I am seriously considering getting my first two tattoos, one on each shoulder. I don’t know anything about tattoos at all! Tattoo-havers, please share any advice or anecdotes a neophyte should heed!

I intend to get a werewolf bite scar on my left shoulder, either on the upper arm or over the collar bone, visible from the front and back. Something like this but a little more stylized (closeup from an image by “thedrawingduke” on Instagram)

To mirror the bite, on my right shoulder I see overlaid fern and bracken fronds, arranged in a similar shape to the bite’s outline. I want to have the concepts drawn by Tandye, and then work with the tattoo artist to refine them.

Thank you for the advice, everyone! I have submitted an inquiry to a local artist, and we'll see if they're interested!

it is nice to be able to say "I probably won't want to actually get the work done until the autumn of 2023" since proper healing of tattoos requires avoiding direct sunlight for 3-4 weeks, and god knows I have a lot of plans to be in the sun this spring and summer

@aquinton hmm, curious if there's a really breathable top you could wear over top? Like a short sleeve underarmor