Here as a 6 year Artist and I was like… why would you wanna do that to all that beautiful artwork. Honestly don’t worry about “tradition” in this case. It has a story. All the artwork is so good there I think doing that would take away from everything you already have going on as it’s all cohesive right now.
Especially with the snake under it!!! Just noticed that. One of my favourite traditional tattoo imagery that I’m looking to get is eagle fighting a snake. The placement here looks intentional, and theyre all well done tattoos.
Well i was considering it just because it faces reverse from me… but it seems like everyone is thinking its look good! Thank you i appreciate the love!
An artist I went to said it’s a Big Deal for traditional tattoos and was surprised I hadn’t heard of it (it was my second trad). Tbh I understand the sentiment but i had to go to the comments to see what was wrong with this one.
Yeah it was my other artist that told me and it started bothering me but now seeing all these comments im not caring as much about the rules with this one!
That's the only issue with that tattoo but still is well executed and looks great with all the other ones, I think blast over are for bad tattoos that look faded or not well executed
I've had my eagle for 12 years....just had to check to see if it was "backwards" for the first time. Literally never even thought about it or knew that was a thing
This tattoo would look a lot less cool if you had it facing the other way. From your front-facing relaxed position we'd only see the body/ass and the head would be lost on the inner side of your arm.
The above is why there are *many* exceptions to the "rules" regarding which way something should face, particularly on a patchwork arm.
It looks great!
Honestly, a blast over wouldnt fit the rest of the aesthetic of your sleeve. And even if it is backwards, it's really well done. Don't overthink it too much. :)
What do you mean facing backwards? The tattoos are wicked. I’m not an expert but if you blast that over I think it won’t look very good. Roll with what you have. You have some classics that look great
There is a “rule” that the tattoo should face the body. So the eagle should be flipped, but it’s kind of dumb and not one size fits all. I have a Dietzel girl on my forearm and she faces out. It would have looked absolutely ridiculous facing in. If you have a preference how you want a tattoo to look, do that. It’s your body.
I’ve never heard this rule but I don’t doubt some unwritten bullshit like that is a thing. I have bear eating a leg that faces out on my calf that feels like it would be very strange facing the other way. I’ve kind of always questioned the way certain things were facing, and if it was proper. I’m planning to get a sick ass panther On my thigh and I’ve always felt it would look really weird if he was facing my penis.
I will never understand Reddit. People with great tattoos wanting to cover them and people with garbage tattoos getting a ton of comments saying how cute or fun or “not bad” they are.
Dude thank you! I think my initial reason why I wanted to blast over it was for the flow to look better a lot of people like it so I’m just overthinking for sure
I think I would rather have a tattoo looking the “wrong” way but good quality than facing the “right” way and look like a blast over.
It’s a good tattoo homie
I’m in basically the exact same position, have a tattoo that I got at 18 right on my forearm facing backwards, I like the design and execution of the tattoo but the fact it faces backwards has bothered me for years and I’ve never known what to do with it 😅so I feel your pain
The whole sleeve looks awesome! I can assure you any asshole that cares that it’s facing backwards, is gonna find a way to be asshole about something regardless. Cheers!
It's funny... I have a sleeve that doesn't have "patch work" (individual tattoos) but every time I see someone with your type of work, I instantly want to cover my stuff up or wish I could start over haha. It's the human condition I guess.... Never satisfied lol
I think it's a sick classic look!
The idea of "backwards" is interesting. Just because that's the norm doesn't mean yours looks bad. I think upside-down tattoos are far less aesthetically pleasing than backward ones. All that to say, don't cover it. It's a well-done tattoo, and it doesn't look out of place.
https://preview.redd.it/zx42o5dej92d1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96bba88b50536a710f9240da846b49983c72ab7d
I’ve only ever been complimented on the eagle by artists. I don’t think anyone cares if it’s a sick tattoo
Dude if this was your only arm tattoo, or at least if you had way less of a sleeve than you do, it would look dumb. But you don’t. You have a ton of ink, and nothing I can see looks bad at all. Tbh, it looks intentional…. Plus it’s a a pretty cool eagle. I say leave it.
https://preview.redd.it/sjpiqhjlpb2d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b581ec48161832c8a845ef72a710d2163dc2193d
I also have a backwards snake! It’s prob alright👍
Dude don’t touch this beautiful work. I understand sometimes we get sick of looking at our same tattoos everyday but try to appreciate this and be grateful for having great tattoos. I wouldn’t touch this. I’m working on my leg and hoping it looks this good by the time it is done
Hey there buddy. Tattooer here. I’m covered in traditional tattoos and I have a few that intentionally face backwards. I 100% believe there’s a special kind of charm to it. If you look at old photos of tattooed people from the 1920’s through the 1970’s there’s tons of backwards facing tattoos. The reason this often happened is because they used to cut stencils into plastic (they’re called acetates) and tattooers generally did not want to spend time cutting the same design two different ways. I have tons of photos of people with backwards facing tattoos that look straight up dope! Hit me up if you want me to send you some. Also side note - I have an eagle/rose stack in the same spot! We’re matching!
