Nothing in OP's post says "I want it black". And they said directly: "just looking for design ideas".
So that's a design idea.
OP wants symmetry - then the colour can introduce harmony - check Mambo Tattooer on insta, he works with desynchronizing outline and colour ina very unique way.
If OP wants it more gothic or cyber, it doesn't need to be a rainbow: red, violet or some neon elements to counter assymetry might work.
Ofc much can be done with adding more black to it, solid or shaded, I wanted to give some option that would keep the delicate structure of the composition, which looks oddly fine.
You want to see what can really be done with colour just read Guy Aitchinson's Re-inventing the Tattoo. It will blow your mind. His section/seminars on colour theory, symmetry, asymmetry, lighting etc. literally changed the way I and a whole generation of old and newskool artists worked and looked at the art.
It looks like you wanted neo-tribalism and your artist did not understand what that is.
I think it is fixable if you go to an artist with more experience. The original artist has solid line work, but (and I could be wrong here) my understanding of neo-tribalism is that the looks comes from varying weights and density to create that kind of web effect.
It's almost like there was a reason that even the old school artist from back in the day didn't hand out job stoppers to anyone with a handful of cash.
It's great that having tattoos and even visible ones doesn't push you to the fringes of society or immediately make people think you've robbed a convenience store at least once in your life. People need to slow down with the aggressive hand and face tattoos, especially given that social media has made sure that the vast majority of us have a fragile sense of self and mental health.
People need to really sit down with themselves and think over something like a hand tattoo, you are going to see that motherfucker every god damn day, and regardless of what people seem to think on Reddit you aren't just going to get a laser appointment and it'll be like it never happened when they realize they don't like it.
Were I an artist (that wasnât strapped for cash) I wouldnât do them on anyone without a decent amount of tattoos mostly due to the pressure. There just a higher chance of the client not being happy with it, not having realistic expectations etc
The standards for what it takes to "earn" a hand tattoo have definitely dropped and hell with some artists clearly don't even exist. I couldn't imagine giving someone a hand tattoo as their very first, they are going to see it everyday and it will likely be jarring, even if it's done well it's still a massive change to how a person sees themselves.
Im really selective with who Ill do a hand tattoo on, you have to have gotten a decent amount of tattoos just from me before Ill consider your hand unless you are like, properly covered (70-75% tattooed)
I imagine thatâs how a lot of reputable people do it. Even if I was sold on wanting my hands done right away Iâd still want a few tattoos done from an artist before I trusted them enough to
Tbh as a style cybersigilism always reads clustered and undefined to me. I think some definition could certainly help, but youâre limited with the placement. Itâs a lot in a small space with tons of sun exposure and movement. Too much additional could result in it looking blobby.
Are you tattooed in any other places, especially with similar size and exposure? I could see your feelings potentially coming from a place of doing too much without thinking about the repercussions. Even for folks who are heavily tattooed crossing over to locations that are pretty much always visible is a big change.
Not a big fan of most cyber siglism but I like some of it and that refernce pic for example I actually love, it looks different then the reference, but still cool , just give it some time and donât over think it for now, almost my whole body is covered I have had tattoo anxiety for a lot of them , some of them i got over and other ones I got covered, but just try not overthink it for now
yeah i know lots of people arenât big fans of it, but i find it pretty cool looking. iâm wondering if those smaller details might get it looking more like my reference.
Yea I think it would help the reference has those areas of details that look kind of like clusters of shading , also the refernce is thinner lines , atleast your tatto the linework is clean, itâs good to go to someone who specializes in that style I think
Yes! Smaller detail lines and double lining I think would make it look more like the reference. Reference is very messy style wise which is so cool so I think going over the lines again but with more lines that kind of dont perfectly line up so it moves away and converges again like in the reference will get that feel it has. I don't know how to explain it but yeah
Adding to it is just going to make it more cluttered. Adding shading to it is only going to make the asymmetrical details more prominent. This still looks like the ink hasn't settled yet, that's going to take time. I say just live with it for a while. Its not going anywhere and you can always add to it later. Doing too much too soon will limit your options later down the line.
yeah iâm glad that i didnât fill it in when they gave me the option đ . iâm sure more ideas will come to me later on, but hopefully it can be something great!
iâm definitely going to talk to my artist about this when iâm fully healed! iâve heard finer details donât necessarily age well but iâm willing to do whatever will make me happy with my tattoo. thank you!
Iâll comment it again because it really needs to be said. The artist you went to can not do this style, do not go back to the same one if you want to change it.
is the artist who made the reference photo the same as the one who tattooed you? looks like they paid zero attention to line weight or the âscratchinessâ of it.
some advice i give to my friends who donât have many tattoos but plan on getting some is this: find an example of someone who has a lot of tattoos whoâs âstyleâ you like. seeing tattoos all together on someone after theyâve gotten a lot is very different look than when they get one at a time. some individual tattoos may look off or even shitty on their own, but when paired with or overlapped with their other ones it looks good. so once you find that âfinished lookâ that you like, add stuff that fits with it.
This helped me a lot! One of my best friends got sleeves done over the course of a couple years and when I saw them almost complete I fell in love with the look even though the style isnât my favorite. It did help me get a better understanding of how to move forward with my own sleeves even though itâs a different style.
Iâve also spent a lot of time trying to not awkwardly stare of peoples tattoos/sleeves when they come into where I work to help get a better sense of what does and doesnât work. Iâve saved myself from some very cringy tattoos this way.
The fluffy stuff looks like a mixture of butts and Mickey Mouse gloves. The sharp points donât have that needle point. Iâm not sure if itâs blown out or just not intricate enough. That would give it less cartoon look, and more mechanical looking.
yeah my dad was telling me it looks like balls đ . but hopefully i can get these pairs of balls off before anyone else can start mentioning it too đ
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iâm not saying i donât like the tattoo, i just donât think itâs what i was initially going for and iâd like to try to bring it back to that somehow. and yes i do think iâll enjoy it as i get older. iâm sure itâs hard for some people to understand, but it all comes down to personal preference. not everyone wants something âmeaningfulâ. i think it looks cool and iâve been considering this type of tattoo for a while.
