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Thinking about getting this all-over back tattoo

Kracov

By Kracov,
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Kracov Initiated

Kracov

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This is the tattoo design I made recently.  I am new to tattoos, and want something unique.  So this art consists of 100% original content made by me.  Some parts need work- I'm not sure what needs to be added but the empty spaces between designs is probably the issue.  I haven't drawn a lot of tattoo art, so I do have a long way to go.  I'm great with comic book anatomy and a variety of other things. 

Someone mentioned that the texturing in the middle part looks like a giraffe's spots.  Does it?  It's meant to be rocks that will have some faded shading once I draw the whole thing on paper.

tattoo.jpg

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bongsau Champion

bongsau

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hey @Kracov welcome to the forum

Everybody wants a unique tattoo. But the strongest and most powerful tattoos are ones that takeoff of classic imagery and timeless themes. Tattoo design is more than the drawing/image - placement, scale, composition, simplicity, black and contrast are very important in making not just a good tattoo but a unique tattoo.

Your design - it's waaay too busy. A strong tattoo you can tell what it is from across the street. All the smaller items around the perimeter - the spikey eyeball, moon-spider-web, pictographs/icons, latin writing, asian/tribal markings - those all take away from the main idea but could work as one shot tattoos on other parts of the body like the arms. Maybe that would be a good starting point for you to get experience. Then you can go bolder and bigger with your battle-axe-predator-sword-demon-IDK idea. I'm not sure what exactly you're going for. Really a consultation with a tattooer is a first step to making any tattoo a reality. But you need to be able to answer this question: "what exactly do you want on your back" with the simplest, no-bs, get-to-the point answer.

Suggest you cruise the LST forum threads, gallery and check out the tattooer interviews to gain some insight into what makes a good tattoo.

cheers

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tatB Hero

tatB

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i think you have a lot of great subject matter there that can become a great tattoo.  let us know where you are located and/or if you are willing to travel and we can make some artist recommendations.  i am imagining so many different tattooers using your design as a starting point and making some really great pieces.

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Kracov Initiated

Kracov

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Thanks all.  My design is busy because I want something unique about me (or my style).  You're right, I do need to consult an artist to see what they can add to it. I do like my design for the most part.  I was looking into medieval/celtic designs and I kind of wanted that at first.  But I couldn't figure out how to modify it to look less Celtic, more medieval.  The art I made below Is the kind of thing I typically draw, so i do want my tattoo to reflect that.

the_damned_by_kracov-d3hapmk.jpg

malevolence_by_kracov.jpg

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Synesthesia Contributor

Synesthesia

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Sounds like you're looking for more dark and abstract imagery. Find a really good black and gray (I assume) artist who specializes in this sort of thing and let them go crazy. I'll give some suggestions to give you ideas of what's possible. Don't expect to get in with these guys any time soon, most of them are legends booked years in advance. We can give more specific artists to check out if you tell us roughly where you live.

https://www.instagram.com/paulbooth/

https://www.instagram.com/carlostorresart/

https://www.instagram.com/josh_duffy/

https://www.instagram.com/grindesign/

https://www.instagram.com/joeyboontattooartist/

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DJDeepFried Contributor

DJDeepFried

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You may be able to find someone to tattoo one of your smaller designs on you, but a full back piece? No way. And by that I mean they'll take your money, but they aren't going to be very passionate about it. The best tattoo artists in the world don't get their own designs tattooed on them. They seek out the artists who they admire and respect, and let them do their thing. You'd be wise to do the same. You'll get a better tattoo and have a better experience if you approach it this way.

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Kracov Initiated

Kracov

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DJDeepFried, are you saying I should have a tat artist design something from scratch, and one small tattoo?  Kind of defeats the point since I do have passion for my own art.  It's also become apparent here that everyone here who commented doesn't seem to like my style.  Which is fine, I'm not doing it for other people.  I am somewhat hard to please, so I don't think I want to do a dozen different tattoos on my back over the years, of something that's not even my own ideas.  I would be telling myself that I am not worthy as an artist to put my own art onto my body.  That's something I still struggle with, my own self worth.  I've lived for 37 years without tattoos, and I'm pretty much the black sheep of the black sheeps in anywhere because I'm deaf and I don't fit in with any group.  It also seems everyone thinks that my design will be the final design.  It's not.  It will be drawn out on paper with pencils and proper shading, it will have more depth, detail and contrast.  The sword and axe will have shine and a worn look,  the demon horns will have more shadows and depth.  Anyway, thank you everyone.  I think I'm fairly confident that taking my art to a tat artist to have something more added may help make it look a little better.

