dotcommie

Thank you! It makes me happy every time i see it. Here are pics at about 2.5 months healed. Honestly doesn't look that different than day 1.

He's a beast! Wonderful to work with. I wear it with pride

Thanks ? a few nights sleep and some time for family bullshit to blow over and I'm seeing that I was being silly...funny how we can transfer feelings about one thing to another. I do love it, just not used to being so freewheeling with my tattoos but I think it's good for me!

Some blackwork roses in a shoulder cap by Jacob Kearney at Metamorph in Chicago :)

And also...I really like the style of your tattoo! I hope it grows on you. Love the cherry blossoms.

This makes me feel a little less alone. I really like my new tattoo (posted it here) but it was my first time letting a tattooer freehand it, which I wasn't expecting, and its size is kinda tripping me out. He did let me check it out beforehand, but it was hard for me to visualize how it would translate...and for all my other tattoos with stencils, I've never changed anything, just let the tattooers do their thing. My thinking is that it'll turn out better when they are given creative license, and I'm not an artist so I'm probably not going to have better ideas than they will. It's everything I asked him to do - Japanese style, blackwork, with whip shading, above the elbow - but every time I glance at my arm I'm like HOLY SHIT THAT'S A LOT OF INK. I also had a family emergency happen while I was getting tattooed - mom was blowing up the phone while I was under the needle - and I spent the evening crying on the couch afterwards. This all just happened yesterday, I'm hoping that when the negative feelings about life stuff blow over I'll get used to it :) it really is a beautiful piece of art, I love the little details and the linework and unique shading, etc. And three different tattooers in the shop came over to peek at the work and all of them commented that they love how it fills my arm. I hear people regret getting too small of tattoos more often than too big ones!

My first freehand tattoo - a big ol freaky blackwork peony by Dani Liberal, guesting at speakeasy Chicago. I basically let him do whatever and I love it but am a little freaked by how big it is, haha.

Mine was six months ago, at 28. I got the fever as last summer started in Chicago, when you start to see visible skin after many months of hibernation in coats, and I was really jealous of everyone's tattoos. I would creepily stare at people's ink in public (smooth). It occurred to me that I could just get some myself. I got a hibiscus with a little shamrock next to it. I'm half Puerto Rican, half Irish. I felt like I needed to do something "meaningful" for my first, which I now regard as a little silly but I do love it. The tattooer did a great job and hibiscus is my favorite flower. Wish this pic isn't so dark - it's about a month healed here.

Yes we have an embarrassment of riches here! Still a long list of people I'd like to get work from.

Thanks! I'm a grown up army brat :) whose father is not thrilled with my work (I think he associates tattoos with enlisted men, spring breakers, and prisoners, not his little girl) but hey, I'm 29 and confident in my choices! And even he admits they're well done

Hi there - I live in Chicago and have a mere three tattoos. I've gotten them all in the past six months; once I decided to start, I got the bug! Just posted my most recent one in the latest tattoo lowdown. My other two are below. The bird, my 2nd, is by DJ Pearson at Awaken Tattoo in Chicago (fresh pic); the hibiscus/clover is by Ashley Wollaston at Speakeasy in Chicago (one month healed pic). I'm pretty committed to black and black-and-grey pieces; no color on this skin!

Howdy. First post here! Just got a blackwork floral shoulder cap yesterday that I'm thrilled with (my third tattoo). It's flowers from my wedding bouquet (dahlia, roses, calla lilies, succulent, ginkgo leaves, and more), done with dotwork and whip shading (which I'm obsessed with rn). Done by Jacob Kearney at Metamorph Tattoo in Chicago, in about four hours. He was a total pro and I'm in love with this piece!