SeeSea

DAMN, woman! Thump thump. Damn straight!

I saw this on FB today and it made me cry. The picture alone should just melt anyone with a soul. Yes, I am a complete sucker for the animals - I am owned by my cats. https://www.facebook.com/southernoregonhumane/photos/a.119308142503.100524.113353777503/10151949017917504/?type=1&theater

I'm on a short break after 4 hours on my back piece. More hours to go. Get something small first and test the waters. Really.

STINKS!!!!!! Rats!!!!! I hope you feel better soon! Triple bummer that it was for a personal monmon. :-(

Ahhh the Pinterest link is great!

I didn't think you were referring to that! Ahhh, now I get the sarcasm. ;)

@keekatzz - it's clear you have your mind set on this, and I can appreciate it, and I echo previous advice to see a good tattooer as suggested above. That can only give you more information and not less to help you decide if this is the best way to help you feel like the jaguar. I agree and disagree with this. I have one small tattoo, although I'm not sure it's even large enough to get a taste of things. But I, too, have dreamed of a single large piece that would be my only other tattoo. I jumped both feet into a full back - a sea scene of creatures I had photographed underwater. I found an artist who's done sea scenes, and he spent quite a bit of time explaining to me that what I wanted (and how I wanted it) wouldn't make a good tattoo. I couldn't visualize why not. He even took a picture of my back and used Illustrator or some drawing program to give an example of something that would work. (To his credit, he did an amazing amount of free up-front work for me because he was really into it.) Anyway, he finally helped me see how my idea could be done in a way that would be realistic, convey what I wanted, and also age well. I don't regret jumping into a full back (although I was spectacularly amazed at the pain and had many oh-shit moments of how-am-I-going-to-sit-through-a-full-back-of-this) although I could have waited longer to get the design. I was just lucky someone with a good eye got ahold of me and set me straight. The point of this story is that I thought I knew what I wanted and I thought I understood how it would play out on my back, but I needed to be educated. My guy didn't ignore that, but made my vision work. The folks around here believe that an awesome panther (or jaguar in this case) is the solution to all life's ills ( :D ) but I think you don't have to be so obvious. I like the pattern you selected, but I'd suggest you think about if you really want that repeating pattern all over your back. I can imagine using that pattern for part of your back in conjunction with something else to break it up, but still convey that you are the jaguar ... like a jaguar looking to be camouflaged in foliage or something like that, with fan leaves and big drop shadows on the spots. Let the pattern flow underneath some other design element and use the pattern as a background to give more interest and depth to the piece, and perhaps convey an action that the jaguar is taking - slinking, hiding, etc. Idunno, I'm not an artist but you have me thinking of things that I would find more interesting to see than just seeing the pattern. Maybe you get it designed so that you can start it (e.g., upper back) and decide in the middle if you want full coverage after it settles in, and the initial part could be a complete design by itself if needed (h/t to @CultExciter). Anyway, my $0.02. And ... I came here thinking this would be my only tattoo. This back piece will take a while, but I already have #2 queued up in my mind :rolleyes: - - - Updated - - - Not unless you share! - - - Updated - - - Bad assumption. You can anticipate one injection and get over it. Imagine hours upon hours of anticipating the next time those needles hit your skin, and the "hurt like the dickens" goes on for several seconds. Then you get another handful of seconds for sweet release from the pain, only to anticipate the next round of pain. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Some people apparently aren't bothered by the pain, but if you go full back, you WILL find many areas that you will come to dread. I'm not saying this to scare you, ... well, yes I am. I'm also not trying to sound mean, just been-in-your-shoes.

That stinks. I have no experience or advise to offer, except for commiseration. I love @irezumi's suggestion, though. I was watching some re-run of Ink Masters (I know) and there was an episode about tattooing over scars. There was a guy who had been bitten by a dog on the calf. Instead of attempting to cover it, the tattooer put on a ferocious looking dog with teeth, and emphasized the scarred area and texture to make the damaged area look like fresh chewed up flesh. Neat idea.

WOW this is an amazing thread!

Ha @bugxjuice, you made me go searching for all the spamming on other threads. One-liners that obviously add no content. So he won't play by the guidance of the forum, and yet you get called an elitist jerk. Amazing the sense of self entitlement some people have.

