Quote from MAGGOT :

These are all subjective points.

Indeed. Just as subjective as the arguments in favour of tattoos.

Quote :

How does it invalidate itself? The phrase is about choosing your own actions and deciding your own course.

It invalidates itself in the sense that your skin is a blank slate until you take your first tattoo. It's the same kind of irony as "This space intentionally left blank".

I`m wondering when is someone going to start the "I`m glad i have www.lfs.net tattooed on my back" club.. (and a biiiig LOGO)

And i agree to previous posters, it should really be something representative, something you`ll look at and be proud of.. something that brings you back good memories.. Not something you chose in the spur of the moment, but something that defined you, changed your life. etc etc, it`s been said.
I have none so far, i`m 25, i like tattoos.. but it must be something really important, and something i thought about for a long time, to make me have one. That or i sell skin space to the highest bidder. Ads anyone?

Quote from wsinda :

Indeed. Just as subjective as the arguments in favour of tattoos.

Excellent point.

Quote :

It invalidates itself in the sense that your skin is a blank slate until you take your first tattoo. It's the same kind of irony as "This space intentionally left blank".

I don't see it that way because it doesn't literally represent anything, only symbolically.

Quote from james12s :

lol

God I love to see your quote on me everytime you post

I will probably get the bald eagle which is the national bird of america. Will get it mostly as a symbol of that I'm born in the US and because it's such an awesome animal!
Although 1½ years left :/

I have heard from some that it hurts like hell to get a tatoo and some others says it doesnt hurt at all but it all depends on the spot.
Let's say on your arm, what's the scale there of how much it hurts?
Just curious ^^

Quote from Tim_J_23 :

God I love to see your quote on me everytime you post

I will probably get the bald eagle which is the national bird of america. Will get it mostly as a symbol of that I'm born in the US and because it's such an awesome animal!
Although 1½ years left :/

I have heard from some that it hurts like hell to get a tatoo and some others says it doesnt hurt at all but it all depends on the spot.
Let's say on your arm, what's the scale there of how much it hurts?
Just curious ^^

Where on your arm?

Note: First of all this is MY experience. Pain differs from person to person.

The hardest parts are just where the nerves are close to the skin. Crook of the arm and next to the elbow... Don't know the english expression for this, but you might have got this strange, almost electric shock once you've butted your elbow against something... that's a nerve going right next to your bone.
Bones don't hurt as much, the vibration of the needles just seems to go right through your body, which makes your vision funny and doesn't feel quite comfy.
It was also quite tough when the needles came down to the fibres near the wrist. Again nerves hurt a lot more!

The pain is hard to describe actually. I'll try something real quick

[butz tries to rip his skin up a bit with various household things]

Okay. Take a small fork and scratch yourself for a minute or two. Just until the point it really starts to hurt. Then scratch more. Imagine now that up to 15 very fine needles are constantly being rammed into your sin while the whole tattoo gun is moving. Sometimes it feels like stiching, sometinmes like scratching.

Hard to describe really, just look at this or this or search other first tattoo things on youtube. Although I've got two tattoos I still can really feel with the guys, for I've been in the same situation twice :-) Only I only screamed once (very loud that is!!) and my left arm is completely covered in ink...
I really hope I can help you showing that the final theme MUST be worth the cost and the pain you're going through!
Once I was lying on the chair of pain when suddenly 2 girls entered. They were 15 and had a fake permission by their parents to get each other's name on the butt... you all know girl's friendships do ya?! :-) Luckily my tattooer sent them away and called their parents before returning to work. That was a great laugh!!!

greetz

der butz

Quote from der butz :

Note: First of all this is MY experience. Pain differs from person to person.........

I found that the first hour was the worst and the outline hurts more than the colouring in. After the first hour time lost its meaning. I just noticed the alternated between pain then no pain as the gun started and stopped.

I drifted off into a strange mental state that is hard to describe.

heh on my next tattoo I guess I might find out about this pain stuff, my first one didnt hurt at all - after everything people said it was something of a let down. The second one goes right around my arm near the elbow though and there are sensitive parts there, I expect - nay demand - to scream, mkay. Don't make me let myself down guys :P

Quote from Becky Rose :

Can I ask how old you are?

To get a patriotic symbol I would hazzard you are either:

Young and have not defined your own path through life yet;
Older and a narrow minded biggot

Why would you paint your body with national symbols, what it says about you is there isn't anything unique about yourself in there. Sometimes the lack of a message is as telling as a message.

I'd seriously reconsider that one, unless you are joining the KKK.

Calm down, everyone can have dreams

I actually edited it out, after deciding I was just being pre-coffee morning grumpy.

