OK, I Want a tattoo but...
Disclaimer!
I can't put ideas in your head, there are no "this is a picture of a great tattoo, you should consider having it" type suggestions on this page, although I unashamedly admit I might ruin a few for you. Finding the right tattoo is hard work, you have to think hard about what you are passionate about, you have to look hard for the images that inspire the idea that ends up on your body. There are no short cuts to getting tattoos that you will love for life, nobody can do it for you, they can help you if they know you very well indeed but, in the end it HAS to come from you.
Cheers....Tattisfaction.
Anyway, on with the show....
Cheers....Tattisfaction.
Anyway, on with the show....
...I don’t know what I want!
I've always known since I was a little kid with "lick and stick" tattoos that I wanted tattoos but it wasn't until I was 30 that I finally got one done. In the 17 years since, I've found that people without tattoos have some fairly predictable responses. The negative ones are discussed on the Tattoo Prejudice page, the others tend to be;
Does it hurt? Tends to get a "No, not really. You kinda get used to it." type response and enquiries as to how much it cost get a stock, "It's an expensive hobby" reply.
So what do you say to somebody who wants a tattoo but doesn't know what they want? Well, that's the tough one. A lot of people in this position have seen something they think is cool. Over the years these have included tribal designs, black and grey sleeves, feathers, mandala designs and infinity symbols. If this is the kind of thing you are considering my first words of advice would be, tread very carefully.
I know a guy who spent a fortune on a full sleeve tribal design that stretched onto his shoulderblade and chest. He loved that tattoo....for about three months. It took just 12 weeks for him to get so fed up of seeing tribal tattoos on other people that he hated his own. I'm not saying don't go down the "popular tattoo" route if that's what you really want but trust me you had better love it, I mean absolutely love it, if you do.
- Why did you have that?
- Does it hurt?
- How much does something like that cost?
- I'd love a tattoo but, I don't know what I want!
Does it hurt? Tends to get a "No, not really. You kinda get used to it." type response and enquiries as to how much it cost get a stock, "It's an expensive hobby" reply.
So what do you say to somebody who wants a tattoo but doesn't know what they want? Well, that's the tough one. A lot of people in this position have seen something they think is cool. Over the years these have included tribal designs, black and grey sleeves, feathers, mandala designs and infinity symbols. If this is the kind of thing you are considering my first words of advice would be, tread very carefully.
I know a guy who spent a fortune on a full sleeve tribal design that stretched onto his shoulderblade and chest. He loved that tattoo....for about three months. It took just 12 weeks for him to get so fed up of seeing tribal tattoos on other people that he hated his own. I'm not saying don't go down the "popular tattoo" route if that's what you really want but trust me you had better love it, I mean absolutely love it, if you do.
What are you passionate about? Music? Sport? Movies? Only you know what it is that really and truly floats your boat. So I'll tell you the story of my back tattoo.
In early, 2002 my dad got a terminal lung disease, the was no cure and no real treatment for it. They could try to slow it down but the only way he was ever going to survive it was with a heart and lung transplant. They gave him ten years at most. In November 2003, a week after his 58th birthday and a week before my 33rd, he died.
Over the following ten years I had umpteen ideas on what tattoo I should have to commemorate my dad, the dad who hated tattoos with as much passion as I loved them. In the end I had the tattoo that is pictured below.
In early, 2002 my dad got a terminal lung disease, the was no cure and no real treatment for it. They could try to slow it down but the only way he was ever going to survive it was with a heart and lung transplant. They gave him ten years at most. In November 2003, a week after his 58th birthday and a week before my 33rd, he died.
Over the following ten years I had umpteen ideas on what tattoo I should have to commemorate my dad, the dad who hated tattoos with as much passion as I loved them. In the end I had the tattoo that is pictured below.
Done by Laura Walsh at Voodoo Tattoo, Warrington
So how does a dragon, a hill, a robin and some plant life commemorate my dad? How did I come to this design?
How I came to it was by searching deep within myself for things I loved, for things that reminded me of my dad and for the underlying meaning I wanted to represent in tattoo form. I came up with a hill (but not just any hill), a dragon and a robin. I took a variety of images to my tattooist and told her what I wanted and how I wanted it to look.
So what does it all mean?
I've always been mad about dragons, probably even longer than I've wanted tattoos. Now the thing about dragons is they have a far deeper symbolism than merely fire-breathing hoarders of treasure. In Asia they can be considered good luck charms and in old European lore they were symbols of protection. In the old fairy stories (before they got condensed to King hires knight to kill greedy dragon, knight weds princess and they all lived happily ever after) dragons were lured to a kings treasure to prevent anyone from stealing it. Of course the King then had a problem getting his gold back and....well, he hired a knight and the rest you know.
