sourpussoctopus

Got to be a reckless kid one more time and got tattooed by Valerie again, this time in London. They're peeling and unsightly now, but here they are in their fresh glory:
The warrior: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLzMPDKFR/
The priestess: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLqtnDKFD/
Bonus video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLTr3EHRy/

I like alliteration, assonance and words that rhyme but don't normally go together. Awful waffle. Enemy anemone. Sourpuss octopus.

A couple of weeks back I fell in a Wikipedia spiral reading about immunology. It's crazy how the immune system works; the fact we have it is astounding itself.

This discussion is actually making me resolute in getting a demonic lady-head tattoo. Look at the dire state of affairs: compare and contrast.
It's a soft start, but I really like this demon lady by Angelique Houtkamp (which is based on this print of hers).

@polliwog Smack-you-in-the-face amazing, indeed. That is undoubtedly quite a striking tattoo. I'm also in the search of a potent back piece, so I know what you mean.
Your bit about looking at Kali only through a feminist lens is so spot-on. I think it's very tempting, as Western women whose cultural female iconographies are dominated by the demure Christian variety, to cling to Kali as purely a symbol of female force. It's empowering, and I can see how folks are drawn to that.
Tattoos are entirely personal, though, and I think people should be free to do as they will. I hope this discussion doesn't come across as a condemnation of some kind.
So what about those devil tattoos, huh?

@9Years On a superficial level, these kinds demons/devils just aren't my thing. I have an aversion to tattoos of male images (the misandry!), and since most of these depictions translate as male to me, I just don't like them. I appreciate the quality of the tattoo, but it's just not my taste. With that said, I love depictions of demonic, gnarly ladies (Medusa, witches, etc) and would totally consider getting one.
On the Kali thing, I wouldn't get a tattoo of a religious symbol, especially one I have a very superficial understanding of. I'm definitely into the image of this force of female fury, power and destruction, but I personally find it difficult to extricate that image from its religious connotations.
As a side note, I have an interest (a light hobby, really) in how certain imagery is recurring in the art of cultures that barely or never interact. You can clearly see the similarities between these medieval paintings of Satan and traditional depictions of Kali.

I love the way demon tattoos look, but I feel like I'm too soft to properly sport one, haha.
With that said, Luke Jinks' work is so good it's stupid.

Being a tattooed old lady is one of the things that actually makes me look forward to aging.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

Got to be a reckless kid one more time and got tattooed by Valerie again, this time in London. They're peeling and unsightly now, but here they are in their fresh glory:
The warrior: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLzMPDKFR/
The priestess: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLqtnDKFD/
Bonus video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BAvLTr3EHRy/

I think @SStu's idea is great. One of my all time favorite tattoos is this warrior lady by Chris O'Donnell; the detail is absolutely exquisite.
Stewart has also been cranking out amazing patterned "fabrics" in some of his backpieces lately, as well.
To that extent, you could also try to find pictures of antique Japanese textiles.

I have read of women who say they want to get completely covered with tattoos, but say that they will never cover their breasts. That’s fine and I understand it. They may feel like that area is too precious to cover, or fear gravity issues. To my eyes, at some point when you get a lot of coverage on the front, leaving the breasts bare looks odd, incomplete. In some ways it perhaps features the breasts too much, leaving glaring white boobs popping out of a dark field of ink. Perhaps this is less of an issue for dark skinned people, but f you are light skinned, it is a consideration.
But I have always admired women who get body suits that include the breasts. I feel like it is a powerful commitment to go all the way there, and I feel in a way that it embraces our feminine assets as part of us, rather than setting them apart.
I am drawn to Japanese style tattooing, and would love to be covered in that way. I love the look of the total frontal coverage with the munwari (open stripe of clear skin down the middle), and I think covering the breasts also offers some interesting design opportunities that take advantage of the shape of the breast and nipples, which is also seen in female Japanese body suits. There are some interesting photos out there that I will post if I can find them.
On the other hand, the picture posted above (which is absolutely stunning!) shows another approach that is equally attractive: simply using the skin on the chest as a canvas for a huge cohesive idea and incorporating, but not necessarily featuring the breasts.
In any case, if I ever do my front, I would go all the way and include the girls.

That swan one is damn impressive.
Edited to add:
Completely agreed. For a long time, I wasn't the hugest fan of chest tattoos on women, so I kinda see it like this: getting your chest tattooed is a hard-as-fuck, baller move (for men or women), and I like the idea of using that to enhance or play off my more feminine side. Women tend to have more dimension to their torso, so there's a real opportunity to let the form educate the design.

Roxx does this very well, I think. Seeing her work has really turned my opinion on the matter around. (The last link is a backpiece, but I think it could've worked wonderfully as a chestpiece.)
But if any lady wants to get a gnarly battle royale on your chest/torso, then go for it; I will support the fuck out of that.

I think @SStu's idea is great. One of my all time favorite tattoos is this warrior lady by Chris O'Donnell; the detail is absolutely exquisite.
Stewart has also been cranking out amazing patterned "fabrics" in some of his backpieces lately, as well.
To that extent, you could also try to find pictures of antique Japanese textiles.

At the end I totally changed my idea and got a skeleton instead!

If it were me, I'd give each bag a design in the fabric/cloth. Like patterned drapery. That way all the blank would be filled in, and you could adjust the tone/depth so that it wouldn't contrast with surrounding areas.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

Having started 21 months ago I am unbelievably happy to say that my back is done. It took 59 hours, at least a dozen tubes of bepanthen, lots of cups of coffee and bacon sandwiches, and at least one ruined set of bed sheets. Thank you very much Mr Ian Flower.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

I would actually like one every 2 months or so, mostly because I don't like getting new tattoos while others are healing (but I will if the artist's open dates work out that way). And since summertime tattoos are a terrible idea, I'd ideally only get tattooed late September to early May.

You really shouldn't ever take this "coloring book" approach to any tattoo. If you are willing to travel to get tattooed by someone whose work you really love, why have someone else complete the work? It makes no sense and is a disservice to everyone, including yourself.
I'm currently getting a sleeve from an artist I've admired for a long, long time. I tried for 3 years just to get an appointment, which wasn't until the end of 2014. I can't go often or for more than one session at a time, but I've had 4 sessions, and there's still work to be done. It's been a long process, but I wouldn't trade any aspect of it because the end result is so, so worth it. If you're gonna commit to traveling for a long-term project, then fucking commit.

I would actually like one every 2 months or so, mostly because I don't like getting new tattoos while others are healing (but I will if the artist's open dates work out that way). And since summertime tattoos are a terrible idea, I'd ideally only get tattooed late September to early May.

Seriously, it looks ok. It will feel dry for a while, then it will peel, then the new skin will feel a little more sensitive, and then it will feel normal again. You need only a little bit of fragrance-free lotion 2-3 times a day once it starts to peel. Just be patience, sweet summer child.