marfil98

Well, I just got back from the shop a few hours ago to finish coloring/shading my moth tattoo. I was told the blue and dark brown in the head would lighten up a bit making the contrast/shading more visible. Will post a healed pic in a few weeks. P.S. If it looks slightly crooked, it's just stretched due to my arm taking the picture.

Well, I've never gotten a tattoo in the area you described BUT I can relate in that of my 10 tattoos, 9 of them were on my arms/shoulders so I thought that all tattoo pain was created equal. Getting a large moth tattooed on my chest/sternum proved that wrong. As soon as the needle touched my skin I knew I'd underestimated the pain and, like you, I twitched a little involuntary which caused a bit of shaky linework. But then I thought to myself "The pain'll only last a couple of hours, the tattoo on the other hand is forever" I still have to go back in a few days to color it in, but I know that in the end a few hours of pain is worth it for a kick-ass piece of art that'll be with me forever. Best advice I can give you is grit your teeth, tough it out and don't forget to breathe. As for the numbing cream, I've never used it but I've heard good things. Besides, you don't wanna walk around with half a tattoo forever do you?

Well, here's my latest piece by Brian Tiger at Screamin' Ink Tattoo in N.J., still a few hours fresh. Unfinished, I hit the wall after 5 hours. I'll be going back to color it in in 2 weeks. Sorry for the bad picture...it's not easy taking good pics of yourself. P.S. If it looks slightly crooked it's not, it's just from stretching my arm to take picture.

Yes, a Death's Head Hawkmoth. As for the size, I alread have a lot of other stuff on my shoulders. Though upon measuring again it'll probably be closer to 9 inches from wingtip to wingtip.

Hey everyone, I was thinking of getting a death moth tattoo on my chest. Not too big, around 7 inches across. My artist showed me a design of his that I absolutely love, and I think it'd make for a good chest piece. What do you guys think? Anybody on here have one? Also is there any particular meaning to a death's head moth tattoo? Thanks guys.

You know, I was just about to post my wisdom tooth story. Around three months ago I had the absolute worst pain I've ever experienced. It felt like my head was in a vice that got tighter every hour. Turned out I had a horizontally impacted lower wisdom tooth that got abscessed. Had it removed, couldn't eat for a week. After it healed, a week later the other one started hurting. Had IT removed, got dry socket (look it up...damn Marlboro reds) couldn't eat for a week and a half. Now that familiar dull pain is starting up again...my surgery's at 9:50 am. Removing the last two at the same time. Thank god it's over. TL;DR Wisdom teeth suck.

Ok, this honestly made me laugh. Yeah looking at it that's probably what it is. I'll just leave it alone before I make it worse...hopefully it'll fix itself. Will update if it gets better/worse.

Hey everyone, so I got a tattoo about a month ago. When I first got it everything was fine but I noticed a tiny bump in part of it. Barely noticeable, a week later it bubbled up more, which caused me to think it was a pimple so I left it alone. Three weeks later, after it got worse I tried to pop it. It leaked a combination of water, blood and red ink (definitely not blood...too red) now, after leaving it alone for a few days, it's shriveled up and looks pretty gnarly. Has this happened to anyone else before? I'm more worried about f***in' up the tattoo than my skin. Before and after pics included.

Well, since there's nothing in the rules that says it's limited to one per person, here are my three skulls. All three done by Brian Tiger at Screamin' Ink Tattoo in N.J.

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if this has happened to anyone else. I got a tattoo around 3 weeks ago and from the day I got it I noticed a small bump in it, but left it alone thinking it would go away on its own. Three weeks later it's gotten slightly bigger. The rest of the tattoo healed just fine. Any ideas/advice?

Here's mine by Brian Tiger at Screamin' Ink Tattoo in N.J. Done in one 4 hour sitting. I love how it turned out.

Got back from the shop a while ago, came back with two new pieces. First and foremost, something I've always wanted, an American traditional panther! I love the way it turned out. And while I was there I got this cool little smoking tophat-skull to go with my cowboy skull on the opposite shoulder.

Just got this done, old school cowboy skull. Fits right in between two other tattoos I have. Can't wait to see how it heals up.

