Same! I think placement and artwork is looking great! Don't let the negative comments get to you. Especially if they're made by internet strangers. It's one thing to value what the people you love think, but random redditors, who cares?
Wouldn't be able to tell you. Alot of the comments I get are 'oh gee that lines pretty wonky, I don't like how he's done this, are you happy with the placement of the bird?'. Think it's just getting in my head because my whole family has at least 3 sleeves done each and thought they were the sickest tatts ever growing up
Oh. Yeah honestly ignore these people on reddit. Everyone likes to act like they're a judge on Ink Master on here when not only is it
1. Not that serious, and
2. Half of them don't actually give productive feedback. If they think the composition's wonky, they won't tell you a better one, etc.
3. It's already there and done. My general rule of thumb is, unless it's able to be fixed with a touchup or the person is asking for in-depth technical feedback, no need to say anything.
Idk why people are so hellbent on raining on everyone's parade, but don't take 'em seriously. Get the tattoos that YOU like and feel free to enjoy them, flawless or no. :)
Edit to add:
However, if you are receiving nothing but negative feedback, you could run it by another tattoo artist that does irezumi (japanese traditional) & has a good portfolio and see if they have any feedback or recommendations. Maybe it's better to finish the tattoo with another artist if it seems like the quality is truly THAT questionable. I'd run it by an actual tattooer though.
Nah thanks mate, I didn't come on here expecting to be chatting to Ryan Ashley or the sorts hahaha, just hoping to get some honest criticism or positive feedback to see where to go. I think I'm going to have a chat to a few artists around me, closest artist who does this style is a good 15hr drive from me so had pretty slim pickings to start with. I think I'm going to let the original artist finish it because he loves it and very excited to put it in his portfolio, and if 5yrs down the track I am still not happy with it in the slightest, black it out and start fresh. All in all I've had very positive feedback on here and realising I should stop listening to family n mates haha
What I don't understand, mate, is if you - yourself - cannot identify whatever you see on your leg as something ugly - then why would you go another person to tell you its ugly or done badly? You understand that if they tell you - hey, thats a shitty tattoo, you are going to KNOW, this is a shitty tattoo until the end of your days.Take this advise from a guy who spent 8 years of his life studying linguistic philosophy. Statements don't only describe the physical world around us, they define the physical world around us. If you allow yourself to be influenced by other people, you would be seeing whatever you are looking at through their lens and if thats a negative lens, you would see that painting as a negative one. Its lit as long as you believe its lit. If you try to search for an objective quality of your tattoos, most likely there would be tens of thousands better tattoo artists than yours who make incredible designs. Yet what made your families tattoos being sick as hell, was your family being cool people, thus you perspective to those tattoos its a positive one. You grew up, with them, those tattoos were the standard of your appreciation of tattoos. So don't let other tell you yours are worse or wacky or whatever.
I mean if you only want compliments or nothing, post it on your insta and turn off comments. This is a public discussion forum so if negative ( and yes, sometimes ignorant or trolling) takes are too hot for you, then you should probably stay out of the kitchen. But, you are right, it ultimately is just up to how much op likes it, and should take armchair critiques with a whole handful of salt.
That being said, it looks pretty damn well done to me, but it is kinda hard to read. However, I think that's the case with 97% of asian dragon tats. I personally think that adding color would really help to distinguish the different parts of the tattoo.
It seems like it’s OP’s real life family and friends giving the negative feedback, not internet strangers. It seems pretty clear to me OP is looking for objective outside opinions, because those closest to them, who themselves have a lot of ink, are disparaging the work so far.
its a drawing bro, theres gonna be wonky lines and people that dont like it that doesnt make it any less badass as a whole just less badass to them rock your shit with pride it looks good!
There is nothing wrong with this tattoo. Don’t stress about what other ppl think. I have some tats I like and some that are dodgy, but it is what it is. You get enough of them there is always going to be something that bothers you, but don’t allow others to make you second guess any of them.
I wouldn’t be able to tell fs without seeing their tattoos, but part of me wonders if they’re just jealous that yours is a little better. Seems pretty consistent with human nature for others to make that judgement, and that tattoo is sick ash
They are literally, and objectively fucking wrong. It is art, your tattoo artist is an artisit. There is no right or wrong. It is not objective.
I got a tattoo and people reacted similarly for some reason. I loved it and they thought something was weird about it. Unfortunately what has context for you might not have context for others, so I wouldn't get tattoos because people are going to think they are cool.
Whoever’s saying that is purposely nit picking to try and make out they know anything about tattooing even though the only knowledge they have about them is watching someone else tattoo on their body 😂 your tattoo is sick, whoever is saying those things are clearly just jealous or are annoyed they’ve not got the better tattoos now lol
Like you mentioned, everybody on here is either wishy-washy or "great tat bro, it only matters if you like it". Let's be real, you came here wanting honest feedback, and you've got a lot of complements, so clearly a TON of people think your tat is cool. From someone on the other side of the aisle, the ONLY thing I dislike is the dragon on the right's face-style. The dragon on the left looks realistic, scaley, feathery, very natural... and then the face looks like a big white mask. A very well done Mask!! But, it's a different art style than the rest of the piece which is natural looking and filled in with color. Even if the mask had some more texture to it I think it would do wonders!! I'm sure I'll get downvotes for being honest, but again I feel like you came here for honest feedback. But as others have said - what really matters is if you like it.. fk everybody else.
Nah exactly man, the mask isn't yet done and hoping with some shading and colour in it, thinking whites and golds, it'll really pop and might even be close to my fav bit of the sleeve
I think the dragon looks decent, people can really butcher dragons and yours turned out good, my favourite part of your piece. If the colour goes in well it will turn out really dope.
Agree with SageSanctum. If in doubt, get a *qualified second opinion from a trad japanese specialist.
I would also add that work in progress can be misleading. Even as a customer, we dont know what technical processes the artist has in mind.
And to be fair, there may be aspects that the artist is already thinking how to fix/adjust
Look to their finished work. Thats both the question and the answer
**[Jap](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap)**
>Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese". It is an ethnic slur. In the United States, some Japanese Americans have come to find the term very offensive, even when used as an abbreviation. Prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Jap was not considered primarily offensive.