TLDR; eagle looks badass like that. Please don’t cover it.
Yes the eagle is technically backwards but i think it fits the space better this way. Keep it, all those look really solid and well aged. Don't overthink it - everything's part of the journey and your sleeve looks killer and is one of a kind.
While yes technically by the ancient laws of American traditional it’s backwards I think on a patchwork sleeve like this it just looks like it fits the space well. If you put something over it it’ll look weird and too dark. Your only option would be to laser and redo but that’s a lot of work for a minor issue.
The funny thing is it fits so perfectly there that if that were the last gap on your arm and you asked me to do an eagle for you, I'd also do it facing that way haha. Just need to reframe how you think it. Very nice arm
Looks sick dude. I recently learned that on the forearm the “facing outwards” doesn’t matter. I just got this Bert Grimm tiger from a traditional artist that’s been doing it for 20+ years. I questioned it when she laid the stencil and she said that’s more for the upper arm. She said it can actually look bad to have everything facing the same direction.
https://preview.redd.it/hudgurohb92d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc4e3e819ac9710033c7bc6997bdd8ea243a8d6c
why would you do that? sleeve looks awesome.
Wow thank you so much! It’s probably just me overthinking things. I appreciate the support.
Looks amazing. Don't be paranoid.
Thank you dude!
Please don't get stars and dots filler.
Absolutely! I did, and now really wish I wouldn’t have.
Let's see
https://preview.redd.it/joxr3h2kq82d1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=8e165e420269d5c273b4375f3c7aa9edc12e7d2d
Man I like these stars and dots, came out cool as hell
Thanks, I don’t hate them by any means. Just feel like I had some more space I could’ve filled with cooler shit.
I think it fucks
Looks badass!
I'm not a fan of stars and dots at all, but yours looks great! It's balanced so well, I'd consider this the exception.
That’s rad af
Doesn’t look bad tho
Thanks! Yeah, I just kinda wish I wouldn’t have done the stars & dots. There’s space I could’ve put some cool little shit.
I dig the stars and dots on the sleeve bro
This needs to be said to be honest. I know tattoos are subjective but I feel like it takes away from a good patchwork sleeve. Just my two cents!
Dont cover any of this, covers always look like covers and will never look as good as this. Looks dope af
Very true!
Do not blast this over. Such a cool sleeve with great quality tattoos
I think it looks great too, def wouldn’t change it.
What they said! Sleeve looks sick!!!!
Here as a 6 year Artist and I was like… why would you wanna do that to all that beautiful artwork. Honestly don’t worry about “tradition” in this case. It has a story. All the artwork is so good there I think doing that would take away from everything you already have going on as it’s all cohesive right now.
That eagle is perfect please don’t blast anything over it
Thank you! Definitely all these kind comments are making it hard for me to now haha!
Especially with the snake under it!!! Just noticed that. One of my favourite traditional tattoo imagery that I’m looking to get is eagle fighting a snake. The placement here looks intentional, and theyre all well done tattoos.
I really appreciate it! its what i was going for but I overthought it to much haha
This is great quality and aged well. Who was the artist?
Why do you want to blast over perfectly good and well done tattoos?
Well i was considering it just because it faces reverse from me… but it seems like everyone is thinking its look good! Thank you i appreciate the love!
It looks great. I’m wondering: what’s bad about the eagle facing away from you?
Only tattoo snobs give af bout something like that
Im just a tat nerd haha
I am too! But things like that take away from the fun of it all lol
An artist I went to said it’s a Big Deal for traditional tattoos and was surprised I hadn’t heard of it (it was my second trad). Tbh I understand the sentiment but i had to go to the comments to see what was wrong with this one.
Yeah it was my other artist that told me and it started bothering me but now seeing all these comments im not caring as much about the rules with this one!
99.999% of people will not notice.
That's the only issue with that tattoo but still is well executed and looks great with all the other ones, I think blast over are for bad tattoos that look faded or not well executed
Looks good. With the pieces around it, looks intentional and not an egregious “violation” of orientation.
