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Think before you ink: Consider the ‘4 Cs’

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — Rome was not built in a day.

The same can be said of most large tattoo projects — whether it’s a covered leg, a sweeping shoulder-to-wrist piece or a full-back reproduction of “The Last Supper.”

Generally considered a long-term labor of love, large tattoos generally require more time and money than most people can shell out all at once. More often than not, these massive murals are really an accumulation of hours spent in the chair over the course of months and years.

Many people take it in bursts, collecting smaller individual tattoos close to one another before filling in the gaps — maybe with flames, wind or water — to make it all flow as a single piece of skin art. Others start by laying down the basic outline like a page from a new coloring book, wearing their work-in-progress proudly while returning as time and money permit to have the details added.

Either way, wearing big ink — especially in an exposed location like a forearm — is a commitment not to be taken lightly. There are things to consider, not the least of which is the possibility of horrified looks from grandmas at the grocery store.

So before you start dreaming up your new look, take a moment to consider our “four Cs”:

1. Commitment

At Odyssey Tattoo — one of the oldest parlors in town, serving the Marines and sailors of Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River since 1974 — owner Eric Reust has been working on one Marine’s sleeve project for more than a year. It’s a three-quarter length piece that starts at his chest and sweeps over his shoulder and down his arm, a mixture of Marine Corps and religious imagery that includes the Iwo Jima flag raising and a tribute to fallen Marines.

One day a week, three or four hours at a sitting, Reust has added ink.

“I’ll bet we haven’t missed three or four weeks out of a year,” he said.

Big tattoos are not a weekend project. They’re not even a one-week project.

“You could do it,” Reust said, but that quick job assumes you picked flames or some other basic design. “It would be rough. But it depends on the intricacy of what you’re doing.”

2. Cost

How much does a tattoo cost? Depends on the artist, who sets whatever rate he chooses. A good rule of thumb is $100 an hour, but most tattoo artists are willing to offer a deal for a large piece, especially if the recipient is a friend or loyal customer.

Size and time are not the only considerations the tattoo artist uses in quoting a price. Coloring and large sections of black filler can drive up the cost, as can fine details and location on the body. Portraits are popular, but require a special kind of talent to be rendered properly.

Bottom line, anything large is probably going to cost at least $1,000, and possibly much, much more.

3. Criticism

There’s no question that tattooing has gone mainstream in recent years, thanks in part to celebrities, pro athletes and reality TV.

A recent study found that about 25 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 have at least one tattoo. The number is even higher among young people, with 36 percent of those ages 18 to 29 sporting ink.

“It seems people are more complimentary than anything else,” said one gunnery sergeant whose pair of forearm sleeves include images of a dragon and a tiger.

Still the skulls, reapers and other images of death and destruction often favored by troops are more likely to conjure up images of gang members and evil bikers than pop princesses and basketball players. They call it “stereotyping” for a reason.

A large, visible tattoo is meant to be noticed, but the attention is not always positive. Someone might misread the signs and think that the inspiration for the “Natural Born Killer” tag running down your forearm is prison, not patriotism.

4. Career

Anyone who loves ink should thank a sailor. After all, it was sailors returning from the South Pacific in the 1700s who are generally credited with bringing tattooing to the rest of us.

It’s little wonder, then, that tattoos and the military so often go hand-in-hand. But the services are not above clamping down, controlling both the locations where troops can get tattooed and the styles and images they can use.

Both the Army and the Navy both loosened tattoo regs last year — soldiers can now get hand and neck tattoos, while sailors have more choices on size and location — as part of an effort to improve recruiting. But the Marine Corps is headed the opposite direction, instituting new rules beginning April 1 that prohibit certain large, visible tattoos on the arms and legs. Marines who already have such tattoos — their existing ink will be exempt from the new regulations — have been scratching their heads since the message came out, trying to decide if they can finish current projects and what it means for job security.

All sleeves and large visible artwork must now be documented and added to the Marine’s service record book, which gets a serious look during promotion season. For older guys with narrower windows for promotion, there are fears that visible tattoos could be seen as a strike.

“Being senior enlisted, we’re all wondering what’s going to happen in the boards,” the gunnery sergeant said. “Everything we’ve done to be successful — is it going to be an issue because we have tattoos?”

C. Mark Brinkley, senior writer for the Military Times publications, has three tattoos, including a big ol’ Incredible Hulk on his left calf. He can be reached at (910) 455-8354 or via e-mail, if you’d like to remind him that green ink is the hardest color to ever have removed.

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