Respectful Tattoo Critique & Advice

We're not going to post hate, nor will we respond to it. Everything here is an opinion. | FAQ

[kendricksendrick]

Hello friends with tattoos

Im turning 18 this week and want to get a tattoo. The tattoo i want is a little white duck and a baby duck on my foot for my grandma, but my parents dont want me getting any tattoos while i live under their roof bla bla bla. You know, the usual. So then I was thinking okay its just gotta be somewhere they cant see it (not the duckies thats happening ln my 20th bday now lol) so ive been thinking inner lip? But then my thing was well what the hell do I get if i’m gonna go through with this. Please tell me your opinions on inner lip tattoos, cause my family wouldn’t be able to see it not even when I play any of my instruments. Also what ideas do you have for what I could get?? Currently my only thought is a little ♥️ or a little 🦋 but just the outline in black?? Pls comment

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

I would suggest not getting anything in your inner lip -- the turnover rate of skin cells there is really high, so the skin cells are constantly being replaced and your tattoo won’t last very long. I like the duckling idea! It’s very cute. I would also suggest avoiding white ink for that though -- a lot of white in a place will turn yellow over time. I think the outline of the ducks maybe on the side of your foot or something would be a cute idea! Hope this helped! - manatee mod

[sweejus22]

Portrait done by Andy Engel, tattooing since 1995. Left is fresh and right is 5 years old. Build a tattoo that can age like a fine wine!!

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Nice!

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Just wondering how you like it

In concept, I think it’s cool... Unfortunately the application leaves something to be desired. The color already has a weird, slightly muddy effect, which I can’t quite figure out. Also, the lineweights are pretty uneven, especially if you look up to that arm. But it’s your tattoo, and what matters is that you like it, which I hope you do! -- manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Tattoo ended up a bit bigger than I had hoped. Planning on adding more around it but still working on what that will be. Think maybe it requires too much explanation.

I’m gonna be honest, I had to google polymath... Which apparently means someone of vast knowledge, which apparently I am not! Haha. Anyways though... Yeah, I’d say adding stuff around it might be a good idea. I’d be wary of adding more black too close to your existing piece, because it could easily start to age together and get muddy. Of course, always use black lines in color pieces, but adding color would help in my opinion. I’ll be curious as to how this ages, because I really don’t know about the painterly-style black you’ve got there. I understand it’s to convey fur, and I think it does that, it just isn’t as solid as it would be otherwise and I don’t know how I feel about that. 

But as always, it’s your tattoo and I really hope you love it! -- manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

My two most recent pieces! Done by Gery at Motorink Tattoo in Amsterdam

Nice! I really like the bird, it’s got a lot of detail while still being super clean and legible. The knife is pretty cool too! -- manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

I saw an ask earlier, how can someone do illegal tattoos? Love your blog also

Aww, we love you too! <3

I’m assuming you’re referring to the ask I reblogged just below -- couldn’t figure out how to link it, but it should appear immediately under this ask. 

Anyways, I think it’s actually pretty easy unfortunately... I do not (DO!! NOT!!!!) advocate for this at all, but I think you can probably buy cheap tattoo machines on Amazon or something. People also use stuff like India ink and a sewing needle for stick and pokes. All of this is unsafe and you should not do it! EVER! Not only is it unsafe, it also usually results in pretty bad artwork. Tattoo artists go through years of apprenticeship to learn how to make art work on skin, it isn’t just taking a flat drawing and poking it into someone. Also, untrained artists are more likely to wind up with blowouts, unsaturated color, etc., because they don’t know how to use the machine properly. 

Anyways, in conclusion, do not do the thing. Go to a professional, or you’ll end up with a bad tattoo and probably some kind of infection, because your uncle’s kitchen is not as clean as a proper shop. - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

my sisters new boyfriend or whatever he is "wants to be a tattoo artist" and has a machine and is doing illegal tattoos. i said if i met him i wouldnt be nice to him or want to speak to him because thats gross to me and my family is upset over it.

I mean, if anything, I would try to educate him on why it’s not a good idea to do home tattoos… if he wants to be a tattoo artist, then great! Tell him to get an apprenticeship somewhere. Home tattoos are unsanitary, and even if he’s using a clean needle in a clean kitchen every time (which he almost definitely isn’t), he still doesn’t have the training to be able to produce good art. Sucky situation you’re in, anon! Good luck! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

I’ve turned off asks and submissions. I’ll be going through the backlog of stuff over the next few days, hopefully. Thanks for your patience. - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

I’d like to get your opinion on my new tattoo. I’m a tattoo lover and enthusiast with Zero art and tattoo talent. I love the way it turned out as did the artist, but I like to have other’s professional take. Thanks.

Hey there! Well, first off, I’m not a professional. To be completely honest, I can maaaybe draw you a nice stick figure on a good day. I hope nobody here thinks I’m a tattoo artist, I’ve tried to make it clear all along that I’m just an enthusiast and nothing really qualifies me to do this!

Anyways, if you care to keep reading my opinion, I’ll give it. I think this is a nice piece! The lines look good, uniform weight and no wobbles or blowouts that I can see. I like the shading on the leaves too! The one area that might need a touchup is the red, it looks a little soft on the outer petals so some of that lighter stuff might fall out as it heals. It’s not a big deal, the same thing happened on one of mine. Most artists do touchups for free though! Take advantage of it if the red does need a little more! Overall though, I do think it’s a nice piece! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Any advice on where to start research for a tattoo design? Long story short, I’ve had some surgery’s which left scarring on my chest (not bad but still), and I wanted to get a tattoo to cover at least one of the scars and kind of commemorate my health past that point ( me going into remission). I know scar cover ups mean special artists and certain designs won’t work. Any tips on the design aspect would be appreciated, like what to avoid and such. I hope this makes sense -Sam

It does make sense! Sorry I took so long getting to this… 

So you’re right, you definitely want to find an artist with experience working with scars. I wouldn’t say you necessarily need to go to an artist who specializes in coverups/scar coerups, but if there’s one around whose work you like, it would certainly be worth it. I think when it comes to design, you’re going to want more organic shapes that flow with your body, as opposed to straight lines and angles that run right over the scars – it’s gonna be harder to pull a clean line, and it might end up just enhancing the scars rather than hiding them.

