onlyme

Like I said in January, design I got on my arm was not a success; like I say in the profile, I'm learning.

@HogriderTrue!

Hi @HogriderYes, touching up more than once within a year sounds odd, right?

Hi Ras: Have yourself a mental picture of those needles furiously pounding the skin when you chose to get inked up: the photo very strongly suggests the word 'inflammation' from a procedure which occurred only a few hours previously. While you might be seemingly aware of some ppl who say they have immediate post-tattooing regrets, yet often these can be a result of not having known quite what to expect, especially if it is one's first ink. Actually, the simple design in the photo is rather effective, giving the idea of birds, twigs and a swing, all blowing in the wind, so to speak. (Bob Dylan: 'The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind...' :) )

@Stephanie Well, for some ppl being able to hide it is all part of it, right?

Don't worry, anyway, for now @RachelM...

@RachelM Well, then you're kind of already on the way to being a tattooed veteran. (These days, of course, ppl do tend to start getting inked up from around 18 onwards.) 10 years and 5 days are kind of very different; 10 years: you know already what the situation is for a badly needed touch up; 5 days, though: best to wait a while and see how it all settles. I know what you mean about having deliberately chosen such an in your face placement as a tattooed person that is constantly reminded of your inking. 5 days ago you clearly knew what you wanted and it's now there in your face, so to speak. (If you're in QLD, I reckon the Gold Coast would be particularly well endowed with tattoo studios.)

Hi @RachelM, If it was done only 5 days ago, it may take some weeks more for the dermis to heal and the ink to settle. Maybe it's in recent years that you have gotten into being tattooed. No need to worry at all for the moment. I do think that simple black lines are effective.

@FXRrich Yes, diet is often overlooked; and probably significant, especially since @Tsuru was high ambitious for a first inking.

@BobandySo maybe a lotion issue after all; interesting....

Sometimes expressed in different ways...

Have a good visit tomorrow, anyway...

@Bobandy Looking again at the photos just now, I'm even wondering if there might be some onset of a dermatological condition independently of tattooing, even; if you can get a referral to a dermatologist without too much difficulty, I'm sure s/he would be able to comment (having myself been around dermatologists for years, though no expert...)

Hi @putrix16IMHO it doesn't look bad; and simple black can look really good, too. So have you been any happier about it recently?

Oh okay. I mean, some ppl add color with the shading; but I think there is also a special look with plain black. (Like also with lettering tattoo designs, etc.) You may find things settle a bit still after 6-7 weeks....

Hi @BobandySo nothing like what you describe happened with your other tattoos, then... I do think plain back lines have a very clear and simple design look, anyway.

Hi @ezh! so are you feeling more confident about it now?

Hi @cheesecakecatastrophe; so how is it doing now?

True...

@AtomicMagpyeSounds like she is indeed very accomplished. Tattoos used to be overwhelmingly such a man thing, years ago; but not any more; although there are some women - even with a lot of artistic flair - who still prefer to be 'cleanskins'.

@AtomicMagpyePS: Just edited my last post....

@AtomicMagpyeThanks! I must confess I can hardly tell the difference between the end results of the two methods... Seems like your wife is accomplished; does she dislike stick and poke tattoos, period? or is it just the tattoo artistry that she prefers not to do it too much?

@AtomicMagpyeI like the way you put this... Over here even the most conservative of ppl may well be tattooed. Fact is, young women who grew up in the 1960s may well now be venerable great grandmothers.

Hi @AtomicMagpye! interesting lyrics there from last month! So how do you compare stick and poke with the usual tattoo machine method?

@Stephanie Fact is that over here it's pretty well conservative ppl - churchgoers, homeschooling moms, etc. - who get widely tattooed as well as those with a flair for the extrovert. So over here if tattoos happen to be covered, you just can't hope to tell any more who would be likely to be tattooed and who is not. I saw a notice in a parlor window just as things were opening up some months ago: "You need a tattoo". (Well, they would say that, wouldn't they?)