Northsider

Hmmmm...I would say that it's a term in general usage. Plus, my Dad, brother & sister are Buckeyes. I'm Miami.

I guess I'm lucky in that my partner, who has two small tattoos, was totally stoked when I started my sleeve. I should add that although he was totally down with the tattoo, it's not anything goes. I wanted to stretch my ears, and he rather strenuously objected to that. After a lot of discussion, some of it tense, I agreed to forego that particular body modification. The recent tattooing has got him started on moving forward with a tattoo that he's been thinking about for about three years now.

Welcome from a fellow Ohioan! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

For 10 or so years, I was the guy who DID only get one tattoo, a small piece on my right deltoid that's covered when wearing a t-shirt. I almost forgot that I had it sometimes, especially in the colder weather. Then, over a year ago I started thinking of adding another tattoo, which thankfully lead me here. After much lurking, "adding another tattoo" became "a sleeve and chest panel." Already I'm feeling a little angsty about the huge imbalance between right and left. I'm already 99% sure that I want to match it up with another sleeve/chest panel, probably starting in the fall. Even at this early stage, I've taken to daydreaming about body suits.

Last night I was on the phone with my mother and I told her that I had started on my left arm sleeve. I only have one other tattoo and that's at least 10 years old. She sighed, then asked, "do you feel like you're getting older?". I laughed, thinking she meant mid-life crisis (I'm 48), but after reading this thread, maybe she also meant that she thought tattoos were for the young and trendy, something she thought I'd grown out of since I went so long before adding another.

I'm around the same age as you and I went through a similar pause in my planning. I was originally going to get my sleeve last fall, but just started this week. It's all good in the end. Good luck with yours! Chris

I had my first session (outlining the sleeve) yesterday. I was sure that I had made a good choice with Chris and now I'm even more sure. Great guy, great work. I've only had one tattoo before and nothing at all like this size, so I was a little apprehensive but I thought it went well. Even the worst part for me, the elbow ditch, wasn't all that bad. I also had a nice surprise. Several people on here suggested I have Mike Dorsey do the work. I didn't ignore that advice, but for various reasons it didn't work out. So I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to the shop and who was there? Mike Dorsey. Very nice guy - he stuck around while the stencil was applied and everyone looked at the placement. Anyway, here's the first result. Back in three weeks for shading.

The artist is Chris Sanders of Nightshade Ink in Cincinnati.

Hi All, I hope it's okay to revive this thread. Since I first introduced myself last September, I had a shoulder injury and surgery, followed by a good three months of healing, so I put off all of my tattoo plans. In any case, it's given me some time to think and reflect on what I really wanted for a sleeve. The good news is I've settled on a tattooer and design and we're ready to go. It's going to be a traditional Japanese dragon with cherry blossoms, seven-tenths length, and extending to a chest panel. My first appointment for outlining is this Thursday, and I'm a little apprehensive but mostly stoked about it. Even though I'm not much of a poster I've been reading the forum all the while and this group has really helped me refine my thinking and pointed me to some other resources. Thanks! Chris

Thanks for the welcome and the recommendation of Mike Dorsey. It's interesting to me that I live quite literally within walking distance of his studio, but with it being a private studio I'm not sure if I would have known about it without being here on LST.

Hello Everyone, My name is Chris and I'm a 47-year old guy with a management job. The good thing about that is I'm lucky to have the means to do what I really want, and I don't care if this is perceived as my mid-life crisis. The bad thing is I'm going to be somewhat constrained on placement, at least in the sense that I'm reluctant to go below the elbows. I've been thinking for a while about getting a full-coverage piece on my upper arm. It could be a half-sleeve but may just be on the outside and perhaps extending onto the chest. We'll see. This would be my second tattoo. My first one I got about 10 years ago, and it's kind of meh. It's on the shoulder and supposed to be a sundial but tends to read as a bow-and-arrow. It's also probably taking up too much space for what it is, as well. In hindsight, I was way too specific with the artist and I think if I had instead allowed her to do her own take on it I probably would have ended up with something better. Live and learn. I'm researching ideas and artists and my thinking is for a Japanese style tattoo that will incorporate hummingbirds. (We have a group of them that return to our vicinity every year, and feeding them and watching them is a great source of pleasure). I'm not sure yet if I'll try to cover up the previous tattoo or go to the other arm. Browsing this forum has been a great help already. I'm looking forward to participating on it. Thanks, Chris