New to Getting Inked, Seeing Reassurance/Advice

[jgolfo]

How's it going everyone, my name is James and I'm originally from Southern California and recently moved the the Bay Area to work as a teacher.

I had only gotten one tattoo prior to moving up here, and am excited to be around so many great shops. However, I think I might have been a little too excited.

I just got my second tattoo yesterday and now feeling some remorse because it's on the same arm as my first, and right now they don't really flow together. In addition, they're both black and grey, but styles are different as my orchids are pretty soft. There's tons of empty arm space left (which also looks pretty awkward) so I'm thinking it'll be something that fixes itself as the arm gets filled up?

Any reassurance/advice on how to think about filling the rest of the arm? I want to proceed with caution as I continue to get work done.

Abridged Version:

Pics show what I have so far

Like both separately, but want advice on how to proceed with caution to make sure everything looks kosher as I continue to get more work done.

[Mark Bee]

Great pieces! I'm glad you posted with this concern. Its something I have struggled with as well, trying to come up with an arm that looks like it was planned out in advance. I'm sure many people out there have carefully put together a perfectly planned sleeve. I was not one of them. The more tattoos I get, the better I get at arranging things that work well together. I think people often get tattoos in bursts, and tastes change with time. For me, at least, having some different styles simply reminds me of where I was in my life at the time I got each tattoo. In a way, the differences map out a particular story of my life. Having a mix of styles can look really great. That said, because I do not have particularly well developed artistic skills (read: no skill at all!) when I decided to do my forearms I sought the help of the artists at the shop I frequent. Together we mapped out my right forearm. I'll post the pics as the work gets done. My suggestion would be to have chat with the tattooer you are going to have do the work and think it through together. There are plenty of examples of great tattooed arms (and legs, etc) that are a mix of styles. I'm new on this forum, so take my words as those of a neophyte. I'm certain that you will get some good advice on these pages. At any rate, I don't think you need to feel remorse. They look great.

[David Flores]

I think it depends on what you are looking for. If you want to accumulate a bunch of tattoos from different tattooers and plan on getting tattoos as long as you have blank space, then I wouldn't worry as you get more tattoos things will start to blend together.

However if you are more concerned with all the tattoos on your arm looking the same and flowing together, then i would try to plan out the rest of your arm with one tattooer.

The best tattooed arms i see are the ones that just have random tattoos here and there and enough blank skin so you can make out each individual tattoo.

[jgolfo]

Thanks for the replies. David, I could see myself opting to go either route, but just want to make sure it's not too late for either option that you just laid out.

If I was going to plan them, then I just want to know that a good tattooer would be able to figure out how to make everything flow.

If I was going to continue just getting semi-random tattoos, I guess I'd just have to understand that things will look more right as more of the arm gets covered.

I think right now the two pieces I do have are just in spots that don't really compliment each other particularly well by themselves.

[Delicious]

How's it going everyone, my name is James and I'm originally from Southern California and recently moved the the Bay Area to work as a teacher.

I had only gotten one tattoo prior to moving up here, and am excited to be around so many great shops. However, I think I might have been a little too excited.

I just got my second tattoo yesterday and now feeling some remorse because it's on the same arm as my first, and right now they don't really flow together. In addition, they're both black and grey, but styles are different as my orchids are pretty soft. There's tons of empty arm space left (which also looks pretty awkward) so I'm thinking it'll be something that fixes itself as the arm gets filled up?

Any reassurance/advice on how to think about filling the rest of the arm? I want to proceed with caution as I continue to get work done.

Abridged Version:

Pics show what I have so far

Like both separately, but want advice on how to proceed with caution to make sure everything looks kosher as I continue to get more work done.

That's a great second tattoo! Seriously, soooo many people come onto this forum with this anxiety. My advice is, let it develop. You have two pieces on one arm, flowers and The Virgin of Guadalupe. Nothing wrong with that. If you really get too concerned about flow, you can have your flowers redone to flow better with the virgin. They look like they need a bit more black to hold up over time anyway! But, even if you left them untouched, you could still create flow, because you have so much upper arm space left

[David Flores]

The only thing I do is try to use space efficiently. Make sure the tattoo you get on the back of that arm buts up close to where your first two meet and make sure the tattoo sits where you want it and takes up the space nicely without leaving an awkward blank spot too small for a tattoo. Don't take this advice as gospel, but if you convey to your tattooer or tattooers your concern they should work with you. Sometimes it might mean adding background to fill up a space, or suggesting a spot that better fits the tattoo and leaves you with more tattooable space.

- - - Updated - - -

How's it going everyone, my name is James and I'm originally from Southern California and recently moved the the Bay Area to work as a teacher.

I had only gotten one tattoo prior to moving up here, and am excited to be around so many great shops. However, I think I might have been a little too excited.

I just got my second tattoo yesterday and now feeling some remorse because it's on the same arm as my first, and right now they don't really flow together. In addition, they're both black and grey, but styles are different as my orchids are pretty soft. There's tons of empty arm space left (which also looks pretty awkward) so I'm thinking it'll be something that fixes itself as the arm gets filled up?

