It's not completed yet, but I started on the tiger lily portion of my lily side piece/sleeve Friday night. I was sick as hell but still managed to sit for about 3 hours, so I'm pretty proud of that.
and this one i got earlier this year. it's still healing in this photo. it was a symbol that pervaded my meditating mind while on a vipassana meditation retreat in tuscany. 10 days in silence, meditating about 11 hours a day. it was the most incredible experience of my life. this symbol reminded me of the crescent moon, and the moon was a big part of my journey at the point in time. it also reminded me of a plant, a leaf, and a symbol reminiscent of chinese shrines.
these two are my handwriting, and are commands to myself. the 'love.' tat was originally in white for a couple years, and i had it done over in black last year.
and here you can't see very well but at my elbow is the sanskrit symbol for the pali word (the lost language of the buddha) 'anicca'... pronounced 'ahNEEcha'
the nature of impermanence.
the central philosophy of the dhamma.
'this too shall pass.'
and you can't see it real well here but it's the only bikini shot i got... i was a bit covered in dirt here. it's the vines that crawl from my kuka up to my tit. they wrap around my bellybutton and around my nipple. i still dont really know the significance of them. but i like em.
this photo was taken in spain while WWOOFing on a farm. i'd just slammed daft punk into my ears on loud and wheelbarrowed the pile of rocks behind me up a mountain and into the garden, alongside my bavarian buddy, sebastian.
and one of my first tats... my key.
there's a long story behind it. and no, creepy men who use it as a pickup line, it's not 'the key to my heart.' and yes i do want it laser removed now that you're the 999,999th creepy asshole to use that as a pickup line.
I designed this tattoo myself. Getting this only took 4 hours. I'd rather not discuss the meaning it has to me.
I'm impressed that only took 4 hours, and I love how the color transitioning is done. I've seen a lot of artists try and fail at doing that, and it looks great. Thank you for sharing with us all the same
that's pretty incredible. one of the coolest tattoos i've ever seen. and only four hours!? forreals! you had a speed artist. love the gingko leaf too.
and i totally respect your desire to keep your secrets secret.
I know, right?! When I went in for my consult I handed my artist the (life size) drawing, asked him how long he thought it would take. He shrugged and said 4 hours.....I spent the next two months (before getting the tattoo) wondering how the holy HELL that's even possible.....and then he started at EXACTLY 4:00 and finished at EXACTLY 8:00.....I've concluded that he's a wizard.
Can't get it to post for some reason (having issues with pictures everywhere today!). I have 2 large monarch butterflies on my back/shoulder, with greenery and flowers. Also have a black and pink fairy on my hip. and 3 kitty paw prints on my left foot (cause i love my animals!!). I wanna get this big rose and tribal piece done on my side/ribs though. My hubby is a tattoo artist though, so no rush for me!
Sam, that's beautiful! I love the blue in there, it really makes it pop.
Thank you! It's still not done yet; both sets of lilies that you can see there need a lot more detailing, but that's about all I could sit for last night. I wish I could sit for longer periods of time, but holy hell it hurts after a while, lol.
That is INCREDIBLE! If you ever do decide to discuss the meaning, I'd love to hear about it, or how you came up with such a breathtaking design!
I know I already posted a link to my tattoo, but now I'm going to plaster it on here since I figured out how to do it.....
Meanings aside, what helped most in designing this was creating a compositional frame based on the tattoo's location.....i.e. I lay down on a poster board and traced my own back, so I had a more suitable shape in which to compose than, say, a rectangle....
The splatter was inspired by the rain on my windshield. Throw in my love for trees and rainbows and the tattoo sort of designed itself. I didn't assign meaning to it until afterward, and the symbols are vague enough to allow for the meaning to evolve as I do.
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just "did as a stupid kid". Anyhow...
The inner heart says my husband's name and the outer heart is my son's name, both in binary (yeah... my username isn't just for kicks, I'm hardcore geek). I can't decide whether I want to keep the zeroes and ones in that format of lines/circles, or if I want a more numeric looking font. I think it's going to go on my left arm, just below my elbow on the inside. Location is another thing I keep floundering on...
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just
...
more
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just "did as a stupid kid". Anyhow...
The inner heart says my husband's name and the outer heart is my son's name, both in binary (yeah... my username isn't just for kicks, I'm hardcore geek). I can't decide whether I want to keep the zeroes and ones in that format of lines/circles, or if I want a more numeric looking font. I think it's going to go on my left arm, just below my elbow on the inside. Location is another thing I keep floundering on...
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This is the geekiest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
Thank you! It's still not done yet; both sets of lilies that you can see there need a lot more detailing, but that's about all I could sit for last night. I wish I could sit for longer periods of time, but holy hell it hurts after a while, lol.
That is totally understandable! I would love to see it once it is finished.
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just
...
more
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just "did as a stupid kid". Anyhow...
