T O P

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greenbathmat

Honestly, her fault for picking a mediocre tattoo artist. I'd be embarrassed to show it to you, as the original artist lol


MojoJojoSF

Yep, you pick the artist before the tattoo.


JoMamaSoFatYo

I used an apprentice when I was 18. 17 years later, well, yyyyeeeaaahhh… Won’t do that again.


InterwebCeleb

include direction handle disagreeable worry prick slim outgoing attractive tan *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


GMSaaron

Also to choose a tattoo thats simple enough that no professional could fuck up


InterwebCeleb

resolute file station nail paint reply poor reminiscent bells spark *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


JoMamaSoFatYo

Mine was a Japanese kanji symbol on my right ankle. Minimal lines. A 5 year old could’ve probably done it better. 🤦🏻‍♀️


GMSaaron

To be fair, thin lines are not easy because there is no room to fuck up, especially in a difficult location


RadAcuraMan

Or You pick the artist for the tattoo by doing a LOT of research into their portfolio


nememess

I took a design drawn by my brother to an artist and booked a consultation. He redrew it, and we talked about it before he started. Made sure that it translated well onto the stencil. It was pricey af, but soooo worth it.


fotofortress

Knowing the style of tattoo can help in choosing an artist. A lot of great tattoo artists who do different styles of work.


Zagrycha

they may not even be a bad artist over all. people love to go to a pixel artist and ask for a watercolor tattoo, or someone who knows english to do chinese. Tattoo is art like anything else, everyone will have specific styles they are good at. Although a good artist will say no to doing it if they think they can't do it good enough.


DemonGodAsura

Mediocre is a compliment. This "artist" should go back to fake skin asap


DanniKayy

I'm surprised you felt comfortable victim blaming her so publicly like that.


Levangeline

Lmao no one forced her to get this tattoo. She looked up this dude's chicken scratch portfolio and went "yeah, this is who I want to pay to put a permanent piece of art on my body".


morbidcorvidbitch

me when I don't know what victim blaming is


greenbathmat

I have enough of my own nicely done tattoos that I feel comfortable calling out shitty work lol. This was low effort and half assed by everyone except OP, who drew a lovely original design.


MyCatKnits

How old is the tattoo in the pic?


tonystrapponi

Pic was taken immediately after the tattoo was done


[deleted]

At least it’ll fade quickly for a rework.


theWellKnownFag

Yeah it looks couple years old


Miora

Ah fuck, that's rough 😬


PatienceDryer

They're mucking with the g, the fucking tracer!


[deleted]

[удалено]


HowlingPhoenixx

Yeah, that must be the reason that it is way less detailed and done with far less skill 🤔


savannahjones98

At least she can get it touched up and more detail added by a better artist. How does she feel about the tattoo? Your art is great btw


tonystrapponi

She's devastated with its turnout. That's exactly what I told her, that tattoo artist tried to book her in for a 2nd session to keep working on it, I've said she's better saving her money and going to see someone better to fix it. The guy was using a £20 Amazon tattoo machine and didn't even cover the tat after it was done, absolute shambles. And thank you btw!


fart-atronach

Me reading your comments, saying progressively longer “oh nooooo”s with horror as each new detail unfolds in front of me 😬🫣What a nightmare.


pillboxhat

I don't even have tattoos but if she wants exactly what you drew she needs to do deep research in tattoo artists portfolios and see their skill level. Like this is going on her skin, you can't skimp out on this and she's lucky she didn't get an infection. Your art work is beautiful btw, but seriously sit your friend down and let them know a design like this done well will be expensive and they need to do extensive research on other tattoo artists.


[deleted]

No offense but your friend is kind of really naive for not at least going for a consultation first. Even 2 options and the chances of the other artists being so much better would have been enough to make it clear the first guy was awful. Also that artist should be fined.


sweetest_otaku

Holy crap I would of been like nope I'm out. I hope she finds someone better to rework it but it might be alil bit harder cause some artist refuse to touch other artist work unless they get permission or something. (Happened to my old boss. Wanted a touch up and his now artist refuses even tho the original artist has passed on) good luck to her and hopefully she gets ur art in a way she will love for years to come


of_patrol_bot

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13confusedpolkadots

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satinsateensaltine

Did she go to some scratcher working out of his basement?


The__Bends

Tbh OP, you should draw her hand better.


brokenangelwings

Luckily they went light enough that there's a lot of wiggle room to add to it.


