wouldn't just bite your lip. amirite?

but like you asked.. a $99 machine is not a good idea.. there are so many things that can go wrong. it needs a full setup before-hand.

as far as saving money and not going to michigan. you totally got me... lol. i didn't think about that.

[controlthebleeding]

hey Mike, wheres this dude Guy at in Michigan? i'm going there tomorrow and if its the general vicinity i may check it out.

actually i don't know what i was thinking. .the dude is in ILLINOIS. Creal Springs,

[dante3000]

There is no way this could ever be a bad idea.

[controlthebleeding]

All i can say DAN is you better take a pic and post it once you get it done..

oh to to everyone else. I once saw a awesome photo of UNCLE JESSE (from dukes of hazzard) pointing the finger.. i can't remember who did it, but it was awesome..

i really need to get my george jeffereson and red foxx tattoos soon

[Duff]

get Jordan dunking over Skiba smashing a guitar.

[enjoyadrian]

get Jordan dunking over Skiba smashing a guitar.

aaaahahahaha/

[lokithelion]

i turn 23 years old on november 25. to commemorate this historic event, i have decided that i'm going to get my first tattoo that night.

i've wanted to get one since i was 8 years old, and i have looked into getting one on multiple occasions at different places. the most expensive place told me $450 + tip, and the least expensive is going to be $150 + tip, based on the size i'm going to get it.

out of curiosity, i searched online a little bit and found this kit:

http://www.superiortattoo.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=20178

i am going to have my buddy do it. he has done tattoos before. i trust him.

what i want to know is... is that kit that i found a good deal? is it a good kit? do any of you have any other places i should look before ordering?

any other thoughts/suggestions/etc. is ARE appreciated.

edit: beat you to it, grammar police.

Okay, Dan Emily is freaking out far too much to give you a coherent answer right now. DO NOT LET YOUR FRIEND TATTOO YOU WITH THAT KIT OR AT ALL

IF HE HAS REALLY DONE TATTOOS BEFORE HE WILL KNOW THAT KIT IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT, INAPPROPRIATE FOR A PROFESSIONAL TATTOO, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY A FUCKING HEALTH RISK. HE DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO AN AUTOCLAVE OR PROPER STERILIZATION EQUIPMENT. DO NO PUT YOUR ART AND BODY AT RISK.

[lokithelion]

Okay, she's calmed down a bit. Here's her response.

honey baby sugar dumpling. god DON'T DO ITTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

if your friend is willing to do this, i have to sincerely question him and how much he cares about you...even his own art....reputation. people that tattoo outside of shops are referred to as "scratchers" in the tattoo world. tattoo artists that have gone through the process of getting their licenses, going through sterilyzation, studying under people who know what they are doing, dedicating their days to learning and practicing- to these people, scratchers are scum. scratchers work out of their house. even those who really just want to tattoo still don't have all the information or access to everything necessary to give you a quality piece of work that will stay on your skin forever.

sometimes they look ok, but even if you don't end up with a portrait of a pile of shit on your forearm that was supposed to resemble your mother, you could still get awful diseases if they didn't do everything they should have to give you a sterile piece of art that love and care was put into. if this were to actually go down his rep should be trashed. not to mention that if he was an actually experienced artist he would already have these things. this kit looks like shit. im really sorry. i dont want to be mean. but i am scared for you. a good machine is like...a shoe maybe? sure, there are lots of shoes out there, but some of them will rip your feet apart. some don't fit. some are made by very questionable characters. a good machine ALONE should cost more than $100. that should be your first warning sign. secondly, needles. needles can be barbed, fucked up...real tattoo artists special order their needles from reputable people they have research if they arn't making them themselves. plus ink...do you know the ingrediants in the ink that come with this kit? a 2 oz. bottle of ink at the very least costs $15. doing the math this kit does not add up to what you want. i know tattoos are expensive. if i didn't work in a shop i would seriously be struggling. but even i save to get tattoos. and when you find an artist that meets your personal needs for that special piece that will represent YOU before anyone even gets to TALK to you, you will be psyched. this is a representation of who you are. and you don't want to fuck that up.

$150 is not bad. you can start small, or you could start with the linework to a bigger piece that you can later finish. i can't tell you how much you will regret it if you skimp. im saying all this because recieving a bad tattoo is my worst fear. it is there forever. even if you got it covered up later it will still never be the same. you don't want bad art. you don't want disease. you don't want the extra pain you WILL go through with someone who is properly trained. whoa. please PM me if you have more questions at EMIRI on this board.

[cosmonaut]

Dan, I advise you to stay the fuck away from that dodgy kit for the reasons already stated..

As far as the actual tattoo, I think you should get one of the dogs-painted-on-a-rock that Allison does.

[lonesomexloveus]

Dan, I advise you to stay the fuck away from that dodgy kit for the reasons already stated..

As far as the actual tattoo, I think you should get one of the dogs-painted-on-a-rock that Allison does.

haha right on! ;]

[mclz]

no one posts a pic of the greatest tattoo ever?

[mattstrike]

dude, just fork over the money. if it means that much to you and its going to be on your body forever then throw down the extra cash.

Exactly.

And Dan, just because it will be solid black doesn't mean it won't take expertise. Solid fills are actually hard to get right. And when they aren't done correctly, they look like utter shit.

[jakekinney]

I would just like to say that you get what you pay for. Whether you get the kit or go to a shop, if you pay cheap your going to get cheap results.

When I got my first tattoo I went to the cheapest shop around, it was an awful idea, and I regret not spending the extra money on a good artist. The second time I went to a pretty renown artist for my area, payed 125 an hour, and I love my arm every time I look at it.

But I mean its up to you to make your own decision, that was just my experience so far.

[lokithelion]

Also solid black is going to scab like a motherfucker. If it isn't done right your color is going to be really uneven, and you'll be unable to get a touch up because dude wont be able to sterilize his fisher price "machine"

[tanukichu]

Ultimately you're going to do what you want to do anyways.

I definitely agree with what Emily said 110%. It's best to go with someone who is professional and has had the proper training and licensing because this is something that is going to be on your body forever not to mention having it done right will minimize pain and healing time. If you don't care about it looking like shit, that's one thing, but safety is a whole 'nother ballpark.

I'm getting my first tattoo done with my friend next time I see her in Boston. We're going to her artist. I'm just getting something simple (my Jawbreaker tattoo) but I know I'm going to feel more comfortable going somewhere trustworthy. I love my friend's tattoos and she totally vouched for this place.