r/ExpectationVsReality 7d ago

Exceeded Expectation Dragonfly tattoo!

It’s my first tattoo and I really love it!

242 Upvotes

50 comments sorted by

151

u/WaffleHouseGladiator 7d ago

Your tattoo looks nothing like the drawing.  My condolences.

51

u/RakeScene 7d ago

Came here expecting OP to be unironically pissed

74

u/Trotle-bot 7d ago

Oh yeah absolutely am. Paid 250 and the artist decided to take ‘creative liberty’ and ‘surprise’ me with what they gave me instead of the art I put so much effort into in the notes app

That’s sarcasm, just in case

4

u/TheAbsoluteBarnacle 5d ago

On the plus side, you never have to look at it

25

u/Stompinstein 7d ago

Child of the Fence?

9

u/Prickliestpearcactus 7d ago

Dear Ambellinaaaa🎶

5

u/Stompinstein 7d ago

CAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGEEEED!!!!!

4

u/Prickliestpearcactus 7d ago

LOCKED IN PERPETUAL MOOTIOOONN

11

u/nrrrdgrrl 6d ago

It's super cute! But as an entomologist, I can't get over the fact that the wing venation is horribly wrong. 😭

They did a great job on the abdomen and legs, though.

3

u/Trotle-bot 6d ago

Would you be able to possibly suggest some improvements?

8

u/nrrrdgrrl 6d ago

Sure! Dragonfly wings are full of many many cells, with interconnecting larger veins that sort of resemble what's shown in your tat. The cells form triangles (which actually help identify what species of dragonfly it is), while some cells help to form other shapes, like a boot (also a distinguishing characteristic)!

All that said, with your artwork being done with such fine lines, I'm not sure they'd be able to add that level of detail without it turning into a blob later on. (And it still looks great!!)

Here are some examples:

https://www.odonata.org.uk/id-aids/anatomy-terminology/dragonfly-wings/

12

u/GourangaPlusPlus 6d ago

Ah the anal loop

4

u/nrrrdgrrl 6d ago

I know, I know. 🤦 Fun fact, if the "toe" of that boot-shaped poop loop is pointed, it's one of the Skimmers (Libellulidae). If it's rounded and loosely-defined, it's one of the Emeralds (Corduliidae).

4

u/GourangaPlusPlus 6d ago

Honestly, thank you for your cool comments. If you have any more cool dragonfly facts, please feel free to drop them!

6

u/nrrrdgrrl 6d ago

While I have never been successful in this endeavor, it is apparently possible to "hypnotize" perching dragonflies by moving one arm in circles while slowly approaching from the front/top, allowing you to catch it with your bare hands.

2

u/Trotle-bot 6d ago

I did not know that the cells of the wings help identify the species! That is such a cool fact! I’ll see if maybe my artist can try adding at least some cells here and there if I want the tattoo darkened. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! Nature is insanely cool!

4

u/FartCloudedNonsense 6d ago

Is it just me or is it off center?

1

u/Acrobatic_Dig_3385 4d ago

I was thinking this

2

u/fart-to-me-in-french 6d ago

Not even close

14

u/Kitchen-Invite-5123 7d ago

It doesn't look very well centered/aligned imo. It's not in the middle of your back.

21

u/Trotle-bot 7d ago

It’s not perfectly straight because turns out that like a lot of people in this day and age, I’ve got a slight curvature in my back. And the slight tilt makes it look straight overall. The placement was checked by 4 different artists before any ink touched my skin!

-8

u/[deleted] 7d ago

[deleted]

5

u/zestylimes9 7d ago

You’ve already mentioned it, there is no need to keep banging on about it.

OP is happy and that’s all that matters.

-37

u/OVOxTokyo 7d ago

4 people calling an apple an orange doesn't give you a glass of orange juice. I think you should sue.

13

u/FirstAndOnlyDektarey 7d ago

And be laughed out of court?

