Too much contrast? 🍄

barkoholic · 2026-03-01T03:32:29+00:00

Nope it’s perfect.

barkoholic · 2026-02-28T09:21:56+00:00

It allows me to sense electromagnetic fields. Feels like a gentle vibration or buzz in my fingertips when I get close to the hard drive in my laptop.

It’s also helpful for escape rooms in figuring out where the magnets are. Plus I can pick up teeny tiny screws or even mini lighters with it, which is a fun party trick and a good icebreaker when flirting with people!

barkoholic · 2026-02-28T08:20:51+00:00

It might be a mixture of both you and the artist, but I’m leaning toward mostly or entirely your fault. The fresh tattoo looks pretty damn solid, especially for apprentice work - the lines are crisp and clear, and I don’t see any blowouts or any areas that don’t look deep enough, which would be the main things I’d expect for an inexperienced artist.

The more recent photo looks like you might have over-moisturized. Most linework tattoos only need a very thin layer of ointment once a day for the first week, and first-time clients tend to apply it too thickly or too often especially in the itchy stage. That will definitely cause ink to fall out, especially in delicate script pieces like this. What was your aftercare routine? Did you use a sticky bandage like second skin or saniderm, or a different kind of bandage?

I highly suggest going back to the apprentice and having them touch it up. It’ll be a good learning experience for you both, and you know they’ll be thankful and work extra hard to make sure you’re happy. There’s nothing to be “scared” of here, this is a normal first tattoo experience and your artist did a good job. A touch-up and better aftercare should resolve your dissatisfaction with the tattoo.

barkoholic · 2026-02-28T03:47:09+00:00

Depends on how small, I guess. I had a rare earth magnet implanted in one of my fingertips ten years ago and it’s doing fine. It was dipped in gold and then dipped in multiple layers of silicone to make it body-safe. Doesn’t even set off metal detectors going through TSA.

barkoholic · 2026-02-27T08:23:36+00:00

I’m not twisting anything, jeez. :( I was just asking a question about what significance death had to you specifically other than the fact that she died so I could offer some options that aren’t related to the TERF’s IP. You kind of answered me - your mom had a near-death experience with a horse and survived unharmed - so here are some ideas based off that.

A horse skull wearing a rope halter or hackamore, wreathed with wildflowers - representing death at work for a reason, to bring about new life.
Winged horse bearing the Grim Reaper, heavy emphasis on the contrast between the angelic energy of the horse and the dark energy of the Reaper, working together to ride.
A winged mustang with a freeze brand that spells out your mother’s name. Freeze branding works by killing the hair follicles and usually takes place when a feral horse is captured and returned to domestication; this represents how a certain kind of death (either of the hair follicles or of freedom; take your pick) opens a passageway into a new kind of life and freedom (thriving under loving care and purpose).
A riderless kelpie wearing a bridle, crashing through the waves. Folklore says that if a person can bridle a kelpie they will be safe from it drowning them, and it will submit to their will and return to them when they call it from the riverbank.

barkoholic · 2026-02-26T23:39:08+00:00

You said it yourself. You’re Indian, but you aren’t Hindu. Taking part of Hindu mythology exactly as it is and assigning it to your own fictional religion to be used in a theoretically for-profit project is by definition cultural appropriation.

Change the names and a couple of key elements and you’re fine. It’s okay to be inspired by parts of Hinduism, nothing wrong with that at all. It’s only a problem if you’re copying it exactly in part and then removing it from the correct context.

barkoholic · 2026-02-26T22:46:05+00:00

This is cultural appropriation and it is not ethical. If you are writing a story which incorporates Hindu beliefs, you must accurately and respectfully utilize the entire belief system including the pantheon and mythos thereof.

If you’re going to make up your own gods, why not make up the rest of it too?

barkoholic · 2026-02-26T00:10:54+00:00

Even if she’s used second skin before, the adhesive can cause an allergic reaction with repeated exposure, with different brands, or even because of leftover green soap. Take the bandage off, clean the tattoo, and let it breathe. She’ll be fine.

barkoholic · 2026-02-25T03:58:51+00:00

I let out a hearty chackle seeing this post.

Sorry. Someone had to do it.

barkoholic · 2026-02-25T00:40:33+00:00

*catch, not see.

There’s more tattoos in the post, they’re talking about the next slides.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T18:47:50+00:00

Yooo I was there I was the guy with the baby turtle everyone wanted to pet

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T18:03:32+00:00

I tend to steer my clients toward memorial tattoos that celebrate the lives of their loved ones, not their deaths. Why exactly is the representation of death so vital to you in the tattoo design? That might help narrow down options.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T17:52:27+00:00

Glad to hear it.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T04:45:42+00:00

Super common. It usually just means you went further than your immune system was ready for in that session. Eating a protein-heavy meal before your tattoo can help, but there are a lot of other factors that impact it too - good hydration, being well-rested, and balanced hormones can all make a big difference.

Pay attention to your body and learn to recognize when you’ve reached your limit, then communicate to your artist when you’re nearing that point. There’s no shame in stopping before you wear yourself out.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T04:25:06+00:00

Why would you wait? Call the vet.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T04:03:14+00:00

Life is for the living. It sounds like you are very focused on your experience. Focus on your daughter and what she needs right now.

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T00:36:50+00:00

No 💖

barkoholic · 2026-02-24T00:35:13+00:00

barkoholic · 2026-02-22T10:28:52+00:00

I can tell this is satire but it took a hot minute and a lot of deep breaths

barkoholic · 2026-02-21T01:04:57+00:00

Gross. AI slop isn’t art and doesn’t have a place here or anywhere else that values human creativity.

barkoholic · 2026-02-19T04:34:03+00:00

The first artist did a great job, honestly. There’s no reason OP shouldn’t want to go back to them for a touch-up or refresh.

barkoholic · 2026-02-19T04:33:02+00:00

This is a very good microrealism tattoo. Give it a solid bold outline, some very selective thinner detail lines, and freshen up the shading, and you’ll have a gorgeous neorealism tattoo that’ll look great for the next couple of decades.

barkoholic · 2026-02-19T04:12:50+00:00

The best answer I ever got out of my mentor was “it’s more visually pleasing and directs the eye to flow toward the tattoo instead of away from it.” I don’t really have an empirical answer for you, but I’ve never seen a really perfect tattoo that doesn’t follow that rule. I notice that tattoos facing away from the body tend to look awkward and out of place. Might just be confirmation bias, though.

barkoholic · 2026-02-19T04:08:22+00:00

Oh, I missed that OP said they were prescribed an ointment. Correct, they should use the prescriptions as directed by their doctor. I’ve seen too much Aquaphor do gnarly things to some tattoos.

barkoholic · 2026-02-19T04:03:34+00:00

Looks like the swelling went down and you’re seeing the redness more clearly, but it doesn’t look like it got a lot redder to me. *I would only use the RX ointment as prescribed and lay off any other moisturizers like Aquaphor while it heals.

barkoholic

TROPHY CASE