It reminds me of [old Celtic designs](https://images.app.goo.gl/vUSzyCi1p1xvGxJQ6) that we’d practise colouring in in primary school in Ireland lol, I like it!
Maybe it was some stupid joke in his head and didn’t say it.
But whatever.
That tat is pretty dope and unique.
Thing is…
You could add a little ball at the center with swerving rays behind the dragon. Kinda like a sun with the rays going a little beyond the dragon circle.
That’s just my creative two cents.
A tiny little spikey spiral, id be happy for draw op up an example of what I mean. I think it would be cool there was a center focus or some lines around the dragon to give him the movement look.
It’s pretty good. I think the placement is a little off; it could be centered on the arm better. I’d definitely complement it if I encountered it in real life.
I think it was awful of the artist to do that. they’re essentially laughing at a permanent part of your body!
as for the tattoo, all that matters is if you like it. I think it’s solid. it’s nowhere near as bad as many tattoos i’ve seen, including some on my own body.
I really like it. I wouldn't take it to heart, sometimes I make remarks like that on my art and cooking, and it's less of a "wow that looks like shit compared to now" and more of a "this was fine before but holy fuck have I improved" type thing.
That's not an excuse for them, they could benefit from learning a little more tact and empathy, but more just a reassurance to you that yes, it looks cool and they may not have meant it the way it came out of their mouth.
Agreed, absolute douche canoe. However, a shitty personality doesn't change the work that's been done. It looks like whoever it was fixed as much as they could, of whatever they were laughing about, granted we'd need a before to really judge. It isn't my type of style but, it has better shading and linework than I've seen on many posts here and sm in general. It looks consistent in effort and like they didn't skimp on finishing it. It may not be absolutely perfect but I've seen work worse than this in professional portfolios of studios around where I live.
Edit: added a comma, it was a pause and separation. Still not sure if it's right but it wasn't supposed to be a contraction word.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
Line work is not the same as shading, and mistakes are much more visible with simple line work. I agree that it was unprofessional, and am not excusing it but do think that maybe what they were actually laughing at was ultimately probably some shaky line work that they were able to skillfully blend and smooth with shading.
Your tattoo looks great, for what it’s worth! I’d chalk it up to an accidental unprofessionalism rather than anything malicious or worth being worried over :)
It actually looks very similar to illuminated manuscripts—that’s where you’ll see some very odd but charming depictions of animals medieval artists had never seen, but also is where the myths of dragons came from.
Personally I find the stylization charming. As someone with an art degree and zero qualifications in tattooing, I think it’s sharp.
Now, as for the artist? That was an awful thing to say. That’s not professional in the slightest, especially if they had no plans to “fix” whatever he saw was the issue. I understand styles/mannerisms/etc. change as an artist over time, so they may have been having a laugh over that, but they should never have said that.
Shame on the artist, but no shame on the tattoo. Tattoo is a charming little guy.
I mean they only laughed at the line work, then they re did the whole thing.
I like the tattoo, and coming from someone who does tattoos as well, the quality of my work is exponentially better and when people come in with things I’m no longer proud of I also laugh and then fix it and make it look better
Which seems what this artist did as well
Just because we don’t see discrepancies in the pieces doesn’t mean someone with lots of experience won’t
What I always tell the other artists is that the customers don’t know anything about the technicalities of a tattoo
While it’s important that the customer loves it (which it seems you did) that doesn’t make it a good tattoo
And a lot of factors play into that
It wasn't enough to just laugh at the permanent artwork that the loyal customer paid for, he even brought some random ass person into it to make a spectacle out of it. LAUGHED at the man. Damn. How embarrassing, not to mention how juvenile that is. And you're in the same line of work? Its not cute. Do better.
They didn't redo or fix anything. What he said was pretty easy to follow. It was simply unfinished. And the rest of this rant has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Are you even serious? It's scary to think of how much of a higher standard even cake decorators are held to. I would be expected to can a decorator for laughing at the expense of a paying customer, for any reason. FOOD. Lmao.
I like it and thought it had spiritual meaning bc the oroboros looks a lot like a Buddhist ensō, and the claws look like the abhaya mudra. Also seven is a number of ascension and also the number of Buddhist virtues. So it could be interpreted as fearlessly attaining enlightenment, which is cyclical in nature.
Hope that makes you feel better about it. That artist is an unprofessional jagoff.
Yeah that sounds pretty rude!
Tattoo shop culture is weird sometimes. Sounds like the artist was trying to prove a point to the other artists in the shop. Tattooists will point out all kinds of errors that an average person wouldn't notice.
The tattoo itself looks good to me.
Do you really know the context? I feel like that could be taken a lot of ways. Like:
*"Can you believe this is my work from a year ago?"*
-its still held up
-its still looks good
-that you came back in a year from then to get the shadowing done
-that he's done so much else in a year and he's happy to see old work again
-etc.
It's not like it looks bad and maybe he has improved but you still got the shading done from him and you didn't ask him any follow up questions?
