jamessanders

Try Club Tattoo... although I really don't know how much driving it would mean for you to go to PHX or so...

The first time I heard of rewrapping was from the guy doing my sleeves. He's probably the first or second most experienced artist who has worked on me and he's very good. He has experience working around the world and years in NY. However, when he suggested rewrapping my arm I was in shock, in fact I'm in shock every time I see saran wrap in a tattoo shop, AFAIK it is a big mistake. Although it's really not an exact science and what works for some doesn't work for others. I heard someone say that artists started using saran wrap to avoid people removing the post session dressing just to show it to friends, hence making clear saran wrap a nice compromise to keep the wound clean and allowing people to show their new ink. Either way, I don't personally like saran wrap. It makes me sweat so much. When I had my sleeves done it only took 1 1/2 hours for me to start dripping, despite the fact that my artist used some gauze and paper towels to create a barrier to suck up all the stuff that could drip. I can't imagine rewrapping my tattoos and having them soaking wet after only 2 hours and going about doing my things while I just drip all over town. Especially in the summer. TBQH my best results have been when I use nothing during the first 24 hours. I just wash and pat dry. I cover the area with shorts or a long sleeve t-shirt and sleep in those to prevent the sheets from getting stained and the thing from getting all sticky. By the second day after I wash again, I use either bepanthen or A&D. I had to learn the hard way that less is more and if you overdo it you will end up with the opposite effect you intended when it comes to the scab.

I had the themes for my sleeves figured out long before I got them, specially since they were preceded by my sun and rising signs on my shoulders and I knew from the moment I got those that I would want to develop the themes for my sleeves based on those. Unfortunately it was hard to make the tribal style work with what I wanted for the rest of the sleeve in each case and I'm still undecided about what's the next step, even if both the zodiac sign and the rest of the sleeve line work are already there. For my left sleeve my artist decided to change the style the last minute and completely change one of the elements but I went along with these changes because I like his work and it was nice. I really don't love the way he works with drawing everything the moment you show up for your appointment (being the over planner that I am), but it's how he has done it for at least 3 decades and his work is impeccable.

I've met extremely talented artists who have taught me that you can be brilliant in more than one way and opened my eyes to a whole different world I'm now a part of. One of them in particular, who I was going to partner with, did my chest and showed me a lot of things I didn't know about this world. I don't know if I will ever fulfill that idea of being in the industry professionally, but I sure learned a lot and appreciate the art and the hard work behind it more than ever.

Let's forget about the tribal and the arm sleeves for now. There's a lot that can be done with those before having to decide. Right now the most urgent is my right leg. I have this eagle (was supposed to be a more traditional American eagle but I ended up with something not so traditional yet really cool) who was done by some artist in Houston who ended up leaving his shop with no fair warning and I was unable to get him to finish it. The original idea was to have the eagle standing alone atop a cliff with a couple of lines of lyrics, but the eagle as it was didn't allow for that. This tattoo was supposed to be on my right thigh to "even things out" considering I have another stand alone tiger on my left thigh. The thing is, I now want both my legs fully covered as well. The cliff on which the eagle is standing is a very good excuse (IMHO) to become extended downward (going through the knee), basically turning the cliff top into a full blown mountain.... we've talked about adding ocean elements, whales, sharks, a lighthouse.... and extending it all the way down to my foot (which he seems to be very excited about and I think it can work). I just want to hear general opinions on how people feel this would work. The most complicated thing though is... What do to with the back of my thigh? extending the piece to my shin and calf doesn't seem to be a big deal but what to do with the back of my thigh? That's a big question. He has suggested a pelican or some other bird... but I really don't know if that would work, or even appear remotely cohesive. Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated. http://imgur.com/LukWFPL http://imgur.com/X5c9NyR

Thank you. Well, advice in general, ideas. Like the tribal stuff on my shoulders which get in the way of my full sleeves (should I go with the idea my artist has of creating a cloud and smoke around it or should I maybe laser it and replace it). One oh my thighs I started coloring this week (I don't know if I am allowed to upload pics yet) and I kind of want to make it a full leg sleeve now but the tattoo wasn't originally designed for this. The artist seems decent but I'm still not used to the different style and expressions around here so, I'm not sure if I should go with the artist's idea for the back of my thigh or my idea (along with his ideas) to extend it to my lower leg. That's the kind of advice I'm talking about. I'm sure at some point I should create separate threads for that. I'm from TX but I relocated to South America for the time being. There are good artists if you're willing to look for them.

Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself. I've been tattooed for almost 10 years now but I started getting real serious lately. I now have both sleeves in progress, a finished chest piece, a full back piece in progress, and both thighs. Obviously I'm looking to increase my coverage but I think I should finish what I've started. Most of my large area tattoos I try to plan ahead but there were some smaller pieces from a time when I didn't think I would want to be heavily covered. It has been a pain to work around those and I actually could use some advice around here. So far I've been lurking and the place seems legit. Good to meet y'all.