Overall, my best advice is to just be open. When working with coverups, I think it’s probably best to only have a loose idea in your mind so the artist can figure out what works best. Good luck! I hope this helped! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

I’m getting a tattoo on my thigh soon and where I work at, we have to wear pants. Is there a way I can make sure the tattoo doesn’t get infected or irritated? I’m sorry if this is a dumb question

No, it’s not dumb at all! You might find that it dries out a little faster if your pants are constantly wearing the lotion/cream/oil/whatever off (and you also might find that this gets all over your pants – don’t wear any you really care about if you can help it), so you may need to reapply slightly more often. I’d talk to your artist about it because you don’t want to overdo it, that makes your tattoo take longer to heal. If at all possible, avoid seams or zippers directly over your new tattoo. I had this exact experience – got a new tattoo, then had to wear pants over it for a few weeks. Mine ended up not healing suuuper well, just because I was wearing zip-off pants and the zipper fell right over the tattoo. Live and learn! Best of luck! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Can you please critique andrewjosephivtattoos on insta? Do you think their style will age well? I really like the goat skull one. Thank you!

Andrew Joseph IV

I think you’d be in good hands! His style uses a lot of black outlines, which as I’m sure you know by now I find absolutely necessary. I’m assuming this is the goat skull you meant? I like it! I like black and grey tattoos more and more lately. It’s just so timeless! This one does have a lot of detail, which might become harder to read over time, but overall, it should be fine I think. I really like the slight moon in the background too! I think it’s a nice design touch. I also really like this samurai frog; it’s a well-executed design and the colors are really nice. 

Anyways yeah! I say go for it. Submit if you get a piece from him, I’d love to see it! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Still healing - but I had asked you to look into an artist for me, and this is the result! I couldn’t be happier with this as a first tattoo.

Wow! I really like this. The bear is so soft against the darker mountains and trees, and the texture of the water looks great! I’m so glad you got such an awesome piece! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Do dotted lines age well - especially if they're yellow ? Also do yellow and purple go well together ? I know upside-down tattoos are bad but the idea of looking down and seeing my tattoo upside-down (from my pov) feels wrong, how can I handle this ?

I’m gonna break this into parts so it’s easier to follow… Do dotted lines age well, if they’re yellow? Well, if you mean for the outline, then I’m going to say no. Outlines should be in black, and as for the dotted part… I’m not sure, really. I lean towards solid lines, but maybe I just can’t picture your idea in my head. That’s always a possibility.

Do yellow and purple go together? It depends, I think! In this case, I say no, they definitely don’t, but on the other hand in this case, I think it looks nice. So it depends on the specific design, is what I’m saying.

How can I handle upside-down tattoos? I think this might be different for everyone. I know a lot of people say that they want to be able to read their own tattoos without having to twist their arms around – that’s hogwash, as far as I’m concerned. My only words are on my back, I can literally never read them, but it’s fine. I know they’re there, I know what they say, and I wouldn’t want them tattooed backwards just so I can read them in the mirror, ya feel? Also, for non-word tattoos, just think about if you continue tattooing up your arm. Wouldn’t it look weird if something on your shoulder was upside down? Or if everything below your elbow was facing you, but everything above it was facing out? That’s my biggest thing with upside-down tattoos, I think.

I hope this helped! Sorry I took so long to get to it! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

my sisters new boyfriend or whatever he is "wants to be a tattoo artist" and has a machine and is doing illegal tattoos. i said if i met him i wouldnt be nice to him or want to speak to him because thats gross to me and my family is upset over it.

I mean, if anything, I would try to educate him on why it’s not a good idea to do home tattoos... if he wants to be a tattoo artist, then great! Tell him to get an apprenticeship somewhere. Home tattoos are unsanitary, and even if he’s using a clean needle in a clean kitchen every time (which he almost definitely isn’t), he still doesn’t have the training to be able to produce good art. Sucky situation you’re in, anon! Good luck! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

To the anon asking how to protect a new forearm tattoo, when I had to protect the tattoo on my wrist I used a Kevlar sleeve and it worked great. A coworker of mine used a self adhesive medical wrap for hers and that worked well also.

Thanks! Take note, anon! - manatee mod

[respectfullyyourinkisbad]

Hello, I was wondering if you knew any good ways to protect a brand new forearm tattoo? I just got hired at a cafe and they will have me cooking, doing dishes, etc and my tattoo appointment is in a couple days (I've been waiting a long time for this appointment). If you know any ways It would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Good question! Unfortunately it might not be possible, but keeping your tattoo out of water is important (just not soaking it all the time). Hot water might dry it out more if your tattoo is frequently exposed to it, so it may help to apply your unscented lotion a little more often (I wouldn’t use A&D cream or anything antibacterial too much more than normal though, as it can actually extend the healing process by killing off too much good bacteria). Wear long sleeves if you can bear it, I know it can be ungodly hot in kitchens but it might help prevent disaster if something was to splatter onto you somehow! I’m not sure what else to add... Followers, any additional advice for anon?

- manatee mod (and of course you can always ask your artist!)