Random me

[SerenityViolet]

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.

I didn't say I want no outlines. And I know it heals lighter. And I have my mind completely open as long as it meets the fact that this piece is something I need. But I can tell you, I don't want red roses. I don't know how I can stress it enough that that would mess up the entirety of the tattoo's meaning.

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

Well, since I can't drive, it's kind of hard to say that 2 hours is a short drive. 2 hours is a 4 hour round trip that I have to convince someone else to take me on.

I don't think it's a particularly good tattoo. There are some spots where it's really really bad. But it's that sort of darkness that I want if it makes any sense. It's also the only rose tattoo I could find with the stems in any way I liked.

[DJDeepFried]

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

I don't think it's a terrible tattoo. (I've seen worse.) What I don't like about it is no flow. It's kind of a straight line and doesn't fit her body well. You want to see some nice roses, check out @TrixieFaux 's tattoo in progress. I'm biased cos I get to look at it every day, but it's incredibly realistic and detailed and has a nice thick outline.

It's fun to plan out your tattoo, but it's a common misconception that you have to come in with a design all worked out. If anything, it's best to come in with an open mind. Any good tattooer you can just say roses, butterfly, color or black & gray, and where you want it, and let them do their job. The most important thing is picking a good artist in a style you like.

Tim Hendricks is the LeBron James of tattooing roses, but assuming you can't get with him or make the effort to do so, I'd consider widening your search. A tattoo like that might take what -- six hours or so? (I'm not a tattooer.) So a drive two hours in either direction is a long day but definitely not impossible and totally worth it for, yes, something that will be on your body forever.

[SerenityViolet]

It's not an issue of it being two hours, it's an issue of it being two hours with nowhere to stay. It'd take me over two hours to go to Virginia Beach, but I can stay with my boyfriend. It'd take me two hours to go to Charlottesville, but I can stay with one of my best friends. Because, you know, I have this thing called an overly paranoid and controlling set of parents who would never let me stay in a hotel. They'll barely allow me to get the tattoos.

Also, I don't have the entire thing planned out in my head. I have a general idea and the general feeling I want from it. It's just that there are a few choices that I have to be absolutely solid in for the piece to mean what it is supposed to mean.

[Graeme]

Also, I don't have the entire thing planned out in my head. I have a general idea and the general feeling I want from it. It's just that there are a few choices that I have to be absolutely solid in for the piece to mean what it is supposed to mean.

What a tattoo "means" is going to change over the course of your life. It becomes part of you and part of your experiences. Don't compromise the design of it for something that is meaningful to you now.

[CultExciter]

No one here is trying to dissuade you from getting a tattoo, but we want you to get the best tattoo possible. Right now might not be the best time to get your first tattoo if your limitations are so steep.

However, if you do want a black and gray tattoo in Fredericksburg, you could do a lot worse than the fine folks at Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival.

[tatB]

No one here is trying to dissuade you from getting a tattoo, but we want you to get the best tattoo possible. Right now might not be the best time to get your first tattoo if your limitations are so steep.

However, if you do want a black and gray tattoo in Fredericksburg, you could do a lot worse than the fine folks at Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival.

are you aware there website is "tattyshack.com" ? awesome.

[Joe Shit]

Anya does nice work.. Instagram

[Killercook76]

I didn't say I want no outlines. And I know it heals lighter. And I have my mind completely open as long as it meets the fact that this piece is something I need. But I can tell you, I don't want red roses. I don't know how I can stress it enough that that would mess up the entirety of the tattoo's meaning.

Well, since I can't drive, it's kind of hard to say that 2 hours is a short drive. 2 hours is a 4 hour round trip that I have to convince someone else to take me on.

I don't think it's a particularly good tattoo. There are some spots where it's really really bad. But it's that sort of darkness that I want if it makes any sense. It's also the only rose tattoo I could find with the stems in any way I liked.

I'm not saying you should get red roses .. I just think it's better to choose either or. In any case talk it over with a tattoo artist and be open minded. Just be flexible with the design. That's all I'm saying.

[SerenityViolet]

However, if you do want a black and gray tattoo in Fredericksburg, you could do a lot worse than the fine folks at Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival.

That'd be the place I've most seriously considered. My parents have a few friends who swear by the place and its artists.

What a tattoo "means" is going to change over the course of your life. It becomes part of you and part of your experiences. Don't compromise the design of it for something that is meaningful to you now.

