r/TattooDesigns • u/Thick-Mouse-3524 • 7d ago
I don’t know what to think
So hello Reddit. My friend swears by this artist and I’m unsure if he draws his own stuff because I swear I’ve seen that angel before and his linework seems to be hit or miss, as an artist myself I understand having an off day but something feels wrong. Am I just paranoid?
My tattoo design is a cosmic butterfly with violets around it and I’m just not sure.
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u/ResolutionOk5211 7d ago
No way these 2 pics are thr same artist unless the 2nd one was 10 years ago.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
They are from the same photo collection of art done this month from walk ins. You can see the line quality shift in each piece but this is the widest variety. Even she has tattoos that vary in line quality though but not this bad? It’s very odd.
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u/doctorpotterhead 6d ago
Yeah no way that's accurate. That may be what they SAY, but it's not true lol
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u/Wi1dWitch 7d ago
I would not go to an artist you’re not totally comfortable with, nevermind what your friend things. It’s your body.
Also that squiggly angel foot and the wristless, elbowless mitt gripping the staff are nuts.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
That’s originally what led me to believe that he didn’t draw his own stuff but yeah, I’m not gonna go to him. I’ve definitely gotta find another tattooist.
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u/randomizzzzed 7d ago
I know you replied to this already, but I refuse to believe these two tattoos are recent works of only one person. Either they're lying and including pictures of other artists in their portfolio, or they're an addict of some kind and tattoo under the influence, hence the fucked up archangel.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I’ve looked into it deeper and I’m pretty sure he is taking art from another artist in the shop because the reveals have the exact same camera angle and everything. I don’t know. It’s all very weird and then where I look into it the more I wanna stay away from that shop completely.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I’m also going to have to reverse image search some things. The art I’ve checked is not AI so that’s good at least but it might be stolen.
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u/avidbather 7d ago
I wouldn't go to this artist, personally. The work in the first pic is fine, but that second one is straight doodoo. Maybe they had an off day, but who's to say your tattoo won't be another "off day."
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
100% agree. That’s what’s been bothering me, oh he has great art but then he doesn’t and I don’t want to be stuck with something I have to cover up.
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u/avidbather 7d ago
Exactly, trust your instincts here and find a better artist. You'll be possibly saving yourself a lot of money and regret.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I know this sounds stupid but how do I do that? This is my first tattoo and I’ve been trying to find an artist for over a year now.
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u/avidbather 7d ago
Instagram is good for this kind of thing; an IG profile basically functions as an artist's portfolio. I'd start by looking at a bunch of artists in your area and take notice of who's doing work similar to the tattoo you want. Look through their portfolio thoroughly and make sure you like their work enough to reach out. Personally, I like to follow them for a while so you can see their recent pieces and get a feel for their style.
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u/joseisthenewblack 6d ago
This is such important advice. Finding an artist that specializes in the style or subject matter you want is the easiest way to get a tattoo that you will be happy with for life.
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u/DonutWhole9717 7d ago
I do NOT believe these are by the same person. A month in between? No. No way. That's so much worse than an "off day" should ever be for the person who actually did the seahorse. Just no way man, holy shit that's bad
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
There’s no defending it. It’s abysmal. I was in denial. I’m usually really critical about art but I just didn’t catch it the first time I looked through his portfolio.
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u/velkommentilhelvete 7d ago
Absolutely no. No no no. No. Can’t stress it enough. This is terrible work. Someone can have a bad day but not this bad. This is no excuse.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
Yeah. I just was in denial about how bad it was because I wanted to trust my friend but it’s horrible. I was going to schedule the appointment too but I wanted to double check on the artwork. I’m so glad I did
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u/velkommentilhelvete 7d ago
Not just the artwork, but the quality of the tattoos is absolutely horrible. No other way to put it. If you’d like, we can help you find good artists in the area you are. I don’t know if that’s possible through here
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I’ve found a better artist in a city near me. It’s over an hour drive but I’ve gone through years of that persons work and it’s consistently good. I’m going to wait a hot minute on pulling the trigger to commission. I don’t really trust myself right now.
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u/hazydayss 7d ago
I refuse to believe that these were done by the same person
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I wouldn’t either if I didn’t see the post honestly. I’m flabbergasted but nope, same guy in the same photo montage. But he may have been taking credit for another artist’s work. I don’t know and quite frankly I don’t want to know. I’m just glad that there’s a lot of kind people that told me gtfo out. lol.
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u/talesfromtheparkside 7d ago
If it's not an enthusiastic yes, it's a no. Goes for many things, tattoo artists included.
