You Win Some, You Tattoo Some

Vitality Stories

And the winner is…

Two weeks ago, I shared my perspective on tattoos and how I was having a tattoo drawn for a character, WJ Sloan, in Tiger Drive. Like many tattoos are intended to be, the tattoo has special meaning to the character and having it extracted from my imagination and put on paper (or in this case, digital format) has made me appreciate this complex character even more, and as someone who has no plans to ever get a tattoo, I now also appreciate the work that goes into a tattoo.

Talented as they can be, tattoo artists have a difficult job. It’s easy for many of us to imagine a picture or a drawing, but we can’t draw it, and in some cases, we have trouble explaining it. The tattoo artist has to listen, visualize, create the image, and then change it who knows how many times until the client is happy with a piece of art that will permanently mark their body. That’s a lot of pressure!

I ran a contest on 99Designs for the tattoo I had imagined. Here is a description of the tattoo that WJ Sloan has on his forearm in Tiger Drive:

His original tat had been a naked, voluptuous woman leaning against an anchor with long dark hair, but he’d had the tattoo altered one year later to cover her head with a knight’s helmet. The woman’s hair poured from beneath the armor. A buzzard, twice her size, now perched on her bare shoulder; its talons indenting, but not puncturing, her skin. But the woman didn’t buckle under the weight of the large beast, and instead, a strand of her hair tethered the bird’s ankle, holding him in place.

My venture into the online tattoo world was fun and hysterical. Just like anywhere, I had to deal with personality conflicts, expectations, and miscommunications. Several artists submitted work, and the first drafts ranged from those who were completely earnest about creating the tattoo to those who were sitting back and watching to see what other artists submitted and how I rated them. Was I giving them 1 star, 3 stars, or the coveted 5 stars? Each day, the tattoos became better, the artists paid more attention to my description.

Some artists got annoyed with me.

Like this guy who said, “This is too much work for only $200.”

It’s important to share that this guy didn’t even try to submit something original or anything near what I requested (unless you count a naked lady) — he submitted a tattoo that was already on his chest. Yup, he posted a picture of his naked chest. I had a very good laugh. Secondly, I was a customer of 99Designs. The artists and 99Designs pick the price, not me. Thirdly, it’s not mandatory for the artists to participate in a contest. Declined!

Another artist asked me to change the contest settings to “blind mode” so other artists couldn’t “copy” or “build off” of her idea. First of all, the tattoo–as hideous as it might be–was, in fact, my idea. Her art would be an interpretation of my idea. Secondly, the entire point of using 99Designs and having a contest is so the customer can get the best image possible, not help an artist win. Her strategy, or lack there of, was not my responsibility. Declined!

And then there were a handful of fabulous, talented artists who were a joy to interact with. Ones who were patient. Ones who read my brief and respected that I was on a mission for a tattoo that would bring a character alive. Four tattoos made it to the finals. I shared them with the Tiger Drive Squad and was able to narrow it down to two artists. Unfortunately, since I didn’t buy their work, I can’t share the images here.

But I can share the winning tattoo that was submitted by “LancelotZ01.” When I saw his interpretation, I was ecstatic–it was exactly as I had imagined it should be. And Lance was so wonderful to work with. He was open to my suggestions.* He asked a lot of questions, and he got on the internet to research what tattoos looked like in the 1970s–due to the setting of Tiger Drive, creating a tattoo that reflected the 1970s was critical. I really appreciate how current software can enrichen art and how Lance was able to put any artistic ego aside and create what I wanted vs. improving it further.

And finally, WJ’s tattoo:

Before I made my final decision, I texted it to a few people for their feedback, including one of my oldest brothers who has a tattoo from the 70s.

Me: “Is it too nice? Should I use black or blue?”

Him: “Black. It’s perfect. Good detail.”

Whew! A thumbs up from my brother. Success. I sent Lance my approval, and we signed the contract. But only seconds after signing, I received the below text from my brother.

Him: “I think I’ll put that on my arm.”

Me: “WAIT! You might not want it once I explain what it means. The description will be in the book.”

Him: (No response)

Me: (Nervous) “Seriously, you might not want it once I explain the tattoo to you.”

Him: “Ok. I’ m sure I would have never gotten it, but I do like the look.”

I like the look, too. Lance did a great job bringing this image to life, and therefore, helping me bring a character to life. It was awesome to collaborate with different people–collaborations between an author, an artist, a brother, the Tiger Drive Squad members, and even a fictional character.

If you’d like to see more of Lancelot’s work, check him out on Pinterest. He does more than tattoos and I hope to work with him again.

Care to take a stab at what this tattoo might mean? Email me if you’d like to find out more, and if you have a tattoo, send me a picture and tell me the story behind it!

As always, thanks for being you.

Teri

*Special thank to Lorraine Watson for recommending changes to the tattoo. And to my siblings who weighed in.