Mentioned last night to the Mrs. that I'd love to work on getting a shoulder tattoo. I've got my name in Chinese on my right, outside shoulder, and while it does indeed indicate "Fame & Fortune" (what Robert means), it's in an odd way that basically says "My name is…", or as my friend likes to remind me, 'morning mouth'.
I'd like to cover it up, but to do so is going to require a larger design, and I wouldn't mind covering the entire shoulder, on top, the side, front, and back. Call it a tattoo epaulette. While I'd be more than happy to do a full chest and back tattoo, I can't afford it. So, artfully done sections will have to suffice.
My rule of tattoos is still in effect – I should be able to wear socks, shorts, and a t-shirt and hide them all.
Anyway, started looking at designs today on the Interweb Tubes. Didn't really think about the fact that while searching for tattoos, you're gonna see a lot of naked women with various instruments placed in random orifices. If you turn on 'safe search', you get pictures of the Barbie Tattoo toy and the kind you put on with a little water. So caution is something that should be exercised while looking online.
I don't like tribal. My arms aren't big enough to support suck thick lines. I'm not into flaming dragons, skulls, or naked fairies with pierced nipples. I love fractal designs, but a plain Mandelbrot isn't interesting enough. Of course, if there's a way I could import some shooty-goodness, that would be pretty cool too, but the last thing I want is a mishmash of unrelated images. It has to be cohesive, artful, and of a subject that you wouldn't feel embarrassed showing to a priest.
I joked around about a tattoo of pants, for irony, but I figure in 10 years, even that joke will be old.
Wouldn't mind designing it myself, however I'm a graphic artist and not an illustrator. The fractal thing I probably could do since there's plenty of software, but I'd have to integrate it with other images to make it more interesting. I would love to have something with all of the calibers (.22LR, .380ACP, .357 Magnum, 10mm, .45ACP, 6.8SPC, and 7.63x54R) I currently shoot, but again it has to be artful and that might a little hard to do.
I'll let you know what ideas I come up with. Then again, the price tag might make me think a few extra times about it, we will have to see.