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It's your arm. It won't be straight when you move your arm. It looks fine.

Thank you I'm glad to join! And thanks for the feedback I was feeling kinda scared and paranoid about it and felt like it was croooked

I do, I received some instructions on how to take care or it. Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks guys I'll do some research and give some places a call :D

That's going to be incredibly difficult to pull off both in style and placement. Your arm isn't that big and chances are it could look like a big dark blob after a few years. Dig deep into your head to find out what about the image resonates with you. Try to simplify. I think that you already know that not every piece of art can be translated into a tattoo. :) I'm not an expert on realism but that would take someone like Nikko Hurtado to even get close.

Hi, welcome. That's part of the nature of tattoos - they look one way when put on, but as the body moves, the image changes. Not to worry though, it'll always straighten back out.

Hi there and welcome! AFAIK it's rather unusual to see a design in advance. Depends on the artist though, I guess it's worth asking if they'd do it for money. But, isn't the whole point of checking out shops and artists' portfolios to find out who you'd really want the tattoo from? As in, trust them enough that it'll be great? Which also defies the point of asking someone else from the shop to do it because you don't want to wait. Just because they work in the same shop doesn't mean they are equally good or have similar styles...there are of course always things that most decent tattooist can do. But those don't usually need too much of advance design work anyway... What's the hurry? The tattoo is for life, if you think you've found the right tattoo artist, just enjoy the wait. Look at it like waiting for xmas as a child ;-) Good luck!

Around the 12-hour mark and I'm liking the way my Japanese-American-Japanese backpiece is coming together. I seem to have fallen into a steady-ish rhythm re: the sessions. Beforehand: A bowl of ramen and gyoza beneath Tokyo Station and then the ride to InkRat, Koenji. The studio's kickarse blues tunes to get through the session. (Work has been so hectic recently that I've actually grown to look forward to these sessions and the lack of need to do anything for a solid three hours.) A can of IPA on the train home, undress the wrap, a hot-then-cold shower and air-dry with a glass of Penderyn. Finally some after-care cream and to bed in a shirt stained multi-coloured from past tattoos. Will post an update as the colours come in... tj

I just got my first tattoo done 3 weeks ago. It's a memorial tattoo for my dad who passed back in August. It was done by Ashlie Layne at Cherry Street Ink in Macon, GA (@ashlietattoos on instagram). I am very happy with the shop, and love Ashlie. Her style is awesome - killer script work and detail. That's why I chose her - the zipper is a huge focal point for the tattoo and very important, and it is highly detailed, so I definitely wanted it to be done right. This is it freshly finished: And this is the idea I have been working on to add to it:

It started with an old piece of Huck Spaulding flash from the 70's. Where it ends up is yet to be determined.