Hands On

some good points made on this thread already. i agree that you definitely should not cover it up or get it removed. love it and use it as a sign post for all the future growth and learning. it's a cute fox, but there are lessons to be learned. your tattooer, as an artist with a client relatively new to tattooing, should have provided more direction and suggestion. however, as an evolving client, you get to learn from this one. in the future, i would: - turn the fox around, so it's facing forward with your body - shrink it about 15-20% so it doesn't wrap around as much. some (lazy) artists might not care enough to go thru the extra work, but the artist and client would both be happier in the end. there may be artists out there who think of it as a business and just want to get you in and out of the door as quickly as possible so they can work on other things or the next client or the next drawing that they're really into. perhaps they don't take as much time as they should with each client. once they stencil is placed on, they just hope you're happy with it so they can get the ink in and get paid. it's up to the client to say... "nah. let's move it" or "can we make it smaller?" sometimes this can be a pain in the ass to the artist if you do it too much*. but in the end, you have to be happy with the outcome and stencil placement is about the last time you can make those decisions. *in this case, your artist would have had to wipe the stencil, shrink the image, confirm the size, make a new stencil facing the other way, and re-place the stencil. that isn't a big deal at all. but at each of these steps, the artist should be asking if it's all good and you, as the client, have an opportunity to speak up. if you want to read up on some things LSTers have learned on their journeys, check out this tread: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/6025-cool-stuff-youve-learned-gotten-into-etc-thanks-getting-tattooed.html even after all this advice that you asked for, you might still want to get it covered. consider that it might be a bit difficult to cover and the tattooer will have to go much bigger to do so. if they don't do a solid job of covering it, you might still see bits of this cute little fox reminding you of all these lessons anyways. surround it with great tattoos and use these lessons to empower yourself.

just get bigger work in Australia! :D

did you or your friend get it tattooed? we'd love to see a pic, if you're willing to share. and who was the artist?

congrats @beez! I try to find any reason to get a celebratory tattoo. ;) we're trained to high five since we're toddlers so it's almost built into our systems! if you put up a hand for a high five, i think 95% of the people in this world will give it to you without even realizing what they're doing. it's awesome!! i'd still like to bring back the high ten... but if you approach someone with a high ten, you often get confused reactions until you actually say the words "high ten!" how can we improve this high ten stigma?! i think the % might be a bit higher with volleyball players. maybe i'll just start with my dog and see where it goes from there.

welcome!

FULL BODY!! not too many clients commit this way and not too many artists get the opportunity, but i'm sure those that do love it. back full front -- chest -- stomach sides. you can go huge... from under your armpit to your foot, but i think most split it up to these other big piece spots: -- rib piece -- side thigh piece -- side calf piece shin back of thigh top of thigh it all depends on you! all of the pieces you mentioned can be as small as a Ben Grillo dime piece or as big as a full back.

welcome! sounds like you've been tattooed relatively recently. we'd love to see pics, if you're willing to share. this would definitely help in the realm of advice. one great thing about getting tattooed that it ends up being all your own. you'll find that you get all sorts of advice, good and bad, and it's up to you to sort thru it and choose who you want to put what where. looking forward to seeing your collection come together!

i know this for sure. @MMtexas is still getting to know us. show us a picture, when it's done!!

@MMtexas ... find a new symbol. also, the tattooer will probably re-draw your image and it will likely exceed your friend's expectations. everyone else... be nice!

I was wearing this hat at a restaurant in Portland and the waiter knowingly asked, "Japanese maple?" as he gestured towards the hat. I smiled and replied, "good eye. one of my favorite tress!" takes one to know one. the hat also happens to match my arm.

no problem. that thread started with stares but jumps around to a bunch of different topics, of course going back to stares often since that's the thread title. heavily tattooed folks know that stares are a part of the everyday experience, but there are also some great non-stare everyday experiences in that thread as well... for instance, @Jack wrote "I met a chick once who asked if she could lick my tattoos. After brief consideration I obviously consented." if this doesn't make you want to skim thru an old thread, i don't know what will. ;)

here's a related thread with a bunch of experiences and advice... http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-advice/2564-how-do-you-react-stares.html

i know this story all too well! i was able to convince my wife that Ed is one of the rare artists of this day and age whose work will appreciate over time. luckily she's a fan of antique road show! "imagine our great great grand kids bringing this to some art historian someday in a couple hundred years and blowing them away! 'this is an original Hardy lithograph from the 20th century!'" currently hurts the wallet but strengthens the soul.

