Suiren

I see about fixing them...I was under the impression it is recommended. I was told to come back to fill in gaps if necessary so I had a bit of color added to the runes. But I would not want the lines to get to bold or cause scarring so I will leave it for now. :) Fala True ist would be best to have a great artist do the fixing if I decide to get it done. I find the search quite tiring. So many here seem to do mediocre work and NO ONE has any finely lined work, geometric tattoos, watercolor or line work tattoos in their online portfolio...:confused: Belgium is a bit higher up so it might be further from me here (Frankfurt) but I will have to see about the bus lines. :) El twe, tornado6 They don't bother me too much. I guess my problem lies mostly with the wrist tattoo because the line has a few gaps and the bottom of the cross. The rest isn't too obvious. I drew the wrist tattoo myself because this alchemical formula does not exist as a tattoo stencil...or the triangle connected to it...so maybe it looks more handpoked because of it. It really isn't too bad that these are not perfect, but for the things I have planned in the future I'd definitely want someone that does more consistent lines....no raised sections etc. My first tattoo the Kanji and it was raised and scarred for many years. Can't get any worse than that ;)

Hmmm...I don't have a car but I would have to see how much a bus ticket to Amsterdam is. I know big tattoos can be girly too and I dream of watercolor florals on my whole back ;) I just meant to say I started out with small "and" girly ones. I will see if I can find healed tattoos in an artists portfolio. It really is a big difference. I wasn't squirming since the tattoos were surprisingly pain free but I agree that it makes sense that an artist needs to be very skilled for fine line tattoos. I just thought, judging from Zon's other work, he could do better lines. Learned something new. Question: How would everyone recommend I get these touched up? Will tracing the lines carefully improve the look some? I was thinking once I find an artist that does great lines I could ask to have the lines fixed a little too.

See Sea / X com I don't feel too bad about them. I'll be okay if some of the lines are fixed at bit as in filling a gap. Tattoos are something "handmade" ...so a perfectionist can always find a flaw. They do look a bit netyer from a distance. The runes were fixed once by Zon and they do look a bit better now. But I think I won't go back for my next tattoos. My future plans include lettering and some delicate florals where the lines should not be inconsistent. To me it seems sometimes he tattoos very deeply, so much that the skin is raised for months, and on the same tattoo he will tattoo very lightly in some spots so color is lacking. And yes, I have made bad experiences here with some artists and also German tattoo communities. It seems minimalistic, small girly and mainstream tattoos are frowned upon. Someone said it insults the artist even. I will keep looking for artists in the area. I attached images of my other tattoos. The tree, sun and moon where also done by Zon (I went there twice but I feel the second time he messed up more). The Kanji was my first tattoo done by Tattoos by Richie in Friedberg. It was horribly scarred, crooked and lots of color was missing so I got it redone in 2007 by the owner of Körperkult Tattoo in Bad Homburg. He is said to be one of the best and booked until a galf year from now or more...but I imagine it could have been done better? Someone told me Kartell in Frankfurt does good tattoos. I got many piercings there so maybe I should pay them a visit and ask a few tattoo questions...might get a new piercing anyway. - - - Updated - - - Forgot the pics

Slightly OT but I had a mild problem that went away after a diet change to Paleo and using anti fungal cream on affected areas. Turns out for me it was a combination of diet and a fungus that caused it. When it bettered I had to exfoliate a lot to get rid of dead skin but unferneath was perfect skin. Might be worth a try just in case you never heard of it.

I have 15 piercings, 5 of them in my face and have 9 very small tattoos, most on my wrist/ hands. I have never been with anyone tattooed or pierced and most of my partners did not like it. Except one. I think I prefer no piercings on a guy and not too many tattoos haha..I'm a hypocrit.

The artist is Zon at Dave's Tattoo in Frankfurt. I picked him because his delicate lettering seemed on point. I posted some of his work here too. The artist is nice, patient and really works with me and what I want. I know hands can be tricky and I don't expect perfection there. I just noticed that some lines are less perfect. I find the runes are done better overall than the wrist lines, the eye and the cross. They offer free touch ups however. The lines looked better right after it was done but now it seems some lines have a lot of color whereas others don't have enough. I am planning to get bigger and more complicated work done so I think I need a new artist. Like I said, I don't know anyone who is tattooed with flawless work, but I suppose I could ask to see if the staff has a tattoo done by the artist. I searched far and wide in my area last year and in Germany great artists are booked up until 2 years. Others sent me away because they don't do very small, simple tattoos like that (or lettering, if you want lettering you're an outcast) I have three more tattoos done by Zon on my nape and behind the ears maybe I can get a good shot so the quality can be compared. Thanks everyone for your input.

