Been working on this for a month or so, finally got it done earlier tonight. Lot of symbolism in this (which is mostly personal, so I don't give all the details), and I'm very happy with the result. Took about 8 hours over 2 sessions to finish, and damn is my arm sore now Left side is the tat midway done about 3 weeks back, and right side is today.
Looks really nice dude. Is that your first? I am still trying to figure out where and how to start my first tattoo lol Looks like you've got a nicely kept beard too! I am a big beard advocate! I've got a decent beard, even if I do say so my self
UMAD's all about the beards. You know how a real man shaves? HE DOESN'T!!! Great work, Dur. Talented artist. Especially the shading on the robes. Reminds me of Avenged Sevenfold's first couple albums back when I was a kid! lol Cheers.
That is a nice inkjob! Love the feather detail and shading. Easily triple the size of mine (Started as a plan to create a sectional halfsleeve. Never continued to due financial priorities )
I have several tats at this point. Will likely have several more in the future, but I'm building my new PC after this first. Generally speaking, I design or commission the picture I want, and then sit on it for a while (was a year for my arm) to make sure it's something I actually want to permanently have on me. My recommendation, if you're really interested in some ink, is that you shouldn't make any quick commitments on it: you're talking about something that you'll have on you for the rest of your life. Anything I have on me has some sort of symbolism to me that I find important, though that's a bit of an understatement. You can get what you like, but I'd avoid any pop/tv references and whatnot, since those may seem like great ideas at the time...and then they make no sense to people in 10, 20, 30 etc years.
I thought up some other things you should know before getting a tat It hurts. How badly depends on several things, such as the location of the tat (anything with a thin layer of skin/muscle over bone, like the sternum or collarbone will hurt BAD), the amount of time you've been under the needle, and your personal tolerance for pain. I have a high tolerance, but after 4.5 hours on the final session on skin that was still sensitive from the first go, I felt extremely drained by the end of it, like I'd run a triathalon. If you can focus on something else, like a book, it helps. In my experience, the pain of the tat is nothing compared to the annoyance of the two weeks after getting it. For my arm, I've had to change how I sleep (I usually sleep on my left side), I have to constantly ward people away from accidentally touching the tat area, and the itching...my god, the itching The first few days, be fastidious about cleanliness. Clean clothes, clean bed sheets and towels as well. The first 3-4 days, you should be showering immediately before bed so that you stay as clean as possible. If you have pets, keep them off your bed during the aftercare days. In the first few days you may notice your tat "weeping", which is the beginning of a scabbing process (it is white blood cells moving to the surface of your skin). Wash gently with soap and warm water and put whatever product your artist recommends over the tat after (wash your hands separately first). My artist recommends Flora for those first few days, which is a very nice product, I've had good experiences there. If the tat scabs, don't pick at it, just let it heal. As you moisturize, scabs will slough off on their own, and this should not really hurt the tat as long as you're keeping on top of it. No matter how much you take care of it, your skin will flake. This is totally normal, so don't panic, just keep moisturizing. Any good artist knows that they are putting more ink into your skin than it can actually hold...this is because they flat out know that some of it is going to go away. It's gross, it will drive you mad with the itching, but it's a part of the process. As with scabs, don't pick at the skin...if it rubs off while washing/moisturizing, it's perfectly normal. Don't eat the skin flakes. That's just nasty Depending on your healing process, you will notice it stop itching somewhere between 2-3 weeks, though it might still really dry out for a while. Just keep using moisturizer until it stops, and you're golden. Things to avoid with a new tat: lots of direct sun exposure (especially avoid any change of getting it sunburnt!), standing water (swimming pools, hot tubs, etc), touching it without clean hands (especially in the first few days), pet hair/dander (vacuum the house before going in, wash your sheets and towels before using them). Once you reach the moisturizer stage, I recommend Aquaphor. It works well, and has mineral oil in it which has a slight topical analgesic effect...can help with the itching a bit. Not enough, but a bit
I've got a half sleeve chinese dragon on my right arm and wolf claw marks with the Canadian Flag on my back and I can agree with most of thise above although I healed quickly. One thing I would add "Remember, it is with you for LIFE. That means when you are old and skin sags? Your tattoo is going to sag too. Just think about that one for a minute. How many 80 year old women will look hot with a tramp stamp?".
http://www.buzzfeed.com/alisoncaporimo/24-reasons-to-never-get-a-tattoo#.aqd8qPXgo #20 One point to add to the list, tats are forever so is anything that goes wrong. Mine has a small area that has a very limited "smear" by lack of a better word. Didn't the artist go deep enough, didn't I do the care correctly on that spot? Dunno, but a fine line went a bit out of "focus".
Haha, pretty much. The way I see it is this...the nephew of a friend of mine saw my tat on Facebook, and made a comment..."If you like tattoos, why'd you make so much fun of me for getting one?" He's a 16 year old kid, and he got a stupid one...so I explained it as such. "It's simple. I got a tat that I had designed specifically for me, that is filled with specific symbolism regarding my life telling a story than spans decades in picturesque format. You got your last name tattooed across your back in case someone behind you fucking forgets it. Standards, people."
