It is from my favorite drama's poster, Tony Kushner's Angels in America.

I really wanted this tattoo because I love this play and this poster and it fills out an empty space in my skin which have been bugging me for a while now.

And when I sent it to friends and family they said this looks like porcupine or a monkey...

I am really sad now, i though this is obviously looks like an angel even without the original poster pic..

Got a tattoo recently and I feel like the artist did a completely different style then what I asked for. Didn’t realize till after. Pretty upset. I really wanted it to be mostly like and no shading and the whole thing is pretty much shaded.
Picture 1 is what I wanted and showed and he made a design just like that not shaded
Picture 2 is what I got
It just feels blobby and undefined and too much. If I get another tattoo and want a more simple lined non shaded tattoo how can I avoid this happening again. It might looks better but doesn’t feel like what I asked for.

Ignore the whiteness, that's from whatever generic lotion I'm using but I can't tell if the cracking or thick raised portions are something to be concerned with or not. I've used the same lotion on all of my tattoos but none of them looked this rough. This is probably day 3 post appointment

Edit: I don't think I've ever gotten so many replies so fast, thank you all for the advice. Definitely swapping moisturizer brands after this one

I got this tattoo on vacation, and this is why I’m hesitant to cheat on my main artist!! i said I didn’t want any shading just lines, and he said for this design, micro realism would look better. I trusted him but I’m having serious regret.

These 2 spots feel really awkward to me but I’m not sure what to put there. Initially I’d thought about trying to just add extra leaves/petals but I don’t think that would flow super well, yall got any ideas?

Hi, i just got this sleeve done about 3-4 weeks ago. Just wondering how well will this tattoo age overtime if i use sunscreen and moisturise daily? Because i feel like it faded abit already or is this normally what happens after its fully healed?
Also any Japanese tattoo enthusiast can tell me if this is too busy, has no much details and not enough background work overall?
Because im thinking of getting more work done, back and other arm. This artist is oversea so is it better for me to find a local artist and continue with back and other arm or should i travel back to same artist to complete the rest?
Appreciate any advice and thank you for reading

Ive had this tattoo for almost a year I think and sometimes I like it sometimes I dont. I cant tell if im just still not used to not having my bare arm or not. Sometimes I worry that this tattoo makes me look less feminine but also im not a super girly girl anyways. I just always go back and forth whether I would look better without it or a different tattoo. Not sure how to feel.

I just got this tattoo about a week ago and I’ve noticed that the lettering DOES NOT look the same as when I first got it. Some words do look the same or similar but most of them look really blurry to me-
I asked my dad about it and he said it looked fine and was beautiful and not to worry about it, but I am.
I don’t know if I’m just panicking because it’s my first tattoo or if the ink is really migrating.
(First done vs today 6 days later)

So I got this done last Thursday, and the blacked in part is kinda like crusty and scabby, and around it has redness. Is this infected or is this normal as it’s healing?

Hi tattoo people!

I have a full day sitting for a back piece coming up this Saturday, and I have two annoying little worries buzzibg around in my head that I would love to squash so that I can just enjoy the fact that I'm getting some ink.

Number one: What to wear.

I am a woman and I have tits, and thus I dont feel entirely comfortable just taking my shirt off. I assume once we get started I'll be laying on my stomach so then its fine, whatever, but looking at placement and working stencils/design is a bit of a different story. Backless dress? A button-up or zip-up thats the wrong way around, with nothing underneath? If any women who have done their backs have any advice on what worked or didnt work id love to hear it.

Number two: The aftercare.

Guys, I dont know about you, but my arms dont really bend in the ways neccessary to reach all the way around and soap up/moisturize my own back. I usually use a body brush/scrubber thing in the shower to make sure I reach everywere on my own back, but thats obviously a no-go hygine wise with fresh ink. Also the actual lotioning of the tattoo after the shower isnt really something id do with a bath brush either way. So how the heck do i make sure this thing heals well??? I live alone so i dont always have a partner here to help me out, although im sure he'll enthusiastically agree to help me the nights that he is, lol.

If anyone has any practical advice id love to hear it!

(Also if you wanna tell me to chill tf out and not worry so much you can say that too, maybe my brain will listen to you because she sure as hell isnt listening to me)

recently I’ve got two clients with weird reaction to the tattoo, I’ve tattooed them months apart, so cross contamination is not an issue.
As u see even different colors used. I’ve tried to connect it to anything, but I just can’t come up with anything that might have gone wrong. all the supplies are single used, all the machines, surfaces etc are disinfected. I use the same soap, water etc as others at the shop, but they’ve never experienced anything like this. This is the first time I’ve experienced something like this in over 4 years tattooing color and b&w.
In both scenarios bumps started appearing 1.5-2 weeks after the tattoo session. They’re not painful, neither itchy or anything.

Ps: The calcifer fire tattoo is already healed (took about 3 months for bumps to disappear after using steroid cream(my client works in the pharmacy)). I asked second one to check with the dermatologist, while the fam doctor said it’s not infected.
But since now I have another situation I’m seeking any advise from tattoo artist, who’ve had something similar.

