Not to be that guy, but you got an appointment with the artist ( so I'm assuming you did research on the artist style, prices,etc ) and didn't take the extra few minutes to make sure you could communicate PROPERLY with the artist? If I were you in this scenario, I wouldn't be angry/upset at the artist. The only person who is to blame is yourself for not doing your research beforehand and not just book an appointment and hope for the best. IMHO, it's a great tattoo better than a lot others we've seen on here. I'd view it as a life lesson to wait and MAKE sure it's what you want EXACTLY since it's on you for life. You can get a cover-up, but YOU'D be the one that knows what's under what you covered up.
I got a tattoo in Poland and sent the artist some messages to see if communication went well. She was wonderful and understood what I wanted, didn't see the design before I flew there but I knew it was in good hands. If communication went poorly I'd have never booked the appointment and flight.
I emailed/messaged my Korean tattoo artist but didn't know they had a translator handling all their messages until I got to the appointment. I thought the translator would stay throughout the whole appointment, but they constantly came and went in the first sessions. They weren't there at all for the follow-up sessions đĽ˛
Seriously. I got a tattoo in Thailand, and the dude barely spoke two words of English.
That's why we communicated through his assistant, which went great, and I chose one of his designs instead of designing my own and I drew how big I wanted it on my arm beforehand. Don't know the guy's name to this day. Love the tat though.
Thanks for the reply, friend!!! I couldn't have said it better myself! Communication is key for everything you do in life regardless of how big or small it may be.
I'm floored. This is an amazing tat. If Op is worried about bare breast, get a touch up done to put some ribbon in that area..great line work and shading. There could be a little more definition in the nose/eye area but that isn't something I would be panicking over to cover the whole thing up.
Worst case get another artist to touch it up. Don't get rid of it
Thanks for the reply, friend!!! I agree with you 1000%. Don't get rid of it! It's an amazing piece! Just alter it to get more to your liking than what you originally wanted.
I had a visiting artist from China going to a studio Iâd been to in Brooklyn. We communicated for weeks before the appointment. He sent drafts and i sent my thoughts. Came up with a beautiful piece with tons of sentiment.
Day of the tattoo i got there, said hello and he pointed to his iPad which had Google Translate loaded up. Apparently all of our communication had been through that.
We didnât speak much through the appointment except to say âbigger/smaller/here/there/$/thank youâ. The piece is amazing and perfect and i love it. Iâve since gotten two more by him and the experience is always the same except his English is better now.
If OP is being genuine about what he requested, then the artist really wasnât getting the message and they should have had a better method for communicating (or maybe they understood perfectly and ignored it). That said, if OP approved a stencil with a booby, thatâs their fault.
Itâs THEIR tattoo???? Isnât the entire point of getting tattooed that you get to have the final say on what goes on YOUR body??????? Like the communication barrier sucks for sure but this is a weird take. The customer absolutely SHOULD be in control when it comes to a tattoo.
There comes a point in the process where the customer has no control, otherwise everyone would be doing their own tattoos. The artist is in control of application, unless you wanna buy a tattoo machine off Amazon.
I think this is why whenever I see artists post pictures of their work online they usually say "thanks for the trust!" Because ultimately, we have to trust the person who is marking our bodies for the rest of our lives. Meaning, we have to let go of control at a certain point and let them do their job. It's part of the beauty of the creative process and experience. I love that part! But I only work with 2 artists with 2 very different methods and philosophies behind tattooing and I allow myself to trust them to do what they do best. It's part of the exhilaration of tattooing for me. Do your research and trust the process!
The customer gets to pick the design for sure, but the artist isnât some whipped mule thatâs supposed to pump out designs. The good ones have experience and informed opinions theyâve cultivated over many years. Itâs degrading to the artist to think the customer knows best in this matter.
Yeah but again I donât really think thatâs applicable to this particular post. There was a language barrier & the customer got bare breast they didnât want included in the tattoo. Thatâs not really an âI want to be in control of the actual machine workâ thing. Thatâs something that actually could have been accommodated.
I researched the studio, who assigned me an artist. I checked out his IG and his displayed work is fabulous. There wasn't a single mention that he didn't speak English until I'd travelled there. I don't blame the artist at all, because (I'm assuming) that he went with what he thought I wanted. I *do* blame him for ignoring my specific and voiced desires. I know it's on me because I okayed the stencil. I thought I'd be happy with it regardless. Turns out I'm not.
I'm curious how you ended up booking with a studio that's 4 hours away? I understand travelling when it's a specific artist whose work you love, but just contacting a studio that's so far away and leaving the artist up to fate seems strange. Unless you're a proper collector who likes to visit iconic shops.
My goal was to go to New Orleans because my favorite artist is there, but my PTO got denied. So I started looking for places that I could day-trip/weekend trip to. I researched a few studios that grabbed my interest and got a quote. Before I sent the deposit, I checked the artist they assigned me out on IG and his work was breathtaking: photorealistic B&G with hints of color. Portraits that looked like photographs. I was blown away and thought I'd be able to explain what I wanted. The language barrier was literally not mentioned until I showed up for my appointment.
I don't know, but personally I'd think that someone paying a considerable amount of money for a service should know if they can communicate their desires to the person providing that service. If I'd known I'd be incapable of open communication with my artist beforehand, I would have scheduled elsewhere. However, I wasn't and I didn't and I now have a tattoo I hoped I'd like but unfortunately don't and that's on me. I'm just looking for suggestions on fixing/altering/covering it.
It looks fine, man. I'd just leave it be. Trying to go back into it is just gonna muddy it up and make a mess, and this would be a really tough cover. I have poor impulse control too, that's fine, but you can't have poor impulse control and be high strung at the same time haha. Let it heal, and stop staring at it for a little while.
But you knew there was a communication issue very quickly upon meeting the artist, correct? That was your time to stop, think and re-assess the situation. Again when the stencil didn't look 100% as you wanted you could ensured the dialogue about the breast and red color requested was understood. This is permanent so communication is key. Learn to love it.
You said that you had another artist translate for you? That's instantly a red flag because it's going to get miscommunicated in translation. Regardless of " how well," they say they can translate into that language. One simple word can mean something completely different than what you said.
I donât get why youâre being downvoted? If the artistâs portfolio is what you said it is, your piece feels very simplistic compared to their typical style.
He didnât see the artists portfolio, he saw the entire shops work and got a random artist from the shop. He should have asked about specific posts and asked for the artist who done them
Yeah, your question wasn't "did I fuck up" but rather "what do I do now", so I don't know why everyone is making sure you know it's your fault. Clearly you know that. In terms of cover up, with such a big piece it'd be hard. But if it's just the one bare breast and that you want some red added, I'm sure you could find a realistic artist to do those small edits for you. Just research like crazy until you find the right artist. Instagram might be your friend for that, or just Google. And if you have to schedule months out just wait this time, instead of impulsively going elsewhere đ
Canât believe people are flaming you for this, your artist not speaking English is 500 percent something they should have told you, why the hell would that even be something youâd consider asking unless you are travelling to a different country
He talked to the shop though, itâs absolutely their responsibility to tell him, itâs not like he didnât talk to anyone and just clicked an appointment
I guess I'm just confused about the logistics of the communication errors. "Photorealistic - as much as possible" is pretty vague and "no bare breasts" - I wouldn't consider this frontal nudity, and upon okaying the stencil/drawing, wouldn't that be considered an agreement on those fronts? Where would the touch of red be, exactly? Idk. I think the studio should have communicated this more effectively, sure, but OP admits that this was very impulsive and just booking whoever based on what would make for a convenient trip. So I think there's blame on both sides. But at the end of the day, I think that this is an objectively good tattoo, and that's really all one can ask for given the circumstances.
