(tattooed) Ladies First

No pasties. No tramp stamps. Just art. . *We love reblogs, but please don't truncate the post if you choose to reblog. We don't want vital information to be lost in the sharing process. Thanks for reading, and for your awesome support.

[tattooedtara-blog]

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Check out my new jewelry line! All handmade, images carefully selected. I’ve got lots of fun new things coming regularly too.

Lily Volition will soon have jewelry made out of tattoo artists’ art work, so keep an eye out for it.

Find it on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LilyVolition

And on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LilyVolition

[tattooedladiesfirst]

“More ancient tattoos have been found, like the Ice Man found in the Alps - but he only had lines, not the perfect and highly artistic images one can see on the bodies of the Pazyryks. It is a phenomenal level of tattoo art. Incredible.”

[tattooedladiesfirst]

This is a pretty good example of a Bad Idea.

While it looks like it may be well done (hard to say since it's so new and swollen), and it is admittedly adorable, over time this is exactly the sort of thing that tends to age poorly and turn into a regret. Teeny tiny details like this just don't stand the test of time. As her skin ages those crisp lines that make this identifiably a Peter Pan tattoo are likely to blur... and she'll have four blobby bits down her neck for life.

If you take an idea like this to a tattooer and she doesn't warn you that it may not hold up over time, she does not have your best interest in mind. Think before you let her tattoo you. If she warns you and you insist, it's on you. If she doesn't warn you, she may be more concerned about money than outcome.

[tattooedladiesfirst]

I swear I'm coming back, y'all! It's just a super busy time for me and I haven't had much of a chance to write, on top of having to get back into the swing of things post vacation.

Help me out and send me questions to get me started again!

[tattooedladiesfirst]

[tattooedladiesfirst]

I'm out of here!

Feel free to keep sending emails and questions, but don't expect an answer for a while.

See y'all next week. Get some beautiful tattoos while I'm gone. <3

[tattooedladiesfirst]

[tattooedladiesfirst]

first timers

It seems to me that a majority of first timers insist that their tattoo be solid black. No shading. Just simple.

There is nothing wrong with that at all.

But when I started wondering why the only thing I could come up with was that

they are afraid they won't be able to take the pain,

they weren't prepared for the financial investment and are settling for something less than they really wanted, or

they have just not learned to 'see' more detailed tattoos yet.

It takes a while to learn to see what's happening in a tattoo. It's a form of art that we are usually unfamiliar with, so we have to learn. When we go looking for our first tattoo we want something recognizable. We don't want anyone to ever say "what is it?"

So maybe take a little bit longer before you decide on that first piece. Look at more tattoos in person. Ask more questions. Get more familiar with the art. Then if you still want to start with simple and black, you know for sure that that is really what you wanted.

Take your time. It's going to be with you for a very long time. You can wait.

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Super cute location, super boring execution. Why would you waste the money on a faded shaky outline of a tattoo when you could get something a little bigger, a little better, and with some wow factor? 

Even one of those butterflies would be better, and they aren't even fabulous butterflies.

Don't limit yourself to something so simple that it falls flat. Tiny tattoos are fun, but if they are too simple they end up looking like you have a smudge of dirt on you rather than the delicate little ditty you wanted.

[tattooedladiesfirst]

If you haven't already, join the conversation on Facebook too!

[tattooedladiesfirst]

I'm an artist. There are a lot of people in the business who aren't. It's like they've got a shoe repair shop.

Lyle Tuttle

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Gabe Sandy

Little John's Tattoo

Greensboro NC

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Let's talk about portfolios again

I've already discussed a bit of portfolio etiquette, now lets talk about portfolios online. Since I started (tattooed)Ladies First, I have come across a surprising number of tattoo shop websites that either don't have any artist portfolios or only have the owner's portfolio published.

This is a red flag in my opinion.

If only the owner's portfolio is on the website and you know he is not the only tattooer at his shop, look for links to the other artists' Facebook pages or personal websites. If they aren't there, try to determine why. Is it because there is such a high turnover rate at the shop that the owner has decided that it's a waste of time to post links on the website?

It doesn't take a genius to post links. And if the turnover rate is so high, it may be because he is hiring crappy artists, or he is impossible to work for. Either way, it's possibly not a shop that you want to be involved with for your artwork. The website reflects the business, after all.

If there are no portfolios at all? I feel like this is a major red flag. I have seen beautiful websites, full of fabulous artwork, gorgeous studio photos, artists biographies... and no tattoo portfolios. Why? Why would you build a website and fail to put your product on it?