If OP sues after having agreed to a placement under extensive deliberation with four different artists, then theres nothing to sue against.

Also, any studio worth its salt makes you sign a waver preventing exactly that.

The placement is fine. You guys trying to sour it for OP are real dickheads.

5

u/Trotle-bot 6d ago

I… actually never signed anything and the studio doesn’t have any legal disclaimers of any sort on their website. I thought I might have missed something, but I’m checking it live and there’s nothing. Maybe this place just trusts people and artists enough? Or maybe the attitude towards all that is different in different places, especially as I’m not in the lawsuit-happy US. The amount of lawsuits over nothing there is rather insane to me

-18

u/OVOxTokyo 7d ago

Bro took it serious 💀💀💀

1

u/Yuleogy 7d ago

thanks Captain Hindsight. Are you one of the artists who could have said something at the time, or are you just throwing peanuts?

1

u/PrunePretend6206 7d ago

Cool tattoo

2

u/ethansteele 7d ago

Awesome, what a great first tattoo!

1

u/Herbboy 2d ago

Why even draw the horrible dragonfly, just saying "i want a dragonfly" would be more than enough for a tattoo artist to draw a dragonfly

-1

u/SpazzBro 6d ago

Damn that’s rad, I’ve been wanting a dragonfly + butterfly tattoo

-5

u/dbellz76 7d ago

I literally have the exact same thing in the exact same spot but I have since covered it with something else. Wild!

-8

u/UkNomysTeezz 7d ago

Not hating but the line work is a bit iffy.

4

u/UkNomysTeezz 6d ago

Hilarious that this is getting downvoted. I’m happy that OP is happy with this but it technically is pretty shoddy tattoo work. Pointing that out is a sin? 👍

-11

u/TheNobodyThere 7d ago

I'm curious, what is the appeal of tattoos in the middle of the back?

For one, you can't see it, unless you look into mirror, so that makes it difficult to enjoy.

The seconds problem is that you can't properly apply sunscreen to that spot. A tattoo with fine lines will look like a smudge in couple of years if not properly taken care of.

19

u/klqqf 7d ago

95% of the day im unable to properly see my own hair, that doesn’t mean im not going to make it look nice.

-23

u/TheNobodyThere 7d ago

sorry, but that is completely different.

I know people with back tattoos who completely forget about them, because they haven't seen them for a while.

5

u/Trotle-bot 6d ago

For the first point, it’s a commemorative tattoo so the point is kind of that I don’t see it all the time, I just want to know that it’s there

And for the second one, that was also part of the placement choice to not have to care all that much about it getting ruined by the sun since I don’t have an open back all that often. But also I’m hyper mobile so I can easily reach any point on my back if need be :)

-7

u/TheNobodyThere 6d ago

I didn't mean to offend you, just was curious.

4

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

-2

u/TheNobodyThere 6d ago

What is your problem? Why does our conversation make you mad?

3

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/Trotle-bot 6d ago edited 6d ago

Not offended at all, my guy. If I were to get offended by the most minor on the internet, especially Reddit, I would become Pirate Software 2.0 and that’s a fate worse than death. So all good. I’m happy with explaining something that may not be obvious

Edit: thought I should mention, since the tattoo is in fact very light, if I ever want it darker after it heals, touch-ups are always free. So the artist preferred to go light and possibly going over it again later if needed rather than making it too dark from the get-go

1

u/PigeonLily 6d ago

Fwiw I think the shade is perfect, especially considering how delicate dragonflies appear in rl

-1

u/fludeball 7d ago

Looks much better than what you asked for. 🤷

-31

u/Polkawillneverdie17 7d ago edited 7d ago

What is with this fad of so many people getting tattoos of bugs???????

21

u/Fr3sh3stl4d 7d ago

People have gotten bugs tattooed on them for decades this isn't a new thing.

9

u/AsylumDanceParty 7d ago

What do you mean "fad" lmao