My dad was the head of our family, he was our protector and with his passing that responsibility was passed to me. I could have had an angel but I'm a dragon guy not an angel guy. My dad was an atheist and I'm not sure what I believe, an angel would have represented the same things but it wasn't right. The dragon, in short represents my dad and me.
The robin is very commonly associated with departed loved ones. Robins are incredibly common, curious and solitary birds, we see them all the time, yet when we are grieving we associate their visits and their curiosity with our departed loved one popping back, in bird form, to check in on us. However, that isn't why I had my robin.
When I was a kid, my dad would take me up the hill that forms the back drop of the tattoo, with our dogs and we'd walk and he'd teach me stuff about plants and wildlife and such. In the months after he got ill the whole clan would trek up there occasionally, half way up there a small wooden bench and a kissing gate. My dad would rest on the bench and every time, literally every time, a robin would come and perch on the gate and investigate us. Whenever I go back up there a robin comes and checks me out, same gate, same perch, obviously a different robin. It took me ten years to realise it but a robin had to be in this tattoo. Basically, the robin represents the memory of my dad.
And so to the hill, the hill overlooks the village me and my dad are from. As a child he played up there, as a young man he went shooting up there and as a father he took his son up there to appreciate the wonders of nature. That hill was important to both me and my dad in our childhoods and in our adulthood. It will always be important to my family, in fact so important that it was his wish to have his ashes scattered up there and so they were. By having the hill with me everywhere I go, I have my dad with me everywhere I go.
It might have taken ten years it took to decide and twenty four hours to tattoo but it is perfect and I don't care who says otherwise.
How I came to it was by searching deep within myself for things I loved, for things that reminded me of my dad and for the underlying meaning I wanted to represent in tattoo form. I came up with a hill (but not just any hill), a dragon and a robin. I took a variety of images to my tattooist and told her what I wanted and how I wanted it to look.
So what does it all mean?
I've always been mad about dragons, probably even longer than I've wanted tattoos. Now the thing about dragons is they have a far deeper symbolism than merely fire-breathing hoarders of treasure. In Asia they can be considered good luck charms and in old European lore they were symbols of protection. In the old fairy stories (before they got condensed to King hires knight to kill greedy dragon, knight weds princess and they all lived happily ever after) dragons were lured to a kings treasure to prevent anyone from stealing it. Of course the King then had a problem getting his gold back and....well, he hired a knight and the rest you know.
My dad was the head of our family, he was our protector and with his passing that responsibility was passed to me. I could have had an angel but I'm a dragon guy not an angel guy. My dad was an atheist and I'm not sure what I believe, an angel would have represented the same things but it wasn't right. The dragon, in short represents my dad and me.
The robin is very commonly associated with departed loved ones. Robins are incredibly common, curious and solitary birds, we see them all the time, yet when we are grieving we associate their visits and their curiosity with our departed loved one popping back, in bird form, to check in on us. However, that isn't why I had my robin.
When I was a kid, my dad would take me up the hill that forms the back drop of the tattoo, with our dogs and we'd walk and he'd teach me stuff about plants and wildlife and such. In the months after he got ill the whole clan would trek up there occasionally, half way up there a small wooden bench and a kissing gate. My dad would rest on the bench and every time, literally every time, a robin would come and perch on the gate and investigate us. Whenever I go back up there a robin comes and checks me out, same gate, same perch, obviously a different robin. It took me ten years to realise it but a robin had to be in this tattoo. Basically, the robin represents the memory of my dad.
And so to the hill, the hill overlooks the village me and my dad are from. As a child he played up there, as a young man he went shooting up there and as a father he took his son up there to appreciate the wonders of nature. That hill was important to both me and my dad in our childhoods and in our adulthood. It will always be important to my family, in fact so important that it was his wish to have his ashes scattered up there and so they were. By having the hill with me everywhere I go, I have my dad with me everywhere I go.
It might have taken ten years it took to decide and twenty four hours to tattoo but it is perfect and I don't care who says otherwise.
Now I didn't tell that story to jerk tears or illicit a collective "awwww how sweet!" from the people reading it. I told that tale to demonstrate how much a tattoo can mean, how much thought needs to go into a tattoo that you are going to love forever. Do you really want somebody else to provide your ideas for you? Is a feather or mandala really what you're passionate about?