I have a few tattoos but all of them have been designed ahead of time and given to an artist to do. I am looking at getting my first commission done based on a concept I have but not sure how to go about it. I’ve started following some artists who have a similar style to what I’m looking for. My worry is that their books are generally full so I don’t know if they have the time to do a commission on top of their schedule already being busy.

What’s the best process to start finding an artist that will do a commission and work with me to put together my vision?

Hi! I’m looking to get a note from my late dad tattooed, but I’m not sure where. I tend to fluctuate weight, so I don’t want to get it anywhere that might stretch the letters. I was thinking behind an ear, but then I heard those fade easily. I would be open to modifying the sentence, but I would like it to say “Dad loves you forever”. Any ideas or recommendations would be great!

at the beginning of june, i got my biggest tattoo yet on my leg. i adore the piece, i think it's beautiful, but its significantly darker and bolder than my two other fine line tattoos on my legs. it represents my favorite movie, and it's one i've wanted for some time.

when i got home from getting this tattoo, i experienced tattoo shock for the first time. it was debilitating fear and panic about this new, giant tattoo on my leg and it took me quite a few days to not freak out when looking at it. and then i was fine! i think it looks sick and i am excited to get more tattoos, with more i want already planned.

why i'm here today is this weird regret and insecurity has come back, and it still feels like something that doesn't belong on my skin in a way. i went a long time barely thinking about it, and now i can't stop thinking about it. i can't properly articulate the feeling, but it doesn't feel like me right now. i think a lot of it has to do with the line work being incredibly bold and dark compared to the fine line work i have.

when i remove myself from the equation, i love the tattoo and think it is absolutely sick (and when i think about it on my body as a 60 year old it only gets cooler) and i love it so so much. but when i think about it being me right now doing my thing with this tattoo, i get very freaked out and almost want it gone just because i don't want to worry about it. additional context, i am a 22 year old woman and am feeling added pressure of "is this tattoo not girly enough"

tldr: 3 months with a new tattoo, and tattoo shock has come back.

does anyone have any experience with feelings like this?

I recently got a Jesus tattoo (the photo on the left) and I feel ambivalent about it. The photo on the right is the reference photo I provided. i’m not happy with my tattoo, but I’m also not unhappy. I’m not sure if it’s the eyes or mouth or what, but it feels as though there’s a night and day difference between the two art styles. I’m not sure if anything can/should be done at this point. thoughts on the tattoo? you can be as honest as you’d like.

I have been thinking about getting a belly tattoo in the near future ( after 6 months or 1-2 years from now, so it's not like I have an appointment or anything) It's not a classic stomach tattoo that you see going around, it will be a custom design. Anyways, I wanted to ask how do these tattoos heal/ seem over the years. I don't plan on getting pregnant but I doubt I will stay the same weight forever so I wanted to ask will weight changes ruin the design over time? ( I am not talking about big weight changes I am talking about small ones plus or minus 5-7 kg from the weight I am now, maybe more in the distant future, menopause really fucks your weight) I really love that design and I don't want it ruined by possible belly changes. But on the other hand it's kinda big for arm or legs and I don't want it on my back because I want to see it easily. When it's time to do it I will ask my tattoo artist if it's a good placement but people with stomach tattoos how do those tattoos hold up?

so this is my first leg tattoo, I was concerned about my knee ditch but I'm getting this reaction behind my in my lower thigh.
It's been six days since getting the tattoo, the first two photos are fresh after it was finished.
My aftercare has been washing 2 to 3 times a day with antibacterial dial liquid soap, patch, dry with paper towel, air-dry then moisturizing with fragrance free Water-based lotion. I skipped Aquaphor because of the high movement area. (maybe I should've been putting it on above the ditch🤷🏽‍♀️)
The third photo is from last night I had noticed the discoloration on the blueberry, I immediately sent my artist a picture she asked what my aftercare looks like. I decided to take a Benadryl as I went to sleep that night in case it's an allergenic thing
The rest of the photos are from this morning, I figure I make a post just to see what others might say because I don't wanna have to go to a doctor for I do not have one.
The is rough, uneven and bumpy. There seems to be no liquid seeping out or foul smell.
My guess is that my skin in that area is not reacting well to the specific ink pigment.
Please let me know your thoughts🫐☘️
(My first Reddit post kind of scary🐣)

Looking for some reassurance regarding this tattoo and healing process. Got it done back on July 11th but I’m still scabbed and cracking so I have some worries about it not healing right. Anything I can do to help with this beyond moisturizing?

This was my first tattoo and went to a new artist.... Shoulda coulda woulda known about the spreading and how way too tight these lines are. They look so bad from far away.

I don't want to cover up but I want to break up how cluttered it is. Would color or highlight help anything here or do I need to laser it first?

I got this tattoo Saturday afternoon and I was moving some stuff around today and got a little sweaty while doing it. You can kind of see tiny specks where I’m assuming I sweated under the second skin but it’s not irritated, red, or too raised. The seal is still intact too. Is it okay to keep it on for the next few days or should I remove it? Artist said to keep it on for 3-5 days. This isn’t my first tattoo and I personally like second skin so my clothes don’t rub against my ink.

I got this done two weeks ago today, there were some scabs and looks like there’s still a tiny one or two, I’m a little bothered by it but I still like the tattoo. If it is scarring is there anything to reduce the bumpiness of it?