Getting this on my arm next week: http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/948/cherub.jpg but slightly changed, the flourishy stuff on the right will be more extensive and come further around my arm for example. But other than that there won’t be much difference.
What I can’t decide, though – is do you think the shading would look better lined, as it is in the above picture, or shaded in the traditional way with grey tones?
What do you think?
If I went for it how it is in the picture, would the fine lines blur into a mess over time?
Hi Azure
Classic Edwardian/Victorian cherub you have there.
The eyes were always turned up away from the viewer looking towards heaven.
Anyhow I digress..
On such a detailed piece if you went lined it would have to be very bold to stop the blur with age. I would personally;
Bold out the the shape then use subtle grey shading to colour where it is lined. That way the focus is kept on the cherub and it will last the years much more. Otherwise they risk becoming little blurry squiggles.
It would also give emphasis to the cherub – my only other suggestion is get the last finger on the right hand needs more definition he looks like he has 3 fingers! 😮
Also the flute needs more detail where the mouthpiece is meant to be.
Lovely drawing though.
Take Care
Matthew
i love to see pen and ink drawings, but unfortunately it wouldnt last the trials of time as a tattoo, the lines would definately get lost and probably after only a short time… it would be much better to get it shaded traditionally. but it sure is going to be a nice piece, i hope you remember to post it up once its done please 😉
Thanks for the piece of trivia Matthew! Is your brain a bottomless pit?? :p
I agree with you both, this is what I’ll request, the more I look at it the more I can see you’re correct. Shame as it would have been unusual – but hopefully the traditional shading will give it more of a 3D effect!
Will post a picture of it when it’s done as always! I’m waiting until I have the piece on my back done before creating an album though… feel as if I’d be showing off an unfinished piece of work before then – something I hate doing! :p
Hi Azure
You caught me out yes my brain is bottomless because actually I do not exist.
Yes that is right I am just a complex AI script that flies out with random bits of info in the hope to pass as a biological meatsack … I mean human.
😀
Priority One: Global Domination…
Again I meant, Take Care
Matthew
Hope the Global Domination is coming on well Matthew! You should team up with Pinky and The Brain, I hear they have similar plans!
Just to let you know I had the tattoo. Went with the shading, looks great, I really love it!
I’ll upload a pic when it’s healed, it’s a bit bruised still and ink smudges etc.
Having a crisis of confidence now. It’s just going to have to be a blip, no other alternative lol. It’s just like, a month ago I had clear arms and the tattoos before I had I could hide easily, now I have an upper arm full and one on the other, so I keep occasionally thinking ‘what have I done to myself, do I really want this?’.. I don’t know if it’s just my dad getting in my ear about how stupid I am literally every time he sees me (which is a lot, considering we live together) that is shaking my confidence over it. I wish he’d stop because it’s obviously done now, nothing that can be done and him being like this will only do harm. I think it’s just because I’ve done it so fast that it’s a lot to get used to, I’m beginning to realise that I’m very guilty of doing it all to try and get me over the pain of my mum.. I knew that already but I just thought ‘I don’t care, nothing matters anyway’ and now those feelings are beginning to subside I’m left with the reality of it. But they’re beautiful, and especially the note from my mum I’m so proud to have that on me, I just have to get my head around the fact that they’re part of me now just as much as any freckle or mole or other feature of my body and if I do regret them one day in the future then it’s tough shit.
Anyway sorry for the ramble, needed to get that off my chest, and if I said any of the above to anyone I know I’m just going to get a giant.. ‘I told you so’. But I’m not having regrets, just doubts that one day maybe I will have regrets, if that makes sense. Needless to say I’m going to hold off any more for the meantime until I’m more secure about myself!!
Azure
I felt like that for years!! I have a few very crappy hand made tattoos on me, done at a very young age, one of them on my hand! For years i regretted them, and hid them. Even started saving to have them removed. But now im using that money to cover them instead.
If they are beautiful and well done dont be too harsh on yourself, alot of people apreciate skin art for just that ….. art 😀
I do agree that oyu should wait till you feel the time is right to get your new one, thats why even though i want all ofmine covered ASAP i am seriously taking my time over them, the one on my arm was changed aobut a million times before i was happy enough with it to ink it!
Hi Azure
Your feelings about the new ink are normal and everybody at some point will question themselves about whether it is ‘right’ or not.
You have excellent taste in your tattoos and they are not morbid in memorandium but more of a celebration of life and the good times and memories you have of your mother.