Make your tattoos yours, not a copy of a copy of a copy. Nobody is likely to copy my back tattoo, it will mean nothing, cost far too much and take far too long for them to bother. Good tattoos are expensive, they take time and to my mind, they should all be in someway unique. Don't waste your time and money on something you saw on Instagram, find your own. Be unique.
Make your tattoos yours, not a copy of a copy of a copy. Nobody is likely to copy my back tattoo, it will mean nothing, cost far too much and take far too long for them to bother. Good tattoos are expensive, they take time and to my mind, they should all be in someway unique. Don't waste your time and money on something you saw on Instagram, find your own. Be unique.
What tattoo is inside you?
Hopefully by now you're thinking. However, if you still need a prod here are a few areas you could look at.
Maybe you have a heritage you're particularly proud of or which is important to who you grew up to be. It doesn't matter if your English, Irish, Scottish, Chinese or mixed-race Samoan, if your ancestry is important to you consider whether it is so important to you that you want it represented in a tattoo. Dwayne Johnson who just happens to be a mixed-race Samoan chose the traditional Samoan style of tattoo, done the traditional way in a traditional amount of time however, the story the tattoo tells is unique. It's his story. Watch the video, he tells it better than I ever could.
Maybe you have a heritage you're particularly proud of or which is important to who you grew up to be. It doesn't matter if your English, Irish, Scottish, Chinese or mixed-race Samoan, if your ancestry is important to you consider whether it is so important to you that you want it represented in a tattoo. Dwayne Johnson who just happens to be a mixed-race Samoan chose the traditional Samoan style of tattoo, done the traditional way in a traditional amount of time however, the story the tattoo tells is unique. It's his story. Watch the video, he tells it better than I ever could.
Personally, I don’t think I’ve seen another tattoo that is so in sync with the person who has it. It’s not my favourite piece ever and it’s not a style I’ve ever wanted, in fact it’s a style that I think needs to fit the owner. In Johnson’s case I think the combination of his heritage, his choice of design, his selected artist and his physique all combine perfectly.
In less than three minutes, you get a real feel for how much it means to him, what it symbolises and how much he loves it. You need to aim for THAT level of satisfaction with your chosen work. Ask yourself, do you really want a tattoo that doesn’t inspire you? A tattoo that when you look at it doesn’t have you “feeling the love” for it?
Maybe movies are your thing, or just a particular actor or actress. What's your favourite movie? Think of a way to depict it that hasn't been done before. Perhaps it's a genre of movie that you love, there are all manner of tattoos, sleeves, full back pieces etc that are a gallery of portraits of the owners favourite characters. It could be Spiderman, The Hulk and Iron Man, it could be Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees, it could even be Belle, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It doesn't matter, it's your tattoo.
The same applies to music and sport. If you are obsessed with one band or type of music, there are ways you can represent that obsession, find some of your favourite images and talk to your tattooist about how they can turn them into something that is all yours and yours alone. The world of sport is awash with stirring images, heroes, heroines and legends, maybe your inspiration will be found in your favourite sport. A cautionary word though, in the age of staggering transfer fees and mercenary players you may want to wait until they achieve "legend" status with your club. Learn from, Newcastle United fan, Robert Nesbitt who had an Andy Cole tattoo done days before he signed for Manchester United.
Below are three ways the same thing can be translated into vastly different tattoos.
In less than three minutes, you get a real feel for how much it means to him, what it symbolises and how much he loves it. You need to aim for THAT level of satisfaction with your chosen work. Ask yourself, do you really want a tattoo that doesn’t inspire you? A tattoo that when you look at it doesn’t have you “feeling the love” for it?
Maybe movies are your thing, or just a particular actor or actress. What's your favourite movie? Think of a way to depict it that hasn't been done before. Perhaps it's a genre of movie that you love, there are all manner of tattoos, sleeves, full back pieces etc that are a gallery of portraits of the owners favourite characters. It could be Spiderman, The Hulk and Iron Man, it could be Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees, it could even be Belle, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It doesn't matter, it's your tattoo.
The same applies to music and sport. If you are obsessed with one band or type of music, there are ways you can represent that obsession, find some of your favourite images and talk to your tattooist about how they can turn them into something that is all yours and yours alone. The world of sport is awash with stirring images, heroes, heroines and legends, maybe your inspiration will be found in your favourite sport. A cautionary word though, in the age of staggering transfer fees and mercenary players you may want to wait until they achieve "legend" status with your club. Learn from, Newcastle United fan, Robert Nesbitt who had an Andy Cole tattoo done days before he signed for Manchester United.
Below are three ways the same thing can be translated into vastly different tattoos.
How many Liverpool fans have this? I dunno, but it's a lot!