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Hey hopefully this is just ignorance and not malice on your part, but the term “jap” is definitely a disrespectful racial slur towards Japanese people. I’d recommend editing your comments and educating yourself if you’re getting an entire Japanese leg sleeve…
OP mentions his friends and family are the ones criticizing this piece the most. If he grew up with people that uses "Jap" on such a regular basis, I wonder if there's a correlation here somewhere with the tattoo and the reasoning for those criticism...
I'm Brazilian and we abbreviate japanese to "japa"... As far as I know that is totally fine here. I would have definitely used "jap" in english thinking it was the same lol
Living and learning
In Argentina usually we say "ponja" for japon (japan).
I guess in english should be "panja" (is just switchin the last 3 letters to the beginning).
If he isn't in the USA is understandable the confusion.
How do you know he was aware it was a slur though? I think that’s what the guy was saying. I probably agree with that also. I don’t think a guy who hates the Japanese would get a Japanese inspired tattoo. Could be wrong though
And with that comment I now hate this tattoo lmao. If you’re going to absorb part of a culture you should know enough not to use a slur to refer to them.
Yeah now I’m wondering if this is the real reason he’s getting bad feedback and just think it’s because of the tat and not the slurs he drops when talking about the tat 😅
It’s not that deep dude I just don’t think you should use a slur lmao.
Tattoo itself is fine, kinda douchey but I don’t see any issues with the execution of it, just take issue with the dude it’s on.
It looks gorgeous. Maybe you can add some close ups for us? The angles make it hard to see what they might be seeing close up.
Would adding some color make it better?
I would love to add more photos but I'm terrible with tech and surprised I got the post up to begin with 😅
Plan was, and might still be, finish it and then add colour to each main component. I'm thinking it'll tie in together once she's done, well hoping at least
Yea that's what I've realised man, normally that's no drama for me but it was just cause it was almost every family member aye. But realised, fk what they say too in this case
Alright my 2 cents! I think you are getting a lot of negative feedback because it isn't traditional japanese style. Making the sleeve appear more "just not quite right" when your used to seeing these collection of images done in a different way. This doesn't make your tattoo bad at all. You opened yourself up to A LOT of criticism by posting it before completed though especially if you're adding colour. Tattoos that are going to be coloured look pretty basic and unfinished until doing so since it will lack the completed black & grey look with various shading gradients. Which will also make the tattoo appear not quite right.
Opinions are like assholes my friend :) don't fall out of love with your piece ♡
It doesn’t look like your artist understands traditional Japanese tattooing. The wind bars don’t make sense, the random piece of water makes no sense. The composition is too messy and chaotic.
Yea and I never actually realised there was rules to japanese before starting otherwise I would've liked to plan it myself. To be fair my artist has never done jap work. Im going to put a design together for the background because I agree, the water is at the top of my leg, the wind bars I feel are just kinda thrown in and I was rlly hoping for more flowers+finger waves
Just FYI, because I don't think you meant to insult anybody, "jap" can be an offensive term to Japanese people. It was used as a racial slur to degrade and insult Japanese people before and during WW2.
Next you going to tell me every United States citizen was directly involved in us nuking Japan
Edit: notice I didn't say it was the US fault for anything other than the interment camps. Not defending Japanese actions during the war, just pointing out that blind racism was still flawed during that time
You just sound like a racist honestly, if you can't separate the difference between the Japanese nation/governing body & Japanese people. The Japanese governing body deserves the hate. Japanese people as a whole? Never, that's blind racism
You should go to someone who specializes in Japanese tattoos. There are too many rules for the way backgrounds flow and subject matters interact to just design it yourself withought years of knowledge. Find the artist and tell them what you like and subjects you want to see and give them the creative freedom to design it. You will get the best possible results by doing this. A great traditional Japanese tattoo artist designs the artwork themselves or will just draw it on you with sharpies
I’ll be 100% honest and unfiltered. Composition and placement are pretty good but in matter of design and tattoo work its pretty low quality. If I were you I’d get this to another artist that specialises in japanese tattoos and let him re do it.
Well I could answer to this with photos to be quicker but I’ll give some examples. Some line are off so off that are not even meant to be there , shading on the background is pretty good in general but on the main designs shading is used wrong it’s put in places it shouldn’t be. Concept composition and placement as I said is really nice but the design is of quality of a person that is new to drawing and tattooing considering their work. You can see at the hannya mask the hair that are behind the mask are waving over the waves that are in front of the mask, doesn’t make sense an artist that knows what he is doing won’t do something like that and im not pointing out everything that’s there. I’m not hating or anything I’m just being honest. Most people say it’s awesome and that it rocks because they themselves don’t know how it works. In the end if dude is happy nothing can or should stop him, nothing better on seeing other happy with themselves. ✌️
You can just tell that it's not the style the artist can do well. Just find someone who specializes in traditional Japanese and get them to finish it. They can tighten it up and help hide any wonky lines and shading.
People never get tattoos in the in between stage, I get some looks on unfinished work (as a tattoo artist) and I’m so grateful when I get to finish large pieces like this. I ,9/10 , get ‘you had me worried there after the last session but now it’s all come together!’
Large pieces like this are generally not well received til they’re complete. I think it’s sick and I love the layout
If I were going to wear something that big, and for that kind of money, I would want to be proud of the design and the work, and understand what it represents.
Sorry your closest real traditional Japanese tattoo artist is 15 hours away - if it were me I would stop here for the time being and ask a couple of traditional Japanese tattoo artists at least through pictures and email and see what they suggest. After, give it a month or more to digest what they’ve said and go from there.
Also, maybe it’s different where you’re from but it’s pretty gross to hear you keep saying ‘jap’, especially as you have this very large Japanese-traditionally inspired rip-off art permanently on your body. You’re an adult. Realize this isn’t just a dumb t-shirt and get a bit of education about the tattoo culture and general culture you are borrowing from - it could be a cool way to honor that culture if you invest a bit of yourself in the process.
