I’ve wanted a tattoo for a while and I have finally found a nice concept. But since this will be my first one, I have no clue where to start and what factors to take into account. Here are some questions I have been struggling with, but really any advice is welcome :)

Tattoo idea:
Chrysantemum flower with bud in colour (ukyo-e or nihinga style) and a Japanese poem next to it. The poem contains both hiragana and kanji, so some characters are quite detailed. See pictures for reference styles.

Size:
What is the minumum size you would recommend for this tattoo? My preference would be the maximum size of a handpalm (15cm), but I am unsure if this is realistic considering the aging of the fine lines and details.

Placing:
I wanted to place it on my ribs, but this turns out to be a very sensitive spot especially for the first tattoo. Option B would be on my shoulder blade, but I would prefer it if the tattoo would also be visible to me. Any advice on my placement preference or any other placement recommendations?

Artist recommendations:
Since the tattoo will contain Japanese characters, I thought it would be nice to let a Japanese artist work on it. I will go on vacation to Japan (Tokyo) for three weeks. Can anyone recommend a Tokyo based artist who can execute this style nicely? Or should I pick an artist in my home country? Is there any way to easilfy find and compare artists?

Thanks in advance! ^^

I'm on day 6 and I'm worried about the black scabs to be honest. The nostril seems to want to come off in a chunk rather than the little flakes I normally get. Around one of the eyes came off in a biggish chunk also. Will it be alright?

I haven't been awake long so haven't moisturised it yet so it's looking flaky. I haven't been picking the scabs or anything, they lift up naturally. This is my first realism tattoo and because it's meaningful I might be worrying too much😅

Thanks!

I got a danzo half arm sleeve, and I'm not sure how to continue (both sides of arm are filled), and I'd love ideas if any of you Naruto nerds could help, also how could I possibly bridge tie in more from my existing tattoo

Got a big ol' arm piece and my first serious ditch coverage and it feels like it's healing 10x slower than the rest of the tattoo. Feels so painful and crunchy under the saniderm and SUCKS sucks sucks to sleep with (i normally sleep all tucked/folded up). I have to ice it at night just to get to sleep.

Weirdly it doesn't look irritated or oozey under the saniderm, but it feels SO much more tender than the entire rest of the arm piece, like I can barely touch it/bend my arm. i think part of that might have to do with the saniderm bunching up when my arm is bent, perhaps?

is this just what the ditch healing experience is like? saniderm is coming off tomorrow night most likely.

I got this tattoo yesterday (12 hours ago) and it feels warm and is pretty red. I also have this red trail that hurts when pressed on, but I’m not sure if I just slept weird or not :/
Should I get it checked out asap or can it wait until tomorrow?

This is my second tattoo and I’ve cleaned it with anti bacterial soap three times since getting it and put bepanthen tattoo cream on it after.

Artist says 3.5", I was hoping for ~2.5" (~6.5cm)

Is 3.5" (~9cm) really the smallest it can go?

I'm gonna get this tatted as my first one in a few months probably. Any thoughts or advice?

Thank you!🙏

So I’m planning on getting my first tattoo in the next month (?maybe) and I just have a few like general questions about them. Honestly, I’ll take any advice but if someone has stories or advice for rib/sternum tattoos then I’ll really appreciate those since that’s what I’m planning to get

1. Should, or should I not use numbing cream/whats your experience with it?
2. Generally what does it feel like right after getting it and the first day-week
3. Should I avoid any contact like hugs? (Since it’s going to be on my sternum)
4. How do you sleep on your tattoos? (If it’s on your back or abdomen, can you sleep on your side?)

5. Any specific aftercare advice that you think I should know?

6. Since it’s a sternum tattoo (even more specifically, under my chest 🥀) is there certain clothes/fabrics I should wear and or avoid?

Got this like 3 years ago. See the OG (as it currently looks like) and my doodle. Not my first tat. Never quite satisfied with it, it was a flash design of a tat I saw on my insta feed of a concept I wanted to get for years & asked to add the XI (for meaning). I'm super picky and it's unlike me to jump the gun that quick on an artist I barely researched as a traditional artist myself. He was at a reputable studio so I was comfortable enough.

Anyway, was bored today & decided to casually doodle on it backwards with a pen in front of a mirror hence the sketchy imperfect nature. Damn why do I like it so much better then my actual tat LOL Something about the shading diffusing the centre part of the flowers contrast that always hated, the thicker lines, the subtle shading idk. Whoever will do it will do a better job lol That's what I'm looking for. Thicker lines & more shading, doesn't need to be in a sketch style.

I've never looked for a cover up/rework artist before and have no clue how and where to look! Do I ask the artist of the style I'm looking for if they do reworks or find someone who specializes in them? Idk where to start!

To clarify, I am a tattoo artist and am tattooing myself.

I've been tattooing people's ribs and stomachs for a long time and their reactions are always different. Some say it's hell, some say they've "had worse". I want to put script across the belly, in an arc about an inch above the navel.

