a_beukeveld

hey @Kracov welcome to the forum
Everybody wants a unique tattoo. But the strongest and most powerful tattoos are ones that takeoff of classic imagery and timeless themes. Tattoo design is more than the drawing/image - placement, scale, composition, simplicity, black and contrast are very important in making not just a good tattoo but a unique tattoo.
Your design - it's waaay too busy. A strong tattoo you can tell what it is from across the street. All the smaller items around the perimeter - the spikey eyeball, moon-spider-web, pictographs/icons, latin writing, asian/tribal markings - those all take away from the main idea but could work as one shot tattoos on other parts of the body like the arms. Maybe that would be a good starting point for you to get experience. Then you can go bolder and bigger with your battle-axe-predator-sword-demon-IDK idea. I'm not sure what exactly you're going for. Really a consultation with a tattooer is a first step to making any tattoo a reality. But you need to be able to answer this question: "what exactly do you want on your back" with the simplest, no-bs, get-to-the point answer.
Suggest you cruise the LST forum threads, gallery and check out the tattooer interviews to gain some insight into what makes a good tattoo.
cheers

@Kracov, I highly recommend sharing your ideas with a tattoo artist and let them create something for you.

this smells like 

First tattoos were wild roses on each hand and a shrimp on my collar bone 3 years ago when I was 18. They were original drawings from the t-shirt artist Craig Robson, whom was my favorite artist at the time. I was entoxicated by art school culture and didnt really think ahead. I initially wanted the shrimp behind my ear but decided to not because I thought it would hurt too much.
I regret them because they were pulled off the internet and I enhibited the artist from doing a better job because I wanted them to be exactly like the picture. I also regret getting them on my hands, as they cant be covered. Getting anything on your hands/head is a bad idea in general, let along as your first tattoo. I also regret getting the shrimp on my chest as it enhibited me from getting a large chest piece latter on.  I told the artist to make it darker after my bad heal for a touch up and it's sort of just a dark mess now. I've seen worse out there but if I was to get laser surgery these 3 would be the ones Id get rid of. I should have gotten them on my leg or something. Much easier to hide and work around.
I dont have any good photos of the shrimp as its hard to photograph, but heres a voomed in crop of me while I was getting my chest tattooed.

I've had similar.  It looks worse now than it will when the red calms down and heals.  The more time it has to heal the more "normal" it will look.

Recieved this from Dave Cummings at the Montreal convention. He did an amazing job.

Made an appointment with Darryl Hart at the Montreal convention for saturday. Going to put this nurse on the lower half of my calve. Every tattoo Darryl does looks amazing healed so Im really stoked. Hes so fast and light handed too.

That would certainly be one solution to the problem of women getting chestpieces. Rather than fight the boobs, I should embrace them. 

The horses... or the boobs?
:)

Next week is the Moncton Hub City con and it turns out John Gray (@sourjohn) is going with Sailor Jerry Swallow. Super stoked.
Going to get him to put this rad Spaulding geisha in my forarm, a diamond girl on my bicep, and hopefully this german skull guy on my arm somewhere. (off his coworker Dave's sheet)

Next week is the Moncton Hub City con and it turns out John Gray (@sourjohn) is going with Sailor Jerry Swallow. Super stoked.
Going to get him to put this rad Spaulding geisha in my forarm, a diamond girl on my bicep, and hopefully this german skull guy on my arm somewhere. (off his coworker Dave's sheet)

Next week is the Moncton Hub City con and it turns out John Gray (@sourjohn) is going with Sailor Jerry Swallow. Super stoked.
Going to get him to put this rad Spaulding geisha in my forarm, a diamond girl on my bicep, and hopefully this german skull guy on my arm somewhere. (off his coworker Dave's sheet)

or USE THE EFFEN SEARCH FEATURE!
That drives me crazy when someone wants to be spoon fed information that has already been discussed to death. Go do your research and then come back and ask some intelligent questions.

What's most annoying to me is people who only take. They come here (as well as a bunch of other tattoo themed web forums) ask questions/seek validation, and when they recieve their info, they f*ck off. What's even worse is when they come here to get their d*ck sucked about their totally sick /rad/unique tattoo idea, and recieve answers they dont like, they insult the members who respond to them, and either never come back or start multiple topics hoping to get the answer they want. How about you contribute something first before you leech off this community?
You could pretty much respond to any of these people's questions with "Talk to your tattooer", but that seems to be too difficult for them. 

the heart with the key and banner was my first tattoo,I got it in 1985,(I was 26)it was for an ex-wife with her name in the banner.it was flash off the wall,that's the way it was back then.
and a couple other stupid choices from a while ago.

.but now it's all nicely covered up ! :)

I just got my first tattoo yesterday (23rd of September 2016) and I am really proud of it. 

Hi there, this forum is going through a bit of a shakeup at the moment, so instead of giving you a smart ass remark, I will try to steer you in the right direction.
My first suggestion would be to tell us where in the world you are. That way people can recomend good shops and artists near you. That is your next step, go talk to an artist whose portfolio you like. Have them create a design for you. What you draw is rarely going to be a good tattoo. Let them help you make a good decision.  

Hey there, the beauty of traditional tattoos is that you can put anything next to anything else. That rose looks awesome, get something like that for sure!
As for your existing tattoos, don't sweat them. The lettering is nice, and it's on you, so just enjoy it and add to you collection. 

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you.
As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos.
 
Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you.
As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos.
 
Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

First tattoos were wild roses on each hand and a shrimp on my collar bone 3 years ago when I was 18. They were original drawings from the t-shirt artist Craig Robson, whom was my favorite artist at the time. I was entoxicated by art school culture and didnt really think ahead. I initially wanted the shrimp behind my ear but decided to not because I thought it would hurt too much.
I regret them because they were pulled off the internet and I enhibited the artist from doing a better job because I wanted them to be exactly like the picture. I also regret getting them on my hands, as they cant be covered. Getting anything on your hands/head is a bad idea in general, let along as your first tattoo. I also regret getting the shrimp on my chest as it enhibited me from getting a large chest piece latter on.  I told the artist to make it darker after my bad heal for a touch up and it's sort of just a dark mess now. I've seen worse out there but if I was to get laser surgery these 3 would be the ones Id get rid of. I should have gotten them on my leg or something. Much easier to hide and work around.
I dont have any good photos of the shrimp as its hard to photograph, but heres a voomed in crop of me while I was getting my chest tattooed.

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you.
As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos.
 
Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you.
As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos.
 
Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

go to the artist who did your roses is one idea

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you.
As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos.
 
Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.