byzantine

Yep, 200%...and the rest ?

Yep, 200%...and the rest ?

hey @bloodsport cool first one. 
I know some people that prefer to concentrate on one limb or area but I like to go all over the place- wherever feels good and kind of balances my body- usually the opposite of my last tattoo. when I have too much on one side I fee lopsided : / so I'd say go opposite side somewhere. have you considered legs? they're pretty easy to hide too for work purposes etc. 
it can also work going to an appointment with a few placement possibilities in mind, or a totally open mind. sometimes I go to get a piece and end up with a tattoo somewhere totally different to what I intended just cause it didn't feel right there. Don't be afraid to try putting the stencil in a few spots til you're feeling it, although often first spot is always bang on : ) 
 

Some of the visual impact of that tattoo has to do just with knowledge of color theory, i.e. putting complementary colors, like orange and turquoise, next to each other.  But yes, that's a fresh tattoo.  A lot of styles that are popular on the Internet right now (like virtually everything featured on Buzzfeed) really depend upon the tattoos being fresh in the photographs.  We don't know what that tattoo will look like in 10 years; certainly the colors will be much more muted, and some might fade faster than others.  If you look at an actual bound portfolio in a shop, look for healed examples of an artist's work.  I've gone back to local shops a couple times now so that the tattooer can take a photograph of a tattoo that I've healed. The livedinttattoos Instagram account is also great in terms of giving you an idea of the variety of ways a tattoo might age. I do sympathize with anyone who feels like they don't have access to a lot of healed examples of good tattoos in person because virtually nobody I hang out with regularly is interested in tattoos.  Another good option might be to go to a convention; you'll certainly see all kinds of lived-in tattoos there...

If you want to attract scratchers and weirdos this is the right way to go about it.
We're all trying to seek out quality work from decent artists because there are so many people that suck out there! please don't invite them onto your body.
Seek out a decent open minded artist who'll appreciate your approach. There are so many amazing artists who would love the chance to work on adventurous projects with a near blank canvas. 

Cool concept but I do echo the concern of the community. I think primarily because so many people have tattoo's that they hate and the end result is that it impacts their lives in a negative way. You say that you've been always been involved in the body modification community. Tell me more...

If you want to attract scratchers and weirdos this is the right way to go about it.
We're all trying to seek out quality work from decent artists because there are so many people that suck out there! please don't invite them onto your body.
Seek out a decent open minded artist who'll appreciate your approach. There are so many amazing artists who would love the chance to work on adventurous projects with a near blank canvas. 

If you want to attract scratchers and weirdos this is the right way to go about it.
We're all trying to seek out quality work from decent artists because there are so many people that suck out there! please don't invite them onto your body.
Seek out a decent open minded artist who'll appreciate your approach. There are so many amazing artists who would love the chance to work on adventurous projects with a near blank canvas. 

@jadore probably jensen or grimm - try searching their flash 

I am by no stretch of the imagination even half as tattooed as most of the people here, but even my personal experience has taught me that all of these things are really individual and there just aren't any rules about it. Examples:

The tops of my thighs didn't hurt, really, but the outside, over the IT band, hurt like a sonofabitch. All of them healed REALLY well, though -- no scabbing, not really any pain, and they barely even peeled. Contrarily, most people's complaints about where they've been tattooed on their backs, the worst spots, were not the worst spot for me; mine was in a weird spot between my shoulderblades -- not even the bit in the crease of my butt/thigh could compare with it, and that was no picnic either! My back has also taken a shockingly long time to get to a 'settled' heal state, where the lines aren't super raised, too...it's all just depends on the person. Trying to predict what anybody else is gonna feel seems like a fool's game to me. Plus, some people just do not feel pain like other people do, and that is science fact.

Anyway, this thread is about thigh tattoos, so here are mine! I'm including a healed pic of the one that @cltattooing did on me, too, since I don't think I ever sent her one!
It's very difficult to take pictures of your own thigh tattoos without warping them.
 
