And what does it feel like? The tattoo thread has got me wondering for myself.

[Yours_Truly]

Good question. I'd like to know too.

[bearguardian]

doesnt hurt at all, just pinching

but dont let tattooist draw it for you on a spot

draw it yourself or find a picture exactly as you want it to be

i regret one tattoo, good luck its small and barely visible

[fishin fool]

It really depends where on the body you want your tattoo.
Obviously tender areas will hurt a bit more but getting tattooed is not bad at all.
It just feels like pinching. If you want to get one put the fear aside its nothing so
bad that you couldn't handle it. On the arm it really doesn't hurt at all.

I've one that goes down the length of my spine - I fell asleep - and one across my chest and down my sternum. No problem

[crimsoncat]

Just look around you at how many people have them and more telling how many go back for more!!!! Say s it all go for it

[Artchic528]

Like previously mentioned, it depends on where on the body you get the tattoo. Obviously, more bony areas, like breastbone area, are going to be more painful, as there is less flesh between the needle and the bone. The more flesh padding the area, the less pain you'll feel. It also depends on your pain threshold. Some people are extremely tolerant to pain, while others are very sensitive to it, so it boils down to the individual person and what they can and can't handle. Another thing to keep in mind is that large and more intricate tattoos will probably require multiple sessions to complete.

Also, the area you'll have the tattoo on will be a bit tender for a few days, much like having a mild sunburn, and it'll peel a bit. That's just the body scabbing from the needle punctures and the body healing.

I should mention I've never gotten a tattoo before, so my knowledge is purely from asking family members who have gotten inked.

[Crazy Hitch]

Felt like small elastic bands snapping on my skin. It's fine

I have always wanted a tattoo (it's on my bucket list)

someone like me, though, has a very low pain threshhold and I am not sure I could cope

well, there's pretty much no flesh on my sternum and spine and it felt no more than the pinching. The only areas I had a problem was on a quarter sized area on the tips of my shoulder.

[*Laurie*]

I have tattoos on my legs, forearms, and hands. A lot of tattoos. They sure don't hurt like giving birth does!!

[Hobbit House]

I have a LOT of tattoos... and let me say they vary in pain levels. The worst were the underside of my arms especially where skin is most tender. It's going to hurt. Get used to the idea. Especially the longer you sit... To give you an idea, my sleeves took about 5 hours on each arm. I never found the back to be particularly painful. They can be addictive though.

[Yours_Truly]

I'd love something original but I'm no artist. I love the beautiful, colorful butterfly tattoos and what they represent but they're so cliche. And how do you find a talented artist? Do you go to each shop and check out each artists' work? Is it true that you won't always get to choose the artist because all the experienced ones do big money projects while the novice acquire practice on smaller tattoos?

[childofchaos831]

Def depends on where. I have a few on my arms. The two that are near the crook of the elbow started to hurt the closer they got. Also, the longer the artist has to work in a spot can effect the pain. So if there is color or filling in it can hurt more. Advice: go smaller for the first one. If you keep it under 15 minutes or so, the chances of backing out in the middle of it are smaller.

[bearguardian]

Originally Posted by Yours_Truly

I'd love something original but I'm no artist. I love the ebeautiful, colorful butterfly tattoos and what they represent but they're so cliche. And how do you find a talented artist? Do you go to each shop and check out each artists' work? Is it true that you won't always get to choose the artist because all the experienced ones do big money projects while the novice acquire practice on smaller tattoos?

Chances are they are all talented. They just have different styles of doing things. Look at their works on display, ask about things like do they reuse needles (thats a big no), watch if they change it, ask for peoples experiences, investigate and then decide.

[fishin fool]

Originally Posted by Yours_Truly

I'd love something original but I'm no artist. I love the beautiful, colorful butterfly tattoos and what they represent but they're so cliche. And how do you find a talented artist? Do you go to each shop and check out each artists' work? Is it true that you won't always get to choose the artist because all the experienced ones do big money projects while the novice acquire practice on smaller tattoos?

When looking for an artist do your homework some tattoo artists are far
better than others. You can find a lot of info online and by talking to people
that have nice tattoos. Look online to find a picture that is close to the
artwork that you want and your artist will make the changes to it to make
it exactly what you want. If the art is in your head the artist should be able
to draw it for you and work with you to get exactly what you want.
Like I said do some research to find a good tattoo artist it will pay off
big time.