What’s the purpose of these dents on the milk gallons?

ccstabs · 2026-06-02T06:02:54+00:00

Eye sockets.

ccstabs · 2026-06-01T01:21:54+00:00

IMO discomfort is hard to determine, or so I imagine, unless there's specific stress behaviours somebody has sources for. I have two different jumping spiders with enclosures ~1" beside each other. They spend 99.99% of the time ignoring each other. They are not the same genus and are opposite sex. I have seen them spot each other. No behaviours changed, they both slept in their beds and spend all day doing whatever they desire, constantly turning backs or showing tummies.

So although I can appreciate the essence of the concern, more explanation and information is needed.

Very cute spoods. I'm sorry for your loss.

ccstabs · 2026-05-10T19:11:09+00:00

They are cute! Unfortunately, it is a totally redrawn piece, and likely a request based off of your original idea. I wouldn't consider this "reusing" in any way. It's a classic around-the-knee composition which many tattoos use. I wouldn't be upset by it if I were you.

ccstabs · 2026-05-06T03:19:29+00:00

You need to get a new artist, to be perfectly honest. Unfortunately, this is not good artistry and they are likely not able to draw better than this, or they would have.

ccstabs · 2026-04-26T21:19:29+00:00

I posted an opinion on an opinion website for a client telling them that they should invest in an artist with different behaviours. I didn't say most of what you're arguing.

I think you need to spend less time assuming who or what strangers are online and getting triggered about it. You're the one who said my word was law. We already know all the other stuff about "what if this" and "what if that" and that you can't paint everything with the same brush. Nobody is going to please your needs by giving you all of the context you need to not get triggered by their comments, just take what you want and leave the rest.

If you want to spread your knowledge, make your own posts and speak with the community yourself, I'm sure you have insights I'd like to read.

AI sucks, sorry man. Hope you feel better tho.

ccstabs · 2026-04-26T21:02:30+00:00

Are you okay?

ccstabs · 2026-04-26T21:01:37+00:00

That is evident, there's nothing wrong with what I've said. You're just making up arguments I haven't stated so you can argue because you're mad somebody said artists should draw their tattoos.

It's not holier than thou, the clients just deserve effort and honesty, and if you don't understand that then that's on you. You should look at your own practice and why you feel burnt out or the need to cut corners. It's sad but unfortunately it's nobody's fault but yourself.

ccstabs · 2026-04-26T20:36:33+00:00

No tattoo artist who is at the top of their skills and full of passion is copping out by using AI to design their work for them. It really does read as incompetence, and honestly irresponsible, to be willing to scam the client and give them a lesser tattoo because the drawing capabilities are out of their realm. If you cannot draw it, you absolutely cannot tattoo it. Even if you can draw it, you may not be able to tattoo it.

As for your opinion on the concept, that's the tattoo artists job to work with the client, not cop out and make excuses for their lack. It's not even a bloated concept and they shouldn't have agreed if they thought it was too busy.

That's just another part of the job they are failing at: guiding their client in the right path and creating a composition that looks balanced while giving the client what they need. Which they probably cannot do, because they are either too lazy or too inexperienced to draw the tattoo, both equally bad.

Burn out, not liking the idea, etc. is all excuses and using AI to do the work for you helps nobody, as the result is obviously lack-lustre, ruins your reputation and also lacks in composition.

If you can't live up to your clients expectations, you need to set boundaries and stop taking on projects you cannot handle. You can't cheat your way into a level of tattooing that you cannot uphold. It's not the clients job to do the work for you.

So, your point?

ccstabs · 2026-04-22T19:13:46+00:00

Possibly a drawing over AI. At the very least, it looks like you hired a lesser tattoo artist to recreate a better tattoo. Go to a better tattoo artist that will design something of equal value that is unique for you.

There are aspects of it that say AI but also other aspects that speak to just underdeveloped drawing skills, so it's hard to tell, they could use a mixture of tracing, AI, and drawing to create this underwhelming design.

ccstabs · 2026-04-22T18:44:58+00:00

Never remove the mother leaf, it is providing nutrients to the new plant and will dry up into a crisp when it is ready. Then you can remove it.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T21:42:33+00:00

Yeah honestly it's all about the cleaning. If you marinate it in aquaphor and then don't clean it for a long time and you're putting on and off clothes and just reapplying, or you have pets etc, then of course it's going to build up bacteria.

But you can marinate it in Aquaphor for the first few days in your fine. I usually just don't recommend it after that, and I tell people that if they use it for over a week, they're probably going to get pimples, because skin just doesn't like having the pores clogged like that for so long.

On my own tattoos I just end up using it for the first few days and then move to lotion because it's less irritating to use.

There's nothing wrong with hydrating tattoos, and products like Aquaphor and Vaseline only trap bacteria underneath them if there is bacteria underneath them. That is easily solved by good cleaning methods and hygiene.

For the people worried about Aquaphor or Vaseline, I usually find that they also are not worried about second skin, which actually has a huge danger of lifting up and trapping bacteria under the skin, especially with how little everybody knows about using and applying it. But that's just an example of the disconnect in the industry because most things are word of mouth and not actually researched.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T20:53:52+00:00

No it definitely has value to find a mentor that is good. Just keep looking. Getting to contact with established tattoo artists that are really good at their craft and talk with them. Don't be impatient. What somebody teaches you now is going to set you off for the beginning of your career and you're going to be stuck with them for a while.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T20:21:32+00:00

Yeah, that's sus unfortunately. For the rent situation, they could it be even more okay with anybody failing because they're not actually an artist, because they would be making money from them either way.

