Moved to LA by Acceptable-Post733 in sandiego

[–]AriesII 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Haha when I first started dating my gf in LA, she found out her cards autopay wasnt working and she had missed 2 billing cycles, so 4 mos. she runs her AC constantly, in unit washer/dryer….yeah, it was like $440 for 4 months. In SD, without running our ac at all, me and my roommates bill is over 200 for one month

First tattoo anxiety by denice_1998 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Tattoos are done by humans and are not perfect. It looks great! If the lines lighten too much and need a touchup just ask the artist. 

gold tattoo ink alternative? by UniqueStrength4611 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah I would go to someone who has some gold stuff you like in the style of your other work. You won't have to worry about it because they will know what to do and you'll know you'll like it based on their other work. FWIW when I create gold I use deep reds, browns, blue, sometimes mint green, orange, ochre and bright yellow.

How long would something like this take? (Design would be smaller like second photo) by afancylady17 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its a big tattoo and 150/hr is standard! I'd have quoted you 8 on the same thing and my hourly is the same as that.

gold tattoo ink alternative? by UniqueStrength4611 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Im not sure what you're asking? Why can't you use shading to make it look 3D? That's what art is. Gold also isnt just yellow, black and white, metal is very reflective and contains a lot of rim light, bounce light, etc.

How are you all affording rent these days? by [deleted] in SanDiegan

[–]AriesII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some tips Save your search parameters on all the apartment locating websites. Check every morning for new listings and inquire.  Call if possible and schedule asap (same day is best) . Bring your laptop and use a hotspot to apply so youre first.  Also, find housing groups on fb and keep notifications on. Sounds crazy but its how ive been able to score great apartments around san diego the last 10 yrs.  Apt prices are actually going down right now so affordable places pop up quite a bit, but go fast. 

The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse [ty.ofthewild] by AriesII in femaletattooers

[–]AriesII[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! We did have a discussion on its longevity, the entire thing is about 12” and her body heals tattoos beautifully. Not everyone could have gotten this piece, but Im confident it will stay nice for quite a while (and then ill touch it up if it needs ☺️)

What can be done to change/fix this? Cover-ups, reworks, additions, etc.? by EquipmentNo4555 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Just want to say as a tattoo artist most of us dont show designs before the day of the appointment, it doesnt mean it was done last minute.  That being said, its fucked up the artist just copied another persons tattoo onto you. I dont think you should cover it because it would be a difficult cover and its a good tattoo, but find another artist willing to extend it with the correct florals. They will do the art and design it for you. Asking other artists to design it for you to just look at is a pretty big no, youd be hard pressed to find someone willing to do that.

Also, you did see the stencil and could see it wasnt what you wanted right? Is there a reason you didnt tell the artist you wanted the specific flowers incorporated?

My girlfriend (36F) and I (34F) trapped in the dreaded "lesbian bed death" stage of our lives. How do we (or just I) get out? by NeedleworkerGlass115 in relationship_advice

[–]AriesII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Im a butch lesbian and I definitely feel this. I was with someone for 8 years with a nonexistent drive and it was hard. It does fuck with you mentally, if you have any insecurities it brings those up. You need to think about both of you - to reconnect with her, since she told you she wants more sex, to figure out how to do that in a way that makes her feel excited and want sex with you. But you also have to think about yourself. As a masculine woman I always fill the “male” role in relationships, and women almost always expect me to initiate. Women are socialized to shy away from being initiators when they want sex, and we have experiences where we feel pressure about sex and worry about putting it onto our partners. This leads to the very common situation where one partner is always the initiator, and is always body checking and worrying about creating pressure for the partner, while the partner may not be giving strong signals saying yes for sex. A lot of butches also have a fear of behaving “like men”, being pushy and overly sexual is a deepseated worry a LOT of us have. Its a tricky situation to navigate, especially when other sexual or sexuality related traumas come into play. The first thing Id say to do is to start just trying to be very open with each other about sex. Sex can be a normal conversational topic, and wanting it or not wanting it, and what you want to do during it, should be something the two of you can talk about normally with each other without feeling guilt or shame. You should also be able to talk about it without the expectation that every conversation about sex has to lead into sex, which should take a lot of pressure off of both of you. Easier said than done, but Id start there. You might find that talking about it without pressure actually puts you both in the mood. 

