JAllen

I saw Robert Fisher play solo more years ago than I care to think about because it makes me feel old (I would guess around 2005?) and he has one hell of a voice. Really good performer and a nice guy from what I recall.

Black can cover red.
Black it all in. Have a large solid black star. A year or so down the line, don't ask anyone what you can cover a black star with. Live with the solid black star the same as the 1000s of people who also didn't take my, or other tattooers advice. They probably have very happy lives right now.
Just because you're convinced that it can be fixed, that doesn't mean the resulting fix-job will look better than what you have.
I'd love to be a dick because this thread is 6 PAGES deep already but I won't. For future reference I'll just say:
As a rule of thumb, any coverup needs to be AT LEAST twice the size of the original tattoo. Meaning, a slightly smaller than palm-size tattoo would need at least a hand-sized tattoo to cover it if the original were light or open enough. In the case of dense geometric designs (ie: stars) you may need to go much larger. To cover what you have, you would need to get a full sleeve. Not an arm filled with tattoos, a full sleeve. Executed by someone who is competent with coverups. - Ask to see healed photos.
Or just get that bit of black thickened and swap one kind of wonky for another. Either way, life goes on.
Here's more arrogant words from someone who's just another stranger hammering at a keyboard:
Stubbornness is one of the greatest enemies of cover-ups and fixing tattoos.

Thanks again to all of you for the kind and thoughtful posts, words can't express my appreciation and gratitude :D
Regarding the topic, after browsing a recent thread started by a noob, I"m reminded that there's always exceptions and some people need to be told something with out that sugar coat ;)

If everyone here, including several well-rounded tattooers, are giving you the same advice worded slightly differently each time I would have say that the answers are not going to get much different.
Telling people that they are wasting their time and effort trying to give you sound advice in a thread asking for advice just because it's not what you want to hear is kind of a dick move.
All in all, the BEST advice here is to go into a shop whether it's this artist or a different one, and go with them. We have given you some ideas and advice and that was the point of your thread. Take it from here and seek out a consultation in person with an artist.

You just had David Flores and Stewart Robson (tattooers) and several folks who have varying amounts of coverage and tattoo-getting (that's a word, right?) experience give you great advice. I get your frustration, I'm a perfectionist too, but such is life - nothing is perfect, we can take the experience we've had, learn from it and move on with the lessons learned such that the same mistakes do not happen again.
Go get another tattoo, take your mind/focus off of this one for a bit.

It's not unusual for a professional to charge for advice and opinions. Especially if that advice can save you money or make your life more pleasant in the long run. Quotes for various jobs are often free when they lead to more, higher paying work. Many professions are purely advice based too.
Leave it alone. An extra-thick black arm to the star does not make it look better. If you're planning on getting more tattoos near it, if they are of a high quality, eventually you won't notice the wonky star.

^Like the above said, ask your tattooer about fixing it, for sure.
Also, as far as other people's suggestions to "get more tattoos". That's pretty solid advice. In the event that your tattooer can't fix it, and you don't want to go through laser treatments and cover-ups, adding more tattoos around it can help a lot.
A regular poster on here @TrixieFaux I believe has a similar tattoo and added around it rather than covered it up and it's a good example of how well crowding out a less-desirable tattoo works.

*Hugs*

Don't know who the Cheyenne Randall guy is who runs it, but nice stuff.
☜Shopped Tattoos☞

It's amazing how far this will get you in life in general.

Keepcalm, it's entirely possible you won't be a lucky as to have an artist or situation where you feel you don't need some input. Like above people said, personally I have never changed a design simply because I approached them for their style.
99% of most clients are not like that. That's a special breed. Ok maybe 97%.
I have been stuck redrawing something a bit too many times and it does get aggravating in some cases. It happens but thankfully not often. It's kind if part if the deal; we try to make you what you want, with the exception of professional judgement calls of technical aspects such as design structure. But if it's as simple as "I'm not sure I like the way those wings look, it's too ____ for me" then it's part of the job to try to make it more appealing to you, without the ego of "this is what I wanted to do so that I can get a picture of it.". I would rather re-draw the wings and make you happy than have you go to a different shop later and say "this isn't what I wanted".
The other day I drew up a bird and roses and banner for someone brought in some shitty JPEG that they liked. I took down what they wanted, made an appointment, and then spend some time making a drawing for that tattoo. When he came in for a follow-up before the actual tattoo he looked at it and I could tell something bothered him. Apparently the bird I used (thanks Jerry) wasn't to his liking, he wanted it closer to the lame one on the JPEG. To me it looked rad because it was a classic looking bird. To him he just wanted a different style, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just a matter of personal taste. I was a little bummed, but I gave him the kind of bird he wanted. And he left super happy. Which means he'll be coming back and bring his friends and maybe one of them want the 'cooler' bird.
Don't be scared to speak up. You live with this tattoo until you're dead. I will see that tattoo maybe once in my life at the most. You should be comfortable with what you wear, I often hear that they didn't want what the artist wanted to do. Well if you don't speak up then it's not our fault!
Be assertive and make sure that if you don't like it then don't get it.
Edit; Siri made all kind of blunders here, Apologies for odd sentence structure or the use of wrong words.

