You know, I agree with KnightHawk, not the tattoo I would’ve chosen at 16…the funny thing is that in Hawaii, it’s part of the culture, like a right of passage, where teens start getting polynesian sleeves around that age. I think since tattoos have hit the mainstream, the youth are turning it into a fad, but if you were to walk around the high schools, you’ll see a ton of kids sleeved up here. Culturally, I don’t mind the polynesian tattoos, but it drives me nuts to see kids with something like that, or just random shit that they’ll be covering up as they get older. No offense, but the only thing semi-worth showing is probably the skull…the snakes, however…wow…not the best I’ve seen. Sorry mate!

Mags are good for shading, and filling, and covers more ground than round shaders. You’ll get more of an even gradient when shading with a mag when you “whip”. I don’t recommend using circular motions when trying to get a nice gradient from dark to light cause you tend to leave what some may call “chew marks”. When trying to get a nice gradient from dark to light, start from the base of the dark area, and whip out towards the area you want to to lighten up. The best way to describe whipping, is having the needle angle, and go in a straight line, starting deep from the base (dark area) then ease up on the needle depth till you come out of the skin (light area). Speed will affect the change in tone, so practice…Hope this helps, and not confuses you!;)

I’ve got a friend who put wings on his back, regular style, but using more broad feathers from upper to lower back…looks great to me, and it didn’t look feminine at all…he trains Jiu Jitsu and MMA with me, and no one else saw it as feminine…maybe they just didn’t want to be F’d up…LOL!