Isotope

obviously not tattoo-able.

Commiseration:

When the scabs start to fall off if you're a "let your skin do the work" healer. I always panic any time I feel a scab that is mostly off catch on a shirt and get removed by that last little millimeter by which it is hanging on. I should stop worrying about it, because I have yet to lose any color or need a touchup healing this way, but I always can't suppress the "oh crap" feeling...

I'd only suggest letting the artist make the text and stem a bit better. I like it, overall. Color or B&G?

That would be full color. I am bad at text spacing. And writing by hand in general. Thanks for letting me post random dumb concepts here!

A little background on this sketch, my grandfathers were WWII veterans, one a Marine in the Pacific, one army in North Africa. One also shot M1903 competitively before being drafted to the Army. The .30-06 was America's cartridge for two world wars, Korea, and some parts of Vietnam. I'm a fairly active recreational marksman, taught by my grandfathers, and load my own cartridges, and also shoot M1903.

Thanks @pidjones ! I love it. I held a huge BBQ on Sunday, after a Mexican birthday party the night before, so I had been up since 4 AM. My better half had to drive to Houston around 8PM, and she asked what I was gonna do the rest of the evening. I said I'd probably see what Charley thinks of this design. He saw it and said, dude, let's get you hooked up. So, there you go. I can't take a good pic of it yet. The placement is as a shoulder epaulet, and I keep getting tons of glare.

Goddamn Dirty Charley Marquez again. Sorry for the glare!

Thanks! I haven't drawn since high school (I actually went to a magnet art program and got full rides to two art schools, but I just don't have the creative mind for it).

Hahah, actually the plan is to stay above the cheeks.

Welp, I booked my first appointment (July 14) to start a full back piece with Kelly Edwards today ( https://instagram.com/kellyedwardstattoo ). I'm 56% so excited I probably won't sleep until the appointment, 44% scared shitless. I have a lot of general ideas for potential incorporation, but I feel like I'm going to annoy the poor man to death.

Most painful place I've been tattooed so far is collarbone and near the nipple... so this should be a riot.

Just booked my first full back session in July with Kelly Edwards! So stoked!!!

Now y'all got me having fun sketching ideas

Also just to clarify, I have every intention of asking the artist do whatever is necessary to make the idea a good tattoo. I don't have so much hubris that I think that I knew how to drew something that would make a strong tattoo as-is.

Yep, it's a pump jack

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@Isotope where on your body are you thinking of getting this tattooed?

I haven't decided yet.

I'm thinking about it. We love visiting San Antonio on weekends anyway...

(mods if this is somehow not allowed, I apologize, no harm intended).

So, as I said in my intro thread, I have zero creativity. Like, I'm about as clever as a brick. And I have general ideas that I give my artists free reign on, or, you know, traditional flash. But I've had this idea for awhile, and, figured, what the hell, I'll try to sketch it out to show a future artist clearly what I'm thinking. Even though I know I'll probably catch hell for trying to sketch out my own idea, my skin is thick. Freehand except for straightedge use. Let me know if you think this will translate at all in the hands of a good tattooer...

Love this! Thanks @Iwar ! That's exactly what I'm looking for: Thunder and lightening in tattoo form. I've admittedly seen very few examples. This is definitely awesome!

I'm from Florida. Born and raised, there my first 23 years of life. God I miss those afternoon thunderstorms. Huge thunderheads, violent lightening and thunder, rain so hard it hurt. Do you guys have any examples of really strong thunderstorms in tattoos? I'm pretty much a bright/bold/traditional guy...

I don't like them simply because I could listen to the noise of a coil all day. I have been tattooed by a rotary and didn't really notice any difference pain-wise that I could describe, even subjectively.

Thank you for the detailed post, @Graeme ! The lines on my collarbones had me wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into, I was practically seeing stars, even after the endorphins kicked in (I was well rested and well fed that day, thank goodness...). Fortunately the shading and color wasn't too terrible. You're right on about the whole body thing, I could feel it in my toes and fingers. The details in your post are a tremendous reminder of what tattooing is physically and how amazing our endocrine and central nervous systems can be. They can make you forget completely those first few minutes under the machine, permanently. Or, at least, until the next time you have to wait for your CNS and pituitary to kick in! It's also a great reminder how important it is to be in a good physical and mental place ideally.

It turns out that it's really difficult to take pictures of your inner biceps but here are mine. The skull is from Ron Henry Wells and the Haeckel mandala type deal is from Thomas Hooper. I am glad I don't have to get that part of my body tattooed anymore.

ruh roh, worse than collarbone?

I dry heal the work I get on myself, and I read so much about about "itching" during the healing process, and I've never once experienced it. My healing process is usually by day 4 scabs are forming, by day 7 they start dropping off, and then just continue to flake and fall until reaching the shiny "milk skin" phase. Then the shine slowly goes away and the ink settles clear and bright. But itching? I guess I should consider myself incredibly fortunate.

Having lived in Austin since 2008, this thread is the last damn thing I need to see. Gouge my eyes out already.

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I still can't get a handle on what a Hipster is. Maybe the generation gap lets me down.

Are we talking motherfuckers who change their style depending what the current trend is?

In Australia we have a simple term for them types. "Wankers".

No. Because no mother is low class enough to fuck a hipster.

Nice thread @Isotope, and you don't happen to work at Franklin, do you?

Our daughter lives in Austin and my 6th session at ROA is coming up June 1st, so we're always visiting.

Usually we hit Uncle Billy's while we're in town.

Hit me up! This is just backyard hack stuff, I sure as hell don't work at a real joint. There is equal and better quality BBQ than Franklin that is low key, same style, and no wait. I will take you if I'm in town. Who's doing your work at ROA? I'm DYING DYING to have Tony Hundahl do a hand drawn Florida panther head with Florida paleo Indian shell axe. I've emailed a few times, no response, and the one day I was in town and could go south of the river (I work weeks in College Station as a research scientist, girl and I have a house in Austin, so I'm there during weekends), Tony and the gentleman who handles his booking were out. I just need to call, but I'm out any additional tattoo money this month after $400 worth of physical therapy and doc appts for the back. Maybe June.