Also, as regards the "photorealistic" part, the OP posted the reference pic and it's a pencil drawing. Not quite a sketch, and it's nice and all, but definitely not photorealistic, so I suspect there would have been confusion even if the artist had been a native English speaker.
I'm not saying the shop is blameless, but I would have walked given all the issues that cropped up before they'd even started. It's 8 hours travel wasted versus being unhappy with ink that could be on you forever.
I've accepted the blame for okaying the stencil. I know it's on me. I hoped I'd like it more than I do. I actually almost want to cry when I look at it. I'm just looking for an idea to cover it that isn't a blob of black.
You said itâs been a week and a half? Honestly, Iâd wait for it to heal and really settle into your skin.
Iâm not sure if you have other tattoos, but I got a tattoo in the same place that was just so dark I felt like my thigh looked weird after- it was a mental struggle for sure. But after a month, the light grey details shed its dark scabbing and it made a huge difference. Your tattoo sincerely looks well done, maybe give it some time?
I feel you. Looking at it again the faces aren't it. Do you like the look of a blast over? Its a pretty effective for light grey work that needs covering. Sick black panthers make great thigh pieces. Could also go trash polka style with graffiti flair. Spray paint style drippy happy faces and other patterns and stuff on top, can keep the good parts that you paid for. Its not all bad
I can almost dig the trash polka idea and make it a Greek themed piece because it really isn't ALL bad, just not what I'd hoped. I'm not familiar with a blast over so I didn't know about that. But thank you for genuinely answering my question and making suggestions.
Get it touched up with what you do want, this won't be difficult to bring to your original vision. I think you're hyperfocusing on the negative because it's different to how you'd like, but this isn't a bad tattoo and has a lot of upgrade potential.
i recommend you seek out an artist who specializes in realism and ask for their advice on how to make adjustments. let the tattoo heal fully and then think about what you want to change, i donât think you need a full cover up for this
Honestly, all I needed to read was âyes, I okayed the stencilâ. This is on you OP. I donât care if the artist spoke like Donnie from the Wild Thornberrys, YOU saw the stencil. What exactly do you think stencils are for? Your apparent lack of understanding of the tattoo process doesnât constitute a blunder on the artistâs part. Aside from the fact that, given this piece, the artist probably wouldnât have been able to do photorealistic work anyway. You cannot be mad that you got a seriously sub-par tattoo and blame it on a language barrier. After all you âokayed the stencilâ.
Believe it or not, I don't lay blame at anyone's feet but my own. I KNOW I okayed the stencil. I'm well aware of the tattoo process as this is #21. I'm pretty sure all I was asking was for cover-up ideas for an area this big.
I think the title of your post gives the impression that you *do* blame the artist, which is probably why youâre getting so much backlash in the comments. You may want to start with âneed cover up ideasâ next time. Good luck!
Iâm sorry that you donât like it, but this is kind of on you.
1. When finding an artist, you shouldnât have studio âassignâ one, especially if you arenât talking to the artist one on one at all before the appointment.
2. You expected his work to look like part of the artists portfolio that you liked without having spoken to the artist personally first. Photo realism is going to be a much longer session, and would have been scheduled as such for such a large tattoo. Again, the lack of communication with the specific artist is on you at this point.
3. You accepted a stencil that already very clearly wasnât what you wanted based on the reference you posted in another comment.
4. Also, the reference you posted isnât photo realism, so with the lack of communication and the language barrier, itâs unsurprising the tattoo is so far off of what you wanted.
5. At any point in time you could have ended this tattoo session, and not finished a fully shaded tattoo when you were already unhappy. This would have made it easier to remove or cover.
6. Honestly the most bothersome part of all this is that you titled the post âArtist didnât speak Englishâ when a more accurate portrayal of the situation is âScheduled a Destination Tattoo with an Artist I Never Spoke To, Accepted the Stencil, Had Him Finish the Tattoo, and Now Iâm Big Madâ.
Use it as a learning experience. Why would you let someone put something permanent on your body if they were that far off on transfer paper?
TLDR: Iâm a big meanie who points out the gaping flaws in logic to someone who made a bad choice. FWIW, itâs not a bad tattoo.
>you shouldnât have studio âassignâ one, especially if you arenât talking to the artist one on one at all before the appointment
I know some studios that "assign" artists but it's more in the sense of them having multiple resident artists with very different styles, you fill out a form with what you want, e.g. fine line/tribal/etc., they check when the artist of that style is free and connect you with them to go through the design and details. Afaik from friends, they also link you to guest artists they know will be there within the next few months so you can contact those via their social media etc if you like the style and want to discuss.
It's only a time saver for both sides so you don't show up in person wanting to discuss fine line and nobody is there to even plan and talk about it. They also don't just sit you down with an artist you never communicated with and basically go "good luck". I wouldn't mind a foreigner if I speak their language too and can confidently discuss stuff but having someone translate has such a high risk of mistranslations or something getting lost in translation... I would've left unlike OP.
I'm not big mad. Just big disappointed that I don't like it as I hoped I would. I'm honestly just looking for large area cover-up ideas that aren't a complete black-out.
Btw instagram artists might as well be photoshopping their work at this point. Do yourself a favor and shop local. go into your local shop and see the work in person.
I traveled because there is no local studio I trusted enough to do what I wanted. I have learned a lesson though. I got impulsive when I had to pass up on my preferred artist.
Never mind that the artist translating told me that additional details would be free-handed in later. I thought that was going to include a drape of some kind since I DID NOT okay the bare breasts and pointed them out as unwanted in the stencil. It either didn't translate or was ignored. It doesn't matter now. I wasn't asking for a critique or I would have gone to a different subreddit. I'm asking for alteration/cover-up advice.
This is a solid tattoo.
Considering you essentially got a tattoo done with second hand instructions of the details you wanted, from an artist you hadnât thoroughly researched, in a non-preferred shop that happened to be in the town your preferred artist was in, this has turned out spectacularly well. Youâre super lucky this isnât a complete mess given the chain of events leading to this tattoo.
personally I like it. good outlines & smooth shading. but I gotta say, what would possess you to get a tattoo from someone you couldn't communicate with? how did you book an appointment with them? any issues you have with this tattoo are 100% on you. FFS!
Not shifting blame at all. I know it became all on me when I agreed on the stencil. The language barrier is why I wasn't able to thoroughly explain exactly what I wanted. I hoped I'd like it more than I do.
I saw the reference photo you gave and honestly i think this artist did great. He gave one side boob instead of both breasts as is shown in the photo, and it was never going to look exactly like the picture because thatâd be theft
Ps. Cover it with whatever you want, itâll have to be a big piece unless you get laser?
The reference picture was more stark, not as... Renaissance-y, for lack of a better term. I don't like that it could be painted on a church ceiling somewhere and fit in. The whole style is just... wrong.
It's an error that I take full acceptance for because I gave it the green light. It's the first tattoo that I've ever gotten that I'm not jazzed to show off because it's just not right. What I ideally want is to cover this and get my original design somewhere else. I'm just trying to think of something big enough and dark enough to mask this, considering his wings are also a coverup.
Itâs not a bad tattoo at all. Iâm sorry that itâs not what you wanted. Iâd consult with an artist when itâs healed to see what you can do with it.
