Devious6

I think we are beyond "starting".

@marfil98 I love that design as well - or something similar that incorporates a newer design bayonet, maybe. In my job, as much as I would like to ignore prejudices, I still have to be aware of the perceptions of others and how that affects my effectiveness (I'm a college president) so I will probably wait to do a forearm design until I retire in a few years.

@oboogie - I am totally clueless at this point...but that's normal for me. Front or back of either shoulder...inside or back of bicep....inner forearm.... side of ribs.....panther, dagger, another wolf or eagle...

Seeing people getting new pieces has been fueling my withdrawal pangs. I just can't seem to decide what I want to do. Arrgggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@Elerrina_7 Wow!!! That turned out stunning!! Congrats!!

I'm my generation, normally the only officers who sported tattoos were Mustangs who came up through the enlisted ranks. Certainly, times have changed for the generations since then but, unfortunately, some bias remains. I got my first when I was a few weeks short of 61 - a bucket list item and glad I did it. I am now president of a small college - another group that is not well known for sporting ink. I actually enjoy breaking the stereotype to encourage people to understand that who we are on the inside is the real test of who we are as people. I love my ink - regularly hire people with and without it - and look forward to my next tattoo...just not sure what/where I want to do it, yet. Be you, be confident....and love your father for who he is, not who you wish he was. Life is way too short.

Welcome to the forum - and nice work!

Welcome to the forum. How long ago was your tattoo done? Have you talked to your artist about your concerns with the result? It would help to see a picture of the entire tattoo to gain some perspective on the relative size of the various lines. The black broken lines that appear to make up the edges of the light beacon emanating from the lighthouse does seem odd to me, at least.

Sorry of you choose to leave - clearly your choice. But, I'd just suggest you look at the issue from the perspective of people here who have a long association with the board - and I am not one of them as a relative newcomer. We regularly see post from people who are "trying to get into the business" who are in reality scratchers. Then there are the Spammers who really just want to sell something or bring attention to their products or strange ideas. WHat really helps is when new members tell us about themselves - and putting in your post that you'd apprenticed in a shop but left due to personal reasons would have been tremendously better than what you did post....which even I pegged as a probable scratcher...and thus why I didn't respond to your post. COuld people have responded differently? Sure. I think they would have had you provided full info.

@Dan Awesome!! You're going to have to drink a lot of wine to complete the entire ship!!

My first was all black and gray - healed like a dream with no scabbing at all. My second has various colors and scabbed....mostly in areas with black ink. Same healing routine. Go figure? Like Dan, I'm a fan of a VERY light application of Aveno - I do morning after showering and evening before bed.

The old saying of "Time heals all wounds" seems like it was meant for tattoos. We all want them to heal instantly...but they obviously wont. Keep an eye on the infection, follow your aftercare guidance and let it heal. I look forward to seeing it in a few months!

Looks great! Welcome to the forum!!

I too would suggest you wait. You are still young enough that your family's reaction may hurt your relationship with them....and you have the rest of your life to get the tattoo. I was 61 when I got my first - for me it was the perfect point in my life.

Looks great! Welcome to the forum - it's been quite a few years but I had my heart stolen by Vienna, too. Of course, with the last name of Volk, my favorite stop was at the Volksoper.

Welcome!

Nice work - and welcome!!

Could be a bit of blowout - but way too early to tell what it will look like. A final heal takes 6 months or so depending on how your skin reacts. It's hard to tell the size of the tattoo from your pic but it looks smallish(?) Most people will never notice...but it's not unusual to stress over your first tattoo. Even if there is some light blowout, some of it may fade out. Give it time. Care for it properly and see how it heals.

Great design!!! Go for it!!

Welcome and I look forward to the photos.

I wouldn't say it is necessarily an allergic reaction - especially since you say it doesn't itch and isn't inflamed. Everyone heals differently so anything you read on sites about the "normal" healing period is just generic. I have two tattoos - each from last year and done about 6 months apart. The first was black and gray. It healed easily and fast. While it peeled, it did it quickly and without any scabbing. Then I got my second one - done with various colors. It scabbed in some places quickly while others healed easily and fast. Some of the scabs seemed to take an eternity to fall off. And, my body seemed to reject the red ink in places causing me to have to go back and have some areas redone. The point is that we all react differently and, while there are some general "norms" it's hard to compare one person's experience to another's. Those people here with lots of experience seem to have a sense of how their skin reacts and of course have less OCD-like concerns than those of us with just one or two tattoos. Relax, and let it heal. You've done major damage to your skin and it takes months to shed the outer layers of cells that were damaged in the process and allow the "new" cells to move to the surface and reveal what your art truly looks like. If you have any concerns that you might be having some type of reaction or infection, go see your artist and let him/her guide you. But, most of all, relax and enjoy your tattoo.

You are not even close to being healed. Each of us heal differently and certain areas of a tattoo may heal at different rates and ways. It may be your skin, it may be the specific type and color of ink, it may be the aftercare and if you might have spread the lotion a bit thicker in one place or another, it may be..............................................................(fill in the blank). A full heal is at least a 6 moth process and, even though every one of us wants it to be faster and be finished, our skin just takes time to heal the wound you've inflicted on it. Relax, don't over apply lotion - once or twice a day is enough because your skin needs air to heal - and enjoy it. It's just going to take some time before you'll see it in its fully healed glory!

I also stopped riding a motorcycle for the safety reasons. I was stationed out in Oklahoma when I had my bike and "Bubbas" thought it was great fun to slide up alongside me and then edge me off the road. And, there are way too many distracted drivers....and deer here in northeast PA. This was way back before cell phones in 1983.

@iowagirl Congratulations!!!! It must be extra special to be doing this with your son. I agree about Epcot - our favorite park. But, I was thrilled to see the faces of my 8 year old grand daughters light up at Magic Kingdom.

April 21-23 right here in scenic Scranton, PA. Electric City Tattoo Convention web site List of artists as of 2/28/2017