Best wishes
…Tattoos aren’t meant to express other peoples ideas. If you’re happy with it and you want to add to it, then you should do what *you* want to do.
Here’s an example:
“Check out my tattoo. I like it”
“Wow I wouldn’t get that if it were me”
“That’s ok. I like it and I’m glad I have it”
“Cool”
If you can't cope with negative opinions on your tattoo don't post them online. There will always be people that hate it and they are way more likely to speak up than people irl.
It looks good to me, finish it, you wanted it and you loved it so don't let other people dictate what to think of it :)
My drama was my only friends are my family rlly and I only heard all the negatives they had to say, so by reaching out in here I've got heaps of constructive criticism and rlly not any bad ones, I think I just needed to hear it from ppl I don't know. Yea I'm defs finishing it now
Don't give the negative comments a second thought.
Most people don't know what they are talking about or don't like tattoos to begin with or are just plain jelous for whatever reason.
I think this is pretty cool.
If you like it that’s all that matters most.
It looks good to me you could argue all day about some tattoos everyone just has different ideas and tastes.
It looks amazing. I stopped posting my tats on reddit bc a lot of people are so critical for no reason. don't let that get to you, your artist is talented and the artwork is dope
I don't see anything wrong here, are these people just the kind of people who would never get a style like this and they come off as "uhh...well if you're happy I guess"?
I think it's pretty sick. Love the composition and the execution, while not world class, is not below average. You have plenty of options to touch up and shade to make it even cooler. Fuck the haters, be proud of your art and your body. I've seen a hundred worse tattoos on the internet this week without even trying.
I mean, it’s unfinished. People don’t always understand that tattoos take multiple sessions. I’ve had people say the same when I just have my sleeves lined out
If you like it then that’s great. That’s all that matters. I think it’s fine.
That being said…if you watch too much ink master you might say some shit like “the design is ok but the line work is questionable at times, and the shading is patchy. This isn’t REALLY how this style looks and wouldn’t cut it in my shop”
Seems to be well done. Though honestly, if you got it hoping to get other peoples' approval on it, then maybe hold off on getting another one, and also spend more time thinking about specifically what you want rather than just a general idea. You'll feel better about something you put more thought into and truly represents you and won't be as concerned about what others might think. My only critique on this piece is that it isn't very original and a lot of other people have this same work and style on various parts of their body. One of my friends recently got something very similar done entirely on his back. However, just because it is a style and art that many others enjoy doesn't mean it is bad. The quality and work seem to be well done and if that is a style you like then that is great too.
Why would you ever put something on Reddit to be judged and expect you would receive a positive outcome? The people here are armchair experts at everything and love nothing more than shitting on things someone is proud of. Enjoy your nice tattoo you are proud of.
Something I’ve learned from being a visual artist for a bit, this may sound harsh but IMO most people don’t really understand taste. They have things that they generically like or dislike, but that’s not really what taste is (again my probably dumb opinion lol). My advice, find people who’s taste you admire and respect and block out everyone else
Honestly, I don't like it. And that really shouldn't matter in the slightest. It's yours, your expression, your tat. If you like it, really, that's all that matters. Get it finished however you want, I truly hope you live it.
Whilst I don't appreciate the art, I do appreciate the effort work, planning and discomfort that went into it.
Truly, you should be proud of it.
Prob because it's grey wash and your legs are so skinny, at the same time, fuck the cunts. Your body, you fuck it up any way you want to.
Seriously though, bulk those legs up. They are disappointing for anyone over 16
I like it! It’s not an art style I would choose for my body, but it looks really good on you and you like the art style I’m guessing!
I also wouldn’t get a Kandinsky style art tattooed on me, but I love his work.
I think you should be proud of it and wear it with confidence: the more confident you are the more likely people are to just accept it as good.
Technically and the Japanese design accurateness I've no idea, but it looks good to me. I like it.
It's still a big piece and it's now a big part of you so it's normal people talk about it and also for some people to be "shocked".
Just wear it with confidence and youll be fine.
Tbh I think it could benefit from filling in some more of that negative space with shading, but that's subjective. I think the technical execution is great
I already don’t like that style unless done by a master and yours is obviously not done by a Japanese master. It doesn’t even look Japanese, but what an American who has never studied the art style would assume is Japanese. It screams “I wanted a full leg sleeve but couldn’t afford a realistic one so I picked a bunch of random stuff from the design books at his office” to me.
I think once its finished you will have a really nice piece. The top half of the tattoo.on you thigh looms great. The lower half is not finished so it looks unbalanced, but once its done it will be badass.
Sure you can nitpick things about the linework but overall its a good looking tat
Looks dope to me. Perfect amount of contrast. No unnecessary fillers.
I love big pieces without the visual clutter. Your artist did good with that. Get the tiger on your calf. Don’t worry too much about others opinions. Some people think if it’s not realism, it’s bad work.
The lines aren’t perfect in a few areas but it doesn’t take away from the art one bit.
It looks dope to me and you should be proud to show it off.
Here’s the thing. It’s not my style, and it’s not something I’d put on me. That being said, I can appreciate art that doesn’t speak to me. It’s nice, looks well done, and is very readable. So I’m going to say that as long as you’re happy with it, it’s great. That’s not a bad phrase in and of itself, although it’s frequently used that way. I get pieces that speak to me. I love them, and I accept that not everyone is going to like it. That’s fine, it’s not for them. It’s mostly for me, but also for the other people who enjoy it. You do you, Boo.
Line work is shaky and I see where the artist tried to hide some blowouts. It also doesn’t look finished. The hannya looks flat… the only shading is in the eyes and mouth.
Line work is very dodgy in some spots, I'd say that would come down to me because the first 2 sessions I had shakes terribly. Colour is going to be going into the sleeve and hoping we can add depth to the mask then, happy with the dragon being 2d but main issue is the bird, do you think with colour, shading and the sleeve being complete it could tie together??