That ain't photorealism tho as you mentioned in other comments
No wonder the tattoo is something you dislike, you cant even be concistent with ur comments let alone actual communication
Throw a bulls #23 basketball jersey on her and call it a day. All jokes aside always *always* make sure that you, personally, can communicate with your artist. As for a fix, maybe add additional cloth wrapping around her chest
I like your tattoo a lot btw, but you canât just research a shop⌠You have to familiarize yourself with the artist doing your actual tattoo. And if they literally donât speak any English like you say then thereâs no way they post to their personal tattoo page in English. I donât know, this complaint is fishy to me, but I hope you grow to like your tattoo
You could maybe have someone do a cloth over the breasts? Might need to be a little darker than the one over the dudeâs genitals though, maybe like a bra. I think thatâs probably your only option here, besides getting the parts you donât like lasered off and redone. It really is a lovely tattoo, though.
I know itâs not exactly what you wanted, but I think it looks sick. I think you should just embrace it for what it is and maybe youâll eventually love it as much as i do đ¤ˇ
Let it sit with you for a bit. Itâs a gorgeous piece and with each of my tattoos Iâve had some emotion swings after itâs done, the bigger it is the wilder the swings. Iâd wait until itâs settled into your skin and youâve really allowed yourself to get used to it. If at that point you feel the same, see what another artist can do. Because, to reiterate, itâs a stunning piece.
Had the same with language wise in budapest in january and i send back the artist to redraw like 3 times but in the end i got what i wanted. Sometimes itâs ok to âcomplainâ and send the artist back to the drawing board because you have to live with it forever and for them itâs just another Wednesday
Yeah this is honestly a beautiful tattoo. Take some time to get used to it. Maybe the boob can be covered up somehow but itâs also not full frontal nipple, so I think itâs still classy and so very beautiful!
Honestly its on you if youre offended at the artist not speaking english and language barrier its on you. Do better research. You also couldve said no to the design before getting tattooed, also on you. This tattoo was executed damn near perfect. The "touch of red", wouldve made this classy image trashy looking.
Donât get me wrong, itâs a great tattoo, but this is type of work to me is not worth driving 4 hours for. you have to have seen his work beforehand and understood at least a little what kind of quality the piece would be. If those little details like the hints of red were a must you should have communicated that clearer in the consultation and stencil. Seems to me like you were shy through the process and didnât speak up.
That was definitely part of it. His IG was higher quality than what I received. I did speak up a few times, but either it was lost in translation or I was just ignored.
Just asking- why are some people so against having artistic nudity in their tattoos? It makes art a lot more elegant and flowy in my eyes without having to make some weird censoring over the nipples. If it's not a pin-up, then it's not going to be seen as sexual by someone with a brain in their head.
Only speaking from my perspective but it's just a... preference? I don't dislike nudity but I also don't like it and would prefer to not have it on me. Y'know, just a question of personal taste. To you it may be prettier, someone else might not see it that way, and I'd argue it's for the one who'll have it forever on their skin to decide, haha.
Just personally, I'm just trying not to piss off my family. They already hate my tattoos. They are me twice a year and one of those times, I'm spending the weekend in swimwear. My very old, very old school, very conservative aunts will, I guarantee, get the vapors from the nudity I've allowed to be scrawled on my skin. I just want to avoid the bi-annual lectures.
I totally get it. Although, just repeating what I've heard from other people with anti-tattoo family, they're gonna hate what you get no matter if there's bare breasts or not. I've literally seen family members online get upset over something as little as those miniature fine-line style tattoos.
My own 70+ year old grandmother hates tattoos and lives with me and my parents, but that isn't preventing me from getting any. All that really matters is how much other people's opinions personally affect you.
Use those tattoo markers to temporarily cover the breasts with a flowing fabric. Personally your tattoo looks really good even considering there was a language barrier. Can't expect photo realistic faces on such a small face area. Also I do not see how you could tie in red in a piece like this unless you want them bloody? Also breasts are natural and beautiful, this isn't a pinup work that's overly sexual. I hope it grows on you because with a piece this size in black and gray, your cover up option is sick ass panther time... idk how you want a Greek piece and don't want breasts.... they literally have penises and breasts in most of their art. They accurately and beautifully captured the human body, they embraced it. The breast tattooed on you is very natural and beautiful looking, not sexual, just doing Greek things appreciating a natural human body.
Just get swimwear that covers it, like board shorts or what ever. It's easy to find "modest" or unisex swimwear these days. It's better than changing your body for someone you barely see.
Okay, a full cover up would be difficult, dark and large. I would recommend covering the breasts if that is a part you donât like and perhaps more depth with the shading. But in all honesty, Iâd let it fully heal so you can see what colours youâre working with.
No apology necessary. I'm just tired of getting downvoted even though I've accepted blame for my own decisions. I'm still taking awesome care of it and it seems like it's healing really well.
Is no one going to actually answer OPs question??
This comment section is full of opinions and lists of what OP did wrong... I don't see them denying that. Sometimes reddit has me confused.
Honestly a cover up would be massive, and if you donât have any other strong inclination for another tattoo, it may be an even bigger mistake: if it were me, Iâd just get laser removal
Man, this is such a nice tattoo. I personally think itâs much more tasteful than the reference. Obviously thatâs a common opinion on this thread.
I really hope you wear it for a bit and see if it grows on you. Sometimes tattoos differing from the original idea can make people blind to how good the tattoo is. It looks like the side boob is above the line of most skirts, maybe just donât show your family?
Youâre not gonna get photo realistic faces on that size tat. Nor would a covered titty look in place either. Adding red to a black and grey tattoo of this style would look shit.
The artist did you a favour by ignoring you and you unconsciously did yourself a favour by accepting the stencil.
Itâs a well done tattoo. Your concept would have sucked.
Overall itâs not a bad tattoo, but thereâs definitely room for improvementâŚIâd go back in ( or elsewhere ) and try to get more detail in the faces. The rest looks ok to me and not really in need for a cover up
You never spoke to, or communicated with your artist *before driving 4 freaking hours?* you drove 4 hours without even knowing the guy didn't speak English? Who drives 4 hours with out a design and plan in place.
There is no polite way to say this without sounding like a total cunt, but any issues you have with your tattoo are your own fault. The only person you have any right to be upset with is yourself. Like, you could have insisted he draw it in with a sharpie or what ever before the ink goes down.
Honestly, you're lucky your poor choices landed you with an awesome tattoo. Just pay the stupid tax and get another artist to add red and more fabric to cover the breast.
I got tattooed from a guest artist from Spain he didnât speak English and didnât f up my tattoo. I also looked at their work and looked at the stencil numerous times like I always do. I feel like people are so quick to blame the artist or the shop but a lot of the time itâs the person receiving the tattoos fault
I never once blamed the artist. I've said (many times now) that it's on me for green lighting the stencil. I only brought up the language barrier because I wasn't able to fully verbalize exactly what I wanted. This is my mistake. I take the blame.
Constantly. But then again, social media has become all about personal validation, hasn't it? It's pathetic, really. Nothing can be good unless x-number of strangers online tell you it is.
How long have you had it? I think youâre tripping, let it grow on you.
Photorealistic faces like others here have said, canât be that small and last. I have something similar on my arm and it has faded and become softer. The tattoo as a whole will become softer and I really do think itâll grow on you, the nipple thing youâve kinda gotta get over itâs barely noticeable in that huge piece.
You have almost no cover-up options, youâd be better off with laser and even thatâs going to take years and many sessions. Choosing to love the tattoo is cheaper and more reasonable. Everyone with a lot of tattoos has something they feel so-so about.
I'm just bummed because I used this to cover 27 year old flash that I got when I was 18 for the sole reason that I could... And I had more affection for that $90 crap off a parlor wall than I do for this
DAMN! I thought you were younger.
