Hello Gang!!! Former Jar Head in need of some input

[Marine Sniper]

Hello,

I am a former Marine... I do have tats, however I never got a USMC tattoo because most are all the same. I always said, once I came up with an original Idea it would go on paper and once fine tuned, turned into a custom tat. Well, I think I am at that beginning point and could use some thoughts and outside ideas. While I was in, I lost some members of my unit. So as a tribute to not only the men we lost, but to all of our armed forces that have gave the ultimate sacrifice. So, I am starting out with the fallen solder memorial. Now here is the twist.... We were always told in the corps Marines never die... Our spirits live forever... So, at the base of the memorial I have a solders arm breaking through the ground holding the eagle globe and anchor. Since it is a custom thought, the eagle is coming in grabbing the rope for a landing. Sure it may sound a bit twisted but I think it will be really cool once fine tuned. My biggest problem is creating a more realistic arm coming from the ground. Here is the first really rough draft... Any thoughts comments or even motivated individuals that would like to sketch out a few things would be awesome... Thanks again and here is what I have so far.....

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Oh, and I guess I should mention in case the military folks out there tell me the fallen soldier memorial isn't complete... I know. I haven't added the helmet yet as this is a very rough draft in progress. Hell, I still need to add the continents on the globe....lol... Thanks again for any thoughts and or input..

Edited June 19, 2013 by Marine Sniper
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[donbcivil]

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic idea to me. Looking forward to seeing it progress!

Nice sketch work too. I wish I could do that...

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And thank you for your service.

[Marine Sniper]

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic idea to me. Looking forward to seeing it progress!

Nice sketch work too. I wish I could do that...

Thanks Brother... it needs lots of work still but it is an idea...

[iowagirl]

I think it's a wonderful way to memorialize those you lost. Do you have an artist in mind? Maybe whoever could help finish it out for you?

My dad was a Marine in Vietnam, so I have a particular affinity for that branch of service.

[Marine Sniper]

I think it's a wonderful way to memorialize those you lost. Do you have an artist in mind? Maybe whoever could help finish it out for you?

My dad was a Marine in Vietnam, so I have a particular affinity for that branch of service.

No, no artist in mind yet... Just trying to figure this out in a formal draft first. Semper Fi to your father... I was actually think about in the dog tags in the picture, putting Pvt. Mallone. After the song about the fallen solder in the Nam war.

[iowagirl]

How big will it be/where is it going?

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I googled the song, have never heard it. Would be nice to be able to fit a name on the tags, for sure. Or on the helmet-don't you guys put your first initial/last name on the front? Tried googling fallen soldier tattoo, but I just get all emotional sooo I clicked out.

[Marine Sniper]

on my left for arm... due to the detail I figure it will go from my elbow to my sholder. I know i could get even more detail if i did it on my back somewhere but I want it to be seen more than not.

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here is a link to the song I was talkin about... Great song... (If ya like country) But then me, I like most music...

[thesandmanisme]

Semper Fi brother. I was Gunny in recon back in 1975. 3 man team in Cambodia with my M40A1. seems like yesterday sometimes. I'll look into some artwork for you. You might go

to Grunt.com. They sell USMC t-shirts hats emblems, etc. There's a lot of cool artwork on some of the T-shirts that might give you some ideas.

[Graeme]

Welcome! At this point I'd look for a tattoo artist to work out the rough bits of the sketch. Even if you brought a more refined drawing to a tattooer they would almost certainly have to rework it to make it work as a tattoo. If you let us know where you live I'm sure we could suggest some excellent artists in your area.

[ian]

Welcome! At this point I'd look for a tattoo artist to work out the rough bits of the sketch. Even if you brought a more refined drawing to a tattooer they would almost certainly have to rework it to make it work as a tattoo. If you let us know where you live I'm sure we could suggest some excellent artists in your area.

This.

[SStu]

Thirded.

[Marine Sniper]

Semper Fi brother. I was Gunny in recon back in 1975. 3 man team in Cambodia with my M40A1. seems like yesterday sometimes. I'll look into some artwork for you. You might go

to Grunt.com. They sell USMC t-shirts hats emblems, etc. There's a lot of cool artwork on some of the T-shirts that might give you some ideas.

