How big is too big? Ha! Take a look!!

I got the outline of my tattoo done on Saturday. I honestly couldn't be any more thrilled with it. The artist did such a fantastic job and I felt so comfortable despite the fact that my shirt was half way off. LOVE IT!! I think it's big, but not huge. Let me know what you think. [IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/Jammer0225/backtattoo.jpg[/IMG]

Jules! That's beautiful Baby! Congratulations! That's gonna be awesome!

here is the image inline. Who ended up doing the work? Looks great, and definitely too big, how can you live with that monstrosity?????

Awesome Girl!!!!! Welcome to the club!

Bee YOO TEE FUL!!!!!!!!!!! Will you marry me? TAz

cooler koi fishes come out of my weenur.

are those fuckin weed leafs? hah, thats sweet

While I am NOT trying to piss on the lady's parade, am I looking at a different outline than you guys because I see weak lines, incomplete lines, missing lines and at least some that look like they are 'blow-outs'and am I the only one who sees the double line d scale? Come on guys, that's a rather poor outline and I'd have expected you to notice that as well.

While I am NOT trying to piss on the lady's parade, am I looking at a different outline than you guys because I see weak lines, incomplete lines, missing lines and at least some that look like they are 'blow-outs'and am I the only one who sees the double line d scale? Come on guys, that's a rather poor outline and I'd have expected you to notice that as well.

Yes I agree...far from a perfect outline however I will reserve judgement until such time that I can see the final results...I have seen many tattoos wherein the line work was not perfect but that still turned out to be a great tattoo in the final analysis.

And by the way Doctor John where can we see pics of your work?

Thanks for asking Taz, some samples of my work can be seen on my website:www.drjohnstats.com. By the way, where can I see some of yours, tried checking out Painted Angels but didn't see your name listed, possibly didn't get the 'right' Painted Angels.

No I am sure ya got the right one since there is only one...the site is currently being switched to tattoonow servers where Gabe and the crew are redoing the whole thing and all , well some , of my stuff will be i\on there in the meantime go to www.myspace.com/bullangel you can see a few things there but not a lot...I refuse to be a myspace junky!!! LOL!!...TAz

Hey there! Thanks for the feedback. I'm by no means an expert on this, considering it's my first. A little color has been done, but didn't want to post a pic until it was finished. Thanks for the input! Now, I had a chance to look at your work. Honestly (from the way you talked) I thought I was going to be blown away by your work. However, that wasn't the case. Your stuff is very mediocre and I didn't really see many quality pieces. I looked at ten artist before I chose the guy I did and your work would have turned me off immediately. Maybe the pictures are old? BUT, like I said, I'm no expert. I just know what I like. Thanks for the feedback, I'll post a picture when it's complete. I'll give you the website where I got it done and you can check out his other, completed work. www.nineeyesstudio.com

Hey there! Thanks for the feedback. I'm by no means an expert on this, considering it's my first. A little color has been done, but didn't want to post a pic until it was finished. Thanks for the input! Now, I had a chance to look at your work. Honestly (from the way you talked) I thought I was going to be blown away by your work. However, that wasn't the case. Your stuff is very mediocre and I didn't really see many quality pieces. I looked at ten artist before I chose the guy I did and your work would have turned me off immediately. Maybe the pictures are old? BUT, like I said, I'm no expert. I just know what I like. Thanks for the feedback, I'll post a picture when it's complete. I'll give you the website where I got it done and you can check out his other, completed work. www.nineeyesstudio.com

Hey Jules...make sure ya send me a pic!...I am really excited to see the finished product!!...TAz

Hey Jules...make sure ya send me a pic!...I am really excited to see the finished product!!...TAz

And just for the record Jules...I compared the work of YOUR artists to the artist that kind of downplayed your linework and the guys at nine eyes are light years ahead...hands down....which artist is doing your work ?....TAz

Hey, don't totally dis a person's eye for good work just because they can't do it well themselves. I don't draw tattoos, tattoo, and i deff couldn't draw a koi that well, but i can still pick out when art is good or not. You shouldn't discredit someone's opinion just because they couldn't do it better, because the two are not totally the same thing. As for the koi, i think it looks like it's going to be an awesome piece once the color is in it, and i can't wait to see it!

I'll be the first to admit that my outlining is less than what I would like it to be, but I do whatever I can to make the overall tattoo look the best that I can make it look.

very,very,very nasty!

