thyes

Is there a big difference between Dermalize and Saniderm, or are they more or less the same? I was looking for Dermalize, but I couldn't find it in any online shops here in Norway, until I got in contact with a shop that did have the big drums in stock. I didn't need that much, but the shopkeep asked for my address and actually cut some sheets up for me and mailed it to me! Now that's customer service. Anyway, when I got the package I saw that he had put some Dermalize and some Saniderm, probably didn't want to crack open a new drum just to give em to me for free. So that left me wondering if there are any differences in applying/removing etc the two different products?

Thank you for a good reply! Yeah I have been trawling quite a bit, that's for sure :P But then again I have a rather big tattoo on my back that I am not happy with. And that feeling sucks. I'm gonna get it fixed some time, so it's not the end of the world, but I guess I just want to make sure this time around. Oh yeah, rest assured pictures will be posted!

Just a little over 3 weeks till my appintment! I'm stoked af, but I'm also starting to stress a little bit. My artist has told me that she will sketch up something when I arrive in the shop, I have not been sent anything via email. And I'm cool with that, she's extremely talented so I have full confidence that she'll cook up something amazing for me. BUT, I guess I should bring some reference photos? I want a portrait, some runes and a rose, in short. These days I'm all over Pinterest, Instagram and Tattoodo like a fuckin psychopath For the sake of my well-being and social life I know I shouldn't be asking this, but what do you guys use for inspiration? Are there any other holy grail-sites out there that I'm missing?

Winter can get pretty cold yeah, but then there's the aurora :) Well I live in the norhern parts, so about 1500 kilometers away from his shop :P But I guess he has email in this day and age!

I took a closer look at Marius' Instagram, and yeah.. he may absolutely be a good pick! I'm wondering if there's a way to keep the skull and add something that would suit it nicely. But like realistically, if I want a backpiece in black and grey I'd pretty much have to lazer the rays, right? If not it would have to be pretty damn dark in those areas.. @Gingerninja Cool! If you have the time, you should pay the northern parts of Norway a visit - it's way nicer up here ;) I've never really liked our capital. Northern Norway has breathtaking nature, if you're interested in such that is.

Did you see this? Pretty sick! Devotion personified, I'd say. https://www.tattoodo.com/a/2017/01/project-x-vegan-activist-alfredo-meschi-gets-40-000-tattoos/

Actually never heard of him, but yeah he had some sklls for sure! Japanese is not my cup of tea to be honest, traditional has grown on me though. I'm a big fan of realism. Hehe yeah, I'm actually going to Denmark for my next tattoo :) Not Royal though, but a girl who worked at Sinners Inc, she's setting up a new shop these days.

Thank you for your reply. Yeah, I know I'll have to go pretty big to cover this one up.. kids, let this be a lesson to you. I'm getting a new tattoo in august, maybe I can ask my artist during the session what she thinks. But yeah, pour em out if you have suggestions :)

Hi guys and gals. So, this was my first tattoo. Got it like 8 years ago if I recall correct. When the artist sent me the sketch on mail, I thought it looked badass, but not long after it was inked on my skin I realized that I hated it. Well, hate is a strong word, but I am definetely not satisfied with it - and in my opinion when you're not satisfied with a tattoo, you've failed :p It has been bugging me for years, but just recently I've started to really consider getting it fixed. Now, I'm happy with the skull, but the "sunrays"... barf. I wanted it black and grey from the get go, but the artist kinda convinced me to add colours to it. I thought about having it lazered, but that's expensive as hell here in Norway - and I also hear it hurts like a bitch. So my dilemma is this; can I really cover up the colours with black and grey? Or do I need to at least fade it with a lazer, and then get it covered? Any thoughts on cool concepts that could go with the skull is also greatly appreciated :) I had this thought about putting a top hat on the skull, and/or maybe an angelic wing on one side, and a demonic wing on the other. I dunno, I'm kind of lost on this one. Help me please!