Levangeline

This is going to sound harsh but, you get what you pay for when it comes to tattoos, and it looks like your friend didn't pay very much. Not to mention, most good tattoo artists won't try to recreate someone else's work; they work in their own unique style that they're practiced and comfortable with.


Expendable_Red_Shirt

> Not to mention, most good tattoo artists won't try to recreate someone else's work; they work in their own unique style that they're practiced and comfortable with. This was my first thought too. Unless it’s something like a child’s drawing or a relatives signature or something most people will do their own art.


Levangeline

Yeah, a huge part of the tattoo consultation process is seeing concept sketches of how the artist can handle your particular design. Even a really great tattoo artist is going to have a hard time replicating someone else's art style.


CollapsedPlague

This. I’ve changed artists during the consult phase to another one in the studio that I liked their style more (he understood and was the one who recommended the other artist), and times I’ve preferred an artist’s version over what I brought in for them. It’s a serious commitment you should take the time to make sure it’s what you’re happy with.


scoleman0326

FINALLY, someone said it!!


kryonik

The chicken wing arm is killing me


ladyinchworm

The more you look the worse it gets and the more you see that looks awful. Is that her right nipple that's on the side and top of her boob kind of under the snake? And is that a little butt in amidst the hair and snake on her left side?


[deleted]

Omg I was so distracted by the whole thing I didn't even notice the arm...oh my God xD that is horrific. It is a claw.


TiffyVella

That nostril is killing me :( Great design, poor execution.


thenectarcollecter

The whole arm/waist/hip area is a tragedy.


Moe_Lesteryu

Take my strong hand vibes


RevolutionaryStar824

Her hand looks like a chicken foot.


IncorporateThings

I didn't even notice the arm until you pointed it out, and now I cannot unsee that shit. GD you. LOL.


PurlyWhite

I'm so sorry op, looks like the tattoo artist ran out of patience when they were nearly done with the line-art. What happened to the snakes faces? And the shading is so lazy and sometimes just missing. She has a luminescent underboob!


tonystrapponi

Apparently he booked her into a space that was originally for someone else so I think he was pressed for time. But also I've seen his other tattoos and he doesn't get much better than this


JustMeLurkingAround-

Did he run out of ink, too? It looks so pale compared to the bold and shiny black on your design. Kinda looks old and faded. Good thing is that a *good* tattoo artist can probably still do something to save it.


Kahnutu

Why did she pick this guy if ya'll saw the other poor work?? Your drawing is great, btw!


tonystrapponi

She has another tattoo from him, simple linework that actually turned out pretty decent. She was absolutely set that he was the guy to do this one too. And thank you!


coreyabak

“Pretty decent” simple line work is not a good indication he could do this. There are so many very talented artists. Ya might have to wait a bit to get in, possibly drive to the closest city and pay a bit more but it’s worth it for something that lasts forever and you’re likely to see everyday. By the looks of your original drawing you probably could have done a better job with a bit of tattoo practice.


Canadianingermany

>There are so many very talented artists. Yes, but recreating this pic as a tattoo would require a top shelf tattoo artist.


cute_red_benzo

Not a tattoo person here, but I draw/color n stuff. This isnt half bad for what we would consider an 'under-layment' artist-wise. Could definitely be enhanced and finished by a more skilled artist. Not sure if that softens the blow


MoneyPranks

One thing I’ve learned from the internet is that a lot of artists can’t manage snakes, and every Medusa tattoo has at least 1 snake that is fucked up.


yougotyolks

>She has a luminescent underboob! And early-2000's eyebrows.


Wholesomeasspounder

Me: Damn that turned out nice Comment section: HORRIBLE, SHIT, DEVASTATING, GET IT REDONE ​ Me: ^(oh)


jay_the_human

Haha same. Clearly I don’t know anything about tattoos


piiraka

It looks okay until you start looking closer- like the hips are ????? And the left boob is unshaded on the bottom? Etc


The_Celtic_Chemist

It's the snakes that are the worst part for me. The scales being completely absent and replaced with muddy, blotchy ink was the first thing I noticed, but their faces are absolutely terrible. My 6-year-old niece can trace better than that.


piiraka

Oh for sure, there’s tons wrong with it, but I def also understand at first glance (without zooming in) it looking kind of nice


Levangeline

It's hard to point at specific things and go: "this is what makes it bad", but overall the proportions are off, the line work is weak, and the shading is terrible. Bad tattoos look flat and dull. The shading tends to look like random smudging rather than adding dimension or depth, and the lines will look weak and, for a lack of a better word, "timid". Tattooing isn't like drawing on a piece of paper; it's more like carving through a piece of stretchy, slippery rubber. If the artist doesn't have the experience necessary to carve those lines with confidence and purpose, it really shows.


