AuntTudie

Yes, I think that is what I've decided. Some beautiful Japanese flowers against the waves or water would be nice.I don't want to take away from the Tenyo.Also, I agree that putting a shishi or a dragon on the arm will not be good for me. I want it to be readable. Time to tone up my thighs and get a dragon piece.

I am at a loss for what to add on to this to make it a full sleeve. I want to take it to the wrist. I'm not sure what would go well with it. Dragon? Foo dog? Stick with the story and do a fisherman? Another Japanese feminine character?

Got this done a while back. They are fresh photos so excuse the shine. It started up as a fix for Nefertiti since she was old and looked like a blob. I could not stop after that and decided to do the whole leg/ Egyptology is a major interest of mine.

I'm from Iowa in the US. It is very rude here not to tip. It is the opposite in the UK? Is it considered an insult?

5th Annual – Best of the Midwest

http://shaneoneillproductions.com/

Dragging up an old thread. But I'm getting ready to enter my back piece in the Best of the Midwest tattoo convention in February. I'm no skinny thing, mind you. I wonder if the judges take body type in to consideration when judging. I am also wondering if the experts on here could tell me if it is even worth entering. Pic is in my profile. Thanks

My rule of thumb- better to use no ointment/lotion than too much. I have done the dry healing and used the ointment. Seems dry healing takes longer for me to heal. But I once had someone put ointment on my back so think it made it burn.I guess because it wasn't able to breathe? Only advice I give is to keep it clean and for God's sake don't pick at it when it starts peeling.

Finished. I've decided to do a full sleeve. So blowouts are not the end of the world after all. I think it turned out ok.

I love that! I have never seen it before. I was born in the year of the dragon.

Personally, I would never go to an artist that told me they did not like to do whatever image I was getting. I would research an artist that is Christian and liking whatever imagery I was getting on myself. Or else I would feel it was bad mojo.

In my opinion, finger tattoos are risky. My friends recently got matching tattoos. The were beautiful, but faded quickly. I suggest you take your ideas to your artist. I would also do some googling to see what is out there are far as ring tattoos go. You will find they are very simplistic.

I am putting together ideas for my Japanese sleeve. I have a Tennyo or Tennin that goes from my shoulder to elbow.I have added some Japanese clouds. I want to extend this to a full sleeve at some point. What are some more feminine Japanese elements. The story of the Tennyo involves a Fisherman, but do I break the "rules" an d have water above my wrists? I also love the Shi Shi. Can you put a Shi Shi on the same arm as a Tennyo? I know it is ultimately up to me and my choices though I am looking for the feminine elements in Japanese tattoos. I know some of you have studied Japanese tattooing. I am looking forward to hearing ideas.

My mom found out when I spilled a bottle of Indian ink on her bedroom floor and tried cleaning it up only making a bigger mess. Ahh, the good 'ol days of ink needle and thread. Don't remember what she did, but my arm swelled up pretty big.

Thank you @TheTig. I hesitated putting my tattoo diary out there. But I remember when I first thought about a back piece. I scoured the internet wanting to know what a back piece experience was like and found very little. I know everyone's experience is different. But I know what I wrote was the harsh honesty of my experience. I'm glad I did it. Working through pain builds your inner strength. And when you over come the pain, you feel like you can conquer anything.

I guess I should post the piece. Had a hell of a time getting a good pic. I am planning on hiring a photographer in the future.

Thanks. I know it looks like I am freaking out a bit. Well, I am because it is on my skin. I take great pride in my tattoos. I put a lot of thought into them. I have never thought about asking the brand of the ink. Well, not until my friend had a bad reaction to red and now with my situation I debated on mentioning the ink brand as I know it is a well trusted brand. I just need to chill till I see my artist on Tuesday. I know he'll give me the answers I am looking for. I have a lot of trust in him and faith that he can deal with it.

I am just trying to find answers. Not much is written on the subject.

