Got Ink?

The thread on TV shows referencing tattoos made me wonder who here has one, and what inspired yout to get one. Anyone besides Daren and I been to get some ink?

I got my one and only (so far) in 1998 in Toronto at a place called New Tribe Tattoo on Queen Street. The guy who did mine is called Adam Sky - here is his web page:

http://www.adamsky.ca/

I designed it myself and of course, it's related to my sport. At the time it was a way for me to show (myself) that I had committed to being the best I could be at shooting. It worked quite well from that standpoint (along with a lot of hard work), and the next summer I won the national championships. I've gone on to compete at even higher levels, up until shoulder surgery that has slowed me down quite a bit.

The image is a stylized archer superimposed on a maple leaf - located on the back of my right shoulder, so people will only see it if I want them to. Certainly not the works of art you see on the TV shows, but it certainly means something to me.

Here it is......



I was hoping my next tattoo would be the Olympic rings.....maybe there's still a chance if my body holds up, but part of me feels that my competitive days are likely over......bummer.

[padi56]

Yes myself have two full sleeve's,mainly in the Japanese style.And large back
piece of the Balinese god Barong.My friend Alun who has been a professional
tattooist for about 15 years,done most of my work.He had a shop in Aberdare,
but moved to Spain about 2 years ago,now lives in Mojaca and has a shop
over there.And if anyone ever tells you that tattooing does not hurt,they must be totally brain dead.Had a few tribal done in Borneo, the old fashion
way, with a bone multi pronged needle beaten with a stick,now that was bloody painful .Please excuse poor pictures had to borrow a digital camera,underside left arm.

[baseballduck]

Padi thats friggin awesome!! My dad had a Harley Davidson tat when he had his Harley. For some reason my mom made him get it taken off. I think that was before I was born. He said getting it taken off was 10 times worse than getting it put on(this was before they took them off with lasers). So he now has a cool scar from where they cut that layer of skin off.

Tyler

[padi56]

Well Tyler there is no way they could remove mine, as both arms are about
97% covered the most painful area to have done was my elbows.The laser removal only works on smallish tattoos.

[JJ Irani]

Sorry guys, NOT into Tattoos!!

[padi56]

No JJ your more into orangepumkinomegaplanetoceans.

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by padi56

No JJ your more into orangepumkinomegaplanetoceans.

Now that I am, my jolly ole' friend, that I most certainly am!!

[padi56]

Thinking of getting one myself soon JJ.

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by padi56

Thinking of getting one myself soon JJ.

WOW! I look forward to that!!

[dman]

I have three, with one in the plans.

I have one on my right thigh, it is Mighty Mouse carrying a hockey stick and baseball bat. I got this one when I was quite young and still have a very soft spot for it.

The second one I got is a Hawaiian soldier, (Ikaika Pule) in traditional war attire and it is on my left rear shoulder. It is about 6 in. by 6 in. right over the shoulder balde.

The third is my initails DDM in old english script on my left bicep. My brother and I got these together as we share the same initials.

Next up will be the name Dylan Kawika in block script on the right bicep. That of course is my sons name.

I really enjoy all of mine, and they all have a sentimental meaning.

[JJ Irani]

You actually have biceps on those hairless arms of yours??

[dman]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

You actually have biceps on those hairless arms of yours??

As opposed to rocks inside that hairless skull of yours??

[JJ Irani]

Originally Posted by dman

As opposed to rocks inside that hairless skull of yours??

I'll give you rocks, you tosser!!

[dman]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

I'll give you rocks, you tosser!!

LMAO!!

[Gedanken]

Originally Posted by JJ Irani

I'll give you rocks, you tosser!!

Any given reason to get your rocks off, eh, JJ?

Anyway, about tatts, mine's of my Airborne wing on my left shoulder:

[padi56]

James I remember in Singapore,think it was in the Peoples Park centre,
on the top floor there was a tattooist.Had a dragon put on my shoulder,he
was a good artist but expensive.Now in Bali you could have your whole back
for about £40 but there Hygiene was not like our western standards.

[Gedanken]

Yeah, Peter, round Asia you can't take hygiene for granted - I actually had mine done in Melbourne for A$250 by a guy who's done tattoos for Madonna and Pink. I could have had it done a long time ago in Singapore, but I really didn't want to take chances with tatooists who re-used needles.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Gedanken

Yeah, Peter, round Asia you can't take hygiene for granted - I actually had mine done in Melbourne for A$250 by a guy who's done tattoos for Madonna and Pink. I could have had it done a long time ago in Singapore, but I really didn't want to take chances with tatooists who re-used needles.

