look some people find tattoos ugly or intimidating they just arent guys i mean people pay a lot of money to be able to show off their own style of art if you disagree that tattoos are art then u should go to a parlour and see the detail put into these pieces personally mine took six hours and its not that detailed but ive grown up around them and personally known some artists i just think its time they get the recognition they deserve coz whether it be with a brush or a needle in my opinion its still art

oh and id love to hear about any that you might have or are thinking of getting (if you are thinking about getting one think very hard because they are extremely hard sometimes impossible to change or remove)

You have to admit...There are some ugly, scary ones out there. My best friend (female) has countless tattoos. Some were done by her x husband. Those were horribly done. She has managed to tattoo over most of the sloppy drunken work. Plus I think its important to have them placed in tasteful areas. I personally dont mind them but society may have issues in certain situations

lot of people here have them or admire them.

i have admired many - never got one though.
have seen some truly amazingly beautiful work.

when i was thinking about getting some ink i
spoke with a friend of mine who had some nice
work on his arm.

he told me that if he had it to do over again
he would not have done it. that regardless of
how beautiful the work was - that he tired of
it at times.

now i realize that not everyone will feel this
way. but i heard the same story from a number
of people who had lived with their ink for years.

so when i desire artwork i do it on canvas
and if i want something less permanent than
canvas or digital then i have been painted,
sharpied and hennaed.

but i totally respect the art and those who
choose to make it a part of their body. just
wasn't for me. pretty much the same attitude
towards piercings.

yea you can get some pretty undesireable work even i have something i regret doing but then again look at the personality in a piece and the bond between you and the people doing it i always want professional work but even then id prefer it to be someone i already know and trust with my body theres never a guarantee that its guna turn out the way you want it and yes they can get old to you thats also another reason to think very carefully when getting one make sure its something you can live with down the track make it a tribute to something you enjoy and will enjoy for the rest of your life

ok il make this clear only ever let a professional tattoo you atleast then you know your in a sterile environment if the parlour isnt clean then you should re-think getting it done there regardless of what you have already arranged if you do home jobs you run the risk of multiple diseases infection and you most definetly wont get the right advice on tattoo care its not illegal here that i know of but i honestly dont recomend it coz if your guna regret any tattoo it will be a home done one

yea i know what you mean society seems to have some huge agenda against tattoos ive been turned down for jobs i could have easily done because im inked talk about discrimination

I don't think there's anything wrong with tattoos. Of course, people can get obscene ones that shouldn't be visible to kids, but that is the person's choice. I totally agree about the art aspect of it. There is a lot of skill that is put into the designs and application. I have so much respect for the artists because I could never do anything like that. Tattoos are a way to express yourself. I have one that is a butterfly with the words "Child of God" under it, and it is very meaningful to me. My sister and I are going to get matching ones of "Amor Sororius" which is Latin for "The Love of a Sister" because we are best friends and live 13 hours apart. Tattoos can be very special and meaningful, and I don't think people should judge those who have them.

I don't have any of my own but I love to see others' tattoos and hear why they decided to get them.

well i got mine to show my celtic heritage its a celtic warrior with a pheonix underneath the pheonix is there for prosperity and new life

Sounds interesting. Got a picture of it?

its in that picture i'll hav to take better pictures of it later

We can see you have a tattoo in that picture, but that's it.

yea not the best i know like i said i'll have to take some pics of it later but its two thirty here now and im about to go to bed but il get right onto that tomorrow

They are just like anything else what one calls Art another could say it is a poor form of Art. When it comes down to it, it all depends on the one that is looking at it or has it....

It's there body they can do as they choose but...........when it comes to a job it is up to them if you have to cover them up or not......

Even though the art of tattooing has been going on for many century's many times it is not accepted within the work force.

All I can say is make sure you put them where they can be covered if one expects to climb the ladders of the work force...

I will admit there are some that I consider nice work then I have seen where there is no theme they just have one here one there to the point they look like a jigsaw puzzle that is missing pieces and placed in poor taste.

To me if they are going to get them at least take the time and put the thought and effort into where they are to be placed so they at least look like they were meant to be there.

7 tattoos total including a half sleeve (pic in profile) ... celtic designs on the back of my neck and forearm, Polynesian tribal on my leg(that I actually got in Hawaii), moon and stars and a star constellation on my back (these will probably end up being covered, with a large back piece) and quite possible the nerdiest tattoo ever...

I think we have another tattoo thread going in the arts and crafts section with a bunch of pics posted.

got 5 myself

i'd like to get some on my wrists. is that area hard to do? i don't have any tattoos, at the moment...but they do interest me.

Wrists sometimes don't take the ink as well and need to be re-done or touched up. The problem is that because you use them so much it can disturb the healing process

I want a tat...just can't decide what I want Some really nice work out there