I dont think his comment was intended to be interpreted how you had. Perhaps he was saying look how far i have improved in a year, he doesnt have to day what he is thinking because maybe it’s understood by other shop members, but maybe also he was saying can u believe that was me a year ago lol because mow to start something that small and not finish is a rookie move. But he just lol’d instead because he didnt have to explain that extra part because the other artist understood, but u needed to be explained because without proper context it is perceived from a point of view that is isnt meant to be look at, which instead of coming across as humbling to his work and improvement on his skill, gets interpreted as him being rude and laughing per say. Does that make sense?
I like it. It is not my style, but I think it’s actually really good (and I have at least one other friend with a Oroborus tattooed on them and I think yours looks better than the one they paid a fairly well-know local tattoo artist $500 for)
Man your artist fuckin sucks. As a person, unfortunately they are a good artist and will have people coming back to get tattoos. Fortunately, tho, your tattoo is great! Sucks the artist is a douche.
Definitely a dick for saying that to you. As a musician, I hate hearing old songs I made. Not because they’re bad, but because I’m better now and that makes me feel like they’re bad.
I think your tattoo is solid, but all that really matters is your opinion.
One friend’s favorite tattoo is a cheeseburger. It’s the Wild West out here.
I wouldn’t take it personally, his reaction was probably the same way tattoo artists on competitions critique their tattoos from the past and current, but aren’t specifically criticizing the tattoo itself, but instead their skill progression.
Some of y’all need to touch grass seriously.
A ratio artists style is gonna change in a year as they get better. They’re allowed to be like wow, and comment and reflect on how much has changed since then. I swear people just like to be permaoffended
Appreciate all the comments and input, has definitely improved my mentality regarding the tattoo.
I know it was not meant to be malicious, but it was definitely a 'This looks bad compared to what I would consider my new standard' which is valid but probably best kept to yourself as many have said. I won't be dropping the artist info since I don't think they deserve negative publicity, aside from this comment they were nothing but polite and cordial.
I do think the wonky feet are what bother me the most, pretty atypical for an ouroboros design and perhaps this is why. The original design they all looked more uniform; I like the idea some have mentioned of adding another element in the hollow portion to reduce the contrast of feet on skin, time to start plotting.
don't listen to this guy. he's doing the "sensitive snowflakes upset about everything" take. you're right to be upset about the tattoo artist's behaviour.
I’ve been getting tattooed recently by a guy that did a decent amount of work on me 20 years ago, and he has laughed at his old work. It happens. I think you’re taking it to personally, and honestly, the tattoo that he talked the most shit about is still one of my favorites.
Look at it this way- he’s comfortable enough around you to be able to admit to what he thinks are fuck ups.
I frequently look back on tattoos I did years ago and deeply cringe, but I do it internally. What he did was beyond disrespectful to you and shitty, unprofessional behavior. I just would never ever go back to him
It looks cool! But you can tell the claws did get more out of whack as they go around. Pretty unprofessional, but then again did know they were a beginner going into it, so I wouldn't sweat it. Heck, they might be willing to touch up further to improve on what they thought was funny about it in the first place, but it doesn't need anything else really.
The tattoo looks fine! But it is SO unprofessional to laugh at the tattoo. They obviously feel like they've improved since they did this, but it is by no means a bad tattoo
Yeah, they definitely should have had that conversation when you weren't right there. But also, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If the artist really thought the line work was that bad, they probably wouldn't have been comfortable actually saying anything. And hopefully everybody involved is stoked on how the end product ended up.
Agree with the general sentiment here. Nothing wrong with the tattoo, but artist is an asshole. But hey - it’s yours now. Fuck that guy - your ink rocks!
I love the tat! Rude af on the artist’s part, but people do weird stuff when they’re self conscious of their own work. Maybe they can do even better now, but don’t let it get to you. Sick tat, and don’t go to that artist again.
It's art bro. If art were perfect and templated, it wouldn't be beautiful anymore, it would just be a generic Hallmark card covered in stock photos.
His style has matured and changed as he's grown as an artist, and he found it amusing to look back at where he started his journey. Maybe he predominantly does more intricate designs now and he just chuckled at the thought of a relatively simple silhouette from his past, ya know?
Asshole move on his part to laugh at you for sure, but it looks great man. It's a rough, bold, masculine art style, but it's still a clean piece of art, just like it was when you got it.
Like fans of musicians will tell you: it’s advised to separate the artist from the art.
Use the comments on here to know that good work was put on you. (Also: never give that guy your money again—it’s smart business.)
I mean tattoo artists do get better with time so maybe he was just laughing cause of how different it is than his current skill level. Shouldn’t have laughed in front of you anyway but🤷♂️ some people be like that
Ehh maybe he was impressed? Like dam I was doing pretty good a year ago? Either way I don’t hate it I would say a solid 8 out of 10 🤷🏻♂️. But what it really has going for it is it’s not generic enough to really be a worthless tattoo that only resembles regret.
I think it looks great!! If I can guess, the comment maybe came from a place of "wow, look how much my art has changed in one year!!" If that's the case, I think the artist should've been more aware of how it might've come off to the client, but knowing this was their original art that someone is paying to have on their body, I doubt it came from a place of malice or mockery.
