Hogrider

I’ve never had one but I hear they are very painful.

Given that the vast majority of artists use machines, I can’t think of a reason to limit yourself to the small number of artists that use the hand-poke method, unless you know an artist that uses that method and you like their work.

4-6 weeks to heal. That’s when you know what it’s going to look like. There are no shortcuts.

Skip the hustle butter, it’s expensive snake oil. There are no “magic” ingredients. Take care of your skin; stay out of the sun, stay hydrated, use a little cocoa butter to keep it moisturized and you’ll be fine. Also, your tattoo isn’t even healed. They take 4-6 weeks to heal. Just relax and enjoy it, it really seems like you’re obsessing over it.

The actual artist probably had a wait list and the scratcher was available immediately. Why you are to blame, who knows??

I agree with @oboogie, I've never seen a blow out that big. I wouldn't go back, I don't care how famous, how far out they are booked, or what quality of work they do on others. Find someone who does coverups and see what they can do. The tattoo itself probably doesn't need to be covered, but the area around it, where the blow-out is will needs some work. Good luck

It’s not even healed! If you trust your artist, then trust your artist. When I got my first sleeve I was worried about it peeking out of my shirt sleeve so I had my artist end it about an inch or two above the wrist bone. A few years later i was getting another sleeve so I decided to bring it down about three inches hand have both sleeves even with the wrist bone. It took a while but now you can’t tell where the old ink ends and the new ink begins. Relax, have an edible and watch your favorite movie.

This isn’t Facebook market place. Do your advertising elsewhere.

You’re using too much moisturizer. The goal is to not let it dry out, not to drown it. Many people use the dry heal method. If you are using so much moisturizer that you’re getting acne, you should definitely cut waaaaay back.

As often happens on the internet, you got advice you don’t like. Some of the people giving that advice have several hundred hours experience getting tattooed. I re-read your post. You’re right about so many items being a back piece. Depending on how detailed it is, this would probably run 35+ hours. A good artist is going to be $100 or more an hour. depending on how well you sit it could run 8 or more sessions. Most people find the back painful. It’s hard to care for just because it’s hard to reach some spots. That’s a huge commitment for a first tattoo. Here’s some more advice you won’t like. Get a smaller tattoo on an easy place like your bicep first so you have some idea what you are getting in to.

Welcome. This site is for tattoo enthusiasts. The best thing you can do is look for a competent tattoo artist and discuss your ideas with them. Ask friends who is good, look on line, go to a tattoo convention. Good artists aren’t cheap and are usually booked out for a month or two (or more). I’d also watch a couple of seasons of ink master - fast forward to the critiques; you’ll learn what to look for in a good tattoo. You’ll also see some great tattoos and some awful tattoos. Learn the difference. Good luck!

It's a 7 year old thread dipshit. If you want to advertise, pay like everyone else.

True story - after literally years of looking for the right tattoo artist, I went into a shop with three images looking to get one of them on my bicep. We started talking and I wound up getting a sleeve and chest panel. I kept going back for more and now 12 years later I'm almost done with a body suit. Beware!!! 🙂

Looks nice. Congrats! Let the addiction begin!!!

Anything that affects the way the skin looks will affect the way the tattoo looks. The more important question is, "does it matter?" and the answer to that is no. Get your tattoo and don't worry about your veins.

A week out you can use whatever you want.

Tattoos take 4 - 6 weeks to heal. I'd skip the hustle butter and all of the other tattoo specific concoctions. Cocoa Butter is way cheaper and works just as well. I've healed well over 250 hours of tattoos using coca butter and never had a problem. Three times a day is too much. Too little is better than too much. Your skin needs to breathe. It looks like it's healing fine.

Since you're new to tattoos, let me try again - GOOD artists don't usually use other people's designs and don't usually design for other artists. You're unlikely to get art that will translate into a good tattoo. GOOD artists will redraw to make the art fit your skin and body part. Frankly I wouldn't go to an artist that just took a design handed to them. Presumably you came here for advice. Take it or leave it.

Very nice and congrats for beating cancer.

Make sure you get someone really good. That would be easy to **** up.

A really good artist will probably not just tattoo someone else’s design. Why not just find a translator?

I’ve never seen anything like that on any skin. Good luck with the heal.

I don't know what it is, but I'd see a doctor about that ASAP.

I looked into tattoo ink allergies several years ago. Medically confirmed ones, not some newbie whose tattoo itches. They are unbelievably rare. There are real only a handful of confirmed allergies in the medical literature. Not that some people aren't sensitive to some colors, but outright allergies? Very rare.

I think they went home. 🙂