Wondering how old we all were when we got our first ink?

[max]

It occurs to me that there is a stigma out there that some people associate tatts with youth, bikers or the military.

I didn't get inked when I was in the military or when I was 'in my youth' but at the age of 34 (simple peace sign) and again at 37 (my larger work).

I have a feeling that the older we start, the more elaborate our work (not verifiable but might make for an interesting study).

So, how old were you for your first (and any thoughts to my "theory" regarding age = tattoo complexity)?

[Erin]

I was 18 when I got my first tattoo. I went out on my birthday and got it. That first tattoo was small, and a piece of flash, but to this day I still like it. It is not elaborate, but it is not bad.

As far as your theory about having more elaborate tattoos at an older age, I would have to disagree. I know some people who have fantastic first tattoos at fairly young ages. I think that elaborate tattoos come from the minds of creative people (both artist and customer) and that could happen at any age.

Good topic though!

[Dana]

Got my first and only (so far) at age 24. It's half my back, hip, and thigh. I think your theory is interesting, but I'm not sure if it's true. It seems like a lot of young people are heavily tattooed (at least on tattoo forums :) with elaborate tattoos. Maybe the older you get the more likely you are to continue to like your tattoos? Or maybe the more you think about it before getting it...less implusive? Who knows!

[Judy]

I had just turned 44 so I've had my "first" tattoo a little less than a year. I ended up going big because I wanted detail that just wouldn't work with something too small.

For your theory, I think it depends on the person. I've met some people in their 20's that have been planning backpieces for years. Then again, I had a patient one time who was 50, a biker "chick" with a huge Harley, she had one tattoo, a little "flash" butterfly and she loved it.

[Neeraj]

I totally agree with Judy, it all depends on the person. I know a few people in their late teens and early 20's who have elaborate pieces. But a good percentage of them are just getting the new trendy tattoo's designs and places, i.e. girls with tribal on lower back.

To add to the theory, I think the older the person and the more inclined (wanting one for a couple of years) tend to get more elaborate pieces then the ones who get one at the spur of a moment. I think that theory holds more true once the spur of the moment person decides that they like how the needle feels.

[Neeraj]

I got my cherry, err skin, broken when I was 26. Looked really deeply for what I wanted, then went and got 4 house flies done on various parts on my body. I'll explain the house flies someday but it was all part of a bigger piece that I was planning but later changed when every rendering of the idea wasn't looking as good as in my head.

[Gordon B.]

I was 45 (a little over two years ago) -- but it was something I'd thought about for a long time, which I suspect is a common theme. Making that appointment, for me, took a lot of guts! But I was, and am, so glad I did it. I'm really proud of my tattoo and feel like it was a type of self-expression I'd wanted to have for years.

[Jess]

I was 20 when I got my first. I knew I wanted a tattoo before I turned 18, but it took me that long to decide on the perfect design. I got a small elephant on my lower back (NOT in the middle, technically not a tramp stamp LOL). The design is copied off of a broach pin that my grandmother gave me when I was a young girl. I wanted something that no one else had, and that's what I got! To this day I love it.

From there it was a few years before the next (butterfly on my thigh) and after the butterfly it all came much, much faster. And larger!

[ABF]

I was 52..but a very, very young 52. :)

For me, it was a great time to get started. I know myself well and I'm confident of my choices. Check out my profile and compare my first small tattoos (starting on 12-22-06) and my most recent (back work, begun on 9-7-07). The work on my back isn't quite finished; another appointment in a couple of weeks. (But then, are we ever "finished?")

Anne

[J.C.]

Got my first tattoo at the age of 14. luckily I was smart enough to get someone that knew what they were doing...

[jake buhrig]

I was 18. it's decent enough but plain, and i don't like the location. it got me started and spurred me to get more pieces with the highest quality in mind.

[Zoe]

I was 34 when i got my first tat, i truly never believed i would ever be inked, but then i went out with a guy for 8 years who was obsessed with ink and now well i love it, i love the culture that surrounds the industry too. Love hanging out in the place i get my tats done and am always looking fo rnew ideas for tats and where to put em, Am also into piercing now too. Got me new tat coming up 31st October, cant wait, yeehaa. Zoe

[Alex]

I wanted a tattoo from my early teens and luckily, having a baby face, I wasn't able to go to the backstreet tattoo parlour where my friends got their (only and poor quality) tattoos at the age of 16. I was 18 when I got my first tattoo, a small piece of flash that to this day remains my favourite piece of work. I had my second piece done very swiftly after out of a desire to "be tattooed" rather than to "have a tattoo" and consequently that is the one that I am about to have reworked as part of my back piece.

Over the next few years I got little pieces here and there at important points in my life and times that I felt I needed them and only now am I about to start my first big piece of custom work, my first truly "elaborate" tattoo.

I think that your theory regarding age/complexity relationship is a good one - not in small part due to economic costs - big and complex tattoos cost large amounts of money and not every teenager or kid in their early 20s who wants a tattoo is willing to spend the time and money getting something large and well thought out when they could put down the minimum and get a piece of tribal flash done instead. From what I've seen only the truly "dedicated youngsters" are willing to invest the effort.

It's only because of my graduate job that I can afford (at the grand old age of 22 - I feel very young to be here) to get started on the backpiece I've been planning for the past couple of years. My first sitting is in 22 hours... not that I'm counting or anything ;)