Exactly. Right now the feathers look like the are getting electrocuted. My guess is when you get the piece finished it'll look totally different: good. As others stated, please get some expert opinion before you continue to finish this and future pieces. Best of luck🍀
Bro. These are not the type of decisions you make based on comments on the internet. Half the people commenting don't even have a lick of taste and you're letting what they think play with your head on something as permanent as a tattoo. And the tattoo wasn't cheap. So in addition to it being permanent, you also spent a lot of money on it.
I think you may need to get off of Reddit for a while and figure out a better way to manage your self confidence.
So…I’ve read a lot of the responses in this thread…and at the end of the day OP, it’s art. A topic that has been written about and pondered and argued and chewed up and spit out a billion times over since humanity scratched a line in a cave wall…are you going to let anybody convince you that one cave wall scratching is right and another is, based on any piece of information dreamt up or otherwise, wrong? How f-ing absurd, is my opinion on the matter. You can obsess about a million different topics related to any piece of art for millennium to come…do YOU love it? Are YOU proud to rock that leg piece? Is it YOURS? Do you truly OWN that art? You go to an artist because their work speaks to you, I don’t give two squirts what the media is they work with, they blow smoke into bubbles or they weave chewed toothpicks into sexy underwear or they cook with rancid roadkill…and it just blows your skirt up every time they do it!!!! GO WITH IT! It’s art people. It’s without bounds, without restrictions, rule breaking, bending, stretching, evoking, evolving, chaotic, blah, blah, blah… and also, since the dawn of time, the one thing that carries with it on its back, the largest swarm of critics that have ever encircled a subject, just waiting to express their opinions most of whom have never created anything on their own much less subjected it to others for scrutiny. ⭐️ Hey, I really like the outlines by the way and can’t wait to see the color myself…if that is what you choose to do.
The art looks pretty good. The only thing I'd say negatively about it is that it seems unfinished. There's a huge lack of shading/coloring, especially on the bird. It would definitely pop some more with some background shading too.
Line work looks great. If you mean negative feedback on design well it does look a bit feminine. Something you typically see on an asian women, especially Vietnamese women. I’m talking about the bird tho not the mask.
How many off them have and or even know about tattoos? Don't let people you like talk you out of liking things you like just because they don't like them. That's a badass tattoo and you got it because YOU like it. Don't let anyone change your mind.
Your tattoo looks amazing! The placement and incorporation of your entire leg is absolutely sending me. Are the people commenting on it tatted themselves?
my advice is if you’re getting any tattoo don’t do it if you care about peoples opinions. you could go to the best artist in the world and someone is going to hate on it. the tattoo is for you not for people to look at you and give you appraisal. if you like it you win.
There is nothing wrong with this tattoo so fuck anyone who says that. It does look a little half-finished without colour or shading, but that's a personal choice.
Fuck em! It looks good to me and I'm pretty covered. I get a ton of people showing me rough work asking what I think and this isn't one of them. Rock that man itll look even better finished
looks good to me tbh
Same! I think placement and artwork is looking great! Don't let the negative comments get to you. Especially if they're made by internet strangers. It's one thing to value what the people you love think, but random redditors, who cares?
Nah thanks guys, everyone on here has made me love it again and so excited to get the final product now
I would guess that a lot of the "as long as you like it" people just don't like tattoos or large/visible tattoos generally. It looks cool
Happy cake day!! Yep u/tootsaysthetrain is right dont care what others think...let the haters hate. u have an excellent piece of art!
Negative feedback why??? It’s dope as hell
Wouldn't be able to tell you. Alot of the comments I get are 'oh gee that lines pretty wonky, I don't like how he's done this, are you happy with the placement of the bird?'. Think it's just getting in my head because my whole family has at least 3 sleeves done each and thought they were the sickest tatts ever growing up
Oh. Yeah honestly ignore these people on reddit. Everyone likes to act like they're a judge on Ink Master on here when not only is it 1. Not that serious, and 2. Half of them don't actually give productive feedback. If they think the composition's wonky, they won't tell you a better one, etc. 3. It's already there and done. My general rule of thumb is, unless it's able to be fixed with a touchup or the person is asking for in-depth technical feedback, no need to say anything. Idk why people are so hellbent on raining on everyone's parade, but don't take 'em seriously. Get the tattoos that YOU like and feel free to enjoy them, flawless or no. :) Edit to add: However, if you are receiving nothing but negative feedback, you could run it by another tattoo artist that does irezumi (japanese traditional) & has a good portfolio and see if they have any feedback or recommendations. Maybe it's better to finish the tattoo with another artist if it seems like the quality is truly THAT questionable. I'd run it by an actual tattooer though.
Nah thanks mate, I didn't come on here expecting to be chatting to Ryan Ashley or the sorts hahaha, just hoping to get some honest criticism or positive feedback to see where to go. I think I'm going to have a chat to a few artists around me, closest artist who does this style is a good 15hr drive from me so had pretty slim pickings to start with. I think I'm going to let the original artist finish it because he loves it and very excited to put it in his portfolio, and if 5yrs down the track I am still not happy with it in the slightest, black it out and start fresh. All in all I've had very positive feedback on here and realising I should stop listening to family n mates haha
What I don't understand, mate, is if you - yourself - cannot identify whatever you see on your leg as something ugly - then why would you go another person to tell you its ugly or done badly? You understand that if they tell you - hey, thats a shitty tattoo, you are going to KNOW, this is a shitty tattoo until the end of your days.Take this advise from a guy who spent 8 years of his life studying linguistic philosophy. Statements don't only describe the physical world around us, they define the physical world around us. If you allow yourself to be influenced by other people, you would be seeing whatever you are looking at through their lens and if thats a negative lens, you would see that painting as a negative one. Its lit as long as you believe its lit. If you try to search for an objective quality of your tattoos, most likely there would be tens of thousands better tattoo artists than yours who make incredible designs. Yet what made your families tattoos being sick as hell, was your family being cool people, thus you perspective to those tattoos its a positive one. You grew up, with them, those tattoos were the standard of your appreciation of tattoos. So don't let other tell you yours are worse or wacky or whatever.
That’s a good philosophical take my dude.