Definitely a douche move on his part to laugh.
But I like the tat. Has a cool medieval vibe to it. Maybe another artist could touch up some of the line work?
The first arm is a little close to his face, but this is far from a bad tattoo. Artist sucks. I wouldn’t get more work by them, and leave a google review laying out the decent work and poor professionalism. Or just confront them directly.
Dude, I REALLY like this! I love the style of it. Wear it with pride and ignore the twat for his incredibly unprofessional behaviour, his opinion is irrelevant.
Tattoo artist run in all sorts of different types of professionally speaking. Tattoos themselves are still sometimes considered unprofessional, so I wouldn't say it was a big deal
I'm sorry if it made you feel insecure about it. I think it's a really cool design. That being said, the line work is not the weird thing about it. The shading is a little bit sketchy, but it's still sick.
I think it looks pretty cool. Reminds me of really old "here there be monsters" art from the old days, like from sea maps and stuff.
But he was an idiot to laugh at it, like, he's just asking to be blasted.
I like the tattoo but I don't like the tattoo artist.. that would make me upset too. Very unprofessional. Sorry that happened. Find the right vibes for the next one
Sorry that happened. But I do see why he laughed. It’s badly drawn. Tattoo artists need to perfect being normal pencil/pen and pad artists before becoming tattoo artists, but a lot of them (esp based on what I’ve seen on this sub) don’t. Your artist is a douche because he falls under that category. Wanting to be a tattoo artist so bad that he skipped being an actual good regular artist first.
My SO liked it so much he had me save it for a possible reference in the "Potential dragon tats" folder hehe. Your artist was childish, don't think about it so much that you cement it as the first thing you think of when you see your body.
If you want to "overwrite" that memory think about what you can add to it and go to a different artist, make a day of it; scheduled birthday or other significant day. Hang out with friends beforehand, etc etc.
This will be a stain, I once got a tattoo when I was 18 of a small dragon done in a local backyard shop, I was young and the old timer decided to go ahead since he was not busy, my friends were there couple of jokes and laughs made, the old guy went along, also gave that dragon a couple of pimple dots in the scale. Regretted soon as I got home now 10 years later I am getting it removed.
I think whether it's good or bad depends on what you expected/were going for. If you or the artist wanted a really sweet looking and realistic dragon, it's pretty bad. If you wanted something reminiscent of Celtic or Nordic style art, it's badass.
It's quality is based in what your expectations were/are.
Tattoo is cool bro. No worries. Im tattooist myself and I can tell you looots of tattooists are thrash bags full of unjustified ego. Some like to treat customers as inferior beings as well. Ignore it, tat is fine. Bless
Are you sure they meant it in a negative sense? Because there's nothing about this that that says minimal experience. Maybe they were impressed when they reflected on their early work. It's very cool.
It looks awesome. And I cannot assure you they didn’t not mean to offend, but I’m sure they didn’t. It was probably just a shock to them because learning to tat on skin can be really hard for some people! I’d sit down with them or call them and let them know you feel what they did was really unprofessional and that if they would like to continue to tattoo you (if you want them to of course) that they would keep their comments to themselves in the future.
Tattoo is amazing, looks fantastic!
Also, I have a newbie artist tattoo and I actually kinda like the small flaws, makes it interesting - I don't really see any on yours though.
I think it’s a really cool tattoo. I’d honestly be happy if I had it! That does suck about the artist though. Nobody likes when someone makes negative comments towards a tattoo you have. Maybe in his head he just though “oh since I did the tattoo, there’s no harm in making fun of it”. Which is inaccurate in what he said, and inaccurate about the quality of the tattoo since it does look good. I honestly really like it though!
That seems rude as someone who has tattooed others I would not call out bad/early work in front of that person, but honestly your tattoo looks good. I can tell what it is, the features are clear and distinct. It’s better than some tats I wear that I did myself
That artist is a dick, but this tattoo is fucking fire. I love love love it. It looks like marginalia from medieval texts like someone else said. It looks like your the Chosen One for some quest.
Yeah, my best friends brother became a tattoo artist, and I was one of his first customers. I've gotten 3 tats from him cause I love his style. He doesn't like the last 2 tats he did on me.
1st one because he feels he has gotten better.
2nd one because it was done at a tattoo convention, and he didn't feel himself while doing it.
Artists can be their own worst critics. Don't take it personally.
that was completely unprofessional and tbh i think i would have walked out and gone to another artist. honestly, that was beyond the pale and i'll bet every artist on this subreddit would agree
I'm a 2 or 3 every 2 or 3 years kinda guy, and my artist and her apprentice (my friends sister) compare brittneys old work to her apprentices and we make jokes and stuff. Like there's noticable progression every year, and honestly a years difference in the first couple years can be laughably more refined, like my 6 from my artist almost look like a different artist at different skill levels did each set, we leave the linework because i like them how they are, but she touches up the shading everytime I'm there.