I'm getting my forearm done on august the 10th. Booked in may if I recall correct. 7 years since my last tat, and I am itching something fierce! Been thinking about getting a waiting-tattoo to kill the wait, haha..

What is the best sunscreen for tattoos? Anything as long as it's 30+ SPF and blocks both UVA and UVB?

Well yeah ofcourse it is - it's really two sides of the same coin if you break it down, I suppose :) It's the same as the upside down cross, it's not a satanic cross. A quick google search will show you just how different the real satanic cross is. What's funny is that most "satanists" don't really, truly believe in a horned god, the devil or Lucifer. They are just atheists who oppose organized religion and believe that people should be able to think for themselves and not blindly follow. 'Satan' actually means the adversary.

Hehe no, I woulnd't go that far :P @bongsau I'd get an upside down cross or a pentagram any day of the week rather than a traditional cross But hey, that's just my personal standing, I have nothing against what people decorate themselves with or believe - as long as they don't knock on my door and try to forcefeed their beliefs on me!

I like this topic man. I don't see myself as an overly morbid creature, but I'm probably more interested in the occult than the average person is. This has alot to do with the music I listen to, I admit (metal, and black metal especially). But I'm also a devoted atheist - I believe organized religion is the root of all evil in this world. So I really wanna get a tattoo inspired by the occult, but I'm afraid that may be crossing a line or whatever. I mean, the Baphomet on your upper arm or a burning cross on your leg, people are bound to brand you a lunatic. I'm getting my forearm done soon, and it will be a portrait of one of the old godesses in norse religion. I did consider Hel, the queen of the underworld, but maybe that too is a bit too much on the dark side?

It's been almost exactly 7 years since I got my last tattoo, so I honestly can't remember that well if it hurt or not. I know that the back (where I got my first one) hurt more than on my upper arm. Upper arm was a walk in the park as far as I recall. Now I'm getting my forearm done in august, and I've heard mixed opinions about that area. But I wouldn't even consider a numbing cream, the pain is part of the experience I kinda like the whole "earn your tattoos" thing too.

Yeah you're probably right. I think Ill just go with a portrait to begin with. I like her portraits alot, and as of now that is the main priority. A rose would look killer beside it I think, and Im a sucker for some script too.. oh fuckin hell Edit : about refrence Im looking at female portraits several times a day. I think ill give her a bit of artistical freedom on that one though.

@Emil: Yeah, maybe you're right about that. Easier to fit in details if a portrait is rather big, than to cram two portraits into a small spot I guess. Oh well, I guess we're gonna go through the design before she sketches it up for me - will be great fun to see what she comes up with :) I hope I won't be one of those nightmare customers who demands 3-4 reworks before I'm happy, haha

@AtomicMagpye Haha! Well yeah, not exactly but close! Skjegget i postkassen is more like if you mess up something. For instance, you book a holiday and then find out 2 months later that your boss wont let you go during that time. It literally translates "beard in the mailbox" - I don't even know why, it's a wierd saying :P @Dan: Do you mean the idea as a whole, or just this symbol I attached? Cause the most important thing for me is to get a really good looking portrait with some fillers around/underneath it. I was shifting a bit about starting clean on my right upper arm, but I'm also thinking I wanna continue on my left arm - I have a tattoo on my upper arm there already. Eventually maybe making it into a full sleeve. I also wanna get a tattoo that I can see easily (when using tshirts etc.) and actually share with others aswell. I have the one on my upper arm and one on my back, so for the time being I can easily go as an "ink virgin" even on sunny days :p Thanks for the replies guys! Maybe it's difficult to throw ideas out when I already kinda know what I want, but I guess I'm looking for other peoples experiences with forearm tats :)

That's such a beauty! I'm getting a wolf on my forearm too in a couple of months, can't wait! And this piece was inspiring as I'm still not 100% sure how I want the wolf.

