tattooed or not?

[voodoo]

do you believe tattooists should be tattooed ?

[KnightRum]

i was wondering that myself, i dont' really have any tats, just started one on my calf, but i was thinking too, what kind of tat artist doesn't have any tats? :?

[skullman]

I think if you have friends who practic the trade, you should be inked.
Also when it comes to the customer question will it make me look like a freak, or just freakin cool.

[Anonymous]

I acually only have 3 . I did my first 2 when I was 16 , with homemade materials , and india ink ....one is a little skull on my calf , and the other is a tribal on my left arm . I acually grew tired of both after just a short while ...I just dinnt like seeing the same designs , and now that sopt on my arm which would be the ideal spot for me , is currently ocupied by a piece of crap...It really dosnt look that bad , it is just a design Im tired of seeing . I would really like to do somthing else there , its not too dark so I know I can cover it without too much trouble . But every time i am getting a desing in the works I grow tired of it ...The last one I did on me was a pair of dragons on my shin . I only did the outlin , and already im not too interested in the design ....And during my apprenticeship , I was seeing all the other students acting like there was no way they would ever turn down a free tattoo , no matter what it was , they were just getting random shit off the walls ...I just dont feel like thats the way for me to go with it , its gonna take time . Im only 25 , so I got a long time to figure this stuff out ...

[Kenny]

I think a tattooist should have tattoo's. It's like going to a dentist who has't got any teeth... I think it leaves a better impression towards your customers.

[framey]

LOL

[imported_NeedleJack]

Ahh, good topic. Yes and No. Yes - I believe tattooist should be tattooed. But not by themselves. And also, not until they are absolutely certain what they really want.

It seems that as we evolve as tattooist - we change. What we once thought was cool actually looks like shit later. Not everybody has done this. But I'm sure there's a majority that look back and say to themselves "wow, I wish I didn't put all this traditional on me - I'm really into BnG now." Just my 411

[voodoo]

anil had one put on a while back...

[voodoo]

he finally did,but what it was i cant remember..
i think its in one of my mags somewhere.

[Madd Chef]

I personaly feel that a tattooist should have ink on them, though as it has been said it doesnt make you better. As for me i have 16 tattoo's mostly my own work, some were flash which I modified and they became my work. 7 were done by other tattooists. Styles and trends change, what you liked 2 years ago you may not like now so yes it is good to think about the art put on you, But hey theres alway the coverup :!: :lol:

[theprofessor]

I think it is a comfortability factor for potential clients. I have gotten some wierd looks when I say I am a tattoo artist and my arms arn't all covered with arious stuff. That is just the way some people still percieve artists to be. I have 4 and three of them I did myself but after a long long time thinking what I wanted and were.

[Papa Gee]

I consider my tattoos to be a business card of sorts. Also I have a huge interest in New Skool style tattoos and none of my clients seem to be the least bit interested in getting NS tats. Ive been dying to do some so I covered some of my old tats with NS designs. They're big, bright and very cool looking. Not to mention that I'm an old fart and probably not gonna get any better looking. So I'm gonna tattoo the shit outta myself. I would like to find an artist near me to trade off work with, I have a lot of skin I cant reach.

[LuNatiK]

hi everyone, this is my first post, i have not found a site this given to the art....i believe that tattoos are really personal, and only by having a clear understanding of yourself, should your ink collection grow....if you want to make it meaningful that is....

[MontanaPiercer]

"Never trust a skinny chef"
If someone really loves something, they are going to participate. I think that goes for tattooing too.

[MedusaQueen]

Exactly, Montana. lol, skinny chef....For me, getting the tattoos is a good way to learn to apply them. I watch every prick of that needle, I can feel when the artist is going too deep or too fast, and I constantly ask questions about the techniques used and how I can apply them to my next client, or decide if I'd even want to...It's a business in which you constantly learn; no matter how much experience one will claim to have, it's never going to be enough, and one of the best ways to learn is for artists to tat each other up and discuss them every step of the way. There is always something to be learned from everyone.

As for me, I have never payed for a single tattoo; my first tat was the classic homemade....you know, 16 years old, 2 bottles of MadDog 20/20, living room floor with a homemade gun....I put it on my pelvis so mamma wouldn't see it. Well, she saw it, laughed, and said, "honey, that's punishment enough having to live with that peice of shit for the rest of your life..." LOL ...But you see, I still have it, almost 10 years later, but I do not regret it. I know it can be covered, but I'm in no hurry until I find the right artist to do it, and quite frankly, I forget it's even there. The next two I got weren't much better...A friend of my ex's was an artist and he lived with us for a while; instead of paying rent he paid in tats....I have large dragon on the back of my calf and a butterfly in the center of my back, both bad peices (the guy was hooked on heroine). Again, I do not regret because they can be fixed to be bad-ass, I'm just patiently waiting on the right artist. I forget they are there as well. When I actually started working in a shop, I had 2 peices started on me; I have a 1/4 sleeve (from shoulder down, 1/2 way to elbow) of bright swirling color; 2 nekkid fairies around a large crystal ball; good peice but the ass never wanted to finish it..."it wasn't his style," stuck up prick. Then he started a medusa on my hand....great artist, just not on me, he threw some really shitty lines on my hand and then stood me up to finish it 3 times. I eventually quit that shop and have added color to the medusa myself, there's a lot of work to do with it, but it's a nice peice; her face is on my hand and her snakes slither up my arm and down my fingers. Oh yeah, I let my boyfriend put a little skull and crossbones on my other arm; inside forearm, only because he let me use him as my guinnea pig. It's actually not bad, much better than my first on him.lol So I guess I will eventually have to pay someone to finish me up, but I'm too broke for that, they can wait as long as they need to.

