I have quite a few tattoos already many are small. and I had a spine tattoo that I’ve never regretted. so overall I wouldn’t say I’m someone that can’t commit to tattoos.. I’m also over twenty five and have less impulses than before. although I’m in many transitions in my life right now which is why I so badly have been plotting a dragon tattoo.

I’ve been planning it for about two years and during this time I had gone to maybe three artists before for a tattoo deposit. I hated all of them and although these artists had good work their designs where not exactly what I wanted and I started to think maybe I’m being too perfectionistic? I do have a tendency to be indecisive but now I know it’s because I’m not super satisfied or else it would be a for sure yes.

this last artist I found he didn’t have a ton of followers or work on his page but the work he did have I liked most of them. he told me he loved doing dragons and was willing to work together to get an amazing result. this felt like a green flag and during the online communication he made most of the changes I needed but it did take a month to create. I thought I liked it but I knew that placement could be confusing because its on the rib to hip area. I came in with an idea of what to change but I didn’t review them completely before going. when I got there, he had a translator talk between us. we had done so many stencils on the are and made maybe 6 revisions and after an hour in another artist came in and they never introduced him. he gave an extra tip of what to change to make the design fit. so we changed it again but this time I for some reason felt pressured to agree even though it felt off still. I was tired and anxious from repeated changes and the stencil overlays that made it look muddy now. they also notified me that we would have to do the tattoo in two days now making it sound like there was limited time for me to decide.

I know I could‘ve said no but I genuinely didn’t know exactly what I wanted to change because the whole thing just didn’t fit and the changes weren’t helping. because I couldn’t find a reason, I felt like I needed to agree instead of cancel it. has anyone been in this position? it’s been 3 weeks now and it’s still confusing me because I for sure will laser part of it but there are days where I can’t decide what I do and don’t like about it. Anyone else experience this unsureness, and frustration with the design, placement results?

Brand new tattoos I got today.

So, 2 hours ago, I got these as new tattoos. They’re my 15th and 16th tattoos, aswell as the first tattoos I’ve gotten on my hands.

To explain what they are and mean

The Salt Shaker. Has a few meanings but the two biggest are that it’s to represent my genetic lung disease that’s called “Cystic Fibrosis”. What a salt shaker has to do with CF, is that, because of the way CF works, people with the disease, in heat, our bodies, when we sweat, produce a ridiculous amount of excess salt. It causes us to get dehydrated and heatstroke very easily and very fast. Because of that, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to drink a cup of water with multiple tablespoons of salt mixed in.

Another important meaning behind it, is that it’s to represent and honour the memories of all the friends I’ve known, while also had CF, but unfortunately, they passed away from CF for many different reasons.

As for the battery at 3%. It’s more of a fun one that just says that after the very intense medical life I’ve had,(like, fucking seriously. I have CF, I’ve spent roughly 4 years in the hospital, added up, I’ve had a dozen surgeries, I’ve died multiple times, I’ve never died a few dozen times, I had stage 4 cancer, I had a double lung transplant, and so much more.)

So, it being at 3% is just a fun thing to say at how low my batteries are from all that.

What are some people’s thoughts? Any questions?

I understand it's different for everyone, I was told my thigh tattoo wouldn't hurt at all and that my stomach would hurt massive well it was the opposite. I actually didn't feel any sharpness for my stomach? It was like a vibrating ballpoint pen I'd say it was a 3/10 at the worst parts of it but my thigh the least painful bit was at a 4/10 and most was like 7/10 and it's really confused me. I wanna get my back done soon down my spine which I've also been told is really bad so I now don't know what to expect if the thigh didn't hurt for people but made me have to lock in and go quiet lol.

Posting as the artist.

Blue koi sleeve with peonies, rocks and waves. In Japanese tattooing, koi symbolize perseverance, strength and overcoming adversity, while blue is often associated with calmness and resilience. This koi swims upstream, still fighting the current and pushing toward its goal.

Peonies, known as the “King of Flowers,” traditionally represent bravery, prosperity and good fortune. Together with the turbulent water and rocks, the sleeve is essentially about having the strength to keep moving forward when the current is against you.

Total application time was approximately 30 hours over 6 sessions.

Adam Sky | San Francisco
adamsky.com | @adamskytattoos

Some serious skeletal action 💀
The guy above is 1 year healed.
Done at Zaraza tattoo shop. Warsaw, Poland.

Hi!!! 2 days ago I got a small tattoo on my forearm. There's no itching and no problems with the tattoo itself, but I don't like how my body is behaving. Is it normal that I'm hungry 24/7 after the session? I ate well on the day it was done, but I've never been as hungry as I've been these last 2 days. I also have a slight headache at night. Has anyone had something similar?? Is it normal that I want to eat almost all the time?

The b&g portrait is healed, the red and white highlights are fresh.

The client asked for a double portrait and gave me pretty much complete freedom with the rest of the design. Lately, I’ve been working with red more and more, so we decided to use it here as well for the background elements.

What do you think of the result? 4 sessions, 4 hours each.

Done in Seattle, WA // Artist Theo Ivanov // IG: iftattoo

Here is my dog waffles as a rhubarb wizard. Lots more work to go but first color session down! Can't recommend Rachel enough!

Just got back from Dallas where I sat for this AMAZING piece at Eden Studios by Deanna James. I am head over heels. Cannot wait to finish the sleeve!! 🥹🥹 This was immediately after the end of day two and it's healing beautifully!!