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Thou shalt not give advice on tattoos when ye have none.

Ditto to what Devious said :) Best course of action now that you have a sketch of what you want (which I'll say as a fan of Egyptian style art is gorgeous), find an artist that can do justice to the image - done well it will look really nice, especially if you can find an artist that excels in realistic Black/Grey portraits. In a consult with the artist, they'll be able to give you a rough ballpark of the final cost, but as it depends on many factors and this will likely be relatively large (assuming you want all the detail like the figure's forearm tattoo, your tattoo will need to be fairly large. It's a great image to have a large tattoo of though, so "go big or go home" would definitely apply here!), don't expect an exact amount, but they will give you a breakdown of their/the shop's price structure and how your piece will likely fall into it. Things like time/amount of ink/one shot or multiple visits will all be factor. They'll also be able to talk more specifics about an appropriate size to balance space and detail. If you'd like to tell us a general area of where you live, the group is usually able to suggest a good artist or two. One other thing if you're new to tattoos (if not, maybe other newbies might read this) that was a surprise to me, don't be surprised if your chosen artist has a waiting list anywhere from weeks to months. Believe me, it's worth waiting a few months for a quality artist who will do a phenomenal job instead of rushing to someone who has a mediocre portfolio and the tattoo doesn't do justice to this gorgeous sketch. To be fair, you can get lucky and get straight in with someone amazing, but it's better to be ready for a wait and be pleasantly surprised to get a quick appointment. In any case, welcome! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Welcome to the forum!! The issue with cost is that it is dependent on the artist and where you live/are getting the work done. Generally, the better the artist, the more expensive the hourly rate. You want quality...so pay for quality. In terms of size, the concept of "go large or go home" might impact this tattoo. There is a lot of fine line work and detail in this tattoo. Going larger might help to highlight the detail. In any case, the first thing is to find a solid artist!

that first cold beer after a tattoo is the best one ! and............ LOL

Thanks man, it's always nice to hear that, it's not for everyone but I didn't get it to please anyone else but me :D I'm travelling Vietnam right now and get a lot of nice comments from people when I hit the beach so that's nice, locals here are big on tattoos! I think it's healed really nicely, the saniderm is the mutts nuts and worked really well for me, it's only been 2 and a bit months but it's settled down really well and I'm still happy, I'll get a photo of it later :D

@Gingerninja Here you go! Hard area of my arm to photograph, but I hope this is good enough.

Thank you for a good reply! Yeah I have been trawling quite a bit, that's for sure :P But then again I have a rather big tattoo on my back that I am not happy with. And that feeling sucks. I'm gonna get it fixed some time, so it's not the end of the world, but I guess I just want to make sure this time around. Oh yeah, rest assured pictures will be posted!

Both my tattoos were designed from source material I provided my artist. The first one I commissioned was to an artist who had a three month waiting period, it was February and I made my appointment for the end of May. I sent her a PDF at the end of Feb that I'd created with all my reference material and detailed text description of me, my history, and how it all related to the end design I was hoping for. Poor girl, it was seven pages long. Beginning of March I was sick of waiting and just wanted to get a tattoo, and pulled another idea out of my idea pile (folders on my phone and flickr and Instagram where I save anything I like that I run across) and called another local studio that I knew had all quality artists to see if anyone had any openings in the next few days. Turns out someone did, and I emailed over a few reference pictures - front desk guy did a quick consult with me on the phone and ended up giving two pics to the artist - one that's the main image of the tattoo (eye of Horus overlaying an ankh) and a vague mandala-ish sort of thing that I was hoping he could work in somehow. Turns out, I love both the designs, and extremely pleased with both. A couple of weeks before the second appointment I did email my artist and let her know I'd gotten the first one, so she could adjust for placement if needed. So the moral of this is: for your artist less reference material is just fine, as long as you just want them to work up something original based on your elements (so maybe bring the portrait, the runes, an example of a rose you like, and be prepared to discuss if there's any layout or placement preferences). If it's an artist that you admire their body of work and trust them, it really is part of the fun of getting a tattoo to be happily surprised with what your artist comes up with. If you're like me though and can't help obsessively trawling the internet when you need reference material for literally anything (tattoo, hair color, hair cut, new car, furniture, shrubs...lol) if it makes you feel better to search, that's fine, just save it all to one location and limit yourself on the printouts you bring in. If you want more places to look, Google your elements with or without "tattoo" as a restriction. Remember your artist can be inspired from anything visual, not just tattoos. Good luck, be sure to post pics! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

$1000 ...or $100 if you were going to get a car that you would be stuck driving for the rest of your life...would you just go with a used Kia or save your allowance and get a BMW ? the choice is yours.

