Tattoo derail

[wufwugy]

tattoos on girls - Google Search

@wuf.. its not gobs of ugly paint.....unless you go to a noob tattooist. then they look lame.

oh. and it's ink, not paint.

I'm what you could call an aesthetic elitist. My problems with tats are 1) the tools and medium for them are simply not that conducive to aesthetics, and 2) the "artistic milieu" is almost always poorly constructed. A handful of the artists may be highly talented, but the people devising what and where they want the ink usually have crummy artistic critique, and end up getting silly looking ink in a silly looking format

Ink etched into skin by amateur design usually doesn't reflect quality taste. Having said that, I have actually seen a couple tattoos that are arguably worth the skin they're cut into. Here's an example



Thiago Silva is a mean dude. His profession, physique, and overall appearance are complimented by his tattoos. His ink individually may not be that great, but I think the overall body of work actually accentuates. Instead of a whole bunch of seemingly meaningless pictures of subpar medium, his design is very tight and actually obeys some basic rules of good aesthetics.

Also, I simply don't like ink on chicks because I think no matter what, the bare skin looks better. Another thing is that there's a big disconnect between good art and the average person's perception of good art. On the one hand, Michaelangelo et al are a rare breed, yet on the other hand, when it comes to people inking themselves, they're all Michaelangelos. Maybe the facts are that good art is a hard thing to come by, and the majority of amateur art (which makes up the the vast majority of tattoos) are exactly that, amateur. That's not necessarily a bad thing though. For critics like me, tattoos are a bad thing, but for people who don't get their panties in a bunch over bad aesthetics, they probably can be a good thing. Ultimately, its not the quality of the aesthetics that matters, but the appreciation of said aesthetics that matters

[jyms]

I think the fact that you are comparing ink to art may be the biggest issue. It's more of an expression of yourself and not the artist in most cases. I agree only a few are good at the "art" of tattooing, but when it comes to wanting a Canadian Flag, or some other form of expressions on my skin, I jsut want something that looks good, not the Mona Lisa that would require a hundred hours to produce that 98% of the population including me can tell the difference in.

That said, I look at chics with tattoo's and I liken it to clothing, it either compliments or distracts, but it is what it is. The feel and taste the same.

[couriermike]

There was a time when I wanted more tattoos but if you're not friends with the artist, it's just too expensive. What do you think those sleeves cost? Several grand, right? I agree tho, his sleeves are awesome.

[wufwugy]

but when it comes to wanting a Canadian Flag

That is actually the kind of tattoo I can get behind. Something with some real meaning to somebody's life.

I've found that most of what I've seen, even though it may be professed as meaningful, is not. It's something the recipient thinks is neat at a particular point in time, or they're looking for meaning yet IMO not really finding it.

Like if I was a marine, went to war, my unit all got "semper fi" inked on their shoulder, I like that. Regardless of the cliche, there's some deep meaning in that. What I see most of, however, are fads, and I think it does a disservice to real good tattoos. Honestly, I've always been kinda fascinated by them to the point where when I see them I will naturally wanna ask the person about them and the meaning and such. But I've found that they're such a huge fad that the vast majority of tattoos are gotten for stupid reasons

IMO, there's a huge difference between grandpa with ink that reflects his experiences living and dying in Vietnam vs some random dude with an armband or a chick with a stamp

My sister has a tramp stamp, but she's never been a tramp and she got it because it was what all the girls were doing in the 90s. I knew a guy with a shark on his neck that looked like a penis, he didn't have any reason for getting it other than frivolity. I knew a girl who got some huge elaborate blot on her torso, but when it was halfway done she started complaining about how she didn't like it

I see those kinds of people overrunning the whole tattoo thing, and I think they suck

[givememyleg]

all things equal, no tattoos >>> tattoos.

[couriermike]

nothing like a purist

[couriermike]

One of my exes, who actually looked a little like Jennifer Carpenter, kinda skinny and intense, was half-Hawaiian, and her sister had this shark bite tattoo on her ankle. Supposedly that's a traditional Hawaiian anti-shark charm. That looked pretty cool.

She (the sister) also had this vine tattoo that went up her legs and down her arms. It was really tasteful and minimal and every so often there would be a really colorful leaf or flower. That was a good one too.

[Donachello]

It was really tasteful and minimal

this is the key imo. Although Silva does look like a beast with double arms

[Monty3038]

Gotta go with wuf on this one. I agree tats should be meaningful and have more to it than fads. Tats in dedication to someone or to a life event are the ones that I enjoy most. I don't have a tat but had seriously considered getting one before, it was tied to the death of a loved one, and no, it wasn't a shitty portrait of them... but I can definately be supportive of someone getting one with meaning...

But yeah, the tramp stamp is a bad deal, especially the fad ones. Also the dolphins, unicorns, etc.