Okay, I'm going to make this really simple. This tattoo is a way of saying I'm done obsessing over what others think of my appearance. It's my way of saying the only people who need to like my appearance are myself and my boyfriend. So while I will take all the input anyone wants to give on the other tattoo I want, for this specific one, I will only take advice from the artist doing the tattoo, my boyfriend, and my best friend who knows me better than I know myself.

And if anyone wants to continue giving me advice, the other design I want is a snake, specifically an asp, in full color, on my right shoulder/upper arm area. This one I will take any advice you want to give because all I know is I want a snake, I want it in color, and I don't want it to look mean.

[Shaun1105]

And if anyone wants to continue giving me advice, the other design I want is a snake, specifically an asp, in full color, on my right shoulder/upper arm area. This one I will take any advice you want to give because all I know is I want a snake, I want it in color, and I don't want it to look mean.

Whose artist interview had the quote about people wanting to get tigers that don't look mean? Anyone? I'm drawing a blank but it's all I can think of here!

Sorry @SerenityViolet, I know snakes are different from tigers :) and your non-mean snake will be great. I wish you the best in finding the right artist! My only advice: Don't compromise on artist quality just to get your tattoo sooner. You've got a whole lifetime to live with that art on you.

[exume]

Whose artist interview had the quote about people wanting to get tigers that don't look mean? Anyone? I'm drawing a blank but it's all I can think of here!

Tony Hundahl said it at the end of Gypsy Gentleman II: Austin

[Shaun1105]

It's not an issue of it being two hours, it's an issue of it being two hours with nowhere to stay. It'd take me over two hours to go to Virginia Beach, but I can stay with my boyfriend. It'd take me two hours to go to Charlottesville, but I can stay with one of my best friends. Because, you know, I have this thing called an overly paranoid and controlling set of parents who would never let me stay in a hotel. They'll barely allow me to get the tattoos.

Ok, so clearly LST needs some kind of tattoo-taxi service associated with us. Volunteers to drive people to get tattooed - good shops only! - in exchange for gas money, lunch, and being allowed to hang out in the shop all day.

For a two hour drive you should get just get a noon appointment. With a 3-4 hour tattoo you can be home by 6pm. Maybe it's just being me being older, male, or Canadian, but I don't start thinking something requires an overnight stay until it's at least a 3.5hr drive away.

[SerenityViolet]

Whose artist interview had the quote about people wanting to get tigers that don't look mean? Anyone? I'm drawing a blank but it's all I can think of here!

Sorry @SerenityViolet, I know snakes are different from tigers :) and your non-mean snake will be great. I wish you the best in finding the right artist! My only advice: Don't compromise on artist quality just to get your tattoo sooner. You've got a whole lifetime to live with that art on you.

Kay, so can I explain that the snake is because I have a snake ring I wear constantly and that's the inspiration for it. I want something like that ring where it's a snake looking beautiful, not like a monster that's going to bite you any second.

Ok, so clearly LST needs some kind of tattoo-taxi service associated with us. Volunteers to drive people to get tattooed - good shops only! - in exchange for gas money, lunch, and being allowed to hang out in the shop all day.

For a two hour drive you should get just get a noon appointment. With a 3-4 hour tattoo you can be home by 6pm. Maybe it's just being me being older, male, or Canadian, but I don't start thinking something requires an overnight stay until it's at least a 3.5hr drive away.

Yeah, it's called my parents would insist on one of them taking me and both of them cannot stand driving long distances at night nor would they get out of the house early enough to make a noon appointment two hours away. It's hard to get them out of the house before noon on days they don't work.

Not to mention they'd throw a fit about me having to go two hours when there is probably a place a lot closer where I could get it considering I'm 45 minutes from Richmond, 20 from Fredericksburg, and 30 from Stafford all of which have multiple shops where I should be able to find at least one good artist.

[9Years]

@Shaun1105 Ha! Totally down for this! I love road-trips. And hanging out.

[growltiger]

I love how your parents will actually drive you to get tattooed, but wouldn't consider letting you stay in a hotel! In terms of big deals, it seems the wrong way round. I guess they are into tattoos, it's nice to have your parents on side (there are a couple of threads on this, a lot of people aren't so lucky).

Anyhoo, are there any conventions in the areas that you can make it to? That might be a way of expanding the artists available to you. There's also a thread on here about what makes a good tattoo, someone has probably linked to it already, which makes a really interesting read. It's full of great advice and it has actually made me do a complete turn-around on my views of what I liked/didn't like. I know you have a very specific idea, which sounds lovely and obviously has deep meaning to you, but it might help you turn that idea into a cracking tattoo in ways you can't imagine yet. Good luck, and enjoy the journey to getting your first tattoo.