That's so great that you love it, I know it was a complicated design, so glad your artist was able to do it well for you! Planning your next one yet? :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thou shalt not take ye self so seriously, they are just F***ing tattoos, maan.

Super dig that shark, @jnin! I was going to post in here this morning that I was off to see Jeff P. at Art Work Rebels about filling some space on my leg, but I didn't and got tattooed anyway! Forgot to snap a pic before he wrapped it all up, but keep your eyes peeled in the Lowdown tomorrow...

Got it at Ace's High West Palm. I didn't realize he was on Ink Master until after I made the first appointment. I'm in love.

I want this on my upper arm, I want it in a decent size but not too big. In black

Glad you are happy with how it turned out. That's the main thing. It is well executed to be sure. Exactly what you asked for.

WHat!!!??? No alcohol???!!! That might be enough to make me swear off tattoos!!!! NOT.

Thanks man :) is good to hear, it was painful but you soon forget how much it hurt and want more haha but I'm in no rush. After the full 5 hours I was ready to get the F*** out of there ? When I got home I wanted to sink a few cold brews but my budding tattooist roommate at the time freaked out and wouldn't let me touch any booze, she reckons it's super bad, I disagreed but went along with her advice anyway, I just couldn't win that day! Haha

Welcome to LST! We don't talk about money here, that will be best answered by whomever you choose to do the tattoo.

I have several tattoos from Scott. He is indeed very fast! When he tattooed me with that Dobleman collaboration machine I was getting my snake/roses combo (Yeah the profile pic). But I also have a girl head, a shark drinking beer (lol) and another sleeve currently in progress by him. He's too cool of a dude to not get tons of work from. I'll get to other people on my list one day, just not sure when yet! You have a killer collection btw.

I have the drawing and its better than anything I had thought up in my head, I'm booked and ready to go the first weekend of August. I've got just 7 hours booked: 2 on Saturday and 5 on Sunday everyone's telling me thats enough for a good start.

The whole lower back is so f...n' nasty. But especially the tailbone... and the area below the rib cage right above the kidneys... Got some shadings done above the crack 2 days ago. Just after that a few linings on my butt check down to my thight somehow felt kinda relaxing in comparison

Bless. He really thinks anyone gives a damn what he posts? How precious. ?

thou shall not be a dick.

Hey, I saw your finished tattoo in the other thread, and good on you for designing it and going through with the entire tattoo! Don't worry about the naysayers. It's yours to stay (of course), and it's definitely a lot better than some of those crappy flash designs that I've seen. How has it healed?

oh...and next time don't keep yourself tensed up. here's a hot tip...focus on keeping your feet completely 101% relaxed and the body will follow. Doesn't matter where you are getting tattooed. Try it !

@Freddie 3 hrs on the side of the pec / nipple / armpit / rib is F***ing savage. So I wouldn't get too hard on yourself. And judging from the tattoo you got there is a lot of lines overlay on lines and a big friggin area, so it's not like you got a break from the sharp sting of the liner by a big mag covering more surface area. OUch man. You did it! Congrats on popping the tattoo cherry. And welcome to the world of being a degenerate unemployable filthy tattooed human being (joking haha).

i'm pretty easily recognizing that as a cat head. i like that i'm seeing something a little different too btw...

I dunno, I felt like a massive pussy taking the cream but I needed to finish up, my next one i'll still go in for with no cream. Um, generally pussies are one of the toughest things I the world. They squeeze out giant, living beings. Just sayin. @Freddie (And yes, ribs suck but you did it!)

My big rib tattoo was one of my first. I will never forget that single tear that rolled down my cheek. And I felt like a god damn warrior when it was over. I've tried other non-traditional numbing methods like drinking half a bottle of nyquil, weed, tylenol. The best tried and true method is a good rest, a good meal and a strong mindset. You got it champ, good luck!

I actually find this community very negative. I used to come on a lot but definitely feel like if you don't have the "right" style or aesthetic you are not welcome