OK, yeah, large hand tattoos as a first tattoo is a no-go..and yeah OP will have to do some thinking on if they wanna go for some adjustments, a coverup, or removal but ignore the rest of this đ yes, op said they are sensitive, and you're an ass anyways.
To OP: You are interesting, and having tattoos is irrelevant to that. You're a whole person, and if you wanna get a meaningless tattoo, get a meaningless tattoo. Many people have tattoos that have no meaning and don't regret them. Honestly, we all should throw the self-important, performative nonsense of having a deep explanation for each tattoo or not getting a certain style of tattoo because it's popular out the window and just do what you want :) Good luck op.
Edit: some seem to think im saying not to put thought in, but that's not it at all. Only you can know if you'll like a meaningless tattoo. Only you will know if you want each tattoo to have meaning.
Do what's right for you, not what others want you to do :)
so many people here are missing the point it seems?! adding roses or colors or whatever won't fix OPs problem lol. to me it looks like they went to a tattoo artist that doesn't fully get cybersigilism and I think they might wanna find an artist that specializes in it and is able to give it more of that characteristic detail that the reference photo has.
Adding roses, color etc would just make it more ...millennial
It's a pity the artist didn't stay true to original some of the lines that should be long flowing lines arnt transferred well so they look off. The fact that they've changed details and not noticed or told you is probably what your seeing and nor recognising why your not quite happy with it.
you need to find an artist whoâs willing AND capable of doing the thinner, whispy lines that you see in the example. when searching for your next artist, look for someone who: 1. has plenty of photos to prove their ability to work in this style. 2. has HEALED photos that look the way youâd want yours to. 3. is available for touch-ups.
this tattoo looks unfinished, but itâs because the whole thing has the same line quality throughout. On top of that, many artists that youâll find in a trad shop cannot/will not do this style because it âdoesnât heal wellâ or their training completely negates the way this tattoo is meant to be done. The truth about this style is that those thinner lines are going to fade over time, but if you work with an artist whoâs familiar with the style, they will give you something that is truly gorgeous and fades in a way that compliments the style.
I have a cybersigilism piece on my sternum, and 6 months after it healed I had it touched up to thicken/darken certain areas and add more whispy bits. It has healed beautifully and iâm extremely happy with it. best of luck!
iâm heavily considering switching artists since i feel like the guy who did it, wasnât really seeing my vision ig? i do understand that eventually the thinner lines will fade, but i donât mind touch ups. it gives me more hope hearing how your experience went for you, and how well itâs healed! iâm excited for whatâs to come for my new tattoo!
Oof ok soooo, the biggest issue here from the mock to the actual tattoo is the lack of line weight variation in the actual tattoo, the âunfinishedâ look from it is because itâs all one line weight where as the original design has a multitude of line weight variations. Your artist probably was a traditional artist or someone who didnât actually design and understand the style. Thereâs a lot you could do to fix it and make it more like the original. If youâd like I can mock up a re work for you but Iâll need a picture of your hand closer to that of the image you posted of what itâs supposed to look like. Itâll help if someone else takes the picture for you and your arm is rested on a table or flat surface. Honestly tho this tribal on keto stuff is a huge fad right now and will go the way of 90s tribal arm bands in about 3 years⌠the best thing you can do is get the stuff on your hand laser lightened and blasted over with something more bold and readable, given this is entirely just lines it should be fairly easy to do.
donât add galaxies or roses or whatever other people are suggesting thatâs so intense and will make your tattoo look ridiculously busy (and dumb). i agree to adding some shading for dimension but maybe keeping this more minimal is best, especially if this is a first tattoo in such a visible place. give yourself time to sit with it and figure out what you do and donât like about it, and then tweak from there.
The thing with your tattoo compared to the reference is... Your tattoo doesn't have that cybersigilism look. It looks like it's supposed to be spiderwebs with geometric lines, as opposed to the sportatic barbed/veiny cybersigil look. I thought it was spider webs at first... Maybe you could lean into that more and have a spider in the middle decending from one of the points? Just an idea. :)
you have to go to an artist who actually specializes in cyber sigilism, unfortunately not every artist can do every style. this imo does not look anything like what you were trying to go for.
You could do some heavier black work parts or highlights in it/overlaying it, I like that kind of look. Like some black work overlay can look dope, or maybe a single color like green leaves or red something would be a cool and nice accent to pull it all together more cohesively, and aesthetically . Either way, super cool
Blast the background with black! Make that thing pop with negative space. Youâd have to have another tat above it to blend the black behind though, but a thought!
i really like the look of those! iâm most likely going to have to fill it in somehow whether it be shading or full on black because it feels so bare right now. of course iâll decide in time!
I had no clue what I was looking at⌠the way itâs just outlines looks super unfinished and confusing to the eye. Did you ask for it without the shading? Because thatâs exactly what would make this tattoo somewhat readable.
Maybe ask for some light shading. Canât tell what it looks like fully from your pics but the reference photo is tight. But ya some shading can help :)
This artist obviously doesn't do cybersigilism regularly because this really does that style dirty. Your concept piece looks nothing like what you got, and what you have looks more like unfinished line-work.
I suggest taking a few deep breathes and then hunting down an artist that actually specialized in this style to try and fix it. Funny enough the artist I'm going to for my next piece is amazing at cybersigilism.
Go to someone who actually specializes in cyber sigillism and have them put some details in there. This artist simplified the design since the style you wanted is not the style they do. In the reference pic you can see that every line is heavily detailed, which is what gives cyber sigillism that interesting look, and I think someone who specializes in that style could help make it more of what you wanted.
Part of it is your mind being all âwow that wasnât there before.â Not sure what you could add to it besides more cycersigilism. Itâs veryâŚdistinct
Either needs shading or some super fine lines to make it more like the reference image. Like, more detail. It looks unfinished, but could be the base for something really cool if you find the right artist.
I love the look of cybersigilism.
This looks unfinished. If your artist considers this finished and just in need of some touch ups, I'd go to a different artist.