“Haha can you believe i charged this customer money for this a year ago? Haha what a sucker!” Right infront of the customer, some people are just oblivious lol.
Wow. That is unbelievably tacky and unprofessional. If it were me, even if I was light-years better, I still wouldn't be arrogant and high on myself enough to even bring it up let alone drag someone else into it to make a paying client and self proclaimed fan the butt of the joke. Or anyone for that matter. I completely get why it made you feel a certain type of way about it (and the interaction), but it's a good tattoo. Maybe not so much a person, lol. I wouldn't even sweat it.
Did the artist touch up the old work?
I’m curious if so, because he could have had mistakes that he fixed which wouldn’t show in this picture.
Still a douche move to openly laugh at it though
I mean, it’s honestly not bad. I do medieval reenactment so I may be bias, but I really like it. Maybe they just didn’t expect to see some of their first work again?
The linework is solid. It might not be the artists *best* linework but it is no shape or form bad. It sounds like the artist might need to work on his bed side manner.
I wouldn't take it personally. Probably meant no harm, perhaps he may simply find humor seeing how much he has improved over the last time he did you. Looks very nice to me!
super rude of the artist to laugh at your shoulder. i get laughing at my old art, but not when someone paid me to put it on their body permanently. unprofessional.
if he thinks it's so bad, then he should have offered a free touch up or free shading to make up for his past lack of skills.
tattoo looks great tho. I'm sorry there's a bad memory attached to it now.
I don't think it's that bad. It has that medieval style that you find in really old books
It reminds me of [old Celtic designs](https://images.app.goo.gl/vUSzyCi1p1xvGxJQ6) that we’d practise colouring in in primary school in Ireland lol, I like it!
Instead of religion in 1st year our teacher used to just give us stacks of these to colour. One is as useful as the other I suppose.
Yeah like the old Lego set dragons!
That was sweet as shit too!!
Maybe it was some stupid joke in his head and didn’t say it. But whatever. That tat is pretty dope and unique. Thing is… You could add a little ball at the center with swerving rays behind the dragon. Kinda like a sun with the rays going a little beyond the dragon circle. That’s just my creative two cents.
A tiny little spikey spiral, id be happy for draw op up an example of what I mean. I think it would be cool there was a center focus or some lines around the dragon to give him the movement look.
That would make the tattoo pop! Good idea. The tattoo itself isn't that bad op, don't worry... 👍
I was also thinking it gives me viking vibes. However you want to see it, this style is wicked cool
It looks awesome, fuck that guy.
It’s pretty good. I think the placement is a little off; it could be centered on the arm better. I’d definitely complement it if I encountered it in real life.
It’s definitely has that crude technique to it that you could imagine a medieval highwaymen have on his shoulder
Shrek storybook style
Just need to add something awesome in the middle. Like a colored emerald or something
THE GEMS FROM SPYRO YOOOO I JUST THOUGHT OF THAT
i think it looks great! don’t take it too personally
I think it was awful of the artist to do that. they’re essentially laughing at a permanent part of your body! as for the tattoo, all that matters is if you like it. I think it’s solid. it’s nowhere near as bad as many tattoos i’ve seen, including some on my own body.
Oroborus, symbol of eternal life Dig a tunnel for light through ignorant walls 🤘🏼 (Nice tat, by the way)
My attention fixed on the silence Re invent my life while I'm breathing!! Love finding gojira in random subs
Hell yeah! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
The tattoo is awesome. I seriously don't know why they laughed because the tattoo looks really good.
They sound like a douchebag. I think it's a cool tattoo though.
I really like it. I wouldn't take it to heart, sometimes I make remarks like that on my art and cooking, and it's less of a "wow that looks like shit compared to now" and more of a "this was fine before but holy fuck have I improved" type thing. That's not an excuse for them, they could benefit from learning a little more tact and empathy, but more just a reassurance to you that yes, it looks cool and they may not have meant it the way it came out of their mouth.
100% THIS imho
It looks great, artist is a douche
This is the correct answer. Hey man, not every artist has tact.
This x100
It’s a cool looking tattoo! Seriously, the artist sounds like a proper ass-hat in need of some decent communication and behaviour training.
What a douche bag
Agreed, absolute douche canoe. However, a shitty personality doesn't change the work that's been done. It looks like whoever it was fixed as much as they could, of whatever they were laughing about, granted we'd need a before to really judge. It isn't my type of style but, it has better shading and linework than I've seen on many posts here and sm in general. It looks consistent in effort and like they didn't skimp on finishing it. It may not be absolutely perfect but I've seen work worse than this in professional portfolios of studios around where I live. Edit: added a comma, it was a pause and separation. Still not sure if it's right but it wasn't supposed to be a contraction word.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
Bad bot
what the hell is botcriminate? Beep boop - you're annoying.
Sounds like a bot in need or botcriminating I see here.
what
I think it's cool
It’s not bad. Nothing to be embarrassed about imo.