Any reassurance/advice on how to think about filling the rest of the arm? I want to proceed with caution as I continue to get work done.

Abridged Version:

Pics show what I have so far

Like both separately, but want advice on how to proceed with caution to make sure everything looks kosher as I continue to get more work done.

Who did your newest tattoo BTW.

[jgolfo]

the guadalupe was done by Jason Mcafee at Temple Tattoo

[David Flores]

the guadalupe was done by Jason Mcafee at Temple Tattoo

Sounds like you already are in good hands.

[Graeme]

That's a great tattoo. In addition to the suggestions here, just give it some time. It always takes a while to adjust to a new tattoo and how you feel about it right now might not be how you feel about it in a few weeks, months, or years.

[TrixieFaux]

I don't think they look bad together. The fresh one is much darker because it hasn't settled in yet. When it softens up, I think they will look more natural. I think they are both nice. If you keep going to great tattooers, your arm will be great whether you plan out all the rest of it to be cohesive or keep getting separate tattoos.

[jgolfo]

Cool, thanks for the replies, guys. Feeling plenty reassured. Now possibly thinking of getting a rosary around the flowers to bring things together a little bit (I'm getting ahead of myself, but it's a thought).

[MoistTowelette]

hey im from oakland also. temple is a great shop. i have work from only one artist from the bay. the rest of my ink is from artists outside the bay area (big majority of them from so cal).

[MGblues]

How's it going everyone, my name is James and I'm originally from Southern California and recently moved the the Bay Area to work as a teacher.

I had only gotten one tattoo prior to moving up here, and am excited to be around so many great shops. However, I think I might have been a little too excited.

I just got my second tattoo yesterday and now feeling some remorse because it's on the same arm as my first, and right now they don't really flow together. In addition, they're both black and grey, but styles are different as my orchids are pretty soft. There's tons of empty arm space left (which also looks pretty awkward) so I'm thinking it'll be something that fixes itself as the arm gets filled up?

Any reassurance/advice on how to think about filling the rest of the arm? I want to proceed with caution as I continue to get work done.

Abridged Version:

Pics show what I have so far

Like both separately, but want advice on how to proceed with caution to make sure everything looks kosher as I continue to get more work done.

I never set out to get a complete cohesive "sleeve" on either arm. They (the arm tattoos) just sorta happened. I'd get a piece here, a piece there, because I wanted it and it'd fit that part of the arms, then I've gone back and had filler stuff added. I just look like the taller scrawny version of Mike Ness now.

[MoistTowelette]

My sleeve is also not one cohesive theme or style. The upper part of my sleeve is bio gears the lower part is japanese done by 4 different artists but I think it turned out well. As long as you have good artistd they should be able to make it visually appealing.

[tatB]

If you keep going to Temple, you will be happy and we will all be jealous. I think a Jesus head and/or sacred heart would look awesome on that big empty spot on your tricep area.

[Lori Todd]

Once it's baked in a bit longer, you'll feel more confident about it.

[xmowglix]

I have a tattoo that I feel the exact same way about, especially because it is on my forearm. The more and more I get that arm tattooed the less I care about the one tattoo I don't like or how it fits in with the rest. You will end up in good shape especially living and getting tattooed in the bay. Just give it some time and keep getting work done!

[TrixieFaux]

@jgolfo -- what do you teach?

[jgolfo]

@TrixieFaux I teach middle school special education.

and if anyone cares, its been two weeks and now I have no remorse at all about it. It already feels great and can only be better when its healed.

[jgolfo]

Years later and I'm still wondering about how to fill in this arm, though I'm a lot less anxious. I just got a great traditional ship tattoo today done by Daniel Albrigo at Port City Tattoo in Long Beach. 

Now I'm trying to think about what to do with the gap between my Virgin Mary and the ship. One thought I had is to get a rosary that goes around the flowers i have on my upper arm, but i'm not sure if that will still leave too much space. Another thought I had was to get a butterfly knife. Attached are some very rough mockups of what each might look like, although i probably wouldn't get a rosary with beads that thick.

What do you all think-- or do I just need to make a choice and keep getting tattooed? 

[jgolfo]

Another thought is to have the stems from the leaves and flower in my upper arm extend down a little more. 

Also, if you all could shed light on how you go about thinking about what to fit in where more generally, that'd be helpful. thanks!

[PinkUnicorn]

12 hours ago, jgolfo said:

Years later and I'm still wondering about how to fill in this arm, though I'm a lot less anxious. I just got a great traditional ship tattoo today done by Daniel Albrigo at Port City Tattoo in Long Beach. 

 

Is it just me, or does the "Bound" look a bit "lonely" without any border around it?

[Dan]

1 hour ago, PinkUnicorn said:

Is it just me, or does the "Bound" look a bit "lonely" without any border around it?

I agree,it does,it needs a bigger banner swishing back or something to put it in.

easy fix.