where do you get tattoo ideas??

i know web sites and magazines are usually a good source as well as the books and portfolios at tattoo parlors but i cant seem to find ANYTHING that even gives me a minute idea for something original. the best i can do is a buncha weird designs along the side of my body or a star on each shoulder, same style but different shades and colours. i used to want a barcode on my wrist but thats a bit noticable and il regret it in years.

I like to get tattoos of art that I like a lot or just things that I like in general. For example I love Harry Potter so I started drawing up a bunch of scenes from the books and connecting them with swirls and stars. Also, I've loved the ocean since I was a little kid so I got an ocean scene tattooed on me. I try to stick to things that mean something to me.

I think the ideas come from different places depending on what kind of tattoo it is...
If it is something that means something to you or symbolizes something grand its should probably come from you. Or just go to your local ink factory and talk to the dude about some custom work, they are normally pretty good at quickly drawing up what you want and describe.
If you have tatts and dig them regardless of what they mean, or just for expression sake, or just for tatt sake, the ideas hopefully will just present themselves through daily life.
Anytime I actually tried to come up with some grand "original" tatt idea, it never happened. They always seem to come to me when I'm just feeling it...
...of course this could all be bullshit to everyone but thats my look on it...

-J

Make them up out of my skull!

most of mine came from looking at the muscle structure where i planed on getting ink and working around that, or something that i got bored and drew and was happy with the way it turned out as for the bar code tattoo i got one of those at the cheltenham tattoo convention this year i put that on my chest right in that divet on the collar bone.

i used to have a piercing there, now i just have a nice scar (damn madison got rejected )

I go a couple of different routes for tattoos. Sometimes I'll give the artist an idea of what I want and then let them throw out some designs until I see something that really catches my eye. Also, I have a friend who is a talented artist and I'll give him ideas and let him run with them.

My friend has had a bar code on his neck since the early 80s. With all his other work, the bar code is still the most talked about.

From the radio implanted in my brain by the Martians!

I have alot if writing that's really meaningful -but I wish everyone couldn't read into it...

It depends. My own tattoos are heavily infuenced by the ones in Blade, and my shoulder piece has two elements taken directly from Blade's tattoo (the central triangles on my spine and a small section on my neck)
If I'm working on a design for someone, then I go on what they want and any suggestions or examples they may give me.
Spike

[Edited on Oct 02, 2003 by Spike]

My friend has ear written on his ear. We always talk about it- its funny.
My best friend (his wife) has a happy face on her flip off finger) I love them!
They have more tattoos than anyone Ive ever known. Including all the bikers- I knew growing up.

i had a barcode generator at my old job and i have my social security # coded... i was going to get that done to make it easier to clock in and out at my next job.

Five words: Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Building. I've been wanting to get that art deco architecture on me for some time now, I just can't find a decent picture of the main sculpture. The only reason I mention this is because I wanted to show you that you can get tattoo ideas in more and better places than where you're already looking.

where's the NiMo building?

books

Good question...

Syracuse.

yah, i wanna get something original so stuff in magazines and stuff are pretty much what i dont want

Like anything, it's a mixture of things you're interested in and what you think might get you laid. Okay, maybe not so much the last. I've had dreams about what I should get, but my latest tattoo craving was inspired by looking over a bunch of Bilibin art. I had forgotten how much I love his illustration work. So I think I want a Baba Yaga on my left shoulder with spoons around her (to count) and her house with the chicken legs in the background. I usually think about my ideas for several months before I get them though, and there's a few ahead of this one in line. My tattoo artist and I were talking about doing a big wind/peonies/Chinese Lions piece on my left side to match my tiger on my right, but I have a little Ultraman that I got years ago next to my bellybutton on that side, so it might not work out.

So you should look around, but not necessarily at tattoo mags. Try art books, comics, clip art, quotes, anything to get you going.

And because I mentioned him earlier, here's a little gratuitous Bilibin:




[Edited on Oct 02, 2003 by minty]