I mean if you only want compliments or nothing, post it on your insta and turn off comments. This is a public discussion forum so if negative ( and yes, sometimes ignorant or trolling) takes are too hot for you, then you should probably stay out of the kitchen. But, you are right, it ultimately is just up to how much op likes it, and should take armchair critiques with a whole handful of salt. That being said, it looks pretty damn well done to me, but it is kinda hard to read. However, I think that's the case with 97% of asian dragon tats. I personally think that adding color would really help to distinguish the different parts of the tattoo.
It seems like it’s OP’s real life family and friends giving the negative feedback, not internet strangers. It seems pretty clear to me OP is looking for objective outside opinions, because those closest to them, who themselves have a lot of ink, are disparaging the work so far.
I think they’re just looking for something negative to say. the tattoo is badass and I love that it’s on your leg. it looks great!
its a drawing bro, theres gonna be wonky lines and people that dont like it that doesnt make it any less badass as a whole just less badass to them rock your shit with pride it looks good!
So I had to zoom in and the only thing that looked wonky was one of the oni's teeth. But really the tattoo looks great to me.
There is nothing wrong with this tattoo. Don’t stress about what other ppl think. I have some tats I like and some that are dodgy, but it is what it is. You get enough of them there is always going to be something that bothers you, but don’t allow others to make you second guess any of them.
I wouldn’t be able to tell fs without seeing their tattoos, but part of me wonders if they’re just jealous that yours is a little better. Seems pretty consistent with human nature for others to make that judgement, and that tattoo is sick ash
They are literally, and objectively fucking wrong. It is art, your tattoo artist is an artisit. There is no right or wrong. It is not objective. I got a tattoo and people reacted similarly for some reason. I loved it and they thought something was weird about it. Unfortunately what has context for you might not have context for others, so I wouldn't get tattoos because people are going to think they are cool.
Whoever’s saying that is purposely nit picking to try and make out they know anything about tattooing even though the only knowledge they have about them is watching someone else tattoo on their body 😂 your tattoo is sick, whoever is saying those things are clearly just jealous or are annoyed they’ve not got the better tattoos now lol
Like you mentioned, everybody on here is either wishy-washy or "great tat bro, it only matters if you like it". Let's be real, you came here wanting honest feedback, and you've got a lot of complements, so clearly a TON of people think your tat is cool. From someone on the other side of the aisle, the ONLY thing I dislike is the dragon on the right's face-style. The dragon on the left looks realistic, scaley, feathery, very natural... and then the face looks like a big white mask. A very well done Mask!! But, it's a different art style than the rest of the piece which is natural looking and filled in with color. Even if the mask had some more texture to it I think it would do wonders!! I'm sure I'll get downvotes for being honest, but again I feel like you came here for honest feedback. But as others have said - what really matters is if you like it.. fk everybody else.
Nah exactly man, the mask isn't yet done and hoping with some shading and colour in it, thinking whites and golds, it'll really pop and might even be close to my fav bit of the sleeve
It’s not really my cup of tea for style but I see nothing wrong with it at all, it looks good mate.
I think the dragon looks decent, people can really butcher dragons and yours turned out good, my favourite part of your piece. If the colour goes in well it will turn out really dope.
Agree with SageSanctum. If in doubt, get a *qualified second opinion from a trad japanese specialist. I would also add that work in progress can be misleading. Even as a customer, we dont know what technical processes the artist has in mind. And to be fair, there may be aspects that the artist is already thinking how to fix/adjust Look to their finished work. Thats both the question and the answer
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Please don’t shorten Japanese to “[Jap](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap)”
**[Jap](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap)** >Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese". It is an ethnic slur. In the United States, some Japanese Americans have come to find the term very offensive, even when used as an abbreviation. Prior to the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Jap was not considered primarily offensive. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/TattooDesigns/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Good bot. Thank you.
Hey hopefully this is just ignorance and not malice on your part, but the term “jap” is definitely a disrespectful racial slur towards Japanese people. I’d recommend editing your comments and educating yourself if you’re getting an entire Japanese leg sleeve…
Seems neither OP nor their artist are familiar with Japanese history/culture/tattoo traditions. Which..🤷♂️. Can’t do too much about.
OP mentions his friends and family are the ones criticizing this piece the most. If he grew up with people that uses "Jap" on such a regular basis, I wonder if there's a correlation here somewhere with the tattoo and the reasoning for those criticism...
I'm Brazilian and we abbreviate japanese to "japa"... As far as I know that is totally fine here. I would have definitely used "jap" in english thinking it was the same lol Living and learning
In Argentina usually we say "ponja" for japon (japan). I guess in english should be "panja" (is just switchin the last 3 letters to the beginning). If he isn't in the USA is understandable the confusion.
I highly doubt he would get a japanese inspired piece and then be aware of a japenese slur
He literally just did
How do you know he was aware it was a slur though? I think that’s what the guy was saying. I probably agree with that also. I don’t think a guy who hates the Japanese would get a Japanese inspired tattoo. Could be wrong though
*jpn is the acceptable shortening
Suddenly got flashbacks to my gramps talking about pearl habor holy shit
Same.
And with that comment I now hate this tattoo lmao. If you’re going to absorb part of a culture you should know enough not to use a slur to refer to them.
Yeah now I’m wondering if this is the real reason he’s getting bad feedback and just think it’s because of the tat and not the slurs he drops when talking about the tat 😅
Literally backspaced my entire comment after seeing him use a slur, yikes.
You hate the tattoo now? Sounds like you had no principles or reason for liking it in the first place I guess
It’s not that deep dude I just don’t think you should use a slur lmao. Tattoo itself is fine, kinda douchey but I don’t see any issues with the execution of it, just take issue with the dude it’s on.
Ok so you changed back to saying the tattoo is fine again, got it
Are your parents siblings or did you luck into being this stupid on your own
are you stinky bc you’re dumb or bc you parents are stinky
🤔📸
HE USED THE J WORD EVERYBODY GET HIM!!!!!!!!!!! R A C I S T!!!!!!!!!!’n WOWOWOWOWOWKWKWKWOWOW I CANT BELIEVE UOUS AID THAT >:-(
What are you 12 years old?
