Hoping for some help RE: design

briansmurph

Hey lads and ladies,

I've been trying in vain for months now to design myself a back piece, its doing my blooooody head in that i cant seem to figure it out.
Basically i want it to consist of :

The number 26 (birthday)
A Phoenix Bird
The Zodiac sign for Cancer
The statement : Like A Phoenix From The Flames We Rise Together

Possibly some additions to the design, but i want it to be about not only my life, but life in general.

Any suggestions to additions, removing one part, changing the statement etc etc or to someone who would make a kick-ass design for me would be vastly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Brian

Edit : I dont like a lot of colour in my tattoos, mainly just use colour to emphasise a certain piece of the tattoo or if colour is absolutely necessary to improve the tattoo, i'm a greyscale kinda guy

RxQueen

best thing to do , is go in to a tattoo studio, look through there work and if you like, ask them to help ya


i can help with stickmen drawings if thats anygood :pac:

Will

Go to a tattoo artist with your idea and they will draw something up for you.

Reason i say this is because when people draw stuff up they don't know the technicalities of tattooing and that some things just aren't possible.

Why waste your time drawing something up when it's most likely gonna be changed? very few people who aren't tattoo artists can properly draw something that will translate well onto skin, even if you are talented at drawing

briansmurph

Stickmen? Hmmmmmm now thats an idea! :P

Yeah i know that i most likely need an actual tatoo artist to design it, but some suggestions regarding additions to it, especially ones with good meaning would be well appreciated. I'm trying for the "deep meaning yet classy" look....

Will i take it your king ding-a-ling on this forum?
Nice to meet you mate, names Brian, 25, from limerick, top job on the forum mate!

Will

I'm just one of the moderators is all, nothing more.

at the end of the day we don't know you, it's like walking up to a stranger in town and saying "give me ideas for my tattoo that you think will suit me".

My suggestion is to think about it more, go talk to a tattoo artist also. they will be more than happy to help you as a back piece can look savage in a portfolio. people are more than willing to help people here but we can't really rightly suggest something to ink on you for life

briansmurph

Point taken, but i suppose i'm looking more for ideas of general things that signify life etc than exact suggestions as to what to get ink'ed.
I.E. A mate suggested the phoenix, i researched it and liked it.

That kind of thing....

From my experience, the artists i have approached about previous tattoos expected me to pretty much get what they draw... i dont work like that, i'd love a "draught" where we could change as much as necessary, but will an artist really devote that kind of time to it for me?

Any suggestions on where to get it done?

My favourite so far was done by Uli in Danny Bullmans, good guy, soft hand and the finish was impecable... but thats a relatively small tattoo.... what about a full back piece?

Oh, i work in a "suit and tie" job... so i love the feeling of having this body art underneath that the people i meet know nothing about. A full back piece and i'd be snickering to myself all day long! You know... the stereotypical stigma that follows tattoos and the contrast vs suit and tie work xD

Diceicle

MY piece of advice is to be very picky who you let tattoo the whole of your back, you only have one so it better be the right artist you let at it. Look through the portfolios sticky on main page and if someones work blows you away then think of approaching them.
I also think you should very much consider going with colour as seeing as how the phoenix will be the centrepiece you'd be missing out on all those vibrant oranges, reds and yellows that would make the piece pop and even if the tattoo is executed well, as a black and grey your phoenix may get confused with a peacock by some people.
Also dont rule out going abroad to get the best tattoo possible, I know its a backpiece and will take a good few sittings but you'll have it for on you for the rest of your days.

Dublin_Gunner

Well, instead of actually getting the number for instance, you could have 26 licks of flame beneath the phoenix.

Or have a crab rising form the flames j/k

But seriously, maybe you should think about being less blunt in the design, and a little more abstract in including all of the elements you want.

Research, and ensure you're entirely happy with what you want before accepting anything.

If you know any artists / graphic designers, get them to do a design & mock up on the screen - you could even super-impose it over a photo of your back to give you a good idea of what it will look like.

I'm currently going through that process with a friend of mine - we're both designers, but I find it a little difficult to take a picture of my own back!

Melion

Why not go into Uli with your ideas? Some of his work is amazing and im sure he'd come up with something excellent for you. And i wouldnt be afraid to let him do a backpiece either.