Fist Full of Ink (Tattoo Story)

Now She's Hard to Beat

My name is Elizabeth. I got this tattoo because I was abused as a child. My Dad told my teachers that my black eyes were from my clumsy tripping. He soon discovered that it was easier to hide the beatings when he punched me in the stomach. It took a broken rib and punctured lung for me to gain the courage to report him.

This tattoo reminds me to play nice all the time. It also shows my strength. I'm nice by choice, not from weakness.

5 Tricks to Great Lettering

1. Keep it short and sweet.

   Whether your words are from a poem, a movie, a verse of Scripture, or a song, remember that short quotes work better than long ones. For example, "Fearless", "No Risk: No Reward", and "Faith" are better than "I am not afraid of anything", "I like to take risks because the rewards are worth it", and "I am a ( Crazy Christian, Mental Muslim, Hip Hindu, Zany Zennist, etc.)."
   



2. Pick a Good Location.

   For short quotes, the best places are the foot, wrist, back of the neck, ankle and arm. For longer lettering tattoos, the rib cage, shoulder blade, collar/chest, back, and hip area.
   



3. Pick a Good Lettering Style/Font.

   Not all fonts will look good as tattoos. I prefer script because it looks nice and usually has a better flow than computer fonts.
   
   The lettering below is far too busy to stand as a good tattoo. Over time the dots and line will merge together making it illegible. The solution is make it larger and to space the letters.
   
   
   
   Fonts like this one work better. They're bold and have large areas of black. The lettering is also legible.
   
   
   
   In general if you can shrink the font and still read it, it's probably going to be OK to tattoo.
   



4. Make sure the style of lettering has the "personality" for the quote.

   For example, this doesn't work:
   
   
   
   The style of lettering doesn't have the right personality for the message. Ol/Gangsta English would be better.



5. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR ARTIST'S PORTFOLIO for LETTERING.

   Lettering is one of the MOST TECHNICALLY DEMANDING TATTOOS. There is little room for error. If you don't see a lot of lettering or the lettering is weak (uneven lines, messy fill, illegible), pick another artist. Not much can be done with bad lettering. It usually has to be covered or faded.

3 Reasons Why Only Idiots Get Lover's Names Tattooed

1. Love can Turn to Hate. If it does you're STUCK with a constant reminder of how that person controlled you. You'll want it removed or covered, both cost money.


2. Names change but tattoos stay the same. You're lover might decide to change his or her name. Hey, it happens. Maybe a celebrity or politician with their name does something despicable. Of course, you'll be stuck with name too and everyone will think you endorse the despicable person. For example, what if you're lover's name was "OJ"?


3. It's a CURSE in the tattoo world. No matter how much you love someone who is living, getting his or her name tattooed on you is almost a guaranteed breakup. I can think of few reasons why this is so. First, getting a name tattooed is a desperate attempt to show the person how much you love him or her. It usually doesn't work and some people get freaked out by it. Second, the name is a kind of BRAND. The person wearing it may realize this later on, leading to resentment.