#39223
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

Its all in the artist,
all the answers, will it fit, how much will it cost, can it be done, what colors, what style, will it cover, etc etc

they know it all, they have all your answers,

they are artists…………the can take your ideas, from your words alone and put them into a working tattoo, they are professional creators, let them create your tattoo, they are the best

HOWEVER……….a TON of people who call themselves a tattoo artists are mediocre at best

IT IS UP TO YOU, you know that old quote let the buyer beware? it is up to you to check the persons portfolio and see if their work is up to your standards, if you get a shitty tattoo thats your fault, DO YOUR HOMEWORK

DO YOUR HOMEWORK>>>>DO YOUR HOMEWORK

I dont wear shitty tattoos, you dont have to either, research and choose an decent artist,

I apologize that the industry is not regulated, I dont run it (yet), any mother fucking joe with a kit can tattoo you, it is illegal but not enforced, with the popularity of tattoo thru TV and media alot of people want to get tattooed and shops will invariably have to settle for less than the greatest tattooists to fill the need
Im not saying they cant tattoo, they can do a fair job or better on some flash and even make a small custom piece, maybe,

BUT WHEN GETTING YOUR SKIN PERMENATLY MARKED DO YOU WANT THE TIGER WOODS OR JOE BLOW NO ONES EVER HEARD OF????
There are thousands of major league players, but you dont hear about alot of them, you dont know their names, they are good, but you want the best, this is your SKIN

A good artist Dave Antonitto told me he googled tattoo shops in Atlanta area and found 299,

out of that 299 there are about 8 people I would let tattoo me, you figure the odds

let the buyer beware……………………..

#126389
kcgreyhound
Participant
@kcgreyhound

This answers about 60 percent (or more) of the posts in this forum. I agree with you. I researched for a year to find the right tattooer to work with for my sleeve. I have a co-worker who is a basement tattooer, and he desparately wanted to sleeve me out. No thanks.

#126390
gawj1512
Participant
@gawj1512

I researched too, his deviantart portfolio was good but more than that, a lot of good artists were recommending him. I think his work is good, just my current piece doesn’t feel perfect

#126449
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

was his portfolio good or great, you need great, does he regularly work in your style, if not he is most likely not the right guy

#126451
newdragon
Participant
@newdragon

I totally agree with Mr Chen. Getting a fantastic tattoo requires patience. Patience while you research the artists and their work and then further patience while you wait for an appointment. An artist who does amazing work will usually have a lengthy wait but it is worth it.

#126492
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

for some reason people like to ask everyone but the right person for advice…………..they will ask their mom, their friends with no tattoos, complete internet strangers, people they run into at walmart, heck they ask anyone just what they should mark permenantly on their skin………………….I dont get it

talking to your local artist is free (I do like to tip for a long chat) and NO ONE knows better than they do,
they compose tattoos, they tattooo all day, they have tattooed for years…………ask them whatever you want

tattoos are not easy to compose there are some things to take into consideration, line weights,line spacings, color pallets, how each color will work with another, light source,

Go ask your artist…………………then lets talk about it 🙂

#126506
gawj1512
Participant
@gawj1512

Well I thought his work was great and he is well known for doing cover-ups, I liked his portfolio and guessed an artist who could draw, could draw. He told me if he didn’t think he could do it justice, he wouldn’t start it. I spent 1-2hrs working out the cover up with him, looking at photographs of flowers, working out sizes, then he flashed the flowers for me… I can’t draw AT ALL and I put my faith in him as an artist. He didn’t flash the leaves or stalks though, he just started free-handing with a marker pen. I was a little nervous but he’d done such a wonderful job on the iris flower (the purple one) I thought it would be great. That took a couple of hours and then he sent me away to come back in 2 weeks for the next session. I asked for yellow/orange freesias, as it’s my arm, I can’t see what’s being done as it’s being done and was a bit shocked to see so much black, I guessed it would fade a bit after healing but it hasn’t, so I don’t like it as much as I like the iris.

I don’t like the green he’s used in the leaves/stalks, I’ve lost sleep over the parts I dislike. He’s not always easy to talk to, he’s a nice guy but at times I just feel he can be defensive. I didn’t ask anyone in Walmart or my mom or friends… I only asked my artist and other artists and people on this forum. This is my arm and I have to wear forever, I just hope tomorrow brings fresh hope. I’ll let you know how it goes I guess.

#126507
GrayCatLove
Participant
@graycatlove

The internet and looking for opinions on forums isn’t exactly the worst idea ever.

Ultimately, asking artists, and beyond that, being happy with it ourselves, is the best measure. I have a long text tattoo, and I know it drives some tattoo afficianados on here bonkers, but I get more compliments on it. Even my lovely, talented tattooist likes it. More importantly, I like it, but I digress.

There is nothing wrong with seeking opinion and information on a tattoo forum.

#126508
GrayCatLove
Participant
@graycatlove

The internet and looking for opinions on forums isn’t exactly the worst idea ever.

Ultimately, asking artists, and beyond that, being happy with it ourselves, is the best measure. I have a long text tattoo, and I know it drives some tattoo afficianados on here bonkers, but I get more compliments on it. Even my lovely, talented tattooist likes it. More importantly, I like it, but I digress.

There is nothing wrong with seeking opinion and information on a tattoo forum.