Semper Fi Gunny!!!! HAHA... yup... ya can't beat the Remington M4... I was with 2/6 S.T.A. Platoon. I still today keep my skills sharp. Took my kids to the range last weekend as a matter of fact. My daughter is something to be reckoned with... Thanks for your input, I will get this put together sooner than later now that the ball is rolling....

[Marine Sniper]

Welcome! At this point I'd look for a tattoo artist to work out the rough bits of the sketch. Even if you brought a more refined drawing to a tattooer they would almost certainly have to rework it to make it work as a tattoo. If you let us know where you live I'm sure we could suggest some excellent artists in your area.

Thanks for your reply... I live in northern Indiana. North west to be exact. Some of the major cities around me would be Portage, South bend, Merrillville, Valparaiso, And Hebron. Speaking of Hebron, My daughter had a tat done at Cry Baby Tattoo's in Hebron. End results look good but I worry about cheap ink. Here is his link if you want to check it out. Tattoos | Body Piercing | Body Art Hebron, IN

[Marine Sniper]

Welcome! At this point I'd look for a tattoo artist to work out the rough bits of the sketch. Even if you brought a more refined drawing to a tattooer they would almost certainly have to rework it to make it work as a tattoo. If you let us know where you live I'm sure we could suggest some excellent artists in your area.

Thanks for your reply. I live in Northern Indiana. The major cities around me would have to be South Bend, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and Hebron. Speaking of Hebron, my Daughter had a tat done at Cry Baby Tattoos. the end results look good, however I always worry about ink quality. No sense in wasting money if it is faded out in a year or two. He seemed great and did a good job but I really don't know if he is all the talk. Here is the link to his site if ya want to check it out. Or, if you know anything about this place I'm all ears...

 http://www.crybabybodyart.com/[/CODE]

Thanks again for your input...

[Joe Shit]

Marvel Tattoo | South Bend, IN Has some good tattooers,but nobody that great with realistic b&g.

Nate@ BLACK ANVIL TATTOO | FORT WAYNE, IN

Chucho@ Ace of Four Hearts - Joliet does smooth b&g work.

Conan@ Voluta Tattoo: Fine Art Tattoo, Downtown Indianapolis, in the Stutz Building.

Monte Tattoo

Instagram

[Joe Shit]

Timothy Boor@ The Bohemian Tattoo Club and Gallery :

[Marine Sniper]

Thanks for your replies Joe... I'm not going to go B&G because I am going to do a cover up. So I believe color is the best option. I actually like B&G but really for this one, I think coloring it will make it stand out and pop... Even though my rough draft isn't in color, that was my original thinking in the end.

Going to add the helmet to the memorial, and the continents in the globe tonight. Tomorrow going to take my Daughter to the guy she likes and see if he think he could do this. At worst, have a little better felling of his true capabilities.

[Delicious]

I wouldnt go to that shop that you linked @Marine Sniper. It's not very good. At all. All of the tattoos on the site look shaky, and faded. You can do better than that shop!

[Joe Shit]

I wouldnt go to that shop that you linked @Marine Sniper. It's not very good. At all. All of the tattoos on the site look shaky, and faded. You can do better than that shop!

Yeah,I just checked out the site,and agree.And you want that to cover-up something is another challenge that should be taken up by a solid tattooer with experience doing cover-ups.

hammer down...

Todd@ Marvel Tattoo | South Bend, IN

Dusty@ BLACK ANVIL TATTOO | FORT WAYNE, IN

[Graeme]

What @Delicious and @Joe Shit said there. I'm looking at the portfolio on the Cry Baby website and the first tattoo there is a fallen soldier memorial and it's such a mess. There's no depth or contrast there at all so the design isn't readable, the lines and shading are weak, the geometry of the rifle makes no sense, I don't even know what he was attempting with the boots, there's blue lines instead of stars in the flag...I'm not going to go on. It's a bad tattoo. Take a look through the links Joe posted, see who does tattoos you really respond to and take it from there.