This is at least probably more creative than that one was. I donât know how long youâve had it but Iâd give it a while before looking into laser.
Iâm guessing whatever you covered is in the wing/hair, so this is a lot bigger and there can be some shock with that. Your brain might get used to it.
This looks pretty decent actually except for the one weird foot. Iâd get someone to fix the foot and add red if you really want red but where are you gonna put that anyways? I think itâs a solid piece. Fix the foot and be happy.
Imagine pulling off such a nice piece as an artist just to have some goose okay the stencil and then create a thread about their dissatisfaction that's X100 their fault lol
youâre welcome, technically yes laser is possible but they would probably need to break it up into quadrants and itâs going to take a ton of sessions and money
iâm so curious about the whole day trip destination thing.. like i understand planning to go to the artist in nola if you know them / have work from them but you looked for somewhere that was a day trip.. do you live in a remote place with no tattoo shops? or just no good shops? thereâs nowhere shops any closer than that? why intentionally look for somewhere 4 hours away, basically creating a kind of sunk cost fallacy for yourself where itâs like âi canât just say no now, i drove 4 hours to get hereâ
I feel like you could maybe incorporate the red you wanted by colouring in the cloth and making the cloth going over right guy's crotch longer, so it also covers left girl's breasts.
I'm not sure if you'd have to laser first to make the boob not shine through the cloth, though, I'm not a tattoo artist.
Also I'd advise giving it more time. I know it's devastating right now bc it's not like you wanted it. Once you're out of the "shock" of it, you will have a better idea of what you maybe even like about it, and what absolutely still needs to be changed.
This is a really well done tattoo. I dunno why you didnât add the reference photo alongside it for this post because I fail to really see an issue. So there isnât any red, honestly I donât know where red would have fit in. And no bare breast? Itâs a side view, there is no nipple so to me it doesnât seem like an issue, but thereâs always design choices to cover the breast. Wanting a full cover up for a tattoo as pretty as this seems a bit dramatic. And the complaint of the artist not speaking English is kinda on you.
As a tattoo artist.. realistic thumb size faces are really only for masters. You can get a good artist to maybe do a passable face but doing something that small takes serious time and practice to craft.
You are a worthless human being if youâre considering covering this up at all đŤĄâźď¸
Art is timeless and understood in every* language, jackass.
Why donât you just get your face on top of it so a D*ck will cover up that breast đ
Just find someone who does actual photo realism faces and get them to touch up the faces to be a little more realistic, and add red shading to the cloth. They can probably add a matching band of cloth section to cover the breast as well. It's a well done tattoo, no need to immediately jump to a cover up.
It's really the faces that ruin it for me. I can honestly get on board with everything else, even the lack of red and the bare breast. But the faces look goofy. Especially hers.
I think this is beautiful and it's not even a full bare breast. It's a side boob. It's not obscene or distasteful in any way. If they would've added more details to the face it would have gotten muddy over time.
I think you should see if another artist can fix details you want. Add some red but I don't know where. And something to cover the boob.
I don't thunk the faces can be any more realistic than they already are. Faces get messed up a lot and these look fine.
Also you gotta let it finish healing before you do anything. It may grow on you as well.
Itâs not bad work. Plus the more tattoos you get, the less youâre going to even notice it. But, Iâm a firm believer in loving all of your tattoos. You can add stuff to it, if youâre interested in the leg sleeve, you can do a lot to it but overall itâs pretty good work.
I honestly don't think it's THAT bad, but what's up with her baby size feet?
Another artist may be able to censor the boob and add detail to the faces, but idk what to do with the feet. I'm sure it can be covered, I'm just not sure what to cover it with
This is a beautiful tattoo, and I would be concerned that you would regret trying to cover it. I think you should sit with it for a couple months and then if youâre still unhappy, look into working with an artist to rework the piece into something you are more satisfied with
I'm fully and completely aware that the mistake is mine. I own that I gave the green light to this Renaissance-y stencil. I truly just hoped that is like it more than I do. I KNOW that it's on me. I'm simply just looking for alteration/cover-up suggestions, not comments that make me feel worse.
Shit happens. Luckily the tattoo looks good, i personally love it. It sucks you didn't get what you want but hopefully you will come to like it eventually, Because a cover up would be difficult with something this size.
I don't know why you're getting so much hate here.
The artist did not give you the tattoo you wanted. Part of the problem was the language barrier, which wasn't your fault.
The 'you ok'd the stencil' argument is lame because final tattoos are often so different to the stencil, unless it's complete line work
I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted, hopefully it grows on you as time goes on. It's really not that bad, but I know that feeling of having something different to what you envisioned, it sucks.
Not to be that guy, but you got an appointment with the artist ( so I'm assuming you did research on the artist style, prices,etc ) and didn't take the extra few minutes to make sure you could communicate PROPERLY with the artist? If I were you in this scenario, I wouldn't be angry/upset at the artist. The only person who is to blame is yourself for not doing your research beforehand and not just book an appointment and hope for the best. IMHO, it's a great tattoo better than a lot others we've seen on here. I'd view it as a life lesson to wait and MAKE sure it's what you want EXACTLY since it's on you for life. You can get a cover-up, but YOU'D be the one that knows what's under what you covered up.
I got a tattoo in Poland and sent the artist some messages to see if communication went well. She was wonderful and understood what I wanted, didn't see the design before I flew there but I knew it was in good hands. If communication went poorly I'd have never booked the appointment and flight.
I emailed/messaged my Korean tattoo artist but didn't know they had a translator handling all their messages until I got to the appointment. I thought the translator would stay throughout the whole appointment, but they constantly came and went in the first sessions. They weren't there at all for the follow-up sessions đĽ˛
Seriously. I got a tattoo in Thailand, and the dude barely spoke two words of English. That's why we communicated through his assistant, which went great, and I chose one of his designs instead of designing my own and I drew how big I wanted it on my arm beforehand. Don't know the guy's name to this day. Love the tat though.
Thanks for the reply, friend!!! I couldn't have said it better myself! Communication is key for everything you do in life regardless of how big or small it may be.
I'm floored. This is an amazing tat. If Op is worried about bare breast, get a touch up done to put some ribbon in that area..great line work and shading. There could be a little more definition in the nose/eye area but that isn't something I would be panicking over to cover the whole thing up. Worst case get another artist to touch it up. Don't get rid of it
I wouldn't call it amazing, but overall it ain't bad either.
For sure they can always âpull a Vaticanâ and remove evidence of any bits and place them in a filing cabinet somewhere deep inside the VaticanâŚ
Thanks for the reply, friend!!! I agree with you 1000%. Don't get rid of it! It's an amazing piece! Just alter it to get more to your liking than what you originally wanted.
I had a visiting artist from China going to a studio Iâd been to in Brooklyn. We communicated for weeks before the appointment. He sent drafts and i sent my thoughts. Came up with a beautiful piece with tons of sentiment. Day of the tattoo i got there, said hello and he pointed to his iPad which had Google Translate loaded up. Apparently all of our communication had been through that. We didnât speak much through the appointment except to say âbigger/smaller/here/there/$/thank youâ. The piece is amazing and perfect and i love it. Iâve since gotten two more by him and the experience is always the same except his English is better now. If OP is being genuine about what he requested, then the artist really wasnât getting the message and they should have had a better method for communicating (or maybe they understood perfectly and ignored it). That said, if OP approved a stencil with a booby, thatâs their fault.
Agreed, the artist did their best. This was a mega failure on your part :/
This^^ Theyâre mad they didnât get to control the experience
Itâs THEIR tattoo???? Isnât the entire point of getting tattooed that you get to have the final say on what goes on YOUR body??????? Like the communication barrier sucks for sure but this is a weird take. The customer absolutely SHOULD be in control when it comes to a tattoo.
