Underworld Tattoo

Hey Tattooed Fans and Friends, last time we talked about the Tattoo Do’s, now let’s take a look at some of the Tattoo Don’ts…

Don’t get a tattoo illegally. If some scratcher is taking the risk to tattoo you in his garage while you’re underage, chances are he’s putting your health at risk too. Wait until you are 18 and get your tattoo safely and legally by a Professional Tattoo Artist in a clean, licensed Tattoo shop. Otherwise, you could end up with an ugly tattoo, raised scar tissue, Hepatitis or much worse.

Don’t get a tattoo on a whim…or because you’re on vacation, or graduating, or because you’re bored. Never get a tattoo on a dare – you‘ll regret it later. And think long and hard before you get your boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s NAME tattooed on your body! I know you’re in love today…but will you be next year, or ten years from now? A tattoo lasts a lifetime, and although tattoo removal is possible, it’s very expensive and painful. If you have any doubts, wait until they clear up. KNOW what you want…THEN do it. (See that list of Tattoo Do’s)

Don’t pick or scratch your tattoo when it is healing. Your new tattoo WILL itch, it’s part of the healing process. Tattoos scab over just like an other open wound. Don’t pick at the scab because it takes off the color and can make your healed tattoo look spotted and blotchy.

Don’t expose your new tattoo to sunlight or indirect sunlight, UV rays are bad for tattoos. And…no tanning Bed! And stay out of the pool for at least two weeks, the chlorine(bleach) in the water can adversely affect your new ink.

Don’t use Neosporin, Vaseline or peroxide on your new tattoo. These products can pull the pigment (ink) from below the surface of the skin and ruin your new tattoo. Follow your Tattoo Artist’s detailed aftercare instructions.

Don’t get drunk or high before you get your tattoo. You’ll act like a jackass and end up pissing off your Tattoo Artist who is trying to concentrate and do something permanent on your skin. And alcohol thins your blood and makes you bleed more easily, and can also make you pass out more easily – ending your tattoo session. Choose your tattoo SOBER, and get your tattoo SOBER. Celebrate later. (Invite your Tattoo Artist…buy him/her a shot – or two!)

Don’t Bring your child to the tattoo studio. A tattoo shop is not a suitable environment for children. There are SHARP hazards, and other sights and sounds that children should NOT be exposed to. You will not be able to supervise your child while getting a tattoo or piercing. Your Tattoo Artist (and everyone else in the shop) will appreciate it if you can find a ‘sitter’ for the kids so that you can come to the studio alone.

Don’t bring a cheering section with you. Many tattoo shops will not let friends accompany you into the tattoo area and in some states it’s prohibited by law. Ask about bringing a (single) friend but Tattoo Artists won’t appreciate (or allow) 3 to 5 of your friends crowding around and disturbing the work area. And don’t have them take pictures unless EVERYONE agrees in advance.

Don’t ask for a deal, discount, break…or if the Tattoo Artist can cut you some slack. Cheap tattoos are often – cheap tattoos. And don’t bargain shop – go from Artist to Artist to see how cheaply you can get your tattoo. Tattoo Shops aren’t garage sales or flea markets. Tattoo Artists hate bargain shoppers and it shows you really don’t care how your tattoo looks. Every Tattoo Artist has a different style, most have a specialty (see the list of Tattoo Do‘s). Choose your Tattoo Artist for the work that they do – doing so will get you a tattoo you’ll love for a lifetime.

Hope you find this list of basic Tattoo Don’ts useful. And be sure to check out the list of Tattoo Do’s! Think before you ink! To read Part 1 of this article (and more like it) visit our collection of Tattoo and Body Suspension Articles HERE!

Thanks, Kevin at www.SABodyArt.com – Promoting the Tattoo Lifestyle!

