Makar

Went a bit realistic underneath my neotrad bird on Monday. Not finished as yet - quite a dark piece really but I'm coming round to that brown background. Inner bicep skull area a bit nippy with a few expletives muttered...

Not against travelling anywhere, just need to have an idea what I'm looking to do as a follow on from the raven - content and style. Flowing theme or spliced, unrelated individuals. Morag Sangster (or Richard Pinch but talked to Morag and she seems cool) in Scotland for Japanese, countless others for B&G or neo traditional, realism etc. If I was to start with a blank arm, that would be easy (okay maybe just easier). To be honest, just like my movies, I am often more interested in how they look (and sound - movies) as to what they are saying but a good story is always a bonus. Colours and detail, love the attached, for example, by Kurt Wiscombe of Canada or something similar to Tomo's Japanese sleeves - perhaps get somebody to swap out the Japanese Noh mask demons for a pagan horned god and splice the cultures? This is turning into a self help post... maybe I just need to express it publicly... anybody feel free to discuss actual styles and content ;-) ?

Scotland - still part of the UK for the time being.

I know there are many answers possible to this query and it is a personal choice... blah blah... but my brain is fried thinking about next steps. Gimme some thoughts please! I want to continue down the arm, probably full sleeve but not necessarily in neo trad style. My general leaning is towards wildlife, snake, flowers, maybe a bit of a horned god cernunnos thrown in... Would you go for something that has a full flow or just join individual things up. It could be japanese I reckon but could it look cool with realism or black & grey for instance? This was a cover up and although happy enough with it I really feel it isn't a finished piece. But I don't need to tell you guys that ;-) What would you do?

Wow - tremendous dragon.

Looks great, definitely leave. Cover up would not make anything better Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

I know it's often said 'as long as you like it then that's all that matters' but it is good to get feedback from other tattoo enthusiasts. I appreciate it hugely - helps with any dissonance that creeps in over such a long term commitment. So, thanks again one and all for chipping in!

Thanks! Artist is Guerra Stinger currently working out of Inverness, Scotland - although he is from the Canaries.

Raven cover up now finished for the moment. A few peony additions and a good luck pentacle for protection and nature connection. What's the thoughts? Plain skin people in sauna will obviously think I worship satan but that already makes me laugh... its nice to get the sauna to yourself

So many styles, so little brain to take it in...that's my experience. It can become a bit wearying making that decision. Just got a large cover up finished off on Monday. I was actually getting fatigue thinking about it... whether to go full sleeve, Japanese, neo trad, bit of realism somewhere. Started to make me feel ill. So I stopped and just went back to what the artist suggested. Pics soon. Feel good now its done too! Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Hey Sipes23 - really cool snake dna design. I like the ouroboros symbolism - it all just keeps going round! Sorry that a total tadger decided to spam your post. Some folks have no common decency. Stephen Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Makar is a storyteller in old Scots. I have spent my working life in nature connection - more than a job of course. The planet needs us to appreciate it more than ever - Makars of the world unite! Go out and get a dose of nature - lots of paths you can take in life just make sure some of them are dirt!

Next thing I need to work out is the flowers to give it a bit of a colour lift. I'd like Scottish wildflowers but peony and rose were mentioned at the end of 7 hours of needles. Thought required...

Snake has now become a raven. 7hrs today - the collarbone stuff was a stinger for sure. Talking of which, done by Guerra Stinger of Extreme Tattoo, Inverness. Another couple of hours to come adding some colourful flowers and more leaves. I like it! Now need shower and bed...

Now that would be something! I like it - no nausea with that at all...

I like your tattoo and I hear in your words that you do too! I also hear words like 'panic attack', 'feel very silly' and 'am unstable'. Maybe you need to be kind to yourself in the bigger life picture? Your tattoo is cool - relax about it. If terms like panic attacks are literal, I can say that I have been there and have overcome them, in time. Sometimes our angst can be focused on something that actually isn't the issue - that has been my experience.

Maths makes me feel ill...however, nature connection is certainly for me. Plenty nature based Fibonacci stuff out there to inspire. Bottom line IMHO is, if that's what you want then that's what you should get - the tattoo is yours. Good luck with the journey! You lost me at Platonic solids BTW ;-)

This is a 21 yr old snake that's seriously endangered at the moment... it's just been lined over for a new working. Metamorphosis to a raven actually... The snake was inked freehand by a guy called Pert from Ireland at the fist Scottish tattoo convention. I remember he was pretty hungover and did this in 90 mins or so. Probably wasn't my cleverest thought process for new art at the time. That said, I have always enjoyed it - I just regretted that I had slapped a big celtic flash where I did and the first one at the bottom. I wanted a tattoo and hadn't really worked out the plan well enough! Also, I have written a book on emerald tree boas and am a bit of a snake aficionado (bred them for more than a decade) - this rendering didn't quite say Corallus canina to me. So, say bye bye to an emerald tree boa - my kids will miss her! Maybe another one will pop up on the canvas another day.

Thanks for that Rob. All good to know. I feel like a tattoo newbie but I have three from so long ago I can't remember the process. I had a bit of angst originally about the blowouts but quickly relaxed after a bit of research and thought. This guy knows what he is doing and it will be great in the end. My 3 previous are all disappearing under this big one. They were two flashes done locally and a freehand at the first ever Scottish tattoo convention about 20 years ago. I've enjoyed them but time to redecorate! Bring it on...feel like a kid waiting for Christmas ;-)

Thanks. Going back in on the 19th for a full day sitting - update pics after that. Hope we can successfully sort out the bleed at the top but I'm hopeful it will be cool. Guerra's stuff is pretty cool. I want the Raven to have the feel of this hand piece he did. Neo trad is his thing.

It worries me a bit about the colour going in on this area but now that the tattooist knows what this patch on me is like, I am hoping for a decent outcome. The raven's dark nature also helps I think but I would rather have crisp lines on the outside edges and not going much further up the neck. It could get a little shading on the wing edges there which would maybe do it. We'll see - it's only four days since the line work was done. It may tighten up a bit but I doubt it. I note your blow outs and yes it is a sensitive area - my skin is 52 years old and I note that yours is a wee bit older. Maybe the age of it doesn't help. I will be happy with this in the end I am sure. The guys work is generally very good and this will look cool on completion I'll wager.

Just had some line work done in the sunny Highlands of Scotland to cover up a 20yr old snake and some random Celtic flashes. It's a big raven that's going to have a good bit of leaf and flower colour surrounding her in neo trad fashion I note that four days in, the lines in my upper shoulder neck area have blown a bit. May heal a little better but I'm trying not to stress and think that the colouring will sort it out... The area was a bit nippy and maybe my skin, maybe the depth, who knows. I think it can be remedied in the completion - she is a big black bird after all. Fun and games. Colour going in on the 19th. Quite excited about having this large raven shoulder with me! Stephen