byzantine

Awesome - thanks!

i've heard really good things about saniderm - quicker healing time, more flexible under the clothes etc. the only thing some people mention is slight allergy if you have sensitive skin. might be worth checking out this thread http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-after-care/4486-has-anyone-tried-saniderm-yet-totally-amazing-stuff.html getting my forearm tattooed in a month too so might give it a go! nice piece by the way

thanks for the tip! can't wait to go to new orleans. the voodoo museum looks so good.

would love to go there! and mainstay tattoo also

awesome- had never heard of him before - his stuff is amazing! may post some pics eventually - not feeling 100% comfortable with that at the moment ha

Hi there. I'll be heading to Boston, New York, New Orleans and Austin!

I think it's a great piece. Personally I think you should stick with the black and grey for this style. It's timeless, beautiful and will be easier to match with other tattoos in the future. Regarding adding a background, I think you could look at the work of Tamara Santibanez, Kane Trubenbacher, Spider Sinclair and Ruby Quilter for inspiration. They all create fineline black and grey work and they have work which is made up of several elements (like a back) similar to the style of yours. They also often add background detail which is very soft and beautiful. I also have a pale complexion and I have several tattoos which came out a little darker than expected and initially wasn't happy with but love them now. Yours already looks like it has softened a lot and will only soften more with time. Take care and enjoy your lovely piece.

Hello everybody I'm new to the forum, nice to meet you all! I'm a lady from the UK with a longstanding passion for tattoos. I have really enjoyed watching the artist interviews from Lost Sparrow which lead me to this forum. Hoping to share experiences, learn more about the art form and hopefully about some new artists here. I have 6 largish tattoos at the moment and really enjoy the process of getting tattooed. All my tattoos are black and grey and vary in style but my main love is traditional - especially traditional with an eccentric twist. I'm planning a US trip next year so any recommendations on traditional black and grey artists would be great!