Discussion: How Much Detail Can You Get in a Small Tattoo?
Sunday April 22, 2007
bubbles525 writes: "I'm planning my first tattoo and I've been wondering just how much detail is possible in a smallish tattoo? My mom passed last August and I want to honor her with a memorial tattoo...I've been picturing a gecko tattoo on my right foot for her, with her initials and possibly dates, since before she passed. The gecko would be sitting on top of my foot with the tail wrapped part way around my ankle...Thing is I want as much detail as possible. Ideally I want people to look down and almost stop and tell me not to move because there's a gecko on my foot, or at least approach that realism as closely as possible."
Comments
i have a tat of a lizard/gecko on my left wrist….he came from a very intense dream i had one night…i was wandering in a very red desert and this little chap appeared and i picked him up…with my left hand even tho i am right handed…..he sat on my left wrist and them disappeared into my body…..quite disturbing…..haha…..he re-appeared as completely white and scampered off, leaving his brilliant colours as a tat on my wrist where he had sat….this was so significant that i had it done the next day exactly as he had appeared to me…..he is the same size as a lizard or large gecko and is black with three dots of colour - red, yellow and blue….each dot surrounded by a thin line of white……his tail curls onto my hand and he has tiny claws and big eyes…all the tiny features of his skin are done in black, and he is gorgeous and exactly how he appeared to me…..every detail….he even has a shadow as he sits on my wrist…..depending on who you go to, every tiny detail can be incorporated into the smallest tat……
i later found out that lizards are a powerful totem animal of transformation and second chances…they have but one chance in this life to make a drastic change and drop their tails and live on….even the 3 prime colours on mine show new beginnings from which everything else will come…..good luck with yours….mine means a lot to me…..
Raven…
If you want a lot of detail and a realistic looking tattoo, you must go larger, don’t let any one fool you. One way to find out how detailed you can go is to take a fine point sharpi ink pen and outline the design. If the lines look too thick, you must go larger until it looks good. If you get too small and as time goes by, lines tend to thicken up over time and it will look like a blob 10 yrs. down the road. Make sure you go see a reputable artist so you don’t make a mistake.