#126522
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

gawj I didnt mean you asking for opinions at walmart, but I have seen people that do,
if an artist is defensive and seems unwilling to discuss the work, that is my clue to run

GrayCat I dont ask for alot of advice on forums, I seek professional help when it comes to permenantly marking my body
honestly I dont care if anyone likes any of the ink I wear, I wear it for me personally, I designed a good bit of what I wear, the rest I give my ideas to an artist whom I am certain can handle the job and let him do his thing, they are the best source

I think people fail to go to the proper source, they seem to ask everyone but the artist

Any decent artist will not use a drawing from anyone else, they are creators, they must create their own works,
They have the answers to every question I see posed on here each day. Sure you and I can offer an opinion, but I think they should ultimately ask the artist

#126534
GrayCatLove
Participant
@graycatlove

Oh, agreed – If an artist gets snippy and doesn’t want to discuss stuff, I’d run, too.

What do you think people should talk about on a tattoo forum, though? I consider you a respectable, knowledgeable, nice guy. I think your opinion is one worth listening to.

But I think you’re being a real jerk about this whole, “OMG ASK AN ARTIST” every single time someone asks, “I want a snowflake tattoo, should I get it black or blue, on my ass or on my arm,” et al. We get it. You don’t like those questions, despite the fact you have a lot of insight and intelligence when it comes to that stuff. That’s fine. You don’t have to like those kinds of questions. But just like you get tired of those kinds of questions, other people get tired of the snark over and over and over and OVER.

Tattoo artists, even the best ones, are not the be all, end all gods and the only opinion people should seek. Just because you don’t seek advice on a tattoo forum doesn’t mean a tattoo forum is the wrong place for people to seek advice on tattoos.

I don’t get my tattoos to please anyone but me, and I hope that’s not what you were implying. If you designed what you were wearing, well, then the artist was using YOUR work. By your standards, isn’t that a shabby artist?

If anyone plans to get a tattoo, ultimately, they’re going to ask the artist those questions. However, especially in the case of tattoo virgins, they tend to get a little picked on here. I could go on about how this general unfriendliness does nothing but continue to perpetuate stereotypes about heavily tattooed people being unpleasant, but I feel like I’m wasting my words.

I hope you realize I respect and appreciate your knowledge and your body art, I just wish you were more willing to share it without making people feel like pariahs or dumbasses.

#126536
gawj1512
Participant
@gawj1512

I think defensive was the wrong word, but he’s very matter of fact and will tell me VERY straight if I’m talking crap. I’m not an artist at all, I’ve come up with various ideas that he shot down immediately, but I respect that because I would hate for him to just do any old thing just because I asked for it, and not because it should look good.

Anyways, I went today and we had a chat about things, he was awesome and we decided on blue swirls as a background to look like sky. He spent 2hrs on it but only charged me for an hour. I’ve got an hour left in 3wks time because the whites of the lily didn’t take, my arm wasn’t healed enough to work on it yet. Once this blue has healed I’ll do fresh pics. I’m so much happier now. It looks huge but I don’t care!

#126537
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

nah, not implying anything about your work, Im not that kind guy

I come to the forum for several reasons, I like to look at ink, well done tattoos, I like to talk about artists, shops, conventions, good experiences and bad.

I feel (just my opinion) alot of people dont ask the right person…………..seems you dont agree, thats what discussions are for and thats fine, we are friends right?

I feel like the artists I use have all the answers, the best opinions, I try and choose the very best and they do a great job, they are constantly honored in conventions and press, I think we should all use the best we can get

I try and share my opinions and asnswer as many questions as I can, in my private mail I help people find artists, get booked, and all kinds of stuff, I am available to anyone, anytime, heck I’ll hold your hand while you get tattooed, I will go to the shop with you, introduce you to anyone you want to meet, find you an arist or photographer, I’ll help anyway I can, because I just love ink

If I am perceived as being snotty on this one, I apologize, it is not my intention,
what I was trying to say is “I think people skip a very valuable resource when trying to plan or decide on a piece of ink, the artist”

#126538
mrchen
Participant
@mrchen

gawj, I am glad you got it worked out with him, sounds like the piece is going to get the extra effort it needs, I cant wait to see it

#126542
gawj1512
Participant
@gawj1512

Interestingly, as I’m a total newbie to this forum, I can read this thread with a totally freshly formed opinion on why you posted it, Mr Chen.

I am a tattoo virgin… other than some really small, TERRIBLE something (or 2) I had done as a teenager… I’m a tattoo virgin to good, proper work. So reading this thread, I get what you’re saying on the one hand, because you’re right to say that all that matters are how you and your artist feel about your work. BUT if you are trying to figure things out for yourself, even with your artists input, it’s a way of figuring things out for yourself, by asking around, both professional and unprofessional opinions all go together to make your final decision.

I have a heavily tattoo’d friend who’s fella is a tattoo artist, but they are way up in the north, so I didn’t go to him. I asked her opinion on my ink, they looked at the photograph, both her and her fella and they both said ‘add a shitload of black to that’. I totally didn’t want that. I asked her opinions and disregarded them. I am happy with my ink now, because me and my artist decided together… I didn’t want black, he originally said that’s what I needed and I really didn’t want it. So ultimately, I decided, but by asking around, it helped me to decide.

I hope that makes sense?

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