Well his portfolio looked good but it probably did not reflect all his work. I had no idea the lines look that bad. Any tips for recognizing a truly good artist? Since looking at portfolios can be deceiving? I don't know anyone knowledgeable enough about tattoos to get a recommendation.

I would like to know what you think about some of my tattoos. They are very minimalistic and I think that is why they can really show when a line is not perfectly done. The cross definitely looks bigger on the bottom and I was wondering if there is a way to even this out without making it much thicker? Like color shading for example? On the eye the bottom lines are much thinner so I am thinking about having them traced again. I worry about them looking too thick after though. What would you advise? And do you think my artist is good in general or should I look for someone else. I don't know how perfect a tattoo has to look up close. I could not even draw like that with a pencil ;)

Thank you both! And you are both right! I have gotten new tattoos (and another piercing) since the last blog entry and am very happy with them. I will be going back for more after Christmas too. :)

I have a hand tattoo on the right that I have been enjoying a lot. It is located on the area between my thumb and wrist. I was told by my tattoo artist that hand tattoos can be tricky and heal differently and I was fine with it possibly having to be redone or just aging differently than on other body parts. Maybe I was lucky but it was pain free, healed quickly and looks just as good as it did a year ago. Now I would love to get more, possibly under my index finger first and I was wondering if I should expect the skin to be the same as far as taking the ink goes. Another part is supposed to go around the top part of the wrist. Do you have any other advice? Thank you!

When exposed to sun I use sunscreen too but only a physical zinc based sunscreen. Some types of sun screen penetrate the first layer of the skin and I am not so sure the chemicals would be beneficial to the ink. Other than that I use coconut oil or linseed oil (for body and face too). Moisturizer increases water pressure in the outer skin layer, which can results in too much water and therefore dry out the skin and tattoo ;).

Yes! To me it seems they really can't understand what is appealing about tattoos. They don't even have the hint of a desire to put anything on their body....which I honestly don't understand ;) I think body art like Piercings and Tattoos done well can enhance looks.

Looks like something from twilight lol. The shop is clean though if that what you mean. - - - Updated - - - Hm, I had a feeling the tattoos might be a bit pale but wasn't sure. Luckily with long hair it is covered a lot of the time. I read Sun Screen can also help protect the tattoo on hot days? I will try not to get it done too small then and like I mentioned before, also make sure the tree branches have room. Yes, I understand the tree I picked is completely different and I know silhouette tattoos aren't really what many would prefer here. It is just that they are totally what I like. I have no idea why but I have been drawn to all kinds of silhouette tattoos so far for their simplicity. That is what my other tattoos are like too. I have two different tattoos planned as well and like that too but for this particular one I find the silhouette tree striking.:)

Oh, I did not see I had another reply. I was able to start a thread just a little later. I have attached most of what I found of his work here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-advice/4475-input-planned-design-artists-work.html#post73301 I felt it was safest to move the appointment and just have a consultation first. I basically want to show up with a bit more knowledge and a good idea of what I want and can get. That is why I asked about certain things like shading and detail. The artist and shop has very good (5 star) ratings online, but they were all given by people that are not as knowledgeable as the users here. So while I may not see any flaws in his work, a trained eye might still see something. - - - Updated - - - Hi! I hope ypu have a great time here too. I jumped right into a discussion about lettering that was interesting and civilized. Unlike what I had seen on other forums :)

Hm..I feel you guys might be misunderstanding what I'm asking and why? :(

I don't mean to say I feel like the artist can't be trusted, but really from a talk and reviews online I can only tell so much, and there may still be things that you can't see at first glance. Especially me as a newbie, he could tell me things that may not be the best advice and I would not be able to tell and think it sounds great. That is exactly how my first tattoo went wrong. So I ask you knowledgeable peers to enlighten me first, that way I might be able to tell good from bad when having a consultation with him. I am located by Frankfurt, Hesse. I am currently looking at Dave's tattoo there. I have pictures of the artists work attached to the first post. It would be nice if someone could tell me if his work is good.

Yeah I understand that and I will talk to the artist too next thursday, but I just thought any additional input would help too. Not every artist gives the best advice and I won't be able to tell good from bad. But if I can compare it to advice I got here I will be on the safe side.

