The Range
@the-range
Forum Replies Created
Welcome fellow Michigander! You definitely have some great artists in that area of the state (here in Grand Rapids, I haven’t exactly been blown away). Hopefully you can manage to upload some pictures of your ink (mistake or not)–I’m sure we’d all be interested in seeing them. Enjoy your stay here!
It may not matter what anyone “thinks” about it, but there are still a lot of things to consider as to what the best placement would be (pain, canvas size, sun exposure, curvature, wear-and-tear, practicality, changes in body shape, etc.–all unrelated to a simple opinion of the piece). Considering that the OP is asking about a shoulder-blade tattoo (which is an uneven, bumpy canvas) and the stomach (which against our hopes, doesn’t necessarily improve with time) I think more consideration needs to be taken than a simple “do what you want.” Just because a person is flexible/undecided on a location shouldn’t indicate that they’re not ready for a tattoo.
Best thing you can do when worrying about tattoo placement? First check the portfolio of your artist and see if they’ve done pieces on the body part you’re looking to get tattooed–do they still maintain nice clean lines and shape? Do they show the quality that you’re looking for? Then think about what you want to get tattooed, do these portfolio pieces come close to what you’re imagining for yourself? Or do they seem far less detailed/complex? If we’re doing good so far, then still be prepared for some swaying. Talk to your artist and run your idea past him/her, make sure you let them know how set (or not set) you are on location–if you’re inflexible, they may want to alter the design to accommodate the placement. If you’re flexible, they’ll suggest a place where the tattoo will look exactly how you want it (which, don’t get me wrong, could be exactly where you want it). Don’t be afraid to ask a million questions on what’s good and what’s bad about the placement.
Basically, any placement decisions should be made between you and your artist. We at the forums can certainly tell you the general pros/cons for a location and make an educated guess based on how you describe your idea (to get you thinking), but since we don’t know your body shape or the actual design, we certainly can’t tell you one place would be more ideal than another.
If you already know what images you’re looking for, I don’t see what’s wrong with just a simple Google image search. You could also throw the word “tattoo” at the end of the search to see these elements already applied to a tattoo (not to rip-off as you said, but it helps to see what would work or wouldn’t work). If I’m not understanding what you’re asking for, let me know.
Though the thick, solid black would make a cover-up difficult, I think that because it’s such a simple form that a lot of things could be done to it (that don’t require laser removal). The first thing I thought was that turned sideways, you could have text with a strike-through effect, and the current perpendicular line could be an I, for instance. I really do think that this won’t be nearly as tough of a cover-up job as it first appears, a cross is not an uncommon shape in most of nature and it’s simplicity makes it that much more able to be converted into something else.
Really like the first one, the blue pops beautifully and the lines on the entire arm are super crisp and clean. I can’t wait to see what sort of colors are going to be incorporated into the rest of the piece!
The second one is pretty average to me. Nothing I particularly love, but nothing I particularly hate either. I do think the black shading on the outside looks a bit clumsy and only seems to give the piece an awkward shape (as well as give an unnecessary “charred” effect around the script). I know it’s probably a blurry pic, but I’m just not getting enough contrast to make the details of the flower stand out.
Is the third one meant to be a particular lightning bolt (like from a logo)? Or just any ol’ lightning bolt? I really don’t think there’s much that can be said about it. Even if it’s meant to be the absolute simplest bolt in existence, the line work is pretty poor and it comes off as a scratchy doodle that has no flow.
The final one has some clean lines–nice and readable with the straight black. I see a slight curve in the text though, is that intentional (trying to follow the body)? That’s my only gripe with the piece, it would probably look better straight, or consistently curved. The top line just sort of turns away from the rest of the text.
Sounds pretty good to me, something like these (with the olive branch obviously)?
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/514989583_31333a2261.jpg
http://www.ratemyink.com/images/ul/203/ink-20301.jpeg
Are you planning on it being a color piece? Size?
I don’t think connecting it would be “overkill” and to be honest, it probably wouldn’t look that much different, it’s not a piece-altering addition at all. So if you feel that it needs to be connected (which I can understand), then by all means, go for it–you shouldn’t have to look at your tattoo and feel there is something wrong with it ever. Personally, I rather like the way it’s disconnected from the rest of the piece, it adds some dimension (like it’s being stacked), but I don’t think that’s what you were going for.
Ultimately it comes down to what YOU want and what YOUR perspective is of the tattoo. There is nothing “gay” about any imagery/text that you plan to get if you don’t intend it to be “gay.” Your design is clearly meant to be a culmination of your beliefs, so much so that you want them permanently inked into your skin–if you think that roses/text/whatever is the perfect way to visually portray that, then by all means go for it. If someone is going to be immature enough to say that your vision is less than masculine, then they’re missing out on the message.
A rose can certainly be done with a masculine flair–they don’t have to be frilly, pink, blooming pieces especially if they’re incorporated into something a little more elaborate. If you do feel that criticism is something you’ll have to deal with, then maybe there are other images that would work just as well. As of right now we can’t really be sure what your motivation for the piece is, so the elements as you’ve listed them just seem arbitrary. Are you set on the elements from a personal perspective or did you just decide “that looks cool” or “that sounds cool”? You’ve already stated that you have other quotes you can pick from which makes me think that you’re not so much attached to the quotes themselves, but rather just the idea of getting a meaningful quote.