After a few weeks you will not notice the ink as much because it becomes a part of you.
To be honest I had an anxiety attack about my backpiece – I was thinking it is going to be my whole back! That is at least 30 hrs of ink – will I regret it?? 😮
The truth is no I will not as I have taken years in deciding first of all having it done and then what it is I want.
I think perhaps your dad is also coming to terms with the loss and when he sees the tattoos he is reacting to the reminder – he likely does not mean anything by it but is his coping mechanism.
I know you ill not regret your tattoos because they are great ink.
Personally I would slow down for a while on getting more and let your self esteem reassert so you are in a good place (mentally) when yo get your next tat.
Looking forward to seeing it.
Take Care
Matthew
You’re both angels! Reading that has made me feel so much better. I know plenty of people with tattoos and I’ve never known anyone to openly waver over them (some have perhaps regretted the odd design they had as a teenager, but none actually regretting the fact that they have tattoos full stop) – so I was just thinking I must be about the only moron on earth to be unsure this soon after. So it’s really comforting to hear that it’s natural for some! And matthew what you say about me getting used to them in a few weeks is a very good point. I think because all my previous tattoos have been on my back so it’s easy to overlook them and forget they’re there, suddenly having so much on show is a huge lifestyle change, like having people comment on them (nothing negative as of yet though!) – I wasn’t prepared for all that, and knowing that now it’s the first thing people will judge me by, negative or positive, either way. I’m not worried about the idiots who will dislike me if they see tattoos – anyone that shallow I’m not bothered about knowing anyway – but just the fact that it’s the first thing people will see, feels weird to me. I always wear short sleeved tops even in winter and now I feel tempted to wear long sleeves to cover them in public just in case anyone thinks I’m wearing short sleeves to deliberately show them off… so yeah. It will be good when I can get used to them as just being a part of the rest of my skin and not always being conscious of them! Thank you both again… I’ve had this knot of fear inside my stomach all day and you’ve just totally lifted it! 🙂
Hi Azure
My advice is wear what you normally do – it is an important factor to be yourself.
As an example I was coming back from work and because I was shifting crates and files around I had my vest on.
I jump on the bus and my great aunt is on it she is nearly 90 years old and only speaks yiddish and hebrew (she knows english but the area she lives in is all hebrew and yiddish speaking).
My first gut feeling is hey I should have worn long sleeves to cover my tats I don’t want to upset her.
So we are chatting (my yiddish is awful and my hebrew is passable) she starts to ovey all over the place and throwing in the Patschkieing – (why had I been fooling around – meaning getting tattooed) had i become shagetz (non-jewish) and a few repeated shande’s (shameful) and much tutting.
I just grabbed her in my arms and planted a huge kiss on her cheek and we were both laughing – yes she disapproves but she loves me and I love her.
To her I will always be her ‘yutzi ingle’ (stupid boy) but even with her orthodox upbringing the tatts do not come between us – so be yourself and wear that ink with pride.
😀
Take Care
Matthew
Ha your great aunt sounds cool!
Well I’m having to wear short sleeves at the moment anyway because my arm is bloody throbbing, but hopefully the self consciousness will pass on that one soon.
It’s bizarre because I am really proud of them and excited to have them and think they’re beautiful… so I cannot for the life of me see the logic behind me wanting to hide them! I think I’m just shy!
There are two people I’ll be hiding them from long term though – my grandparents on my mum’s side. They’re not as cool as your great aunt! My nana has almost disowned me over piercings in the past. They have a very firm idea of what is ‘proper’ (they are very very ‘upper clarss’) and also my nana has a bit of a dicky ticker so I’m saving them the grief and myself the hassle. Already investing in long sleeved yet floaty tops to keep me cool for when I’m on holiday with them in summer – not looking forward to that one!!
Funny that Mathew….
I have a huge dragon on my back and a whole lot of other very visable tattoos, but my step-father (who i love to distraction) of 27 years thinks the only tattoo i have is the one on my hand!
I come from a very strict Roman Catholic Irish background and tattoos are a mark of “lower society” to my family, the only one who knows about the rest of them is my Mom.
At least i dont live in JHB full time! imagine having to wear jeans and long sleaves all the time when the temp out side is 32 deg Celcius!
wonder what he would do if i jumped into the same bus as him wit one of my skimpy vests on LMAO hey i want him alive for a little while longer!
😉
You must be logged in to create new topics.
