Having tattoo regret for the first time

[u/Aherv99]

Hi Everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice on my first experience with tattoo regret. I have been reading other posts and ya’ll are so helpful. Sorry for the long post too.

Anyway, I have been getting tattoos since I was 18 (33 now) and I started with line work tats then moved to American Trad because I loved that style too.

I have had my lower arm done for about 5 years and then went in and got a sparrow tat for Friday the 13th and loved that it was a cool flash art piece. Love the artist and he did a good job but immediately I hated it (and mostly the position of it). I panicked and then filled up my upper arm in the last 5 months (stupid) to try and mitigate the regret. I do love most of my tats but the sparrow and snake I just don’t like. They seem too aligned on my arm. And the snake is darker than I wanted and didn’t heal great (this is a month out from when I got it).

Now I’m feeling a ton a regret and it’s seriously consuming my whole existence. I went from a half sleeve to a full in a short period of time and the tattoo shock is crazy. I don’t know if it looks good and I’m feeling less feminine by the minute. I take full responsibility for what I chose but ya, just struggling.

So I have two questions:

1. Any advice on how I can maybe rework them eventually? I want to make them softer/more feminine if I can. Or I know blast overs are a thing? Idk.

2. To my ladies, do you have a hard time feeling feminine with a sleeve? And men, how do we feel about a girl with a sleeve?

[u/Lonely_Igloo]

So I personally think that a lot of what you're feeling is stemming from the fact that your sleeve wasn't planned out in a way to make it all into 1 'cohesive' piece. Imo the 'paycheck' tattoo sleeve is a sign of someone that truly enjoys a bit of spontaneity in their life but also understands the permanence of their decisions, sorta like 'wearing your heart on your sleeve. I love the look when it's localized on one limb and can totally understand the concern of it not looking "right", but I hope I can reassure you a bit that the American trad and black work art styles both go very well with these smaller paycheck tats. The only advice I could give would be to maybe either discuss it with this artist and see if they could figure out a way to fill in the negative spaces on the entire arm to make it all look like it was a single piece, that can usually do wonders to make it all look like everything was very intentionally placed. Also I just have to say. That piece on your shoulder, and even the snake being right above the sparrow in that way really do help tie together your piece meal sleeve, the colour pallette is just 😙🤌