alice

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

I agree that there's a pretty significant difference, but for some people just the idea of needles can trigger a panic attack. a woman recently fainted at the shop where i work, not because she was getting tattooed, but because she was watching her friend get tattooed. she's lucky she didn't get a concussion falling and hitting her head on the floor!
phobias are irrational, so even if it doesn't make sense to us, it could be terrifying to someone else.

I agree that there's a pretty significant difference, but for some people just the idea of needles can trigger a panic attack. a woman recently fainted at the shop where i work, not because she was getting tattooed, but because she was watching her friend get tattooed. she's lucky she didn't get a concussion falling and hitting her head on the floor!
phobias are irrational, so even if it doesn't make sense to us, it could be terrifying to someone else.

I agree that there's a pretty significant difference, but for some people just the idea of needles can trigger a panic attack. a woman recently fainted at the shop where i work, not because she was getting tattooed, but because she was watching her friend get tattooed. she's lucky she didn't get a concussion falling and hitting her head on the floor!
phobias are irrational, so even if it doesn't make sense to us, it could be terrifying to someone else.

I agree that there's a pretty significant difference, but for some people just the idea of needles can trigger a panic attack. a woman recently fainted at the shop where i work, not because she was getting tattooed, but because she was watching her friend get tattooed. she's lucky she didn't get a concussion falling and hitting her head on the floor!
phobias are irrational, so even if it doesn't make sense to us, it could be terrifying to someone else.

I agree that there's a pretty significant difference, but for some people just the idea of needles can trigger a panic attack. a woman recently fainted at the shop where i work, not because she was getting tattooed, but because she was watching her friend get tattooed. she's lucky she didn't get a concussion falling and hitting her head on the floor!
phobias are irrational, so even if it doesn't make sense to us, it could be terrifying to someone else.

it's pretty hard to see what's going on. i don't see any reason to fret about it right now, you're barely a week into the healing process. the worst thing that will happen is that you might lose some of the color when the scabs come off (i can really only see a little bit of scabbing anyway, but the picture is really small.) and if that happens you can get it touched up. if and when you do get it touched up, i'd talk to your artist about adding some black shading for contrast, because it makes colors look brighter against the black. good luck!

it's pretty hard to see what's going on. i don't see any reason to fret about it right now, you're barely a week into the healing process. the worst thing that will happen is that you might lose some of the color when the scabs come off (i can really only see a little bit of scabbing anyway, but the picture is really small.) and if that happens you can get it touched up. if and when you do get it touched up, i'd talk to your artist about adding some black shading for contrast, because it makes colors look brighter against the black. good luck!

just wanted to let you know that the mandala thing you posted as being by someone named "kristy walker" is a tattoo by guy le.
i have a personal preference for floral work over the ditch and anything that ends up being sort of diamond-shaped.

just wanted to let you know that the mandala thing you posted as being by someone named "kristy walker" is a tattoo by guy le.
i have a personal preference for floral work over the ditch and anything that ends up being sort of diamond-shaped.

it really seems like you're over-thinking it a little bit. 4 months in, it's become a part of your body, and everyone's body has minor visible flaws. tattoo ink doesn't float on the surface of your skin, it's between layers, which means any color you see is viewed through a tinted window of your own skin tone. the pictures look fine to me! i agree with everyone else, you seem unhappy with it regardless, so go ahead and get it touched up! no reason not to.

hi tron!!

