Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bodymodification

Artist Recommendations for 3rd Annual Chicago Tattoo Arts Convention

Juliet Banana — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:53:35 -0800

A staggering, overwhelming amount of tattoo artists from all over the USA will be attending the 3rd Annual Chicago Tattoo Arts Convention. Is anyone familiar with any of these artists? Can you recommend one that you would recommend for either of the two prospective tattoo ideas I have inside? I also have some questions about tattoo conventions, as someone who has only had work done in shops. TATTOO NUMBER ONE: STRAWBERRIES: I'd like to get fat, plump, juicy strawberries tattooed on each shoulder with little vines curling under my clavicle bones, in a cute, bubbly, storybook style. Think a 1950s Golden Book. Ideally I'd get Esther Garcia to do it, but getting an appointment with her is murder, so I'm looking into other artists with a feminine (though not necessarily female), delicate hand, and a portfolio full of flowers, fruits, and cute stuff. Just having a few girly sparrows-and-bows tattoos done in the Sailor Jerry/Americana style is not good enough.

TATTOO NUMBER TWO: CIRCULAR SYMBOL: I want a huge circular symbol done on my upper thigh. I'm not even sure yet of what I want, but you can imagine a pentagram as an example; super thick black lines, simple geometric shape. I'm looking for someone who does crisp, precise, black & white linework. I would also love ideas of symbols I should get; I'm into bikes, the occult, and genderqueerdom. I kind of want it to be the kind of tattoo a bassist in a death metal band would get. I know this sounds like I'm some dumb idiot getting my first tattoo who's like "I think I want something tribal or maybe a dolphin?!?!?" but I have plenty of tattoos, to the point I don't take them crazy seriously anymore, I am 100% sure that I want a bold circular shape in this location, and I'm just not sure which one.

QUESTIONS: Um, how does getting tattooed at a convention work? Do you set an appointment or just wander around or what? Is there any reason I would NOT want to get tattooed at a convention?

Previously.

Help me either leave my urban tribe, or accept my place in it

htid — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:20:10 -0800

This past year I got involved in a local community of people. I have mixed feelings and am looking for your relevant experiences with close-knit urban tribes. I won't say exactly what community this is, but picture a community of geeks, artists, and regular folks, along the lines of community theater, burners, makers, the body mod community, juggalos, [insert your alternative community here]. In the city where I live, there is some overlap among all the fringe communities anyway and the particular one I'm in is irrelevant. There are common local events and parties as well as national events. I am in a major US city. The group includes people ages 22-40ish.

I first got involved via someone I dated, and I was drawn to the friendship, activities and a culture that felt consistent with my interests since I was a yougin. I remember the first party I went to and thought, "This feels like home!" The romantic relationship may or may not have ended as a trainwreck. I say it may not have, because through the shared community, there has been some ongoing relationship/friendship/drama, though the dating ended painfully last year. I've always been out of contact with exes, but it seemed near impossible in this case because I was so strongly drawn to the friendship group as a whole.

I like the closeness in this local community, but I also dislike the inclusivity and cultural mixing for other reasons. Sociopaths and douchebags are not typically turned away, and there is a fair amount of mental illness and irresponsibility. There is relational drama with everyone having dated everyone else. E.g., seeing many of a person's prior, and subsequent, partners can be awkward or painful.

My alternative is to stick with people who are closer to my own culture, young professionals bordering on "the 1%," people with top notch educations, etc. In my social group outside of the urban tribe, there are more one-on-one relationships and less group cohesion. I feel like there is more safety, healthy behavior, and predictability, but also less closeness and creativity. There are fewer big parties and opportunities to socialize. That being said, the urban tribe does have a feeling of staleness to it sometimes. And, I do have hobbies outside of it.

There were times in the past year that I actually cried from happiness at the thought of having stumbled upon this excellent community. On the contrary, there were times I was frustrated to the eyeballs from drama, and other times when I saw some really despicable people and thought that I didn't want to be within a degree of separation from them.

TLDR: I am a bit conflicted about whether to keep participating in my urban tribe, for lack of a better phrase. I'm looking for advice, anecdotes from your own life, or links to resources that could help me understand this a bit more.

What are good markers for use on the skin?

kellybird — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 23:01:36 -0800

Can you recommend any good tattoo markers, and/or other markers or pens that can be used on the skin (whether or not they are specifically for tattoos)? I am trying to build a robotic device that will mark the skin for decorative purposes. Wondering if there exist any good tattoo markers or pens with nice features, such as:

- long lasting
- doesn't bleed too much from where you initially put it
- non toxic
- comes in colors
- variety of widths

Any ideas? I'd be especially curious to hear from anyone who has real life experience with this. Also interested in inks and DIY solutions if those are better than pre-packaged markers.

Thanks!