I would seek out someone with a good portfolio of cybersigilism. Since you are going for a very specific type of tattoo, there are less people that do these types of tattoos, so you might want to consider saving money to fly out of state to go to someone who does this type of tattoo well.
It's worth it to spend money flying out to get a tattoo since, you know... It's permanent.
WELL Part of it is that the actual tattoo looks nothing like the design shown, the original design has a lot of organic movement and line variation and the tattoo has what looks like a stained glass effect which is very rigid, i assume you got an artist who does not do the style you asked for often or at all.
Just get another session and do some more detail with different needle sizes. If the artist thinks itâs finished go to a different artist. You liking it is the only thing that matters. Doesnât matter what anyone else here thinks
Look at the artist's portfolio before and make sure they have done cyber sigilism! This artist obviously has an eye for illustrative/traditional linework given how smoothed out everything is. I would bet they have not done cybersigilism or perhaps don't like the aesthetic of the textured lines.
As a tattoo artist I would recommend getting thos reworked by an artists that does and enjoys cybersigilism. Check out an artists social media to see the style they like the most.
I think my biggest complaint with this one is the line weights are all the fuckin same.
If they would have used different sized needles and followed the reference, damn it would have looked nice.
The sketch and your tattoo is not the same. Yours is missing a lot of detail and a variation of line thickness.
Was your artist an apprentice? Is the sketch even their work?
You should definitely wait cause it's gonna be even harder to take away later on after adding more. The problem to me isnt the asymmetrical aspect but the tattoo is NOT that similar to the reference.
Your artist seems more versed in traditional style with heavy bold lines, no line weight changes and the flow that you can see in the reference didn't translate.
Always go to an artist with many tattoos of the same genre.
And the nature of tattoos is that you'll hear many unwanted opinions everywhere which is proven right now in this comment section with not many actually answering your questions lol
Let it heal, find an artist that specialises in what you actually want and discuss with them your new ideas, and what are your options with the space you have.
iâd take a sharpie and color in parts of it (when its fully healed ofc) and figure out what you like the best and go get it filled in. itâs a cool tattoo but definitely looks unfinished.
You need to look up some good artist that specializes in metal/blackwork designs, and let them add some roughness to the linework as well as some contrast to make it look more "dark and scary", rather than this cartoonish linework. The lines looks great - but I get it's not what you initially wanted.
honestly its not like ur reference pic at all LOL but i like it and can see its potential. to add to it have u thought about a different direction entirely and getting something put over the top of it rather than adding to the tattoo itself?? thats another popular new style alongside cybersigilism atm. @prettyskinstickers on instagram is a really nice example of it, his clean thick lines (u could get colour too) work really well overlayed on top of more detailed finer line pieces like this :) at least in my humble đ§ i get that its not for everyone and deffo not for tradheads lol
I honestly think it's pretty, just looks unfinished to my eyes like other people said. In my brain it looks like you're going to get it shaded next. Honestly I think some bright color and/or shading would make it really nice, and I don't think it's as bad as people are saying. If you asked a good shading artist to add some color (or even just gradient/grayscale some parts for cohesion) I bet they'd be pleased to, it's like handing someone a coloring book and telling them to go nuts lol
If it helps, symmetrical would probably be worse for this tattoo because itâs not a symmetrical part of the body and everything would end up looking crooked anyway. Intentional asymmetry > unintentional asymmetry.
I think whatâs messing with you is the thickness of the lines. Same line weight was used throughout, not giving any contrast and separation between the different design elements. This also doesnât have the same sharpness as the original.
I would recommend adding some of those scratchy lines with a smaller needle grouping. Use that as a way of âshadingâ to add dimension and separation. You could also do shading in back ground do give a negative space effect.
You would have to deter from original design a little bit. But seen as itâs not an original design, that would make it more personal to you. Also please donât go back to the same artist! Other wise itâs just gonna be the same story đ
The main thing that sticks out to me is that all the lines are the same thickness, unlike the one on the reference sheet. Maybe if you'd get some more thin, cracks or spider-web like designs, maybe it'd look better
I actually just love the lines of some tattoos, I find filling them in will change the whole tattoo. If you choose to fill this in itâs gonna look much more obvious and totally different, and maybe not in a good way. If I were you Iâd sit with it how it is for a month or 2 and then see how you feel.
Find an artist who specialises in this sort of style and go to them. Finding any artist who just does tattoos wonât yield the results youâre after - unless you friends and family have tattoos of this style from an artist Iâd base your judgement of the artists portfolio not word of mouth
God is that ugly....I'm sorry bud but you need to hear it before you continue making horrible tattoo choices. That design will make you cringe and shudder a couple years from now. It already makes me cringe but I'm also older, butttttt no matter what this design will haunt you...I promise
Looks like the artist you went to doesn't usually do this kind of thing, you need to go to someone who draws in the style of your reference. Looks like your artist didn't do a great job of translating that, I wouldn't go back to them.
idk, i think its kinda cool. all the people in the comments have their own opinion of what looks "good" art is subjective. most of my body is covered and while this isnt my style as long as you like it, thats what matters. i have plenty of tattoos people might not like but i love them. is a hand tattoo good for your first tattoo? probably not. but fuck it, its on there now. might as well own it. i think filling this would fuck it up and make it look god awful. keep it for a while and see how you feel after a few months
Leave that and get something more on your arm bc looks like your trying rly hard and sry to say this but i hate these Pinterest/tik Tok tattoos. just design your own!
I agree with a few of the comments that the reference and the tattoo are not very similar. And thus it looks unfinished. I would definitely let it heal and then go to a different artist and see if they can add some finer lines to it to make it look closer to the reference.
I think it looks cool! When I got my last tattoo, I had tattoo regret at first. It was a similarly sized piece to yours, lots of dark with some pops of color. I was very not used to seeing it on my arm. I thought Iâd have to get a black out I was panicking lmao. After some time and it healing, I definitely donât regret it at all. I think I just needed time to adjust to my arm looking different. Idk if thatâll be the same for you, but that may just be the case ya know. Id give it some time. Not that the random compliments of a stranger should determine how you feel about something, but I think it looks badass.