[CultExciter]

It all just depends on how good of a tattoo you want to get and finding the most capable hands. I personally am not going to jump up and down about the meaning behind your tattoo, but will be way stoked if you come out with something solid that holds up for the rest of your life.

[SerenityViolet]

It all just depends on how good of a tattoo you want to get and finding the most capable hands. I personally am not going to jump up and down about the meaning behind your tattoo, but will be way stoked if you come out with something solid that holds up for the rest of your life.

I'm sorry, but would you tell that to a girl who said she was getting her tattoo to cover up cutting scars?

I love how your parents will actually drive you to get tattooed, but wouldn't consider letting you stay in a hotel! In terms of big deals, it seems the wrong way round. I guess they are into tattoos, it's nice to have your parents on side (there are a couple of threads on this, a lot of people aren't so lucky).

Anyhoo, are there any conventions in the areas that you can make it to?

My parents are odd and paranoid, but they have quite a few friends with arms full of tattoos and my mom has been wanting one for years yet has not gotten it yet. And while my parents are not exactly excited about me wanting tattoos, if I pay for it, I get what I want. Though, my parents are not up for me getting piercings. They have told me me, "18 for tattoos, 21 for piercings." They're actually concerned more with a scar from an old piercing than a tattoo.

And, unfortunately, of the conventions I know about in the state, one just passed and the other is in November right around the end of the semester like a week before exams. Not exactly the best idea to get a tattoo then considering exam week is a hectic mess of "Eat, cram, test, eat, study, sleep, repeat."

[CultExciter]

I'm sorry, but would you tell that to a girl who said she was getting her tattoo to cover up cutting scars?

That's an apples to oranges comparison. But I still will say yes. You want a tattoo that looks incredible and makes you feel incredible, therefore you need to go to someone capable. An ugly tattoo will not help any situation. All of this is in reference to the advice myself and others have been trying to give you. When we mention certain artists that you might need to travel for, you set limitations, and therefore that sets limitations on the quality of the tattoo you could receive. That said, I think there are capable people where you are located. Myself, and others, are only interested in you getting a great tattoo.

[Harlot]

I would check out Evolve Studio in Virginia Beach. They are some great artists there. Maybe check out Trinity also.

[SerenityViolet]

That's an apples to oranges comparison. But I still will say yes. You want a tattoo that looks incredible and makes you feel incredible, therefore you need to go to someone capable. An ugly tattoo will not help any situation. All of this is in reference to the advice myself and others have been trying to give you. When we mention certain artists that you might need to travel for, you set limitations, and therefore that sets limitations on the quality of the tattoo you could receive. That said, I think there are capable people where you are located. Myself, and others, are only interested in you getting a great tattoo.

It's really not because while I don't have marks on my skin, that's because I was obsessed with not leaving any so that nobody would know. So instead of a blade, I used my nails, I used a key. Or I would grab a serrated knife with the palm of my hand right along the line that runs across it so even if it left a mark for a day, nobody would know. So while I don't have the scar physically, in my mind I do. And I'm sorry if I can't give y'all a fantasy that I'll be able to go anywhere to get the tattoo I want. I came here because I needed to find somewhere in about an hour radius of me or in one of the two other areas I could go. Sorry, it's an opportunity cost situation. I need to give up getting the absolutely best tattoo in the gawddamn world so I can get one at a shop close enough to where I live to be practical and cost-effective. I'm a rational human being and I understand that while it may be the best experience in the world to get a tattoo from the absolute best artist working in my state or the surrounding states, practically, it is not feasible for me as a college student at a not-so-cheap school who cannot drive. I shouldn't have to explain to adults that there are trade-offs to everything you do. It's not like I'm going to some sleazy guy who'll do it for $50 or just doing it myself like my idiot former roommate. I'm trying to find a good artist in my area. I know of at least 5 shops in Fredericksburg. There are at the very least a dozen shops in Richmond. Factoring in just 2 artists per shop, that's 34 artists. Most of the shops have at least 3 so that's more than 50. At least one of those must be good enough to give me what I'm looking for. And that's not taking into account I also said Virginia Beach which, let's see, "the 757" has ODU, NSU, CNU, HU, W&M, and VWC. With 6 colleges plus tourism, I'd say, conservatively, that they have more than a dozen shops. I think I have more than enough artists to choose from. Far too many for me to sort through. Hence why I wanted help. Which I'm obviously not getting here.

[bugxjuice]

Listen lady,

if you want this tattoo so bad, why NOT do all the research and sorting yourself? Isn't that more satisfying than relying on somebody else, especially for such an important, permanent decision? Why ask a bunch of strangers on the internet for help? You obviously live in an area with plenty of good artists, so go find the one you like best and get a good tattoo.