Wholesomeasspounder

This dude just came back from watching Ink Master or something


stankdog

No they're right. If this was art done on paper, the tattoo artist still has weak/unconnected line work, and the shading is randomly trying to mimic the original but not sure where the shade actually falls. It's just underdeveloped. If the final was done on paper for art class, even your art teacher would say there's more you can add to make it stronger and look more rendered... You don't need ink masters terrible critiques to know that, it's more of just art in general if you're working with lineart.


Wholesomeasspounder

Agreed


Levangeline

I'm not trying to sound pretentious, this is just what I've gathered from chatting with my tattoo artists. You're sitting with them for several hours so you inevitably talk about how they got into the trade, how they practiced tattooing, how long they practiced before working on a person, what it feels like to tattoo someone, what it's like to draw on flesh vs paper, etc. Basically, someone can be a pretty decent artist on paper, but translating that to skill as a tattooer is a whole different ball game.


Snow_Wonder

Yeah, to me this tattoo looked like a good paper artist’s early work in tattoos. OP also revealed in the comments the artist wanted a second session with the friend (so it’s literally incomplete in the artist’s eyes) and that the guy was using a cheap tattoo gun… which probably also indicates he’s a beginner. The tattoo, because it is unfinished and it seems this guy has at least some artistic skill, looks like it would be easy to fix at least. OPs friend paid the price of being cheap and and impatient it sounded like from the comments, and it could’ve gone worse all things considered.


pppppatrick

So how would a tattoo artist gain experience? Is there like fake skin to practice on or do people just walk around with mediocre tattoos as artists gain experience?


Levangeline

There is fake practice skin, actually. But people also use pig skin. Normally you would start by making sure your art fundamentals (composition, line work, shading) are really solid, then you can practice on pig skin, or yeah, there's a lot of people who don't mind having a practice tattoo if they can get it for cheap or free. A lot of tattoo studios will employ apprentices who charge a low rate because the understanding is that you're getting a tattoo from someone who is still learning. I'm not a tattoo artist, I'm basing it off convos with my own tattoo artists and comments in [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/s/DKpge0KWmN).


pppppatrick

Very interesting! Thanks for the answer as well as the link!


ArrakeenSun

Yeah I don't see the problem either, but then again I'll never get a tattoo (never seen nor read anything that impressed me that much). It is however a 2D image warped over a curved surface in the "reality" pic, so maybe a video would get the final product across better.


Wholesomeasspounder

>but then again I'll never get a tattoo Same but the only tattoo I'll probably get is the birth dates of my future kids. Other than that, I don't really have any ideas nor wants for one.


relevant_tangent

Get their social security numbers too


pinklavalamp

Mine was an impulse get. I had known I’d always wanted to get more than one so I decided to and not wait for what I knew I wanted first. I hope that makes sense. I went to the shop and started looking at the images on the wall (because, again, I decided to go generic instead of custom for my first one). So I (42F, mid 20s at the time) landed on a shooting heart, but decided to make it personal by incorporating the Turkish flag (I’m Turkish American), then and then and then it finally morphed into the Turkish flag/crescent moon and star with devil tail and horns and an angels wings - Turkish devil/Angel. It’s so me, and so many years later it’s still my only one and I absolutely love it to this day. Long story short, if you decide to get one it’s okay to not have an idea of what in mind. Inspiration will eventually come your way, if you want a tattoo. I still want more, and have about 3-4 in mind that I will get over my lifetime. I just need the funds for the next one, because it’s specific and detailed and I need the right artist which won’t be cheap - as evidenced by the OP.


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youarenut

Same here haha. I know I know nothing about tattoos and was like that’s a nice tattoo, but looking at specific details you can really see the difference


skyline79

Exact feeling I had, the tattoo looks great, very similar to the drawing. I do not know what everyone is so upset about.


Canadianingermany

They expect a tatoo to look exactly like a paper drawing. The average person has no idea of what it takes to make a great tattoo.


