Hello! Newbie here!

[diabeticwolf]

Hello,

I am 19 years old, born and raised in Nebraska. I volunteer at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, and I go to the University of Nebraska at Omaha (going to be a zookeeper). I currently do not have any tattoos, but I have been thinking long and hard about what my first tattoo will be. Because I am a type 1 diabetic, I hope to get some advice when it comes to getting the tattoo. I have about 5 tattoos I may get in the future, and some have variations that I would need to decide on. Hope to also get some opinions/advice on these, since I am a woman and I want to make sure they are appropriate for a woman to get. I don't know what else to put, haha, so here is the list.

List of my possible tattoos:

1. My fight/struggle with diabetes- snake fighting a wolf (if you want the story for why, let me know) or a wolf and a penguin form a circle connected by blue (a blue circle represents type 1 diabetes).

2. A penguin on my right hip- I got bitten by a King Penguin not too far from there.

3. Wolf on my right shoulder- I was scent-marked by a wolf when I visited a wolf sanctuary in Indiana. The time I spent there was special, and I still smile at the memories of being kissed by a wolf and scratching another wolf's belly.

4. Crocodile or snake- for Steve Irwin, my childhood hero who was a huge influence on my life. I absolutely love snakes and crocodiles (wolves, penguins and other animals as well), and I thank him for that.

5. Lion King on Broadway logo- I have seen i twice (and still want to see it again), went on a behind-the-scenes tour led by a cast member, interviewed cast members, presented a speech on it (amazed my class with the facts I learned), and grew up on the Lion King, but I don't want to get the Simba drawing like other people usually do. I also learned how to click for the Xhosa language which is spoken in the Broadway production.

[Reyeslv]

@diabeticwolf Welcome to LST, how did you find out about the site? This is a great place for reference materials and a whole bunch of people that love tattoos. If it's knowledge you seek, you will find it here!!

[diabeticwolf]

Thank you! I found it using a Google search to find ways to talk to people to get tattoo advice. I want to make sure I make the right decisions, especially being diabetic. My mom has two tattoos, so I know it's not too much trouble for a diabetic to get them.

[justvee]

4. Crocodile or snake- for Steve Irwin, my childhood hero who was a huge influence on my life. I absolutely love snakes and crocodiles (wolves, penguins and other animals as well), and I thank him for that.

I love that Steve Irwin is your Childhood hero, he was such an amazing man! I like your tattoo ideas, they're alot more creative than the ones I wanted when I was 18 haha good luck :)

[diabeticwolf]

He really was, I am so thankful that my parents encouraged me to watch his programs :) I'm just not sure which animal to use to honor him: crocodile or snake? I learned how to handle snakes by watching him, and caught my first Garter Snake (small, non-venomous) when I was 6 years old! I even have a photo of when I was probably 2 or 3, petting a large boa at the county fair as if it were a dog, lol. Well, I have quite a few snake stories, lol; including a time this year when I picked up a 5-ft long Bull Snake at my zoo when I was working a picnic, because several 3-4 year old children were surrounding the poor snake. Even though I didn't know what kind it was at the time, and whether or not it was venomous, what do I do without even thinking about it? Pick it up, lol. Bull snakes, I found out, are non-venomous, but aggressive snakes. When they bite, they draw blood and it hurts like crazy. No one got bitten and the snake was released away from the picnic area. So, maybe a snake tattoo? Lol :)

[justvee]

I always forget how loved he was even outside of Australia, it's really awesome to see though :)

The crocodile would definitely be interesting, I can't say I've seen alot of croc tattoos but then again I'm not a tattoo artist or anything. I have to admit I'm not terribly familiar with species of snakes but I can tell the difference between a snake and a crocodile lol that photo sounds amazing though! I LOVE snakes, there's something about them that I find so mesmerizing. I've only ever seen small snakes at zoo's but I've never touched one or held one, let alone a boa! I think I'd die from excitement haha

I think all your ideas are great because they seem to really mean something to you. I'd definitely be interested in seeing your snake tattoo if you decided to get it. Do you have any ideas about the type of snake or anything like that?

[Graeme]

Hello and welcome to LST! I think you have some great ideas there, do you have any idea of artists you'd like to go to? I'd also suggest to look at the design section of the forum because there are threads full of wolf and snake tattoos, so you should be able to find plenty of inspiration and see what's possible.

@justvee Here's a badass in-progress crocodile tattoo done by Seth Wood. Though it might be an alligator, I don't know. This is on an LST poster:

[diabeticwolf]

I'm not sure what species of snake, I like them all, lol. Although I might consider cobras or a boa.

- - - Updated - - -

@Graeme I am asking around a bit, and many have recommended Big Brain Tattoos for realism, they have good portfolios but they charge a lot of money for their work, so I have to consider that. I may take in photo references of some wolves or snakes to get a completely custom design though.

[justvee]

I can't really tell but it sorta does look like an alligator. Either way it is definitely badass.

[diabeticwolf]

The angle makes it a bit difficult to say for sure, but does have crocodile-like characteristics.