Knife Tattoo

Tattoos are a sign of a certain deficiency of intelligence, insofar as it reflects an inability to think of the long term. In my experience, the most enthusiastic tatoo fans were also heroin users, which should tell us something.

I think this is shortsighted too. Granted some people regret their tattoos, but the fact that they can't think long-term doesn't have anything to do with the ink. It's a matter of outlook; a lot of the inksters I know are of a sort who will always be in love with their tats. Even if they grow to dislike them on an aesthetic level, they will never be unable to appreciate them - as a relic of their wilder youth, if nothing else. And the connection to heroin use is, I think, beyond conjectural - prejudicial, even.
Having said that, I would think that you would really have to be into knives for a knife tat to be justified. Like, I'm talking absorbed on aesthetic, technical, metallurgical, even spiritual levels, and this is true of few people. Make sure you think it through.
Picture yourself with it in fifty years.
Picture yourself explaining it to your lovers, your friends, your coworkers, your kids...
Just think it through before you pull the trigger, is all.
 
Tatoos are mainstream because so many people got them-but they are still out of style.
I assumed you were younger. I'm old.
My point was going to be that all the older people I have known have regretted getting them. You are certainly old enough to know what you are doing.
Bill
 
For the love of God, if you get a tattoo, make sure it's something that has significant meaning to you. Get something custom, not some shop flash. Believe me, it gets old explaining your tat(s) over and over again, especially if the only thing you have to say is "well it seemed a good idea at the time".

Brand logo's are dumb. Pop culture references are dumb. Laser removal is expensive. Think twenty times before you ink.
 
Humm, maybe incorporate a Mnandi into a tat. Couldn't find my "Think Twice Cut Once" logo. :)

 
Even with my wedding ring I made considerable thought in the selection. Sure there were some really fanciful rings that I liked, but I had to picture a 50-60 year old me and my wife, and if I would still dare to wear that fanciful ring.

I've played with the idea of having a tattoo sometimes, but again, in as little as 10 years I might have changed opinion or interests, so I won't want to carry that tat around. I wish there is a temporary tattoo that only lasts 1 year. I wouldn't mind having that.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Tatoos are mainstream because so many people got them-but they are still out of style.
I assumed you were younger. I'm old.
My point was going to be that all the older people I have known have regretted getting them. You are certainly old enough to know what you are doing.
Bill
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Interesting...just how old are you, Bill?

My wife and I will both turn 60 this year and both of us have become increasingly interested in acquiring a tatoo. We are definitely out of style ourselves and also pretty conservative, but appreciate the art form when done by a true artist...I could even see a knife as a subject given my obsession, although my wife's choice of subject would be wildly different. :D

I see no need for regret if the proper subject is chosen and rendered artfully...just MHO...YMMV...;)

Ray :)
 
I would recommend not getting a knife tattoo, it just doesnt make a nice looking tattoo. Look at Japanese art if you want a tattoo.
 
wutitiz said:
I agree with Bill D: don't do it. Tattoos are a sign of a certain deficiency of intelligence, insofar as it reflects an inability to think of the long term. In my experience, the most enthusiastic tatoo fans were also heroin users, which should tell us something.

But if you feel you must do it, I would recommend an Mtech knife. Make sure it says Mtech on the blade, just like the real thing.
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Yes , obviously you are of superior intelligence.:jerkit: I am very enthusiastic about tattoos, have been getting tattooed for the past 11 years, and have never used drugs once. I have two college degrees and work n the medical field reading nuclear medicine scans.

Some people are impulsive when it comes to tattoos but that does not signify a lack of intelligence.
 
I agree with Bill D: don't do it. Tattoos are a sign of a certain deficiency of intelligence, insofar as it reflects an inability to think of the long term. In my experience, the most enthusiastic tatoo fans were also heroin users, which should tell us something.