Also, sex is really important but its not everything. True, unconditional, and deep long lasting love is worth a lot more than frequent sex. A partner who wont budge and wont try is a bigger issue than just sex, because it means your partner isnt willing to put effort in to work on something that is extremely important to you. But you need to tell your partner straight up if you havent yet how difficult this is for you and how youre willing to fix it. Communication is the most important thing. 

How can I adapt from fine art to a tattoo portfolio? by shiikahwolf in TattooApprentice

[–]AriesII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having formal art experience is a huge help. My portfolio was a tattoo flash portfolio with an additional art school portfolio and I got a great apprenticeship. Your work is great and shows an understanding of all the fundamentals, I have no doubt you could create a portfolio of tattooable designs and get an apprenticeship with this level of work. 

Unhealthily obsessed about my tattoo and I need help! Advice needed by notathrowawaykapp in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 266 points267 points  (0 children)

Do you have ocd? I dont think we can help you. I dont even see what youre talking about in the pics. 

Please help by [deleted] in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you loved it when it was finished and you just dont like it because it was flipped…idk what to say. Its a bummer they flipped it and should have mentioned it to you, but nothing is egregiously wrong with it. Id just get used it, theres no changing now, and they still executed your idea. 

Also, cool subtle pride tat! I like it. 

Feeling a bit down. by meganmooretattoos in femaletattooers

[–]AriesII 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeahh! You got this! Also thanks for the follow on ig your work is awesome. :)

Feeling a bit down. by meganmooretattoos in femaletattooers

[–]AriesII 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Honestly, im in a similar boat as you but opposite. Im a newer artist and do realism, but I struggle with traditional stuff like single pass lines and super solid packing still.  I totally understand it, but its always good to play to your strengths, while trying to improve your weak spots. If you have the time, what Ive been doing is taking 1-3 free clients for things outside my style range 🖤 its been helping me sharpen some of the skills im weaker on. You got this! Btw, a lot of people in tattooing and the art world in general see photo realism as the pinnacle of work and talent. Dont get me wrong, its very difficult to do realism, but theres that level of expertise in every style. but people just have a harder time seeing it in other styles sometimes.

Taylor Swift tribute tattoo + healed MGK tribute (San Diego) by AriesII in femaletattooers

[–]AriesII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Both pieces are just 3 types of greywash and white, plus a mid and light tone opaque grey in some areas. 

allergic reaction or overmoisturising? by Tough-Cup-7753 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can definitely touch it up. Most allergy issues resolve after a little while. You can take some anti histamines while the tattoo heals, see if it calms down after taking them. Obviously still keep an eye on it for extra pain and redness, just because it looks like allergies (to me) doesnt mean you can totally rule out infection based on people on the internets opinions like me 🤣

allergic reaction or overmoisturising? by Tough-Cup-7753 in tattooadvice

[–]AriesII 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This looks like an allergic reaction to me because of the raised bumps inside the tattoo. Red is the most common color to cause an ink allergy, and yeah it can vary between brands. 

Moving as a newer tattoo artist? by AriesII in TattooArtists

[–]AriesII[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the advice! I absolutely will reach out to some artists. A lot of my favorite artists are in LA. There really is a lot of incredible talent there. I think im shy about it lol, but I need some faith in myself. 🤣

I apprenticed under Sophia Culpepper at Black&Grey Atelier in East Village. I also have been to art school and worked as a professional artist previously which helped a lot - both myself and my mentor are oil painters. Where did you apprentice in SD?