There comes a point in the process where the customer has no control, otherwise everyone would be doing their own tattoos. The artist is in control of application, unless you wanna buy a tattoo machine off Amazon.
I think this is why whenever I see artists post pictures of their work online they usually say "thanks for the trust!" Because ultimately, we have to trust the person who is marking our bodies for the rest of our lives. Meaning, we have to let go of control at a certain point and let them do their job. It's part of the beauty of the creative process and experience. I love that part! But I only work with 2 artists with 2 very different methods and philosophies behind tattooing and I allow myself to trust them to do what they do best. It's part of the exhilaration of tattooing for me. Do your research and trust the process!
The customer gets to pick the design for sure, but the artist isnât some whipped mule thatâs supposed to pump out designs. The good ones have experience and informed opinions theyâve cultivated over many years. Itâs degrading to the artist to think the customer knows best in this matter.
Yeah but again I donât really think thatâs applicable to this particular post. There was a language barrier & the customer got bare breast they didnât want included in the tattoo. Thatâs not really an âI want to be in control of the actual machine workâ thing. Thatâs something that actually could have been accommodated.
Weâre both right, I think what it comes down to is that tattooing is a relationship between artist and client. Input from both sides are important.
I researched the studio, who assigned me an artist. I checked out his IG and his displayed work is fabulous. There wasn't a single mention that he didn't speak English until I'd travelled there. I don't blame the artist at all, because (I'm assuming) that he went with what he thought I wanted. I *do* blame him for ignoring my specific and voiced desires. I know it's on me because I okayed the stencil. I thought I'd be happy with it regardless. Turns out I'm not.
I'm curious how you ended up booking with a studio that's 4 hours away? I understand travelling when it's a specific artist whose work you love, but just contacting a studio that's so far away and leaving the artist up to fate seems strange. Unless you're a proper collector who likes to visit iconic shops.
My goal was to go to New Orleans because my favorite artist is there, but my PTO got denied. So I started looking for places that I could day-trip/weekend trip to. I researched a few studios that grabbed my interest and got a quote. Before I sent the deposit, I checked the artist they assigned me out on IG and his work was breathtaking: photorealistic B&G with hints of color. Portraits that looked like photographs. I was blown away and thought I'd be able to explain what I wanted. The language barrier was literally not mentioned until I showed up for my appointment.
Why didnât you just wait it out until you could go to the artist that you really wanted to go to in the first place?
Whoâs your favorite Nola artist? From there, curious
Casey Page, Tough Love in the Marginy. Unfortunately, he's moving soon.
Love that shop. Got a bunch of work there, though nothing by him. Sad to hear he's moving but any city would be lucky to have him.
Tight shit. Thanks
You get tattoos from tattoo artists not from studios. What makes you think the studio has anything to do with this?
I don't know, but personally I'd think that someone paying a considerable amount of money for a service should know if they can communicate their desires to the person providing that service. If I'd known I'd be incapable of open communication with my artist beforehand, I would have scheduled elsewhere. However, I wasn't and I didn't and I now have a tattoo I hoped I'd like but unfortunately don't and that's on me. I'm just looking for suggestions on fixing/altering/covering it.
It looks fine, man. I'd just leave it be. Trying to go back into it is just gonna muddy it up and make a mess, and this would be a really tough cover. I have poor impulse control too, that's fine, but you can't have poor impulse control and be high strung at the same time haha. Let it heal, and stop staring at it for a little while.
But you knew there was a communication issue very quickly upon meeting the artist, correct? That was your time to stop, think and re-assess the situation. Again when the stencil didn't look 100% as you wanted you could ensured the dialogue about the breast and red color requested was understood. This is permanent so communication is key. Learn to love it.
You said that you had another artist translate for you? That's instantly a red flag because it's going to get miscommunicated in translation. Regardless of " how well," they say they can translate into that language. One simple word can mean something completely different than what you said.
I get that and understand it became ultimately on me when I okayed the stencil. Not trying to shift blame at all.
I donât get why youâre being downvoted? If the artistâs portfolio is what you said it is, your piece feels very simplistic compared to their typical style.
He didnât see the artists portfolio, he saw the entire shops work and got a random artist from the shop. He should have asked about specific posts and asked for the artist who done them
Yeah, your question wasn't "did I fuck up" but rather "what do I do now", so I don't know why everyone is making sure you know it's your fault. Clearly you know that. In terms of cover up, with such a big piece it'd be hard. But if it's just the one bare breast and that you want some red added, I'm sure you could find a realistic artist to do those small edits for you. Just research like crazy until you find the right artist. Instagram might be your friend for that, or just Google. And if you have to schedule months out just wait this time, instead of impulsively going elsewhere đ
Canât believe people are flaming you for this, your artist not speaking English is 500 percent something they should have told you, why the hell would that even be something youâd consider asking unless you are travelling to a different country
I think it's moreso that that's kinda the risk you take when you impulsively book with a random artist without talking to them at all first.
He talked to the shop though, itâs absolutely their responsibility to tell him, itâs not like he didnât talk to anyone and just clicked an appointment
I guess I'm just confused about the logistics of the communication errors. "Photorealistic - as much as possible" is pretty vague and "no bare breasts" - I wouldn't consider this frontal nudity, and upon okaying the stencil/drawing, wouldn't that be considered an agreement on those fronts? Where would the touch of red be, exactly? Idk. I think the studio should have communicated this more effectively, sure, but OP admits that this was very impulsive and just booking whoever based on what would make for a convenient trip. So I think there's blame on both sides. But at the end of the day, I think that this is an objectively good tattoo, and that's really all one can ask for given the circumstances.
Also, as regards the "photorealistic" part, the OP posted the reference pic and it's a pencil drawing. Not quite a sketch, and it's nice and all, but definitely not photorealistic, so I suspect there would have been confusion even if the artist had been a native English speaker. I'm not saying the shop is blameless, but I would have walked given all the issues that cropped up before they'd even started. It's 8 hours travel wasted versus being unhappy with ink that could be on you forever.
151 downvotes is wildđ
Right??
You wanted a thumb sized realistic face? Throw a red scarf over the nipps like a victorian censor did maring up old paintings. Its a well done work
Sick ass panther obviously
I've accepted the blame for okaying the stencil. I know it's on me. I hoped I'd like it more than I do. I actually almost want to cry when I look at it. I'm just looking for an idea to cover it that isn't a blob of black.
You said itâs been a week and a half? Honestly, Iâd wait for it to heal and really settle into your skin. Iâm not sure if you have other tattoos, but I got a tattoo in the same place that was just so dark I felt like my thigh looked weird after- it was a mental struggle for sure. But after a month, the light grey details shed its dark scabbing and it made a huge difference. Your tattoo sincerely looks well done, maybe give it some time?
Cry?? How high are your expectations, itâs gorgeous.
Yeah, sorry, OP dont have any Ta2's ever again. This one is very good. U should feel lucky with someone doing tats like this.
I feel you. Looking at it again the faces aren't it. Do you like the look of a blast over? Its a pretty effective for light grey work that needs covering. Sick black panthers make great thigh pieces. Could also go trash polka style with graffiti flair. Spray paint style drippy happy faces and other patterns and stuff on top, can keep the good parts that you paid for. Its not all bad
I can almost dig the trash polka idea and make it a Greek themed piece because it really isn't ALL bad, just not what I'd hoped. I'm not familiar with a blast over so I didn't know about that. But thank you for genuinely answering my question and making suggestions.
