sprouler

Have you found a tattooer you want to do the tattoo? If yes, you should take the idea to them, schedule an appointment, and have them draw something up for you. If no, you should look for a tattooer in your area who has a style you want to see your tattoo done in. You can do this by either dropping in to shops around you or looking on instagram or facebook or whatever. Find someone who has a style you like so you don't have to worry about the design.

I have a slightly different opinion than previous posters. I personally am very fond of large, busy works. It looks very mural-ish to me, and I think it can look very cool. However, I would still recommend taking your art to a tattooer with a similar style (Robert Borbas in Budapest comes to mind, although your style is a bit more simplistic than his) and have them re-draw it to fit your body better. That's an important part of a large scale tattoo that the new collector often overlooks: the shape of the body beneath the tattoo can wreak havoc with the composition of the tattoo and the composition of the tattoo can make the body look strange and misshapen. Ultimately you should end up doing what you want to do and not something you feel pressured into, but researching your artists before going through with this is going to work out in your favor tremendously.

I'm not really sure what all's going on here, but I do know that Sonju is a solid dude. So +1 on that, I guess.

It's not just a UK thing, it's a Washington and LA thing as well. It's a very peculiar concept to me that so many people treat tattoos as a fashion accessory; the "I like this tattoo where they have it, and I want it just like that on me" (ignoring that this person is very possibly built and proportioned very differently than they are. It's fine, not really offensive, and not really my problem; it just seems a bit like they're forgetting that this isn't the must-have phone that they can just trade in after a better one comes out.

An ex of mine referred to some Korean folk as being "oriental," to which my friend said "you know they're not spice traders, right?"

Man, Dobelman does some awesome stuff. His color palette alone is rad edit - back on topic, definitely stick with the griffin sans dates or any other "afterthought" ideas. The manticore idea would be slick if you were trying to cover your whole leg. If not, griffin and manticore on opposing calves (calfs?) would be really solid.

Personally I prefer to dry-heal everything if I can. However, since moving to Washington from California I've found that there's something with the air that keeps me from dry-healing well. Or maybe I'm just getting old.

I feel like I only rarely ever see tattoos that take a woman's breasts into consideration. I would really like to see more chest pieces that go down onto and encompass the breast; how often do you see pictures of a woman with two large holes in whatever tattoo is covering the rest of her torso? However, that being said, I don't have any bright ideas for how to incorporate them into the design.

Even if you're trying to help your wife, it isn't really going to be welcomed by anyone because you're not involved in tattooing. And no, getting a lot of tattoos and hanging out at shops doesn't mean you're involved. It makes you as involved in tattooing as it makes someone who hangs out at comic book stores an artist. Yes, there's propensity for the change to happen, but it isn't an automatic in. If you really, truly, honestly want to learn you need to ask people in person. There are far, far too many nuances to be explained in a single book or DVD.

Do it! Get a big ol' fat wizard flipping the bird so that everyone will know how siked you are on your tummy and how little you care what they think. Or something else that maybe you want to get, but whatever.

I think it largely depends on the tattoo's composition. For that Delalande I definitely think that was the right choice. If the nipple fits organically into the art, then leave the nipple out of it. If the nipple is just leaving a weird gap in the tattoo, I'm of the opinion that it should be cast into oblivion beneath the tattoo. But, that's my personal preference.

A lot of the issues stated here seem to be caused by that joint problem area of "assumptions" and "communication breakdown." I always always always talk to my clients before we sit down about what their budget is. To be fair, I don't have a big name or a reputation that precedes me (to the best of my knowledge) like some folks do. However, I still like to have that talk beforehand to forego any hurt feelings at the end. I don't think it's terribly unreasonable for someone on the other end of the transaction to initiate that conversation either. In tattooing as in most things, I've found that thorough communication almost always spares uncomfortable situations and hurt feelers. In this specific instance, I would let it go. If you're really upset about it (which it doesn't sound like you are) then I would bring it up if you plan on going back to them again before you sit down, but only if you can think of a tactful way to bring it up. A friend of mine would frequently get tattooed by a Big Name in California, and the last time he got his back worked on was charged for four hours work, but about an hour and a half of that was purportedly taken up with smoke breaks, a consultation, and a personal phone call. When he brought that up to him during the next session things didn't go so smoothly and he was recommended to have someone else finish his back if he didn't like the way things were. Now, that is an isolated and second-hand incident, but it's the best example I have of the worst-case-scenario.

I was really surprised the first time I got that, but then thinking back to all the old issues of tattoo magazines form the 90's and early 2000's...

Oh for sure. The happenstance of tattooing is one of my favorite parts of it. Even if you do end up goofing and going to someone you're not super extra pleased with it, don't beat yourself up over it. Ultimately they're just tattoos and you can always get more down the line.

Oh, I totally get it. I'd wanted a lot of tattoos from a pretty young age so my first one went from wrist to elbow. Good on you for taking the plunge!

Howdy folks! I posted here before awhile back but forgot my username and which email I used. So, here I am again. Thank you for having me. edit - sorry! I forgot the important parts. I am a tattooer in Tacoma, Washington. I'm not the best by any means, but I'm always hungry for learning. I get by.