[spoonitnow]

agreed

[wufwugy]

[Micro2Macro]

this is pretty much why i have none (yet)

[triumphant cracker]

to each their own. i have a couple of em. one on my right arm of the motley crue dr.feelgood album cover. i got it because my dad had cancer in 89 and died. thats the album that turned into my favorite. also i wanted to remember him and in some silly way i wanted to be a dr.then so i could make him better.
i have a tat of a hinge behind my right knee (holy f**kn shit that f**kin hurt!) because i have had 2 knee surgery's on it.
on my left arm i have an okland raiders tat with a twist. i made the face eddie from iron maiden and the lettering is the font of their name. i'll look for my pics of em that are good quality and try to post em later.


ya they are expensive, but i love the look after they are done. not everyone should get them,but that's shot to hell.

[supa]

I've got a few and they all have meaning to me except for one that I got from a friend at a party. We we're both pretty fucked up and I ended up with some lame OCC looking chopper on my arm. I cannot describe how much I hate OCC or how much more I hate everyone that tells me how fucking cool the tat is. I'll be covering it up as soon as the giant koifish (yeah, a fish appropriately enough) on back is finished. Which at the rate it's going should be sometime around 2020.

[supa]

We've done some more color since these pix. I think the color in the water is gay so we'll be darkening that up too.

[Juked07]

Wuf, what if I really like biking (bicycle), have done a couple centuries, and I think it'd be cool if I had half a chainring on my calf. Would that be meaningful?

I'm just not too sure by what you mean when you say people think they have meaning but they don't. Isn't thinking they have meaning pretty much equivalent to having meaning?

[Ragnar4]

I see those kinds of people overrunning the whole tattoo thing, and I think they suck

This is sort of a "it's their chips, let them use them at the poker-table how ever they would like" sort of a comback I'm going to design here.

The most important thing in all of this IMO is that even if there is saturation, and they don't mean anything to the 95% of the people that do it just because everyone else is doing it... doesn't it make that 5% have a true meaning more special? Furthermore, the practice that has arisen from all of the meaningless tattoos also allows for a more experienced body of "artists" who actually draw the stuff leading to an elite few who can really hammer out and make the 5% of tattoos that matter, that much more special.

All that having been said, I'm uninked, unpierced, au natural. But I'd like to think that if, for some wierd reason, I wanna get a tattoo of my daughters face on my own chest, or a tattoo of Spenda's face on my ass, I'd have the option of having the best of the best to ever lay a tattoo doing it.

[triumphant cracker]

this my latest one...

and this is what i drew...




i had the guy modify it a little.

[boost]

Man.. your drawing is much better than the final product. Its not a bad tat- not my cup of tea, but for what it is, I wouldn't think its bad- but the original drawing is just much better.

[wufwugy]

Wuf, what if I really like biking (bicycle), have done a couple centuries, and I think it'd be cool if I had half a chainring on my calf. Would that be meaningful?

Sure. Could be. Much better than being the millionth guy with something generic that could go on any random in the crowd

I'm just not too sure by what you mean when you say people think they have meaning but they don't. Isn't thinking they have meaning pretty much equivalent to having meaning?

The meaning fades. Some people often don't admit to themselves when it does. But the ink is still there, it's always there

I'm not harping on tattoos, there's a strong biological imperative for that kind of thing, but that instinct evolved in a time where the body mods were extremely meaningful. Things like tribal and status identification, but also for highly socially accepted and enjoyed purposes.

Now we're all stuck between our nature and a society rife with the artificial. So many of the natural reasons we have for body mods don't play that well anymore, yet a few other reasons that we didn't have in the past have come into play. It's a hard thing to figure out, but in my view of the world, I feel that modern humans have a duty to be more refined than we would be in hunter/gatherer societies. And that attitude provokes me to not be a fan of what I consider irrational or unaesthetic body mods.

On the flip side, however, I also think modern society can suck a sack of shit, and if I had the option to press a button that would send all technology back to where it was 40k years ago, I would do so in a flash. So in a way I defeat my own argument

[triumphant cracker]

Man.. your drawing is much better than the final product. Its not a bad tat- not my cup of tea, but for what it is, I wouldn't think its bad- but the original drawing is just much better.

maybe cuz the pic was taken with a phone it looks weird?
the red is just cuz it was freshly tat'd.

its not done either. need some grey in the helmet & letters. and the swords lines need a thickening.

[Galapogos]

Aside from the sword tips, I think the tat looks better than the drawing.

[wufwugy]

[OngBonga]

[Monty3038]

Best tat I've lol'd at... the asian with 'Made in China' tattooed on the bottom of his foot.

[Chelle]

all things equal, no tattoos >>> tattoos.

yep

[bikes]

tattoos for the most part suck

[OngBonga]

This is my opinion about tattoos...

[Galapogos]

I don't get it, is that him claiming he's awesome or is it his back acne claiming it's awesome?

[supa]