 
 

There you go, fixed your post for you.
Got pictures of the new tattoo?  We'd love to see them.

If you only have one spot of cellulite on your butt you are one lucky lady! I have shedload and am planning on getting a big panther over it. 
So yeah, go for it, I'm sure it will definitely distract at the very least which is just as good as hiding it in my book...but get something because you love it and it's rad, not just because it serves the purpose of concealing.

lamps

smoking frogs

If you only have one spot of cellulite on your butt you are one lucky lady! I have shedload and am planning on getting a big panther over it. 
So yeah, go for it, I'm sure it will definitely distract at the very least which is just as good as hiding it in my book...but get something because you love it and it's rad, not just because it serves the purpose of concealing.

Received The Collection as an Xmas gift. It's solid gold.

Petri, great topic with a lot to think about. That's a really good Cliff Raven quote, too! It's strange, too, because I've been thinking a little bit about blackwork tattooing lately as I've been reading up on plains Indians (this is a really fantastic book on the Blackfeet, by the way if anyone has any interest) and learning about some basic things, especially how artwork reflected their beliefs and what was important in their lives.. seeing some old photos of the men and women, and gathering little tidbits about the importance of tattoos across different groups. Which also ties in to the sun dance that the Blackfeet participated in, incorporating some serious piercing… Anyway.
I think this topic is pretty huge but I'll try keep it short. In my opinion, with tattoos, we're all struggling to apply ten million things to our bodies, most of which we’ll never fully understand. Aside from our struggle to reconcile our own mind and spirit with our physical world, we obviously latch on to art that we can identify with, be it music, tattoos, or the argument could even be made for clothing. And so much of it is ingrained in our culture and subconscious, it's tough to step outside those parameters, tattoo or otherwise. I do love blackwork tattoos and I do appreciate what those (growing) few have done and are doing by exploring different styles of the artwork. I do think it suits a lot of people but I think there's a certain... not problem, but maybe an uncertainty, when it comes to co-opting various styles and designs from other cultures. It's powerful and striking and instantly more "meaningful" or "exotic" than traditional western tattoos, but sometimes what happens is just a bunch of borrowing from other cultures. Now -- there's not necessarily anything wrong with it and, in fact, there's something very American -- and very human -- about that. We consume and incorporate and for the most part it's to understand and gain knowledge. And in that way, we create a new tattoo language, which is really exciting and maybe even necessary.
All of this is to say, I’ve had a real, growing interest in blackwork/native tattooing as I’ve gotten older. And I think it’s because I’ve made myself think about things a bit more, try to understand the whys of tattooing and expression; whys that probably won’t ever be fully answered. I think folks that exploded the possibilities for our modern times, like Leo Zulueta, and those that are building on that foundation, like Thomas Hooper, have the right idea. When I mentioned “co-opting” and “borrowing” I didn’t mean it in the negative, I think that’s just our nature because we’re all trying to understand something we can’t put our finger on. Who knows – maybe as I get older I’ll get really into black-only tattoos. I identify a lot with both Celtic and American Indian designs but maybe that’s my own subconscious connecting slivers of my ancestry to my geography to my own search for meaning. I’m glad for the renewed interest in tribal tattoos, I just keep my fingers crossed people will treat it with respect.

I've read that article, @byzantine. It's a great rant.
I don't think the  U.S. show is QUITE as bad, but yes. Same issues in general.

Yup if you follow any UK tattooers on IG you'll probably have seen them kicking off about tattoo fixers!! for several reasons -a. because the cover ups are awful (usually too dark and large) b. because they cover up some tiny pale things which could easily be gone from 1 laser session c. because they exploit people (arguably they are dumb for going on it in the first place but it's still exploitation) d. because Sketch blatantly bites other peoples work  - there's a good rant about it here
http://inkluded.co.uk/2016/03/03/tattoo-fixers/
I imagine similar arguments go against the US show. In the end I feel its not good for the tattoo industry at all! In fact one shop in Bath was offering to laser off and cover up the work of Tattoo Fixers for free.
 
