Quick one re tattoos

[BasiliskStare]

My niece has said she wants to have a sleeve tattoo. She is 21. Her choice and her father has said it is her choice. Now if someone wants a tattoo that is utterly their choice - but is this ( see below ) an utterly mad idea ? Asking for advice here

Is there a reputable place website / ordering where you could get a temporary tattoo & it would not look dreadful so she could give it a go before she goes for the whole thing. Or do they look rubbish if not a proper tattoo ?

I am not making a comment about tattoos here other than in the sense they are a bit permanent - I think said niece thinks of it as fashion - so that is why I am asking could I buy a temporary one so she can give it a trial run - if she really wants one - great . She is thinking in a few months time .

Please no one think I am saying tattoos are a bad thing - but I hope some will get why I am asking this question. I am not the boss of her - I just wonder if there is a way of trying it out before you go through the whole procedure .

An entire sleeve isn’t something that will be done in one sitting I wouldn’t have thought. I’ve got a fairly decent sized tattoo on my upper arm and that took five hours. I doubt she will go into a tattoo parlour in the morning and come out with a full arm tattoo in the afternoon, it will probably evolve over a period of time anyway.

It’ll be expensive and painful so that might be enough of a deterrent!

There is a company called Inkbox who do some good temporary tattoos which fade gradually but I don’t know if they do sleeves. She might think you are a bit bonkers though!

I was going to say exactly what iheartmysmart said! It's not a case of going from naked skin to full sleeve in one session.
She'd be looking at over £1k over time for a decent tattooist to do a sleeve as well. Big commitment.
The only fake tattoos I've seen in sleeve form are more like fingerless gloves that you slide on and off, but they're a novelty thing, and wouldn't really give an idea of what a proper tattoo would be like.

@Iheartmysmart and @UndeadSlut Thank you

I hope you don't think I was necessarily dissuading her - it is just that I know they are expensive and painful ( have not had one myself but know those who have ) - Look - if people love tattoos all great to them , but I spoke to her about it and it was a bit of a fashion thing - in the same way she wanted her hair to be dyed from dark brown . almost black to blonde But many thanks @Iheartmysmart and @UndeadSlut If she wants a tattoo - then that is what she must do - but thank you both for practical advice.

As rubbish Aunty Basilisk I may advise her do go for for a smaller one ( if the fake ones don't work & thank you for that ) and then go from there

@BasiliskStare It’s a huge commitment and I don’t blame you for having reservations. I didn’t have my first tattoo until I was 50! Each of the ones I’ve got have a very personal meaning and I don’t regret them one bit. To have a sleeve because it’s fashionable would ring alarm bells for me too. Having a tattoo removed is also expensive and painful with varying end results.

A good tattoo artist will have a long waiting list - mine is currently 8 months - which will allow a bit of time for reflection!

Has she got any other tattoos or is she planning on starting with a sleeve?

@Iheartmysmart & @MedusasBadHairDay - To be fair I am her aunty and she is 21 so entirely her choice. But ( & I should probably butt out) she talked about starting with a sleeve. ( no previous tattoos) From chatting to her it sounded like a fashion thing. Maybe encourage her to have a single one & then see how it goes. ?

I will be candid - I would not have a tattoo myself as they sound expensive and painful - but but but that is only my opinion - I know others who have them where is is a joy to them and meaningful.

The only reason I thought about this was that she talked about it in the same breath as having her hair dyed & I just think a tattoo is not a fashion thing in the same way as a hairstyle which you can change fairly easily , and especially a sleeve. .

But spoke to Dh & he said let her alone - her choice. I know that. If she really wants it she must do it.

Oh Gordon Bennett I should not interfere should I . At the risk of pissing off my BIL I have ordered her a temporary tattoo sleeve.

Please no-one think because I do not want a tattoo myself I am necessarily against them but they are somewhat permanent and I just worry she might do something because "trendy" / fashionable / whatever without thinking it through rather than it being a very meaningful thing she wants to live with for a long time. But she is a young adult so her choice not mine .

I appreciate your comments though - Thank you

Most reputable tattoo shops won't tattoo a whole sleeve willy Milly.
They have their own reputation to think about.

I'd get her to go in to a local shop and have a chat. She needs to realise getting it removed will be more painful and expensive than getting it done
And it doesn't always work.

At the risk of pissing off my BIL I have ordered her a temporary tattoo sleeve.

I'm not sure what you think that will achieve? It's not going to be anything like a real tattoo, and almost certainly not anything like the sleeve she has planned.

@MedusasBadHairDay I think you are right - I think I have messed up there - but to the tune of about £10 so - not as rich as Croessus but suspect I can live with that. Just bin it.

