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I kinda dig the idea of some green leaves. I think it would balance it out. :)

I've definitely seen worse. I don't really trust most artists with geometric stuff like this because it's so prone to human error. Tattoos are handmade, there's always going to be mistakes. This isn't anything worth sweating over, imo. You could have someone else thicken the lines throughout the whole thing...is that really worth it though? Most people aren't going to stare as closely at your tattoo as you will, so most people probably won't even notice.

Sometimes they don't turn out how we plan it out and sometimes we set the expectation very high for how we want that tattoo to look. But I think you're tattoo turned out very nice. Simple and readable. You could add some green in the leaves and re-colour in the lily to make the design look a bit more finished. Or pepper some black/shading/smoke to increase the contrast and make it look less like a sticker. Re-working a tattoo always carries risk of making it worse. Talk to your tattooer, most will be happy to help you go from :\ to :) "The tattoo is done now" - I'd leave it, accept and live with it, enjoy it for what it is. Use the experience to inform your next tattoo.

The lines are far from perfect but it's not the end of the world. Part of the issue is the design is very open and straightforward which doesn't easily hide imperfections. You could colour it in? I'd just leave it... Give it a few weeks to settle under the skin and get used to the imperfections. All tattoos have them. I have a bird with one leg. Oops! It's in the skin now. This is part of the risk of every tattoo you make on the body. Not just the design but who you select to make it for you. What are you going to do? Walk into the shop and tell him he's an idiot that can't pull a straight line? Not sure what you'd expect to gain from that aside from some return-fire insults and a kick in the ass out the door. Just don't go back for another tattoo from the same person.

I know this thread is super old, but I wanted to post a rant about my experience but didn't want to make a new thread for it. I just got one forearm tattoo about a month ago now. I have a few on my upper arms that peek out from short sleeves sometimes, so it really isn't that huge of a jump when you think about it. But in my mind, it still felt huge. I knew I was ready for the jump to visible tattoos for probably about a year now and had been thinking about what to get for most of that time. For the first few days after getting it, it was pretty jarring. It was weird having a tattoo that I could see all the time (I kind of have to look around for my other ones, sometimes I forget I have certain ones!) and I felt like it stuck out like a sore thumb. I was really worried I made a mistake and that I would never adjust. I was less worried (but still a little) about the judgments that people would make. It's much harder to hide the fact that I'm tattooed now, were people going to have more negative things to say...? Actually, I've gotten nothing but compliments. A lot of compliments. From co-workers, friends, strangers, other artists...most of these people don't even usually like traditional designs. I'm sure some people do silently judge me (although how can you hate a patriotic lady tattoo?) but I'm hearing overwhelming praise for it. In time, I got used to seeing it and it's starting to settle in and look more it belongs there. It's now maybe my favorite tattoo on myself and I can't believe I was so worried about it. As far as jobs go, I work in a field where no one really cares what you look like (social work) and plan on eventually moving into an artistic field where it'll matter even less. So to answer the initial question...yes, this seemed like the BIGGEST deal at the time, but it ended up being a non issue in every aspect of my life. I'm really surprised at the warm reception this piece has gotten. Like all my tattoos, it ultimately makes me feel better about myself and I love seeing it all the time, so it was more than worth it for me personally to "pay the price" of being a more obviously tattooed person. Hell, part of me even enjoys the extra attention a little lol.

Thank you all, I really appreciate your replies and your thoughts. I'm going to give myself plenty of time, both for the tattoo to heal and for me to hopefully come to love & accept it. I definitely won't be doing anything to it before the summer as I'm going to New York in July and want it completely healed by then. If, by the time I get home I'm still not happy I'll look into what could be done. Thank you again.

Yep, that's a blowout. It might fade slightly when it heals and I assume you're getting it colored anyway, so I don't think it's exactly a disaster. I have blowouts. It happens sometimes.

I think I go through a stage like this with all my tattoos. It's something new that you're going to see forever and that takes some adjusting. I think you could definitely add some more flowers in the empty spaces and/or have them re-colored. I think I saw you mention somewhere else you weren't sure about the pink and purple flowers? Maybe try making those darker? Just sit on it for a while and see if it grows on you though, all of mine eventually did.

I like it. Close enough, and trying to "fix" it could easily make it even less even.

I think that some color would make those imperfections a non-issue. You're seeing them because there isn't anything else to catch you're eye.... My first tattoo was very much like that. I went to have it fixed years later by another artist and he redid the lines and once he added color you really don't dwell on those little things.

yep,this is the thing,blow-out can happen to anybody anywhere by any artist. I have some too.

Thank you guys. Yeah it's not good, some tattooists shouldn't be allowed to practice ? Van blow outs fade over time? Can anyone recommend anything to help the ink dispurse?

Not even close to realistic, but it's a well done tattoo in a nice style so maybe you'd end up liking it. I would even start adding some traditional birds near the flowers :)

I agree ^^. I can't offer any other advice but am sorry you are going through this.

Jesus. That looks bad. I am so sorry this happened to you.

Alicia, I have been there. In my case, one of mine was poorly done (not by my regular artist), but it was smaller, and it was a bit spur of the moment. I think it would have been worse if I had been looking forward to it like you were. Maybe you can get it recolored/retouched/reworked? I don't know. In the end, I just had my regular artist completely rework it, and now I love it. Just let it heal and give it some thought. You aren't stuck with it exactly as it is. Things can be done to change it and improve it.

Achilles-Spider, El Monga, 2014. Photo taken (awkwardly) today.

Sometimes you have to go with the flow...even when you're the College President. My 2d favorite day of the academic year - Honors Convocation.

Done by Bob Roberts at Spotlight Tattoo...

First vivid hair color yesterday. Still doing doubletakes when I see a mirror :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just put a circle around it and add "Motley Crue"....then you're golden.

Pentagrams are cool. Keep it. If you want to get rid later, laser will probably work or there's always option to cover.

Bad news - I'm 54 and they still treat me like that. I love my mother and sister but when it comes to my tattoos then can A) like them or B) shut the fuck up about it. Unfortunately, they pick option C, which is to NOT like them and NOT shut the fuck up about it. :-)

David Flores post got me thinking. I know we're talking relationships in regards to SOs, but my family relationships around tattoos have always been more conflicted. Both of my younger sisters were tattooed before I was and none of their tattoos (save for the sugar skull the oldest got here in town from Ezra Haidet at Triple Crown through me) were done in great shops. The cherry on top though was when I opened Facebook one day and saw pics of my sister and brother in law getting tattooed in my Mom's KITCHEN by some "tattooer" friend of the older sister. My brother in law was about to ship out to Afghanistan and wanted something before he left, so my sister arranged this 'tatt party' at my Mom's. The fact that my parents who have given me so much shit about my choices allowed this to go down in their house reinforced my opinion that they just don't like me very much as a person. Familia es familia, but I got to say, it's pretty frustrating when the stuff I say about tattoo quality and sterility falls on deaf ears. Luckily, my son's being patient and he'll get his first real tattoo in a real shop in November