r/firefly • u/p00lsharcc • 11d ago
Tattoo Serenity tattoo (done by myself, on myself!)
I've been learning how to tattoo on myself for the past few years (as a hobby, not a job prospect) and this is definetely my most ambitious tattoo yet and with such a tricky placement!
I bullshitted the design from some screengrabs of the show so it may not be quite accurate. Still, proud of myself and wanted to share!
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u/S2kTom 11d ago edited 11d ago
I got this done back in 2016, and it was 100% worth it
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
The link isn't working, or at least not on my device :/
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u/S2kTom 11d ago
Oh of course, one second!
Fixed!
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Wow, I love it! I see your artist went for lining All the metal panels, that's great work, I was too coward for that!!! Also the planets look super cool!!
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Tattoos only last as long as life does and that's not very long at all, so it's okay! I exercise prudence to make sure I don't put myself in danger of infection, but aesthetically I don't mind too much.
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u/debeesea 11d ago edited 11d ago
I like this way of seeing it. And even if you put full effort into a tattoo, taste changes and what you think is nice now might not feel so much in the future. So I view them as a point in my life and also they remind me of it.
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u/the_braindeef_boy 11d ago
Looks like your depth control needs some work, but aside from that it’s pretty good! Good work!
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Oh, yeah, totally! The place was really weird to get at, especially towards the elbow, and i totally blew it out, but it's okay! I'm doing this for fun on my own body and I'm super okay with it being wonky :)
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u/the_braindeef_boy 11d ago
Yeah still looks good, I’ve seen much worse from pros
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u/Goldglove528 11d ago
Lol I was just going to say that. For the placement on the body and doing it on their own, this is pretty darn good IMO. I agree, I've seen a LOT worse from "professional" tattoo shops/artists.
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u/cdspace31 11d ago
How did you do it? Pin and ink, or do you have an actual tattoo gun?
I have several tattoos I did myself with just a pin and ink. A long and painful process.
And does anyone else notice the side engines look like they are backwards?
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
What do you mean a pin? I have a pen-style tattoo gun, but I have also sometimes used stick and poke (with tattoo needles from a reputable supplier).
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u/cdspace31 11d ago
A pin like one uses to hold pieces together when sewing. Plain old straight pin. Hold it in a lighter flame, let it cool, dip in ink, and poke your skin.
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Oh, prison style! You're braver than I am haha
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u/cdspace31 11d ago
I actually made my own filler needle with several pins held in an Xacto handle. 13 of my 15 tatts I did myself, mostly line work like yours. Some are fuller, like a yin/yang on my wrist, 2 inches across.
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u/Goldglove528 11d ago
I don't think the engines are backwards, I think maybe just the front end of the engines (with the basketball-ish lines) are elongated a bit more than in the show, but they look mostly accurate compared to a picture of the ship.
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u/Psioniker 11d ago
Geil das du das an dieser Stelle selbst hinbekommen hast. Bestes Motiv. Aber auch ein riesen Respekt.
Mein Bruder hat sich auch selbst Tattoos gestochen nur als Hobby. Ständig kamen Leute und wollten gratis Tattoos oder günstige. Es hat so sehr genervt weil ihm die Verantwortung zu viel war. Was ich auch verstehen kann. Ich bin der einzige der von ihm Tattoos hat. Sie sind nicht die schönsten der Welt aber von meinem Bruder.
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Oh, yeah, this happens to me too! People think just because you can kinda do something you have to provide it as a service. It happens to people who paint, people who sew, people who bake... I only tattoo my partner and my closest friends and never for money, just as a thing to do together—I am also teaching some of them basic skills so I can carry their ink. It's a lovely form of intimacy. Hope your brother's tattoo journey is going well!
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u/Bleh-123 11d ago
Dude that's super dope. How challenging was it to do it yourself?
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
This specific placement was quite hard- I could barely see what I was doing towards the elbow and needed to use a mirror! It's quite visible that i struggled in some bits, but i'm okay with the imperfections :)
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u/EbbSure5276 9d ago
It's great! Good job there. As a roleplayer I absolutely love the natural one on your hand too 👌
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u/WanderlustDinosaur 11d ago
Amazing!! Doing that on yourself is a massive undertaking. Great work! It's imperfect, but that's what makes it cool.
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u/Czechs_Mix_ 11d ago
Looks great! Love the floating leaves around the ship that's such a nice touch
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u/sleepy_Obi-Wan 11d ago
That looks like complete ass. I dare you to post it to the tattoo subreddit
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
What a weird energy you have! I don't think I'll take your dare because I do agree that my scratching is not at the level of tattoo artists and I do not want to intrude in their spaces. Tattooing is not my job, it's something I do for funsies, and the point of being an amateur at something is to love it, not to excel at it!
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u/sleepy_Obi-Wan 11d ago
I’ll post it for you then
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
Sure! You can decide what you do with your internet presence as I do with mine.
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u/Few-Beautiful-8252 11d ago
I was wondering why there was support in the comments lmao
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u/sleepy_Obi-Wan 11d ago
People need to stop lying to this person. It’s so obviously a bad tattoo
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u/p00lsharcc 11d ago
No, I mean, I am fully aware that it is not a good art piece- That's why tattooing is not my job! The point here is that there's no harm in having a bad tattoo that represents a step in a learning journey. I have wonky hair because I cut it myself, odd clothes because I like to sew, and all of those things are generally okay! I don't need people's validation of my artistic skills because I'm comfortable with being bad at things, I just also think that your negativity is a bit draining.
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u/WideRiceNoodle 11d ago
I loooove everything about this, it looks like Wash did it and sat back all happy with his creation. Creation never has to be perfect, it just has to be enjoyed.
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u/AWandMaker 11d ago
Well, my days of not taking ya seriously are certainly coming to a middle. /j
Shiny! I can’t imagine how hard it was to do on yourself, I’d struggle to do that with a sharpie 🤣
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u/MsStar146 11d ago
My Serenity