Nice tattoo! I experienced similar peeling/fading on one of my tattoos, it wasn't quite as bad, but it still looked really faded. Two weeks later, the color's returned and it looks fine. I'm no expert but it might just be part of the healing process. Worst case scenario you might need a touch-up, but I doubt it. You should ask your artist though. For now just try to relax, let it heal and hope for the best. Good luck and I hope everything works out.

I'm genuinely sorry you feel this way. I know that I can be annoying with all the questions and that it may appear that I don't care about the answers I receive by disregarding them, but the truth is I really do value all responses from you guys, both positive and negative. And the reason I ask so many questions is that nobody else around me either approves of, or gives a shit about tattoos, so it's nice to talk to and learn from people who share my interests. It's just that, I guess I got too caught up in the thrill of getting tattooed. I know this may sound odd but to me collecting tattoos is unlike anything else I've ever done, there's just something special about permanently altering one's own body with art. Again, I'm genuinely sorry if anyone here has been annoyed by me or taken offense to me going against their advice. So much for making a good first impression. I will keep my posts to a minimum from now on. Sorry guys.

Yeah you're right, I'll just leave it alone and quit screwin' with it, though I didn't rip any scabs off, I just rubbed it lightly and it all sloughed off. Luckily I'm leaving for vacation as I write this for a few weeks...hopefully it'll fix itself. Worst case scenario it might need a touch up. Thanks guys, wish me luck I hate flying.

Hey everyone, I'm kinda worried. My tattoo peeled but immediately after I noticed that it's leaking clear liquid. I don't think it's infected, there's no redness, pain or pus. It's just leaking a completely clear fluid. Anybody else ever get this? EDIT: Now I'm not sure if it's even leaking or not, the reason being that when I wipe the are it looks exactly the same! And the tissue paper is still dry. I think the skin underneath may just be extremely shiny, moreso than any of my other tattoos was. Weird.

Hey everyone just got back from the shop a little while ago. Went in for a touch-up, left with some old school sailor jerry dice. This'll be my last tattoo for a while though, taking a little break.

As always, you guys are right, I should wait a while longer, it's just that for some reason I can't wait to get back in the chair! But, I do understand that tattoos aren't something that should be rushed, and now that I think about it, if I'm not sure what to get I probably shouldn't get anything for the time being. Instead I'll focus on planning the next one and enjoy looking at the ones I have. And yeah, I should probably wait to have a few larger pieces before adding filler. Thanks guys.

Hey everyone, I'm thinking of getting a small (about an inch around) tattoo to fill a gap between tattoos that bothers me I'm thinking something along the lines of what's in the picture, but would love to hear some ideas.

While I'm on the topic, I've been thinking about adding some color to the scales and the skull's teeth. Since they're all part of the same theme, I think the gold might tie them all together. Plus hey, a little color never hurts right? What do you guys think? Here's my (not so great but kinda gives you the gist of it) computer render of it.

Yeah, honestly the more I look at them, especially after they've healed up a bit and "peeled" I'm starting to like them. I'm thinking of adding a little more color to them though. Looking back with a clearer mind one of the things that bothered me was my choice of placement, because they take up space that could have been used for something bigger, but hey, I can always fit things around them. I'm thinking maybe some type of water snake/sea monster maybe. I will sit on designs and consider placement for a while before getting anything else though. In a few days I'm leaving on a much needed vacation to south america. Who knows, I might find some inspiration there.

Anybody have any recommendations for artists in the north jersey area? Specifically artists who excel at/specialize in traditional tattoos?

Honestly, as someone who is very new to tattoos, I would advise getting something big and bold. Yes it is a scary thing to do when you're starting out, and yes it is easier to commit to smaller designs, and once you have it, you may have a small freak-out, I know I did, but as some very smart people on here told me "If you're not ready to fully commit, seriously reconsider getting tattooed" Now, that doesn't mean you should go out and get a huge dragon full-back piece (though I don't care who you are, that will always look badass) but pick a design you like and make it at least big enough to see without squinting I hope you find a design you love and for god's sake don't get a tattoo on impulse or because "it's the cool thing to do" get it because YOU want to. Remember, in 40 years instagram and pinterest probably won't be around. But you and whatever tattoo you choose will be. Or, you could get a panther, that works too.

On a side note, I would love to know the story behind that octopus/peanut butter tattoo