Personally, I get jealous when I ink someone that has more ink than me.
Sorry for the long post fellas, but no one said you had to read it all.

[DOPPLENHAKEN]

. What we once thought was cool actually looks like shit later. i totaly agree,when i live in venice beach ,me and some of my friends got suicidal tendencies on the back of are arms and some on there backs etc..., i would say its was '92,now i regret the tattoo,but not the band.and i agree medusa i too get jelious when someone has more than me :x ,but now i take my time pickin shit or i draw it myself. :D

[finaltouch]

yeah I got my first tattoo when i was 16 and kind of regret it. I love the theme just not the work. But back to the subject at hand. Should a tattoo artist have tattoos.Yes and no. Does a brain surgeon have to have had brain surgery. I was reading up on a guy who has tattooed for over 30 years and has no tattoos. He said he has put the needle all over his body, just no ink. But I would be a little hessitant to get work by an artist with no tattoos. I would have to see a portfolio first.

[lowshovel1]

The most anoying question I get asked at least once a week-------How many tattoos do you have? Standard reply---- one, and it ain't finished! WTF Been getting inked more than 35 years, how the hell do ya keep track of how many??-------as far as an artist haveing ink, I think they should!!!!!!!!just my opinion

[DGapp]

Brought back from the dead!

[5Liner]

anil had one put on a while back...

I recently heard Anil Gupta had no tattoos? I know some well known artists (Fine Artists, not tattoo) that know Anil that confirmed it.

I might be wrong too, I dont know Anil (yet, lol)

Plus... Dawei Zhang doesn't have tattoos either.

I personally agree with Montana... "Dont trust a skinny Chef"

[madmosher]

What about when customers come in and say "does it hurt?" or "what does it feel like?"! How can you possibly answer if you've never had one done youself?! I personally don't think you can consider yourself part of the tattoo community until you've had at least one. You can still be a good artist,just not part of the inner circle.:confused: :) Getting tattoos in the first place was one of the biggest reasons for me wanting to be a tattooist. I for one wouldn't go to a tattooist without any tattoos! My 2 pence worth.:)

[STARMedic]

A good EMS Instructor will not turn a student loose to start IV's on people until the student has not only stuck his fellow student, but been stuck by them a minimum of 15-20 times.....

This way when a patient asks if it hurts.....they know the answer....

Bruce

[richart]

Ummm, I do have two tat's so I'm not totally ink free.. However, I'm not entirely in agreement with the "should have tattoos" to be a good tattoist mentality. I believe in the the old addage, "judge me by my talent, not someone elses". At the end of the day, It's me inking the client.

All a matter of personal preferance to be honest.

Richard

[Saffy]

Ummm, I do have two tat's so I'm not totally ink free.. However, I'm not entirely in agreement with the "should have tattoos" to be a good tattoist mentality. I believe in the the old addage, "judge me by my talent, not someone elses". At the end of the day, It's me inking the client.

All a matter of personal preferance to be honest.

Richard

I agree totally. But I'm biased cos I don't have ANY tattoos. It's not that I don't want one, I just like so many different ones that I can't make my mind up. When I do get my first one I know exactly who I want to ink me though and it certainly won't be me.

[amoroque]

My personal opinion is that to be a tattooist you have to have tattoos. Its like the "skinny chef" that Montana Piercer was talking about earlier. This is just my idea about any business you are in. If you sell Chevy's and you tell everyone that you want to sell them a chevy, you should probably be driving one. IF you sell life insurance then you better have your life insured.......and so on.
You gotta believe in what you do!

[maxauto]

lol a skinny chef does not mean he cant cook. lol
if your a surgeon does it mean you have to have surgery to know what it feels like...lol.. NO
if your a police officer should you convict yourself and go to jail to see
what it feels like? lol.. NO
does a shrink/counciler have to be committed to the looney bin to be a shrink?
if your a tattooist should you have to be covered in tats...no...
i guess its a question of..
when you judge somebody do you look at what is on the inside?
or do you judge someone on thier talent by the way they look.