Simong

I think it is a big deal but not like it used to be. It’s so common to see people with tattoos everywhere now but of course some people will still judge you. I had tattoos on my upper arms originally and always thought I wouldn’t have my forearms done. Then my mum passed away recently and I wanted to get a memorial tattoo and i thought why not get it around my forearm, I want people to see it and I’m proud to show it off. Like the other guys said you just get used to it. It does feel strange when you can see it all the time though so get used to it catching your eye a lot at first!

It all depends on size, the bigger you go the less chance it will end up being a blob. I believe over time lines can double in size so at 3 inches I would imagine some of the signature will close up. Your artist will be able to tell you about the best size to do it to remain legible.

Thanks @SStu, I appreciate that mate. 🙂

I think after 8 days that looks pretty normal. What have you been doing as far as washing, creams. After 8 days it probably still will be sensitive. I think you may be being slightly paranoid. Is this your first tattoo.

It looks ok but if you were expecting something else then obviously you would be disappointed. You probably should have checked with the artist to make sure he was doing what you wanted and not just copying the image as he did. I’m sure there are plenty of artists out there but you need to let it heal first then wait a few months and see how you feel about it then.

I just had some more added to the dove and clock to try and tie both images up. I was happy with it but wanted to fill the gaps so I added the cloud and sun rays. I think it looks quite busy and am still getting used to it but I did want to tie both images up so I’m happy to complete it! It’s only been a week so still healing yet. 🙂

It’s definitely looking better. 👍

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses. It sounds like sticking with whatever works for you. I was always sceptical as everyone used to dry heal years ago and now there’s new “wonder creams” being put out all the time. I thought it was mostly a scam to get your money.

What do you guys think to bepanthen. I have only a few tattoos, not too many. Most I got years ago which where don’t touch and just keep dry back then. Nobody put anything on them. Now my artist says bep and to be fair they have healed well I think. That then switch to Aveeno/ cocoa butter. I’m guessing you mean hustle butter and specialist stuff that costs £15 a tube. Can’t see how that’s necessary and looks like a way to make easy money by promising better results. I’ve always been sceptical.

I’m very sorry to hear that. I know it’s the least of your worries but do your tattoos appear ok or have the bumps messed up the appearance. It must be pretty distressing for you. Health has to come first though. 😞

I think it’s natural that you feel like that but it sounds like you are looking for perfection. You would have to tell the artist down to the very detail everything has to be exactly the same as it is on your image. A lot of artists probably wouldn’t want that kind of hassle. For what it’s worth the eyes look fine, but I know it’s not how you wanted them. Maybe the artist thought it would look better with the black outline. If you were very concerned with it you would have to specify it to him before. I don’t think telling him he made a mistake will get you very far, he probably doesn’t even realise what you wanted. I think the artist generally knows what’s best as far as what will work, that’s their job after all. I think it’s in all of us to look for perfection and second guessing things. I’ve just had a tattoo and have been questioning the shade and placement. Other people don’t look at our tattoos like we do, I can guarantee you next to nobody would even realise the eye issue. We stare at them all the time while other people only take a quick glance.

That doesn’t look good, I’m sure more experienced people than me can answer. If the tattoo overlaps then they really shouldn’t have been working on it until it healed I would have thought. You also say you put numbing cream on a 1 day old tattoo which is not good at all. I would guess the cream but can’t say for sure. Hopefully it heals up ok.

Thanks Dan, yeah I think it’s the fact that the added bits are solid black where as the other was black and grey. The difference threw me off a little bit. As you said though it should settle down in the future. Thanks mate, much appreciated. 🙂

Hi guys, I’ve just had some black doves and some shading added to my original tattoo to fill up the gaps. It’s still healing yet so I know it will look differently when it heals but I don’t expect the black to fade that much. I went for black doves thinking they would add contrast but I’m not sure if they detract the eye too much. Does the black go with the grey shading. I’m not sure if it looks like the doves were added on rather than being part of the same tattoo which I was going for. I was thinking about adding some more shading or clouds around the black doves at the top in the future but don’t want to over do it. I know once you start adding bits it’s easy to get carried away looking for a bit more! Would you leave it as is or add more. First pic is the original tattoo. Thanks for your opinions all! 🙂

Totally agree mate, if it’s something you really want why wouldn’t you wait. If someone else does it and it’s not quite as good it would forever annoy you why you didn’t just wait. Damn that sounds rough! I’m sure it happens a lot though. I have heard of people getting cover up on top of cover up and just making it worse and worse!

I think there pretty normal for good artists. Some wait lists are crazy long. If you really want it done by a specific artist then it is worth the wait.

That’s true, I’m sure most would say they can do it but whether they could do it to the quality of the originals is debatable. If they are really good as you said they won’t be copying other peoples designs.

Not sure the exact style but i would guess someone who specialises in black and grey/ realistic could do it.

Definitely, I think we are all our own worst critics. We study them as we see them all the time so we can pick all the imperfections but other people wouldn’t even notice these issues at all. I’m sure it will be fine mate, just give it time. 🙂

If it makes you feel better I had to look several times before I could even see the part you meant so it’s not noticeable. As @oboogiesaid it’s still healing yet so you won’t know until it has fully healed.

Thanks @SStu, I appreciate that mate. I think it’s the usual day after moment where I think should I have gone for that and second guessing myself! I’m sure once it heals up I will be happy with it. 🙂

Hi all. I just had these doves added on to my existing tattoo. I wasn’t sure what to have to fill in the space so I said shading and doves. I liked the negative space doves but thought these being black would stand out a bit more. Not sure how I feel about them at the moment, I know they will lighten up a bit as it was only done yesterday but I feel like the dark and light contrast is a bit too much. What do you think? I feel like it’s two separate images rather than one now. Or do the light and dark doves work together, really not sure! Lol.

Wow, that is epic! Looks great. 🙂

Sorry to hear you had this experience, yes hopefully it will heal ok it will just end up taking longer than it should be doing. It does look a lot better in this picture by the way. 👍

Wow, very nice. A massive amount of respect to anyone who gets work this large done. It looks fantastic! 🙂