On the count of three, say "ouch!"

nakedcodemonkey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:58:08 -0800

Several questions about getting female delicate parts pierced, especially in San Francisco. NSFW, naturally. I've decided to get a Princess Diana or VCH, depending on which of these a knowledgeable piercer recommends. Being rather fond of my clit hood, I'd like this to be done by someone who's done this successfully a bazillion times or so. Approximately.

(I get that it's one of the easier genital piercings, heals fast, etc. It's still close to a heck of a lot of nerve endings waiting to be damaged if done poorly. Humor the newbie.)

What are some ways to find a really excellent genital piercer? The circle of friends has already been consulted, and hasn't turned up even friends-of-friends who've had a piercing south of the belly button.

Anyone got a perfect candidate to suggest in San Francisco?

What is an appropriate tip for one's genital piercer? Seems like something above standard might be called for.

Bright Ink, Dark Skin

Juliet Banana — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:06:24 -0800

Is it possible to get a bright, satu rated, extr emely colorful tattoo on light brown skin? It hasn't escaped my notice that the tattoos I admire are generally on Caucasians. I've heard that you should consider tattoo ink like colored cellophane; the color of your skin will shine through. I've heard tattoo artists saying that your color options become more limited as your skin gets darker. Hence, I've kind of accepted the fact that brightly colored tattoos are out of the question for me.

I'd love someone to prove me wrong, though, with photos or anecdotes or personal experiences! I'm half Mexican and half White, with skin the approximate color of peanut butter. I would like to see examples of colorful tattoos on people in a relatively similar shade range (ex: Latinos, South Asians, Native Americans, multiracial people, any light-brown people regardless of race). I know about BMEzine, but it's total information overload. If there are certain colors that would work but others that wouldn't, I'd like to know that too; this previous thread discusses white ink, for example.

If I got inked, it would almost certainly be on the upper arm or back, as pictured. I know that the bright color in photos of tattoos is sometimes because the tattoo is very fresh, and I also know that maintaining that brightness has a lot to do with limiting sun exposure, sunscreen, regular touch-ups, etc. I just want to know: is it possible for someone with my shade of skin to get a very colorful tattoo and keep it that way with a reasonable amount of effort?

I know Metafilter "doesn't do race well." This is not a cultural question about race or identity or ethnicity, it is a scientific question about how tattoo ink appears when applied to different shades of skin. In addition, I know there are issues with tattooing over scars; that's a different can of worms, kids. Your reward for keeping discourse civil is an extra bonus NSFW colorful tattoo.

What are these white bands on Lisa Ray's skin?

moody cow — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:31:14 -0800

This is a capture of the arm of actress Lisa Ray in a scene of I Can't Think Straight. What are those white bands on her skin? They can't just be artifacts because they're visible in multiple scenes. And if you look closely enough at her left arm in this photo it definitely seems there's something there. I hope they're not just suspiciously symmetrical birthmarks because I want them too!

If they are body modifications, what kind: tatts, scarification, branding? And how do I go about getting them?

Should I pierce my junk?

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:56:33 -0800

[NSFW] What can you tell me about male genital piercings? I'm seriously considering having my penis pierced. I'd most likely go with a prince albert, but I'm open to other options as well. I've googled around a decent bit, but am having trouble finding quality first-hand reports of the positive benefits or health consequences of genital piercing. What are some good resources for this type of info?

If you or your partner has a genital piercing, what has your experience been like? I'm looking for anything from rave reviews to horror stories.

One of my most important concerns is the potential for loss of ability to piss my name in the snow. Is such control over direction of urinary flow still possible with a pierced urethra?

Feel free to reply anonymously to should.i.pierce.my.junk@gmail.com

Branding with liquid nitrogen?

logicpunk — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:39:51 -0800

Any good sources of information on freeze branding for humans? I'm not big on body modding, but I'm interested in getting work done to remember a difficult period in my life. I've decided against tattooing or hot iron branding, but I can't find any good info about freeze branding except as applied to livestock. I'm looking for images of freeze brands after they've healed, descriptions of the process, the amount of detail and size of brands, body mod shops that actually do it or, failing that, advice for the do-it-yourself type.

Just do it?

xo — Tue, 30 May 2006 19:58:31 -0800

Mind over matter: what strategies are good for psyching yourself up to do something scary, uncomfortable, difficult or painful? The moments I'm thinking of aren't interpersonal situations. More like: you're standing on the high dive. Or you're doing your own bikini wax, and it's time to rip it off. Or you're on a bridge about to bungee. You're at the top of the half-pipe, about to take off. You're about to get stuck with a needle for medical or decorative purposes. Surely "just do it" isn't the only strategy?

No, I'm not cold. Why do you ask?

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 11:18:40 -0800

Piercing Filter: no pictures, but those under 18 should respectfully get lost. Considering a nipple piercing. I don't want this to be obvious when I am clothed. What sort of jewelry is least likely to show through a shirt? Any experiences/advice you are willing to share are appreciated!