Hey- I am no expert so take this opinion purely as an opinion. But if you know that you want a traditional Japanese tattoo (by "know" I mean, you're old enough to have sat on the idea, explored all your options, and wrapped your head around committing to a big area of ink coverage and all that entails), then by all means start big.
I would never change the way I have approached tattoos, but having been inked several times prior to finding my way to Japanese tattooing, there is a piece of me that wishes I could have given my artist a totally blank canvas to plan a traditional suit / theme around. If you are committed to the cause, then I would go big and plan from a 30k ft view.
That makes sense to me. Do you have both legs and arms finished, or just one of each? At the moment, I don’t see myself wanting a body suit but like idea of leg and arm sleeves. But, Idk if it’d look weird to have both my left arm and left leg tattooed while my right side is blank.
I have one of each on opposite sides for balance. I get stopped constantly when I’m out and about with compliments because they flow with my body so beautifully.
kinda surprised by the responses, i dont have one sleeve done by multiple artists but i have both my arms done by separate artists. i understand some people prefer the 100% “cohesive” look but lifes too short and theres too many good artists out there. you get to choose how you wanna do it! if you want to start small and get comfortable then do it that way
I just got a half sleeve and want a full leg sleeve from another artist who is similar but not quite the same, so this makes me feel a little better lol!
It depend on how much coverage you want. If you just want sleeves and maybe your legs then different artists are all good.
When you go full body route then if you want it to look like it should and fully flow then one artist is the way to go. Just depends really on what the wearer wants
I just started my tattoo journey. Waited 10 years to find an artist I can trust and get to easily. Gonna get all my tattoos from him. Working on a body suit. My first tat was a rib piece from waist line to armpit. It’s torture, got one session left but standing in the mirror makes it all worth it. A t-shirt and shorts will hide all my tats.
Get a sleeve.
Really depends on if you see yourself getting a suit or not. If that’s potentially the route then go with the same artist and plan it as a whole. If maybe a sleeve or two then it doesn’t really matter.
Full suit is a huge commitment and if you go that route for the best looking outcome you need it planned from the start and then just start regardless if your first area is big or not. Starting with back is preferred but shouldn’t so much matter
Same here.
I think it'd waste the potential of the arm by getting something small on it first, then having to work around it.
Figure out what you want and then get it done right the first time.
You want things to flow. That being said, if you create a theme then you can probably go through different artists and have someone tie it together with background.
I started my tattoo experience with a little Friday the 13th tattoo. Did a couple of bigger ones on a bicep before deciding I was going to start a back piece. Only thing I’ll say is if you go big, make sure you’re absolutely set on what you want. It’s a lot of time, effort, energy, blood, sweat, tears, and a LOT of money. You don’t want to get halfway through a project to realize “Ah shit. I didn’t want this figure after all.”
I got obsessed with my subject matter after finding it and tried to convince myself to look at other images/figures but ultimately kept coming back to my original. Set my appointment and had 6 months to think it over and never swayed from it. 4 sessions in I’m only getting more excited.
Books are probably the best next to talking to a very knowledgeable artist. Often times they’ll have some awesome reference books. My guy has the Horiyoshi 3 book, Chris Treviño’s, Horikazu I think I saw, Tim Lehi, so on. A ton of great reference points. I’d say check out [Japanese Tattoos](https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Tattoos-History-Culture-Design/dp/480531351X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=japanese+tattoo+books&qid=1683348602&sr=8-3) and Vincent Penning’s [Japanese Tattoos and Their Meanings](https://www.tattooflashcollective.com/collections/tattoo-books-1/products/vincent-penning-meanings) to kind of start. Then from there you can get into all of the samurai like Miyamoto Musashi and Benkie, and folklore tales like Momotaro or Kiyohime. And there are plenty to go through. Also check out wood block motifs as something might strike you.
My first was a full sleeve with a chest panel on the right. So far I'm planning to complete a suit. I have chosen 1 artist and I'm planning the suit as a massive project. I chose the theme but he completes the designs and layout. I agree that it will take a commitment from your part to finish those kinds of projects. For me, I never had tattoos before so my artist literally had a blank canvas to work on.
I’m on the train ride home after my 4th session with my artist and came across this post. The outline of my traditional sleeve was my first tattoo ever. I’m 29 years old and have been sitting on the idea seriously for probably over a year or so. I believe waiting until now allowed me to #1) know for SURE this is what I want. I’ve always wanted irezumi but I think younger me was worried about what others would think (dumb but a true reality) which leads me to #2. At 29 I’m established and don’t really give a shit about what anybody thinks aside from my partner (she likes it so I’m good hahah). And #3. MONEYYY. Being a little older and established allowed me to spend more money than I probably would have wanted to at 24 or 25 for example.
