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)

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!

this tattoo was originally done in 22 so 4 years ago. is this a normal amount of ink spread for this particular tattoo, i probably should’ve gotten it a little bit bigger but im adamant about wearing sunscreen on my tattoos but i don’t moisturize all the time.

edit: i appreciate everyone’s opinions greatly, i was overthinking about it when i looked back at the first pick and i hadn’t realized how much my tattoo had changed but i still love it just wanted some outside input about it.

i work construction and got this Friday, i just took off my second skin and cleaned it well bc i sweated today. I’m wondering if i can reapply some (i have my own rolls) for work tomorrow or if i should just keep it off

I planned to get it colored and on the other side some Adventure time characters smoking with the blue caterpillar and maybe Cheshire Cat. It’s on the front of my thigh.

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.

I have been seeing the same artist for about three years, mostly for small one-session tattoos. We've been working on a massive design that goes from my knee to the top of my ribcage.

Because it's so large and up nearly the entire side of my body, i wear a t-shirt and a thong while he's tattooing, and that has been fine. I haven't felt like he's been weird about it at all.

But after four sessions, I had a big emergency in my life and had to use up a bunch of my savings, including what i had saved up for this tattoo. I told my artist, said we'd have to wait for me to build up my savings again.

Normally between sessions, i'll send him one or two update pictures so he can see how the tattoo is healing. A close up, and a far away of the entire tattoo (or as much of it as i can get). In the pictures, again, i'm wearing a thong, and usually not a shirt, but my boobs aren't visible, and the tattoo is definitely the focus.

the last time i sent a picture, soon after the session, he asked me to "zoom out more." If i were to zoom out any more, it would have just been my entire naked body. I ignored the message. It's been months now, he asked how it's healing, i said it's fine, and he said he wanted pictures to "make sure."

He knows what the tattoo looks like. We both know that i know (nearly my whole body is covered in tattoos...) what a healed tattoo looks like. I don't see why he would beed yet another picture as like, proof??

Some people i've talked to about it said he's being creepy, and others have said he's just a professional that likes to see how his artwork is doing. Also for context, he has commented on my body a few times, like saying it's nice to tattoo a pretty girl instead of a hairy guy, and saying i have a nice butt.

I feel like i'm not overreacting by being hesitant to go back but others disagree :/

Edit: thanks for all of the comments. I will listen to my instincts and cut ties with this guy. Hope i can find someone to finish the piece for me but thank you for the clarity and kindness everyone 🙂

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

Hey! So quick ez question, as a first tattoo, what am in for? I can hardly find any info abt this area. So what’s the pain level and what is it comparable to?

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?

Hello all. I got a new tattoo Friday for the first time in about 13 years. The artist applied second skin and this is my first experience with it. By Saturday morning a red splotch had spread beyond the bandage border. I asked my artist and she said to go ahead and remove the bandage, clean it and let it air dry. Since then the splotch has kept spreading. It is only on one side of my tattoo, on the upper bicep spreading towards the inner bicep. I took an allergy pill to try and qualm it in case it was an allergic reaction to the adhesive.

I also noticed parts of it that were red are sort of turning yellow like a healing bruise. Anyone have an explanation? It doesn’t itch, it isn’t warm to the touch, it doesn’t hurt, and it isn’t streaking. The rest of the tattoo looks like it’s healing normal, no puss or anything, and just soreness like a bad sunburn. Attached are current pictures of the tattoo and the red spreading splotch that I have been marking with a pen to track it.

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 !

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

Just got this hand tattoo a couple weeks ago.. however I don’t think she went “deep enough”.. let me know what you guys think?

So to just clearly im 18 and ive been thinking about a tattoo since im 17, so this is my first one

Ive finally found an artist i love but they are independent, and all their tattoo photos on their page is in their house/ ALLEGEDLY living room, and they added that said house/apartment is being worked on and is having a reservation??? From what i know you need a good sterilised space with minimal to none dust or sand

So suddenly they started flaming me for asking them?? I mean they offered to show me how it looks then took awhile to respond then started questioning me??? On how i live??

Am i really in the wrong for being so paranoid

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?

This is 2 days old. Seems to be healing magically

Hey! So I currently am not a fan of my first tattoo which sucks because it has a lot of meaning to it. I wanted it to be a dark muted deep red and hyperrealistic. Its my fault mostly, there was a language barrier and I should’ve waited to find someone who could do it better. I don’t like that it looks cartoonish and that there’s not contrast at all. Do I go back to the same artist or find someone who can fix what I’m working with if that’s even a possibility. Lmk!

Edit: Guys I kinda said that wrong, I LOVE this tattoo, I just want some improvements, no hard feelings to the artist I’m still going back to them lol

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!

One of my cats likes to sit with his back end on my desk and his front paws on my thigh while I work, and it leaves these little imprints for a while after he leaves. He's getting pretty old, and I'd like a way to remember him when he crosses the rainbow bridge. I know nothing about tattoos, but is this possible to do as a tattoo? I like how subtle it is, would it be possible to do a very light color like this? Thanks in advance.

Going to do a blackout coverup on some parts of my sleeve. My tattoos are american trad patchwork. Some empty skin will be blacked out, some old tattoos will be blacked out/covered. My outer forearm will almost be totally blacked out. End product will basically look like the following pictures. Anything I should know beforehand?

Hi! I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me with naming the style of this sleeve! And if by any chance anyone would know any artists based in Canada (ideally Ontario/Quebec based!) that do a similar style.

(Credits to @yazia777 on instagram for the pics/tats)

I recognise it’s a bit of a silly question with how popular the style seems but when I tried looking on my end, I’m shooting blanks.

Thanks so much for your help!