your profile says you're a trainee (apprentice?) so yeah, give em out for free til you're a professional tattoo artist with experience...duh.

Exactly. I bet OP is getting things like dinner for free.

how the **** is it her fault? 'Oh, I think I'll stay with someone for two years KNOWING that that's all he wants me for' Because she would have stayed with him, and done his tattoos knowing that he was just using her. #20, you need to fall off of the earth, and get an idiot out of the gene pool before everybody is devoured by your nonsensical, and frankly, ridiculous 'logic'

I'll try to make an explanation simple enough for you. Let's say you paint cars for a living. That's how you pay your bills and feed yourself. Your boyfriend wants custom paint. If you paint his car for free -- paying for the paint, investing your time, space in your shop, possibly turning away paying work to do this job for free, you are a fool and a mark. You have also set the precedent that you can be had. Your next boyfriend will want his car painted for free, too. Your friends and relatives will want in on the sweet deal as well. Human nature and all that. A professional artist is just that, professional. If your client would expect to pay a stranger than you should demand they pay a friend.

20,30- dummy.... ppl don't plan for their next bf/ gf- except u! and when ppl r together 4 2fxxking yrs, how their charge each other for smth like that...?? U must be one of those cheap douchebags.... I run restaurant business...and when my bf comes, I should charge him like ur said..... LOL

They charge each other for smth like that from the beginning, or risk the accusation of one using the other for sex. Or food.

If you like someone, you don't think 'oh, they might be using me' you do things because they're your partner, and it's a nice thing to do. Some people are less bitter and cynical than you are obviously. Doesn't mean it's her fault. I'm sick of seeing people point the finger on FML's like this, it's stupid, and not very nice. I know it's not letsbenicetopeoplewhothinktheirlifeiseffed.com but it's changed, and pretty much anyone who comments nowadays is a complete dickbag or a troll. Comments either used to be funny, or supportive, ignoring the few 'YDIOMGWTFLOLOL' comments. Now it just seems like if someone said: 'Today, I got breast cancer' someone would say YDI for having breasts. You people are all ridiculous.

You have to think about it from someone who is an artist. When you do a commission for someone, part of that pays for the materials and supplies to do it. With a tattoo artist that means needles, ink, maintaining everything at a sanitized condition. And needles go by quick. And tattoos are not something easy to accomplish. So you're also investing your time, money for your supplies, and your own talent and services. All of that is coming free of charge by someone the OP'er cared for. She was trying to be a nice girl friend. She shouldn't have been walked on so easily - Even my best friend understands my predicaments and will pay me for my work. Anyone else, I expect payment. But someone I'm romantically involved - they will get SOMETHING sometime for free, because I generally do them for special occasions. Valentine's Day, Anniversary, birthday... I can understand why someone who was generous to someone they cared about would be seriously upset to have found out the person they cared for is an ignoramus pig. And I can understand why she would be generous - doesn't make her stupid. Just tricked. Kudos to the OP'er for being a generous girlfriend. Oh, and to DOOD. Seriously? I'm not even going to even TRY to respond to your display of utter stupidity and ignorance. And to anyone who thinks no one should get a tattoo or piercing - don't dye your hair. Don't pierce your innocent ear lobes. Don't put on make up or wear anything colorful or self expressive. Or better yet...Just wear gray and complacent colors. Don't even dare to speak your mind. Because tattoos are a means of self expression - you might as well condemn anything else self expressive - permanent or not.