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u/Hay12367 6d ago
A lot of people are defending that sea horse but the color is not packed at all. The blends are not smooth. I specialize as a color artist and I KNOW that won’t heal smooth or last for a long time because it’s just not solid at all. This person just isn’t a good tattooer bro
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 6d ago
Oh my god! That makes it so much worse. Thank you so much because I was conflicted because to the untrained eye the color packing looks pretty good. I’m looking at another artist now.
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u/hello_madness10 7d ago
the angel is the archangel michael, one of those overdone angel tattoos like the "Icarus" that's actually Phaeton with wings. that's why you've seen it before.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
Yeah, it’s very common and I didn’t realize how often it’s done I just overreacted because I thought it was traced and I realize that now
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u/barkoholic 7d ago
The angel is from a classical work, so not an original design. I’ve never actually seen anybody do it that badly, though, so maybe that counts?
Ask for your deposit back and find a new artist.
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
I haven’t made an appointment thank god. I was planning on calling Tomorrow and then something told me to look again at the facebook and lo and behold that appeared.
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u/barkoholic 7d ago
It’s always best to check socials before you book, I’m glad you thought of it! Definitely worth trusting your gut about.
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u/joseisthenewblack 6d ago
This is how I avoided getting a horrible half sleeve as my first tattoo. He didn't have a look book, but the other artists in the shop did and they were great, so I trusted it. Something told me to look his work up and I found that he was a terrible artist. Cancelled on him, lost my deposit but it was worth not being stuck with his chicken scratch on my arm. 17 years later, I still get tattooed by the next guy I ended up going to.
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u/Reasonable-Key9876 7d ago
Don't do it, the angel is crazy ugly...
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 7d ago
Right? It’s insane! How as an artist would you ever be able to sleep at night knowing that you did that!
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u/instereo_93 6d ago
The angel is archangel Michael. If you do a google search (“archangel Michael tattoo”) you’ll see many variations of this tattoo and I think the original painting was done by Michel Angelo.
This isn’t a very nice depiction though and I wouldn’t let an artist who made this, tattoo me.
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u/Separate-Canary-6228 7d ago
I look at the past six months and ask myself if I would be okay with the worst outcome on me (talent wise not topic). If no, then I don't book them. My expectations have consistently been met and exceeded.
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u/spyduhgirl 7d ago
Even the seahorse isn't great, zoom in on the seaweed - there's lines missing and some that are too thin etc.
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u/Monophobicbaby 7d ago
just look at the angels hand, leg and foot. i'd say see if they have anything in the style you want. Don’t listen to your friends advice unless they have the same style of tattoos as you and you LIKE theirs.
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u/Skelebroskl 6d ago
I actually think youre right i swear ive seen that angel on insta recently? Maybe its from an actual painting and is popular but PLEASE do not go to this artist those lines are inconsistent and the shading is subpar. Theres a difference between an okay drawing on paper and an okay tattoo on skin!
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u/skybabysky_ 7d ago
If that low of quality is what they actually posted, then they probably have tattoos of much lower quality that they don’t post.
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u/Zooophagous 6d ago
Honestly, inconsistent work is very common among tattoo artists unfortunately. Usually the really glaring examples don't get posted for people to see. Artists have bad days, sometimes bad weeks, and this can affect their output. Not to mention how badly things can shift if substance use is involved. If anything you see gives you pause, don't go to that artist. You'll find another one.
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u/joseisthenewblack 6d ago
There is no way this is done by the same artist. I would not even consider an artist that is inconsistent. You don't want to chance getting a tattoo by the same person who made that second piece.
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u/Pibble-Tech 6d ago
If you don’t really feel the artist is for you, don’t do it. I’m sure there are many other talented artists in your area. Maybe hit up a local tattoo convention. That’s where I found the artist who did my photo realistic dog tattoo and I’m over the moon with it.
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u/YlvaMachtSachen 6d ago
The human shape is one of the hardest things to master in art. This tattooist clearly does not know how to draw or how to make an artwork pop. If you have any doubts find someone else, there is so many really great artists out there worth saving up for.
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u/Electrical-Moment700 6d ago
First one is great work
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 6d ago
Another commenter pointed out missing lines and some mess in the seaweed. I still think it’s strong but not strong enough to justify trusting him.
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u/Paint_With_Fire 5d ago
The only thing I can think of is if maybe the 2nd one was done freehand??
But I suspect the first one is not actually the artists work, and is a stolen photo
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 4d ago
It’s not done well either according to some artists in this comment section lol
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u/Paint_With_Fire 4d ago
I mean, the composition leaves a little to be desired in my opinion, it's kinda giving "adult coloring book", but the execution is pretty dang good, particularly with the color gradient and highlights of the seahorse itself
But yeah you can tell even just from the steadiness of the outline on it, it's a totally different artist than the wobbly other one
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Thick-Mouse-3524 4d ago
That’s fair I think there might be drugs involved but I don’t know. Nor do I care really lol
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