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Same passion, same iconic bird, not the same tattoo at all.
Done by Luke Sayer Tattoo Studio Milnthorpe
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With imagination you can make the most common
of images unique.
Done by State of the Arts Tattoo Studio, Dungannon.
of images unique.
Done by State of the Arts Tattoo Studio, Dungannon.
Where can I find this inspiration?
The ideas and the original inspiration are in the same place that the motivation to have a tattoo is. Inside you. However, once you have the idea and it doesn't have to be a clear idea, just a clue will do, you will find inspiration in all kinds of places. Instagram, Google, Pinterest, books and television: Inspiration for a tattoo is literally everywhere.
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Let's say you have a thing about Spartans but the images you find of Spartan warriors are all just a bit too common for you, you're really struggling to find that special something that really floats your boat. Then let's imagine you spot an image of a Roman soldier that you think would be amazing if it was a Spartan. It doesn't matter that it's a Roman, a good tattooist will be able to use the Roman as the model for a Spartan. You take the image to your tattooist tell them you want that but instead of being Roman you want a Spartan, they draw it up and hey presto! One unique, perfect Spartan. Your Spartan.
Everytime I get more work done, I go through a "I know what I want, but I don't know what I want" phase. So I get busy with Google. |
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If I'm honest, I don't even look at pictures of tattoos anymore. I look at photographs, paintings and sketches, book illustrations and even company logos to see what I can find that can be reworked into what I have in mind. The dragon on my back was found as a wingless line sketch on Google images, the background was a photograph from a golf club's website, the robin came from a wild life website and the brambles were my tattooist's idea, I don't know where those came from. If you have the bones an idea of what you need, Google is an incredible resource for putting flesh on them.
Tread Carefully
There are some routes that are common roads down which people go for their early tattoos, before they either get fed up with them or simply decided that the next one will be different to everyone else's. This section will hopefully help you navigate down these roads without you ending up regretting what you have.
Some words of caution about…words
Thanks for the reminder.
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Since, David Beckham very famously had his wife’s name written in Sanskrit down his forearm it has become very popular to have words of wisdom, song lyrics, mottoes etc etc tattooed in the same place. Think very carefully if this is the direction you think you want to go in.
Beckham’s Sanskrit tattoo is very famously misspelled, fortunately it’s in a language most of us don’t know and only we know about the error because we have been told, however there are many tattoos in existence that are misspelled in English. Check, check and check again you’ve got it right before you give it to your artist and then before he or she starts to tattoo you check it some more. If you want no regrets, don’t get a tattoo saying “No Regerts!” |
Also, think very hard about what you want to say with these words and why you want them immortalised in your skin. Make sure that they make sense, I’d avoid clichéd tattoos, for the same reasons I’d avoid fashionable ones. “Carpe Diem” may well have been cool before Robin Williams introduced the phrase to a mass audience in “The Dead Poets Society”, but since then…maybe not so much.
Foreign languages are what I can only describe as a minefield. Unless you speak the language fluently, or know and trust somebody who does you will want to be very careful (DO NOT under any circumstances rely on Google Translate or similar web based translations). We’ve all heard the story of the girl with the Chinese word for “hope” tattooed on her shoulder which turned out to say “slut”, urban legend it may well be, but the lesson is there to be learned.
Foreign languages are what I can only describe as a minefield. Unless you speak the language fluently, or know and trust somebody who does you will want to be very careful (DO NOT under any circumstances rely on Google Translate or similar web based translations). We’ve all heard the story of the girl with the Chinese word for “hope” tattooed on her shoulder which turned out to say “slut”, urban legend it may well be, but the lesson is there to be learned.
Names
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Thinking of getting your girlfriend's name tattooed on yourself? Fancy your husband's name forever engraved in your skin? STOP!
Names are possibly the worst idea you can have. Sure, your kids names are fine. You love the little cherubs and very little can happen to change that but relationships of the romantic kind can be fleeting, they can come to calamitous ends and very often even an amicable split can leave behind some bitterness and when you move on do you really want your old boyfriend's name where your new one can be constantly reminded of it? Will your new wife be happy with the ex's name greeting her each morning? I suspect possibly not. Save yourself the embarrassment and get something else. |
Buzz Lightyear wasn't at all
happy about being put in the attic.
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Portraits
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This is another area which could be fraught with peril. You may decide to get the portrait of your favourite actor, actress, musician or a departed loved one tattooed on you and while there is nothing wrong with the idea, the execution of the idea is another matter.