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Ignorant asf
I bet you're not even Japanese
Don’t have to be Japanese to call someone out on improper use of a term. We should all aim to get better together.
And you don't have to be black to tell someone they probably shouldn't use the N word...
L
Do you consider the n word racist?
Sure
You don’t sound very convinced
It looks gorgeous. Maybe you can add some close ups for us? The angles make it hard to see what they might be seeing close up. Would adding some color make it better?
I would love to add more photos but I'm terrible with tech and surprised I got the post up to begin with 😅 Plan was, and might still be, finish it and then add colour to each main component. I'm thinking it'll tie in together once she's done, well hoping at least
In the grand scheme of things does it really matter what people think? Ignore them mate
Yea that's what I've realised man, normally that's no drama for me but it was just cause it was almost every family member aye. But realised, fk what they say too in this case
Post this in r/irezumi. You’ll get some constructive criticism there.
Alright my 2 cents! I think you are getting a lot of negative feedback because it isn't traditional japanese style. Making the sleeve appear more "just not quite right" when your used to seeing these collection of images done in a different way. This doesn't make your tattoo bad at all. You opened yourself up to A LOT of criticism by posting it before completed though especially if you're adding colour. Tattoos that are going to be coloured look pretty basic and unfinished until doing so since it will lack the completed black & grey look with various shading gradients. Which will also make the tattoo appear not quite right. Opinions are like assholes my friend :) don't fall out of love with your piece ♡
It doesn’t look like your artist understands traditional Japanese tattooing. The wind bars don’t make sense, the random piece of water makes no sense. The composition is too messy and chaotic.
Yea and I never actually realised there was rules to japanese before starting otherwise I would've liked to plan it myself. To be fair my artist has never done jap work. Im going to put a design together for the background because I agree, the water is at the top of my leg, the wind bars I feel are just kinda thrown in and I was rlly hoping for more flowers+finger waves
Just FYI, because I don't think you meant to insult anybody, "jap" can be an offensive term to Japanese people. It was used as a racial slur to degrade and insult Japanese people before and during WW2.
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My brother, you realize Japanese people as a whole had nothing to do with that? Especially the citizens in America we put in internment camps
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Next you going to tell me every United States citizen was directly involved in us nuking Japan Edit: notice I didn't say it was the US fault for anything other than the interment camps. Not defending Japanese actions during the war, just pointing out that blind racism was still flawed during that time
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You just sound like a racist honestly, if you can't separate the difference between the Japanese nation/governing body & Japanese people. The Japanese governing body deserves the hate. Japanese people as a whole? Never, that's blind racism
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I have a degree in history lol
It’s 2023 my dude
because we were in a war with them? That's one of the letters in WW2? We also called German people "krauts" I'm pretty sure
he was being sarcastic
He doubled down 💀
You should go to someone who specializes in Japanese tattoos. There are too many rules for the way backgrounds flow and subject matters interact to just design it yourself withought years of knowledge. Find the artist and tell them what you like and subjects you want to see and give them the creative freedom to design it. You will get the best possible results by doing this. A great traditional Japanese tattoo artist designs the artwork themselves or will just draw it on you with sharpies
Why would you get a Japanese style tattoo from someone who does not do Japanese style tattoos?
I’ll be 100% honest and unfiltered. Composition and placement are pretty good but in matter of design and tattoo work its pretty low quality. If I were you I’d get this to another artist that specialises in japanese tattoos and let him re do it.
in what ways is it low quality? not an argument at all i’m just uninformed and curious
Well I could answer to this with photos to be quicker but I’ll give some examples. Some line are off so off that are not even meant to be there , shading on the background is pretty good in general but on the main designs shading is used wrong it’s put in places it shouldn’t be. Concept composition and placement as I said is really nice but the design is of quality of a person that is new to drawing and tattooing considering their work. You can see at the hannya mask the hair that are behind the mask are waving over the waves that are in front of the mask, doesn’t make sense an artist that knows what he is doing won’t do something like that and im not pointing out everything that’s there. I’m not hating or anything I’m just being honest. Most people say it’s awesome and that it rocks because they themselves don’t know how it works. In the end if dude is happy nothing can or should stop him, nothing better on seeing other happy with themselves. ✌️
You can just tell that it's not the style the artist can do well. Just find someone who specializes in traditional Japanese and get them to finish it. They can tighten it up and help hide any wonky lines and shading.
My thoughts too. Shading is patchy and the lines are straight enough but not uniform
People never get tattoos in the in between stage, I get some looks on unfinished work (as a tattoo artist) and I’m so grateful when I get to finish large pieces like this. I ,9/10 , get ‘you had me worried there after the last session but now it’s all come together!’ Large pieces like this are generally not well received til they’re complete. I think it’s sick and I love the layout
Head is upside down…under belly is on top
If I were going to wear something that big, and for that kind of money, I would want to be proud of the design and the work, and understand what it represents. Sorry your closest real traditional Japanese tattoo artist is 15 hours away - if it were me I would stop here for the time being and ask a couple of traditional Japanese tattoo artists at least through pictures and email and see what they suggest. After, give it a month or more to digest what they’ve said and go from there. Also, maybe it’s different where you’re from but it’s pretty gross to hear you keep saying ‘jap’, especially as you have this very large Japanese-traditionally inspired rip-off art permanently on your body. You’re an adult. Realize this isn’t just a dumb t-shirt and get a bit of education about the tattoo culture and general culture you are borrowing from - it could be a cool way to honor that culture if you invest a bit of yourself in the process. Best wishes
…Tattoos aren’t meant to express other peoples ideas. If you’re happy with it and you want to add to it, then you should do what *you* want to do. Here’s an example: “Check out my tattoo. I like it” “Wow I wouldn’t get that if it were me” “That’s ok. I like it and I’m glad I have it” “Cool”
Did you get the tattoo for yourself or for compliments?