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DJDeepFried Contributor

DJDeepFried

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I'm saying that the best back pieces – in my opinion, not as a tattoo artist, but an enthusiast – are one bold, cohesive image, whereas your design has a little too much going on for my taste. A great artist can take your basic idea – say, a horned demon with a battleax on a pyramid of skulls – and make it fucking amazing. I think you have to let go of the idea of your art being on your body, and not because I think you're a bad artist, but because tattooing is such a complicated and specialized art form with its own set of rules and techniques that are different from every other art form that you need to find someone who has devoted their life to the craft. I know that involves a lot of trust, but that's my advice. Don't worry about having something "unique." It's a one-of-a-kind, handmade piece of art that exists only on your body so it's going to be unique and it's going to be yours because it's on you. In the meantime, keep working on your own art with pencils, charcoal, paint or whatever and leave the tattooing to the tattooers.

P.S.: Just as a starting point: https://www.google.com/search?q=filip+leu+back+piece&num=20&biw=1275&bih=761&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwis15u6s7vPAhVIHGMKHe0UBOoQ_AUICCgB

Edited by DJDeepFried
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sprouler Initiated

sprouler

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I have a slightly different opinion than previous posters.  I personally am very fond of large, busy works. It looks very mural-ish to me, and I think it can look very cool.  However, I would still recommend taking your art to a tattooer with a similar style (Robert Borbas in Budapest comes to mind, although your style is a bit more simplistic than his) and have them re-draw it to fit your body better. That's an important part of a large scale tattoo that the new collector often overlooks: the shape of the body beneath the tattoo can wreak havoc with the composition of the tattoo and the composition of the tattoo can make the body look strange and misshapen. 

Ultimately you should end up doing what you want to do and not something you feel pressured into, but researching your artists before going through with this is going to work out in your favor tremendously.

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Charles.M Regular

Charles.M

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Art critique aside..

If getting your own art design tattooed 'as is' on your body is what you want, then finding an Artist who can and will actually reproduce your art stroke for pencil stroke will be the hard part. Remember you are going to be the most critical of the application because it is your art. then be prepared to live out your days having the art criticized for being badly done. A pencil drawing is just that and tattoo art designed for body application is something else. 

I have reproduced pencil art (from people who are now dead), onto their living friends as a memorial to their RIP friend and most people just see a bad tattoo, no matter how meaningful and sincere the original intent.

Even a perfectly reproduced historically accurate cave drawing will just look like a bad tattoo to most people.

I won't reproduce people's drawings anymore, for the very reasons just explained...

If you are still a go, then finding the right applicator for your project is critical, you will have no problem finding 10 guys who will say they can do it... but really cannot do it properly, so ask to see if the have direct reproduction of pencil stroke tattoos, if you see pictures of their tattoos and it looks good enough for you then you found your guy/gal, if not then you are the test subject... and let me tell you it is time-consuming trying to accurately reproduce quickly drawn graphite lines or ink drawings on paper, I mean 2 to 3 times longer than reproducing a similar image actually designed to be a tattoo, tattooed onto somebody.. 

Hope this helps...

 

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otisc Regular

otisc

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Original poster - also keep in mind the time commitment needed for this piece. Despite what you've seen on TV, this isn't something you are going to knock out in a day. You are probably going to spend many hours over multiple sessions, and any really great artists who aren't going to maul you aren't going to want to spend that kind of time trying to recreate your work.

You seem to know what you like. Time to hit Instagram and find some artists who already are doing stuff close to what you like. Then find one, show them your ideas to inspire them, and then let them do their thing.

There is a reason everyone in the tattoo forum dedicated to getting good tattoos is giving you one general theme of advice. We see a lot of people come in, ask for advice, get a ton of it, then do the exact opposite. Their tattoos usually come out awful. Your back is the Palm Beach of tattoo real estate -- don't mess it up!

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Sarcasm Ex-Lurker

Sarcasm

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I wouldn't get something that big for a first tattoo I believe. The art is really cool, but isn't it more sensible to start with something smaller? 

 

5 hours ago, Kracov said:

How do I delete my topic? I don't want 1,000 people saying that I shouldn't use my own art for my tattoos.

contact the mods to hide the topic 

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Rob I Contributor

Rob I

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@Kracov you clearly have a talent for art. That doesn't always translate to tattoos. 

Plus as @Charles.M articulated, you will be extremely unhappy with your tattoos if even the slightest detail is off. This is your artwork and it will be difficult to find someone to replicate it exactly and my guess is that you will find fault and flaws in details that may go unnoticed by others.  Think about that. Really think about it. Do you think you would be able to notice slight flaws if someone re-drew your artwork on paper?  Yes of course you would. Now imagine it permanently marked in your skin. 

Just trying to help. 

Btw- I like you artwork. I think it's really good. I can't draw worth shit, but i always admire those that can. It's a gift. One that few have. 

Edited by Rob I
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otisc Regular

otisc

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On 10/13/2016 at 7:20 AM, Kracov said:

How do I delete my topic? I don't want 1,000 people saying that I shouldn't use my own art for my tattoos.

You admit you are new to tattoos. You come to the forum filled with people experienced with tattoos. You ask for advice. You get advice. You don't like the advice. Now you want the advice to disappear.

This means one of two things:

1) You were never looking for advice in the first place, you just wanted to show off your art and have people tell you how great it was.

2) Cognitive dissonance.

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