Another Random Tattoo Phone Pic.
So I was sent this picture via text a couple days back.
The text said “I want this tattoo on my foot.”
I looked at it and replied with something like… “NO, I did that tattoo. Where did you find that?”
Turns out I sent it to the gal a long time ago.
I don’t recall the circumstances or why.
She kept it on her phone for a year or two or whatever length of time it had been since I had sent it because she thought it would be a cool tattoo for her.
She also had the just done fresh picture of the tattoo along with this healed and aged version.
I had to explain to her that it was a custom cupcake drawn specifically for the person who has it.
That person happens to be a cousin of mine too, but that really isn’t relevant to the situation.
I basically have a rule that if I draw something up custom for someone I will never ever tattoo it again under any circumstances unless the person who got the original piece requests it of me.
The girl who wanted me to repeat this said during our conversation “but it is just a cupcake. I’ve seen lots of cupcake tattoos like that.”
I had to explain that even with a common theme if something is drawn custom it is a one off piece. I also explained that I would be happy to draw her up a different cupcake that if described would probably be described similarly, but would in actuality be visually a different design.
This confused her a bit I think until I sent her a couple examples.
She is now hunting out cupcake design ideas about the web for a tattoo. Ideas rather than specific designs. Bits and pieces, and looks and styles to utilize as references to create her own one of a kind cupcake that will be hers and hers only.
The point = Even a simple and common tattoo idea can be done in a personal manner that makes it one of a kind.
On my end I will add this… The more common and simple an idea in tattoo themes something is the harder it is to draw up a new one.
The commonness makes it a case of running out of ways to tweak the image simply because as a tattooist I have tackled the theme so many times.
The simplicity of a theme or idea creates limitations because I have less to work with.
A new tattooist can feel he is making a new version of something really easy.
Maybe he or she has only tattooed ten cupcakes on people over his or her few years in the trade. When the years have rolled by and the cupcakes are not countable though then it becomes a challenge. Repetition happens by accident even. Sure the artist could force uniqueness by offering up oddball ideas. That makes it less a custom piece and more a tattooists desperation though. I see tattoos like that and I see desperation.
I saw a cupcake tattoo once that had chili peppers and bacon on it. Thought it was mighty funny and cool until while talking to the girl who had it I found it was the tattooists idea to make it ‘original’ and the girl had no special connection to the idea, chili peppers or bacon. She like the items well enough as food, but nothing special. It was a tattoo of desperation. The tattooist who did it (though technically it was a good job) lacked imagination and attempted to create something unique in a desperate manner. Sadly I know the guy and though I respect his tattooing skills don’t respect his cheesball attempts at creating uniqueness in such a fashion. It reeks of desperation to me. Better to keep it simple dude.
Thinking about it though makes me think that maybe a vanilla cupcake with maple frosting and some bacon could be pretty good. Hmm… hint to you cupcake making clients *wink wink*
Leave a Reply