Japanese sleeve(s) - favorite flavor?

[Intomyskin]

@sighthound - Cindy said the same thing about starting with the back if I was going to piecemeal it. But I'm in my 60s, and after waiting for so long, I wanted something in front that I could see ASAP! I figured it would take me a couple of years to finish a back piece, and I still wouldn't be able to see it LOL!  So that's why I initially was going to start with sleeves. But the current plan is to outline the whole thing first, and then maybe complete a sleeve and chest so I have something to see.

I ams sort of embarassed to admit that my primary attraction to the Japanese style is purely the aesthetics of the style. I'm really woefully ignorant about the traditions and the stories and symbolism of certain images and combinations of images. Cindy has been kind enough to educate me on that to some extent in our email exchanges, and I am trying to learn more.

[DJDeepFried]

No need to be embarrassed. Isn't that the reason that any of us get tattooed -- for the aesthetic?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sighthound]

Yep, aesthetics is the name of the game. I don't think any other reason is needed when it comes to getting tattoos. 

As for the old Japanese traditions, I think they exist for the purpose of aesthetics as well. That's why they've worked for so long and why people are so drawn to them. Rules for keeping clean images, not overcrowding, black backgrounds for longevity and contrast, etc. These body suits were designed for the long haul, maximum impact and readability. 

Edited September 11, 2016 by sighthound

[Intomyskin]

@DJDeepFried and @sighthound: I was half joking when I said I was embarrassed that my attraction to Japanese tattooing was aesthetic. However articles and TV have sort of conditioned us to think that every tattoo has a beautiful and deeply personal story, and really hasn’t left room for those of us who just like tattoos and their aesthetics. In a way, they have made it seem shallow to get tattooed simply because you think that tattoos are beautiful.

Don’t get me wrong, I have been sincerely and deeply touched by the stories and meanings behind some tattoos, Memorializing a departed loved one, covering scars of surgery, celebrating a victory over disease — wow! Those are powerful reasons to get a tattoo, and that is part of the power of tattooing, that it is perhaps the ultimate way to mark these kinds of experiences. I sometimes wish that my planned tattoo had some meaning, but it doesn’t. But I’m not really embarrassed about it. Tattooing serves a lot of purposes. It is enough meaning for me to say that I want a beautiful piece of art to be a part of my body forever. For me, that is pretty powerful.