TAz - As far as your myspace page goes.. I can't see jack over that Luis Royo pic in the background... Dr. John - I like most your black and white stuff, but the colored stuff seems kind of.. cartoonish, but maybe that's just a personal (artist) preference, and I prefer tattoos to look like a piece of artwork... And to the original poster - I like the koi, I have one myself.. less traditional styling.. but, I have to ask.. how're you going to color the maple leaves? Are you going to color them a dark redish, like the Japanese maple, or green? It's something you want to consider, because even though there's a discrepency in the number of leaves between a marijuana leaf, and a maple leaf, if they're green they may end up looking like pot leaves, and that might be a stigma you don't want.. As for my koi, here's a picture of it, right after it was finished: http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/deathlily/DSC00332.jpg And a few paintings I've done/am working on.. http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/deathlily/DSC00518.jpg That's a piece I did for an art show awhile back.. one of 819 pieces accepted out of the 1423 that were entered http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/deathlily/DSC00570.jpg And the piece I'm currently working on.. not the best picture, but pencil never shows up well anyway..

That's certainly a big coi you have there, and i feel it will be nice once the colours are in. At that time, we expect another photo! Hey, i've seen people celebrate tatts that i thought were awful. I believe the most beautiful ones in the word on me, but not everyone agrees. I don't think the art is perfect either, but what's important is that YOU like it. Friend, enjoy your tattoo. Only thing i've found: of my 23 tatts, 4 are on my back, and sometimes i really wish i could see them!

Hey Taz, I have a little color in now, but when the picture was taken it seemed like all the blood came to the surface. It looked like he used red and for a mintue I thought maybe he did! Let me see if I can add the picture right this time. [IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/Jammer0225/tattoocolor.jpg[/IMG] The leaves will be a red/goldish color. I'm going to skip the green for obvious reasons. It's Mark Merchant who's doing the work.

Ducky, I didn't discredit his feedback. I welcome any and all feedback because this is my first tattoo (probably only). I can't really compare it to others. Honestly, I think with the color in, it's going to look great. It's sort of like how you think your kids are the cutest in the world, even though they might not be.

Well Julie when someone posts a negative opinion on a tattoo you have every right to say...well where is YOUR work and then say what you think about it...turnabout is fairplay....in that persons pics of tattoos I could have sat there and nit picked every single one for a lot of things....in fact some of the same things that were said about yours ...but I won't ...wouldn't serve any purpose...but when a person downplays anothers work they should look closely at their own with the same level of critique...I can't wait to see it kid...by the way your link does not work...try again? or maybe e-mail it to me?...Thanks!...T

Ducky, criticism from the public is different than criticism from your peers. When receiving criticism from someone its always good to know the person behind the words to properly evaluate such criticism. An opinion is worth one thing if they aren't involved in the business of whats being critiqued. Its worth another if the person is involved with the profession. And if someone is in the profession then they are obliged to show their work as a frame of reference. Now that we have seen where the critique is coming from, we can gague how much value to put into the opinion. Critiquing tattoos in public is not something professionals tend to do without being asked. Its a bit rude to the collector. Critiquing a piece of art on someones wall is different than artwork someone has on their body. I guess we all need to have or get tough skins so in the end its ok to lay it all out and speak your mind, but professionals seem to critique tattoos with other professionals and if asked by a collector about their opinion, will always do their best to offer their honest opinion in a professional non-offending manner. "I see things I can improve and rework" vs "I can cover that shit up no problem." Though the parent analogy works in some cases (for bad tattoos) beautiful tattoos will attract attention from the public no problemo. Personally I think the tattoo is going to come out awesome, and am happy to see its progress.

YEP!

Taz is a great contributor to this board but I have to admit that I was surprised at the work from Painted Angel. I was definitely expecting a higher quality. I'm not trying to knock anyone or bad mouth or anything like that, just calling it like I see it.

Gee I'm sorry you were disappointed...where did ya see my work?...If you are talking about the website its still under construction and I have no work of my own there....you can see a bit of my stuff at...www.myspace.com/bullangel...just click on pics and I'd be happy to send some of my work to ya!!....TAz

