tattoo question

specialk84

I'm thinking of getting another tattoo. I haven't made up my mind yet, but I'm strongly considering it. 

My only tattoo is a lotus on the inside of my right ankle. I'd like to get a butterfly (my grandma loved butterflies, and I've always thought of her when I see one), but I don't know where to put it. I want to be able to see it, which rules out putting it on my back, but I don't want it super visible to everyone else. In my chosen career field, tattoos are not generally looked at as a good thing, so I want to be able to cover it at work without having to cover my entire body.

Where would you put it?

FutureMrsFezz

I have a butterfly on my wrist, but I'm guessing that's a little to visible for you?  It really isn't very noticeable to many people to be honest!

eta- I guess I should have clarified that it's the inside of my wrist.

Maggie0829

You could always put it on your wrist and then wear a bracelet or two to cover it when at work (that is if you want to have to always wear a bracelet).

baystateapple

I have a flower on my right hip, nobody sees it unless I want them to.

RupertPenny

My sister has a tattoo on her ribcage, like kind of to the side/under her boob. You can only see it if she is in a bikini. 

specialk84

Is the hip placement something I should worry about looking weird if I ever lose all this weight? What was the healing process like? Did your pants rub on it weird?

Also, did you get it on the side of your hip, like on your extreme upper outer thigh, or on your lower stomach area? I've seen both, and everyone always refers to it as "hip" in general, so I'm just curious.

bmoruzzi

Mine are all on my lower back so I always forget they're even there.  Not visible unless I wear a bikini.

FutureMrsFezz

I have one on my hip bone area on the front of my stomach and it healed fine.  I made sure it was covered at first so it wasn't being rubbed.  I also have one on my ribs that healed fine too. 

baystateapple

Special, I got mine on my pelvic bone, on the right side, away from my stomach, so that it wouldn't stretch if I gained weight.  Which I have, and the tattoo is unaffected.  Not going to say it didn't hurt (it did), but it was more the vibration on the bone, and I broke that bone a year before I got the tat, so I think that had a lot to do with it.

I can't remember pain with the pants rubbing against it after the first 24 hours.

FutureMrsFezz

Thanks, JCB!

adamar15

What about the outside of the ankle that has the lotus?  How big is the lotus?  Could you just add to that one and maybe have the butterfly landing on the lotus or something?  

FutureMrsFezz

Good idea, A!

specialk84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tattoo-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:743cea47-56fa-41d8-983a-6953e15ff521Post:6f6561d7-e162-4588-b1da-daebd03b5a0a">Re: tattoo question</a>:
[QUOTE]What about the outside of the ankle that has the lotus?  How big is the lotus?  Could you just add to that one and maybe have the butterfly landing on the lotus or something?  
Posted by adamar15[/QUOTE]

<div>The lotus is way larger than I anticipated (please ignore my hairy leg):</div><div>
<a href="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/7/6/37d4a525-742b-4c78-96cc-11105d490b55.large.jpg" title="Click to view a larger photo" class="PhotoLink"> <img src="http://cdn.cl9.vanillaforums.com/downloaded/ver1.0/content/images/store/7/6/37d4a525-742b-4c78-96cc-11105d490b55.medium.jpg" alt="" /></a>
</div>

AllAboutTheBenjamin

I'm a chickenshit so I'd probably never get a tattoo, but I'd love one behind my left ear or on the back of my neck, like right under my hair.

I know that's probably not the best place since if you wear your hair up a lot, it would be visible.  But my hair is always down when I'm working, so no one would see it.

I'd also get one on my ass cheek.  I bet those hurt the least

adamar15

Cute!  I think a good artist could definitely add a butterfly to that if you wanted to keep it in the same area.  

specialk84

A, I like the idea of adding the two of them together, but the lotus is just too big. I spent forever finding the perfect picture to give to the tattoo guy, then I totally blanked and became a giant pushover when it came to size and placement. It's a little off-center, too.

Fezz, I like wrist tattoos, but I'm not sure I could keep it covered. I'm also not sure it would go over well at work.

LTB, why does white ink hurt? It's relatively new, right?

