Tattoo Inspiration

Orim

Where do you get the ideas for your tattoos?

This thread comes from watching Breaking Bad for me. There's a character in the show that has cool tattoo on his wrist and it got me wondering how many people would have copied the tattoo. From there I got how people in general pick their tats, so I figred I'd ask.

For me it goes as follows:
My little sister died and I wanted a tattoo for her. I had a general idea of an angel that I wanted and one day I was in wildcat looking at the books and I saw a pic (flash?) in one of the books that spoke to me. So I got it.

My next tat was a phoenix and I got it for all the typical reasons that someone gets a phoenix tat. I had a ****ty time and I thought I was rising above it. Again I went to wildcat but they wouldn't do something without a picture. So I found a picture on a magic card and the rest is ink.

Next up is a crosshairs. This was something that I discussed with a close group of friends and got it done while I was wasted in London. Matching tats ftw.

My latest is my favourite. It's a dragon on my shoulder and was basically done for aesthetic reasons. I put the most thought behind it and the artist doing it. it's not perfect but i'll be fúcked if I don't love.

Anyway that's me. What about the rest of ye?

cadogs

My only response to this is the character in Breaking Bad doesn't have a 'cool' tattoo on his wrist.

He has a lame tattoo.

googled eyes

cadogs wrote: »

My only response to this is the character in Breaking Bad doesn't have a 'cool' tattoo on his wrist.

He has a lame tattoo.

If thats your only response then why bother? You could of at least mentioned if you've a tattoo.

Back on topic. I have 4 tattoos.

1st is a tribal design ( i was 18)
2nd is a type of compass (I felt lost)
3rd is my family motto ( the Latin under ones family crest)
4th is MY tumb print. ( awkward to sort but its me and i love it)
Im planning my fifth. If i can the cash it'll be a half sleeve on my left arm, shoulder to elbow.

antocann

most people who know me , know my tattoo's are realy somthing to do with my life , snakes and lizards on my arms , i keep reptiles etc... and there a big part of my life ,
i have my dogs name on my leg , would be lost with out her ,
have randy marsh from southpark,well lets face it , everyone loves that show , then just afew different ones wich i likes

Marty McFly

antocann wrote: »

most people who know me , know my tattoo's are realy somthing to do with my life , snakes and lizards on my arms , i keep reptiles etc... and there a big part of my life ,
i have my dogs name on my leg , would be lost with out her ,
have randy marsh from southpark,well lets face it , everyone loves that show , then just afew different ones wich i likes

Randy Marsh from Southpark I love it . Is it anywhere to be seen on here?

antocann

Marty McFly wrote: »

Randy Marsh from Southpark I love it . Is it anywhere to be seen on here?

nope dont think i have a pic of it , ill try get one later ,

Maire2009

I have the Arsenal cannon with "Arsenal" written over it - the real cannon not the new cartoon one, reason is self explanatory.

I also have a fairly cool Lady Gaga themed tattoo - there is a lot in it if you know her and are a massive fan. Basically its her hand (got her wrist tattoo in it and all ha ha) holding a deck of cards (symbolizes Pokerface and how I think she plays the "Fame Game") and in each card there is something to do with her, and something to do with each album she has released to date. Like for example, the cards have red diamonds and blue spades on each alternate one and this is a reference to an album she brought out under her own name back in the day.

I really, really like it. I think its totally original and I fu€king love it - couldn't give a flying one if people think I'm silly or she's silly, I love it.

Planning my third tattoo, it'll be of an evil cat.

niallam

After my dad died so I got a samuari to symbolise the importance of living in the moment and never taking 1 second of life for granted.
A dragon to protect and watch over me.
Lotus flowers, getting myself out of and over a rough enough period after he died and ending up where I am today.
I've kanji on my leg, "remember father" and the date he died. A cherry blossom branch because plants were his life and he worked in the botanic gardens.
A tiger and few more cherry blossoms for my daughter, born Chinese year of the tiger
They're all tied in together and more to come.
All in all over 30 hours now on 2 arms and 1 leg, had a few small ones already and a bigger cover up, first tattoo 17 years ago.

