Tattoos

I have been wanting some kind of calf/shin sleeve type affair for a long time but I was unsure what would be right for me. Now that I know, the only problem is the inspiration is effectively a rectangular image. How do tattooists get around wrapping such a thing around something which is kind of conical? I mean, my ankle is obviously narrower than my leg at the top of my calf. Are they used to working around this or would I have to tweak the design myself?

Here we go again. The Guardian has another excellent (sarcasm) piece out on tattoos. Pretty much the same as last time, the author can't get her head around why people get tattooed because she grew up in the 70's... I'll let that one sink in...

Nerg'd for making me read such gash.

Time I'll never get back...

http://hanzismatter.blogspot.jp/

for some light smiles

@stevo_com you say two different shapes? Conical or rectangular. Good artist can fit something that you size on their template to your calf.
A rectangle with points at top and bottom could be quite sweet, as would an inverted cone on the calf narrower towards the achilles.
Anyone you wanna get inked by would sort it prior to work youre paying for

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I mean that my leg is (in a basic way) conical. The image is pretty much rectangular (A4). Wrapping the latter around the former would be tricky, imagine wrapping a sheet of paper around your leg. I was just wondering if anyone had done anything similar.

Search calf tatts and bike messengers images. Its the official global license tattoo ;)

A colleague has just revealed that he tattooed his own surname to his chest, drunk, at 4am on Sunday morning with his mates tattoo gun.

I already had very little respect for him but fuck me is that dumb. It looks so shit.

I have been wanting some kind of calf/shin sleeve type affair for a long time but I was unsure what would be right for me. Now that I know, the only problem is the inspiration is effectively a rectangular image. How do tattooists get around wrapping such a thing around something which is kind of conical? I mean, my ankle is obviously narrower than my leg at the top of my calf. Are they used to working around this or would I have to tweak the design myself?

The problem with legs is they are round and the muscles aren't central. If you have a line coming down the back of your hamstrings it will look like it's twisting round your leg.
Saying that, if the design isn't too big, palm sized, it should fit on the side of your leg nicely.

"Unfortunately, peanut butter"

Super fresh from today by Toby Gawler at Salon Serpent here in Amsterdam.

http://i.instagram.com/tattoosbytoby/

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Don't get the text, but the tattoo is all kinds of awesome.

It's a saying. Too bad, peanut butter is a correct direct translation. But if you want to understand it it's more like this:

Too bad, but there is nothing you can do about it. But in a childish way. A mother can say that to her child.

Love the tat, except for that xxx flag. I would put a green-white-green flag there ;)

I think "don't cry over spilled milk" would be a pretty close equivalent in English
Very nice piece though!

I've got a friend who's trying to make it as a freelance illustrator. I don't really have any understanding re how this sort of thing works with tattoos, but I do think her work has a very tattoo-esque style, if anyone is interested in discussing a design with her (she currently does pen/ink commissions for £40-50 per original drawing although this has to go up soon!) very happy to put you in touch:

That is awesome. I'd totally have that ship done.

Couple more examples, be interested to know if people think they have potential as tattoo designs, and any advice for a fledgling illustrator re how to go about getting commissions etc... plus if anyone's interested in being put in touch with her, just let me know...

New one from Sarah Keeley:

Also had a long session with Raph Cemo on saturday. made a good start to my right sleeve. The top half was really swollen due to a big chink of solid black that was covering something up... so he only posted the bottom bit on my wrist.

That's stunning.

Loads of potential in those illustrations up above. Could all work as tattoos, maybe with some very minor differences. She got any tattoos? Is tattooing a trade she could see herself in?

hoops, both of those are rad.

She doesn't have any tattoos. She's coming to this from the artistic/illustration side of things, but is getting really into the range of styles and images used in tattooing. Would be very interested in working with someone if they wanted to talk about a commission/design she could help them with (and she's VERY affordable just at the moment) - and also to see if anyone had any advice - are there tattoo artists who are happy to use other people's designs/anywhere to advertise or sell your work as a designer/seek commissions, would she be best advised to see if any existing studio/artist would be interested in working with her and her designs? Or do you really need to do the tattooing yourself if you want to get into the industry? Cheers

I think she would struggle to get regular commissions for tattoo designs unless she was doing them herself. Most decent tattooers won't copy a design without redrawing/changing it, if at all. I'd also add that I don't think some of the very fine lines in her work would translate well to skin.

Edit; re-read that and it came across quite negative, I do like the designs! If she wants to get into tattoos she should look at getting an apprenticship, if she doesn't actually want to tattoo its probably a bit of a non starter.

My friend started working here as an illustrator http://www.customtattoodesign.ca/home.aspx

I find the idea a poor one and somehow unpalatable. I mean what tattooer is going to be happy with this? "I like to tattoo, but what I hate is the creative part".

I guess maybe the same folks that pump out the terrible tribal armbands one sees around these parts.

Edit: I forgot to hit reply but to @owl and @Dry

@arrowplum and @Dry - thanks for this, really helpful and exactly what I was after really, no real understanding re how the process works so this throws loads of light on that. Dunno if she's interested in actually taking up the needle herself, but will share this with her. Cheers

I don't really understand the whole getting a design made then going to a tattoo artist. I hear it a lot from people "I'm getting a mate to draw me a tattoo design". It's like you're treating the artist as a vending machine rather than having an input in the permanent mark on your skin.

^This. Taking ideas to the artist is one thing, but any good one is going to want to interpret it their own way.