But if you feel you must do it, I would recommend an Mtech knife. Make sure it says Mtech on the blade, just like the real thing.
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Thank God we live in a world in which people don't judge each other based on pre-conceived notions/stereotypes....can you imagine what that would be like to have people automatically think you're a killer for having a knife?? That would be awkward...

I appreciate everyone's feedback. With the exceptions of alcohol and tobacco I've never taken any other form of narcotic, and I have my BA as well, and most people I've known with tattoos share similar backgrounds. For what its worth I'm 26.

I'm trying to stay clear of brand names or logos as they will probably take on less of a meaning to me over time as opposed to the concept of a blade itself. I'm actually thinking of getting a design done that has a blade incorporated into it (samurai) but am searching for an artist as suggested by you who's familiar with that style.

Thanks for the advice.
 
Several posters jumped on my post #15 while ignoring #19. If I wanted to be cute, I could say that this is a perfect example of the tendency of tattoo people to go off half-cocked.
 
wutitiz said:
Several posters jumped on my post #15 while ignoring #19. If I wanted to be cute, I could say that this is a perfect example of the tendency of tattoo people to go off half-cocked.
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Yes and no. I was tempted to respond but then I read #19 and decided not to. My reaction to #15 was to respond that I have an associates in CNC Machining and Programing that I got in 1987. I have been with the comapny I am working at now for 16 years, I am the 2nd shift supervisor and I do set-ups and programing for 5 axis machines, mainly for aerospace and defense companies. My girlfriend has a BA in Accounting and is the office manager for her company, as well as the HR manager.

I got my first tattoo back in 1989 and have not looked back since. I got a Pinhead tattoo done back in 1993 and just a few years ago I was able to meet Doug Bradley who is the actor who played Pinhead. I got his new book which he signed and he also was kind enough to sign my tattoo and pose for a few pics with me. Of course since Hellraiser is my all time favorite horror movie I IMMEDIATELY went to the tattoo shop and had them tattoo the signature above the Pinhead tattoo, all at the tender age of 37 :p. When My girlfriend had hers done she was 35, and that was her first one.

Some people like them and some don't, which is all good. To each their own right? Now in the early 90's yeah, it did become the big fashion craze like the ear piercing. But most of those fools didn't realize that unlike the piercing you can't take out the ring and let the hole close up, that tat is PERMANENT. I knew full well what I was doing and have absolutely NO regrets at all. Not all of us go half-cocked when heading to the tattoo shop :p.
 
Damn, I just erased an email from a buddy, that showed a guy getting implants for the girl tatted on his leg. That would surely bring about amazing comments!

My suggestion for the knife tat, would to be sure and get it big enough so the detail won't be lost. A dagger or kerambit(if you like those) would make good tats.IMO
 
severedthumbs said:
I would recommend not getting a knife tattoo, it just doesnt make a nice looking tattoo. Look at Japanese art if you want a tattoo.
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Why be so unrealistically narrow? Japanese art is only one genre, and a knife could be rendered artfully in a million different ways...it's called creativity...;)

Ray :)
 
reholli said:
Why be so unrealistically narrow? Japanese art is only one genre, and a knife could be rendered artfully in a million different ways...it's called creativity...;)

Ray :)
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Well let me restate that, I have never seen a knife tattoo that I thought looked good.
 
Some tattos are beautiful, real works of art.

One problem I see is when someone gets some strange mix of unrelated tattoos so that their body is like a drawer full of odds and ends.
 
Spark said:
For the love of God, if you get a tattoo, make sure it's something that has significant meaning to you. Get something custom, not some shop flash. Believe me, it gets old explaining your tat(s) over and over again, especially if the only thing you have to say is "well it seemed a good idea at the time".

