Well I have 4 tattoos, so I like to think that I'm some what experienced with this topic, so I'll try to answer your questions as best as possible.
1. About how long did yours take and how big was your
design?
<i>I have a tribal dragon with angel wings that takes up most of my right shoulder blade, and it took 2 hours to do - it was also one solid colour, so it took less time. I have two small tribal lizards on my ribs that took 1.5 hours to do, and a piece on my lower back that was done in two sessions - 1 hour each. I have 2 flowers with a tribal design that covers the upper part of my should blade above my dragon, and it took 3.5 hours to do because its colour with lots of detail. So it all depends on how much detail is in your ink and if there's more then one colour on how long it will take. I've attached pics of my ink so you have an idea of how big they are.</i>
2. Pain level --- what does it feel like, and how bad was it for
you?
<i>Pain also depends on what part of the body you get inked. The boner the area, the more painful it will be. Tops of the feet, chest areas and the ribs are the most painful areas to get inked, followed by baby soft areas like the inside of your thigh, behind the knee, inside of your elbow, followed by your back, etc. The more fatty the area, the less pain. It also depends on your tolerance of pain. If you can take a lot of pain then its a piece of cake. It also depends on how good your artist is. If he has a light hand, then its not as painful, but if he's heavy handed then it will hurt. I won't lie - tattoos do hurt, but to me they don't hurt enough to not get one. My ribs hurt, my upper back wasn't so bad (although the longer your session, the more pain it will be because the needle is constantly going over the same are), and my lower back really didn't hurt at all. I will compare the pain to a really bad sunburn with someone scratching it.</i>
3. Blood sugar --- I've heard of a few people that have to come
back to finish the tat because of feeling physically ill. Why
would this happen, and what can be done about it (i.e. eat before
you go, drink a lot of water...etc.?)
<i>Before getting inked, I cannot stress enough the importance of eating a meal before hand. Always get inked after eating. I would also bring a bottle of water with you, as well as something sugary incase your blood sugar drops. I always leave my sugar just a bit on the high side when I get inked, because my sugar does drop some when I'm getting a tattoo, due to stress, pain, etc. That being said, I'm find so long as I bring a bottle of water and eat a meal before hand. Peole who get dizzy during tattoo sessions, or who feel sick feel this way because their blood sugar is dropping, or they are having a reaction to being tattooed. My artist describes it as feeling like you're drunk. Have a swig of juice or eat a candy bar if you feel this way, and you'll be fine.</i>
4. Have you ever had an issue with coughing during a tattoo
session? Should you try and warn the artist before you have a
massive coughing fit so the ink doesn't end up everywhere but where
its supposed to be?
<i>If you're going to have a coughing fit, let the artist know before hand because that will mess him up if you move. You should be lieing perfectly still when you're getting inked. If you have a history of hemoptysis like I do, I would advice you to bring along a pillow to put under your head so that you're not lieing straight down (this is all dependant on what area you are getting inked, because sometimes you will have to sit for a session depending on what area gets inked) I myself have never had a coughing fit during a session, but if I knew I was going to cough, I would let my artist know right away, so that he can stop for a second and not mess up your tattoo.</i>
5. How long does it take?
<i>Again, this is all dependant on how large of a piece you get and how much detail is in the tattoo. What are you getting done if you don't mind my asking? More detail and larger tattoos will of course take longer then smaller simpler ones.
</i>
6. If you don't mind telling, how much did it cost you?
<i>Every artist is different. My artist charges $120 an hour for larger more detailed tattoos, and if I'm getting something small, then he charges by how small it is. See my pics attached, and I'll explain how much they were, etc.</i>
Like I said, sorry for the topic being a bit OT, but I didn't know
who else to ask. Thanks for any responses!
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I know quite a bit about tattooing, as I'm a moderator on a tattoo forum.
Following are my tattoos:
<img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/edawkins/DSCN0399.jpg">
The flowers with tribal background cost me $300 all said and done. This took 3.5 hours to do, with a 15 minute break halfway through. This hurt somewhat only because it took a long while to do.
<img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/edawkins/Shoulder.jpg">
This took 2.5 hours to do, and cost me $175. This one hurt a little simply because my back is boney.
<img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/edawkins/Lowerback.jpg">
This was done in two seperate sessions. It cost me $100 for the dragon, and about $75 for the tribal on the sides. This one really didn't hurt at all, and each session took about an hour if that.
<img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/edawkins/Lizardss.jpg">
This cost about $150. It hurt because it was on my ribs, and took about 1.5 hours to do simply because of the tribal detail.
I should also point out that its really good to tip your tattoo artist. I always tip about $15-20 dollars. I mean if you tip a waiter or a hairstylist who is doing a service, why wouldn't you tip your tattoo artist as well. PLus it makes for a great customer. I hate to say it, but an artist will remember you more if you tip, and will treat you a lot better. My artist is great to me because I tip him. Sometimes he will even give me discounts on my ink because I'm such a great customer.
Hope this hasn't been too long of a post for you, and was helpful. Ask away if you have any more questions!