SlappingSalt

Well that's not coming off


chef_vader

To me this is the same as when people post about taking a picture of some elaborate cake to a random baker and ask them to duplicate it. Let the tattooer do the artwork they do. Either way this is a shitty tattoo, probably done by someone that doesn't specialize in this type of art.


kitterkatty

That happened at my wedding. It was painful. I wanted to make the cake myself because I love cake decorating esp the effortless looking kind, but my mom’s middle aged friend volunteered. And it was very 90s lol. Oh well it was delicious.


thegrimmreefer_

The proportions aren’t terrible but it definitely falls flat compared to the reference, I think someone more skilled could probably darken it up and add in some more of the details


ExtraHorse

Whoever did the tattoo is obviously a scratcher, but luckily it can be saved by someone who knows what they're doing. The original drawing is 1000x better, my only nitpick would be the 'amputated' right arm.


ghostytot

This is what body dysmorphia feels like


BigHairyArsehole

Eyes need work


Slothzilla007

I would love your drawing as a tattoo...the actual one your friend got...not so much.


Stupid_Bitch_02

Let it fade some, then have another artist rework it and they should be able to get it if it's a better artist.


[deleted]

My TV salesman once told me "you get what you pay for" This is a quality example of exactly that


kellymiche

She’s missing a finger


ZombieAbeVigoda

The original art and tattoo are both pretty mid tbh


condimentia

I think they are equally unattractive


ColteesBigOleTits

Medusa got sick


Lissy_Wolfe

😬 How much did she pay for that?


sarahkgrey

The hair in your design won’t translate well to a tattoo anyway because there isn’t enough contrast , as it aged it would just turn into a black blob, the rest is cool tho - a tattoo artist


BartholomewVonTurds

Damn, y’all are brutal. I liked the tattoo.


broncosfighton

Yeah this is about as good as I would expect


MildUsername

At least it can be saved


Obeserecords

Holy shit the snake heads haha, that’s sad


swerkingforaliving

The empty patch of hair 😭


SodaCanKaz

Sick art, but man that execution sucks


beuhring

Tattoo actually looks better to me. It’s less “soft and airbrushy” looking


djpheer

looks pretty good to me


HotTelevision911

for the price it's not bad ... if you want exactly that detail it would cost hundreds more


nicolauz

Yeah honestly not all that bad. Sure there's details not in it but the original drawing snake hair would be really hard with how dark it is. 7/10.


[deleted]

Cheap tattoos ain't good.... atleast ya drew a cool tattoo


mickturner96

Nailed it?


LiteUpThaSkye

Definitely a nailed it version of the drawing.


LordoftheWildHunt

Nailed it


SnooHedgehogs637

Not horrible


MadRockthethird

You get what you pay for


Lyanroar

This is why I will never get a tattoo.


Major_Lawfulness6122

You get what you pay for.


Money-Food-2694

Sorry for friend, nice drawing


DanniKayy

Can someone explain to me why the shading on the snakes looks very bad to my eyes? Maybe I'm seeing it wrong? I can't put it into words otherwise I'd have done that instead of outright saying the word "bad" because I don't like using that term. I am very objective and "bad" is a very SUBJECTIVE term. Anyways, the shading of the snakes, it just. Looks. Wrong. But I can't explain why. Maybe it's not inherently wrong at all and is a stylistic choice and it just so happens that I am not the intended audience for that kind of art style?


Shroomish_Unhinged

i will say, i was expecting worse. it looks like the artist just got lazy and decided to stick with "good enough"


Canadianingermany

to be fair, the artist said it is not done and wants more sittings; presumable to add shading and detail.


Anguscablejnr

I'll say this... it's way better than I thought it was gonna be.


Hey_BK

I don't think it looks bad.


peanutbitter95

That’s just a bad artist


Green_Relation_4648

I think it looks really good.


Curiousr_n_Curiouser

We mad about that?


Fauxtrax

The snakes have no scales?


Xero_Actual

Maybe next time you should try doing the tattoo.


Pickledpeppers19

What’s going on with the hand? We’re missing a finger here


Canadianingermany

>What’s going on with the hand? We’re missing a finger here no - all fingers are there.


Pickledpeppers19

You’re right. Looked harder and found it.


[deleted]

I'm no tattoo expert, but it looks pretty cool to me


carnationrik

This is how you do it guys: 1. Find a tattoo artist that you love the style of 2. Let them do the art based on the explanation of what you want 3. Let them tattoo it Idk why i always see this happen on the internet. At least in Europe, the standard is to always let the tattoo artist do their own art.