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

(It's been a while since I've posted, so let me quickly reintroduce myself: I'm @hogg 's significant other. A tattoo collector, not an artist. Also, I'm an American historian -- a.k.a. an academic.)
Perhaps we're all being a little hard on @SailorClaire because she is a self-identified academic. But those of us in that world are not all the same; we've all had different training, and we approach our research, our subjects, our writing, and our instruction from various perspectives and with various levels of discipline and care.
With that said, @SailorClaire, you may have exposed yourself as the academic equivalent of a scratcher.
Your heart seems to be in the right place, and you offered some evidence of background research (albiet too little, too late). But I'd agree with others who have questioned the time constraints on the project and asked whether it isn't ultimately "lazy" to mine internet forums for a sociological study like this. It's an amateur approach rather than a forward-thinking one. As you continue with your graduate work, read more, practice more, you'll certainly be able to better recognize the difference.
Interviewing people as research subjects is a delicate undertaking, which should be obvious considering all the legalese in the paperwork you'll need to submit with your thesis. But paperwork aside, engaging in this kind of first-person research requires better training, a greater sensitivity to your subject matter, an awareness of how you will be perceived by your interviewees, far more reading, and a great deal of practice honing your methodology -- especially your skills as an interviewer, a writer, and a student of your "topic of choice."
If you really do want to make an impact in your field, the research process (and ultimately your writing) can't be rushed. Cutting corners may get you your master's degree, but it won't make you a respected scholar in the field and certainly not within the tattoo world.
I'm sure the tattoo artists on the board can appreciate the value of these kinds of missteps along the way. Best lessons.

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

When I was working service industry jobs, I would frequently be stopped by customers who wanted me to stand still (while holding hot food en route to a table!) so they could inspect my tattoos, people would grab me and try to touch my tattoos constantly. Almost always older men, but sometimes women! My husband is heavily tattooed and other than the occasional "sick ink, bro!" he has never been accosted the way that i have. The worst thing about something like that happening at work is that you are trapped and you have to be nice, even if people are being totally inappropriate. I used to complain that if i were a stripper, at least i'd have a bouncer who'd boot the jerks trying to grab me.
working in service jobs in a more affluent neighborhood also brought to my attention the fact that a lot of square, office-type dudes definitely have a sense of exoticism about tattoos, like "ooh you look just like a suicide girl!" like i'm supposed to be this available babe who loves taking her clothes off because i have a lot of highly visible tattoos. nope, sorry bro. i'm a married mom, just like your wife. calm down.

i've been an artist my whole life, but when i started tattooing i started thinking of my tracing paper sketches as disposable, and using red and blue pencils to sketch really changed the way i draw. it really does help to not stress about a drawing and to just go through a few sheets of paper as you work out certain details. i think a healthy mix of tracing for practice and using reference is really helpful. "you're only as good as your reference library" haha

Well when the book is related to illustration I think that quote goes out the window.

I don't get it. I love tattooing on every level. Despite the changes in the business over the last few years, I still love it. I love getting tattooed even though I hate how much it hurts. I love putting a tattoo on someone. I love the bonds I have made from tattooing AND BEING TATTOOED. I'm not suggesting that everyone should have tattoos on their hands and neck like I do, but if you tattoo, I would think you might want to have some awesome work. My tattoos are constantly visible and I am proud of them and proud that I am lucky enough to be a tattooer. As to what others have said, I have learned tons from getting work done by great tattooers. I would not be the tattooer I am without having information passed to me by other artists. You can only learn so much by sitting in the same chair day in and day out. Also, I am never more inspired than when I visit another shop and get tattooed. It gives me an energy that is amazing. I often want to get right back into the shop and draw and tattoo better. Anyway, I love tattooing and can't imagine not getting tattooed while being in this business. It has never made sense to me but I guess to each his own but I wouldn't get tattooed by someone who doesn't have tattoos. Just my thoughts on the matter.

Hi! My name is Alice Carrier. I have been tattooing in Portland for just under a year. I'm looking forward to checking out the forum! I work at Anatomy Tattoo. Thanks a lot! Sorry my intro is so awkward, I can't think of anything exciting to say. I like tattoos! My life is basically all tattoos, husband, kid, dog, in roughly that order. Thanks again!

Hi! My name is Alice Carrier. I have been tattooing in Portland for just under a year. I'm looking forward to checking out the forum! I work at Anatomy Tattoo. Thanks a lot! Sorry my intro is so awkward, I can't think of anything exciting to say. I like tattoos! My life is basically all tattoos, husband, kid, dog, in roughly that order. Thanks again!

Hi! My name is Alice Carrier. I have been tattooing in Portland for just under a year. I'm looking forward to checking out the forum! I work at Anatomy Tattoo. Thanks a lot! Sorry my intro is so awkward, I can't think of anything exciting to say. I like tattoos! My life is basically all tattoos, husband, kid, dog, in roughly that order. Thanks again!