Random me

[SerenityViolet]

So I am a crazy person.

Maybe I shouldn't have let that cat out of the bag but it's true.

I'm insane.

Okay, maybe not, but I am random and weird and not-exactly-fully-sane.

I am an 18 year old female college student from Virginia.

I do not have any tattoos currently, basically because I haven't found an artist.

I do have purple hair though. Best decision I ever made.

I've been fond of body mods in general for years but since trying to find references for the first tattoo I want, I've developed a bit of a tattoo obsession.

Anyway, hi there!

[tatB]

Welcome!

Have you checkout Absolute Art in Richmond, Virginia?

[SerenityViolet]

I have checked them out online and they had few fully black and grey pieces and nothing near the style I want so I didn't look further.

[MadeIndelible]

Maybe tell us a little more about the style you're looking for. Is it traditional black and grey or single needle black and grey? Also, are you willing to travel, because NYC is very close and has a lot of great artists.

[SerenityViolet]

For the first, I want the majority of the piece to be traditional black and grey. It's thorned roses with a single butterfly that I'm pretty sure I want to be red-orange. I want a kind of harsher feeling to it like I don't want girly, pretty, feminine roses so much as ones that you feel like you'd prick yourself if you touched them.

Basically, I'm restricted to the Charlottesville, Richmond, Fredericksburg/Stafford, and Virginia Beach/Newport News areas of Virginia. I go to school in a small college town and we do have one relatively good tattoo shop but I don't really wish to deal with the care while I deal with classes because I'm likely to do something wrong.

[scubaron]

Maybe tell us a little more about the style you're looking for. Is it traditional black and grey or single needle black and grey? Also, are you willing to travel, because NYC is very close and has a lot of great artists.

I feel stupid. What is the difference between traditional black & grey vs single needle ?

[Killercook76]

you want a traditional tattoo in black n grey with some color? I personally would either go all black n grey or all color. Well roses are a classic tattoo design and I don't see it as girly..

Conventions could maybe be a better choice if you cannot find anyone local.

Single needle is cool but not what I think of when it comes to traditional .

[MadeIndelible]

Traditional black and grey would be something like the work Tamara Santa-Ibinez puts out, while single needle would be something like Jack Rudy's work.

[SerenityViolet]

you want a traditional tattoo in black n grey with some color? I personally would either go all black n grey or all color. Well roses are a classic tattoo design and I don't see it as girly..

Conventions could maybe be a better choice if you cannot find anyone local.

Single needle is cool but not what I think of when it comes to traditional .

I don't want it all color, though. I want black and grey roses with a red butterfly because it has meaning to it. It took me weeks going back and forth between wanting it all black and grey and wanting that red before realizing the red is something I need in the tattoo.

And by girly, I mean the soft roses I kept finding looking for references. Because when you look for rose and butterfly tattoos, they are typically on women and they are typically very feminine. Which is not what I want.

[bugxjuice]

Black and grey with just one color isn't too uncommon, depending on which style of black and grey... and especially if red is that one color.

I think you're in a pretty good location to find a great artist, you just need to be more specific in the style you're looking for. A good artist will be able to make a rose look harsher and thornier if you want, even if you don't see one like that in their portfolio...

Can you describe better the style you're looking for? Thick outlines, thin outlines, no outlines? Heavy black shading or soft subtle gradients? Heavily stylized or more realistic?

[SerenityViolet]

Black and grey with just one color isn't too uncommon, depending on which style of black and grey... and especially if red is that one color.

I think you're in a pretty good location to find a great artist, you just need to be more specific in the style you're looking for. A good artist will be able to make a rose look harsher and thornier if you want, even if you don't see one like that in their portfolio...

Can you describe better the style you're looking for? Thick outlines, thin outlines, no outlines? Heavy black shading or soft subtle gradients? Heavily stylized or more realistic?

I want thick outlines on the stems and the butterfly but I want the flowers to be a bit softer. Mostly realistic, heavier shading.

I'm not looking for similar things to what I want in an artist's portfolio, I'm generally looking for good flowers and butterflies and good black and grey in separate pieces.

[PinkUnicorn]

I want thick outlines on the stems and the butterfly but I want the flowers to be a bit softer. Mostly realistic, heavier shading.