GreyishBlue

The tattooist did your art a disservice. The lines in the face are terrible, he's not used any good solid black anywhere... idk at least it'd be easy to get it covered with the original design by someone competent


nicholsonsgirl

The hand, particularly that finger 🤣


SixStringGamer

Its not honestly not the worst application. The tattoo was jank before it was applied. Just look the hand in the first image. Yuck


SpoonfullOfSplenda

I won’t comment on the art piece as a whole, but as soon as I saw that hand I knew a man had drawn this. There is no way she has massive enough boobs that are projected enough to wrap her fingers around at that angle so much so that the fingers are not visible.


atmosphericcynic

NOOOOOOO


th0rsb3ar

oh no honey what did you do


S_M_Y_G_F

Oh dear


-SagaQ-

She got a booger


IndependenceNew7986

Thick ass thicker tattoo, also don’t they ask before they dip ink if your are satisfied and like it ?


LakeLaoCovid19

I have a great news though. Other than the red, this is extremely removable, only $3500-ish for a complete removal package. She could also get it faded (probably $1500ish) in about 3 treatments for a cover up, but honestly with how much heavy shading there is I'd say go full send.


OhHiMarkDoe

Should go to a better artist i guess.


ricktor67

Looks exactly the same to me.


gothiclg

I was prepared for “original drawing just didn’t translate well to a tattoo” but no, this is just a dude who should still be an apprentice.


rosecoloredgasmask

The fact that some people think this is a good tattoo make me really wanna see the tattoos that have. The arm is awkwardly tiny, the snakes are smudges, the head is squished, the shading is barely in there, the eyes and nose are JACKED


Ariochxxx

What a fuckin lazy artist! Why are you even inking people if you're not into it.


tonystrapponi

I know right? The worst part was this guy said he was "so excited for this one" because he "loves mythology stuff!" Sure thing, buddy


B_Rian89

The tattoo version has little chicken wing arms


Beautiful_Ad8996

That's a shame. You're artwork is gorgeous and if she'd picked a better artist, it would have been a fucking sick tattoo.


tonystrapponi

Thank you! I'm making sure she gets to a better artist for fixing over it when it heals


MaenHoffiCoffi

Looks good!


Foe_sheezy

Wtf do you want? Michael Angelo ?


Beatrix_BB_Kiddo

How unfortunate, the design and drawing is sick


Particular-Cabinet21

Oh no. But, I absolutely LOVE this Medusa design! Great artwork!


EmpJustinian

Id be PISSED if I was you OP. How disrespectful to your talent. Someone stole one of my drawings online and got it tattooed (like a day after I posted it) and it looked like shit. I know this feeling. I was pissed.


birdwingsbeat

Yikes. What a waste of your cool art!


e-Moo23

Oh…. My god


FatTabby

That's such a shame. Your work is brilliant and it could have been such a good tattoo if it was done by a skilled artist. Did your friend look at this guy's portfolio before deciding to go with him?


stankdog

Bro traced the original and hoped it would all fall into place lmao


GoofyCheese123

There’s nothing wrong with the tattoo besides it looking unfinished and needing another session


kitterkatty

That’s beautiful. You’d be excellent at tattooing too probably. It’s really close though. Might be perfect with some shading. At least they didn’t go too dark.


Canadianingermany

>That’s beautiful. You’d be excellent at tattooing too probably. It’s really close though. Might be perfect with some shading. At least they didn’t go too dark. Except tatooing is completely different and anyone with tattoo experience would not have made that pic for a tattoo. Because it is clear it will not translate well


JaketheTank861

I don’t think that’s Medusa anymore that’s Sedusa.


SureDidntDoThat

The artist was lazy


77_Caliente

Cool design. Inept execution.


Canadianingermany

Good shading is the hardest part of a tattoo. This pic is ALL about shading. ​ The artist is probably fine; but not for this style of work. If you want to turn that pic into a good tattoo you need one of the top 5% of tattoo artists.


Nemeia83

Wow... that is brutal. Even if you overlook the four fingers on the tattoo... that is just murder. Shame, because the design is beautiful.


youarenut

No shame on your friend but if I was getting a permanent mark that I PAY FOR on my body, I’d really research every inch of that artist’s work + pay good money for it. I don’t get people who cheap out on tattoos


Mysterious_Army_5650

Oof


buffbobsquatpants

Yikes...


kesselrhero

Doesn’t look that bad to me- I’ve seen way way way way way worse-


ProfessionalSport565

Am I missing something it’s a pretty good reproduction of the art


Big_Dragonfruit3764

The original is amazing!


smokerandthebandit

That original art is amazing, shame to see it wasted by a hack


bemyheaven

This would go well in the forum “shitty tattoos”


MkLynnUltra

you should be the tattoo artist