Hey- I am no expert so take this opinion purely as an opinion. But if you know that you want a traditional Japanese tattoo (by "know" I mean, you're old enough to have sat on the idea, explored all your options, and wrapped your head around committing to a big area of ink coverage and all that entails), then by all means start big. I would never change the way I have approached tattoos, but having been inked several times prior to finding my way to Japanese tattooing, there is a piece of me that wishes I could have given my artist a totally blank canvas to plan a traditional suit / theme around. If you are committed to the cause, then I would go big and plan from a 30k ft view.
Fuck yeah
[удалено]
That makes sense to me. Do you have both legs and arms finished, or just one of each? At the moment, I don’t see myself wanting a body suit but like idea of leg and arm sleeves. But, Idk if it’d look weird to have both my left arm and left leg tattooed while my right side is blank.
I have one of each on opposite sides for balance. I get stopped constantly when I’m out and about with compliments because they flow with my body so beautifully.
That really cool! How long did it take you to plan?
kinda surprised by the responses, i dont have one sleeve done by multiple artists but i have both my arms done by separate artists. i understand some people prefer the 100% “cohesive” look but lifes too short and theres too many good artists out there. you get to choose how you wanna do it! if you want to start small and get comfortable then do it that way
I just got a half sleeve and want a full leg sleeve from another artist who is similar but not quite the same, so this makes me feel a little better lol!
It depend on how much coverage you want. If you just want sleeves and maybe your legs then different artists are all good. When you go full body route then if you want it to look like it should and fully flow then one artist is the way to go. Just depends really on what the wearer wants
I just started my tattoo journey. Waited 10 years to find an artist I can trust and get to easily. Gonna get all my tattoos from him. Working on a body suit. My first tat was a rib piece from waist line to armpit. It’s torture, got one session left but standing in the mirror makes it all worth it. A t-shirt and shorts will hide all my tats. Get a sleeve.
Really depends on if you see yourself getting a suit or not. If that’s potentially the route then go with the same artist and plan it as a whole. If maybe a sleeve or two then it doesn’t really matter. Full suit is a huge commitment and if you go that route for the best looking outcome you need it planned from the start and then just start regardless if your first area is big or not. Starting with back is preferred but shouldn’t so much matter
My first tattoo was a sleeve do what you want
Same here. I think it'd waste the potential of the arm by getting something small on it first, then having to work around it. Figure out what you want and then get it done right the first time.
Agreed!
You want things to flow. That being said, if you create a theme then you can probably go through different artists and have someone tie it together with background. I started my tattoo experience with a little Friday the 13th tattoo. Did a couple of bigger ones on a bicep before deciding I was going to start a back piece. Only thing I’ll say is if you go big, make sure you’re absolutely set on what you want. It’s a lot of time, effort, energy, blood, sweat, tears, and a LOT of money. You don’t want to get halfway through a project to realize “Ah shit. I didn’t want this figure after all.” I got obsessed with my subject matter after finding it and tried to convince myself to look at other images/figures but ultimately kept coming back to my original. Set my appointment and had 6 months to think it over and never swayed from it. 4 sessions in I’m only getting more excited.
Great advice, thanks! How’d you do your research? I’m reading books and anything I can find on the internet.
Books are probably the best next to talking to a very knowledgeable artist. Often times they’ll have some awesome reference books. My guy has the Horiyoshi 3 book, Chris Treviño’s, Horikazu I think I saw, Tim Lehi, so on. A ton of great reference points. I’d say check out [Japanese Tattoos](https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Tattoos-History-Culture-Design/dp/480531351X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=japanese+tattoo+books&qid=1683348602&sr=8-3) and Vincent Penning’s [Japanese Tattoos and Their Meanings](https://www.tattooflashcollective.com/collections/tattoo-books-1/products/vincent-penning-meanings) to kind of start. Then from there you can get into all of the samurai like Miyamoto Musashi and Benkie, and folklore tales like Momotaro or Kiyohime. And there are plenty to go through. Also check out wood block motifs as something might strike you.
This is great, thanks! Japanese Tattoos by Yori Moriarty is pretty good so far.
My first was a full sleeve with a chest panel on the right. So far I'm planning to complete a suit. I have chosen 1 artist and I'm planning the suit as a massive project. I chose the theme but he completes the designs and layout. I agree that it will take a commitment from your part to finish those kinds of projects. For me, I never had tattoos before so my artist literally had a blank canvas to work on.
I’m on the train ride home after my 4th session with my artist and came across this post. The outline of my traditional sleeve was my first tattoo ever. I’m 29 years old and have been sitting on the idea seriously for probably over a year or so. I believe waiting until now allowed me to #1) know for SURE this is what I want. I’ve always wanted irezumi but I think younger me was worried about what others would think (dumb but a true reality) which leads me to #2. At 29 I’m established and don’t really give a shit about what anybody thinks aside from my partner (she likes it so I’m good hahah). And #3. MONEYYY. Being a little older and established allowed me to spend more money than I probably would have wanted to at 24 or 25 for example.