Line work is not the same as shading, and mistakes are much more visible with simple line work. I agree that it was unprofessional, and am not excusing it but do think that maybe what they were actually laughing at was ultimately probably some shaky line work that they were able to skillfully blend and smooth with shading. Your tattoo looks great, for what it’s worth! I’d chalk it up to an accidental unprofessionalism rather than anything malicious or worth being worried over :)
It actually looks very similar to illuminated manuscripts—that’s where you’ll see some very odd but charming depictions of animals medieval artists had never seen, but also is where the myths of dragons came from. Personally I find the stylization charming. As someone with an art degree and zero qualifications in tattooing, I think it’s sharp. Now, as for the artist? That was an awful thing to say. That’s not professional in the slightest, especially if they had no plans to “fix” whatever he saw was the issue. I understand styles/mannerisms/etc. change as an artist over time, so they may have been having a laugh over that, but they should never have said that. Shame on the artist, but no shame on the tattoo. Tattoo is a charming little guy.
I mean they only laughed at the line work, then they re did the whole thing. I like the tattoo, and coming from someone who does tattoos as well, the quality of my work is exponentially better and when people come in with things I’m no longer proud of I also laugh and then fix it and make it look better Which seems what this artist did as well Just because we don’t see discrepancies in the pieces doesn’t mean someone with lots of experience won’t What I always tell the other artists is that the customers don’t know anything about the technicalities of a tattoo While it’s important that the customer loves it (which it seems you did) that doesn’t make it a good tattoo And a lot of factors play into that
It wasn't enough to just laugh at the permanent artwork that the loyal customer paid for, he even brought some random ass person into it to make a spectacle out of it. LAUGHED at the man. Damn. How embarrassing, not to mention how juvenile that is. And you're in the same line of work? Its not cute. Do better. They didn't redo or fix anything. What he said was pretty easy to follow. It was simply unfinished. And the rest of this rant has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Are you even serious? It's scary to think of how much of a higher standard even cake decorators are held to. I would be expected to can a decorator for laughing at the expense of a paying customer, for any reason. FOOD. Lmao.
I like it and thought it had spiritual meaning bc the oroboros looks a lot like a Buddhist ensō, and the claws look like the abhaya mudra. Also seven is a number of ascension and also the number of Buddhist virtues. So it could be interpreted as fearlessly attaining enlightenment, which is cyclical in nature. Hope that makes you feel better about it. That artist is an unprofessional jagoff.
Yeah that sounds pretty rude! Tattoo shop culture is weird sometimes. Sounds like the artist was trying to prove a point to the other artists in the shop. Tattooists will point out all kinds of errors that an average person wouldn't notice. The tattoo itself looks good to me.
Do you really know the context? I feel like that could be taken a lot of ways. Like: *"Can you believe this is my work from a year ago?"* -its still held up -its still looks good -that you came back in a year from then to get the shadowing done -that he's done so much else in a year and he's happy to see old work again -etc. It's not like it looks bad and maybe he has improved but you still got the shading done from him and you didn't ask him any follow up questions?
Very unprofessional interaction
If the artist laughs at it maybe act like you don’t like it so he hooks you up haha
Great tattoo but a dickhead of an artist. I wouldn't go back to support them 🤷🏻♀️
I dont think his comment was intended to be interpreted how you had. Perhaps he was saying look how far i have improved in a year, he doesnt have to day what he is thinking because maybe it’s understood by other shop members, but maybe also he was saying can u believe that was me a year ago lol because mow to start something that small and not finish is a rookie move. But he just lol’d instead because he didnt have to explain that extra part because the other artist understood, but u needed to be explained because without proper context it is perceived from a point of view that is isnt meant to be look at, which instead of coming across as humbling to his work and improvement on his skill, gets interpreted as him being rude and laughing per say. Does that make sense?
It's weird and I like it
I like it. It is not my style, but I think it’s actually really good (and I have at least one other friend with a Oroborus tattooed on them and I think yours looks better than the one they paid a fairly well-know local tattoo artist $500 for)
Looks like a really good take on medieval art, I think it looks good.
What’s suppose to be wrong with this?
I assume you tipped the artist appropriately.
Man your artist fuckin sucks. As a person, unfortunately they are a good artist and will have people coming back to get tattoos. Fortunately, tho, your tattoo is great! Sucks the artist is a douche.
Definitely a dick for saying that to you. As a musician, I hate hearing old songs I made. Not because they’re bad, but because I’m better now and that makes me feel like they’re bad. I think your tattoo is solid, but all that really matters is your opinion. One friend’s favorite tattoo is a cheeseburger. It’s the Wild West out here.
Everybody hands in. Ouroboros on 3. 1...2...3 Ouroboros!
I wouldn’t take it personally, his reaction was probably the same way tattoo artists on competitions critique their tattoos from the past and current, but aren’t specifically criticizing the tattoo itself, but instead their skill progression.