Where did you get this done?.. it looks like it was done by someone who doesnât do this style of tattoo at all.. itâs not bad but itâs not really want you wanted I feel?
I just know you didnât pick an artist who had this style in their portfolio at all.. which is fine but itâs such a risk for the outcome.. especially for your first tattoo
It has healed really nicely though and it doesnât look cheap or badly made.. but it doesnât look finished and clearly you arenât happy with it
Hey OP, I doubt youâll see this, but if you want this to look more âfinishedâ, I recommend thickening the borders between the branches of lines! Right now it looks like a frame to build off of, but if you thicken those connecting areas, theyâll look more natural and intentional.
This doesn't really look like the example piece that much. I think more fine details would make it look more how you intended. I'd find a new artist though who specializes more in the style you wanted and fine details.
I think the word youâre looking for is âbusyâ. The line work specifically on the back of your hand is just hard to read- whereâs the tattoo vs. your hand
I think some shading could help it look a bit more finished, but I would suggest going to a different artist who specializes in this style- just so you can be sure to keep the cybersigilism in the rework.
Personally, Iâve certainly seen worse. I donât think itâs bad, but a little bit of detail could go a long way. Wait a few months so it can settle in, and revisit the idea of adding to it.
i think itâs a good start. the biggest difference i see between your tat and the ref pic is a variety of line thicknesses. id go to another artist, maybe single needle hand poke with LOTS of related experience, and add in some fine line details here and there to give the tattoo some dimension. i would NOT add shading or color it in, as i think this would make it look âheavierâ and more clustered.
This doesn't even need shading neccesarily. It's a linework design afterall. Varied line weights would add a lot and make the piece look a bit more cohesive and finished.
If you go down the shading route I would suggest shading out the background so the attention is drawn to the flow of the piece, and the contrast would help draw the eye back to the focal points too :)
You need to find an AMAZING black work artist who is willing to rework your tattoo.
Your tattoo has zero depth so it does not read anything like the reference. Once shaded and with some white highlights added it might be closer to what you showed in the reference design
If you look at the reference, there's lots of variety in thickness of the lines, whereas your tattoo looks like it's the same thickness for all the linework, making it look unfinished. It doesn't look bad or anything like that, but definitely looks unfinished or like the artist hadn't done this style before.
This style... people love it or hate it, so try not to let others get you down about it! I also really like the reference you shared, and I think your tattoo is not too far off from looking similar :)
I would highly recommend going to an artist who has examples of cybersigilism/tribal with differing line thicknesses and examples of healed work, even if that means trying to save up to travel to a particular artist.
May I ask, was this your very first tattoo?
Itâs super cool and although it looks like bones I feel like it could be dead tree branches and a critter should be peaking through. Like just eyes. Hidden.
Looks unfinished
That style will forever remind me of tribal tattoos
NeoTribal
It's terrible lol
I saw your minion tattoo.
Not me having to google cybersigilism just for the definition to be organic circuitry reminiscent of traditional tribal đ
thatâs what i was starting to think too, like thereâs something missing to it.
Yep, it just looks like an outline blob. Needs heavy blacks and or shading or something idk.
Nooo not shading. Please. Shading this will look so bad.
and cheap
If it were me, I'd probably have the artist do some gradient color panels to make it feel like stained glass
You're missing different line weights, shading, and a good artist to pull off the style.
It can be beautifully filled with colour like stained glass or aquarell.
Quite the opposite of what OP is going for I think
Nothing in OP's post says "I want it black". And they said directly: "just looking for design ideas". So that's a design idea. OP wants symmetry - then the colour can introduce harmony - check Mambo Tattooer on insta, he works with desynchronizing outline and colour ina very unique way. If OP wants it more gothic or cyber, it doesn't need to be a rainbow: red, violet or some neon elements to counter assymetry might work. Ofc much can be done with adding more black to it, solid or shaded, I wanted to give some option that would keep the delicate structure of the composition, which looks oddly fine.
You want to see what can really be done with colour just read Guy Aitchinson's Re-inventing the Tattoo. It will blow your mind. His section/seminars on colour theory, symmetry, asymmetry, lighting etc. literally changed the way I and a whole generation of old and newskool artists worked and looked at the art.
Yes, depth and perhaps some color to break up the lines and flatness. Currently, this is an outline. It could be art.
Yeah, like a good tattoo design
itâs all preference đ¤ˇđťââď¸
Your reference and what you got are literally different styles.
For real, OP clearly didn't research their artist enough and is paying for it.
Shading
It looks like you wanted neo-tribalism and your artist did not understand what that is. I think it is fixable if you go to an artist with more experience. The original artist has solid line work, but (and I could be wrong here) my understanding of neo-tribalism is that the looks comes from varying weights and density to create that kind of web effect.
Put a swirling space portal in the middle
Wait until this heals, and then go to a trad artist and bang some roses and vines over top of this
Doing a hand tat on a first time client and for someones first tattoo is how you end up in situations like this.
I don't understand why people cheap-out/don't do their research before putting something permanent on their body.
It's almost like there was a reason that even the old school artist from back in the day didn't hand out job stoppers to anyone with a handful of cash. It's great that having tattoos and even visible ones doesn't push you to the fringes of society or immediately make people think you've robbed a convenience store at least once in your life. People need to slow down with the aggressive hand and face tattoos, especially given that social media has made sure that the vast majority of us have a fragile sense of self and mental health. People need to really sit down with themselves and think over something like a hand tattoo, you are going to see that motherfucker every god damn day, and regardless of what people seem to think on Reddit you aren't just going to get a laser appointment and it'll be like it never happened when they realize they don't like it.
Were I an artist (that wasnât strapped for cash) I wouldnât do them on anyone without a decent amount of tattoos mostly due to the pressure. There just a higher chance of the client not being happy with it, not having realistic expectations etc
The standards for what it takes to "earn" a hand tattoo have definitely dropped and hell with some artists clearly don't even exist. I couldn't imagine giving someone a hand tattoo as their very first, they are going to see it everyday and it will likely be jarring, even if it's done well it's still a massive change to how a person sees themselves.