If you decided to take this route, you MUST find somebody with an extensive portfolio of fantastic portrait tattoos. Being able to tell who it is is not enough, if you’re going for photo-realistic, make sure your chosen artist can do it. Of course, you can tell that the picture on the left is Marilyn Monroe, well I hope you can, but would you be happy if you were commemorating your late mother or father with a portrait and this is the quality you got? I know I wouldn’t. |
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By doing your homework and finding a top drawer portrait tattooist you can have fantastic things created for you. The imagery that’s permanently tattooed upon you should be nothing short of excellent, you deserve it and it could not be more true than it is in regard to portraits. On the right you can see a tattoo done by a fantastic artist called, Francisco Sanchez, based in Denton, Texas. Of course, not everyone can get out to Texas but this is the standard you have to find nearer your home.
The quality of the tattoo you get is determined by the ability of your tattooist, however the ultimate responsibility is yours. YOU are the person that allows the artist to do their work, if you get the wrong artist, you really only have yourself to blame. |
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As I mentioned earlier, I got it wrong first time (and the second if I’m honest…I learn everything the hard way). A friend of a friend recommended him and I took it as gospel, had I done my homework myself I would never have gone. I can’t blame the guy for not being as good as I’d been told he was, or at the very least not really understanding the art form I was asking him to reproduce.
So to summarise, take all the time that it takes to find the right tattoo, look for inspiration everywhere, rushing to a decision just to get a tattoo will more often than not lead to the wrong tattoo. When you have the right design, it’s time to move on to finding the person with the skill to produce your own fabulous tattoo.
There's a lot of it about.
Maybe you've seen a tattoo design you like a fair bit and every time you see it you think, "That's so cool, I'd love that!" just take a minute to consider this. You're seeing it a lot. Everywhere you go, somebody has it. Now, at this stage you may think that's cool but in five years when "cool" has moved onto a different trend, what will you think of it then?
When I was in my teens, the footballer mullet was a very popular hairstyle for lads my age, thankfully I was never inclined to go that way. Lads I knew that had it, cringe when they see old photos of themselves. Luckily for them, when fashion moved on, they changed their haircuts. You can't change a tattoo quite so easily.
How many women have a lower back tattoo? The answer is a lot. Why did the trend end? I don't know the exact answer to that either, but I suspect it being branded "the tramp stamp" had something to do with it. The first time I saw a picture of the "feather that turns into a flock of birds" tattoo, I thought it was a nice idea, different, obviously not for me but a nice tattoo. Fast forward a couple of years and the reaction is more, "Oh joy! another feather" (put "Feather tattoo" into Google, there 317 million results!) then I roll my eyes and look away and I'm not alone in that reaction. If I had been the owner of the very first of those feather tattoos, it would have been covered up or lasered off by now, because fashion has ruined it.
Getting tattooed is not a trend, it's pretty much forever. Don't lead, don't follow, just do something for you. If you're motivated by some sense of social acceptance and that you feel by getting what's popular somehow helps you fit in or makes you more comfortable in the decision because others made the same decision and appear happy with it, there's one last thing to consider.
You will be far more readily accepted and gain far greater respect from those in the tattoo fraternity (and I include those who had the "generic" tattoos) if you have something unique. Being the only owner of a particular tattoo design, is just about the coolest thing there is about being tattooed.
When I was in my teens, the footballer mullet was a very popular hairstyle for lads my age, thankfully I was never inclined to go that way. Lads I knew that had it, cringe when they see old photos of themselves. Luckily for them, when fashion moved on, they changed their haircuts. You can't change a tattoo quite so easily.
How many women have a lower back tattoo? The answer is a lot. Why did the trend end? I don't know the exact answer to that either, but I suspect it being branded "the tramp stamp" had something to do with it. The first time I saw a picture of the "feather that turns into a flock of birds" tattoo, I thought it was a nice idea, different, obviously not for me but a nice tattoo. Fast forward a couple of years and the reaction is more, "Oh joy! another feather" (put "Feather tattoo" into Google, there 317 million results!) then I roll my eyes and look away and I'm not alone in that reaction. If I had been the owner of the very first of those feather tattoos, it would have been covered up or lasered off by now, because fashion has ruined it.
Getting tattooed is not a trend, it's pretty much forever. Don't lead, don't follow, just do something for you. If you're motivated by some sense of social acceptance and that you feel by getting what's popular somehow helps you fit in or makes you more comfortable in the decision because others made the same decision and appear happy with it, there's one last thing to consider.
You will be far more readily accepted and gain far greater respect from those in the tattoo fraternity (and I include those who had the "generic" tattoos) if you have something unique. Being the only owner of a particular tattoo design, is just about the coolest thing there is about being tattooed.