Zeroing in on a tattoo design

[Dvil]

Hi guys. I've been considering getting myself tattooed for some time now, and I think I'm finally deciding on what my first tat should be. I'm thinking of a small (no larger than a forum avatar, maybe the size of the internets counter in my sig) albatross, in black-and-white.

I'm just here to ask some opinions. Firstly, what do you think of this idea in a general sense? Secondly, what do you think between this (http://www.clker.com/cliparts/f/4/4/a/1238704362854102575papapishu_albatross_2.svg.med.p ng) detailed sort of design or this (http://www.ds-dan.de/images/product_images/info_images/1926_0.jpg) more basic, bare-bones design?
I'm just gathering opinions here mainly, just seeing what you guys think.

[Xyk]

I actually got my first tattoo one week ago tomorrow. It's a circle over my heart (left side of my chest) that represents wholeness, togetherness, perfection, cycles, etc. It's intentionally open-ended.

The most important part of a tattoo is what it represents to you. It needs to have personal meaning. If the albatross is important to you, then go for it. I had trouble telling that the second image was even a bird, so given a choice between the two of those, I'd go with the more realistic one.

[Dvil]

I had also been leaning towards the more realistic design, but I thought I'd gather opinions, just in case there's some point of view I've missed :smalltongue:

And the significance of it comes from the Coleridge poem, Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The albatross signifies good luck, but also represents a responsibility not to spoil any good fortune or ruin a good thing for no reason.

[THAC0]

The detailing on the wings in the first one might be a little much for a small tat, but your artist should be able to tell you for sure if it'd work. I think the second would work fine as a small tat.

[NikitaDarkstar]

Really, don't ask our opinion, ask your own opinion, you're the one who's gonna wear it for the rest of your life.

But I'm just going to say you might want to consider making it a bit bigger, the smaller it is the less details you can have and the less indistinct the details will get over time. (And a super small little tattoo just looks silly in my personal opinion... but I'm the girl who did an entire upper arm for her first tattoo...)

[Dvil]

THAC0, that's good; I hadn't thought of that.

Nikita, I was just thinking something along those lines. If the detail on the first one would be difficult, it just might be worth enlarging it rather than switching to the more basic one. Enlarging it anyway wasn't something I'd thought of, but I may start now. This is why I ask people; to get points of view I hadn't seen before. So thanks, both of you.

Also, I haven't even thought about where I should get it. If you were getting a small tattoo like that one, where would you put it and why?

[Xyk]

THAC0, that's good; I hadn't thought of that.

Nikita, I was just thinking something along those lines. If the detail on the first one would be difficult, it just might be worth enlarging it rather than switching to the more basic one. Enlarging it anyway wasn't something I'd thought of, but I may start now. This is why I ask people; to get points of view I hadn't seen before. So thanks, both of you.

Also, I haven't even thought about where I should get it. If you were getting a small tattoo like that one, where would you put it and why?

I'd probably put it on my chest. Probably the left side. (That's what I did) :smalltongue:

[Dvil]

I'd probably put it on my chest. Probably the left side. (That's what I did) :smalltongue:

Well, that's very true, you would :smalltongue: Why did you do that though? Was it because the design itself represented something close to your heart, or because you felt your first tattoo should be worth showing off and having pride of place front and centre(ish)? The where isn't as important to me as the why, so I can see people's reasoning and opinions, and use that to inform my own decision.

[NikitaDarkstar]

Also, I haven't even thought about where I should get it. If you were getting a small tattoo like that one, where would you put it and why?

I'd get it on my wrist or ankle (granted they say that ankles hurt like all hell and it's a place I mainly see girls tattoo'ing...) or any other small place. If you put it somewhere bit like an upper arm it'll look kind of silly and even smaller due to the large amount of empty space around it. (Kind of like how you crop a photo or drawing to make the motif stand out...) Not to mention you'd have to cover it up/work it in if you ever want a big tattoo in that area. .p

[Dvil]

I'd get it on my wrist or ankle (granted they say that ankles hurt like all hell and it's a place I mainly see girls tattoo'ing...) or any other small place. If you put it somewhere bit like an upper arm it'll look kind of silly and even smaller due to the large amount of empty space around it. (Kind of like how you crop a photo or drawing to make the motif stand out...) Not to mention you'd have to cover it up/work it in if you ever want a big tattoo in that area. .p

That' a good point. You mentioned making it bigger, too. How big were you thinking, and where would you put a tattoo of that size?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get as many opinions as possible before I do anything, so I can be fairly sure I've seen many different points of view and I know what I'm doing.

[NikitaDarkstar]

That' a good point. You mentioned making it bigger, too. How big were you thinking, and where would you put a tattoo of that size?

Sorry for all the questions, I'm just trying to get as many opinions as possible before I do anything, so I can be fairly sure I've seen many different points of view and I know what I'm doing.

Oh boy, first of all keep in mind that I'm a fan of BIG tattoo's here. I already have my left upper arm and got serious plans to get my entire back and hopefully a full sleeve on my right arm sometime in the future. (Okay future = when I can afford it >.<) So you might want to take this with a grain of salt.

But I'd at least double the size, possibly triple (or change to whatever size needed really, measurements will depend on how you're built. :p) it and put it on a shoulder blade, it looks like a design that could work there anyway.

