Back piece advice

[Sol James]

Hi guys. 

I’m booked in to make a start on a traditional styled back piece. Artist has told me to think about the designs I want to include, and we’ll go about mapping it all out. 

I just wondered if you guys had any advice. Meaning isn’t always important to me (although if possible, it’s a nice bonus!) but I’ve decided I want this to be family related. Was thinking a centre image of some description, then a few little things dotted around it.. 

any advice would be great! 

Cheers 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Sol James

[Hands On]

i dunno any traditional styled pieces that represent family. elephants? gorillas?

an eagle across the top comes to mind... sort of like a protector, i guess, aside from being a quintessential badass traditional subject matter.

perhaps the little things can represent different family members.

you can always run ideas by your artist as well... what does the artist like to tattoo?

[Sol James]

Yeah, that’s what I thought I’d do. Have a pretty classic central image, then have a couple of cherrubs, hearts, hand shake etc...  Maybe a mermaid for the Mrs! 

Eagle could be cool too... 

he does mostly traditional stuff. He’s quite local to me and his stuff looks very solid... 

https://instagram.com/joegareyot?igshid=1ngvz0bmsgo8k

Edited August 6, 2019 by Sol James

[SStu]

He does nice work!

Family tattoo? How about a battle royale? 🤣

[bongsau]

I think if you are going to get a backpiece tattoo you should have a clear idea of what exactly you want...my $0.02.

Edited August 7, 2019 by bongsau

[michaelandmeghammons]

On 8/7/2019 at 1:47 PM, bongsau said:

I think if you are going to get a backpiece tattoo you should have a clear idea of what exactly you want...my $0.02.

Solid advice here. I am satisfied with my chest and one arm, but my first arm was a different story. It was my first tattoo and I didn't know what I wanted. At that time I was 16, and wanted to be a certified "like my buddies." Needless to say, I've dealt with it for a long time and always regretted it. If you want something that relates to family. Think about what your family means to you. Search up others ideas online. See where it takes you and spend extra time thinking about it. But bongsau, I do think posting such question here could be potentially beneficial because all artist here have different ideas and ways of looking at things. Never know what valuable information he could get here from someone. Could be something he loves and runs with, and ends up happy with. But rushing it, and not knowing what he wants, could also be a horrible mistake as you mentioned.

[michaelandmeghammons]

On 8/6/2019 at 1:42 PM, Hands On said:

i dunno any traditional styled pieces that represent family. elephants? gorillas?

an eagle across the top comes to mind... sort of like a protector, i guess, aside from being a quintessential badass traditional subject matter.

perhaps the little things can represent different family members.

you can always run ideas by your artist as well... what does the artist like to tattoo?

I've actually seen the Eagle on several people and find it pretty common. I think that's a great idea as far as "protector" goes. 

[Oiocha]

talk about numbing cream with your artist. I never used it, never thought about using it, until i started my back.  It'll be good when you have a day that just doesnt go right and you need to get through the session. 

a small example: my artist will only use custom compounded cream and only use it on shading.  find out if your artist will allow it, if they have a specific brand they will use, if there are any other stipulations.