I got the lotus nearly a decade ago. I feel very out of the loop, and I thank you all for bearing with me and my thousand questions.

baystateapple

The tattoo artist I went to mentioned that he had a client who wanted bing cherries on her buttcheek.  He said she screeched louder than anyone he'd ever inked before.  Though he wasn't sure if it was because she had a low pain tolerance, or if the spot just hurt more than others.

specialk84

I want to be able to see it.

adamar15

If it's off center the butterfly could help to balance it.  You could do a smaller butterfly if you're worried about it morphing into a giant tattoo  I'm sorry you had a crappy experience with the lotus.  My first tattoo was a piece of shiiit done by an asshole that has since been covered (with a butterfly!), so I can relate (that kind of makes it sound like I think your tattoo is shiitty, which I don't).  Do you have friends with tattoos that can recommend someone you might be more comfortable with?

ArynBaker

Special, I don't know what field you're in but I have tattoos on both my inner wrists. I often forget they're there (really, how often do you look at the inside of your wrists?). I was worried when I got the first one that it'd be impossible to hide but a small watch did the trick. 

specialk84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tattoo-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:743cea47-56fa-41d8-983a-6953e15ff521Post:d92f86df-442e-4885-a4e9-e6d325af0897">Re: tattoo question</a>:
[QUOTE]If it's off center the butterfly could help to balance it.  You could do a smaller butterfly if you're worried about it morphing into a giant tattoo :)  I'm sorry you had a crappy experience with the lotus.  My first tattoo was a piece of shiiit done by an asshole that has since been covered (with a butterfly!), so I can relate (that kind of makes it sound like I think your tattoo is shiitty, which I don't).  Do you have friends with tattoos that can recommend someone you might be more comfortable with?
Posted by adamar15[/QUOTE]

<div>I know lots of people who have gotten theirs done at one particular place, though I don't know who they used. </div><div>
</div><div>Right now, I'm leaning toward the outer hip or the other ankle. I don't want it to be huge. Does half-dollar size sound about right? I'm not sure what kind of butterfly I want yet, but I think I want it to have her name on it somewhere.</div>

Maggie0829

I think a small butterfly offset to the right of the lotus (if I was looking at your leg) would be really cute.

ArynBaker

Special, I know this is going to sound kinda nerdy/weird but you could look up which butterflies were common in the area she lived. Maybe one of those will stand out to you?

adamar15

Definitely find out which specific artist your friends used and see what they thought of them.  I've been to shops that have total douches and great guys working side by side.  Half dollar size sounds tiny to me, but most of my tattoos are large so take that with a grain of salt    

baystateapple

The one on my hip is about half-dollar size.  The artist wouldn't go any smaller because he said it would muddle the design.

specialk84

Aryn, I'm going into HR. Lots of companies have policies forbidding visible tattoos, so it seems hypocritical to have one if others can't.

She really liked monarch butterflies. 

specialk84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tattoo-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:743cea47-56fa-41d8-983a-6953e15ff521Post:d020ebd2-383d-432a-8b13-bfd91e5fc467">Re: tattoo question</a>:
[QUOTE]The one on my hip is about half-dollar size.  The artist wouldn't go any smaller because he said it would muddle the design.
Posted by baystateapple[/QUOTE]

<div>That's a good point. I don't want it to be huge, but I don't want it to be blurry, either.</div>

specialk84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_tattoo-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:743cea47-56fa-41d8-983a-6953e15ff521Post:7f960c49-3736-4fad-bc5f-3ac72243d942">Re: tattoo question</a>:
[QUOTE]Mine is on my hip (three hearts stacked) and I love it. It's pretty much dead center on my hip.
Posted by rachers1017[/QUOTE]

<div>On the outside?</div>

adamar15

Edie that was my 18th birthday present to myself  Mine only lasted a few years too before my body rejected them.  I would get tattooed for hours before I would do that again.

malakelle

  What about on top of your shoulder? I have a large welpling on my back, and his tail comes up over my shoulder. Its always covered by shirt straps, but I can see it if I wear a strapless top, which is almost never, I need the support =D

  My sister has one on top of her shoulder, its a skull butterfly, and you can not ever see it unless she's strapless, topless, or in a bikini.

AllAboutTheBenjamin

I got my navel pierced when I was 18, LTB, and I can't take the damn thing out.  I hate how my belly button and mid-section looks without it. 

I read somewhere recently that most of the tattoos these days - something overwhelming, like, 75% or something - are script tattoos instead of images.  It's the latest fad - people used to get tribal tattoos and Chinese symbols, now they are just getting words, phrases, song lyrics, names, etc.  Tattoo artists are annoyed by it, I guess, since their talents are being wasted.  Any schmuck off the street could tattoo the word "Faith" or the-like, but it takes a true artist to depict a life-life image.  I thought that was an interesting story.  Especially since any tat I've considered... most of them were words.