Tattoos and Tattoo Artists ... Another Perspective

Call.Me.Ishmael
Rhode Island
As usual, in the last tattoo thread there was a lot of TUSCLers throwing around words like "defile", "damage", "scar", etc. I'm not expecting to convert anyone here. If you're not interested in getting tattoos ... then don't. But, I'll speak as someone who has many tattoos that not all people who have tattoos fit inside a single column (this goes for men and women).

I personally get tattoos because I love the artistry that goes into good tattoo work (see links below). I've never had much interest in hanging art in my home, but for some reason I'm an enthusiast for putting art on me. I pay good money for good work, and I work with my artist to plan out what I want and where I want it. And my tattooer shows me concept art well before I go under the needle. I'm also not much of an attention seeker. 90% of the time my tattoos are covered. If we're being honest, the only people who see a lot of my tattoos on a regular basis are strippers and doctors.

Strip clubs are one of the worst places to look for good tattoo work. A lot of dancers with tattoos are an album of poor impulse control. It's often not great art done by not great tattoo artists. At the club where I'm a regular, there are dozens of dancers with tattoos, but only three who I can tell put some thought into it and found good artists.

Regarding tattoos degrading over time ... if someone gets a tattoo and then spends a lot of time in the sun, then the ink will degrade much faster than normal. The same goes for tattoos on high-wear areas (like the hands). Several of my tattoos are over 10 years old and they're still crisp. Like the rest of your body, if your tattoos look like shit as you age, then it's because you're not taking care of them.

As I said, I'm not looking to convince anyone to go out and get a full sleeve. But, for a group of people who probably wish that folks would be a little more accepting of their going to or working at strip clubs, perhaps be a bit more open minded about folks who get tattooed.

Below are links to some of my favorite tattoo artists. You can see my artistic bias up front; I'm a fan of fine detail black-and-grey work. But, there are some amazing people producing incredible tattoos in several other popular styles.

Kelly Violet
https://www.instagram.com/kellyviolence/

Maud Dardeau
https://www.instagram.com/mauddardeau/

Jondix
https://www.instagram.com/jondix/

Guy Le
https://www.instagram.com/guyletatooer.o…

Lustandconsume
https://www.instagram.com/lustandconsume…

Roxx
https://www.instagram.com/roxx_____/

Deni Aktemirov
https://www.instagram.com/deni_aktemirov…

Simone Klimmeck
https://www.instagram.com/simoneklimmeck…

Fredao Oliveira
https://www.instagram.com/fredao_oliveir…

Heidi Furey
https://www.instagram.com/heidifureytatt…

Gakkin
https://www.instagram.com/gakkinx/

Jean Pierre Mottin
https://www.instagram.com/jean_pierre_mo…

Alex Tabuns
https://www.instagram.com/alex_tabuns/

10 comments

Latest

gSteph
3 years ago
None for me, please, but I understand your perspective. Better art is better than lesser art.
Though I love a great female body without tattoos, a fine tattoo can start a fun conversation.
Tetradon
3 years ago
@Ishmael, I'm your mirror image. Lots of art on my walls, none on my body. Just isn't my jam, though I'm not judging you.

Most tattoos I see, on men or women, are thoughtless and stupid. Like my bird-chested friend who thought getting barbed wire ink on his (non-existent) biceps would attract women. Or my friend's ex who literally walked into a parlor drunk, heard a song on the radio, and got it inked on her hip.

On the other hand, I've seen some great artwork. Some that even enhances the natural beauty of strippers.
Cashman1234
3 years ago
I appreciate you sharing your insights and those links to some amazing body art. I appreciate the realism and intensity in the imagery. It is a talent that I marvel at - as it must be more challenging to create this art on a human body (and not on an inanimate surface).

I can spend hours in the Metropolitan Museum of Art - and I will view only a few paintings. I can get lost in great art. It can move me in ways I would never have expected.

But, I don’t have any body art. I am prone to making poor choices. I could plan on getting a tattoo with the intricacies of the Sistine Chapel - and end up getting a Boner Garage tattoo!
Cristobal
3 years ago
For someone without any tatoos I mostly dated women without ink;however, when I re-enteted the dating world after my divorce I found tatoos cool and some enhanced the beauty of women.

Once I became involved with strippers and BGs I started liking tatoos on strippers and BGs.

I like the artwork, some of my friends have their back completely done up and it looks great.

In fact my GF has eight tatoos and we have great conversations about the inspiration and meaning behind each one.
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
To me what makes a tattoo isn't just the skill of the artist but the meaning behind it.
Call.Me.Ishmael
3 years ago
Tattoos with a special meaning are great, but I know a lot of people who get fantastic work done and it's just stuff they like.

Honestly, once I stopped believing that each tattoo had to have a deep meaning, it got a lot easier to pick out the work I wanted.
Icee Loco (asshole)
3 years ago
To me its a balance. But I understand. People get stuff that means something then the meaning is gone and... but beautiful art is timeless
Muddy
3 years ago
One thing I read they can mess with your sweat glands but other than that aslong as it’s not face or neck I never thought it was a bad look be it guy or girl. Save for some hideous exceptions but even then most of the time you would have to specifically focus on that tattoo to even notice.
skibum609
3 years ago
No art on my walls, no art on me, no ring, no watch, no chains. Not into art in the least and even though my 86 year old mom just added 2 tattoos and all my siblings have them, I would never consider getting them and have yet to see one I consider attractive. No issue with others who believe differently.
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