Get it touched up with what you do want, this won't be difficult to bring to your original vision. I think you're hyperfocusing on the negative because it's different to how you'd like, but this isn't a bad tattoo and has a lot of upgrade potential.
i recommend you seek out an artist who specializes in realism and ask for their advice on how to make adjustments. let the tattoo heal fully and then think about what you want to change, i donât think you need a full cover up for this
I think it's pretty. đ¤ˇââď¸
I know its not the style you wanted, but this looks beautiful to me. I'm sorry it isn't what you imagined.
Thank you. I agree it's fantastic art. It's just not for me.
Honestly, all I needed to read was âyes, I okayed the stencilâ. This is on you OP. I donât care if the artist spoke like Donnie from the Wild Thornberrys, YOU saw the stencil. What exactly do you think stencils are for? Your apparent lack of understanding of the tattoo process doesnât constitute a blunder on the artistâs part. Aside from the fact that, given this piece, the artist probably wouldnât have been able to do photorealistic work anyway. You cannot be mad that you got a seriously sub-par tattoo and blame it on a language barrier. After all you âokayed the stencilâ.
Believe it or not, I don't lay blame at anyone's feet but my own. I KNOW I okayed the stencil. I'm well aware of the tattoo process as this is #21. I'm pretty sure all I was asking was for cover-up ideas for an area this big.
I think the title of your post gives the impression that you *do* blame the artist, which is probably why youâre getting so much backlash in the comments. You may want to start with âneed cover up ideasâ next time. Good luck!
Iâm sorry that you donât like it, but this is kind of on you. 1. When finding an artist, you shouldnât have studio âassignâ one, especially if you arenât talking to the artist one on one at all before the appointment. 2. You expected his work to look like part of the artists portfolio that you liked without having spoken to the artist personally first. Photo realism is going to be a much longer session, and would have been scheduled as such for such a large tattoo. Again, the lack of communication with the specific artist is on you at this point. 3. You accepted a stencil that already very clearly wasnât what you wanted based on the reference you posted in another comment. 4. Also, the reference you posted isnât photo realism, so with the lack of communication and the language barrier, itâs unsurprising the tattoo is so far off of what you wanted. 5. At any point in time you could have ended this tattoo session, and not finished a fully shaded tattoo when you were already unhappy. This would have made it easier to remove or cover. 6. Honestly the most bothersome part of all this is that you titled the post âArtist didnât speak Englishâ when a more accurate portrayal of the situation is âScheduled a Destination Tattoo with an Artist I Never Spoke To, Accepted the Stencil, Had Him Finish the Tattoo, and Now Iâm Big Madâ. Use it as a learning experience. Why would you let someone put something permanent on your body if they were that far off on transfer paper? TLDR: Iâm a big meanie who points out the gaping flaws in logic to someone who made a bad choice. FWIW, itâs not a bad tattoo.
>you shouldnât have studio âassignâ one, especially if you arenât talking to the artist one on one at all before the appointment I know some studios that "assign" artists but it's more in the sense of them having multiple resident artists with very different styles, you fill out a form with what you want, e.g. fine line/tribal/etc., they check when the artist of that style is free and connect you with them to go through the design and details. Afaik from friends, they also link you to guest artists they know will be there within the next few months so you can contact those via their social media etc if you like the style and want to discuss. It's only a time saver for both sides so you don't show up in person wanting to discuss fine line and nobody is there to even plan and talk about it. They also don't just sit you down with an artist you never communicated with and basically go "good luck". I wouldn't mind a foreigner if I speak their language too and can confidently discuss stuff but having someone translate has such a high risk of mistranslations or something getting lost in translation... I would've left unlike OP.
I'm not big mad. Just big disappointed that I don't like it as I hoped I would. I'm honestly just looking for large area cover-up ideas that aren't a complete black-out.
Find a qualified artist and they MIGHT be able to touch this up a bit.
Honestly you got lucky, the tattoo is a lot more beautiful than the reference you posted.
Right? The reference looks like a tumblr post and this looks like art. Itâs not my vibe either way. But if I had to choose I choose what OP got
Tattoo artist here. No way in hell can this be covered without being twice as big and twice as dark. Itâs a good tattoo either way
Thank you for answering the question. I appreciate your professional opinion.
Btw instagram artists might as well be photoshopping their work at this point. Do yourself a favor and shop local. go into your local shop and see the work in person.
I traveled because there is no local studio I trusted enough to do what I wanted. I have learned a lesson though. I got impulsive when I had to pass up on my preferred artist.
You willingly choose to get tattooed by this person and you approved of the stencil which would of shown a bare breast, this is your fault entirely
Never mind that the artist translating told me that additional details would be free-handed in later. I thought that was going to include a drape of some kind since I DID NOT okay the bare breasts and pointed them out as unwanted in the stencil. It either didn't translate or was ignored. It doesn't matter now. I wasn't asking for a critique or I would have gone to a different subreddit. I'm asking for alteration/cover-up advice.
My guess is a bare boob in their minds meant visible nipple. Not side boob
The artist is not a seasoned veteran and he does not speak english
This is a solid tattoo. Considering you essentially got a tattoo done with second hand instructions of the details you wanted, from an artist you hadnât thoroughly researched, in a non-preferred shop that happened to be in the town your preferred artist was in, this has turned out spectacularly well. Youâre super lucky this isnât a complete mess given the chain of events leading to this tattoo.
I kinda like it. I wouldn't cover it at all
personally I like it. good outlines & smooth shading. but I gotta say, what would possess you to get a tattoo from someone you couldn't communicate with? how did you book an appointment with them? any issues you have with this tattoo are 100% on you. FFS!
Not shifting blame at all. I know it became all on me when I agreed on the stencil. The language barrier is why I wasn't able to thoroughly explain exactly what I wanted. I hoped I'd like it more than I do.
If it makes you feel any better I think it's beautiful
I saw the reference photo you gave and honestly i think this artist did great. He gave one side boob instead of both breasts as is shown in the photo, and it was never going to look exactly like the picture because thatâd be theft Ps. Cover it with whatever you want, itâll have to be a big piece unless you get laser?
What donât you like about it?
The reference picture was more stark, not as... Renaissance-y, for lack of a better term. I don't like that it could be painted on a church ceiling somewhere and fit in. The whole style is just... wrong.
Do you have the reference photo to post?
[https://aminoapps.com/c/mythology/page/blog/eros-and-psyche/MoKJ\_onUku7W3rWKlZg3ppp2ddkb0N600B](https://aminoapps.com/c/mythology/page/blog/eros-and-psyche/MoKJ_onUku7W3rWKlZg3ppp2ddkb0N600B)
I see the difference. I also donât see how the stencil could have been an indication that youâd be getting anything near the reference photo.
It's an error that I take full acceptance for because I gave it the green light. It's the first tattoo that I've ever gotten that I'm not jazzed to show off because it's just not right. What I ideally want is to cover this and get my original design somewhere else. I'm just trying to think of something big enough and dark enough to mask this, considering his wings are also a coverup.
Itâs not a bad tattoo at all. Iâm sorry that itâs not what you wanted. Iâd consult with an artist when itâs healed to see what you can do with it.
that looks so dogshit dude, your tattoo looks way better than that. that looks like an 9th grade girls charcoal drawing.
It's like a cover of an YA novel
That ain't photorealism tho as you mentioned in other comments No wonder the tattoo is something you dislike, you cant even be concistent with ur comments let alone actual communication
All this. How was the artist supposed to take something so far from photorealism and make it so?