The inner heart says my husband's name and the outer heart is my son's name, both in binary (yeah... my username isn't just for kicks, I'm hardcore geek). I can't decide whether I want to keep the zeroes and ones in that format of lines/circles, or if I want a more numeric looking font. I think it's going to go on my left arm, just below my elbow on the inside. Location is another thing I keep floundering on...
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I absolutely love that idea! For location, what about the middle of your chest? Then you can have the heart near your heart.
That is totally understandable! I would love to see it once it is finished.
I'll definitely keep posting pictures as I go! It's still weird that I can like, see it now without a mirror. It's a nice transition because I was really worried about what happened once it was just on my arm and there for me to see all the time. I know that's what I want, but I'm still scared of change that I can't cover easily, lol.
1) My 2 half-sleeves: One is different flowers, and one is an ivy vine. I have the words "strength" "truth" "loyalty" and "freedom" around a rose in between my shoulders and a celtic heart knot on the back of my neck. I also have musical notes on a scale coming from a conch shell on the top of my left wrist.
2) A tattoo on the inside of my right wrist I got in memory of a very close friend who was killed our senior year of high school. The stars from it wrap around the back of my wrist.
3) An ohm at the base of my throat, the center of my collarbone.
4) "Carpe Diem" on the inside of my left wrist, to remind me that life is fleeting.
5) My partner and I have matching tattoos that, when put together, form a celtic heart knot eternity/infinity symbol.
I also have a tattoo of a blue paw print (copied from the mold of my childhood pet's paw) on my ankle with my dog's name, because he played such a big role in helping me through my depression as a teen. And I have a rather plain blue flower with tribal-ish swirls on my right foot, which was supposed to match something my mother got. (hers turned out horribly and she had it covered)
1) My 2 half-sleeves: One is different flowers, and one is an ivy vine. I have the words "strength" "truth" "loyalty" and "freedom" around a rose in between my shoulders and a celtic heart knot on the back of
...
more
1) My 2 half-sleeves: One is different flowers, and one is an ivy vine. I have the words "strength" "truth" "loyalty" and "freedom" around a rose in between my shoulders and a celtic heart knot on the back of my neck. I also have musical notes on a scale coming from a conch shell on the top of my left wrist. 2) A tattoo on the inside of my right wrist I got in memory of a very close friend who was killed our senior year of high school. The stars from it wrap around the back of my wrist. 3) An ohm at the base of my throat, the center of my collarbone. 4) "Carpe Diem" on the inside of my left wrist, to remind me that life is fleeting. 5) My partner and I have matching tattoos that, when put together, form a celtic heart knot eternity/infinity symbol.
I also have a tattoo of a blue paw print (copied from the mold of my childhood pet's paw) on my ankle with my dog's name, because he played such a big role in helping me through my depression as a teen. And I have a rather plain blue flower with tribal-ish swirls on my right foot, which was supposed to match something my mother got. (hers turned out horribly and she had it covered)
1) My 2 half-sleeves: One is different flowers, and one is an ivy vine. I have the words "strength" "truth" "loyalty" and "freedom" around a rose in between my shoulders and a celtic heart knot on the back of
...
more
1) My 2 half-sleeves: One is different flowers, and one is an ivy vine. I have the words "strength" "truth" "loyalty" and "freedom" around a rose in between my shoulders and a celtic heart knot on the back of my neck. I also have musical notes on a scale coming from a conch shell on the top of my left wrist. 2) A tattoo on the inside of my right wrist I got in memory of a very close friend who was killed our senior year of high school. The stars from it wrap around the back of my wrist. 3) An ohm at the base of my throat, the center of my collarbone. 4) "Carpe Diem" on the inside of my left wrist, to remind me that life is fleeting. 5) My partner and I have matching tattoos that, when put together, form a celtic heart knot eternity/infinity symbol.
I also have a tattoo of a blue paw print (copied from the mold of my childhood pet's paw) on my ankle with my dog's name, because he played such a big role in helping me through my depression as a teen. And I have a rather plain blue flower with tribal-ish swirls on my right foot, which was supposed to match something my mother got. (hers turned out horribly and she had it covered)
Everything recently added here is amazing! Lovely lilies, Sam! I was already a big fan of XYCopperheadSly's back. GeekWife---that's adorable and clever! And ics---there's a lot of meaning packed in there for you, and I especially like your ivy vine.
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just
...
more
Lots of incredible ink here! I've been mulling over my first tat for close to 10 years already, and I've finally decided on it. However, I promised myself I'd wait until I was 30 to do it, so I can say it wasn't something I just "did as a stupid kid". Anyhow...
The inner heart says my husband's name and the outer heart is my son's name, both in binary (yeah... my username isn't just for kicks, I'm hardcore geek). I can't decide whether I want to keep the zeroes and ones in that format of lines/circles, or if I want a more numeric looking font. I think it's going to go on my left arm, just below my elbow on the inside. Location is another thing I keep floundering on...
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thats one of the most... okay, the most awesome way i've ever seen to get someone's name tattooed on you. go for it gal!