The most logical argument is that they don't want their photos stolen. There are programs that you can use to watermark photos. I have very little web experience and I built my husband's website on my own, then used Microsoft Paint to watermark the photos. I placed the watermark so that it couldn't be cropped out. Someone skilled at Photoshop could probably make quick work of them, but it's enough of a deterrent that I have yet to see someone else use our photos.

A portfolio is an artists finest moments. It is his style, his passion, his best advertisement. If he is not willing to share it with you something is definitely amiss. Proceed with caution and find out why. Always be willing to go someplace else.

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Here's a good example of why that ring tattoo you've been wanting might not be the best of ideas.

I'm sure that this looked sharp and beautiful when it was new. There are plenty of ring tattoos that look beautiful when they are new.Like this.

But remember how we talked about the pot of beans theory? It applies double to your hands and feet. Tattoos on hands and feet age much faster than in other areas. The cells regenerate so much faster and leave your tattoo looking old and dull. Worse, if your tattoo is in an area that rubs against something like an actual ring or shoe, you may very well end up with a spot where the tattoo completely wears away.

Also, wedding band tattoos fall under the "If it's not your mama's or your baby's name don't do it" rule. Of course we all mean to stay married forever, but how many of us really do? Do you want a tattoo on your hand for the rest of your life to remind you of your failed marriage? 

It's something to think about if you are seriously considering foot or hand tattoos. Weigh your options. It might be best to move that tattoo to a place where it will stay beautiful.

[tattooedladiesfirst]

Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

I pulled the above photo from a site that looks like it's all full of tattoo designs and helpful info. Not only is that not a tattoo, it's not even tattooable at that size. It's a tramp stamp shrunk down and photoshopped onto a finger. I don't think any tattooer in the world would agree to try to tattoo that. (Though she should give you alternatives that would actually work after she says no.) Upon reading a bit of the page, I found that the 'helpful info' is in broken English and makes no sense. It's misinformation at worst, gibberish at best.

What the site actually is is a hub for advertisements. It looks like a tattoo site, but that's just a good way for the site owner to create a lot of traffic and make money from you clicking on other pages and ads.

Don't fall for it. If a site has a ton of ads on it, a huge list of links to other pages and places, and a marginal amount of what you went looking for, do yourself a favor and move on.

Even then, even with THIS site, make sure you do your own research. Find an actual tattoo artist that you are comfortable with and check your info with him. Don't just believe that  "A very important factor is sure; a ring finger tattoo is very convenient! While there is definitely not material all around the finger so you will feel good."

Yes, that is a direct quote off of that site.

Read everything as if it were a load of crap, because a lot of the time it is. Educate yourself.

[annaenola-blog]

anna enola, 2012

[tattooedladiesfirst]

I think your blog is a great way for people to learn about good tattoos! However, after reading a few pages in, I do have a question for you. Do you absolutely 100% feel that one needs to be 21+ to "be ready" to get a tattoo? I understand that teenagers can make foolish decisions, but if an 18 year old has known what they want to get tattooed for two or three years, wouldn't they be just as ready as someone who is older?

It does seem excessively cautious, doesn't it? Let me explain my point of view.

First of all, it's not about a teenager's ability to make a sound decision at all. I have known teenagers who have it together better than some forty-year-olds. It all comes from my experience, both personal and professional.

I knew when I was a child (in the 70s! When only sailors and bikers had tattoos) that I was going to get tattooed. I was fascinated with the process, the art, the absolute magic of tattoos. I planned my tattoos for years and by the time I was in my late teens had mapped out a few that I wanted to get. For sure. No doubt about it. 100% positive.

When I was 18 I didn't have much extra money, so I had to wait. Then I was out on my own, so I had to wait even longer. By the time I was 21 and had a little bit of stability and extra money, my entire map of tattoos had changed. I am grateful to this day that I didn't get what my 18 year old self wanted. I have never regretted the imagery or placement of any of my tattoos because I was old enough to know myself well and make a decision better suited to my adult self. 

In all my time around tattoo shops and tattooed people an overwhelming majority of things that people want to get covered or removed are the tattoos that they got "when I was 18". I wish that I had somehow kept a tally of how many it really is.

The thing is, most people change dramatically between the ages of 18 and 21. No one thinks they will, but we almost always do. We grow and mature in ways that we can't even imagine before it happens. You're going to have your tattoo forever. What's three more years in the grand scheme of things?

My goal is to help people make more informed decisions, not to discourage people from getting tattooed. There are plenty of people who get tattooed at 18 and are just fine with it. I'm just saying that most of the people who aren't happy with a tattoo got it when they were 18, and that bears consideration. I cannot say that anyone is or isn't ready for a tattoo. I can only encourage everyone to listen to the experience of those who have gone before them and hope that you all make a more informed decision than a lot of us did.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your question. Feedback is what keeps me doing this!