[Marine Sniper]

What @Delicious and @Joe Shit said there. I'm looking at the portfolio on the Cry Baby website and the first tattoo there is a fallen soldier memorial and it's such a mess. There's no depth or contrast there at all so the design isn't readable, the lines and shading are weak, the geometry of the rifle makes no sense, I don't even know what he was attempting with the boots, there's blue lines instead of stars in the flag...I'm not going to go on. It's a bad tattoo. Take a look through the links Joe posted, see who does tattoos you really respond to and take it from there.

Thanks Graeme, I thought his site looked rather weak myself. But then found most of his work on Facebook. Again, some look really good then others I have to raise an eyebrow at. But then, how much of the really bland ones are what the customer wanted??? dunno... But on a different note, A friend of mine was a professional tattoo artist in Chicago. If I knew where he was today I would go to him... But anyway, he always harped on the quality of ink most use. He only bought the best and the work he did was almost in your face BOLD... With that said, what questions should be asked about the ink? in addition, what would be considered a quality ink in the business? Obviously all of my other tats were done when I was in the Marines and it was a pic it and stick it deal. Now, this one will obviously be my most important and last. So attention to detail is a must and my education is even more important... Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and comments... Oh I almost forgot... Here is Bob's Facebook link for those interested.

https://www.facebook.com/grandcentraltattooing.bob[/CODE]

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I wouldnt go to that shop that you linked @Marine Sniper. It's not very good. At all. All of the tattoos on the site look shaky, and faded. You can do better than that shop!

Thanks Delicious.... I mentioned above this guys faceboook site where he does post the majority of his work. Some really good, others I question. But then when I look at many of the others, they all have work I personally think is questionable... I am beginning to think I am way over thinking this. Not sure... This one is just particularly important to me but then again, I don't want to go broke doing it.

[Graeme]

Thanks Graeme, I thought his site looked rather weak myself. But then found most of his work on Facebook. Again, some look really good then others I have to raise an eyebrow at. But then, how much of the really bland ones are what the customer wanted??? dunno... But on a different note, A friend of mine was a professional tattoo artist in Chicago. If I knew where he was today I would go to him... But anyway, he always harped on the quality of ink most use. He only bought the best and the work he did was almost in your face BOLD... With that said, what questions should be asked about the ink? in addition, what would be considered a quality ink in the business? Obviously all of my other tats were done when I was in the Marines and it was a pic it and stick it deal. Now, this one will obviously be my most important and last. So attention to detail is a must and my education is even more important... Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and comments... Oh I almost forgot... Here is Bob's Facebook link for those interested.

https://www.facebook.com/grandcentraltattooing.bob[/CODE]

Clients should do their research before getting a tattoo, but bad design and execution ultimately comes down to the tattooer. I think there's generally a poor education level about tattoos, and thankfully there's sites like this one that do have vast amounts of knowledge and information to help inform people about how to look at tattoos and how to get good ones. I think another great thing about this forum is that while there are quite a few artists here, most of the posters are regular people with regular jobs who are getting some truly incredible tattoos and my hope for this place is that we can show people that it's possible to get amazing tattoos as long as you're willing to put a bit of work into it.

As for pigments and machines and all that, good tattooers are going to use good machines and pigments. I've never asked and I wouldn't expect most tattooers to divulge much either.

[Marine Sniper]

Thanks once again Graeme, I totally agree about education.... This will obviously be a longer adventure than I actually thought. I will be checking out several places and asking a lot of questions... thanks to you and this site I am looking at this project in a completely new light.

[Delicious]

Im telling you, that tattoo artist sucks ass. look at the links provided, and some of the threads here. hopefully we'll send you in the right direction

[Marine Sniper]

Well just a quick update, I have sent my rough draft off to two different tat artists, one in Chicago which is supposed to be really good, and the other Joe Shit recommended to me in my area. I have to admit, the artist Joe recommended looks to be an absolutely fantastic artist.... So, I will see what these two gentlemen have to offer and I will pass along the input and hopefully a more refined rendition of my sketch. A big thanks goes out to Joe for all of his research and recommendations!!!! Thanks Bud!!!! And Semper Fi....