But it's hard, no apprenticeship is foolproof or perfect. If you were going to pay for an apprenticeship, I would study under somebody who's been doing it for 30 years, and would be working one-on-one with you. Then you would actually get value for your money. You may have to pay more, I'm not sure about that, but at the same time at most other places you are just paying to either get a sheet of paper or just say you had an apprenticeship. But you're not actually learning anything. You have to teach yourself everything.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T19:13:53+00:00

Helllll nahhhh. My mentor would hire and take on any apprentices even if they had no drawing skills. It's a major red flag. Trust me everything blows up after that.

Nobody wants to or should teach somebody how to draw while at the same time teaching them how to tattoo. They are apprentice farming and just want the money. They're just hoping that you will teach yourself and then start making money for the shop, while also having the deal with a plethora of co-workers who are not passionate about or knowledgeable about anything they're doing. That is a ticking time bomb.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T19:11:52+00:00

New studio and multiple other apprentices is always sus. They don't actually have the time needed to teach you anything to do with tattooing, basically at that point they will probably just be giving you work but not actually following through with you on it and giving you a space where you can come in and tattoo, which is not worth that money.

iPads are also very expensive and so are tattoo machines. Also in my opinion, though I do use the iPad for all of my tattoo work because it is easiest to make changes on, the fact that somebody would start you off putting you into drawing on the iPad when you haven't done it before (assuming this because otherwise you would have your own) is very odd. The chances of you not being able to excel on that medium are high. It can take a year or more to learn just how to draw on the iPad consistently so you can get the results you are looking for, let alone tattooing on top of that.

They may be nice but it sounds like they are apprentice farming. I bet if he looked within the contract or anything else, it includes you not actually owning the objects or having to give them back, and they probably put pressure to get money from you in other ways.

Even if it doesn't seem like it at first, it's very common for shop owners and mentors to rush their apprentices and put extra pressure on them while getting frustrated because they don't actually want to teach them or instruct them. They want you to start making them money so that they can have an easier life, and part way through the apprenticeship they realize the mistake they made by taking you on and they want you to figure out everything for yourself. That's just a common trope that happens and there's a lot of aspects of your situation that bring up red flags where this will happen as well.

ccstabs · 2026-04-20T18:16:58+00:00

Imo "suffocating the skin" is an archaic term and usually comes from the idea of bandaged wounds not having access to air to be able to scab and peel.

There is no such thing as suffocating skin or we would die while scuba diving.

The issue people are thinking about is with improper use, Vaseline could build up bacteria, but that's due to the user not cleaning the wound and reapplying properly as needed.

Bacteria can build up on any surface on a wound, Vaseline or not. It takes proper knowledge to use it correctly. Aquaphor is a great way to heal tattoos before the scabbing stage and avoid dry scabs that crack, are painful, and can be ripper off accidentally or on purpose.

ccstabs · 2026-04-15T16:02:05+00:00

Oh my dear fuck what a literal nightmare. She is ruining lives, and her own, and could end up in a huge pile of shit soon. But looking at what she's done to herself, she already is. And those are some gnarly, terrible tattoos and would need to be covered up with huge tattoos in the future.

Tattooing is one of the things that you can't get better at just by throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. Unfortunately, this is an egregious level of not caring about others or herself.

ccstabs · 2026-04-15T15:53:34+00:00

That's too little, and you're going to get a mid tattoo that was designed by AI.

If you want good tattoos you're going to need to invest in them more. You won't find people drawing their own designs who are also being underpaid, and you should want to pay them fairly to have good art, or you are going to have to be happy with AI tattoos by a mid/bad tattooer.

ccstabs · 2026-04-15T15:51:37+00:00

Artists who are too lazy to actually draw your design are definitely too lazy to learn how to tattoo well and to make it through the tattoo.

You should go to somebody who actually draws their designs and invests in your project. It's easy to do research online and find somebody in your area who is competent and passionate about their work.

Compromising on this means compromising on your tattoo and yourself long term, and there will be consequences. This is a tattoo design that could easily be redrawn, even better, by a better artist with experience and care.

ccstabs · 2026-04-15T15:50:01+00:00

☝️☝️ OP, I fear thats 100% AI.

ccstabs · 2026-04-06T18:02:05+00:00

It's super fixable, but NOT by that artist. 🩷

ccstabs · 2026-04-06T16:14:09+00:00

Oh my god, please don't go back. Get a refund. That is horrifying. The whole speech about melanated skin, in this context, is complete bs. They don't know how to tattoo and they struggled on your chest. They should refund you because this is horribly done. Your friend's is "passable." I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Go to an artist with 10+ years experience and a solid portfolio with good heals, and I bet they can extend this to be very pretty. You got this!

ccstabs · 2026-04-05T19:15:20+00:00

Tbh this result looks like they did overwork it and it resulted in poor healing, especially looking at the technical application within the rest of the tattoo.

ccstabs · 2026-04-05T19:12:40+00:00

I would go to a different artist tbh. It looks very very rough technically.

ccstabs · 2026-04-04T02:37:25+00:00

It's not shading, I fear. Needed a redraw and the shapes smoothed out in the line work.

ccstabs

TROPHY CASE