I'm not looking for similar things to what I want in an artist's portfolio, I'm generally looking for good flowers and butterflies and good black and grey in separate pieces.

Doesn't sound very random - not that there's anything wrong with that! :)

[SerenityViolet]

Doesn't sound very random - not that there's anything wrong with that! :)

Oh, this tattoo isn't random. It is a long thought out design. It took me months to finally get what I want solid in my mind. I mean, the entire tattoo planning is a form of therapy for me. The other tattoo I want seems a bit random, even to me, but I know, vaguely, a few of the reasons I want it.

[Killercook76]

tim hendricks does the best roses in my opinion .

[SerenityViolet]

This is a similar feeling to what I want. Of course, my tattoo is going on my forearm and this doesn't fit in size or shape for that. But the darkness of this is what I really want.

[tatB]

Have you checked out Andrew Conner's portfolio? Andrew Conner | Artist

[SerenityViolet]

No, I haven't because Harrisonburg is more than two hours from both home and school for me and I don't have any friends who live there.

I live close to Fredericksburg so Fredericksburg, Spotsy, Stafford, and Richmond are all do-able. I go to school in Farmville. I have a good friend who lives in Charlottesville who I could stay with if I was going to get it there. My boyfriend lives in the Virginia Beach/Newport News area. These are the areas I am restricted to.

[Killercook76]

This is a similar feeling to what I want. Of course, my tattoo is going on my forearm and this doesn't fit in size or shape for that. But the darkness of this is what I really want.

just some friendly advice. Tattoos without outlines is not a good idea. It looks good but after a couple of years it will start looking more like a blob. Sorry couldn't think of another word.. ha

Also that tattoo looks like it's been done recently. Usually black no matter how dark it is after healing becomes grey. For example those roses in the pic will be a couple shades lighter after it heals so .

I do like the black and red color combo and have a tattoo like that.. check out my pics I have a cobra black n red.

Usually people have in mind what they want but to get the best tattoo it's good to have an open mind and talk with some tattoo artist that you like.

[tatB]

No, I haven't because Harrisonburg is more than two hours from both home and school for me and I don't have any friends who live there.

I live close to Fredericksburg so Fredericksburg, Spotsy, Stafford, and Richmond are all do-able. I go to school in Farmville. I have a good friend who lives in Charlottesville who I could stay with if I was going to get it there. My boyfriend lives in the Virginia Beach/Newport News area. These are the areas I am restricted to.

2 hours is a very short drive for a tattoo that will last a lifetime.

also some brutal honesty that tattoo you posted is pretty terrible

[CultExciter]

Have you checked out Andrew Conner's portfolio? Andrew Conner | Artist

You just made my day.

[tatB]

You just made my day.

It is a lovely website.

[CultExciter]

It is a lovely website.

Haha, I wish that was the case. It's been a placeholder site for the last year or so and I just haven't gotten around to finally designing it. But that said, more people should get tattooed by Andrew.

[irezumi]

I do like the black and red color combo and have a tattoo like that.. check out my pics I have a cobra black n red.

To the OP, this idea can definitely look amazing if handled properly. This only works if red is evenly composed throughout the design. Having red in just the bug but not the roses will look odd, and if B&G is combined with color it will look like 2 different tattoos that got smashed together or 2 tattoos layered in an unaesthetic fashion.

[Killercook76]

To the OP, this idea can definitely look amazing if handled properly. This only works if red is evenly composed throughout the design. Having red in just the bug but not the roses will look odd, and if B&G is combined with color it will look like 2 different tattoos that got smashed together or 2 tattoos layered in an unaesthetic fashion.

Right!! Thanks that's what I meant to say.. haha!

Yeah I think go either go all black n grey or all color. In my case it came out great but that is because it was a cobra . In her case I think it would look odd but she seems to be stuck on that idea..

[irezumi]

Yeah yours worked out well even if the red wasn't carried over to the roses, the weight throughout the tattoo is evenly balanced.

I think the toughest red/black cobra ever tattooed is the Grime front torso one (no disrespect towards yours it looks awesome) but admittedly also has a tiny splash of gold. It still could've worked just as well if that had been red.