Any suggestions for how to creatively modify this tattoo (picture inside)?

If it were my tat, I’d colour the upper tips of the eagle’s wings red and work my way through the red/yellow spectrum down the rest of the wings, and the tail feathers would be yellow. Or vice versa.

Sort of mixing the phoenix/eagle thing, I know, but it’s the first idea that came to mind.

Wispy flames.

@aprilsimnel and @Draconess25 – I’ve thought about flames, but I already have one tatt with sun flames. Isn’t there a rule about having more than one tatt of the same kind?

@prolificus B-b-but….flames are awesome! <<snivel>>

@Draconess25 – I totally agree! Years ago I saw the cooooolest arm sleeve tatt of flames on a guitarist. Sizzling!

@prolificus Honestly though, I prefer scarification. More pain involved….

I think the bird is great just the way it is, perhaps something to put it into context. A nature scene probably wouldn’t work since the image is so stylized. I love the Celtic themes too, have a Celtic knot around my right wrist. The only other I have is a fine-line white rose and my late wife’s name on my chest (her design, she had a matching one).

Some of the designs on ancient Greek pottery might interest you. A lot of really good lesbian-theme material there.

@Draconess25 Scarification works well with some people, but the image gets distorted on others. It all depends on how your skin heals. Thin cuts with ink rubbed in usually works well though (with proper sterile technique). Branding can be very “iffy” depending on healing; some heal into a beautiful image, others a shapeless blob.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land I still have a heart on my shoulder from when I was 11! It looks better than it did 8 years ago.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land – Thanks for the great ideas! I think you’re onto something! So, for the past 20 minutes I’ve been looking up images on google using various combinations of key words: ancient Greek, Sappho, lesbian, pottery, eagle, art. I found this, maybe it could be merged with the tribal eagle.

@Draconess25 You’re lucky then, good skin to work with. :^)

Hmm. I looked up info on Ganymede (depicted here), and I found this info: “In poetry, Ganymede was a symbol for the ideally beautiful youth and also for pederastic love, sometimes contrasted with Helen of Troy in the role of symbol for the love of women” (source). I’m not sure if this would be appropriate for me. (More info.) Thoughts?

Sappho of Lesbos? I’ve been trying to find the pottery-type images also. I’ve seen so many in art books, but they’re elusive on the web.

@stranger_in_a_strange_land – I’m not finding any connection between Sappho and an eagle, except here.

P.S. thanks so much for your help… it’s bed time for me. Will check in tomorrow.

@prolificus That’s what I was thinking of, but I’m not sure how well it would work with that rendering of an eagle. The image I just posted is one that Meghan and I both considered having done also, as we were into the scene it represents.

Actually, I think the tattoo is well done and I never say that unless I mean it. The second link I can’t access for some reason. I agree with @aprilsimnel ‘s suggestion.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – Thank you. Just to FYI you, the first link (in the question) is not a picture of me (of the tattoo on me), but on someone else. Mine is the same design, but not as high quality. I swear the artist must have been stoned when he worked on me, because the lines and shading aren’t as detailed in the link I have in the question. Actually, there is absolutely no shading – just thick black lines which do not follow the design exactly. If my tatt was exactly like the one in the first link, I’d have no problem with it. (Sorry for not saying this in the original question.)

@prolificus OOH, well then have them go over it and make it more pronounced.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – I wish I could, it’s kinda f*cked up. There’s no room for shading like shown in the original link.

@prolificus I don’t have the knowledge of a good cover-up artist. I don’t know what’s possible (all I can think about is just put a giant black rectangle over it but I like geometric tats)

@Simone_De_Beauvoir – geometric like this? I’d be cool with it.

@prolificus Yes!

@prolificus That’s a great idea. I didn’t realize that the eagle was messed up. Do the geometric on the messed up one, then have a competent artist do an eagle on the other ankle. The other option is laser removal, but if the ink is too deep it might not work completely. It’s also expensive.

I was thinking of Greek pottery scenes as a separate tattoo, or series of tattoos. A friend of mine has a series of Trojan War battle scenes on back and half-sleeves. The artist did a magnificent job, b/w fine-line. If he’ll let me photograph it, I’ll post it for you.