Hi all, I’ve always thought tattoos look awesome but, they seem so much more interesting when they actually mean something personal.
On July 24th 2005 I was hit by a car at some speed whilst on a bicycle and as if that wasn’t bad enough landed head first onto an angled flint wall, I spent along time recovery, suffered mild cereberal cortex damage, memory loss and loss of motor function. I am fully recovered (I think!) I wanted a tattoo that represented my new attitude to life, the new direction and drive that I feel but for the last few years I have not been able to place my finger on the right thing.
Before my accident I was rebelious, immature, regular trouble with police, was a high school drop out and generally thought I was never good at anything, now I am a mere few months from finishing University, captain of the rugby team, spent the last 2 summers rebuilding my childhood “dream car” (Triumph Spitfire), I am slowly learning the guitar and have just passed my unrestricted UK motorbike license and am in the process of rebuilding a Honda Shadow Spirit.
My two favourite poems are: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (which for me represents the old me not sure of the roads to be taken) and Invictus by William Earnest Henley (representing the new, more efficient me with a better attitude, drive and ambhition).
I am booked in for Saturday 28th March 2009 am having written in a curv across the top of my shoulders(left to right):
The master of my fate, the captain of my soul
I’m pretty sure that I will have it written back to front so that it can only be read using a mirror – ie I will be the only one who knows what it reads and that in its self reading the tattoo in the mirror will be a reflection both of the tattoo but also as a reminder of how life was and is..
I am having it written in the font Scriptina, I wanted something with an old-english style ink written font but at the same time something more slick and slightly more modern, something that represented the old and the new.
Apologies for the long post, please see the below examples and let me know what you think:
Standard:
Reverse:
Hi Wham
Welcome to the ink addiction.
Totally kno how you feel I had a similar injury and when i came out of the cabbage sleep I found I had to learn how to walk again, read/write and all the other stuff we take for granted.
It too turned my life around and I got my arse into Uni which I am glad you are doing. I never regret my education.
The tattoo looks to be a nice one and looking forward to you sharing it.
Take Care
Matthew
As it stands I’m having it done as standard but I can change it on the day, the more i’ve thought about it the more i’m not sure about having it done in reverse. As an idea it seems fantastic, the whole “so if ever in a similiar situation I suffer memory loss” I will still be able to remember why I had the tattoo done and what it stood for (my new positive attitude).
The issue I have with it though is that in reverse I don’t think it looks as asthetically pleasing and whilst I am getting the tattoo for myself only, I also want to be happy with the way it looks. Saying that however my mind way well change on the day.. what do you think?
I strongly agree about getting the tattoo for yourself, and I understand where you’re coming from. The only negative I can think of is that if people catch a glimpse of it if you get it reversed, they might think the tattooist put it on backwards by mistake or something. Personally, I like the idea of getting it done as you see fit. At the end of the day, as long as you’re pleased by it, then it’s a good tattoo. That’s my personal opinion anyway.
That’s a tricky one! On one hand I love the concept of it being backwards but like you I think it looks better the standard way. I am pretty dumb, make allowances for that, but if I saw you in the street with it reversed (which I know I wouldn’t as it’s on your back anyway) my first thought would be, oh my god do you think his artist put the transfer on the wrong way?! And then I would probably figure it out after a couple of minutes of pondering lol! I don’t think it looks BAD in reverse, just not as good as it looks the other way, but then sometimes tattoos are better in concept than they are in design and that’s fine. I’d wait and see how you feel on the day as you said, good luck with the decision! If you do get it in reverse be prepared to spend the rest of your life explaining it to people though haha. I have one on my arm that is a copy of a note my mum wrote to me so it’s in scruffy handwriting and wonky lines (an example of concept over aesthetics!) and I only got it a few weeks ago and I’m already tired of explaining that to people ha – going to buy a t-shirt saying IT’S MEANT TO BE WONKY!!!
I like the idea of having the writing in mirrored image so that you can read it, and haven’t seen this done before.
BUT……
Are you sure that’s a true mirrored image? I’m not 100% sure here but I think that if you look at that in the mirror the letters will be the right way around but it will still read back to front. Take for example an the lettering on the fromt of an ambulance, the letters are still in the same order, but each letter is then indivually mirror imaged 😮 When you have the stencil put on check it in the mirror first before you let that needle anywhere near you
Are you sure that’s a true mirrored image? I’m not 100% sure here but I think that if you look at that in the mirror the letters will be the right way around but it will still read back to front. Take for example an the lettering on the fromt of an ambulance, the letters are still in the same order, but each letter is then indivually mirror imaged 😮 When you have the stencil put on check it in the mirror first before you let that needle anywhere near you
Ignore this, I’m wrong. It is right the way it is in the photo 😮
You must be logged in to create new topics.