I’m all for women’s equal “right” to get tattooed. This question has nothing to do with whether or not one thinks it is “proper” or “classy/trashy” to be tattooed. In fact, I find tattooing on women to be attractive, though that’s only one aspect of tattooing. And I highly respect women like “Somebody” on here, who are very smart about and dedicated to tattooing.
My question is serious – not sexist.
Tattooing in Western society has had a “culture” of it’s own, and we all know that culture is about MEANING. What does it mean to be tattooed? Why do people get tattooed? My OPINION on the right reasons to get tattooed includes:
–the images being tattooed inspire you
–the images fuel your imagination
–a more recent thing (in the West): love of art and taking that art beyond banal “canvases” of museums (along with this there is something “deep” about the permanence of it and the fact that it is on skin, w/ blood, etc)
–to mark affiliation with a group. Affiliation with a group makes people feel like they are a part of something larger than themselves.
–a memorial
Along with these comes a sense of permanence. Permanence reinforces commitment. Finally, I think tattooing has also been resorted to by marginalized/disenfranchised people as a type of property. If nothing else in this world, at least they have their tattoos, which will go with them to their death.
Think for example of sailors who were among the first to popularize getting tattooed. During long shipping voyages in crap conditions, they could use all the inspiration they got. And these people really had no property—even the clothes on their backs were often in pawn! If they went “overboard,” the one thing they would have is their tattoos—also what they look at and dream about during long days away from home.
Now why are trendy people getting tattooed nowadays?
–“dangerous” factor. People thinks it makes them “wild” or “dangerous” in some way. But guess what? It used to be much harder to get tattooed. You had to travel or interact with certain “dangerous” people to do so. These people were not “polite,” not there to be nice to you or stand for any of your bullcrap. It sickens me how encouraging people are on this site towards people asking “Should I get this tattoo?” No! Tattooing is not meant to be as easy to get (even if cheaper than) Starbucks.
In the current atmosphere of “Have a nice day,” “convenience” tattooing, any associations of “danger” are actually removed.
–to “symbolize” something. This is such a load of b.s. Yes, tattoos do “symbolize”…they indeed “mean” something. But there are many different ways of representing or symbolizing. The type of signing that trendy people usually do is not the type of signing common to tattoo culture. It would take a long and complicated discussion to explain this… you either get it or you don’t.
–to memorialize. This was the one past (traditional tattoo culture) motivation for tattooing that the trendy people have harped in on and blown all out of proportion. I don’t know if it’s because they see stuff like Miami Ink where everyone (as instructed to them by the show’s producers) walks in with some story about how blah blah happened and they need this tattoo of blah blah to represent that.
Trendy people seem to feel the need just to make ANY mark on their bodies to mark that something happened. “This shooting star is because my grandma died.” Huh?
–anxiousness to be “experienced.” As teens, most of us felt anxious about losing our virginity. Once you had sex, you joined the ranks of the non-virgin population—the EXPERIENCED population! A similar process seems to be at work with tattooing—people are anxious to get MARKED in any way to join this “club”.
But here is the thing: joining the “club” isn’t meant to be easy. There is inconvenience….pain….stigma….perma… Inconvenience, Pain, Stigma, Permanence—these are the things that the trendy tattoo people are bent on getting around. Everything (questions on Yahoo Answers, for instance) are driven towards avoiding these obstacles— BUT THEY ARE THE VERY OBSTACLES that give MEANING to being tattooed, to being in the “club”!!
In the absense of this meaning (tattoos have become meaningless fashion), the trendy people try to add “meaning”—“symbolism”. In real tattoo culture, someone is inspired by something so much that they want it permanently put on their body. In trendy tattooing, people decide first that they “need” to get tattooed (to become part of the cool, experiened club, to attract people sexually, to work out their psychological issues of things like isolation and poor self image)…and THEN they try to “think up” a tattoo (usually some banal shape or image inspired by commercial logo-ing/branding) and add to it some stated “meaning.” Do I need to go any further in explaining how utterly bankrupt this trendy tattoo culture is?
Trendy men and women are equally guilty of lowering the standards of tattoo culture and turning it into cheap branding. But women especially seem significant in this process. Because of the nature of popular “women’s culture” ALONG WITH women’s historical relationship to the art of tattooing, they especially have sought to remove the
INCONVENIENCE (“Can I pay with my credit card?” “What brand of lotion should I buy?” “How many times a day should I rub it in?” “Let me just get a little star here on the spot today” “Let me go online and ask…”)
PAIN (“Where does it hurt least?” “What creams can I use to reduce to numb it?”…)
STIGMA (“Stop calling it a tramp stamp” “I got my tattoos for me, they are mine” “Why get it in a place where you can’t show it off?”)
PERMANENCE (“How much does tattoo removal cost and does it really work?”).
Notice that the vast majority of people asking tattoo questions on this site are women.
What do you think this means? Thanks

I’m an artist. I also have beautiful body art on some parts of my body and a cute nose ring. I am very eccentric and bohemian. I’m also very attracted to attractive professional caucasian men… I’m hoping oneday I’ll be married to one. What are your opinions?

The most recent work I had done was by an amazing twenty year old “kid”. BUT…Cory had an amazing portfolio and had been working in the industry for almost three years. I had full faith in his work and am extremely proud of what he has done. Of all the artists I have let work on me, Cory was by far the youngest.
I hate to sound harsh, but it seems that you didn’t do much research before getting your tattoos done. You should ALWAYS check out the artist before allowing him/her to do any work on you. Tattoos are permanent, just in case you haven’t heard. If the work is that horrendous, go see someone who knows what they are doing and see if they cannot fix the wrongs you have committed.
Again, you should never go into a tattoo “blind”. You should always do the footwork beforehand and make sure that you are getting quality work.
Sorry that you didn’t think this through. Good luck with fixing your mistake.