Or possibly if you're feeling adventurous/got a good pain threshold perhaps the top of your foot? But the less muscle between the skin and bone and the more pain. But size, design and placement is really something to discuss with the artist, but you already got an idea so that's good. :)

Just make sure to look them up and make sure they're sterile and got a good reputation!

[THAC0]

I put mine on the front of my ankle.

I was fairly concerned about making sure my tat was somewhere easy to cover up, but I also wanted to be able to display it when I wasn't in a professional capacity.

[Xyk]

The main problem with wrist tattoos is that they are difficult to cover up and many employers don't like tattoos. The chest is easy to cover up, and it adds another important meaning to the circle: open-heartedness. It's like a portal to my heart. If I were to place an albatross, it would either be on my chest (if it's important enough) or on the back of my shoulder. That would have connotations of wings and flight in addition to the rest of the albatross stuff. It also depends on how many tattoos you think you might actually want in your lifetime. I'm not gonna have many, so I picked an important spot for this one.

[Dvil]

I like the idea of the back of my shoulder for location. Maybe scale it up too, so it would fit in a roughly 4" square? Bit bigger? Well, I have a couple of months to decide, so I should know by then.

[Knaight]

I like the idea of the back of my shoulder for location. Maybe scale it up too, so it would fit in a roughly 4" square? Bit bigger? Well, I have a couple of months to decide, so I should know by then.

Looking at skin stretching with movement in the area, make sure that it is entirely on your shoulder blade, doesn't get too close to the neck* doesn't get too close to the actual shoulder, and doesn't get too close to the lower-near spine edge. I don't know how much area that is on you, and couldn't even guess from height, so it could vary.

*This also works for the whole covering for employment side of things.

[Dvil]

Looking at skin stretching with movement in the area, make sure that it is entirely on your shoulder blade, doesn't get too close to the neck* doesn't get too close to the actual shoulder, and doesn't get too close to the lower-near spine edge. I don't know how much area that is on you, and couldn't even guess from height, so it could vary.

*This also works for the whole covering for employment side of things.

Ok, cool. That's a good insight, and something worth asking about.

[Adlan]

I quite like the simple design, but be prepared for anyone who sees it to wonder what it is. I have a pig on my arm and people still guess some weird stuff.

I second the size advice, go big or go home. Small tattoos can work, but it's much harder to pull off. If you do go small, get the simple design, which could work about 1-2" by 1/2-1" the more detailed one, I'd ask for the artist to size to the location.

My advice is, if you have a good quality artist, take the more detailed albatross design, and ask for something like that in your favoured location. Once you've booked an appointment, a good artist should be more than happy to discuss sizing, location and other design aspects. And don't ask for a direct image copy, he might want to alter it to fit your body shape better.

[Vella_Malachite]

I'm also looking at getting a tattoo, but mine's going to be quite large, probably.

What makes me so confident about this tattoo is that I've wanted this particular design for about two years now, so I know it's unlikely to be something I'll regret in the future. That said, it'll be at least a year before I'm able to get it.

I know that some tattoo places do airbrush designs, so you can get that done, live with the tattoo for a few weeks, and decide whether you like it actually on or not before you get it permanently inked. Then, you can also change small details if you like, to make sure things are placed where you want them.

Apart from that, just the usual - check that the tattoo parlour is clean, make sure you're happy with the person doing the design.

Other than that, it's really up to you. Your body, your tattoo, after all.

[Dvil]

Adlan, Vella, thanks for the comments. Hopefully I'm now slightly more prepared and know what I'm dealing with a little more.

[Adlan]

Something important is your artist. Shop around for a good place (never heard about any good work not done in a shop or at a convention). They should be using new equipment and autoclaving the non disposable stuff. Biohazard bins and clean working environment (gothic settings are awesome, but clean is essential). Just as important is an artist you get on with, no need to be best buds, but a healthy working respect and trust. A good vibe, because the artist's work will be pretty damn permanent.

[Dvil]

True true. In theory, it'll be happening in Glasgow, and that's big enough that I ought to be able to find a place I like.

[THAC0]

Something important is your artist. Shop around for a good place (never heard about any good work not done in a shop or at a convention). They should be using new equipment and autoclaving the non disposable stuff. Biohazard bins and clean working environment (gothic settings are awesome, but clean is essential). Just as important is an artist you get on with, no need to be best buds, but a healthy working respect and trust. A good vibe, because the artist's work will be pretty damn permanent.

I don't recommend the store down the street from me called "$10 tattoos!"

Seriously, that's its name. It creeps me out whenever I see it!

[NikitaDarkstar]

True true. In theory, it'll be happening in Glasgow, and that's big enough that I ought to be able to find a place I like.

If you don't live there, shop around as soon as possible and make an appointment for when you go there if at all possible, or see if you can make some deal with them. Many of the good artists can have very long waiting lists. The place where I made mine had roughly 6 months for new customers, around 3 months for customers coming back (sometimes you don't finish in one session), and the owner herself had a waitlist for a little over a year. So yhea, if you're just going there for a vacation or something don't assume you can find one that you like and will be able to take you right away. ^^;

[KuReshtin]

I quite liked the simple design of the albatross as well. Clean lines, and it will be a good conversation starter, since people will ask you what it is.


True true. In theory, it'll be happening in Glasgow, and that's big enough that I ought to be able to find a place I like.

I got mine done at a place called Forevermore in Glasgow. Very nice place and friendly staff. On Hope Street just off Sauchiehall Street in the centre of Glasgow.

[enderlord99]

Albatross? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_u7VGiMO0U)