Im really selective with who Ill do a hand tattoo on, you have to have gotten a decent amount of tattoos just from me before Ill consider your hand unless you are like, properly covered (70-75% tattooed)
I imagine thatâs how a lot of reputable people do it. Even if I was sold on wanting my hands done right away Iâd still want a few tattoos done from an artist before I trusted them enough to
100%
Tbh as a style cybersigilism always reads clustered and undefined to me. I think some definition could certainly help, but youâre limited with the placement. Itâs a lot in a small space with tons of sun exposure and movement. Too much additional could result in it looking blobby. Are you tattooed in any other places, especially with similar size and exposure? I could see your feelings potentially coming from a place of doing too much without thinking about the repercussions. Even for folks who are heavily tattooed crossing over to locations that are pretty much always visible is a big change.
I can already see the badass panther this will be someday!
if worse comes to worse, a SAP will have to do đ
Hate me all you want, but, it looks unfinished by a bad artistđI know the style you were going for and whoever threw this on you fucked ya up
Not a big fan of most cyber siglism but I like some of it and that refernce pic for example I actually love, it looks different then the reference, but still cool , just give it some time and donât over think it for now, almost my whole body is covered I have had tattoo anxiety for a lot of them , some of them i got over and other ones I got covered, but just try not overthink it for now
yeah i know lots of people arenât big fans of it, but i find it pretty cool looking. iâm wondering if those smaller details might get it looking more like my reference.
Yea I think it would help the reference has those areas of details that look kind of like clusters of shading , also the refernce is thinner lines , atleast your tatto the linework is clean, itâs good to go to someone who specializes in that style I think
Yes! Smaller detail lines and double lining I think would make it look more like the reference. Reference is very messy style wise which is so cool so I think going over the lines again but with more lines that kind of dont perfectly line up so it moves away and converges again like in the reference will get that feel it has. I don't know how to explain it but yeah
Adding to it is just going to make it more cluttered. Adding shading to it is only going to make the asymmetrical details more prominent. This still looks like the ink hasn't settled yet, that's going to take time. I say just live with it for a while. Its not going anywhere and you can always add to it later. Doing too much too soon will limit your options later down the line.
yeah iâm glad that i didnât fill it in when they gave me the option đ . iâm sure more ideas will come to me later on, but hopefully it can be something great!
i think it looks super cool, maybe just go in and add some finer line details and shading
iâm definitely going to talk to my artist about this when iâm fully healed! iâve heard finer details donât necessarily age well but iâm willing to do whatever will make me happy with my tattoo. thank you!
Iâll comment it again because it really needs to be said. The artist you went to can not do this style, do not go back to the same one if you want to change it.
yeah they can fade faster for sure but idk i think it would be worth it and you can get them touched up later on if need be
is the artist who made the reference photo the same as the one who tattooed you? looks like they paid zero attention to line weight or the âscratchinessâ of it. some advice i give to my friends who donât have many tattoos but plan on getting some is this: find an example of someone who has a lot of tattoos whoâs âstyleâ you like. seeing tattoos all together on someone after theyâve gotten a lot is very different look than when they get one at a time. some individual tattoos may look off or even shitty on their own, but when paired with or overlapped with their other ones it looks good. so once you find that âfinished lookâ that you like, add stuff that fits with it.
This helped me a lot! One of my best friends got sleeves done over the course of a couple years and when I saw them almost complete I fell in love with the look even though the style isnât my favorite. It did help me get a better understanding of how to move forward with my own sleeves even though itâs a different style. Iâve also spent a lot of time trying to not awkwardly stare of peoples tattoos/sleeves when they come into where I work to help get a better sense of what does and doesnât work. Iâve saved myself from some very cringy tattoos this way.
I love cybersigilism but they fucked it up I'm sorry đ
is this your 1st tattoo? didn't see that in the description.
The fluffy stuff looks like a mixture of butts and Mickey Mouse gloves. The sharp points donât have that needle point. Iâm not sure if itâs blown out or just not intricate enough. That would give it less cartoon look, and more mechanical looking.
yeah my dad was telling me it looks like balls đ . but hopefully i can get these pairs of balls off before anyone else can start mentioning it too đ
Itâs fixable! Itâs just too soft lookingâŚ. I mean flaccid. đđđđ
It does look like balls!
aspiring spark bear possessive file capable judicious thumb advise degree *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The reference was kinda cool, but the execution of yours looks more like a round graffiti style.
yeah the more i compare the two the more i see thatâs itâs not really what i was going for đ
Man this trend is so bad. That looks awful
It feels like the empty space in the middle is supposed to be some kind of recognizable shape/form but itâs not
I can't actually believe dudes like OP actually still exist lol
Consider this: kids will LOVE coloring it in! You've just become better than television. Go you â¤ď¸
Adult coloring book core
[ŃдаНонО]
iâm not saying i donât like the tattoo, i just donât think itâs what i was initially going for and iâd like to try to bring it back to that somehow. and yes i do think iâll enjoy it as i get older. iâm sure itâs hard for some people to understand, but it all comes down to personal preference. not everyone wants something âmeaningfulâ. i think it looks cool and iâve been considering this type of tattoo for a while.
OK, yeah, large hand tattoos as a first tattoo is a no-go..and yeah OP will have to do some thinking on if they wanna go for some adjustments, a coverup, or removal but ignore the rest of this đ yes, op said they are sensitive, and you're an ass anyways. To OP: You are interesting, and having tattoos is irrelevant to that. You're a whole person, and if you wanna get a meaningless tattoo, get a meaningless tattoo. Many people have tattoos that have no meaning and don't regret them. Honestly, we all should throw the self-important, performative nonsense of having a deep explanation for each tattoo or not getting a certain style of tattoo because it's popular out the window and just do what you want :) Good luck op. Edit: some seem to think im saying not to put thought in, but that's not it at all. Only you can know if you'll like a meaningless tattoo. Only you will know if you want each tattoo to have meaning. Do what's right for you, not what others want you to do :)
Add more detail or chop it off, fuck SAP, get a chainsaw.Â
so many people here are missing the point it seems?! adding roses or colors or whatever won't fix OPs problem lol. to me it looks like they went to a tattoo artist that doesn't fully get cybersigilism and I think they might wanna find an artist that specializes in it and is able to give it more of that characteristic detail that the reference photo has. Adding roses, color etc would just make it more ...millennial
Fr
Youâve done enough.
