Bury Tattoo Studio
Butterfly and Cherry Blossoms Sleeve Tattoo
Sometimes clients can come in the studio, with a Tattoo already started by another artist. A consultation is really important to discuss the possibilities about what is realistic and what’s not, what can be done to meet the clients expectations, in this process of evaluating a Tattoo work, done previously somewhere else, honesty is the best policy. As you can’t get your clients hopes high, and make your client believe something that’s not possible, the best way is to evaluate your approach and let the client know realistically, the different options they have.
Amanda approached me with a Cherry blossom tree and butterfly that needed to re-work. At first she mentioned about getting rid of everything, so I recommended to laser it off, as it was quiet bold, and a cover-up process, the chances of it not working could been high. So she agreed with going ahead with re-working what she had and extending it afterwards.
I believe that’s the best way to approach a tattoo started by another artist, is to re-work everything the client has, so the tattoo looks more like I have started, then when you carry on, everything else flows and it looks like it’s been done by one artist.
I believe we spent 2 full days re-working everything Amanda had, and I realised Amanda was very patient, and willing to spend the time necessary to achieve the end result.
After we re-worked everything previously started by another artist. Amanda requested to carry on with her tattoo with the intention to get a full sleeve. At first she mentioned about carrying on with roses, and I thought it was a good idea, I took a picture of her arm, and decided to put roses on top of her arm on photoshop to have a feel of what was going to look like. Finishing the photoshop idea, I realised the roses didn’t really look right next to the cherry blossoms, so if something doesn’t feel right, I have to deviate from the plan and try something else, I thought carefully and realised that, cherry blossoms only grows around cherry blossoms, there’s no other plant that grows next to cherry blossoms. So I let Amanda know that it was better to carry on with cherry blossoms instead of roses.
I enjoy doing roses tattoo, however, in this case I had to pay attention and respect what was previously tattooed in my clients arm. I believe that’s the best way to approach a tattoo that has not been started by me, it’s to not think selfishly and just do whatever I want, it’s to understand that something else has been started, and is it worth it for me to re-work it? Because sometimes the answer could be no, it’s not worth it. The reason why I chose to go ahead with Amanda’s request, was based on her open mindset, and I could tell she was willing to listen to me, and allow me to work with a peace of mind.
So I worked on a cherry blossom photoshop idea, and it felt right carrying on with cherry blossoms, I sent the idea to Amanda and she seemed really happy to go ahead with the new idea.
As we started to carry on the cherry blossoms on the other side of her arm, the tattoo didn’t quite connect at first, as we were working in a different part of the body. I chose to carry on with cherry blossoms but more of an in focus large cherry blossoms in order to give perspective. So at first the tattoo seemed a bit separate than the one we started, even knowing it was the same flower. So that’s when sometimes other people can get in the way of the tattoo, and say things that could discourage the tattoo collector in carrying on with the project, but in Amanda’s case it was different, as she didn’t listen to what others were saying about the unfinished tattoo, and had faith that when we finished with the tattoo it would look right, so sometimes I have to be grateful when you get strong minded clients, who are willing to stick through the process no matter what. In the end of the day, only the ones who stick with the process get the end result.
So Amanda definitely deserved to get the end result, and I hope to work with more clients like Amanda, who have faith in the process and in my work too, when you have this combination everything else just flows so easily. You have a nice tattoo and your Tattoo Artist enjoys tattooing you.
Thank you Amanda
Greater Manchester Tattoo Studio