I really should just take a massive step back here shouldn't I ? DH said I should. ( His brother is nieces's father )

I think this was a thing where I genuinely meant to be kind / helpful / some advice but I suspect I have over stepped the mark.

Thank you all - I will shut up

I think you should step back, it's none of your business.

Depending on the tattooist and the area you live it will be £400-£1000 per day session and a full sleeve will take 3-6 sessions.

So she will not be having it all done in 1 go, unless she books consecutive days, which I doubt she could handle pain wise and cost wise.

If she gets older and decides she doesn't like it as much as she did then she can either have cover ups done, or have laser removal.

She's a grown up

She knows what tattoo sleeves look like and how long they last

I'm afraid there's nothing you can do OP, other than keep out of it.

Surely she realises it is permanent? Tattoo removal is iffy anyway and will never work on that scale.

You need to butt out, its a bit bizarre the level you're thinking about this.

I have quite a few tattoos (all fine line floral stuff really) and have wanted one since I was 17. I didn’t get my first one until I was mid thirties though and omg am I glad because the stuff I’d have got when I was younger doesn’t bear thinking about 😂😂😂

Chances are she's been planning this a while, I think that people are more likely to get small tattoos spur of the moment. A sleeve is a huge time and money commitment, so not something you can do without thought. I'm sure she knows better than you whether she really wants it.

https://www.tattooednow.com/collections/animals-1

Try something like this. I had a cover up done on my arm (it's big, about up to my elbow) and I wanted to see what it would like look and whether it would be too distracting so I used a temporary tattoo first. Probably won't be cheap for a whole sleeve though, even for a temporary (although cheaper than an actual tattoo).

Inkspot

This is a website that does really good temp tattoos for someone who might want to just try it out first.

It used to be quite rare to get a sleeve done as a whole planned piece, they used to be much more organic where someone would have a few tattoos and then end up filling in the gaps (so to speak)

Maybe you could encourage her to think about the theme or story for her sleeve, and even pay someone to draw it for her, then pick out a few key pieces from the design and get those done first so that she gets a sense of whether she likes being tattooed and whether she can sit long enough.

I’ve just re-read that and I meant that she could pay someone to do the artwork not that you should.

Thank you all and not least those who have told me to keep my beak and opinion out of this

Message received - My thought was at 21 a very very large tattoo is hard to remove if you change your mind

It is her choice so I am zipping my lip it is her only and her choice.

The only reason I thought of it was if she were to change her mind

I have changed my mind - she can do whatever she wants and I suspect whilst my motives were well meant - probably not going to be well received.

I apologise if any of you thought I was overstepping the mark - I probably was - think I got there early doors ( re it is her decision ) & and am taking v v big step back. Not my business.

Thank you all

Same as Chimboo upthread. Thank goodness I didn’t get a tattoo when I wanted to at 17. It would have been a disaster. Your idea of trying a non permanent one first sounds great.

You sound like a lovely caring aunt OP! I was going to get a Bon Jovi tattoo when I was 18 and I'm so glad I was talked out of it! I'm sure your niece has better taste though and yes probably best to leave her to make her own decisions

I worked at a university and so many of my first year students had tattoos - they must have literally got them as soon as they were legal! A lot of them (especially the quotations) seem very much something a teenager would get and I think will date really badly so I don't blame you for being worried but, at the end of the day, there isn't much you can do except make sure she really understands that it is permanent, painful and expensive!

If it's any consolation I got my first tattoo at 18, a large one and I still love it to this day.

@Mama1980 - I hope you take from my post - I am not not saying a tattoo is a bad thing - I just heard her saying in the same sentence ( hair dye / tattoo sleeve ) & I thought a hair cut / dye you can change v quickly - a tattoo sleeve - not so much.

But I get the point - I should just butt out and leave her to do what she wants to .

For the avoidance of doubt I am not going to do do anything other than give her a temporary tattoo thing which could work either way. Either it is a bit rubbish or she can give a try .

I do hope no -one thought I was against tattoos - - only in the sense they are hard to remove if you change your mind - as opposed to a hair cut / dye.

I am pleased to hear that most tattooists won't do a whole sleeve all in one go - so I reckon she can have one or two and see how she feels.

Thank you all - & I do see I look over invested in this ( and probably too much so ) but to the extent I want her to be quite clear doing something which is hard to reverse at a relatively young age should be thought though.

If she does and loves it for years and years I shall be the first to clap and cheer.

I suspect part of my nervousness is that I have never had one - so that will give you some insight into my thinking.