This year, I'll be getting my first tattoo on my right shoulder. I'm the kind of person who fully believes a tattoo should represent something of the individual, and not just for the sake of getting one. I have wanted this design for many years, and have finally decided to get it. However...I want it to look...Well...Good. And an artist I am not. I make things sound pretty, not look it. So I reach out to you, Graphic Artists of XoO, to have a part in this. Don't make it overly complex, and probably only 2-3 colours at the most. I want the symbols in black though, no matter how it's all designed. And in case you're wondering, it's Greek for Phoenix. I'll decide which I like best, and by the end of the year, should have it on my arm. Any questions, feel free to ask. I am very serious about this though, nothing outlandishly stupid because "Oh it's PDog". Plus, I am very in love with the Phoenix mythology and it's meanings. It's a crude render, just something I did up in paint. I could actually draw it better, but I don't want to scan it and all that garbage. Design it how you will =) I tend to read it as "O" "O" "I" "V" "I" "E"
I was going to do something up in paint, but its a little hard with a laptop's touchpad. My idea: a piece of pie with a cat's nose and whiskers... In all honesty, your best bet will be to go to a tattoo parlor with that idea and ask the artist to do something. I know there's a place around the corner from where I live (it'll take you 20 mins to get here, it is Canada afterall ) where you give them an idea and he designs something. This guy takes pride in all of his tattoos, and I think that's a common trait for good tattoo parlours. In addition to that, it also means you won't have a design made that they can't replicate. If they design it themselves, they're more likely to get it right.
on the same note though this is going to be a part of him, and ya don't want to goto the tat place and be a bit pressured into something they do up that ya don't like... it's good to have at least a rough idea of what ya want going in and then let them adjust it a bit and add a bit of thier style to it to make it a better tattoo instead of just a graphic. Do you want an actual phoenix around it maybe? http://crazy-tattoo-designs.com/phoenix_tattoo_designs.gif
On the one hand, you want to go in with something in mind to give them (the tattoo artist) a solid starting point - a foundation if you will. On the flip side, if you do your research and find a good artist, they will have knowledge, skill and experience to bring to the table and will be able to advise you on how to tweak the design to look best in the space you want it. If you do decide to get something other than just lettering, try to find an artist that does things in a style that you like - it will make it easier for both of you to come up with a design from which everyone can walk away happy. A good start for this is looking at their portfolio; typically artists put those out as an example of not only their talent and skill, but what kind of art interests them the most. For the lettering, I recommend bringing in a sample of the font you want, roughly the size you want, to get the ball rolling. That's my advice, since I have no graphic artistry in me at all, but I do have a fair amount of experience with getting custom tattoos.
Sure. I want to see what XoO has. XoO's always been a large part of my life, so letting you guys have an opinion on how it will look means a lot to me.