Brand logo's are dumb. Pop culture references are dumb. Laser removal is expensive. Think twenty times before you ink.
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a few more comments of warning to add to sparks:
1: most tattoo artists suck. they suck as artists and the suck at applying tattoo's. if you love your tattoo, great. but chances are when compared to a truly good tattoo, it's going to look terrible. straight lines, consistent fills, realistic color/shadow rendition, and proper proportions cannot be argued with - they are the foundations of art. if you cannot do them properly, you are a bad artist. sure, picasso has his fans - but tattoo artistry isn't about making stuff up on the fly, it's about reproduction.
2: steel is very hard to color on a tattoo. it takes a high degree or artistic skill to produce a good looking steel color that isn't highly stylized like chrome. as stated, most tattoo artists suck. your probably not going to get realistic looking steel.
3: think twenty times before you ink, and consider waiting on it for a long time. if you find you like another design better after 2 months and don't really want the one you first picked, great. wait a while on the new design.
4: DO NOT get your tattoo for someone else under any circumstances. when you get your tattoo, assume that no one else will ever see it in your entire life time. if you can't deal with having the tattoo all by your lonesome without anyone seeing it, then your trying to get attention, and tattoo's aren't a good way to do it. once the attention wears off because the tat is faded, or if the attention isn't the type you wanted, your left with something you may not like. you may even hate it.

Until this last year, I've loved every tattoo I've had. The only time I ever show them to anyone is if explicitly asked too, and if no one ever saw them, thats fine by me. Then I got a tattoo for the wrong reason - to make a point to someone else. I tried to choose something that was vague enough that I could enjoy it for it's message, not for it's actually meaning and connection. no go. once the people changed, when everything settled and the emotions weren't running high anymore, The tattoo I had done on the spur by an artist who isn't my normal guy (corey williams of the golden eagle tattoo in santa barbara) is now connected to a bad part of my life, and it's bad quality to boot. I'm going to spend 600-900$ on laser removal just to lighten it up and have it covered by a tattoo I know I won't grow tired of (I'm thinking an instruments tattoo, guitar, violin, banjo and such (I love instruments as much or more then I love knives)). thats 900$ ON TOP OF the cost of the new tattoo, wich will probably 2,000-6,000$ since it half to full sleeves. if I didn't want the cover up, it would take several thousand dollars to completely remove it. also, the laser removal is like having someone taser you while putting a cigarret out on your skin at the same time.

When I got my knife tattoo, I had the correct instinct of not trusting tattoo artists in general to be capable of doing even rudimentary reproductions of photographs, so I went with the simplest possible design that would be hard to screw up. The guy still screwed it up, not giving me what was in the picture, but I'm happy with it. it's vague, simplistic, but connects to all the history, culture and meanings I wanted it to. I went with a historical blade (in this case an HI 18" ang khola) rather then a current busse, becuase I go through what I like with busse year by year, but the ang khola remains a blade I respect through and through.

If your gonna be specific, such as a particular model from a particular maker - be aware that that makers knives, practices, quality and reputation may change. if your the kinda guy who will stop buying a knife from a guy because he goes to jail for extorting money out of people (sh-t happens)- your tattoo design might just end up being something you don't like anymore. or you might grow to hate puuko's once you try bowies.

Life is finicky. what people want changes a lot. make sure your tattoo isn't part of that cycle.

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*p.s. - not all tattoo artists suck. corey (my guy) can reproduce a photograph exactly on skin. that skill is worth it's weight in gold. It's worth driving cross country just to be sure that I'm going to get what I ask for.*
 
I love tatoo...
My only comment is dispite the age that your are in...
Just make it sure the guy who calls himself an Artist has at least one record to prove it:mad::)
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I am quite found of a good friends artist abilities. Goes by the name Cornfed or just FED , owns Starborn Tattoo here in LV.

a tat he did for someone to honor Rob Simonich.

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the 2 he did on my arm:
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some of his other work:
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this one was pretty slick as well.
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or if you want a lot of coverage...
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not every artist can pull of faces , that match exactly to the picture you bring in , I have seen a few that can replicate a photograph of someone to the T.
 
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