Wow that was expensive for that size Tattoo over £100 but you pay for
artists name.My friend has won several competitions,and some of his
portrait tattoos are amazing.He does portraits from pictures,and now a full
arm sleeve would cost around £1000-£1500.He did a full back piece of the
Zulu battle at Rorke's Drift.All the uniforms down to the buttons on the
soldiers jackets were accurate.He got all the information from the Military
museum at Brecon.It took almost 2 years to complete,the chap who had it
done was Ken Smith who worked with me,and was on my shift.It was shown
on television and most of the papers,and won a award in the tattooist
magazine,but sadly Ken died 3 years ago from cancer aged 54.

[Gedanken]

Yeah, I've got no complaints about the price - two years later the image is as sharp as it ever was, and I'm glad I didn't go to one of those guys who does smudgy work.

Man, that's a shame about Ken - how long did he have it before he passed away?

[padi56]

James it was not long only roughly 4 years,I remember several times Ken in work complaining of a pain in his side.But he was one of those chaps,who
just shrugged thinks off.Many times I seen him in pain,and I made him go
home,and the rest of the shift covered his work.But he would not go to the doctors,until it was to late.Ken lived not far from my youngest son house in Cwmbran,and when I was home always made time to go and visit him.On my
last trip back from Bali,called over my sons he told me Ken was in hospital
Rang hospital but he had gone home to his mothers,rang his mother
she told me the news.When I went to visit him,I could not believe it he was almost like a skeleton.He wanted to go home to get everything in order ,he
asked me to ring the the works pension manager and his solicitor to sort
everything out. This was on a Thursday,told the solicitor and pension how urgent this was and they both came the next day.Went back to visit on
Saturday morning,he tried to thank me but could not speak,he died while
I was there.Ken was a great chap who would go out of his way to
help people.And at his funeral a lot of the Tattoo artists,who new him though the tattoo conventions, was at the funeral it was a huge turnout.He was a friend and a workmate for nearly 20 years and will always remembered by me.

Originally Posted by dman

As opposed to rocks inside that hairless skull of yours??

LMAO! Really good comeback, Daren!!!

I have one on my upper left calf muscle in purple ink. No pix but it's a cartoonized skull, wearing sunglasses looking surprised, with a crossed spoon and hammer underneath it. Long story... it's about 2.5" square.

It is (was) my cycling team logo, G.S. Sportbilly. A couple of us went out on our 10th anniversary of the club's founding and got it done. I founded the club after a long stint with one of Canada's most successful clubs, and pilfered most of the best riders to give me better 'protected rider' status. We had a whole lot more fun as the old club managment sucked.

I did the design myself, and then handed it over to a fellow teammate who is a genius graphic designer to have it put in his style. It's still in his portfolio too.

I paid CDN$50 for it (took 30 min to do) at 'Way Cool Tattoos' in Toronto's Beach area, by a great artist named simply 'Oz'.

In travelling since I got mine, it seems everyone has at least one tattoo (particularly among Europeans). I think now it's more 'stand-outish' if you DON'T have one.

[padi56]

Yes at one time Tattoos had a bad image,but now some of the so
called celebrities,like Robbie Williams and tosser Beckham have them.
Its now the in thing,seem more women are being tattooed than men at the moment.

John - somehow I knew you would have one. Let's see a pic!

Way Cool was the other place I had considered at the time I had mine done.

I think mine cost $125 and it took about 40 minutes.

[dman]

I took my wife to get one on her birthday a few years back. She got a soccer ball with a rose wrapped around it on the inside of her ankle. She almost passed out from staring at the needle, LOL!

[padi56]

Well Darren I have seen many guys,turn quite white and almost pass
out while having a tattoo at my friends studio.

[Gedanken]

Man, that's rough about Ken, padi. Actually, over the years I've seen a few people go that quickly, and you never get over the shock of seeing them that way.

It'd be great if you could find some photos of that tatt, though - I'd love to see the detail.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by Gedanken

Man, that's rough about Ken, padi. Actually, over the years I've seen a few people go that quickly, and you never get over the shock of seeing them that way.

It'd be great if you could find some photos of that tatt, though - I'd love to see the detail.

Yes Ken was a great guy,will try and find a picture of tattoo.

[Rockrolex]

Sorry, guys. Tattoos are just not my thing. My wife, on the other hand, has been wanting one for years. The only problem she has is deciding on what the tattoo should look like and where she should put it. Which I think is just her way of saying "While I fantasize about getting one, I really don't want one." That's fine with me.

[Earl]

I've only one tatt on my left upper arm... little red devil holding fork in left hand and rubbing his chin with his right hand maybe 2 in tall. The red is mostly gone now but his green BVD's are still visable ;o) I think of him as my mischeif maker :o)