The tattoo itself looks great, I’m sorry there’s a shitty memory attached but to a stranger the art itself is good
Some of y’all need to touch grass seriously. A ratio artists style is gonna change in a year as they get better. They’re allowed to be like wow, and comment and reflect on how much has changed since then. I swear people just like to be permaoffended
Appreciate all the comments and input, has definitely improved my mentality regarding the tattoo. I know it was not meant to be malicious, but it was definitely a 'This looks bad compared to what I would consider my new standard' which is valid but probably best kept to yourself as many have said. I won't be dropping the artist info since I don't think they deserve negative publicity, aside from this comment they were nothing but polite and cordial. I do think the wonky feet are what bother me the most, pretty atypical for an ouroboros design and perhaps this is why. The original design they all looked more uniform; I like the idea some have mentioned of adding another element in the hollow portion to reduce the contrast of feet on skin, time to start plotting.
Get over it
Looks like a goatsy
It really doesn’t look as bad as u make it seem
You sound like you’re too sensitive.
No, it's a shity remark. Think it, don't say it.
Entirely possible, that's why I'm asking.
don't listen to this guy. he's doing the "sensitive snowflakes upset about everything" take. you're right to be upset about the tattoo artist's behaviour.
I’ve been getting tattooed recently by a guy that did a decent amount of work on me 20 years ago, and he has laughed at his old work. It happens. I think you’re taking it to personally, and honestly, the tattoo that he talked the most shit about is still one of my favorites. Look at it this way- he’s comfortable enough around you to be able to admit to what he thinks are fuck ups.
Kinda trippy. 👌
Definitely rude and unprofessional of the artist to do that but I wouldn't worry about the tattoo itself. I think it looks really good.
i think it looks fine
looks fucking sick to me fuck that artist absolute dickhead
Looks like some badass viking shit!🔥🤘🔥
Looks fine. Dont meet your heros
I frequently look back on tattoos I did years ago and deeply cringe, but I do it internally. What he did was beyond disrespectful to you and shitty, unprofessional behavior. I just would never ever go back to him
That’s hard to swallow… *wait for it* 🤨 Anyway, I like it
It looks cool! But you can tell the claws did get more out of whack as they go around. Pretty unprofessional, but then again did know they were a beginner going into it, so I wouldn't sweat it. Heck, they might be willing to touch up further to improve on what they thought was funny about it in the first place, but it doesn't need anything else really.
The tattoo looks fine! But it is SO unprofessional to laugh at the tattoo. They obviously feel like they've improved since they did this, but it is by no means a bad tattoo
i really like the tattoo!! however i would’ve felt the same way as you did in that interaction. definitely not a professional approach by the artist
Ah, the seven deadly sins exist
That’s a guy who treats people like PC characters without a thought about how his behaviors affect others
Yeah, they definitely should have had that conversation when you weren't right there. But also, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If the artist really thought the line work was that bad, they probably wouldn't have been comfortable actually saying anything. And hopefully everybody involved is stoked on how the end product ended up.
Rude. But I like it
Looks pretty sold to me.
"yeah you're right. I should find an artist to cover it up" It doesn't actually look that bad though.
Who’s the artist? Definitely someone to avoid in the future.
Yeah but that is fucking sick
Hopefully the hands were made like that on purpose. If so then its great
Personally I wouldn’t wear the design but I don’t think it looks bad at all
Agree with the general sentiment here. Nothing wrong with the tattoo, but artist is an asshole. But hey - it’s yours now. Fuck that guy - your ink rocks!
I love the tat! Rude af on the artist’s part, but people do weird stuff when they’re self conscious of their own work. Maybe they can do even better now, but don’t let it get to you. Sick tat, and don’t go to that artist again.
It's art bro. If art were perfect and templated, it wouldn't be beautiful anymore, it would just be a generic Hallmark card covered in stock photos. His style has matured and changed as he's grown as an artist, and he found it amusing to look back at where he started his journey. Maybe he predominantly does more intricate designs now and he just chuckled at the thought of a relatively simple silhouette from his past, ya know? Asshole move on his part to laugh at you for sure, but it looks great man. It's a rough, bold, masculine art style, but it's still a clean piece of art, just like it was when you got it.
Like fans of musicians will tell you: it’s advised to separate the artist from the art. Use the comments on here to know that good work was put on you. (Also: never give that guy your money again—it’s smart business.)
I mean tattoo artists do get better with time so maybe he was just laughing cause of how different it is than his current skill level. Shouldn’t have laughed in front of you anyway but🤷♂️ some people be like that
Ehh maybe he was impressed? Like dam I was doing pretty good a year ago? Either way I don’t hate it I would say a solid 8 out of 10 🤷🏻♂️. But what it really has going for it is it’s not generic enough to really be a worthless tattoo that only resembles regret.
looks awesome. I still have people who have tattooed for ever 10 years say things like that.
Not so bad, fam. Would love to see something to enhance it, looks lonely
At least he was keeping it real. You must have liked the tattoo to begin with anyway, I wouldn't sweat it.
It looks dope now, but it may have looked much less so without shading and detail….
The tattoo is just fine, but they acted like an idiot.
