I was thinking about getting a small tattoo either on my right shoulder blade or on my upper arm of a butterfly. How painful are they to get? How many do you have?

non
but my daughter has a lotus flower and a sun on her back.
a feather behind each of her ear. freda on her arm
bob marley on her leg
curious george bouncing on a ball on her ankle(that is a mento of her brother) he was in the hospitol last yr and we almost lost him. when he was little he used to bounce on a ball while watching tv and my mom called him courous george.

I have two and one of them I am going to cover up with a cross and roses for my grandparents and my nephew that have all passed on. To me they were not very painful, but everyone is different.

I have a tribal butterfly in the middle of my back..between the blades..and It did not hurt for me at all,after it felt like a sunburn for a few days while it healed..but it really depends on your pain tolerance..no how it will feel or hurt..theres a pic of it on my profile..

I have a unicorn on my hip; I have a high tolerance for pain, but I'm boney and it hurt. I'd do it again.

About as painful as impaling your eye with a jagged razor blade.

Wow, where did that come from?

Thank you for the replies:). All of your tattoos sound great. Do tattoo artists charge by the hour or for the actual tattoo size?

im pretty sure by the hour..but then i can be wrong
my nephew roommate is a tatoo artisit

I freakin hate chicks who get roses, a freakin unicorn, or butterflys tattooed anywhere. Could you really be anymore creative?

Whatever you do, make sure it is a design and a placement that you will always be happy with. Depending on your tolerance for pain, decides whether or not it will hurt at all. Closer along thin bones are more painful, but the pain again varies with your tolerance level. By taking 2 tylenol and 1 percongesic an hour before you get your tattoo, it will definitely help higher your tolerance level.

Also, tattoo artists charge differently. Some charge by the hour, some charge by the design and size, and them some work with you. A Butterfly tattoo even the size of a softball, should cost no more than $50 depending on how skilled the artist is. And make sure they are good and that they run a clean shop. Stay clear from anyone doing tattoos independently out of their own home and pick an actual tattoo artist who has experience.

I have plenty of tattoos, my hands, wrist, around my nipple, and even the whole right side of my chest and waist done. I am currently having my whole upper body from my waist to my neck done.

Whatever you do, keep lotion on it like they say to help it heal faster. But, tattoos really are not all that painful. Just make sure you pick a design that is all you and that you will never regret. I don't regret any of mine and I never will, because I take my time in choosing the perfect tattoo that personifies me.

I got one going up my spine.. nothing in particular.. just a black design with small splash of color.. I dont even rememeber what it looks like cause its on my spine and I never see it.. so Ill never get tired of looking at it.. it wasn't painful to get .. but there were instances where I did feel the needle as being slightly painful... the funny thing was.. somehow.. once in a while he would hit a spot or nerve that made alittle muscle in my belly jump.. and he also charged $50 base price and then it gets charged by the inches after that..

I have a dolphin in front of a sunrise/sunset on my shoulder. An artist friend drew & tattooed it for me. It stung a little but would quit as soon as he raised the pen. I'd get another one.

just roll with a temporary

grab the cash you saved and take someone to a fancy restaurant with it

I have one on my arm. Nothing really painful about it.

Of course, I had dislocated my kneecap a few months before that so the pain was all relative.

I've got a little tiny # 1 , no % signs or anything like that. just a 1 . Some day, I will have a squashed bloody snake added to the bottom side (underneath) of it. When that day gets here, hope you're ready to party yer socks off, cause the whole world will be danci'n in the streets.

I'm thinking about something like this...
<img src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:QqLApZ4StAypGM:http://www.supertattoodesigns.com/images/tatpic18a.png">
if it didn't work here's the link...
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:QqLApZ4StAypGM:http://www.supertattoodesigns.com/images/tatpic18a.png

I have 4, 3 rather large pieces.....

small tats are not too painful, but pain is not in the size, it is in the set.

An Artist who sets ink to stay, will be a tad more painful than others.

You get used to it rather fast and your mind moves from the pain to the excitement on seeing the finished piece.

The only lasting pain in a tat is choosing the wrong artist, and living with a really bad piece.

So think long and hard, they are FOREVER,
and find an Artist with a great rep.

The easiest way to put it into perspective is, the closer to a bone or in a tender area, the more pain you will experience. Also, keep in mind the size, and if there is a lot of solid color.

A small one like you're describing should be relatively painless.

It depends on where you go. It is 'roughly' hourly. But some places that only do custom work will meet with you, discuss what you want, design it, meet again, fine tune it, estimate number of sessions it will take, and give you an estimated cost.

It will be more than if you go into a place filled with art books to pick from. But you know you are getting something no one else has and will ever have. Some of those places will do custom work, but anything the design they hold the right to do again on other people. Totally custom places will not do that.

I have a lion's head on my upper left thigh... I intentionally chose that area for my first tat cuz it wasn't close to the bone. To me, it felt like a hot razor cutting into my skin...not bad enough to make you cry...but I was definitely aware of it! One other word of advice: Do NOT drink alcohol before you get a tat...it thins the blood & you will not get great results.