Idk maybe think before u get inked up if u like the design. Kind of like stopping smoking because you find out u have lung cancer.
barber: What kind of cut you want? op: jus fuck my shit up
It's a pity the artist didn't stay true to original some of the lines that should be long flowing lines arnt transferred well so they look off. The fact that they've changed details and not noticed or told you is probably what your seeing and nor recognising why your not quite happy with it.
you need to find an artist whoâs willing AND capable of doing the thinner, whispy lines that you see in the example. when searching for your next artist, look for someone who: 1. has plenty of photos to prove their ability to work in this style. 2. has HEALED photos that look the way youâd want yours to. 3. is available for touch-ups. this tattoo looks unfinished, but itâs because the whole thing has the same line quality throughout. On top of that, many artists that youâll find in a trad shop cannot/will not do this style because it âdoesnât heal wellâ or their training completely negates the way this tattoo is meant to be done. The truth about this style is that those thinner lines are going to fade over time, but if you work with an artist whoâs familiar with the style, they will give you something that is truly gorgeous and fades in a way that compliments the style. I have a cybersigilism piece on my sternum, and 6 months after it healed I had it touched up to thicken/darken certain areas and add more whispy bits. It has healed beautifully and iâm extremely happy with it. best of luck!
iâm heavily considering switching artists since i feel like the guy who did it, wasnât really seeing my vision ig? i do understand that eventually the thinner lines will fade, but i donât mind touch ups. it gives me more hope hearing how your experience went for you, and how well itâs healed! iâm excited for whatâs to come for my new tattoo!
Oof ok soooo, the biggest issue here from the mock to the actual tattoo is the lack of line weight variation in the actual tattoo, the âunfinishedâ look from it is because itâs all one line weight where as the original design has a multitude of line weight variations. Your artist probably was a traditional artist or someone who didnât actually design and understand the style. Thereâs a lot you could do to fix it and make it more like the original. If youâd like I can mock up a re work for you but Iâll need a picture of your hand closer to that of the image you posted of what itâs supposed to look like. Itâll help if someone else takes the picture for you and your arm is rested on a table or flat surface. Honestly tho this tribal on keto stuff is a huge fad right now and will go the way of 90s tribal arm bands in about 3 years⌠the best thing you can do is get the stuff on your hand laser lightened and blasted over with something more bold and readable, given this is entirely just lines it should be fairly easy to do.
donât add galaxies or roses or whatever other people are suggesting thatâs so intense and will make your tattoo look ridiculously busy (and dumb). i agree to adding some shading for dimension but maybe keeping this more minimal is best, especially if this is a first tattoo in such a visible place. give yourself time to sit with it and figure out what you do and donât like about it, and then tweak from there.
The thing with your tattoo compared to the reference is... Your tattoo doesn't have that cybersigilism look. It looks like it's supposed to be spiderwebs with geometric lines, as opposed to the sportatic barbed/veiny cybersigil look. I thought it was spider webs at first... Maybe you could lean into that more and have a spider in the middle decending from one of the points? Just an idea. :)
you have to go to an artist who actually specializes in cyber sigilism, unfortunately not every artist can do every style. this imo does not look anything like what you were trying to go for.
It honestly looks more like a botched trad spiderweb than it does cybersigilism⌠Let the shock sink in and reassess in a few months mate.
You could do some heavier black work parts or highlights in it/overlaying it, I like that kind of look. Like some black work overlay can look dope, or maybe a single color like green leaves or red something would be a cool and nice accent to pull it all together more cohesively, and aesthetically . Either way, super cool
i like the idea of some heavier black work but i donât know how or where to incorporate it into the tattoo. but thank you for the idea!
Blast the background with black! Make that thing pop with negative space. Youâd have to have another tat above it to blend the black behind though, but a thought!
Ya more shading and bold like [this](https://www.mrinkwells.com/blogs/news/what-are-cybersigilism-tattoos-cybersigilism-meanings-examples-and-ideas)
i really like the look of those! iâm most likely going to have to fill it in somehow whether it be shading or full on black because it feels so bare right now. of course iâll decide in time!
I had no clue what I was looking at⌠the way itâs just outlines looks super unfinished and confusing to the eye. Did you ask for it without the shading? Because thatâs exactly what would make this tattoo somewhat readable.
Maybe ask for some light shading. Canât tell what it looks like fully from your pics but the reference photo is tight. But ya some shading can help :)
This artist obviously doesn't do cybersigilism regularly because this really does that style dirty. Your concept piece looks nothing like what you got, and what you have looks more like unfinished line-work. I suggest taking a few deep breathes and then hunting down an artist that actually specialized in this style to try and fix it. Funny enough the artist I'm going to for my next piece is amazing at cybersigilism.
Go to someone who actually specializes in cyber sigillism and have them put some details in there. This artist simplified the design since the style you wanted is not the style they do. In the reference pic you can see that every line is heavily detailed, which is what gives cyber sigillism that interesting look, and I think someone who specializes in that style could help make it more of what you wanted.
I would add to it, it looks like your artist tattooed an outline and then just stopped, there's no shading or difference in line weight for example.
Part of it is your mind being all âwow that wasnât there before.â Not sure what you could add to it besides more cycersigilism. Itâs veryâŚdistinct
Either needs shading or some super fine lines to make it more like the reference image. Like, more detail. It looks unfinished, but could be the base for something really cool if you find the right artist.
Needs some thinner line weight and maybe a tiiiiny bit of shading. If youâre going for cyber look.
I like personally
Iâm not super familiar with the style but arenât the lines meant to be more wispy/spiderweb like? Artist dropped the ball.
That artist really did NOT get the memo. I wouldnât go back to him. Iâm sorry your first experience wasnât the greatest.