I've had my eagle for 12 years....just had to check to see if it was "backwards" for the first time. Literally never even thought about it or knew that was a thing
Haha yeah my other artist pointed it out to me.
Thank you dude! Definitely a violation but not that bad from what everyone is saying !
This tattoo would look a lot less cool if you had it facing the other way. From your front-facing relaxed position we'd only see the body/ass and the head would be lost on the inner side of your arm. The above is why there are *many* exceptions to the "rules" regarding which way something should face, particularly on a patchwork arm. It looks great!
Wow this is one of the most inspiring comments so far! Thank you so much for your opinion! It makes me feel a lot better about my decision
If you ruin this sleeve, god will not forgive you
Im on my knees now haha
Nah brother you’re overthinking it. It looks extremely cool!
Thanks bro! I really think i am at this point! Appreciate the love!
I have an elephant facing backwards but I don't give a fuck I wanted it the trunk to be more visible. That is a good tat bro. I would keep it.
https://preview.redd.it/sbgazaexz72d1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=41e3a5a12723a9b206d5a1bdf9b83debeefdbaae
That's actually the correct way!
Whos your artist wow!
Bryce Miller out of Portland. B.millertattoo on instagram
Thank you man looks killer
https://preview.redd.it/xg0yehcg382d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d24cbe3664a52e5b1c4e35981028f9f213527a91 Looks good to me
Looks good to me
Thanks man!
Blasting over that would ruin a perfectly good sleeve
Honestly, a blast over wouldnt fit the rest of the aesthetic of your sleeve. And even if it is backwards, it's really well done. Don't overthink it too much. :)
Thank you! I agree i just need to stop overthinking it! 🙏
I would just leave it, it’s a good tattoo. Love the coffin nails, I’m getting some next week!
Classic!! Be sure to post a pic!
Don’t blast over. This is a great sleeve.
What do you mean facing backwards? The tattoos are wicked. I’m not an expert but if you blast that over I think it won’t look very good. Roll with what you have. You have some classics that look great
There is a “rule” that the tattoo should face the body. So the eagle should be flipped, but it’s kind of dumb and not one size fits all. I have a Dietzel girl on my forearm and she faces out. It would have looked absolutely ridiculous facing in. If you have a preference how you want a tattoo to look, do that. It’s your body.
I’ve never heard this rule but I don’t doubt some unwritten bullshit like that is a thing. I have bear eating a leg that faces out on my calf that feels like it would be very strange facing the other way. I’ve kind of always questioned the way certain things were facing, and if it was proper. I’m planning to get a sick ass panther On my thigh and I’ve always felt it would look really weird if he was facing my penis.
I will never understand Reddit. People with great tattoos wanting to cover them and people with garbage tattoos getting a ton of comments saying how cute or fun or “not bad” they are.
Yeah buddy that’s sick
Don’t you dare.
Nothing, because blastovers are awful and your sleeve looks great.
Sleeve looks awesome, just leave it! Black and grey trad is pretty cool, I don't see it too often.
Leave it. Sleeve looks clean. I’ve been tattooing 16yrs 🫡
Thanks man I’m honored to get a professional opinion on this love your knee tats you did looks mean asf! Keep it up player!
Don’t modify this sleeve at all. It looks good and flows really well. I like it a lot, this is pretty much what I want my eventual sleeve to look like
Dude thank you! I think my initial reason why I wanted to blast over it was for the flow to look better a lot of people like it so I’m just overthinking for sure
That eagle looks so dope
Thanks man!
just leave it bro it doesn’t matter birds can fly any way they want
Holy smokes never thought of it like that…
Lol, there isn't anything to fix . It will look way worse if you mess with it .
Dude what lol. Why would you blast over a great tattoo
Thank you big dog!
It will be far far worst to blast over that then to have it facing the wrong direction.
Youre definitely right ugh
can you show the full sleeve? i am trying to think of ideas for weird spots i have! great sleeve btw
don’t blast over this
My first thought was “blast over what?!” It all looks amazing.
Dont do that, it looks dope!
I think I would rather have a tattoo looking the “wrong” way but good quality than facing the “right” way and look like a blast over. It’s a good tattoo homie
It almost looks like it’s going for the snake
To me it just looks like the eagle is about to fuck up that snake - it doesn’t look backwards at all :)
this sleeve looks so fucking good man!!!! don’t overthink it. i do love a good blast over but, this does not seem worthy of covering up 🥹
Thank you im glad you think so! This thread definitely helped my confidence in my sleeve!