i think social security starts at 65 here in the states. but a quick google search found this link: 50 Is the New 65 for Earning 'Senior' Discounts

a buddy of mine shared this short little documentary with me. pretty good stuff.

chad went off... Hand-Painted Prints by Chad Koeplinger | Raking Light Projects

monkey morph! done!! i only have four monkeys on me... 3 wise ones together and one separate smoking a pipe. no matter what you decide, it's gonna be badass. simple as that!

every artist is different and can probably stand different levels of inquisition before they figure out you're micro-managy head case. ;) per the prior comment, the artist's vaccination status doesn't really impact the sterilization methods since they're not the ones with open wounds bleeding all over the place. you might have to look at all the records of their past clients! what you should realize is that they are (or should be) just as concerned with cross contamination as you because they have to deal with bloody clients all day long. go to a reputable shop or reputable artist and relax. your list could drive yourself crazy, let alone the artist. i kinda want to help with the crazy list... - mop schedule/log (signed and dated) - mopping cleaning agent ingredients - mopping cleaning agent expiration date - last time you changed the mop - last time you cleaned the mop bucket - pH of the water used to mop - pH of green soap mixture - green soap expiration date - vaseline expiration date - calibration records of autoclave - lot number and expiration of vaccination - lot number of needle used for vaccination - vaccination records of last 5 sexual partners

Greg's got photos of the space, a vivid imagination, and an understanding of what you might be into. Seems like he also has your trust... just tell him to make up something badass! I'm sure if he runs 2-3 ideas by you, one of them will stick.

left - waves and maples by Jill Bonny right - stank skull by Gary Koblis when he was in SJ. i actually got the anchor (Jilly Bonny) and mini tiger (Chad K) before, so the skull was the weird filler. the smoking monkey is by Sean Baltzell, done at Liberty Tattoo in Seattle at their 12/12/12 party. i kinda wanted to, but strayed away from getting a shunga kakushibori. glad i did, because every once in a while i'm wearing a tee and i stretch or yawn and see people take peeks at my arms... i could imagine saucer sized eyes if a coworker or family member caught a glimpse of that.

i hear a mom's voice saying "sit up straight!" maybe it's not a bad thing! good posture and well moisturized skin aren't bad byproducts of getting tattooed!! i'm currently typing this with perfect posture! i should start walking around with a copy of Grime's Iron Will on my head.

it should be fine and you shouldn't mess anything up... but that's just my take. if you live nearby the shop and you're concerned, you should drop by and ask your artist or anyone available there to make sure it's all good. if some parts of your tattoo are healed, the artist may just avoid the areas that aren't healed and work where he or she can.

the artist may need to take a tracing for sizing, so make sure the part where you're getting tattooed is accessible... e.g... if it's on your leg calf, don't wear tight pants that you can't pull up. know your schedule or have it available, so you for sure have the appointment open. get there on time. there's not much to it... depending of the complexity of the design. consults can go pretty quick... here's the space, here's the references, here's the deposit, here's the appointment card... see you then!

When I was young, my mom used to always sing while she curled her hair in the morning. Que Sera Sera was one of her go to songs and it stuck in my memory... now it's stuck in my leg. The Sly and the Family Stone version is way more my style than Doris Day though... https://youtu.be/v7G5MIpFui4 Tattoo is by Jill Bonny. It's not a portrait or likeness of my mom... i just asked for a gypsy with a bandana, curly hair, roses, the song title and let her do her thing.

when is the trip gonna be? the State of Grace Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts is right near the San Francisco airport at the SFO Hyatt Regency, if you're here near the end of Oct. It's usually the 2nd to last weekend and always a world class lineup.