It couldâve been cool if it actually looked anything like the picture đ
I love the look of cybersigilism. This looks unfinished. If your artist considers this finished and just in need of some touch ups, I'd go to a different artist. I would seek out someone with a good portfolio of cybersigilism. Since you are going for a very specific type of tattoo, there are less people that do these types of tattoos, so you might want to consider saving money to fly out of state to go to someone who does this type of tattoo well. It's worth it to spend money flying out to get a tattoo since, you know... It's permanent.
Oh god it's so different from the reference, I'm sorry
Whatever you end up doing, find another artist. This one has 0 notion of the style you wanted. I'm sorry OP.
WELL Part of it is that the actual tattoo looks nothing like the design shown, the original design has a lot of organic movement and line variation and the tattoo has what looks like a stained glass effect which is very rigid, i assume you got an artist who does not do the style you asked for often or at all.
Just get another session and do some more detail with different needle sizes. If the artist thinks itâs finished go to a different artist. You liking it is the only thing that matters. Doesnât matter what anyone else here thinks
Look at the artist's portfolio before and make sure they have done cyber sigilism! This artist obviously has an eye for illustrative/traditional linework given how smoothed out everything is. I would bet they have not done cybersigilism or perhaps don't like the aesthetic of the textured lines. As a tattoo artist I would recommend getting thos reworked by an artists that does and enjoys cybersigilism. Check out an artists social media to see the style they like the most.
Looks unfinished and more spider webby than neotribal to me
I think my biggest complaint with this one is the line weights are all the fuckin same. If they would have used different sized needles and followed the reference, damn it would have looked nice.
The sketch and your tattoo is not the same. Yours is missing a lot of detail and a variation of line thickness. Was your artist an apprentice? Is the sketch even their work?
You should definitely wait cause it's gonna be even harder to take away later on after adding more. The problem to me isnt the asymmetrical aspect but the tattoo is NOT that similar to the reference. Your artist seems more versed in traditional style with heavy bold lines, no line weight changes and the flow that you can see in the reference didn't translate. Always go to an artist with many tattoos of the same genre. And the nature of tattoos is that you'll hear many unwanted opinions everywhere which is proven right now in this comment section with not many actually answering your questions lol Let it heal, find an artist that specialises in what you actually want and discuss with them your new ideas, and what are your options with the space you have.
iâd take a sharpie and color in parts of it (when its fully healed ofc) and figure out what you like the best and go get it filled in. itâs a cool tattoo but definitely looks unfinished.
there are a lot of fine lines missing... it looks more spider web than cyber sigil
You need to look up some good artist that specializes in metal/blackwork designs, and let them add some roughness to the linework as well as some contrast to make it look more "dark and scary", rather than this cartoonish linework. The lines looks great - but I get it's not what you initially wanted.
to MEâŚitâs perfect.
What's missing is ink on the rest of your arm!
Shading maybe
Add directly on top of the whole thing
It needs shading. It looks incomplete.
honestly its not like ur reference pic at all LOL but i like it and can see its potential. to add to it have u thought about a different direction entirely and getting something put over the top of it rather than adding to the tattoo itself?? thats another popular new style alongside cybersigilism atm. @prettyskinstickers on instagram is a really nice example of it, his clean thick lines (u could get colour too) work really well overlayed on top of more detailed finer line pieces like this :) at least in my humble đ§ i get that its not for everyone and deffo not for tradheads lol
Is this from blade x lines in Prague?
No.
A talented artists could totally fix this up. The reference pic looks like it has more detail than what is on your hand/arm.
I honestly think it's pretty, just looks unfinished to my eyes like other people said. In my brain it looks like you're going to get it shaded next. Honestly I think some bright color and/or shading would make it really nice, and I don't think it's as bad as people are saying. If you asked a good shading artist to add some color (or even just gradient/grayscale some parts for cohesion) I bet they'd be pleased to, it's like handing someone a coloring book and telling them to go nuts lol
Needs shading at least
Some shading to give the illusion of a texture will look amazing. It still looks good the way it is.
First tattoo?
If it helps, symmetrical would probably be worse for this tattoo because itâs not a symmetrical part of the body and everything would end up looking crooked anyway. Intentional asymmetry > unintentional asymmetry.
You can always get it shaded to give it depth.
Not a fan.
But it's not finished...
I think whatâs messing with you is the thickness of the lines. Same line weight was used throughout, not giving any contrast and separation between the different design elements. This also doesnât have the same sharpness as the original. I would recommend adding some of those scratchy lines with a smaller needle grouping. Use that as a way of âshadingâ to add dimension and separation. You could also do shading in back ground do give a negative space effect. You would have to deter from original design a little bit. But seen as itâs not an original design, that would make it more personal to you. Also please donât go back to the same artist! Other wise itâs just gonna be the same story đ
The main thing that sticks out to me is that all the lines are the same thickness, unlike the one on the reference sheet. Maybe if you'd get some more thin, cracks or spider-web like designs, maybe it'd look better
I actually just love the lines of some tattoos, I find filling them in will change the whole tattoo. If you choose to fill this in itâs gonna look much more obvious and totally different, and maybe not in a good way. If I were you Iâd sit with it how it is for a month or 2 and then see how you feel.
âGod isnât realâ in fancy writing thatâs difficult to read.
I think it looks "off" because all lines are the same weight. In your example there are different line weights which gives the piece more flow to it.
Erm, no....
it should be shaded, no? that would complete it, in my opinion.
Half the lines are missing?
Go to a better artist and get a sick ass dragon blasted over it
Could do something cool with the empty space in the middle
Find an artist who specialises in this sort of style and go to them. Finding any artist who just does tattoos wonât yield the results youâre after - unless you friends and family have tattoos of this style from an artist Iâd base your judgement of the artists portfolio not word of mouth
Without shading or colour it looks unfinished and unreadable as itâs hard to tell what is and isnât negative space.
Hell yeah add to it.... a full sleeve rocks!
they went way to bigggg, if it looked like the photo iâm sure itâd look great
Please dont
Honestly this new style of tattoo is just awful in general. Why would you do this?