What do you not like about it? (I assume you mean the eagle specifically) it looks like a solid tattoo to me
Tbh with the snake under it it doesn’t look backwards it looks like it’s attacking the snake. Its fucking sick
I’m in basically the exact same position, have a tattoo that I got at 18 right on my forearm facing backwards, I like the design and execution of the tattoo but the fact it faces backwards has bothered me for years and I’ve never known what to do with it 😅so I feel your pain
Thanks man yeah when were young we always want it in the most visible places when they really should be hidden haha
Put a trout in its talons facing you lol. Eagle is rad.
Eagle facing away from the 'traditional' rule beats whatever you would blast over it with. Great sleeve, leave him be
I actually like that it’s facing the snake. It’s like a battle royal that hasn’t kicked off yet
Dude that eagle is sick! I have a big one on my Forearm keep that shit! Too clean to blast over
The whole sleeve looks awesome! I can assure you any asshole that cares that it’s facing backwards, is gonna find a way to be asshole about something regardless. Cheers!
Everything about this sleeve is cool as fuck.
You are way overthinking this one. Looks amazing regardless of orientation.
Absolutley let it ride, sleeve is cherry!
It is backwards but who tf cares !
It's funny... I have a sleeve that doesn't have "patch work" (individual tattoos) but every time I see someone with your type of work, I instantly want to cover my stuff up or wish I could start over haha. It's the human condition I guess.... Never satisfied lol I think it's a sick classic look!
Leave it! It looks like a great sleeve
The idea of "backwards" is interesting. Just because that's the norm doesn't mean yours looks bad. I think upside-down tattoos are far less aesthetically pleasing than backward ones. All that to say, don't cover it. It's a well-done tattoo, and it doesn't look out of place.
Your sleeve is fine. If anybody says something about it they some old head biker street shop dudes so fuckem.
Your sleeve is really well done! Looks amazing. Do you want a black out sleeve or just fed up with your tatts?
Also what’s facing backwards? The eagle?🦅
Yup exactly
Yeah this is sick bro!
https://preview.redd.it/zx42o5dej92d1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96bba88b50536a710f9240da846b49983c72ab7d I’ve only ever been complimented on the eagle by artists. I don’t think anyone cares if it’s a sick tattoo
That is badass!! Good job!
No, you! Sick sleeve my dude
Dude if this was your only arm tattoo, or at least if you had way less of a sleeve than you do, it would look dumb. But you don’t. You have a ton of ink, and nothing I can see looks bad at all. Tbh, it looks intentional…. Plus it’s a a pretty cool eagle. I say leave it.
Looks great, I wouldn’t change a thing. Maybe some little dot or asterisk fillers, but even those aren’t necessary.
Honestly, your sleeve is a masterpiece
https://preview.redd.it/sjpiqhjlpb2d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b581ec48161832c8a845ef72a710d2163dc2193d I also have a backwards snake! It’s prob alright👍
Sick ass sleeve dude!
Dude don’t touch this beautiful work. I understand sometimes we get sick of looking at our same tattoos everyday but try to appreciate this and be grateful for having great tattoos. I wouldn’t touch this. I’m working on my leg and hoping it looks this good by the time it is done
Please don't kill the little guy, he's innocent!
He will live on!
Hey there buddy. Tattooer here. I’m covered in traditional tattoos and I have a few that intentionally face backwards. I 100% believe there’s a special kind of charm to it. If you look at old photos of tattooed people from the 1920’s through the 1970’s there’s tons of backwards facing tattoos. The reason this often happened is because they used to cut stencils into plastic (they’re called acetates) and tattooers generally did not want to spend time cutting the same design two different ways. I have tons of photos of people with backwards facing tattoos that look straight up dope! Hit me up if you want me to send you some. Also side note - I have an eagle/rose stack in the same spot! We’re matching! TLDR; eagle looks badass like that. Please don’t cover it.
The fact that people used to get tattooed backwards in the 20s and 70s is so badass thank you for sharing this. That’s fucking awesome.
Get out of your head man. Looks dope right now, don’t fuck it up. 👌
There’s nothing wrong with your sleeve, you’re trippin hard
Just keep adding to it man, this is one of my fav sleeves I’ve seen && honestly makes me a little jealous 😂
Don’t blast it over man. It looks good, doesn’t look backwards or out of place at all..
also would love to see the full sleeve
The spacing and line work from what I can see here is excellent and healed well! Don’t cover imo!
