From: deadman@garnet.berkeley.edu (Ben Haller)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.bodyart
Subject: Where is the tattoo FAQ?
Date: 24 Aug 1992 00:45:51 GMT
Organization: Stick Software
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu
Originator: deadman@garnet.berkeley.edu

  Hi, I'm new to this group.  I just plowed through all the 400+ (very
interesting) articles that my machine had lying around, and I found a
copy of the piercing FAQ, but not the tattoo FAQ.  I did, however, get
some oblique references that lead me to believe that it exists.  Who
can I get it from?  Will it be posted again soon?  Since there were a
few other people posting the same question, maybe somebody should just
post the thing, clearly it has been a while since it was last posted.
  After reading all this, my initial mild interest that lead me to
subscribe in the first place has ballooned out to a quite substantial
fascination...I want to get my tongue pierced, I think.  I know a guy
who is about to get a Prince Albert, but I'm not sure I've quite got the
guts for that sort of thing yet...the tongue pierce sounds good in terms
of being easy, healing quickly, and being pleasing to my SO, so I think
I'll do that.
  Questions.  First of all, there was a lot of talk about a place called
Gauntlet I think, some name like that, around San Francisco, I got the
address.  Would that be the best place to go for this, or is there
somewhere better?  I'm in Berkeley, but I could go as far as Santa Cruz or
so, I don't mind driving.
  Second, I'm going on a major trip (3 months to India & Indonesia) around
October 1st.  Should I wait until after the trip to do this, or would it
probably be healed & happy by the time I left, so I wouldn't have to
worry about it?  I can pack Listerine, I'm more worried about dealing with
an infection while traveling, that sort of thing.
  If the answer is positive, I think I'll go and get my tongue pierced
tomorrow!  I'm into it, I like the idea a lot.
  I am also interested in tattoos (thus the request for the FAQ above),
but it seems like something to take slower because I need to select a
design that I really like.  How does design selection usually work?
Should I have a design in mind before I even go to the tattoo place, or
is it usually more a process of talking to the artist, having the artist
do sketches as you talk, etc.?  Also, I have been interested in Celtic
culture and music for several years now, so it seems like some kind of
Celtic design would be a nice choice.  But I'm kind of alarmed by the
people who have said in recent messages that Celtic armbands & designs
have been very trendy lately, that tons of people have been getting them.
Is this a concern worth worrying about, or should I just get what I like
and forget those other people?  Will I regret getting a design that a lot
of other people have?  I could certainly come up with a different design,
but my first impulse was a Celtic one...
  Are there different actual methods of tattoos, or only different art?
I saw a few messages asking about "blackline" (is that the right term,
I've forgotten) - what is that?
  Probably that last question, and all the other questions I have,
would be answered by the tattoo FAQ, so perhaps I'll stop here...
  Thanks for the info, etc.

-Ben Haller (deadman@garnet.berkeley.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.bodyart