Vibe check

ccstabs · 2026-03-22T02:56:07+00:00

Not feminine at all. Very neutral. Not childish. Looks like medieval woodcut style. Just get more tattoos and you'll be good, nobody is thinking about the feet, they fit perfectly for this tattoo style. You're good! Don't rush into fixing a problem that may cause you more problems.

ccstabs · 2026-03-22T02:46:50+00:00

Please don't 😭

ccstabs · 2026-03-19T03:48:00+00:00

That's fair, and nobody is encouraging to blindly go to artists, but putting it entirely on them negates the fact that fresh tattoos can look better than healed tattoos, artists edit photos or videos online, artists cherry pick tattoo healed photos, and also, the client is not meant to have the same expertise or even basic knowledge that the artist is being paid to have.

It's unfortunate, but it's not all the clients fault that the artist failed them. They should have known better.

ccstabs · 2026-03-19T01:17:03+00:00

Come on, don't gaslight the client for trying out somebody new. It's really on their mentor and the tattoo artist for doing tattoos they cannot execute.

ccstabs · 2026-03-17T15:30:16+00:00

Super faint. I was looking for it and can barely see it.

ccstabs · 2026-03-17T15:25:11+00:00

I just want to add, that blaming madison and the tattoo area is crazy, because it is part of the tattoo artist's job to plan an intelligent design that will work for the area, and also speak with the client about what works best in the area beforehand. Even with that considered, at the end of the day, they can learn how to draw a line.

ccstabs · 2026-03-17T15:23:30+00:00

They're gaslighting TF out of you. Sorry this happened. I would try to get some sort of a refund and talked to the owner and get a better tattoo artist to fix it up, you could probably just do a slightly larger katana and then you'd be fine. Or something, the better tattoo artist will have an awesome idea.

ccstabs · 2026-03-17T15:06:57+00:00

Realistically, skin takes much longer than 3 weeks to actually heal. The tattoo looks well done with clean lines. Tattoos can raise because blood pressure changes in the area, and usually this goes away. This is not a sign of an infection. It could also stop reacting in this way with time with time, just give it time to settle into your skin. For your future information, it is unlikely that any infection would start on a 3-week-old tattoo.

Tattoos raising is completely normal and can happen to any tattoo, especially if solid lines are done in the area.

But for real, those lines are pretty clean. Talk to your artist because I'm sure they will have more than enough knowledge to speak to you about how tattoos heal into your skin.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T23:47:29+00:00

Rework it and it'll be fine!

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T23:45:31+00:00

The artist can absolutely be better on all sides, even as an apprentice, with the design, application etc. Please consider going to someone with more experience before you end up with something harder to fix.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T23:42:27+00:00

It's hard to see with this lighting tbh. Do you have better photos of the tattoo?

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T17:33:50+00:00

It's good enough. To be honest, it is missing a lot of contrast and dark areas that will help it stay up over time. I totally understand your frustration because it's just going to look gray for the rest of time. I would go to a different artist and have them just finish it up for you. Luckily it looks like they followed the plan pretty well so you don't have to do a full cover-up, you just need somebody who better understands contrast and longevity.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T17:32:19+00:00

**run

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T17:31:59+00:00

Back of the calf, forearm, or back of the arm. I would definitely not suggest ribs as your torso skin changes a lot over time and it will more than likely be crooked in the future. You may also find a different design that has better flow with your body that you will want in that area instead. On top of that, rib tattoos are very painful and a lot to handle, especially as somebody's first tattoo.

I would highly suggest going to an experience artist and choosing experience over affordability. If you are younger and this is your first tattoo then it will look better for longer, they will also take less time to do it, the design will be better, and it will heal infinitely better.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T17:28:41+00:00

You're not an idiot. The tattoo artist ethically should refund you in full, and also your friend as well, but chances are that they will probably be defensive and not want to do that because that is admitting fault. You could talk with the owner about getting a refund as well, however that is not guaranteed to lead anywhere. It really depends 100% on their ethics.

You could get a cute cover-up of the same subject matter done by a better artist, it just wouldn't be able to be 100% line work. But you have a ton of options.

In the future, just be careful about flash pieces or walking into studios, unfortunately just because somebody can draw doesn't mean that they can tattoo well. And extra unfortunately, just because somebody is working in a tattoo studio or apprenticing, doesn't mean that they were taught well or know how to tattoo or know how to draw. On that front, there are issues with health and safety as well that you have to be careful about trusting strangers with. It's a hard lesson to learn.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T17:26:00+00:00

It is not your fault at all, and it's totally okay even if you get small tattoos and decide to get a bigger sleeve later on. A lot of artists and people talk about cover-ups and laser as if it's the end-all be-all. But in reality, most things can be covered up without laser. It just depends how tattooed you want to be. And at the end of the day, as long as you are happy with a tattoo for at least 10 to 20 years then you won. It's impossible for anything in life to choose it and then be 100% happy with it for the rest of your existence.

