Hello, my dear readers. 'Tis three AM and I can't sleep. Again. I should probably head over to the pharmacy and take out my sleeping aid prescription - I've finally succumbed to the fact that I need it. Desperately. Anyway, that's not why I'm writing - well, not mainly, anyway. You see, I want to get a tattoo - it would be my first, and I want something that's really special (doesn't everyone say that?). A few months ago, I was determined to get a cartoon pug on my lower back, but I decided that although I adore my pug, the actual picture that was gonna get carved into my back wasn't something I was emotionally attached to. So I thought...and I thought...and I thought. I came to the conclusion that I don't want anything with someone's name, regardless of their closeness to me, because...well...I just don't. I also thought about symbols that might represent something about me, but those just seemed rather pretentious and I gave that up too. What I've really been looking for is something to express my young-child-in-Neverland side. The hope I have that no matter how old I get, I don't lose my wonder and naivete that I had as a child (and still do to some degree). So I figured what else but a picture of a cartoon that I loved as a kid? So here are my three choices - Gus, from Disney's Cinderella; Mr. Toad, from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad; and last, Betty Boop.
Now I probably should add that although I adored Gus and Mr. Toad, I didn't watch Betty Boop on a regular basis. However, when I was younger, I was frequently compared to Betty Boop due to my "delicate look". So there you have it - my top three picks of characters that had meaning to me as a kid. I'm thinking of getting it on my shoulder or lower back, and I would love to have it done before I go on vacation in August. And why am I sharing this with you? Because I just can't decide! I'm leaning towards Gus and Mr. Toad, but then I look at Betty and her legs... so, in short, I need your help! I know my reader-base is quite limited, but I would LOVE to have any input whatsoever. And if there are any readers out there who've never commented, comment! PLEASE! I know whichever I get, I won't regret it, and it'll probably be the first of a few more to come (I've always loved tattoos), so give me your best shot, and I'll definitely take it into consideration. Toodle-pip!
14 comments:
Heya darlin!
Tattoo huh? Okay, as a woman with two tattoos I think I get to chime in on this one. :)
First off -- you might as well cross off Betty Boop. You've already dismissed it as a true option. I can see that just from reading your words.
Leaving Mr. Toad or Gus-Gus.
Quite frankly, I'm not so keen on the idea of Mr. Toad, but then I don't have an attachment to him like you do. It's just the idea of a toad being a permament part of my body that gives me a little bit of the willies.
Which mean, I'm a fan of Gus-Gus. :) And cast my vote for him. I would suggest you get a photo that has more color (his shirt, hat and shoes were in color in the movie). As for placement -- not the lower back. Lower back tatts are better being symmetrical! The shoulder is always great - that's where I have my unicorn placed. Gus-Gus would also make a cute hip / lower stomach tattoo and even an ankle, I think.
Good luck!
And make sure you find the right tattoo artist. If you have friends with tattoo's ask them for a referral. When you meet the tattoo artist, ask to see their "book". All good artists will keep photos of the work they do and you can see what their "style" is. And don't forget, you never, never, never haggle prices with your tattooist! That is extremely insulting to them. If you've gone to someone that your friends trust, you should trust that you will get a great piece of artwork that will last forever and it's worth whatever price you pay.
Oh...and it DOES hurt. Just so you know. But a little Gus-Gus won't be nearly as bad as my 3 hour lower back tatt, so it shouldn't be too bad for you. ;)
I agree with cinnkitty. I don't have any, mind, but I have a ton of friends that do. The shoulder or ankle would be a better spot. Then you could display it whenever you wanted to, and hide it when you don't.
Now, to what to get? None of them seem to be jumping out saying "Pick me! Pick me!". For you. You're debating so much. I suggest waiting a while longer and doing some more thinking of the perfect representation. After all, you'll be 60 and still have it. For the record, I give that advice to everyone.
I think colored tats have to be touched up after a couple years because the colors fade. So take that into account.
cinnkitty,
Yep, I would definitely need to find a better pic of Gus Gus. Which shouldn't be all that hard to do, I think. I was thinking about the whole lower back thing, and I realized that I'd rather have it on my shoulder too. I've already found really fantastic tattoo artists here, so I shouldn't have any trouble with that - just actually going to get one and not chickening out.
Jessie,
I'm a HUGE debator of whatever I do - even after getting things done, I always think about whether it should have been done differently or whatever. That's just how I am. It annoys the crap out of me. :) As for color, I was thinking about getting it more B&W, with a slight touch of color - since my skin is more olive than white, B&W stands out a lot better, and lasts longer. But yeah, the one reason why I haven't gotten tattoos yet is because I just can't decide on what picture I want on my body permanently. We'll see - I'll keep looking around. :)
I always recommend B&W. My friend and I were talking about hers the other night. She's getting one when she goes to ComicCon this week, since it's the start of a brand new life. It's a hard decision.