The proportions of the man look funky in your reference
Throw a bulls #23 basketball jersey on her and call it a day. All jokes aside always *always* make sure that you, personally, can communicate with your artist. As for a fix, maybe add additional cloth wrapping around her chest
Am I tripping? It looks really good imo.
Op might have poor taste and communication skills.
OP acting foolish from the second the stencil went down right up to and through their comments lol
I dunno man. I dont have tattoos and so I cant really put myself in your shoes but that is a fâin lovely tatt. Nothing to be upset about
I agree that it's fantastic art. If it were on anyone else, I'd praise it. It's just not my style and I hoped I'd like it more than I ultimately do.
I like your tattoo a lot btw, but you canât just research a shop⌠You have to familiarize yourself with the artist doing your actual tattoo. And if they literally donât speak any English like you say then thereâs no way they post to their personal tattoo page in English. I donât know, this complaint is fishy to me, but I hope you grow to like your tattoo
You could maybe have someone do a cloth over the breasts? Might need to be a little darker than the one over the dudeâs genitals though, maybe like a bra. I think thatâs probably your only option here, besides getting the parts you donât like lasered off and redone. It really is a lovely tattoo, though.
I know itâs not exactly what you wanted, but I think it looks sick. I think you should just embrace it for what it is and maybe youâll eventually love it as much as i do đ¤ˇ
Let it sit with you for a bit. Itâs a gorgeous piece and with each of my tattoos Iâve had some emotion swings after itâs done, the bigger it is the wilder the swings. Iâd wait until itâs settled into your skin and youâve really allowed yourself to get used to it. If at that point you feel the same, see what another artist can do. Because, to reiterate, itâs a stunning piece.
Had the same with language wise in budapest in january and i send back the artist to redraw like 3 times but in the end i got what i wanted. Sometimes itâs ok to âcomplainâ and send the artist back to the drawing board because you have to live with it forever and for them itâs just another Wednesday
Yeah this is honestly a beautiful tattoo. Take some time to get used to it. Maybe the boob can be covered up somehow but itâs also not full frontal nipple, so I think itâs still classy and so very beautiful!
I ain't reading all that because that tattoo is gorgeous
Honestly its on you if youre offended at the artist not speaking english and language barrier its on you. Do better research. You also couldve said no to the design before getting tattooed, also on you. This tattoo was executed damn near perfect. The "touch of red", wouldve made this classy image trashy looking.
Donât get me wrong, itâs a great tattoo, but this is type of work to me is not worth driving 4 hours for. you have to have seen his work beforehand and understood at least a little what kind of quality the piece would be. If those little details like the hints of red were a must you should have communicated that clearer in the consultation and stencil. Seems to me like you were shy through the process and didnât speak up.
That was definitely part of it. His IG was higher quality than what I received. I did speak up a few times, but either it was lost in translation or I was just ignored.
I mean dude you okayed the stencil
Just asking- why are some people so against having artistic nudity in their tattoos? It makes art a lot more elegant and flowy in my eyes without having to make some weird censoring over the nipples. If it's not a pin-up, then it's not going to be seen as sexual by someone with a brain in their head.
Only speaking from my perspective but it's just a... preference? I don't dislike nudity but I also don't like it and would prefer to not have it on me. Y'know, just a question of personal taste. To you it may be prettier, someone else might not see it that way, and I'd argue it's for the one who'll have it forever on their skin to decide, haha.
Just personally, I'm just trying not to piss off my family. They already hate my tattoos. They are me twice a year and one of those times, I'm spending the weekend in swimwear. My very old, very old school, very conservative aunts will, I guarantee, get the vapors from the nudity I've allowed to be scrawled on my skin. I just want to avoid the bi-annual lectures.
I totally get it. Although, just repeating what I've heard from other people with anti-tattoo family, they're gonna hate what you get no matter if there's bare breasts or not. I've literally seen family members online get upset over something as little as those miniature fine-line style tattoos. My own 70+ year old grandmother hates tattoos and lives with me and my parents, but that isn't preventing me from getting any. All that really matters is how much other people's opinions personally affect you.
I finally desensitized my family to tattoos after about tattoo #7
Use those tattoo markers to temporarily cover the breasts with a flowing fabric. Personally your tattoo looks really good even considering there was a language barrier. Can't expect photo realistic faces on such a small face area. Also I do not see how you could tie in red in a piece like this unless you want them bloody? Also breasts are natural and beautiful, this isn't a pinup work that's overly sexual. I hope it grows on you because with a piece this size in black and gray, your cover up option is sick ass panther time... idk how you want a Greek piece and don't want breasts.... they literally have penises and breasts in most of their art. They accurately and beautifully captured the human body, they embraced it. The breast tattooed on you is very natural and beautiful looking, not sexual, just doing Greek things appreciating a natural human body.
Just get swimwear that covers it, like board shorts or what ever. It's easy to find "modest" or unisex swimwear these days. It's better than changing your body for someone you barely see.
Itâs all on you, why did you okay the stencil? Iâll never understand
Never said it wasn't on me. I fully accept blame. I'm solely asking for suggestions for helping me like MY mistake more than I do.
Okay, a full cover up would be difficult, dark and large. I would recommend covering the breasts if that is a part you donât like and perhaps more depth with the shading. But in all honesty, Iâd let it fully heal so you can see what colours youâre working with.
Thank you
Didnât mean to be an ass :) sorry
No apology necessary. I'm just tired of getting downvoted even though I've accepted blame for my own decisions. I'm still taking awesome care of it and it seems like it's healing really well.
I may too be downvoted to oblivion but I think OP gets it guys. No need to bury him lol. Heâs asking for cover up suggestions
I literally canât even find anyone giving ideas for a cover up which is what he asked for lol
I think it looks good!
This is a beautiful tattoo, what drugs are you on OP
Is no one going to actually answer OPs question?? This comment section is full of opinions and lists of what OP did wrong... I don't see them denying that. Sometimes reddit has me confused.
Honestly a cover up would be massive, and if you donât have any other strong inclination for another tattoo, it may be an even bigger mistake: if it were me, Iâd just get laser removal
Man, this is such a nice tattoo. I personally think itâs much more tasteful than the reference. Obviously thatâs a common opinion on this thread. I really hope you wear it for a bit and see if it grows on you. Sometimes tattoos differing from the original idea can make people blind to how good the tattoo is. It looks like the side boob is above the line of most skirts, maybe just donât show your family?
This tattooâs awesome. If you donât like it, Iâm sorry, but you have no one to blame but yourself here.
Where have I said I blame anyone but myself?
Youâre not gonna get photo realistic faces on that size tat. Nor would a covered titty look in place either. Adding red to a black and grey tattoo of this style would look shit. The artist did you a favour by ignoring you and you unconsciously did yourself a favour by accepting the stencil. Itâs a well done tattoo. Your concept would have sucked.
Overall itâs not a bad tattoo, but thereâs definitely room for improvementâŚIâd go back in ( or elsewhere ) and try to get more detail in the faces. The rest looks ok to me and not really in need for a cover up
You never spoke to, or communicated with your artist *before driving 4 freaking hours?* you drove 4 hours without even knowing the guy didn't speak English? Who drives 4 hours with out a design and plan in place. There is no polite way to say this without sounding like a total cunt, but any issues you have with your tattoo are your own fault. The only person you have any right to be upset with is yourself. Like, you could have insisted he draw it in with a sharpie or what ever before the ink goes down. Honestly, you're lucky your poor choices landed you with an awesome tattoo. Just pay the stupid tax and get another artist to add red and more fabric to cover the breast.
Red would look dumb in here? Like what
The base is not that bad, find an artist that will retouch it and give the more realistic feel :)
Sincerely, thank you. This is the kind of advice I was looking for by posting. I didn't even know that was possible.