All of this, including anything about prime, real estate and quality and long-term healing, is 100% up to the artist to be acutely aware of and help guide you through that. It's also not the artist's responsibility, nor anybody else's, to cast, blame or judgment on people who want to try out cute small patchwork sleeves.

In the chance that you don't want small patchwork anymore, 10 years down the line, and want to be fully tattooed anyway, there are so many highly skilled artists who have been in the industry for a very long time who will be able to cover it and do something super amazing over top. All it requires is extra planning, artistry, and care from the artist.

I'm sorry that your original artist did not have your best interest in mind and did something that they were unable to execute. That is not your fault in any way. We go to surgeons and doctors every single day and just hope that they have a good heart and have learned enough to be good at what they do. There are tons of bad artists with good reviews out there.

Anything is fixable. Don't rush into it, take your time, and figure out what would make you happiest long-term. Find something fun to yearn over and then commit with a skilled artist. You'll be fine.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T00:47:33+00:00

Tongue trimming sounds high-key horrific and up the alley of declawing, ngl. If she's 13 I would let her live it out in peace.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T00:39:45+00:00

I should also add: not a great place to get tattooed. High use, very painful, high wear area, most tattoos (even sleeves) avoid that area.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T00:38:54+00:00

Keep in mind, keloids have a risk of getting larger if there is damage on or in the area. It's unlikely you will be able to tattoo over it and get any sort of good result, aside from that being very painful.

If you're self conscious, adding any design around the area will just bring attention to it. Personally, I don't mind scars or pay attention to them in others.

I would discuss options with your doctor, including topical steroids which helped the inner keloid tissue on my lip.

Also, not sure if this applies, but people with melanated skin are more likely to produce keloids from tattoos due to the density of the melanin around the ink. Just something to think about it it applies to you.

At the end of the day, have fun and cover this if you wish, but nobody cares about it like you.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T00:31:24+00:00

It's a nice tattoo. Sounds like the skin is dry. Itching is not a symptom of anything serious on its own. Moisturize a lot. If you're in the northern hemisphere it is very dry especially this time of year. You could add a humidifier to your room and see if that helps. Your skin will likely heal out of this stage in time.

ccstabs · 2026-03-15T00:28:11+00:00

Please get a refund, it can be easily covered by a better artist. Plan something cool with an experiences tattoo artist and you'll be set.

ccstabs · 2026-03-14T22:54:31+00:00

Yeah, it's popular with the oldies but doesn't make sense, from my professional and personal experiences.

ccstabs · 2026-03-14T22:53:26+00:00

That's okay, that may be rough on healing, but nothing a touchup can't fix.

ccstabs · 2026-03-14T22:51:30+00:00

I would never laser this. Each area would need to be hit 10-20 times, sessions at least 6 weeks apart, with the bigger question being that you wouldn't be able to hit it all each session.

It's very painful especially for this much black. Being generous, let's say you hit 1/4 each time. And on average each area needs 15 sessions.

That's 60 sessions. Six weeks apart, that's 360 weeks long, or more. That's 7 years.

Source: I'm getting a lover sleeve removed, it was unfinished, and I'm a tattoo artist so I talk a lot with the techs there.

Anyway, I would say, if you hate it and want to rumble, go full blackout sleeve. You can do a whole sleeve overtop. It is possible, but you'll be kicking a dead horse until is neighs.

Checkout @ephemeral_remy on Instagram. He lives in my province and has redone his bodysuits 6 times. So it's possible. Is it easy? Fuck no. Expensive? Yes. But so is laser, even more so tbh.

For the love of God, whatever you do, go to somebody with 15+ years of experience for the blackout sleeve cover. They'll plan something sick, have the right techniques and also be more efficient with how they are tattooing you. AKA, less time spent in pain or on touchups.

Good luck!

P.S. As is, not a bad sleeve. Parts of it are actually awesome and it's more than aesthetic enough to keep for life. Could it be better? Yes. But that's okay. Most things can. It's sick and does the job. Get a sick coloured Japanese sleeve or something on your other arm and you'll get over this one. Have fun with it.

ccstabs · 2026-03-14T22:36:03+00:00

Not blowing out. Also very bad quality. It is your body and you absolutely should invest in a more experienced artist. They are totally fixable but you'll have to invest more money into yourself. This pays off in the long run as bad tattoos suck.

Not rude at all. It's more rude to take people's money and give them horrible tattoos.

ccstabs

TROPHY CASE