I am 51. I don't feel like I heal any slower. I usually start the "flaking process after about 4 days and after that it heals right up. I started my back piece when I was 50. I am now working on a shoulder piece. As some of you know I got some ink "bleeding". I am sure it was part thin skin and part ink particles. One thing I know for sure is that I handle the pain better now that I am older. I got a small yin yang on my back years ago and Nefertiti on the back of my leg. The artist had to talk me in to holding still and getting through it. I sit like a rock now, at least I think so.

Here is a diary I kept when I got my back piece. I'm not taking out the $ amounts. I'm too lazy to do that. Geisha Tattoo Diary 2014 1. 8/22/14 My appointment was at 3pm. Todd met me at the shop to help me decide if I liked what Matt D. had drawn up for me. I had my consultation about three months before. I told him I wanted a Geisha with a dragon tattoo on her shoulder or arm. I also wanted a temple in the back ground. He showed us what he had drawn up and I was very happy with it. It was exactly like I had envisioned. Todd stayed while Matt placed the stencil on my back. Then he left because he needed to pick up Logan and walker from the babysitters. Matt had me sit sideways in a chair and lean way over so he could start on my lower back. It was very uncomfortable and was very difficult to try and relax. (NOTE- next time bring a pillow). It was very painful and I even felt like telling him a few times I could not go on. But I wanted this tattoo so bad that I worked my way through the pain. Matt was great and made me feel very comfortable. We finished the outlining of the geisha, the fan, and some flowers by 8pm. He charged me $460 for four hours of work and I tipped him $80. 2. 9/12/14 My appointment was at 4 pm. I arrived and Matt said he thought it was at 5pm. No problem, I told him, go ahead and eat. I don’t want you shaking from hunger while you are tattooing me. I sat upright in the chair the three hours he worked on me. He hand drew some flowers on the sides of my back to fill in space. He did some outline. I can tell the sides of my back are going to be very tender when filling in color. Something I am not looking forward to. He also outlined the castle and started some color on it. He said he wanted the castle (Osaka Castle in Japan) to be perfect because when he returned to Japan he would be showing my back piece to those who lived there. He charged me $260. I tipped $60 3. 9/23/14Today he worked on the hair. Todd ad Emma came to visit me. I told them they could not stay because it is difficult for me to focus when I am in pain. It seems when I can’t focus the pain is more difficult to handle. I sat for 3 hours and was charged $240 .$60 tip. 4. 10/15/14 1:00 pm Today I got tattooed by Mel J. I have to say she has a very delicate touch and creates such a friendly atmosphere. She did the butterfly on my left foot. It did not hurt near as much as I thought it would. She charged me $100 and I tipped $40 My good friend Leigh Poast Nightser also got a butterfly tattoo. . 5:00 pm. Matt D. worked on my back. He finished the castle. and the trees around it. He also worked on the flowers directly under the castle. I tapped out about 7:30. It was very painful. Not sure if it was because of the earlier tattoo or not. I have to add that I had a horrible headache from having my hair pulled at work (I was attacked by a client) and also I was under a lot of work stress. I wonder if you handle pain better when you are in a “good place”. He charged me $200 for 2 hours and I tipped him $60 5. 11/9/14 Today we worked on her face neck and shoulder area. It was the most painful session yet. My vision blurred and I felt light headed . I can honestly say I asked if maybe we should use some numbing soap. Needless to say we did not. I don’t ever want to use numbing products. ( I had a weak moment today) It is a personal decision. I guess I believe it is cheating. But today was really painful because we did large area and the needle was on the skin at longer intervals. I don’t think I could have handled the pain if I did not want it so bad. We officially started around 3:20 and ended at 5:30 so about 2 hours. He charged me $200 and I tipped $60. I have to add that I just love how this is coming along. I think this is the most beautiful geisha tattoo I have come across. Matt Dinovo is a genius when it comes to art. 6. 11/25/14 Today we worked on the flowers along the Geisha’s back and the blue background. The pain was not as bad this time. I paid $250 and tipped $60. It was a 3 hour session. 7. 12/15/14- I got to lie down for the first time today. We put the tattoo on the geisha’s shoulder, and also touched up the skin. The hands were also done today. Not a bad session. I can relax better when lying down, but I am sure it is more difficult to stretch the skin. I am very happy with the tattoo on her shoulder. I am also thrilled with her hands. I was worried about the hands because I personally have never really seen a good set of tattooed hands. We worked for almost 3 hours and I was charged $250 and tipped $60. 