I’m not of the “no text ever” school that some people wholeheartedly stick to, but you still should take into consideration how much text can fit onto your forearm and ultimately what it’s going to do for the piece as a whole. I’ve certainly seen my fair share of text, and to be honest, it can be a little tacky (but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re “lame” or “gay”). I believe that there are some messages that simply cannot be translated into images (no matter how good the artist), so there is a time and a place for text. If you’re planning on getting Old English or a really fine, italicized cursive, then just be aware that you’re tattoo will seem less personal and more aesthetically safe–a hindrance to the piece. Also be aware that text can break up a perfectly good design–chances are that your artist will put the most effort into the non-text elements, but people will be drawn to reading the quote regardless.
So really, just make sure that all the elements that you want in the design are truly necessary and properly executed. The quote may be nice, but is it truly meaningful? Are the roses the best representation for whatever it is you want them to represent? Is there a reason you want the charred, old scroll besides aesthetics (because again, it can definitely be tacky). Just ask yourself questions like these. If you’ve decided you absolutely need and stand behind everything, then talk to your artist and see if you can incorporate everything into a nice piece, but don’t be discouraged if they try to push you away from certain aspects of your vision, it’s for the best.
Since we’re putting forth good examples of lions, may I add another by Anil Gupta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUzBtbeSN4o&feature=channel“]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUzBtbeSN4o&feature=channel
Welcome! Hopefully you can figure out how to upload your pics, if I had an iPad, I would definitely help you out!
Well you say that you “like Japanese tattoos” but then go on to say “but…” so I’m not entirely sure what you want. A million things could be done to cover that up. I’m sure we could help you along the way with deciding what aesthetically would be best for the cover-up, but it’s a little silly to draw you up a design without any insight as to what you desire in a tattoo (and at best you’ll probably get a quick sketch, the chances of you getting a workable tattoo design is slim). Even saying “Japanese” is pretty vague.
Just curious, which show are you referring to?
And yeah, I was astounded at how much of a carbon copy of IM the show is. Wasn’t the very first challenge in IM the cover-up as well? It’s hilarious to see what is essentially the same show, but completely catered to different genders. I’m probably going to continue watching it, but certainly not with the care that I’d give to IM.
While it’s wonderful that you want to commemorate your significant others achievement, it seems a little silly to want to get something permanent done in a way that accounts for potentially being covered up–defeats the purpose of the tattoo, really. But regardless, a talented artist could cover-up a simple script fairly easily no matter what color the tattoo was done in, so don’t worry too much about that.
You don’t have to get “big black letters” in an obvious place at all. You could get small black letters, or big purple letters. Some suggestions for your placement (I don’t know exactly what you’d define as “out of the norm”), you could try the inner hip or the upper thigh (but compared to the center of your chest and your finger, those are pretty normal).
Please let us know how everything turns out!
Thanks all for the input…
@BananaBread I was definitely worried about it not being recognizable, but at the same time, it’s not one of the most iconic images of him. Someone doesn’t necessarily have to go “ooh, Batman!” upon first look, but as long as they don’t say “that looks nothing like him” then I’m fine. I’ve toyed around with several “classic” designs (as in, pretty much just a standard portrait of him), and while I’ve been happy with a few, I guess I’m never quite satisfied with just one definitive Batman image (I’d like to be able to acknowledge as many of the different incarnations of him as possible). But I definitely have taken your advice to heart and I’m currently playing around with some more traditional, colorful designs (color being something I’d like to introduce, but couldn’t really get it to work with my design).
@Justanotherme Thank you for bringing up the distortion aspect, I’d never even thought about that! If I could get a solid design that COULD go to my chest/back without issues, I would definitely try to incorporate it, but for now, I think I could just as easily keep a design limited to just the arm. I will definitely post pictures when I decide to get my tattoo, but as I said, it will probably be a few months.
@Adler That’s what I was worried about, it being a giant mess of black. I played around with changing the colors slightly for the individial “poses” and while it added some nice variation from strict black, I could never quite get the right colors. Other attempts to reduce the black effect just seemed to bring up even more issues. Overall, I understand that my design needs some overhauling done to it to make it work (or close enough that the artist can make some suggestions).
@bluey Wonderful advice, thank you. It does me good to hear some tattooing stories that don’t talk up the pain as if it’s hell in a needle. Trust me, I’ve been doing hours of research on what to look for when it comes to the tattoo experience. I’ve been studying what makes a tattoo good and what makes one bad (probably so much so that my expectations are getting ridiclous). I will defintely remember your advice when the time comes.
@yodaddynukka If I bring my design into the shop and the tattoo artist tells me explicitly that it wouldn’t work, I wouldn’t think for a second to ignore their warning and tell them to do it anyway. I’m not stubborn in that I don’t want the tattoo artist to have input on the design and “it’s my way or the highway (I’m not like that at all),” but what’s so inherently wrong with me taking the time to sketch out and design something (because I KNOW I’ll be happy with the design and it will represent everything I want it to represent)? I would be more than fine with giving them my design and them suggesting whatever changes need to be done for everyone to be happy with it (even if they’re drastic changes), but I don’t think I should HAVE to give them a bunch of ideas and hope that they’ll be able to put them together in a way that appeals to me. My design is really more of a “if this works how it is, great. If not, here’s the elements I really like about this, etc.” I imagine that if I told the artist I wanted a Batman silhouette composed of a bunch of Batmen that it could be done–it doesn’t HAVE to look like my design.
And as far as best b/g artist in MI, are you referring to Jay Wheeler? I could definitely use some suggestions for some of the best artists/places in MI (and if need be, I’d be willing to travel to IN/OH).