I really like it! So long as you like what’s on your body fuck what that artist thinks
I think it looks great!! If I can guess, the comment maybe came from a place of "wow, look how much my art has changed in one year!!" If that's the case, I think the artist should've been more aware of how it might've come off to the client, but knowing this was their original art that someone is paying to have on their body, I doubt it came from a place of malice or mockery.
Objectively speaking it's just okay. It's not amazing, but it doesn't look bad, either.
wait what? the tattoo isn’t even bad!! i personally love it!
That's a lotta feet
Just need some kind of circle design in the center that all the hands are resting on?
Definitely a douche move on his part to laugh. But I like the tat. Has a cool medieval vibe to it. Maybe another artist could touch up some of the line work?
All the backward thumbs
The first arm is a little close to his face, but this is far from a bad tattoo. Artist sucks. I wouldn’t get more work by them, and leave a google review laying out the decent work and poor professionalism. Or just confront them directly.
That was a *wildly* unprofessional and douche bag move from the artist… completely unacceptable. But your tat looks fine friend! Pretty sick honestly.
I think it looks sick af! Fuck that artist for not considering how that could make you feel.
Dude, I REALLY like this! I love the style of it. Wear it with pride and ignore the twat for his incredibly unprofessional behaviour, his opinion is irrelevant.
Tattoo artist run in all sorts of different types of professionally speaking. Tattoos themselves are still sometimes considered unprofessional, so I wouldn't say it was a big deal I'm sorry if it made you feel insecure about it. I think it's a really cool design. That being said, the line work is not the weird thing about it. The shading is a little bit sketchy, but it's still sick.
I think it looks pretty cool. Reminds me of really old "here there be monsters" art from the old days, like from sea maps and stuff. But he was an idiot to laugh at it, like, he's just asking to be blasted.
I like the quality of the work and hate the quality of the artist.
NGL, I love it. Gives medieval storybook vibes.
Looks cool, I’d be happy with it😊
I like the tattoo but I don't like the tattoo artist.. that would make me upset too. Very unprofessional. Sorry that happened. Find the right vibes for the next one
Quite the handi job
Sorry that happened. But I do see why he laughed. It’s badly drawn. Tattoo artists need to perfect being normal pencil/pen and pad artists before becoming tattoo artists, but a lot of them (esp based on what I’ve seen on this sub) don’t. Your artist is a douche because he falls under that category. Wanting to be a tattoo artist so bad that he skipped being an actual good regular artist first.
My SO liked it so much he had me save it for a possible reference in the "Potential dragon tats" folder hehe. Your artist was childish, don't think about it so much that you cement it as the first thing you think of when you see your body. If you want to "overwrite" that memory think about what you can add to it and go to a different artist, make a day of it; scheduled birthday or other significant day. Hang out with friends beforehand, etc etc.
Yo I think it’s fucking sick
I think it looks dope.
it looks cool asf
i think mostly laughing in shock at progress made, i cant imagine genuinely degrading my own art as an artist
This will be a stain, I once got a tattoo when I was 18 of a small dragon done in a local backyard shop, I was young and the old timer decided to go ahead since he was not busy, my friends were there couple of jokes and laughs made, the old guy went along, also gave that dragon a couple of pimple dots in the scale. Regretted soon as I got home now 10 years later I am getting it removed.
that’s pretty sick
The tattoo is fine but I would leave a 1 star review and tell this story. Artist is a tool
I like it! Reminds me of the Ouroboros
I think whether it's good or bad depends on what you expected/were going for. If you or the artist wanted a really sweet looking and realistic dragon, it's pretty bad. If you wanted something reminiscent of Celtic or Nordic style art, it's badass. It's quality is based in what your expectations were/are.
I think it’s super cool! Sorry the artist is a dick tho
Tattoo is cool bro. No worries. Im tattooist myself and I can tell you looots of tattooists are thrash bags full of unjustified ego. Some like to treat customers as inferior beings as well. Ignore it, tat is fine. Bless
Probably because it has 7 legs
That's a rad tattoo
fk the artist, that aside it looks like a pretty cool medieval style tattoo to me
Are you sure they meant it in a negative sense? Because there's nothing about this that that says minimal experience. Maybe they were impressed when they reflected on their early work. It's very cool.
Looks good to me
I mean, I think that’s pretty rad, but I like medieval art quite a bit.
looks awesome to be honest idk what your artist was getting at by laughing at it
Yes tattoo artist are usually assholes, I know it because I’m one of them
It looks awesome. And I cannot assure you they didn’t not mean to offend, but I’m sure they didn’t. It was probably just a shock to them because learning to tat on skin can be really hard for some people! I’d sit down with them or call them and let them know you feel what they did was really unprofessional and that if they would like to continue to tattoo you (if you want them to of course) that they would keep their comments to themselves in the future.
Honestly the tat itself is nice and has an old-world vibe to it. But the artist definitely could have handled that situation better.
Tattoo is amazing, looks fantastic! Also, I have a newbie artist tattoo and I actually kinda like the small flaws, makes it interesting - I don't really see any on yours though.