I have been planning to get a tattoo on my nape for over two years. I have a few questions and ideas regarding the design and would be thankful for some input. (I would like my tattoo to look similar to the girls nape tattoo on the top right): 1. How small is too small? I don't want it to overwhelm my (thin) neck. How small can I go with this design? The smallest I would want is what the girl in the picture has. 2. I know I want it pretty much all black. But if I were to go with some subtle shading, maybe by the stem or around the crown, how would you do it? Here are a few things I have seen: - White added on one side - The tree bark a little textured or shaded in grey 3. I might want the roots to disappear into the ground rather than just hanging out. 4. I have not fully decided on a tree yet, I was thinking top left, but if you know any other dead tree designs that are similar I'd take a look at them too. I want to be sure I am getting the right tree. I like my trees simple, without leafs, not too thin and not too thick. I also don't want to put a tree that looks completely dead, more something like a tree in winter, sleeping so to say :) 5. I am not sure how high up I want the tree. My neck is pretty long, so in order to have it as close to the hair as in the picture I would have to go pretty high. I am thinking if it is too low it will be partly hidden a lot and I am not sure I want that but ultimately I would want to place it in a way that best harmonizes with my neck and proportions. 6. Anything I have to watch out for when picking a design? I have been making sure the tree does not have too much detail and I would not want the branches to be too thin or very close together. Anything else? I also uploaded some work by the artist (Zon) I am currently considering for this. The shop he works for has great ratings and the staff and artists are very friendly and open. So if you think the artist could do this tree well for me I'd be very happy. If not, I will have to keep looking, but obstacles I face are a very long wait time of 1-2 years with the most well known artists here among other things, like some artists not wanting to do a small simple tree and preferring clients with bigger designs. I was hoping to get a few things done before next pregnancy! (which most likely won't be the last either) Thanks! Suiren

I only have 2 tattoos so far. Different things in life kept me from getting more done. Anything from work, over past relationships, financial reasons and health reasons. But in a way I really regret that I did not get more done. I have been planning certain new tattoo ideas since pregnancy, but our son took priority and the things he needed. He is now two and I hope that I can get a few tattoos done before baby number two. Anyhow, here is my first tattoo at my lower back (with plans for the future:) First thing I got was a kanji in 2004, that is part of my real life name, and which describes so many things to me. It can be applied to everything in life. It makes me think of one of my favorite quotes: "that which is beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful." As you can see it was badly done. I had scarring and the color faded in no time, leaving me with white spots. I was not quite happy with the little lonely kanji on my hips, so I decided to get something added to it. I did not have anything specific in mind, but I knew I wanted it to fit with the meaning and went with butterflys. The kanji was redone and the butterflys added in early 2007 and I was happy with the outcome. I still like the combination of the kanji and butterflys to this day. I was told then and today that they are pretty common designs, and I have even been insulted for getting a tattoo like that. But I always tell myself that trends only last as long as people give a shit about them and 20 years from now I will be pretty happy with my damn butterflys and kanji still.;) My future tattoo plans are a bit different. I know many people don't care for a story or meaning behind it, but I do like to combine meaning and a design I like. I will share them when I can.

So. Staged. Guess she did not want a cover up either huh? :p

So sorry about your nephew. I have a teo year old myself and I can't imagine how stressful that must be. I hope everything goes well with his surgeries. As far as the design goes - maybe the artist can add the dagger of your choice to the heart of your choice? http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/228/4/9/Realistic_heart_tattoo_by_2Face_Tattoo.jpg Have you talked to your sister regarding a design? Maybe she has some personal suggestions so you can find something that really suits how everyone feels.

It must be something like that yeah! I never heard anyone say tattoos were a sin!

I will be getting a dead tree done soon. Very dead, very black and probably pretty boring to most but I really like it. Haven't gotten anything in a long time.

I'll get tortured by butterflys ;) hard to imagine. We don't really has theye type of Christians here, I wonder where they get these ideas?

Yes I am here because I do want to learn more and get opinions on my ideas. I have done the same for years with piercings and used to spend a lot of time on body piercing forums. I think I read somewhere that I can't post any questions for seven days though? Is that correct? I do have an appointment for small tattoo coming up this weekend and I am not sure if I should go now since I haven't really gotten any opinion here yet... Like I stated before I do have a problem with artists taking me in because they disagree on tattooing my sons name or other designs I have picked. Others simply have a too long wait time of 1-2 years which interferes with our plans of pregnancy next year. The shop I picked has great reviews online, and the work looks good to me at least (but I'm not a pro...don't seem to have the worst taste though) I am planning to get a small dead tree tattooed in black...simple, black, boring ;) (not to me but that is why no one wants to do it), and the shop I went to (Dave's Tattoo in Frankfurt) is a very friendly place with very friendly artists too. Well, I will have to sleep about that one, might really have to cancel the appointment.