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Lady Parts! (Arms, just lady arms...)


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@graybones: Talking about the sleeve, Greg and I both said we really wanted to take the negative spaces into consideration too, since I find it so striking when it's done well. I'm glad you think so too! I was amazed taking pictures of it at just how much space I still have left, too.

@CShaw: Awww, thank you!! This is the first time I've taken pictures of it (or tried to), so it was my first time seeing it from a different angle, too. It felt weird, haha.

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I really was thinking of it as an aesthetic question. Because I have a womanly figure, I know that boxy shirts are not flattering on me. I wear them when it isn't important, but if I wanted to 'put my best foot forward', I'd pick something more fitted. That's as much mechanical as psychological. Curved clothes suit my curved body better than straight ones.

Ahh, gotcha! So then maybe what we are really talking about is placement and design. Placement is where/how the design settles into the flow of the body. To me it is one of the more subtle hallmarks of REALLY good tattoo design. I don't know how to explain seeing good placement in a forum post but I CAN stress to you how very important it is.

Maybe what your eye is registering as "masculine" is clunky tattoo design and placement? And wanting something "feminine" has something to do with more harmonious body/tattoo flow? Idk...shot in the dark...

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Maybe what your eye is registering as "masculine" is clunky tattoo design and placement? And wanting something "feminine" has something to do with more harmonious body/tattoo flow? Idk...shot in the dark...

My wife does not want a tattoo. If she did, I think this would look good on her. Combination design, placement, flowing with the body.

cosebelle_sottopelle_pmtattoos_06.png

tumblr_n90w3b5x9C1qbbyeeo1_500.jpg

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Ahh, gotcha! So then maybe what we are really talking about is placement and design. Placement is where/how the design settles into the flow of the body. To me it is one of the more subtle hallmarks of REALLY good tattoo design. I don't know how to explain seeing good placement in a forum post but I CAN stress to you how very important it is.

Agreed completely with this, especially about how placement is often the difference between good tattoos and GREAT ones. I think not only is it a hard thing to explain here, other than that it's one of those things where you'll know it when you see it, but it's something that really requires seeing tattoos in person because photos don't give a very good sense of placement, or of the movement of tattoos. Placement is something that is kind of irrespective of genre too. If you've seen Filip Leu's tattoos, I mean in real life, not in pictures, they way they sit is incredible. They look like they were meant to be there and that they were always there. My wife @Pugilist had her back done in a folky Americana style by Stephanie Tamez and it's the same, even though the style is totally different than Filip's. What was neat about seeing that tattoo come together was how immediately it looked like the tattoo belonged there.

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Maybe what your eye is registering as "masculine" is clunky tattoo design and placement? And wanting something "feminine" has something to do with more harmonious body/tattoo flow? Idk...shot in the dark...

The bird on my left leg is just a tattoo sitting on my leg. The botanical on my right leg twists around my ankle bone and makes a very graceful little start towards the top of my foot. I know that gender adjectives are clunky, but honestly, the first thing I said when I sat up and saw it colored was, "Oh, it's so girly!" I love both of them, but I have a clear example of the aesthetic difference on my own body.

I am not sure if a composed half sleeve is the correct place for this tattoo. I know the shape of the item I want tattooed fits that part of the body, but I don't know if the shape fits a woman's body. I have a feeling that a hard cut off at the elbow is less flowing than I'd like for it to be, but I know that's where the artist makes all the difference.

There are a lot of pictures of tattoos that don't even register if the wearer is male or female, and lots of suggestive pictures of tattooed girls. I love seeing the pieces in this thread. You're all "real people" and you're posting real world images instead of magazine shoots. I won't be seeing many upper arms in person until about May. We're all in sweaters right now.

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This reminds me of a funny story that I forgot about until now.

For a while, my wife only had a 3/4 sleeve on one arm. For a few years, she had been debating getting her other arm done. Despite the fact that her arm was beautiful and delicate and not overly tough, she was nervous that doing both would look masculine. I was talking about this with my buddy one day when we were walking around Manhattan, and we saw three or four really good looking women with two full sleeves. I joked that I was going to stop and take their pictures, but that it may come off as creepy. Ended up not doing it. Haha. Regardless, she got her second arm sleeved.

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I am not sure if a composed half sleeve is the correct place for this tattoo. I know the shape of the item I want tattooed fits that part of the body, but I don't know if the shape fits a woman's body. I have a feeling that a hard cut off at the elbow is less flowing than I'd like for it to be, but I know that's where the artist makes all the difference.

Yes, I definitely think that we are talking about placement and design now. I get what you are saying and this line of thought. This is one of those things that you share with your tattooer and they create a design that doesn't have strange lines or cut offs that disrupt the overall appearance of whatever body part on which the tattoo is placed i.e. is flattering.

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Look how many pretty lady arms we got out of it :D

Yes! Let's keep the lady arm pics coming! I'm so into it! Just waiting for the opportunity to get some taken of mine...helpless to take my own pics.

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There are tons of pictures out there of women wearing tough, aggressive traditional work, but they dress or present themselves in a way that's still super-girly and feminine. I think this look is amazing.

YES. Also, your arm is killer!! I should probably know this but I'm so bad at internet-ing (and mod-ing lately (always)) but who's tattooing your arm up there in the PNW?

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All right @Tornado6 when you going into a shop to talk to someone?

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All right @Tornado6 when you going into a shop to talk to someone?

I just started getting tattooed in November, and I want to get a few more small tattoos before I start on this project. I think it will be my biggest piece, and I'll have to fit it in to the budget with some upcoming travel plans. We're doing trips to SD and Chicago this year, and then to the Grand Canyon in 2017. The big tattoo might be next fall's project.

I'd just love to have Alice Carrier do it. She's not doing multi-session work on travelers and PDX is just so far from here.

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who's tattooing your arm up there in the PNW?

Thank you! Greggletron/Greg Whitehead, at Scapegoat, will be doing the whole arm. (He's talking about relocating overseas sometime this year, so I've been trying to get in there pretty regularly.)

I'd just love to have Alice Carrier do it. She's not doing multi-session work on travelers and PDX is just so far from here.

Her florals really are very lovely.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha.

Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach.

As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality.

I hope this makes sense.

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