Originally posted by impulsive_state:
because i want it to be done by a BLUELIGHTER, and because its expensive!
Tattoo's are expensive no matter who does the design... I'd love to do it for you, but there are far too many things that get in the way of a project like that. I know when I am designing something for someone I prefer them to be right there with me... and I like them to show up with some kind of idea of what they want, like pictures they like that I can have a starting point for.
My advice is to collect pictures that you like over a period of time,... say six months to a year... then take them all and decide on three pics you like the best. Then you shop around tattoo parlors and talk to a few artists, get a feel for who you like and who you don't... once you find someone your comfortable with, have a sit-down with them and discuss what your thinking about. Most artists will not charge you to sit and talk with you, they have to do that every day with everyone that walks into their shop. Once you feel like he has an understanding of what your talking about, ask him to sketch out some simple ideas of his, just to see if he's really on your wavelenght. And still, he should not be charging you for this time. Most artists will respect your attention to detail, knowing that you spent plenty of time thinking about it before coming into their shop. Most tattoo artist HATE it when people come in off the street, point to some flash on the wall and say "I want that, right here." But, at the same time, artists don't like to be "tested" or "troubleshooted", so be careful not to step over that line. My artist (Cornfed, from Starborn Tattoo in Las Vegas NV) gave me all the time in the world, and did his best to make me feel at ease with his abilities. He did excellent work overall, although he did confuse me on the after-care instructions and caused me to scar up a little, but then he touched up over the scarring for free.
Take your time with your decision. Please, these words you must heed... there I go talking like Yoda again... don't just say "fuck it". Be 100% sure what you want before taking the plunge, you wont be sorry.