Hi! In august I'm getting inked for the first time in SEVEN years! I can't believe it's been that long since I last felt that bittersweet buzzing from the needle, but now I'm finally getting tatted up again :D Anyway, my next piece is a norse-inspired forearm tattoo. I'm from and live in Norway, and have always been interested in and fascinated by the norse religion and way of life - and I also feel it's a cool way of paying dues to my ancestors and heritage. However, I'm kinda shifting between 2 or 3 different ideas,. and just FYI this will be a piece stretching all the way from my elbow to my wrist on my forearm. I initially wanted a full halfsleeve, but I'm gonna start with my forearm. 1. A portrait of Hel and underneath the Fenrir wolf. In there I'd also like one of Odin's two ravens if possible (or maybe both of them, flying in the background?) and a rose just above my wrist. For those of you who don't know, Hel is the Queen of the dead in norse mythology. Her face is half beautiful, and half dead. The Fenrir wolf is a fierce beast who will be freed from his shackles when Ragnarok breaks loose and kill Odin, and also swallow the sun and the moon. 2. Basicly the same as #1, but instead Hel is replaced by the goddess Freyja. Freyja is the wife of Odin, and is the goddess of love, beauty, war and death, among other things. 3. The Fenrir wolf with a bit more darkness surrounding his portrait. I don't necessarily want the wolf to look intimidating, but some dark forest scenery around/under him. Moving down from there, I'm thinking one of the two ravens mentioned above, and just above my wrist the Helm of Awe (see attached picture below). This symbol was a magical spell of protection used by the vikings, and I quote: "According to a number of legends, this apotropaic (protective) symbol, when worn between the eyes, was intended to confer invincibility in the wearer or instill fear in one’s enemies. " I like it first and foremost because of the protection part, although the latter is cool too. Now, this symbol I want 'modernized' by having it look like a compass or a pocket watch of some sort. So what do you guys think? I feel like there's so much more that can be added to this piece.. The reason I'm so unsure about the 3 options I currently think about is because I want something that I can wear for the rest of my life and still be proud of. Right now I think the portrait of Hel sounds totally badass, but maybe when I'm 60 and my grandkids ask me wtf that half-dead chick on my arm is, it wont be that cool? I might add that I want all of this in realistic style. The artist I've booked an appointment with is a girl in Denmark, and she's really talented in this realistic style! Below is a link to her instagram. Fun fact, the Elvis portrait you'll see as the first pic took her only 2 hours, I'm amazed! https://www.instagram.com/linemarielletattoo/ Any input, ideas or feedback will be greatly appreciated! The Helm of Awe:

I think your tattoo looks decent, maybe a little too much "empty space" between the flowers for my liking, but hey. I can understand that if you imagined realistic looking flowers this is a disappointment. The first tattoo I got I'm not really that happy about. It's a skull with some sunrays around it on my back. It's kinda big, between my shoulderblades and stretching up and down a bit, so I'm not really sure about what do with it. Cover up is an option, lasering is also an option I guess. The rays are red and yellow, does colors pose a bigger challenge for lasers?

Yeah according to the allmighty internet, anything between 10%-20% is considered standard :)

How much do you guys usually tip your artist?

It would look like a pentagram if there was a circle around it. First thing I thought of was a star. Maybe not the prettiest star, but still a star. Like people have said above here, do some research, find an artist with a style you like, and be willing to caugh up a few bucks. After all it's gonna be on you till the end. I kinda regret my first tattoo, and will probably have it fixed/partly covered sooner or later. Personally I wouldn't mind having a pentagram, but maybe that's just me :p

Thought I'd drop an update here. So last night I got the OK from my doctor, he didnt think the bleeding would be a problem, and told me I could pause the meds a couple days before just to be sure. So now I'm pretty damn happy! ? I initially wanted to get a whole halfsleeve (damn that sounded stupid) on my lower arm in 2 days back to back, but I'm thinking I'll just go with the inner part of my arm first. Partly to save money, and partly because I imagine healing half a limb in one go can be a hassle with a physical job etc.