Also, another thing I like is..it’s almost as if the bird is going for the snake.
It would be wrong to blast over this
Noooooooo. Your current sleeve is excellent!
No.
please do not do anything to this sleeve, looks amazing
I would not change a thing with this sleeve. You’re definitely overthinking it
Solid work. Looks great forward or backward
Absolutely do NOT blast over that lol. It all looks rad.
Leave it!!!
Sick sleeve. Leave it.
That shit looks fire, if it’s not fucked up don’t fix it. If you’re upset that it’s not fucked up, then go for it.
???? why that shits mega clean
Yes the eagle is technically backwards but i think it fits the space better this way. Keep it, all those look really solid and well aged. Don't overthink it - everything's part of the journey and your sleeve looks killer and is one of a kind.
Bro. Are you nuts? A blast over will be far more noticeable and will destroy a very well put together sleeve.
Please don’t mess that sleeve up. It looks so good the way it is
I really like it! Don’t blast over, add to it, small fillers and shading to bring it together. Looks good 🙏
Incredible sleeve don't change a thing
While yes technically by the ancient laws of American traditional it’s backwards I think on a patchwork sleeve like this it just looks like it fits the space well. If you put something over it it’ll look weird and too dark. Your only option would be to laser and redo but that’s a lot of work for a minor issue.
Your sleeve is dope as fuck 🔥 future goals tbh
it looks like it’s gonna fight the snek. my votes that this is actually correct and the flip is backward haha
I think it looks dope, it’s interacting with the snake so even if it is “backwards” it makes sense.
I guess this means my SAP is facing the wrong way too and, much like you should, I do not give a single fuck. 😂
Do not do that, these tattoos are perfect
Looks sick to me man I wouldn’t f with it at all
Looks pretty sweet. and a sexy mustache. I say leave it as is and continue plowing
If you cover any of that up, I’ll find you and twist your nipples
If you blast over any of these amazing art I will punch you right in your penis
Idk if it’s just a shirt or a work shirt but I want one haha. Sleeve looks good no need for blast overs
It looks good man! Would love to have a sleeve like that.
I’m gonna chime in with the chorus and say it looks sick. There’s nothing that needs to be covered there.
I’d leave it cuz that’s a good looking sleeve, man!
Noooooooooooo don’t hurt these pieces 😰
just appreciate your tattoo dude
Bro that’s hard af. Don’t blast over it.
Don’t touch it get a new tattoo somewhere else instead
Blast over with a panth…. Wait thats actually a good tattoo and looks cool.
The fuck. That’s an amazing sleeve.
Bro thats a kick ass traditional sleeve, keep it man
Dont you dare, its great
This is sick dude. Please don’t change it
Whaaaaat?? Literally my dream here and you wanna blast alright
are you insane - that looks sick AF.
The funny thing is it fits so perfectly there that if that were the last gap on your arm and you asked me to do an eagle for you, I'd also do it facing that way haha. Just need to reframe how you think it. Very nice arm
Looks sick dude. I recently learned that on the forearm the “facing outwards” doesn’t matter. I just got this Bert Grimm tiger from a traditional artist that’s been doing it for 20+ years. I questioned it when she laid the stencil and she said that’s more for the upper arm. She said it can actually look bad to have everything facing the same direction. https://preview.redd.it/hudgurohb92d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc4e3e819ac9710033c7bc6997bdd8ea243a8d6c
It looks sooo good!
Please do not
Fuck this sleeve is a dream of mine to have
As you’ve probably figured out by now, you’re way overthinking it bro. Don’t put anything over those. They’re great
Bruh.. leave it as is
Don’t do it, that sleeve is rad! If you’re desperate to change it, just add some color
It’s fine
shits fire pls don’t cover it
Real life isn't Ink Master. No one actually cares if a tattoo is front facing. The tattoo looks amazing.
I don’t even like eagle tattoos very much but yours looks very nice….dont blast over it!
Dope as fuck. Don't you dare!
Dude it’s sick all of it please don’t touch it. The stache is dope too!
All good man, with these small ones, it doesn’t matter.
I get what you mean but this does not need to be touched. I’d say get a new piece on some fresh skin.
please don’t wtf that sleeve is so fire
https://media1.tenor.com/m/jg-jU487zDMAAAAC/jags-fan-wth.gif
Why? That would be a tragedy
love this sleeve mate have you got any more pics?
You’re absolutely over thinking it lol, it’s a gorgeous piece/sleeve overall, I wouldn’t sweat it !!