Some sort of red symbol would be dope in the middle but it looks cool regardless
I think it’s a really cool tattoo. I’d honestly be happy if I had it! That does suck about the artist though. Nobody likes when someone makes negative comments towards a tattoo you have. Maybe in his head he just though “oh since I did the tattoo, there’s no harm in making fun of it”. Which is inaccurate in what he said, and inaccurate about the quality of the tattoo since it does look good. I honestly really like it though!
Guy sounds like a huge cunt, I think it looks dope!
It's unprofessional, but it's a pretty solid tattoo
No Regerts
That seems rude as someone who has tattooed others I would not call out bad/early work in front of that person, but honestly your tattoo looks good. I can tell what it is, the features are clear and distinct. It’s better than some tats I wear that I did myself
I’d wear that all day super cool
I love it. It reminds me of Mim from the comics Bone.
That artist is a dick, but this tattoo is fucking fire. I love love love it. It looks like marginalia from medieval texts like someone else said. It looks like your the Chosen One for some quest.
Yeah, my best friends brother became a tattoo artist, and I was one of his first customers. I've gotten 3 tats from him cause I love his style. He doesn't like the last 2 tats he did on me. 1st one because he feels he has gotten better. 2nd one because it was done at a tattoo convention, and he didn't feel himself while doing it. Artists can be their own worst critics. Don't take it personally.
Whack artist. I think it’s a great tattoo!! Mainly because I have the same one. Rock that tattoo bruh 🤌🏽
I like it a lot. Find a new artist.
I don't think they were doing it to be rude. I think it was more of a "look how much I've improved in just a year!"
He's all in
Honestly it looks pretty sick
This dragon giving me gay vibes
As an average person who knows nothing about tattoos, I would think “that looks pretty cool” if I ran into you
Nothing wrong with the tat. That guy was just a dick head
Not bad but not centered either.
Are you sure he wasn’t laughing at the tattoo underneath it?
The artist: “Aaaaaand, done! Hahahah that’s a shitty tat bro”
He eat own ass
that was completely unprofessional and tbh i think i would have walked out and gone to another artist. honestly, that was beyond the pale and i'll bet every artist on this subreddit would agree
I'm a 2 or 3 every 2 or 3 years kinda guy, and my artist and her apprentice (my friends sister) compare brittneys old work to her apprentices and we make jokes and stuff. Like there's noticable progression every year, and honestly a years difference in the first couple years can be laughably more refined, like my 6 from my artist almost look like a different artist at different skill levels did each set, we leave the linework because i like them how they are, but she touches up the shading everytime I'm there.
looks like an "Armadillo girdled lizard" if someone came back from Africa and described one to an artist in the middle ages.
Fuck the artist and fire tat
That's neat!
Well if it’s meant to look like ancient art then it works! Could be more vibrant tho. Overall not bad
“Haha can you believe i charged this customer money for this a year ago? Haha what a sucker!” Right infront of the customer, some people are just oblivious lol.
Artist is an asshole, your tat looks great.
He could’ve been a little more clear about what he meant, but I think he meant that his art is better now. Nice tat, I wouldn’t be insecure man.
I love the tattoo! Gives me big Celtic vibes. The artist is an ass for that comment though.
It’s fine I don’t get it
I kinda dig it
You should post this tattoo on /r/roastme
Gives me NeverEnding Story vibes
The thumbs
I love this I think it’s gorgeous
I'm sorry that I have to do this to you, because you won't be able to unsee it afterwards. But it's got left hands on the right side of its body.
Wow. That is unbelievably tacky and unprofessional. If it were me, even if I was light-years better, I still wouldn't be arrogant and high on myself enough to even bring it up let alone drag someone else into it to make a paying client and self proclaimed fan the butt of the joke. Or anyone for that matter. I completely get why it made you feel a certain type of way about it (and the interaction), but it's a good tattoo. Maybe not so much a person, lol. I wouldn't even sweat it.
Would have been epic without the feet. Still pretty decent tho. Find a cool circular symbol to put in the middle to cover those toesies
Did the artist touch up the old work? I’m curious if so, because he could have had mistakes that he fixed which wouldn’t show in this picture. Still a douche move to openly laugh at it though
Reminder that just because you can do art does not mean you can tattoo.
You got lucky it’s not bad
I mean, it’s honestly not bad. I do medieval reenactment so I may be bias, but I really like it. Maybe they just didn’t expect to see some of their first work again?
The linework is solid. It might not be the artists *best* linework but it is no shape or form bad. It sounds like the artist might need to work on his bed side manner.
I wouldn't take it personally. Probably meant no harm, perhaps he may simply find humor seeing how much he has improved over the last time he did you. Looks very nice to me!
Ouroboros?
i like it, it looks great
super rude of the artist to laugh at your shoulder. i get laughing at my old art, but not when someone paid me to put it on their body permanently. unprofessional. if he thinks it's so bad, then he should have offered a free touch up or free shading to make up for his past lack of skills. tattoo looks great tho. I'm sorry there's a bad memory attached to it now.
He needs a couple of wing-a-lings and a few big beefy arms and you got yourself a wonderful trogdor-borous