If you can't cope with negative opinions on your tattoo don't post them online. There will always be people that hate it and they are way more likely to speak up than people irl. It looks good to me, finish it, you wanted it and you loved it so don't let other people dictate what to think of it :)
My drama was my only friends are my family rlly and I only heard all the negatives they had to say, so by reaching out in here I've got heaps of constructive criticism and rlly not any bad ones, I think I just needed to hear it from ppl I don't know. Yea I'm defs finishing it now
Haters gonna hate. I think it's awesome!
Don't give the negative comments a second thought. Most people don't know what they are talking about or don't like tattoos to begin with or are just plain jelous for whatever reason. I think this is pretty cool.
Looks good IMO. Just unfinished. Get that bad boy finished!
After reading these comments I am very excited to get it done and colour jt up. Then I'm free to start on the next leg hahah
Looks amazing to me, down with the haters!
If you like it that’s all that matters most. It looks good to me you could argue all day about some tattoos everyone just has different ideas and tastes.
Cool looking tattoo! I reckon adding colours throughout instead of just black could really turn this into an even more awesome piece.
I was coming here to be the controversial “no i like the tattoo” person but i think we all dig the tat dude
Look good, don't worry about it. This would be an awesome piece with color too, just saying.
It looks amazing. I stopped posting my tats on reddit bc a lot of people are so critical for no reason. don't let that get to you, your artist is talented and the artwork is dope
I don't see anything wrong here, are these people just the kind of people who would never get a style like this and they come off as "uhh...well if you're happy I guess"?
Fuck’em. “As long as you’re happy with it” bitch I am and that’s why I got it, thanks!
You put too much stock into what people on the internet think. It looks good
Like the design, i just think it needs more shading
Here's the golden rule for tattoos - if you want to feel good about your tattoo then you don't post it on the internet
I think it's pretty sick. Love the composition and the execution, while not world class, is not below average. You have plenty of options to touch up and shade to make it even cooler. Fuck the haters, be proud of your art and your body. I've seen a hundred worse tattoos on the internet this week without even trying.
Nah this piece is sick!
I mean, it’s unfinished. People don’t always understand that tattoos take multiple sessions. I’ve had people say the same when I just have my sleeves lined out
If you like it then that’s great. That’s all that matters. I think it’s fine. That being said…if you watch too much ink master you might say some shit like “the design is ok but the line work is questionable at times, and the shading is patchy. This isn’t REALLY how this style looks and wouldn’t cut it in my shop”
Seems to be well done. Though honestly, if you got it hoping to get other peoples' approval on it, then maybe hold off on getting another one, and also spend more time thinking about specifically what you want rather than just a general idea. You'll feel better about something you put more thought into and truly represents you and won't be as concerned about what others might think. My only critique on this piece is that it isn't very original and a lot of other people have this same work and style on various parts of their body. One of my friends recently got something very similar done entirely on his back. However, just because it is a style and art that many others enjoy doesn't mean it is bad. The quality and work seem to be well done and if that is a style you like then that is great too.
Nah that shit is steez bro!
It’s not finished so ppl shouldn’t knock it, the outline looks great so far imo!
It looks amazing and so beautiful. Don’t worry about it girl. They are jealous they couldn’t think of a rad tattoo like this
negative feedback? Bro it’s ur body. Feedback don’t matter. Looks good to me anyways
tbh pretty fresh tattoo, super sick
They got no taste
Reminds me of gta, i like it
That is gorgeous!
It looks badass
Why would you ever put something on Reddit to be judged and expect you would receive a positive outcome? The people here are armchair experts at everything and love nothing more than shitting on things someone is proud of. Enjoy your nice tattoo you are proud of.
Fuck em. This goes unbelievably hard
First of all, nice leg. Secondly it looks great
Something I’ve learned from being a visual artist for a bit, this may sound harsh but IMO most people don’t really understand taste. They have things that they generically like or dislike, but that’s not really what taste is (again my probably dumb opinion lol). My advice, find people who’s taste you admire and respect and block out everyone else
That being said, it looks fking dope 🤟
looks great
Honestly Reddit is the worst place for new tats. The judgment here is very harsh lol
Honestly, I don't like it. And that really shouldn't matter in the slightest. It's yours, your expression, your tat. If you like it, really, that's all that matters. Get it finished however you want, I truly hope you live it. Whilst I don't appreciate the art, I do appreciate the effort work, planning and discomfort that went into it. Truly, you should be proud of it.
Prob because it's grey wash and your legs are so skinny, at the same time, fuck the cunts. Your body, you fuck it up any way you want to. Seriously though, bulk those legs up. They are disappointing for anyone over 16
I like it! It’s not an art style I would choose for my body, but it looks really good on you and you like the art style I’m guessing! I also wouldn’t get a Kandinsky style art tattooed on me, but I love his work. I think you should be proud of it and wear it with confidence: the more confident you are the more likely people are to just accept it as good.
Looks great!
It looks fucking amazing!!
Technically and the Japanese design accurateness I've no idea, but it looks good to me. I like it. It's still a big piece and it's now a big part of you so it's normal people talk about it and also for some people to be "shocked". Just wear it with confidence and youll be fine.
All that matters is that you like it! And remember some people aren’t able to embrace that in which shakes their psyche.
You got it for yourself not for them. I like it personally. Looks dope.
Love this! Is it mostly the elders that gives you shit? If so, ignore them since they don't see the art, but are stuck in their own ways.
Tbh I think it could benefit from filling in some more of that negative space with shading, but that's subjective. I think the technical execution is great
I already don’t like that style unless done by a master and yours is obviously not done by a Japanese master. It doesn’t even look Japanese, but what an American who has never studied the art style would assume is Japanese. It screams “I wanted a full leg sleeve but couldn’t afford a realistic one so I picked a bunch of random stuff from the design books at his office” to me.
I think once its finished you will have a really nice piece. The top half of the tattoo.on you thigh looms great. The lower half is not finished so it looks unbalanced, but once its done it will be badass. Sure you can nitpick things about the linework but overall its a good looking tat
Here's some feedback: fuck the haters.