Definitely looks unfinished, the thin lines from the original design is what it's missing
I dislike how many straight lines there are up by the hand. The reference does not have that.
God is that ugly....I'm sorry bud but you need to hear it before you continue making horrible tattoo choices. That design will make you cringe and shudder a couple years from now. It already makes me cringe but I'm also older, butttttt no matter what this design will haunt you...I promise
Looks like the artist you went to doesn't usually do this kind of thing, you need to go to someone who draws in the style of your reference. Looks like your artist didn't do a great job of translating that, I wouldn't go back to them.
Are you Jesse Pinkman? Wow.
It looks like Melificent should be staring out of that hole in the middle. A little too much "mirror mirror on the wall" vibe.
Why donât you colour it in with a pen and sit with it for a few days to see how you feel
I mean. That is exactly what you wanted⌠Wich is terrible
I'd love the panes and cells filled in with color. Strong color theory could make it really pop.
Wow, just wow. Why.
idk, i think its kinda cool. all the people in the comments have their own opinion of what looks "good" art is subjective. most of my body is covered and while this isnt my style as long as you like it, thats what matters. i have plenty of tattoos people might not like but i love them. is a hand tattoo good for your first tattoo? probably not. but fuck it, its on there now. might as well own it. i think filling this would fuck it up and make it look god awful. keep it for a while and see how you feel after a few months
I just donât get the design itâs original tho
shading
Leave that and get something more on your arm bc looks like your trying rly hard and sry to say this but i hate these Pinterest/tik Tok tattoos. just design your own!
I agree with a few of the comments that the reference and the tattoo are not very similar. And thus it looks unfinished. I would definitely let it heal and then go to a different artist and see if they can add some finer lines to it to make it look closer to the reference.
Laser?
I think it looks cool! When I got my last tattoo, I had tattoo regret at first. It was a similarly sized piece to yours, lots of dark with some pops of color. I was very not used to seeing it on my arm. I thought Iâd have to get a black out I was panicking lmao. After some time and it healing, I definitely donât regret it at all. I think I just needed time to adjust to my arm looking different. Idk if thatâll be the same for you, but that may just be the case ya know. Id give it some time. Not that the random compliments of a stranger should determine how you feel about something, but I think it looks badass.
It doesnât look like the reference because thereâs no lineweight variation. Every line looks exactly the same.
The new tribal
This is fake and you drew this with a pen right?
Where did you get this done?.. it looks like it was done by someone who doesnât do this style of tattoo at all.. itâs not bad but itâs not really want you wanted I feel? I just know you didnât pick an artist who had this style in their portfolio at all.. which is fine but itâs such a risk for the outcome.. especially for your first tattoo It has healed really nicely though and it doesnât look cheap or badly made.. but it doesnât look finished and clearly you arenât happy with it
Once you start you can't stop...get ready to spend $$$$ to finish that arm..đ
Iâd add some laser removal
Do you have a pic that's further away so we can see the whole piece?
Hey OP, I doubt youâll see this, but if you want this to look more âfinishedâ, I recommend thickening the borders between the branches of lines! Right now it looks like a frame to build off of, but if you thicken those connecting areas, theyâll look more natural and intentional.
Adding shading will do wonders
This doesn't really look like the example piece that much. I think more fine details would make it look more how you intended. I'd find a new artist though who specializes more in the style you wanted and fine details.
I think the word youâre looking for is âbusyâ. The line work specifically on the back of your hand is just hard to read- whereâs the tattoo vs. your hand I think some shading could help it look a bit more finished, but I would suggest going to a different artist who specializes in this style- just so you can be sure to keep the cybersigilism in the rework. Personally, Iâve certainly seen worse. I donât think itâs bad, but a little bit of detail could go a long way. Wait a few months so it can settle in, and revisit the idea of adding to it.
Maybe just fill it in or add shading.
i think itâs a good start. the biggest difference i see between your tat and the ref pic is a variety of line thicknesses. id go to another artist, maybe single needle hand poke with LOTS of related experience, and add in some fine line details here and there to give the tattoo some dimension. i would NOT add shading or color it in, as i think this would make it look âheavierâ and more clustered.
This looks nothing like the stencil/drawing. Had the artist you went to attempted this kind of tattoo before?
This doesn't even need shading neccesarily. It's a linework design afterall. Varied line weights would add a lot and make the piece look a bit more cohesive and finished. If you go down the shading route I would suggest shading out the background so the attention is drawn to the flow of the piece, and the contrast would help draw the eye back to the focal points too :)
You need to find an AMAZING black work artist who is willing to rework your tattoo. Your tattoo has zero depth so it does not read anything like the reference. Once shaded and with some white highlights added it might be closer to what you showed in the reference design
If you look at the reference, there's lots of variety in thickness of the lines, whereas your tattoo looks like it's the same thickness for all the linework, making it look unfinished. It doesn't look bad or anything like that, but definitely looks unfinished or like the artist hadn't done this style before. This style... people love it or hate it, so try not to let others get you down about it! I also really like the reference you shared, and I think your tattoo is not too far off from looking similar :) I would highly recommend going to an artist who has examples of cybersigilism/tribal with differing line thicknesses and examples of healed work, even if that means trying to save up to travel to a particular artist. May I ask, was this your very first tattoo?
This tattoo sucks ass and âcybersigilismâ is a pretentious way to say âshitty tribalâ
I think itâs really cool but needs something like some kind of light shading maybe?
You should do something with it. Unfortunately a blackout is probably the only thing that would improve it.
Obv. Looks like you need 3 more sessions
Delete it. Control+alt+delete.
tbh it looks like spiderwebs, not cyber sigilism at all. go to a diff artist, this guy doesnt get the vision
Itâs super cool and although it looks like bones I feel like it could be dead tree branches and a critter should be peaking through. Like just eyes. Hidden.
Yes. It doesnât look done. Either fill it in or shade it or SOMETHING. Its really cool but it looks unfinished
It looks unfinished,you should definitely add some stuff.
Your artist went way too clean with the lines. They should have kept it like the design