8. 1/6/15 Today we worked on the kimono. There were times when it was pretty painful. But overall it was a pretty good session. The red is gorgeous but I know I will have issues with healing the red ink. It will take longer to heal and it will itch really bad. I had issues with the ribbon and flowers in the hair. I ended up using a VERY light layer of cortisone cream on it. ONLY after the peeling process was over. TI olny used this as a last resort. Benadryl is also suggested. That is usually 4-5 days. It was a 3 hour session. He charged $240. I tipped $60 as usual. 9. 1/27/15 Today we worked on the back ground. I have not even thought of the background. But Matt said if we did not do some type of background, it would look like the castle was just floating in the air. This is one reason I think you need to go to an artist you trust. I am not an artist and would not even think about that kind of thing. I have let Matt take the reins on a lot of the decisions of this tattoo. I just required that certain element be in it. I basically wanted a geisha with a beautiful face. I wanted her to have a tattoo of a dragon. I also wanted some type of Japanese architecture in the back ground. I was thinking a temple. Matt chose to do Osaka Castle. It is a beautiful place with a lot of history. Also, Matt has visited that place. I believe that is the only stipulations I gave him. He knows my favorite color is red. He spent some time drawing the background. He gave me a beautiful waterfall. (I now catch myself singing that song “Don’t go chasing waterfalls”) I am just amazed at the vision he had for the background. VERY impressed with Matts talent. Overall this was a great session. Not a lot of pain so we were able to have some good conversation. It was a 3 hour session.He charged me $240 and I tipped $60, as usual. 10. 2/17/15 Today we started the fan (YAAY!) I have been up in arms about the fan. I have no idea what I wanted on it. So I just compiled a few examples of fans and Matt took the reins. We decided to go with a red fan( My body is not going to be happy) I forgot my pillow today. I usually sit upright and hug my pillow. It is just a lot more comfortable for me andI can relax more. I sat up for a while and then Matt wanted me to lay down with I like a lot more because I can relax. There were parts of this session that were extremely painful. But they were just short periods. When I have to go through that kind of pain, I just think about how beautiful this will be when it is done. We finished the red in the fan. He think he also did some shading over parts he had already done. I think that was the painful part. The fan is stunning. Matt is a master at shading. It was a 2 hour session He charged me $200 and I tipped $60. 11. 3/10/15 We worked on the flowers on the Kimono. I was bent over with my head almost on my lap because the Flower on the kimono is on the extreme lower part of my back. It was a pretty painful session and I forgot my pillow, which sucked. When I have my pillow I can clutch on to that. It helps me work through the pain. It was a little over a 2 hour session. He charged me $200, I tipped $60. 12. 3/31/15This is my last session. I feel different about this one than I did my other tattoos. I guess it is because I feel pretty complete at what I wanted to accomplish as far as tattooing goes. He filled in the flowers on the fan and the yellow lining on the Kimono. He also did the flowers on the lower bottom side, OUCH. The worst this time by far was the yellow lining. Not sure why, probably because it was such a random area. We did that part last. It was like a final reminder of the pain I endured through this back piece. When we worked on the fan today it felt numb. I wonder if that is because of my injury from the motorcycle accident I had 4 years ago? I’ll go back in a few weeks and have Matt take pictures of it. It was about a 2.5 hour session and he charged me $250. I tipped $60. m

I am in the Mid-West. I tip after each session. Unless you have booked out your entire piece, this artist has no idea if you will be back or not.So he might think he just got stiffed. Also, I think if you tip, especially after the first session, it shows respect for the artist, which they will appreciate and remember next time you come in.

I'm guessing there are many different brands of Ink. As a collector, I really never paid attention. In doing a little research, I find there are a few different qualities of ink within each brand. Have any artists here had negative experiences with certain ink colors? Is it just a crap shoot when you use a new color? Even if it is within a well known brand?I have lately had an issue with Eternal Ink's Green concentrate that may have caused my ink spread in my tattoo. Any thoughts on this?