Salutations y'all,
New to the crew. I've got some idears regarding two or three new pieces, but I have hesitated for several reasons (and given my first experience, such hesitation is probably warranted). I hope with all of the collective knowledge on this site, you'll be able to help me keep an open mind and choose the right pieces and artists. Before I go into any further detail, let me regale you with the story of my first tattoo:
Like any regrettable tattoo story, it begins with a (slightly) inebriated eighteen year-old. My grandmother, also slightly inebriated, had insisted for years that if I really wanted a tattoo when I came of age, that she would not only take me to get it done, but she would also get one herself. In her pre-AA days, grandma was a fucking riot. So one fall day, I google'd around and found a decent shop and took her up on her offer. We were both a little "toasted", (the sort of distinctly grandmotherly euphemism she was of course fond of) but we managed to find this shop in the metric middle of nowhere. Context: rural South Carolina. If you are the betting types, you might wager that the shop we came upon was a biker tattoo shop. You'd be correct. While I myself drive a motorcycle, I am not a part of the bike club culture at all, and to this day still find it strange, alien, and somewhere between whimsical and intimidating. I don't even know if grandma knew what crystal meth was.
I chose a Cheshire cat with my mother's name on it. My grandmother chose a Tweety bird holding a martini glass. I wanted mine above my right shoulder blade. She wanted hers on her right ankle. The tattoo artist handed me a traced google image of a Cheshire cat from the Disney adaptation, with my mother's name written on one of the stripes. I looked it over and pointed out that "Ellissabeth" was, as far as I knew, very rarely the correct spelling of my mother's name. Adrenaline levels: spiked.
So as you might imagine, it's not a great tattoo. The lines are rough, the coloring is dull, and one of his eyes appears to be much more focused on my left shoulder blade than I had intended. Perhaps surprisingly, the inevitable cover-up is not my primary reason for seeking your guidance (though dear god, if anyone has any advice or suggestions, sock it to me). I want to get a half-sleeve based on a painting that my friend's father did. It's a bit abstract, and not only do I not know if it would work (especially as a half-sleeve), I don't even know how to begin to find the right artist for it. I've scoured the internet, and there are a couple shops that might work, but I just don't get a great feeling. I don't even know what "genre" of tattoo it could be considered, as abstract and new school don't exactly seem accurate? Help a brotha out! I'll post a picture of my first tattoo at some point, and I'll post a couple of the inspiration paintings.
OH, and one more idea... I have a particular scene from a movie that I've thought might make a great tattoo, but it's a) a black and white movie and b) a night scene. Is there any precedent for such a tattoo? Does anybody know of any artists that could excel with something like this? Thanks for having me, y'all. Drop a line!
Best,
August
