I don't mind sharing... 😊
1. I currently have a tribal piece on my upper right bicep and a full sleeve on my left arm that extends from my cuff, up and completely across my left shoulder blade. the sleeve is in the Japanese style with a Koi on the forearm, and a phoenix on the upper arm spreading one wing across my shoulder blade and the other down my bicep. the koi has a background of water and the Phoenix has clouds. I used to have a tiny gecko on my shoulder blade which was my first tattoo but that has now been completely covered by the sleeve.
2. For the tribal and gecko it was more a case of keeping it discreet. For the Sleeve, it was much bigger, by a much better artist and costing a fortune so I wanted it as obvious as possible, and I love the look of full tattooed arms. I could also cover it by a long sleeve shirt if I wanted too, although first I'd after buy one as I only own T-shirts...
3. The tribal was just fashion at the time. The Gecko was just a case of I became old enough to have a tattoo so I wanted one... I went in the shop, pointed to it on the wall and said 'I want that one...', oh the stupidity of youth. 😊
The sleeve was kind of a present to myself. I'd been diagnosed with cancer at 26, got cured, took time out to travel the world with my wife and it was kind of like a marker point for all that we'd been through and done. The Koi has loads of meanings depending on what you read, the courage to overcome adversity and also good luck and good fortune are the ones I associate with mine for obvious reasons. The phoenix is a symbol of re-birth, and this may sound stupid, but I think I'm better off having had the cancer and beating it. You never really know how much inner strength you possess until you're tested, I now know I've got it by the bucketful.
4. I obviously wasn't happy with the gecko which is why it's now gone. The tribal, I'm in two minds about. It's just black pointy things, it's not offensive, it's not huge, it's not badly done, but when I'm shirtless you can clearly compare it with the other arm and well it just looks a bit crap! My sleeve I couldn't love any more if I tried, the colours are insane, the scale of it is amazing, the detail, the meaning... I look at it all the time, touch it and smile... I looooove it!
5. Yes... simple answer... the smaller ones were ok, obviously bearable as I'd only have half a tattoo on me. The sleeve covers so many parts, and every part was different. Going over the tendons on the wrist was 'interesting', the crook of the elbow a little eye watering, as Cindy's Giant says the arm pit hurts like hell, but for me the elbow was the worst. I had to bend my arm as much as I could to tighten the skin right up, it's right on the bone, and you can feel every vibration transmitted through the bone, the bad thing was that as the skin there is so thick, I had to have it touched up three times... agony, but it's done now and looks great, the price you pay for vanity, hey. Huge parts of it were just like constant scratching and you just become numb to the monotony of it after a while, just zone out with your iPod.
6. I'd get more tomorrow if I could. I'd ensure to choose the artist, subject and placement well though. I'll eventually have my other sleeve done, and probably a full back piece. I think the thing that annoys me most about the tribal is it's taking up valuable real estate on my arm where something much larger and much better could be placed. I've enquired into getting it covered and been told that it'll need a couple of laser sessions to fade it a bit, so it remains to be seen whether I'll choose that route or just fill up the arm and hope it gets lost in the background.
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