When I thought I'd be able to get one, I had decided on a unicorn on either my shoulder or ankle, leaning toward shoulder. Not a big one, maybe an inch or so. Just representative of something that's been with me from childhood to now. It was either that or a small dragon, but unicorns meant more. All black, silhouette type. It would have been the only one I'd have, so it had to be important something I wouldn't mind having forever. As you can tell, I put a lot of thought into it.
It's good to be a debater, because if you're left with second guesses, you'll never be happy with the end result.
Definitely don't do anything halfway when it comes to tattoos. You need to know, without a doubt, that you want this design etched on your body forever. If you have doubt, then you aren't ready.
Also,trust in your tattoo artist when you go in. Ask them about the merits of color vs. b&w vs. a little color. They are the professionals and they won't steer you wrong. They have seen and done it all and have great judgement.
It was 10 years before I decided I wanted to get my tattoo recolored, and even then, that's just because I was finicky about the shade of blue being rich and deep.
Shoulders are really a great place for something like this. You never see it yourself, heck, I usually forget which side mines on! But when you wear something strappy, it's always fun to hear people go "Oh wow, I didn't know you had a tattoo!" Although, if you are a big wig at a black tie social event, I wouldn't run around flaunting it. :)
Good luck and happy tattooing!
Jessie,
It's kinda funny, but I'm the type of person that would get covered in tattoos if I knew that it wouldn't interfere with my job and people wouldn't stick their noses up in the air at me. Unfortunately, being a lawyer isn't conducive to having two full sleeves of tattoos, and a lot of people already have this weird bad mentality about latinos & tattoos. Which is why I've decided that if I do get tattooed, my limit would be four - small ones, too. And two of those are going to be something related to my kids (I'm having 2, and no more). So that means I only really have 2 to get. Which is why I'm having such a hard time deciding. And also, my bf HATES tattoos, so I want something that he won't be bothering me about too. Although if I really love it, he can kiss my ass.
cinnkitty,
Yep, shoulders do seem like a great area to get a tattoo. I've read about a lot of people having great experiences with their tattoo artist, and I know there are some really talented guys up here, but the artists I've talked to have been rather...well, sorta rude, or maybe just not interested in helping me better my design. And they owned the highest rated shop here - so maybe they just didn't like me personally. Which is fine, but I'm not giving you my business if I can't get along with you for 2 minutes. So I'm going to keep on looking, and find someone who's nice AND talented.
Jessie,
See, as delightful as that sounds, I don't want any tattoo artist touching my bum. And the recovery process - OUCH. :)
Hmmm..yeah... definitely don't go with someone that doesn't treat you well. The thing is - if they are the "high rated" shops they may have the attitude that they don't need to bother with you because someone else will walk through the door when you leave.
Talk to your friends, get their recommendations. A personal recommendation is always a good thing!
As for the bf....careful girl. That's actually *why* I didn't get my lower back tatt until recently. The (now EX) hubbie was totally against me getting another tattoo. And I didn't need that strain on our relationship. Trust me, this is something that the bf is going to be seeing all the time so if he's really got a problem with it, then you'll both have a problem in the long run. Ya know?
Now Pug-monster, on the other hand, he could care less as long as you keep the treats coming! ;)
cinnkitty,
Well, the bf is more against the stigma professional minority tattooed people get from other professionals. Because he's a minority too, he doesn't really see why I should do anything to make myself even MORE different (in a bad way) than I already am. We've both experienced our fair share of racism and prejudice just because we're latino/black, so he's especially sensitive about things like this. Me, on the other hand, I know this can affect me (sadly enough), but I'm just not going to sacrifice my individuality to please racist people. So they can suck my d**k - I'm getting a tattoo anyway.
In the end, he says he supports whatever I decide, but he's explained his position and why, and I respect that. :) We're good like that - two years together and not an argument yet. We talk things through. :)
Colored tats fade due to inferior workmanship/ink and sun exposure. So, if you want it to stay brilliant, put it in a spot that never sees sun.
The butterfly on my lower back is as perfect as it was the day it was done. My rose on my shoulder, which does see some sun but not a lot, isn't. But it also is not quite as colorful as the butterfly.
I've been planning my next work since I got the last one. Word of warning, it is addicting. ;)
Oh, and I won't give you advice on which to get because that is way too personal a decision. You have to get what you want and what you are willing to live with for the rest of your life.
The Mind,
Thanks for the advice - as much as I'd love to get a colored tattoo, I just don't think I have the skin-type to pull it off (I'm more caramel/olive than white - and the whiter, the better it looks), so I'm just getting a b&w one - have you any idea if b&w fades as easily as color? That would definitely be something to consider when I figure out where I want to put it. Thanks for dropping by!
When my tattooist said that about fading, I assumed he meant all the inks, including black. That would be a great question to ask whoever does yours.
Have you seen the tattoos they do with ink that only shows up under black lights? Those are cool and I've toyed with getting one of those in a more visible area because it won't show in regular light.
The Mind,
I've never really thought about it - but I think I'd prefer to get B&W over the black light ink, because if I'm getting a tattoo, it damn better show in any light. :) But that's just me - but yes, definitely need to ask about fading when I find a good tattoo artist.
Post a Comment