Pain, as they say is relative.
It varies from person to person, but in my experience, it ALSO varies depending on how many bevvies you have consumed before going to the tattoo shop.
A fine balance needs to be struck here, you want enough to numb the pain, but not so much that you try twatting the tattooist the minute the needles hit your skin!
Our Dutch cousins have a slight advantage, cos they can go get legally stoned before going...this works as a good anesthetic as well!

Quote from Bladerunner :

Our Dutch cousins have a slight advantage, cos they can go get legally stoned before going...this works as a good anesthetic as well!

No it doesn't. If anything, you'll feel more pain.

My first tattoo was alright, nothing special as well. Also I've long forgotten the pain and stuff.

Second one was big (6 sessions, 4 hours of needling torture each, plus about 15 hours of painting my schemes onto my arm) and I can clearly understand Woz's mental stage thing! After a while the pain becomes strangely vague and you don't feel connected to the hurting body part anymore. It sort of burns where the needle was (hellfire must be nothing against this) and it scratches where the needle is. Again, after a while you can't feel any defined pain anymore...
I've only heard the deafening high pitch rattle sound of the machine and Meshuggah screaming while I tried talking funny stuff my the guy that hurt me well :-)
Never tried drugs though, the whole experience is too cool without. And after all I think my body produced so many of its own drugs I was definitely getting high.

greetz

der butz

Depends what you get stoned on, opiates are pretty good for numbing pain. tbh I never got the whole deal over Dutch and legal drugs, it's not like illegal ones are hard to get. If you want to get stoned to have a tattoo you can and seriously stay away from the tourist drug scene in Amsterdam... Sure do the brown cafe thing so that you've done it, but don't touch anything else you are offered in that city.

Although I think alchohol and marujanna are maybe not what you want to be looking at to numb pain, has anyone not considered a perfectly legitimate tablet of paracetamol or Ibuprofen ?

Just saying.

A friend to talk to is a good drug, seriously. Just get your tattoo done over here, we'll talk about lfs and the wordl :-)

here's a glimpse of my tattoo, done in 2003 or so

greetz

der butz

ah crud, I'll host the pics, thumbs seem to stay thumbs

pic1
pic2

I have a single tat, however, if I could justify the cost, I would get more.

I have no problem with tats, infact, I find them (tastefull ones) quite attractive on women.

Even though mine is rather non specific, it serves me as a reminder of the times when I had it done, and certainly don't regret having it done.

Of course you wanna make sure you definately want one before you do it, and I would recommend getting it done in places where it's easy to cover, because many people don't like them.

As for the pain, it doesn't hurt, at all, when it's being done, however, it did hurt like bad sunburn about 3 days afterwards.

edit : nice tats Butz

Quote from danowat :

I would recommend getting it done in places where it's easy to cover, because many people don't like them.

It's your body, not theirs.

Quote from Becky Rose :

It's your body, not theirs.

Of course it is, but even so, it's worth thinking that something as simple as a tat in the "wrong" place can affect alot of (more important) things in your life.

I just dont see the point of getting a tattoo done if nobody is going to see it! Getting one where it is easily covered is woosing out, then again, I never was very good at subtelty.

Quote from MAGGOT :

Where on your arm?

I was thinking of my upper arm near the shoulder.
Altough I aint beefy so it will probably be the back near the shoulders and I guess it's where it hurts like ****ing hell

http://www.alaska-in-pictures. ... ching-bald-eagle_6593.jpg

Wouldn't that be nice and then the american flag in the background? Or just the eagle ^^

Quote from Becky Rose :

It's your body, not theirs.

And you would say that to an employer?

I have two tats, one on the back of my sholder blade and wrapped around my right arm before the elbow so its all covered up. When im older, say 30-40 i plan on getting a big design from my neck, to my left elbow, to front of my chest to the back, all on the left side.

Ill post my tattoos when i find my camera.

Quote :

And you would say that to an employer?

I have a visible tattoo.

Quote from Becky Rose :

heh on my next tattoo I guess I might find out about this pain stuff, my first one didnt hurt at all - after everything people said it was something of a let down. The second one goes right around my arm near the elbow though and there are sensitive parts there, I expect - nay demand - to scream, mkay. Don't make me let myself down guys :P

Becky's a masochist!

I just got my first tattoo. And everyone that says to me "It doesnt hurt". Will get a slap, because I reckon it hurts like ****ing shit! And I can explayn why, its ****ing needles going in and out of your skin at high speed, and that hurts! Gonna get a photo soon. :P

I did one on my neck. My life-motto in chinese and no, the pain was not that big of a deal.