My birthday is Monday. What do you think I've been asking for? Tattoo Fund, baby! ;)

Session 6 on my back piece tonight. Brownies for the shop are in the oven now. Yum! I had a massage last night to try and loosen up some of the tense knots in my neck and upper back and reduce headaches from tension all down my spine. I'm still pretty knotted up. I wonder if tattooing over those knots last time in the shoulder blade area is what made it harder to bear. Anyone notice if tattooing over knotted muscle is worse or if pre-session massages are worthwhile?

Ok, I feel better. I'm all back. 16 days until the last scabs fell off last time. HATE!

Damn, how the heck do you people start healing to quickly?!?

Ok, I get what you're saying - we're cool. "Bad" in terms of construction/design is also bad, but in another sense of the word. It's unfortunate to see something very well done, but not readable. I was watching (I think) Tattoo Nightmares last night (I know, I think it's fun...) and there was a coverup that in my "less enlightened days," would have loved. It was this funky old player-type piano in the desert with clouds and mountains in the background. But when they showed a finished shot from about 10 feet away, it was unreadable. Poorly placed, not enough black, etc. Sad thing is, it was the ARTIST who designed it without dictation from the client (who just wanted a piano in the desert with mountains). Even if the client had dictated more of the design, it was still up to the tattooer to try and make it work, but this tattooer, when given a nearly blank canvas in terms of guidelines, did something that wasn't a solid tattoo. That's a bummer. (But the client loved it, is it was a coverup for a horrible experience of involuntary tattooing.) Anyway, I digress - we're on the same page. Up close I really liked it, but it wasn't a good tattoo.

Yeah, bruising. The tightness may be that you are still swollen. One of mine was swollen for about 3 days - the one closer to my ribs and on more sensitive skin. The needles get into the dermis where the receptors for touch and pain are located. With the swelling and healing, could be that the tingling is due to the swelling/localized trauma and the beginning of healing in that area. You still have a bit of time before the itchies start. :D

I understand and, in the global sense, agree with what @Graeme wrote, but I don't agree with the notion that there is an "undeniable correlation between 'meaningful' and just plain bad" and that going for personal is a "recipe for terrible tattoos." Maybe I'm misreading your comment, but those knives or Matisse painting may be amazingly designed and executed. Now, if the "recipe" is that the tattoos are done in the chef's kitchen, then you're on to something. But meaningful and original IMHO doesn't imply a terrible tattoo. @Graeme made the point that just because two people are into tattoos, he's not going to chat it up with someone who doesn't share his aesthetic. I'm into music and listen to a lot of classic rock and "kids these days" just can't appreciate the amazing talent of bands and composers in the 60's/70's, and I'm not going to chat it up with someone digging hip hop on the beach next to me. Not my thing, but I've listened to some that I really enjoy. I'm not going to slam the entire genre as crap. Anyway, my $0.02.

Yeah, tattoo hangover. Ugh. My first session was really long and unexpectedly trashed me afterwards. I was so dehydrated - keep drinking fluids! Only one of mine swelled enough to need icing. Not sure why that is but ibuprofen is good.

@Joe Stratford Holy shit that's amazing! The design on this one is awesome.

I would have slapped her back hard in the same place and laughed. Then called her out of she took offense. "Well, I normally don't go around randomly slapping people, especially over and open wound, but if that's what you like, I'm happy to smack you back."

@Zillah - looks awesome - what does your daughter think? What did your artist think of her color choices for the Koi? I just love that :)

Bring some snax with sugar. I take a batch of brownies every session to share. And yes, breathe! Oh, and no, you won't die!

THIS! I'm loving your in-progress pics, and the balance between the octopus on one arm and the whale shark on the other. I love that, actually. I don't know! LOL. I'm coming up on half coverage, but most of the really detailed stuff is done. I think. He says it will go more quickly as he fills in blue, but more than half of the coral is still only outline. There's still a crab missing near my butt. (No editorials on that one, my friends.) And he tells me there will be a session(s?) to pack in more color, and then he has to do all the shadows and highlights. So, I don't even ask. But I'm guessing it's probably half way. Please.

Brilliant!

Ok, sorry to buzz kill this thread. Now back to your regularly scheduled program ... So, I'm gearing up for another session next Friday and trying to get my head in the game. Psychologically, this every 2-3 week sit-as-long-as-you-can business is wearing on me. I'm healing a couple jellyfish now, and I'm not sure at ALL what we'll be working on! Possibly start filling in the water. He showed me a huge needle he's going to use that has like a thousand points on it for shading @_@ ::newbie eyes spinning:: Double the size, double the "pleasure"?