zetroc

Shrouded and hooded figures can look really cool when done well. Take a look around your area (where are you located, anyway?) and see if you can find a tattoo artist who does work in a similar style. And welcome to the forum.

Vaccinations should not be a problem at all.

Time depends on a combination of factors like how fast the artist works, how well you sit and how big the design is. If you're trying to guess how much money to bring, maybe your artist can give you a ballpark estimate (and always bring more than you think you'll need.)

Hi, welcome. One week is not enough time to know how a tattoo will look once it has healed. Give it at least 3 more weeks and then see what it looks like (and 3-6 months will really tell you.)

I don't have any appointments (yet...) but will be there.

Welcome! Really dig the tattoos you posted, they are pretty killer. Gonna have to see photos of whatever you get from Holly, too. Idle Hand is a great shop.

Something like this is going to have to be pretty big, like most of the upper arm and wrapping a bit. It's not going to be a 6-8" tattoo unless you simplify it a great deal. The price is going to depend on many factors, like how fast your artist is, and their hourly shop rate. P.S.: Stargate is a fun movie. James Spader was great in it.

Hi, welcome. I wouldn't include the thigh in my "list of most painful spots" unless it's the inside, higher up. The outside of the thigh is not that bad. I'd say the shoulder is a little easier but it'll probably come down to how gentle or not your artist is. What are you getting?

Got an appointment for late August to start something with Kahlil at Tattoo City. I am very excited.

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.

I like it. The good thing about choosing a dead celebrity for a portrait is that it's much harder for them to embarrass you later. For a panoramic piece like this I'd also say it'd be best on your chest or back. It'll be framed better and won't have to wrap like a thigh piece would. Your friends who called a thigh tattoo on a man "gay" are homophobes who don't get it. Let us know what you end up doing.

Roxx at 2Spirit in LA does some really big open-but-full-body stuff that's really cool but it's more geometric and abstract than your example.

Here's a pro tip for the road. Don't use "tattoo design" websites to design tattoos. Use the person's hard-won skills and artistic talents, since you're paying them anyway. Otherwise you might as well tape a printout to your arm. Another pro tip: if you ask for advice, don't attack the people who give it. That's more of a life lesson.

Let the tattoo artist draw it up. You might have to lose a few elements but it will work better as a tattoo.

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

Get them individually, one at a time.

Yeah, I like it the way it is. Adding to an existing design can be tricky as the newer elements usually have a "tacked-on" feel - if you know there's a connection to your dad, that's really all you need.

Is that the panther head fountain made of volcanic rock? I AM SO JEALOUS.

Yeah, that's definitely one for the experts. Make sure you get to ask your doctor, and hopefully your artist is familiar with the subject and can advise you further.

Both of the Lost Love books are really neat. The first book focuses on images up to the 1960s, while the second book adds images from the 1970s through the 1980s. Both books are a mix of flash sheets, newspaper articles, photos of peoples' tattoos, and tattoo-related artifacts like acetate stencils and business cards. It's really neat to see that while some images have fallen out of style, others have endured and are still being tattooed today just like they were decades ago. I don't think it would necessarily be bad to buy your friend Book 2 ahead of Book 1, since there isn't a narrative to get confused by - they're both simply collections of images.

Hey welcome! That tattoo looks great! "Ink" is one of those slang terms that is widely used to describe tattoos... outside the industry. You see it used on TV a lot, and by people who are tattoo novices (not shaming!) but it isn't used that much in actual tattooing circles, except as kind of a joke. I really like your panda. Who's the artist?

I have both of the Lost Love books and they're great ways to learn some of tattooing's long and varied history. They're also really nicely put together. I'd also recommend the books put out by Isaac Starr and LLL Books (The Rose Book, The Skull Book, The Girl Book, and The Cat Book) since each has a different lineup of artists and you get to see a lot of different styles.

Second the panther.

Greg kills it every time! I have no idea how someone can be so incredibly talented. In 20 years he's going to be a living legend.

Love that one! It really exemplifies his style. Someday I'll get back to Philly.