Shaun1105

It's like you can read my mind. Very impressive. I'd recommend the laser if you really don't like this tattoo. Have you considered just getting another (good) tattoo somewhere else on your body and learning to accept this one?

Your kid screws up brunch meetups like it's his job! Two years in a row ;) Saturday convention meetup it is. Do we plan a time/place or just wing it?

I'm definitely coming now! A friend and I are coming up on Friday evening. Count us in for brunch meetup, please! Looking forward to the trip, even if I'm not likely to get a tattoo this time.

Love that we can get this contest going again! I think a small tattoo and large tattoo winner should be awarded each month ('small' and "large' definition to be determined). We could just have the first 7 days of the month be the only days submissions are allowed, and no voting can take place until day 8. Being able to vote for 1st,2nd,3rd is a great idea too.

Nice tattoo! I don't think there's a "better" here, only what you prefer more. If your next two planned tattoos are going to be in a similar style, I personally would go same arm, but again it's totally up to you.

Steve put an eagle on my chest last year. He's great, you don't need to be nervous at all!

The first time I went I had an appointment, last year I just went looking for a walk-up. I agree with Graeme, at least on Friday night there were lots of amazing tattooers who were available (I ended up getting something from Jeb Riley). For me, getting tattooed at a convention definitely sucks compared to a shop. That said, you ARE getting a tattoo so it's still awesome.

I've been waiting months for you to post this thread, @Graeme! I will be there.

Summer is definitely my least favorite season. I like warm (even hot) sunny days like we're experiencing now, but once the real summer humidity kicks in, that's just the worst. My wife is about the opposite though - she would take a vacation any time to Haiti, the DR, or Jamaica, while I would choose Iceland over all of those. Autumn > Winter > Spring > Summer imo.

I'm actually worried his account has been hacked. ;)

Hello and welcome. Lots of good advice here already for you. I think your Trisiras idea can be made into a great tattoo once you find the artist you'd like to do it. An Atlas tattoo also would be cool. Putting them both together into the same tattoo - probably not a great idea. Just get two separate tattoos (unless you're thinking this is going to be a full god-themed sleeve or something). I know it's your first tattoo and so you want it to be perfect but putting too many elements into it will not make it better. Good luck!

My tattoos that like the best are the ones where I gave the vaguest ideas to my tattooer! I'd say don't worry so much about the specifics of the art - but it's your tattoo so whatever it takes for you to love it, go for it. Who the tattooer should be and where on your body they go are both pretty important though :)

Well, he already mentioned putting a propeller on the other shoulder; we'll have to wait and see what he thinks after the excitement wears off!

A while ago (in 'upcoming tattoos', I think) I posted about how I was going to take my dad for his first tattoo - something that he had wanted for a long time but had never done. The first time we planned to go, he backed out because he looked online at the risks of getting tattooed as a diabetic (which for someone with well controlled diabetes are negligible, but he still didn't do it. Cold feet.) Then last summer at our family reunion our cousin Amy, who has several tattoos, basically called him out because she got her most recent one while she was on chemo for her stage 4 cancer - making his arguments clearly invalid. Unfortunately, Amy lost her battle with cancer late last year. A few weeks ago my dad and I finally went to get his tattoo. The simple anchor reflects his 40+ years of working on Great Lakes ships, but I believe it serves as a reminder of his cousin also. We went to Hand of Doom Tattoo in Buffalo, NY and he got his tattoo from Chris Lombardi. Same shop and artist where I got my first tattoo (also an anchor!) in 2012. Overall amazing experience, Chris is a great guy and an excellent tattooer.

I suggest just going to your artist and saying "I want to do a traditional eagle with an American flag - color. I'm looking for something fairly large. I really love the look of the eagles flying with upswept wings...but could also go with a perched eagle." If your artist specializes in traditional tattoos, and is a good artist, he doesn't need anything more than that to work with! See what he comes up with, I bet it will be better than any examples you're going to get from google searching it.

Since your town has zero shops, if you do a good job as a business owner, you will almost certainly be able to make money doing this. Still, a terrible idea. Family friendly? Fine art on the walls instead of flash? LIKE A CASUAL DOCTOR'S OFFICE!? No. Just no.

I agree that you'll probably be ok. I've only been to two conventions (both Montreal), and there would almost certainly be enough to keep kids interested (6yo for sure, depends on the 3yo but you know your kids best). Taxidermy stuff, art, tattooing, music, etc. There's no way your kids will be more of a distraction to artists than the general loudness of the convention.

Welcome to the forum, fellow Canadian!

I actually have something of a meaning for the tattoos on my arms, though for some I assigned that meaning later to a tattoo I got because I thought it would be cool. I don't find questions annoying, I like seeing what people will say back. For tattoos that have actual meaning, my favorite is "It's a funeral urn. It reminds me I'm going to die." And there's always, "It's a panther and a giant sword. I got it because it's awesome."

Welcome! You mention being happily married, but are you happily employed? Because getting your first tattoo on your hands/fingers is generally not recommended. I would strongly suggest you get a different game related tattoo somewhere more concealable first, then progress to your hand at a later time. That said, if you're set on getting this tattoo anyway, you need to make it so that the letters are readable to others, NOT yourself. So W and S are on your middle finger, A is on your index finger, and D is on your ring finger. This avoids the issue of any tattoos being under your ring also, as "A,S,D" can all be in a straight line along your fingers (below the first knuckle). Unfortunately this does mean that when your fingers are actually on the keys the A and D will be switched; I feel confident you'll still be able to figure out where the keys are though. Again, I'd like to reiterate that fingers is a poor choice of placement for a first tattoo. You're an adult though, so do as you'd like. Just don't get the letters facing you because that's upside down.

I think "not the worst" is a bit too harsh. I would say "not the best", but I think still good. I also would not go to her, but this is totally not my style of tattoo. If one my friends said they were going to this artist, I would not try to dissuade them.

Definitely don't go the laser route - at least not yet!! There is nothing that removes post-tattoo anxiety like getting more tattoos. Also, if your artist thinks small changes are possible, do those first and then see how you like what turns out. Then if all else fails it wouldn't be any more work to laser off the tattoo including those changes, or to replace the owl with a panther.

That's great news! He is really the best person to ask about this.

Hello and welcome!!

Hi, and welcome to the forum, fellow Ontarian! It's totally normal to have second thoughts post-tattoo. If the tattoo is well executed, you will eventually accept it as it is and probably grow to love it. With the upcoming work, just be straight up with your artist and communicate what you're hoping for. At the same time though, try not to go into this work with as much of a preconceived notion of what you want to see. You -hopefully- selected your artist based not only on his ability to tattoo, but also on his style and artistic ability. The tattoo is a collaboration between the two of you. It probably won't be exactly as either of you envision it; but that is ok and in the end it will be better than you hoped for. Good luck with this, and when you get time let's see some pics of your tattoos!