My First Tattoo Experience (What To Expect For A Finger Tattoo)

Disclaimer - I am by no means an expert in tattoos! This is a post for those of you who have never gotten a tattoo before, have never gotten a finger tattoo, and/or you are interested in hearing about the experience. Now that that's done, enjoy the post!

I've always been interested in the possibility of getting a tattoo, but was never 100% serious about it. I knew if I was going to get one it would have to be something I was ABSOLUTELY positive I would love forever. Although multiple ideas crossed my mind over the years, nothing ever stuck. I was always so scared to commit to something, especially anything big, and didn't even know how painful it would be. I had told my best friend a few years back when she got her first tattoo that I would consider doing something small to match with her. Key word: small, haha. And I, again, had to be confident that I loved it. At the end of last year she sent me a tiktok with this design, but it was a drawing on the hands of two high school girls. I thought it was perfectly goofy and it made me smile, just like my best friend! It was perfect and immediately we both knew this was our tattoo.

Some of you may be thinking, "Sami, you were so picky about getting something permanent and you go with this dumb little parenthesis/smiley?" and my answer is YUP. For me the point of permanently inking something on my body means I want to feel joy both when looking at the tattoo itself and thinking about the meaning/memory behind it. This one is stupid, yes, but in the best way. My friendship with my best friend is fun, silly, and impulsive, and I think that is a perfectly fitting description for this tattoo as well. It also fit my tiny tattoo requirement, haha! 

Finding An Artist

For a larger tattoo you would typically search for a specific artist who specializes in whatever you're interested in. For this little thing, we honestly didn't care who did it knowing it would most likely fade/need to be updated in a few months. After trying a few tattoo shops that took walk-ins and being denied, we finally found an apprentice who booked us for the next day. Let's go back to the denials for a second though, because this is likely to come up if you're specifically looking for a finger tattoo. We had a few artists didn't say no but were weary of doing finger tattoos because they fade easily (even after confidently explaining how we expected this), some said no to finger tattoos outright, and one guy looked us up and down, said "I don't do finger tattoos .*Insert 'basic b*tch' remarks/judgement* Plus I was busy tattooing three fingers all morning."😑The last guy was so contradictory and it was clear he just didn't want to tattoo us, but all he had to do was tell us it wasn't his thing and move on. SO moral of the story, you may get some judgement and a bit of apprehension if you want a dainty finger tattoo!

As for our apprentice, he was pretty fun. We were actually his first paying clients and I was his first ever finger tattoo! He had great music playing, a great attitude, and his mentors checked in along the way to make sure things were going in the right direction. I also personally wasn't concerned about lines being perfectly straight/even, so keep that in mind for finding an artist as well! Make sure your artist makes you feel completely comfortable with the space and the process because it definitely helps relax you during the process. 

The Pain

My pain tolerance is all over the place depending on the situation, so I was unsure of how much I would feel/react to a tattoo needle. Even though I have a huge fear of needles, tattoo needles occupy a completely different space in my mind for some reason, and I had no real fear outside of some minimal pain. I was actually eager to go first and get it over and done with! It took a bit longer than a practiced artist, but overall my time was maybe 20 minutes. 

I was scared the most right before he started, but after he began I think I literally said "Oh! That's not so bad." If I were to compare the feeling to anything I would say it's a mix between pressing a sharp fingernail into yourself slowly with the intensity of a cat scratch combined with constant vibration. A strange combination, but it's the best I've got for you! After a bit it does get more...annoying? Not enough for me to flinch away, but enough for me to make a pained face haha. My artist was definitely a little hesitant since it was his first finger tattoo, but he didn't show it too much. He went over it multiple times without going deep enough, so there was a lot more irritation than actual pain. 

Does It Fade?

Absolutely! That's what everyone warned us about in the beginning with finger tattoos. In my personal opinion our tattoos would have been more permanent had they been done by a seasoned artist, however he did offer a free touch up for us. Even without the touch up my line is still 70% visible, Steph's on the other hand is down to a single tiny dot! So I would recommend going bigger in size or accepting that you'll need touch ups now and then. We decided it was worth it to do touch ups and make it a fun thing for our friendship!

Do you have any tattoos? What was your first one?