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My first freehand tattoo - a big ol freaky blackwork peony by Dani Liberal, guesting at speakeasy Chicago. I basically let him do whatever and I love it but am a little freaked by how big it is, haha.

Agree with @Synesthesia 100%. Talk to your artist about planning out your pieces. And Matthew Houston's work is so beautiful!

@SStu I feel you; I've been averaging about a month and a half for my backpiece sessions and I'm dying for each one to come around.

It doesn't look infected, it just looks like whoever did it dug in really deep. The raised part isn't peeling skin but appears to be trauma from underneath. Nothing you can do about it but wait, I suspect.

Got a good start on my arm piece this last weekend.

so entries are open for the UNOFFICIAL June 2017 tattoo of the month contest, for June it's "rose" tattoos, please post entries in this thread ,be sure to include artist name. I will make another poll thread around the 20th or so of the month to vote in, let's keep this alive,IMO it's fun. post your entries through the 20th. I will post a "Poll" on the 21st to start the voting.

a = not as long as the tattoo is huge. that's a lot of image, and for any detail at all - it's going to have to be massive. b = your complete back or torso c = you're friends sound homophobic. or redneck. last trick is going to find the right artist, otherwise you are going to end up wanting to hide it.

But you are soooo close! C'mon...let's hang! @suburbanxcore

I doubt I'll make it this year, but we'll see.

Yep. Treat it like normal skin at this stage.

It looks to me that you might be over moisturizing it. Remember that you are healing an open wound - it needs to be both clean and also able to get air to heal. A little moisturizer goes a long way. For me, I prefer Aveeno but that's just my preference. You should be able to use sun screen and Aloe Vera...but I really think you need to let it dry out.

@SStu Balance is so elusive. I'm rocking only an outline on my left thigh (hip to knee) until August! Being a WIP is just like life, I suppose. Enjoy your destination wedding. Sounds like fun!

I had finally achieved a measure of balance until I started my side-piece last month. Now I'm left heavy and starting to wonder what to do with the right side . . . We didn't finish the left side Monday like we had hoped, and I've got a destination beach wedding/vacation to attend in early July, so I couldn't schedule my 3rd and last side-piece session until early August. It's close, but poop.

Cool! It's a great hang. @oboogie And there's a place for breakfast that's SO DELICIOUS!

On Saturday, I have an appointment to finish my hare/dragon kite! Then I'll be down to only one unfinished piece on my body. I feel so unbalanced. Isn't funny how something so unimportant in the grand scheme of things can mess with your head?

2 months? post a picture.

I got a couple of little traditional flowers tonight. Got a few touch-ups, too. Started planning my forearm to finish out my right arm. Excited!

It's a bendy place with thin skin. I personally wouldn't put something as structured as text in that spot, but yours is NOT bad. It will spread out over time to some extent. Don't freak out. That's just what tattoos do. I don't have any perfect tattoos if you REALLY zoom in on them, but only very very rarely is anyone that close to my tattooed skin. The best way to distract the eye is more tattoos :)

The OP assumes that we are comfortable with the fact that both he and his tattooist have all the experience that they need. All those jokers who get shitty tattoos on Inkmaster felt the same way, too - but hey, we've got no ethics.

The pictured leg has more negative space than your design does. They really look like separate tattoos that have been tied together with filler. Also, in the traditional style, people tend to get one or two tattoos and then build off of that with whatever negative space they're left with. Example: "I have this triangular shape in between these two tattoos, maybe I could fill it with a tiger head." I would say get one of the designs somewhere on your arm and then build it from there. It's more fun that way. If you do insist on planning a sleeve out, then go to an artist to help you plan out what should go where, because the composition of this doesn't work.

Miah Waska from early 2014...it's mellowed so beautifully! (Pardon the mange, It was fresh!)

Got this one from Heather Bailey at Black Heart last year. This is her photo right after it happened.

I applaud the initiative, @Dan! Here's a little filler rose I got from Tim Hendricks at last years London Convention.