To begin with, Jules, I was not 'attacking' you, the wearer, I was simply a bit put off by the comments about how great your outline was that preceded my post. I still think that outline is less than good, to say the least and unlike some of the other posters, I have a hard time believing even the best coloring is going to make that right. IF the final product proves me wrong, I'll be quite willing to admit it. Now as to the criticism of my work, I welcome any constructive criticism from any qualified person, as I always have strived to do the best work I possibly can and think that's probably still in business and staying fairly busy I might add and the FACT that 80% of my business is repeat and referal. However, I've been at this far too long to let the opinion of anyone who is not an artist and/or does not know what they are looking at bother me. Destined, you stated you think my color work looks cartoonish and state you prefer tattoos to look like a piece of art and state that's just your 'person,artist' opinion, well, from what you posted as the koi you're wearing (mutated scales and missing whisker) as well as your posted 'artwork', I think the world will understand why I won't take your opinion too seriously. I don't know if anyone else checked out your 'art' or not but I did, I'm NOT impressed to say the least. Taz, you stated you compared my work to the work coming out of the studio that did that piece and stated they are 'light years ahead-hands down' and later stated that if you nit-picked every single one you could find some of the same things that I said about hers...care to elaborate, as I'd like to hear where THAT came from. Incidently, I too checked out the work from that studio, then that artist, admittedly most of the work IS pretty good but I'm still not at all impressed with the outline we were discussing and I can't foresee anyone changing my opinion on that. Ducky, you stated 'you shouldn't dis a persons eye just because they can't do it themselves', well, I can and HAVE both drawn and done better and more accurate koi than that, in fact, I even dug thru both past artwork and photos of koi I've done but then got to thinking, aside from not knowing how to actually post it, why should I bother to put custom work out there for someone else to steal and try to dupicate. All anyone needs to do is Google Koi images/tattoos to see that neither of the Koi tattoos presented are accurate or good, especially the scales. Gabe, as to what you stated regarding criticism, I agree with what you said to a point but I'd like to point out that Jules DID post the pic on a public Tattoo Forum and DID ask what we thought and I DID simply give my honest,professional opinion of what I think of the linework. Again, I was a bit ticked at the praise it got prior to my post by people I would have thought would have seen the same things I do and after a day I had people come in with other sub-standard work expecting me to perform miracles fixing so perhaps I COULD have been a bit more tactful but I get tired of seeing substandard work and even more tired of seeing it praised and if THAT makes me an asshole, well,guilty as charged I quess but I'd like to point out that I've been involved in the ART OF TATTOOING probably longer than anyone else on this forum, most likely longer than most of 'em have been breathing and unlike some, I take this profession very seriously.

i personally think that art is art, the placement has nothing to do with the quality of it (a good piece of artwork on the wall is no different than something on someone's body, both have a personal reason for being there). And, you shouldn't get upset and demand work from someone to justify their opinion. People who critique don't always perform what they critique. And, if someone only wants opinions from those who are involved in the business, then they should say so.

Hey Doc John...no matter what I think you are a cool mofo and I love your old school attitude and your old school work...you are a fuckin legend my friend so don't take my words to mean that I was demeaning you in any way man....I have been seeing your work and hearin your name for years and I certainly respect ya!! Thats all...TAz PS anybody who loves a dog as much as you obviously loved yours is "good people" in my eyes!!

Ha! She sure did ask for it. and she knows how to take it! Sometimes I can't remember the beginning of the thread, I have like a zillion conversations going on in my head at once. Im surprised that after being in the biz so long you would look at Mark's work and not see where hes going with this tattoo or what the end product will end up like. I bet you have been tattooing longer than I've been breathing! Its great to see old timers use computers so well, I hope you stick around!

Dr John, I wasn't sure if you were referring to me as the artist with the links to a koi (different from mine) and links to her personal work. That's not me, just wanted to clarify. I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I didn't feel like you were attacking me in any way. I posted the picture here for any and all opinions. I didn't expect them all to be positive. On the flip side, I wasn't attacking you either. Like you said, my "unprofessional" opinion doesn't matter to you. I, personally, don't like your art. Everyone knows what they like, professional or not.

One last thing! I checked out google for Koi images and didn't find any I like. Before I got this tat, I literally looked at hundreds of koi tattoos. Most of them were HORRIBLE, looking more like a catfish, than a Koi. I found this website with an all black Koi that I liked a lot. Hence the reason I chose Mark. http://www.irezumi.us/eg/koi.html I would love to see your Koi's!

Julie dear I ain't tryin to be an asshole but just to let ya know...Kois,goldfish and catfish are VERY closely related...the most common differences are coloring ,size and length of tail fin.. Just some useless info...TAz

Sorry I meant to type CARP not Catfish!!!...But they are related too

Julie, No Ma'm, I was not refering to you with my comments re:'artist', nor your Koi, sorry 'bout any confusion there. As to you not liking my work, hey, I can and will live with that and have long realized not all people like the same thing and/or style of art. I've seen things some people think is 'art' while I think it's crappy, but, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As to your saying you checked Google for Koi images but didn't find any you liked, sorry to hear that as I found a number of good ones, one I particularily liked is http://www.staircasetattoo.com/tattoo/bonnie/koi.jpg and while I did not do that one, that is the style/way I've done mine in the past. As to the site you refered me to where you found yours, yes those are excellent examples of traditional Japanese style Koi and can/do look great-when done right,of course. As to you saying you'd love to see my Koi's, well, as I stated earlier, I don't really know how to post them and as mine are all custom artwork, I don't particularily want to post them just so someone else can rip them off and take somewhere. Besides, you have already stated you don't like my art so why bother, right? Again, I did not mean to put YOU down in any manner, I was simply stating my opinion regarding the outline. I sincerely hope you end up with a good tattoo, one you can be proud of and I saw other 'toos Mark did do a nice job on. When it's done, kindly post some pics, I'd like to see them.

Taz, yes they are closely related. However, there are some differences. One big difference I've noticed is that Koi don't have whiskers as long as a catfish. I didn't want the long whiskers.

Ya gotta be picky dear!...Just show us da pics when yer done K?....K!