Best thing is my dad hated tattoos and my mother still does too, she keeps asking if I'm keeping any room for her on my body

Just an insight into my inspiration over the last 6 years anyway,, thanks for reading

Ste Ryan

I'd put a lot of thought into my first tattoo for a long time. The I seen this video and loved it so I got basically what 1:48 looks like as a half sleeve. There's no deep reason behind it, I love how it looks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2IIY8CKbqw

VINCWM

I personally absolutely hate tribal tattoos. Love Jesse in breaking bad but that tattoo annoys me every time I see it.

I don't have any tattoos myself, kind of been sitting on the fence when it comes to getting one or not.
However, my girlfriend has some and they look amazing.

It's important to get something that actually means something to you as well. Remember, you're going to carry it
with you for the rest of your life.

Adiboo

VINCWM wrote: »

It's important to get something that actually means something to you as well. Remember, you're going to carry it
with you for the rest of your life.

That's not always true. I used to think that way too. My first few tattoos all had a lot of meaning behind them, but as I got more and more, meaning didn't matter as much to me. Don't get me wrong, if a big life event happens, and I want to mark it with a tattoo I will, but I'll also get tattoos for aesthetic reasons because it looks good and I like the art.

ladywhiteraven

Your sources of inspiration sound similar to mine Orim, I have a damselfly for a friend who died young, they represent life, death and rebirth and were a favourite of his, he lived near a river and we used to watch them in the summer.

My others are animals that are special to me, in various cultural styles, Adders, wolves, horses, ravens, ammonites and insects, I'm pagan and love natural history, the tattoo idea kind of 'finds' me, when the time is right, I never think '' I'm going to get tattooed, when I come up with a design..'' it's always the design comes to me, then I think 'Tattoo'.

Esoteric_

One of mine is really boring - just the date I managed to quit something that was destroying my life (no, not drugs :pac: ).

Another one is the word 'Creideamh' (faith in Irish). After going through something really terrible that I never thought I'd get through, I got that to remind me to have faith in myself. Got it in Irish because I actually prefer speaking Irish to English.

Flower one on my arm - Celebrating the anniversary of that terrible thing that my 'Creideamh' tattoo was done for. Decided to celebrate what I've come through, rather than be depressed over things that have happened.

One I'm planning at the moment is incorporating the breast cancer pink ribbon into it, as a tribute to my aunt.

maximoose

Randy Marsh?! I want to see that, get a pic up!

Hmmm for me:

Stars on elbows/forearms - first tattoo and just aesthetics really, liked the look of it and I was 18 and just wanted inked :pac:

Date I met the OH on my finger (gheeeeeeeey)

Batman half sleeve - loved Batman since I was a nipper and have never grown out of it. Currently debating a villains half/full sleeve on the other arm

Few others in the pipeline too.... a Radiohead symbol that I've been trying to decide the placement of for years, and a possible Halo/general video games I love piece

bodice ripper

Meaningful tattoos are only ever as deep as you are. more emphasis should be put on the aesthetic, you know what they are for anyway.

In my experience, the more meaning someone tries to put into a piece, the ****tier it looks.

ladywhiteraven

bodice ripper wrote: »

Meaningful tattoos are only ever as deep as you are. more emphasis should be put on the aesthetic, you know what they are for anyway.

In my experience, the more meaning someone tries to put into a piece, the ****tier it looks.

In cases where people have 'crammed' too much into a tattoo to try to force it to be really profoundly meaningful, I would agree, but simple, original tattoos can be very meaningful, if the person is ''deep enough'' as you put it, and still look brilliant artistically.

There is nothing wrong with art for the sake of it, getting a tattoo just because you like the image is how most people start out.

Anyway, if the symbolism means more to the person wearing the tattoo than does the level of artistic acomplishment, they are unlikely to care that it isn't 'perfect' or flawless in it's execution, the imagery is just as strong.

Just Like Heaven

None of my tattoos have any super deep meaning, don't have anything against it either and I'm sure I will get some in the future, but I'm a grumpy teenager with truckloads of half baked ideals and I'm certain I'll regret anything super meaningful

ladywhiteraven

Orim wrote: »

Where do you get the ideas for your tattoos?

This thread comes from watching Breaking Bad for me. There's a character in the show that has cool tattoo on his wrist and it got me wondering how many people would have copied the tattoo. From there I got how people in general pick their tats, so I figred I'd ask

FYI the tattoo on Jesse's wrist is of, or very heavily based on a Borneo Dayak ' Head hunter' so not fake tribal, I know this because I saw the design in some National Geographic doc. when I was 13 and thought it was really cool.