Tattoo Your Heart On My Shoulder

Today's post is a little different from most that I do. This one is a little more on the personal side of things. I saw a post on Twitter from a friend of mine asking for opinions on a tattoo she wanted to get. So I tweeted back with a few suggestions. She popped up online and we ran through a few things and I took out a 3x5 index card and started sketching away...


Now, bear in mind that I haven't picked up a pencil and drawn anything in a LONG time. Drawing is something that I love but it saddens me to see how much I have fallen behind. Saddens me to the point that I don't draw anymore. I feel that my work has become too static, boring, and stiff to be presentable to the public eye. 

My friend wanted a magnolia (Mississippi's official state flower) in a simplistic style. So I sketched away and came up with this:

Pencil sketch, before inking.

This is after hand inking and cleaning in Photoshop.

This was the pencil sketch. She loved it. Another idea popped in my head and I took out another index card and sketched out this:

Pencil sketch, before inking.

This is after hand inking and cleaning in Photoshop.

A simplistic deer. My friend swears that this is her favorite. I'm actually pleased with it myself. I was running out of room to draw the legs and hooves so I just drew simple lines to represent legs. As we were sharing more and more pictures of tattoos from Pinterest, I happened upon one of a very simplistic lioness' face; just the eyes, nose, and outline of the ears. So, I tried my hand at something similar:

This is after editing and cleaning in Photoshop.

I came up with my favorite one yet: a Shiba Inu tattoo sketch. As most of you know, my dog, Ozymandias, is a Shiba Inu. I really love the way they look. Such inquisitive and fox-like faces with a really strange attitudes and habits. But I will probably not get this tattooed on my body. I love my dog, but not enough to be a permanent fixture on a body part. 

I was quite glad to sketch a few things and draw, even if it was just for a little while. Maybe, I'll get back to drawing one day.

I've always wanted to get a tattoo, but I've never gotten the courage to go and get one like my friends. There are a lot of different reasons holding me back. One, my husband doesn't like tattoos. He's told me that he doesn't care if I get one and will love me all the same, but I know that somewhere in the back of his mind, he'll be disapproving even if he doesn't show it. Yes, it is my body and I can do what I like, but he is my husband and I do love him and I respect his wishes.

Second reason is my frugal mindset. I'm cheap. I won't deny it. Tattoos are not cheap. I have a design in mind for a tattoo but I haven't brought myself to draw it up yet. I doubt my skill to draw it, but at the same time I don't want someone else to draw it either. I want this tattoo to be my own personal design and achievement. 

Third, no one in my immediate family has a tattoo. I've never really spoken to them about getting one either. My sister probably wouldn't care. She's thought about getting one. My big brother would probably not care but he would give me some hell about it for awhile. My little brother probably wouldn't care either. My dad? I probably wouldn't tell him.

Finally, I'm VERY picky about who I want to do this tattoo for me. If this is going to be a permanent part of my body, I'm going to have someone that better damn well know what they're doing. I have seen good tattooists locally but not THE ONE. Then again, I haven't really been looking too hard either. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. I'll try to get another tutorial or recipe up soon!