That makes a little more sense, it was a coverup and trying to freehand a star, I honestly was just at the park with my son thinking no one would try to free hand a nautical star, that would be ridiculous. That makes things kind of complicated for sure. The argument could be made that she did the best she could or something of that nature. As far as forfeiting the $650 deposit, situations like this are the reason you don't leave $650 tattoo deposits, it's just not a good idea, but it sounds everything is on the up and up and your other tattoos should turn out fine. Worst case you are just going to have to get a bunch of tatoos around it so it blends in.

There's too much to type to explain the confusion over the mythology. Its not about tattooing being a subculture. Its about the various subcultures that get tattoos. You've had military, hot rod/kustom culture, bikers, punkers, greasers, juggalos, skinheads, thugs, etc.
Now that includes people who are just interested in tattoos as being the common thing. Usually in the other social groups or subcultures, you can see a trend of common interests. So now I think people are overly trying to impose ideas on other groups because of their own internal struggle to find a common interest across the board with other tattooed folks in a different social class or subculture. Even when there is overlap or other common interests among like minded individuals, it doesn't and shouldn't dictate an assimilation of all thoughts.
Someone who just wants a mark on their body won't share the same concern or interest as someone who wants a full body suit so they may not want to pay a reasonable price or an expensive price to just satisfy their desire. Educate the people who genuinely want to know. Let folks get bad tattoos if they want. It used to be that if you saw someone with a certain type of tattoo it was sometimes a form of communication. The style the content etc. So if I see someone with a cool tattoo that I like I might ask them who did it and if I just see someone who has lots of tattoos I might not even look twice. Because tattoos alone aren't what's going to signal me to a like minded person. So let's not try so hard to convert the unwilling. We need clear clues as to the message these folks are trying to send.
I say this as simply observing for the last 20+ years of getting tattooed and the last 10 of doing them.
There's still a good chance I'm confused or just full of shit but that's what I've noticed.

God bless them.

There's too much to type to explain the confusion over the mythology. Its not about tattooing being a subculture. Its about the various subcultures that get tattoos. You've had military, hot rod/kustom culture, bikers, punkers, greasers, juggalos, skinheads, thugs, etc.
Now that includes people who are just interested in tattoos as being the common thing. Usually in the other social groups or subcultures, you can see a trend of common interests. So now I think people are overly trying to impose ideas on other groups because of their own internal struggle to find a common interest across the board with other tattooed folks in a different social class or subculture. Even when there is overlap or other common interests among like minded individuals, it doesn't and shouldn't dictate an assimilation of all thoughts.
Someone who just wants a mark on their body won't share the same concern or interest as someone who wants a full body suit so they may not want to pay a reasonable price or an expensive price to just satisfy their desire. Educate the people who genuinely want to know. Let folks get bad tattoos if they want. It used to be that if you saw someone with a certain type of tattoo it was sometimes a form of communication. The style the content etc. So if I see someone with a cool tattoo that I like I might ask them who did it and if I just see someone who has lots of tattoos I might not even look twice. Because tattoos alone aren't what's going to signal me to a like minded person. So let's not try so hard to convert the unwilling. We need clear clues as to the message these folks are trying to send.
I say this as simply observing for the last 20+ years of getting tattooed and the last 10 of doing them.
There's still a good chance I'm confused or just full of shit but that's what I've noticed.

Some people just like the sound of their own voice.
I am always so pleased to hear the expert insights from non-professionals into the craft I've been involved in and working in. I especially love the client that talks the talk like they grew up in a tattoo shop or fell out of the womb onto a stencil.
Until someone has sat in my chair doing what I do their opinion or expertise or whatever the fuck they think they know doesn't mean shit. And critics that don't tattoo have the same amount of credibility as Dave Navarro.

It just sounds like this dudes hot girlfriend went and got tattooed with out him.

I'm always bummed out when there are actually good shows at Eli's cause I never want to hang out after I'm off work. Like I might as well just put a sleeping bag in the shop.

I just got my haircut by my little sister, who is just about to graduate from cosmetology school. While her bad decisions in tattoo taste are, well, bad, she gives a decent haircut. I guess that's pretty cool.
Also, I went to a Pallbearer show for metal homework.

Can you please stop talking about tattoos as a "scene"?

It just sounds like this dudes hot girlfriend went and got tattooed with out him.

Ha! The guy who taught me to tattoo once did a tattoo on a semi-famous band member when they were both fairly blitzed (he had specifically said at the start of the evening 'don't get me drunk and make me tattoo'). Anyhow, the tattoo was drawn on and the guy checked it in the mirror and liked it, so it was permanently inked on. It wasn't until the next day that someone noticed the banner on it proclaimed 'Tatoos don't hurt'.
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if people just could stop trying to find every answer to every question on the internet that'd be great.
how bout meeting the real world?
and yes, let's be nice.
and yes #2, no money talk. (except if you're talking about giving me money)

None of these trolls will ever match the sheer idiocy and frustration of Bubbleberry... not sure why they even try.

This troll has way too many, too. What was he thinking?