Also in general nobody on here gives a fuck about the meaning of your tattoo, whether it's super personal or superficial, because the bottom line is whether it looks good.

[tatB]

My advice: Now is not the time to get a tattoo. Save up, research, and wait until later in life.

Also I can't help but think: I want a tattoo and I want it now!

[Stax138]

It's really not because while I don't have marks on my skin, that's because I was obsessed with not leaving any so that nobody would know. So instead of a blade, I used my nails, I used a key. Or I would grab a serrated knife with the palm of my hand right along the line that runs across it so even if it left a mark for a day, nobody would know. So while I don't have the scar physically, in my mind I do. And I'm sorry if I can't give y'all a fantasy that I'll be able to go anywhere to get the tattoo I want. I came here because I needed to find somewhere in about an hour radius of me or in one of the two other areas I could go. Sorry, it's an opportunity cost situation. I need to give up getting the absolutely best tattoo in the gawddamn world so I can get one at a shop close enough to where I live to be practical and cost-effective. I'm a rational human being and I understand that while it may be the best experience in the world to get a tattoo from the absolute best artist working in my state or the surrounding states, practically, it is not feasible for me as a college student at a not-so-cheap school who cannot drive. I shouldn't have to explain to adults that there are trade-offs to everything you do. It's not like I'm going to some sleazy guy who'll do it for $50 or just doing it myself like my idiot former roommate. I'm trying to find a good artist in my area. I know of at least 5 shops in Fredericksburg. There are at the very least a dozen shops in Richmond. Factoring in just 2 artists per shop, that's 34 artists. Most of the shops have at least 3 so that's more than 50. At least one of those must be good enough to give me what I'm looking for. And that's not taking into account I also said Virginia Beach which, let's see, "the 757" has ODU, NSU, CNU, HU, W&M, and VWC. With 6 colleges plus tourism, I'd say, conservatively, that they have more than a dozen shops. I think I have more than enough artists to choose from. Far too many for me to sort through. Hence why I wanted help. Which I'm obviously not getting here.

I wouldn’t say you’re not getting any help here, I would say you are poo-pooing everyone suggestions to you. we can only say so much at the end of the day you will do what you want, if waiting to get a good tattoo from someone who is more than capable of doing it is something you can’t do than its your responsibility to look through every artist in your areas for a style you like and an artist you feel is up to the job, we all get the tattoos we deserve after all. also I don’t see how anyone having cutting scars has anything to do with waiting for a tattoo. if you waited until now you can certainly wait until you find someone you will be happy with. at the end of the day its your responsibility as the consumer to know exactly what you are getting yourself into. knowledge is power

[JAllen]

Its time to go in to shops and start to check out them out. You might find more photos and possibly examples of folks work that is exactly what you're looking for...not everything end up on the internet. I've said it before but use it as a tool to narrow stuff down which you have. Now see which person you go talk to can accomplish your goal. There's plenty of capable folks in the areas you've mentioned. If its meaningful, it'll be worth all the effort involved.

[beez]

I need to give up getting the absolutely best tattoo in the gawddamn world so I can get one at a shop close enough to where I live to be practical and cost-effective.

You do not need to give that up! Maybe save up a bit and take a trip with your boyfriend and find an inexpensive place to stay on airbnb. You might not get it right this moment, but you will get it in 6 mos or something, no? You've spent enough time thinking about it - and placing a great deal of meaning on it - that it only seems right to get "absolutely the best tattoo in the gawddamn world" - but that is just my humble opinion.

If you want something that has so much meaning and is so special to you, why consider cost? Book your appointment 8 months out and make it a game to raise money for it. If you're a broke college student, save it as your graduation gift to yourself. (To the crowd: I have a few impulse tattoos - NO REGRETS! Git 'em!). I think you have lots of options (and you've pointed out quite a few artists, too), so be stoked!

I shouldn't have to explain to adults that there are trade-offs to everything you do

We understand the trade-offs - we think that trading now for later will mean you'll get a better tattoo that you'll like more in the end.

I think I have more than enough artists to choose from. Far too many for me to sort through. Hence why I wanted help. Which I'm obviously not getting here.

Just because you don't like what you hear doesn't mean that we aren't offering help. Again, if it's as important to you as you've said it is, then you want to take the time to sort through as many artists as you can.

Good luck! You have a lot of options and a lot of suggestions to wade through, but hopefully you'll find someone awesome and go for it!