Not What I Expected

[ladysprite]

Last night I had an incredibly vivid and detailed dream about having a butterfly tattoo on my shoulder. Not about the act of getting the tattoo itself, but in the dream it was already there, and that fact was important.

I've already been wanting to get another tattoo (which fact will likely surprise absolutely none of my inked friends), but I haven't had any idea of what or where - I was half imagining something on my upper arm, but that didn't really appeal to me aesthetically; it just seemed sort of like the next place to go.

And I never thought of myself as a butterfly-tattoo kind of girl. Butterfly tattoos seem kind of... I don't know. Expected. Mundane. Flash art. The kind of cute thing that a mainstream girl would get on her ankle to prove that she's daring but still just like everyone else. And, while I know those prejudices are mine, it's still not quite something I would have thought of as right for me.

Except something in my subconscious apparently does. Seriously does. And butterflies are symbols of rebirth and change. And I've been doing a lot of work over the past few years, figuring out who and what I am, and becoming who I want to be, and healing both physically and mentally - most significantly with this surgery, but also with all of the selfwork I've been doing. And apparently butterflies are also symbols of dance, and I don't want to lose that part of me and I want to impress on my body how important healing is and oh my god I'm crying as I write this and how stupid is that?

So apparently I might need to get a butterfly tattoo. I just... need to find a way to make it my own, and a little bit different, and not just some damn piece of flash art. And it better look good with my pawprints.

So.... art suggestions, anyone?

Comments

[gmkieran.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Excellent! (and I would say the self-work is at least as significant as the surgery, if not more ;) )

Any memories of how the one in your dream looked? That might help drive the ideas presented. Do you have any preferences for photo-realistic v fantastic art? Or any other preferences to guide our suggestions?

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

In my dream it was.... I think... black and blue? Somewhat realistic. In real life it'll need to be on the front of my shoulder; not too huge - something that can be covered by work clothes.

Fantastic or stylized might work too, but... not rigid, if that makes any sense?

[gmkieran.livejournal.com]

Nods

so a few things I found that might be of interest:

http://www.bangkoktattoos.com/Design/Butterfly.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_veDbg4Zs4Sg/Sy0SwFAlreI/AAAAAAAAC1s/6lw-raPCVk8/s320/Butterfly_Tattoo_Designs_4.jpg

and some just line-work ones that might be more flexible:

http://tattooeve.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Simple-Butterfly-Tattoo-Designs.jpg

http://www.gettattoed.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/01-butterfly-tattoo-design1-300x300.jpg

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/023/e/f/butterfly_tattoo_design_by_onlyonemoomin-d4ndjpn.jpg

and some tribal ideas, for fun:

http://cf.ltkcdn.net/tattoos/images/slide/10807-491x500-TBT1.jpg

http://tattoos10.com/tribal-butterfly-tattoo-designs-ideas-2/

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0sjVwwlHhqc/S6zTMr6hCKI/AAAAAAAAOwM/z10fz1gIOe0/s1600/tribal%2Bbutterfly%2Btattoo%2Bdesign%2B1.jpg

http://tattoopixs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/butterfly-tattoo-design-12.jpg

and a few real ones for inspirations :)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8299/7896075420_af142728b3_o.jpg

http://www.iwallpapersfive.com/black-swallowtail-butterfly-pictures-eastern-black-swallowtail-butterfly-on-blue-photo.html/black-swallowtail-butterfly-pictures-eastern-black-swallowtail-butterfly-on-blue-photo-2

http://fromlymetolife.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/bluebutterfly.jpg

http://orchidflowers.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/animals_insects__000749_1.jpg

(probably too many ;))

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Never too many - and some of the tribal ones are kind of interesting; i need to think....

[curmudgn]

OK, black and blue ... easy to work with here. My vote would be for a Blue Morpho. And I believe if you don't wanna be taken as a crowd-follower with this, you should go for hyper-realism.

[gryphon-warrior.livejournal.com]

OOOOH... If you can find a tattoo artist who can make THAT happen on your shoulder, GET IT.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Blue Morphos are my favorite butterflies.... :)

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

You say you're interested in something like a butterfly but maybe not precisely a butterfly. Not sure it's your style exactly, but I have been attracted to the idea, the size and scale of moths sometimes - something like a luna moth or a polyphemus. You can compare and contrast as you think about it.

[keshwyn]

I was thinking moths as well, with their feathery antennae and their propensity to dance around flames...

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought about that, but it's an interesting idea - thank you!

[sabine791110.livejournal.com]

RH Potter does lovely work. It's semi-abstract with a calligraphy brush feel.
This one has some fire sparks that could be expanded into really cool butterflies:
http://www.rhpotter.com/tattoos/fire.html

I commissioned this one from her and have it on my upper back:
http://www.rhpotter.com/tattoos/phoenix3.html

And, hey, I found a butterfly in her archive section. :)
http://www.rhpotter.com/tattoos/butterfly.html

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Those are all gorgeous, and I purely adore the fox one. :) Thank you for the suggestion!

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

Would a butterfly with spots on its wings that look a bit like pawprints work?

[tafkad.livejournal.com]

I was kind of going with this idea, too.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

I already have a pawprint tattoo, so while I want something that doesn't clash heinously, I don't want something the same, either.... it's an interesting thought, though...

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

You could get something Mesoamerican, like:

http://thebutterflydiaries.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/stone_l.jpeg?w=450 (I don't know why C. is there)

That's at least less trendy-looking...

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have A. on my right front chest in black, with the Maya glyph for "obsidian" between the two claws at the tail... because "obsidian butterfly/clawed butterfly" is a common Mesoamerican poetic kenning for "bat".

[umbran.livejournal.com]

C is probably a caterpillar, which makes some sense among butterflies...

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

Huh. You're right. I hadn't noticed that... looked like a serpent to me, but now that I look at it, caterpillar.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Oh, pretty.....

Now I just need to meet with an artist to find a way to create a tribal/Mesoamerican version of a Blue Morpho, with little motion details.... :)

[etherial.livejournal.com]

Today's featured picture on Wikipedia is of a blue and black butterfly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morpho_peleides

[gryphon-warrior.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I like the butterflies in this: http://www.colourbox.com/preview/4405932-340298-vector-stylized-dragonfly-butterflies-and-peacock.jpg Stylized but still recognizably butterflies, and the colors could be adjusted to whatever you like.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

....huh. Those are actually super-pretty; thank you!