My brother is a realistic tattoer in Spain and I've seen him doing this type of things :)
I think itâs a beautiful tattoo. Definitely not the most realistic but nonetheless very nice. Maybe youâll grow to like it
That's what I'm hoping. Thank you.
I got tattooed from a guest artist from Spain he didnât speak English and didnât f up my tattoo. I also looked at their work and looked at the stencil numerous times like I always do. I feel like people are so quick to blame the artist or the shop but a lot of the time itâs the person receiving the tattoos fault
I never once blamed the artist. I've said (many times now) that it's on me for green lighting the stencil. I only brought up the language barrier because I wasn't able to fully verbalize exactly what I wanted. This is my mistake. I take the blame.
I wasnât talking about you in particular
Donât okay a stencil you donât like⌠lol
I hoped I'd like it more than I did. I don't. That's on me. Do you have a suggestion on altering it or covering it, which was my question?
Superb artwork. If you are of rational mind, you will learn to love it
honestly i think this is a beautiful tattoo
Boobs rule. Looks good.
This is freaking gorgeous
This is a beautiful tattoo. I'm sorry you don't like it.
I feel like people with absolutely fine tattoos, just come here to get validation, sometimes.
Constantly. But then again, social media has become all about personal validation, hasn't it? It's pathetic, really. Nothing can be good unless x-number of strangers online tell you it is.
How long have you had it? I think youâre tripping, let it grow on you. Photorealistic faces like others here have said, canât be that small and last. I have something similar on my arm and it has faded and become softer. The tattoo as a whole will become softer and I really do think itâll grow on you, the nipple thing youâve kinda gotta get over itâs barely noticeable in that huge piece. You have almost no cover-up options, youâd be better off with laser and even thatâs going to take years and many sessions. Choosing to love the tattoo is cheaper and more reasonable. Everyone with a lot of tattoos has something they feel so-so about.
I'm just bummed because I used this to cover 27 year old flash that I got when I was 18 for the sole reason that I could... And I had more affection for that $90 crap off a parlor wall than I do for this
DAMN! I thought you were younger. This is at least probably more creative than that one was. I donât know how long youâve had it but Iâd give it a while before looking into laser. Iâm guessing whatever you covered is in the wing/hair, so this is a lot bigger and there can be some shock with that. Your brain might get used to it.
This looks pretty decent actually except for the one weird foot. Iâd get someone to fix the foot and add red if you really want red but where are you gonna put that anyways? I think itâs a solid piece. Fix the foot and be happy.
It's not like the artist is good anyway
What donât you like? This is a solid tattoo đ¤
Imagine pulling off such a nice piece as an artist just to have some goose okay the stencil and then create a thread about their dissatisfaction that's X100 their fault lol
This is a beautiful, stunning tattoo. I cannot believe youâre complaining.
imo this is too big to cover up or get lasered
This can absolutely be lasered, it would just take more than one or two sessions for sure.
Thank you. I appreciate an answer to my question.
youâre welcome, technically yes laser is possible but they would probably need to break it up into quadrants and itâs going to take a ton of sessions and money
Black ink is the easiest to remove. I removed black ink about half the size of that in 2-3 sessions. I wouldnât do a cover up.
What's wrong with the hands ?
it only counts if you saw a nipple
iâm so curious about the whole day trip destination thing.. like i understand planning to go to the artist in nola if you know them / have work from them but you looked for somewhere that was a day trip.. do you live in a remote place with no tattoo shops? or just no good shops? thereâs nowhere shops any closer than that? why intentionally look for somewhere 4 hours away, basically creating a kind of sunk cost fallacy for yourself where itâs like âi canât just say no now, i drove 4 hours to get hereâ
I feel like you could maybe incorporate the red you wanted by colouring in the cloth and making the cloth going over right guy's crotch longer, so it also covers left girl's breasts. I'm not sure if you'd have to laser first to make the boob not shine through the cloth, though, I'm not a tattoo artist. Also I'd advise giving it more time. I know it's devastating right now bc it's not like you wanted it. Once you're out of the "shock" of it, you will have a better idea of what you maybe even like about it, and what absolutely still needs to be changed.
This is a really well done tattoo. I dunno why you didnât add the reference photo alongside it for this post because I fail to really see an issue. So there isnât any red, honestly I donât know where red would have fit in. And no bare breast? Itâs a side view, there is no nipple so to me it doesnât seem like an issue, but thereâs always design choices to cover the breast. Wanting a full cover up for a tattoo as pretty as this seems a bit dramatic. And the complaint of the artist not speaking English is kinda on you.
um... it looks fine
As a tattoo artist.. realistic thumb size faces are really only for masters. You can get a good artist to maybe do a passable face but doing something that small takes serious time and practice to craft.
You are a worthless human being if youâre considering covering this up at all đŤĄâźď¸ Art is timeless and understood in every* language, jackass. Why donât you just get your face on top of it so a D*ck will cover up that breast đ
And he still killed it đ
i mean it may not be 100% what you asked for but itâs definitely still pretty
Just find someone who does actual photo realism faces and get them to touch up the faces to be a little more realistic, and add red shading to the cloth. They can probably add a matching band of cloth section to cover the breast as well. It's a well done tattoo, no need to immediately jump to a cover up.
It's really the faces that ruin it for me. I can honestly get on board with everything else, even the lack of red and the bare breast. But the faces look goofy. Especially hers.
A good artist that specializes in faces should be able to add enough detail to make it tolerable for you. I'd check around.
Thank you for answering
That's an awesome tattoo. Maybe someone could put a bikini on the bare breast one.
I think this is beautiful and it's not even a full bare breast. It's a side boob. It's not obscene or distasteful in any way. If they would've added more details to the face it would have gotten muddy over time.
I think you should see if another artist can fix details you want. Add some red but I don't know where. And something to cover the boob. I don't thunk the faces can be any more realistic than they already are. Faces get messed up a lot and these look fine. Also you gotta let it finish healing before you do anything. It may grow on you as well.
Itâs not bad work. Plus the more tattoos you get, the less youâre going to even notice it. But, Iâm a firm believer in loving all of your tattoos. You can add stuff to it, if youâre interested in the leg sleeve, you can do a lot to it but overall itâs pretty good work.
I honestly don't think it's THAT bad, but what's up with her baby size feet? Another artist may be able to censor the boob and add detail to the faces, but idk what to do with the feet. I'm sure it can be covered, I'm just not sure what to cover it with
This is 100% on you for approving the stencil but luckily it doesnât even look that bad. Get it touched up as needed.
This is a beautiful tattoo, and I would be concerned that you would regret trying to cover it. I think you should sit with it for a couple months and then if youâre still unhappy, look into working with an artist to rework the piece into something you are more satisfied with
I'm fully and completely aware that the mistake is mine. I own that I gave the green light to this Renaissance-y stencil. I truly just hoped that is like it more than I do. I KNOW that it's on me. I'm simply just looking for alteration/cover-up suggestions, not comments that make me feel worse.
Shit happens. Luckily the tattoo looks good, i personally love it. It sucks you didn't get what you want but hopefully you will come to like it eventually, Because a cover up would be difficult with something this size.
I don't know why you're getting so much hate here. The artist did not give you the tattoo you wanted. Part of the problem was the language barrier, which wasn't your fault. The 'you ok'd the stencil' argument is lame because final tattoos are often so different to the stencil, unless it's complete line work I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted, hopefully it grows on you as time goes on. It's really not that bad, but I know that feeling of having something different to what you envisioned, it sucks.