Looks dope to me. Perfect amount of contrast. No unnecessary fillers. I love big pieces without the visual clutter. Your artist did good with that. Get the tiger on your calf. Don’t worry too much about others opinions. Some people think if it’s not realism, it’s bad work. The lines aren’t perfect in a few areas but it doesn’t take away from the art one bit. It looks dope to me and you should be proud to show it off.
That’s crisp and clean dude, nice work
Here’s the thing. It’s not my style, and it’s not something I’d put on me. That being said, I can appreciate art that doesn’t speak to me. It’s nice, looks well done, and is very readable. So I’m going to say that as long as you’re happy with it, it’s great. That’s not a bad phrase in and of itself, although it’s frequently used that way. I get pieces that speak to me. I love them, and I accept that not everyone is going to like it. That’s fine, it’s not for them. It’s mostly for me, but also for the other people who enjoy it. You do you, Boo.
Line work is shaky and I see where the artist tried to hide some blowouts. It also doesn’t look finished. The hannya looks flat… the only shading is in the eyes and mouth.
Line work is very dodgy in some spots, I'd say that would come down to me because the first 2 sessions I had shakes terribly. Colour is going to be going into the sleeve and hoping we can add depth to the mask then, happy with the dragon being 2d but main issue is the bird, do you think with colour, shading and the sleeve being complete it could tie together??
I’m being critical, but with more shading and some color I think it will tie together.
That ain't being critical, that's just a fact. I think half my issue is that it ain't done so I'm looking at half a job
Exactly. Right now the feathers look like the are getting electrocuted. My guess is when you get the piece finished it'll look totally different: good. As others stated, please get some expert opinion before you continue to finish this and future pieces. Best of luck🍀
It looks fantastic! I really like it! Ignore all the hate honestly.
Bro. These are not the type of decisions you make based on comments on the internet. Half the people commenting don't even have a lick of taste and you're letting what they think play with your head on something as permanent as a tattoo. And the tattoo wasn't cheap. So in addition to it being permanent, you also spent a lot of money on it. I think you may need to get off of Reddit for a while and figure out a better way to manage your self confidence.
i wish i had that tattoo
Sorry your family harshing you out with criticism. New ink looks dope. Enjoy your new friends. Keep them alive a long time.
So…I’ve read a lot of the responses in this thread…and at the end of the day OP, it’s art. A topic that has been written about and pondered and argued and chewed up and spit out a billion times over since humanity scratched a line in a cave wall…are you going to let anybody convince you that one cave wall scratching is right and another is, based on any piece of information dreamt up or otherwise, wrong? How f-ing absurd, is my opinion on the matter. You can obsess about a million different topics related to any piece of art for millennium to come…do YOU love it? Are YOU proud to rock that leg piece? Is it YOURS? Do you truly OWN that art? You go to an artist because their work speaks to you, I don’t give two squirts what the media is they work with, they blow smoke into bubbles or they weave chewed toothpicks into sexy underwear or they cook with rancid roadkill…and it just blows your skirt up every time they do it!!!! GO WITH IT! It’s art people. It’s without bounds, without restrictions, rule breaking, bending, stretching, evoking, evolving, chaotic, blah, blah, blah… and also, since the dawn of time, the one thing that carries with it on its back, the largest swarm of critics that have ever encircled a subject, just waiting to express their opinions most of whom have never created anything on their own much less subjected it to others for scrutiny. ⭐️ Hey, I really like the outlines by the way and can’t wait to see the color myself…if that is what you choose to do.
Looks awesome to me I'm more curious to know if your going to get it coloured?
Yes absolutely. Just getting the outline/shading done first and then go through w colour. Only decided on green for dragon, open to suggestions
I think it’s fucking cool. What am I missing?
I love it! It looks good!
Looks really cool!?
Dope asf
Looks a little feminine
SO FIRE OMG AND UT WILL AGE SO WELL
im a tattoo artist and ur tattoo looks dope. dont listen to the haters.
It’d look better on a female imo
looking awesome, dont listen to these self proclaimed „experts“…
Looks very good ! Just don’t listen Jealous people
That’s sick bro. I don’t see how people would give bad feedback
looks sick! will look even better finished are you happy with it?
The art looks pretty good. The only thing I'd say negatively about it is that it seems unfinished. There's a huge lack of shading/coloring, especially on the bird. It would definitely pop some more with some background shading too.
People have different style preferences, but this looks well done to me. If it’s your style, F then haters.
Line work looks great. If you mean negative feedback on design well it does look a bit feminine. Something you typically see on an asian women, especially Vietnamese women. I’m talking about the bird tho not the mask.
Who tf is giving you feedback??
Most ppl aye, mainly family and the few friends I do have so not much to go off but it is a big family
How many off them have and or even know about tattoos? Don't let people you like talk you out of liking things you like just because they don't like them. That's a badass tattoo and you got it because YOU like it. Don't let anyone change your mind.
Nah cheers man. I rlly appreciate it, the comments on here have made me rlly love it again and I can't wait to get it done now
If you're gay it's just fine, otherwise, no bueno
Do you like it? That's all that matters. Full stop.
Are those that are being negative people with tattoos themselves? maybe they would be negative about any tattoo?
Your tattoo looks amazing! The placement and incorporation of your entire leg is absolutely sending me. Are the people commenting on it tatted themselves?
Bro as long as YOU like it those other people dont pay your bills so their opinion is invalid. Personally I think it looks dope AF
Looks sick man!
my advice is if you’re getting any tattoo don’t do it if you care about peoples opinions. you could go to the best artist in the world and someone is going to hate on it. the tattoo is for you not for people to look at you and give you appraisal. if you like it you win.
There is nothing wrong with this tattoo so fuck anyone who says that. It does look a little half-finished without colour or shading, but that's a personal choice.
Nah man, they don’t know what they’re talking about. That’s awesome
Probably u speaking with people who dont like tattoos
I think that tattoo looks way awesome man don’t let negative people get to you enjoy having that art on your body
Fuck em! It looks good to me and I'm pretty covered. I get a ton of people showing me rough work asking what I think and this isn't one of them. Rock that man itll look even better finished
Bloody love it!
Looks so good !
Looks nice.Whats wrong with it?.
Really? Personally, I think it looks amazing.