 

My first tattoo was behind my ear...of...(drum roll) a sailor jerry anchor! it looks like absolute crap now but I still have affection for it. For a first tattoo though, it killed. Thought my head was going to explode. 
Honestly @JBluewind I wouldn't advise getting your first on your head. It ages badly, hurts like hell and can't be hidden too easily. I would urge you to reconsider placement and even getting the tattoo as it's not a decision you want to make when you're in an emotional place - wait until you level out, lurk here more, then reconsider. Take care. 
 
 

My first tattoo was behind my ear...of...(drum roll) a sailor jerry anchor! it looks like absolute crap now but I still have affection for it. For a first tattoo though, it killed. Thought my head was going to explode. 
Honestly @JBluewind I wouldn't advise getting your first on your head. It ages badly, hurts like hell and can't be hidden too easily. I would urge you to reconsider placement and even getting the tattoo as it's not a decision you want to make when you're in an emotional place - wait until you level out, lurk here more, then reconsider. Take care. 
 
 

My first tattoo was behind my ear...of...(drum roll) a sailor jerry anchor! it looks like absolute crap now but I still have affection for it. For a first tattoo though, it killed. Thought my head was going to explode. 
Honestly @JBluewind I wouldn't advise getting your first on your head. It ages badly, hurts like hell and can't be hidden too easily. I would urge you to reconsider placement and even getting the tattoo as it's not a decision you want to make when you're in an emotional place - wait until you level out, lurk here more, then reconsider. Take care. 
 
 

yep as long as you go with classic colours (as opposed to "crazy" colours!) you'll be all good. i second Paul Dobleman - Zachnelligan and Ivan Anthonyshev are other faves....travelling is all part of the fun no? You could always go in pairs if you want to vary the artists a bit but keep more consistency.

Thanks for the kind welcome!
This is an interesting thing - particularly for women. Unless I'm at a funeral, I don't worry about covering my tattoos for the most part. I recently attended a very formal fundraising event in conjunction with my work, and I wore a sleeveless gown. I had positive feedback from a few people that made a point to comment at the event. At the after-event get together that was a group primarily of uppity, uber-rich corporate types, I think I was viewed as sort of exotic (?). It was strange. I had a pleasant conversation with one woman who showed me her tiny "secret" thigh tattoo. But then, of course, there was a big wig who walked up to me, uninvited, pointed to my tiny paw print wrist tattoo out of all my visible tattoos, and said "that's the only good one." :rolleyes: I've had a conversation with my boss about visible tattoos at work-related social events, and to his credit, he has no qualms with it.
I really like that tattoo! Interesting that you perceive the shoulder to elbow as more of a commitment than the forearm. I've decided that my forearms are no longer off limits. That didn't take long. LOL.
This! Seems like a very slippery slope LOL! Five years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed of having full sleeves because of my job, but now I find myself thinking about whether I could ever get away with tattooed hands in my line of work. Haha!
And last but not least, here's what I found at the Minneapolis Tattoo Convention yesterday. By Ryan Thomas of Black13.

It's a strange one. I think I'm in that kind of place at the moment. I previously had two tattoos on my arms which were kind of hidden so some people barely even noticed them but in the last couple of years have got quite a few bigger and blacker pieces in visible spots- calf, forearm, elbow. I got mixed reactions for my plainskin friends but it doesn't really bother me. I really enjoy everything about getting tattooed and part of it that appeals to me is that I do it for myself and nobody else.
As I get more coverage I definitely feel the need to cover up a bit more at formal events- weddings etc. But to be honest I've always hated that kind of thing so try to avoid them at all costs anyway!
Regarding the workplace- I think the forearm is the biggest one for that really. I work in an office too and usually wear long sleeves anyway but it's a creative company so I can get away with showing them if I want to - usually don't though as I can't be bothered with people asking me about them! think they are becoming more and more acceptable some workplaces but corporate stuff is another world. Usually get more trouble over my Madonna piercing than the tattoos.
Ps. I love Minneapolis. It's rad. Especially Modern Times Cafe