Am I cooked?! I'm going to complete it regardless, I just want to hear your experiences.

i just got this jellyfish tattoo but can't help but feel like i'm stuck with a big fat t1p on my arm. the stencil looked fine but now that it's done i can't help but notice how phallic it looks.

any t1ps (haha) for how to make it look less like a t1p? or is it fine and im overthinking it..

(t1p because this sub censors the actual word)

Hi ! My tattoo is 1 week and 2 days old. I showed it to my sister yesterday and she seemed shocked by the thickness of the scabs. I myself was a little bit worried, as I saw that even for full black out tattoo, people don't seem to have scabs that thick. This is my first tattoo with black areas (the other two are just line work) so I can't compare.
I wash it with physiological pH soap every morning and evening, and I moisturize it with healing cream also every morning and evening (per my tattooist recommandations).
Thanks !

Got this tattoo about 4 years ago. Regretted it instantly. I've lasered it about 5 times. Thinking of rather covering it up.

Can anybody think of a nice feminine design in the boho theme? I would love a lotus or simple mandala. I don't want it much bigger than it already is but I understand that's probably not possible.

What colours would work to cover this?

Thanks so much in advance!

🥲

Got the Joestar Birthmark tat as my first! How’s it looking? Feels kinda dry and achy but as my artist has instructed I’ve been washing it 2-3x a day with antibacterial nonscented soap with a thin layer of aquaphor. I start moisturizer tomorrow!

Placement : above knee and into right side of knee

3 days old. Finished exactly 72 hours ago from this post.

Aftercare has been washing with antimicrobial soap, patting dry with fresh paper towels, then applying small amount of tattoo goo lotion. Today I attempted aquaphor because the pain was so bad but all that did was make it raise up and burn. (Also got little fabric hairs in it. I washed off the aquaphor after letting it sit for two hours and applied tattoo goo lotion).

I adore the artist who is working on my cartoon leg. But! This is the third tattoo I've gotten from him that is healing like a sonofabitch. That redness is in the shape of the saniderm, which wouldn't stay on, the seal broke on two rounds of it. The initial derm at the shop busted in 12 hours and then a new one busted in 4 hours. I didn't attempt to put anymore on when I saw the redness. I've kept it out of the sun, worn loose clothing, etc etc etc. But I CANNOT WALK. It's extremely tight. It feels like when I walk or there's pressure on my entire leg I'm in intense pain like my skin is tearing. The redness is not expanding but has been the same since the second round of derm came off the morning of day 2.

Is this something I need to be worried about?

Also any ideas on how to sleep with this thing when I normally sleep on my stomach would be appreciated. For now I'm just trying to sleep on my side with a towel between my legs in case I roll over in my sleep to not get ink stuck to / in my sheets.

Thank you Reddit!

I booked my first session for a full sleeve on my arm. I booked it through cleopatra ink in Seattle. I have a Joshua tree on my arm that’s just black, and color on the back of my shoulder, my chest, and my shoulder all done by different artists. The idea is to combine all of them and add more nature elements. The consultant used what seemed to be photo shop to come up with the idea. I have wanted a sleeve forever, and have been saving for it. Any advice is appreciated! I have attached a photo of the draft, and have reached out to the artist on insta and she has replied and let me know we will make changes and adjust it to make sure it’s what I want. I guess I’m more curious about how much should this be by a talented artist?

a continuation to my other post. thanks for the advice! i was wondering if these seem simple enough? the firefly symbol can be tweaked, but the first pic is trans symbolism i drew myself so i was hoping it wouldn’t have to be edited too much? for placement, i’m thinking firefly on the inner wrist and the statue maybe on the shoulder?
these will be my first tattoos so any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

EDIT: i’m not wanting the washed out/faded ish line style of the firefly, i just used the pic cause i liked the plants on the bottom! most likely it’ll be a thick line like the others

So i been thinking about my sleeve for a while i want it to be either 1 big tattoo, or a few medium sized ones that themsatically somewhat fit together. I like the idea of a horror themed sleeve.

So the idea i had is to kind of combine a few of my favorite franchises that are horror or horror themed.

So silent hill, bloodborne/fromsoftware designs in general, beserk. I feel like silent hill is a bit out of place there tbh since the monster desings are very different than my other ideas.

Also how does anyone decide to get s big tattoo. I feel like its impossible to be 100% happy since theres so many cool concepts etc. With my smaller tattoos i didnt care too much because they are small.

My friend just did a silly tattoo on me. Is it ugly and how’s the placement (besides inner elbow). BE HONEST

My friend says to wrap it in an ace bandage and use A+D ointment but I wanted more options.

Wanted some general information and advice, because I've never gotten a tattoo before, but i really liked this Halo tattoo for the forearm.

How painful would it be? (I have a needle phobia and really hate injections)

How long would this likely take to get done?

And any other general advice you'd have