Star Tattoo On The Wrist

Question:
i'm at the planning stage for my first tattoo. yay. The idea currently: a simple lotus/star thingy in white on my inner wrist, just below the hand... There are a couple of issues i'm hoping you guys could help me resolve... (1) As this would be my first tattoo, is the artist likely to have an issue with it being in a publicly visible space? (2) I like the pale, almost scar-like effect that white only tattoos often seem to have.. however the whitework i've seen (online only unfortunately) varies a *lot* in brightness, and sometimes it's a lot more white than i'd really like. So are there different methods that yield different results? Google searches haven't really given me any kind of definitive answer on this, maybe there isn't one? (3) In my current idea the upper petal/point would reach pretty much to the base of the hand, which is my preferred location... However in a recent post on the topic ppl were saying there might be issues with this... If I can keep it immobile during healing, would this resolve the issues, or would the need for touch-ups etc. mean that i'd be better off sucking it up and going for a less ideal placement?

Answer:
- well I've got average-ish caucasian skin, though I tan easily. But as far as I can see most of the variables are things I have no contrl over. What I was wondering was, is there anything I can ask the artist for that will improve my chances of getting the desired result? I mean, will asking for no blue tint help? looking at how the skin stretches, theres a fair area of the proposed site that's going to be shifting, so i'd better keep it still... thanks! I'm assuming the artist is going to need the skin fairly taut in order to work on it? That would mean the skin would be more stretched than normal, so would I need to distort the design myself (so it looks normal most of the time), or would they be better equiped to do so? - In a tattoo, the artist has most of the control. There are big trust issues underlying getting a tattoo, which is why searching for the right artist is so important. I am still not clear on what your desired result is. It would be hard to know for sure without talking with you in person and having you show me examples of what you like and what you don't. Asking for no blue tint really won't do much good, no. Doing what I just typed above with the artist will be much more helpful. Bring examples or look through his/her portfolio and see if you can find pictures that show what you mean. Your skin tone is a variable. I have never met anyone who had a totally neutral skin tone, and I can't tell you what effect certain tints would have without seeing you. An experienced tattoo artist will know how his inks will react with your coloring. Like I said, you need to make the effort to explain your desired result with him/her and work it out that way. Again, an experience tattoo artist will know how to place the design so that it isn't distorted... but and a big but know that when you get a tattoo on an area that is fairly elastic, it will warp when flexed or relaxed from the original positioning. When you get older the design may also warp a bit as the skin loses its natural elasticity as well. Just a couple things to keep in mind. - Many artists have a 'no hands or face' rule. Some extend that to the wrist, some do not. Some have no qualms about visible tattoos at all. SOme just charge more for more visible tattoos. It varies from one artist to the next. You will have to ask. The brightness of white only tattoos can be due to many factors. Age of the tattoo, opaqueness of the skin's natural pigment, skin tone, and tint to the white ink if any was used. Someone with very pink toned skin that is also fairly transparent in nature who recieved a white tattoo that was tinted slightly with blue to avoid the yellow fading that can happen with whitework... may very well end up with a brighter whitework tattoo than someone with less of a contrast in variables. How the ink was laid can also have an effect. Bend your wrist and look at how the skin in the area you want tattooed reacts to the movement. WHen I personally bend my wristthere is an area of about 2 and a half inches from the base of my palm that is wrinkled up. If you are like me, and if by chance your tattoo gets scabby in the area, then immobilization would be a fairly reasonable precaution, in my opinion.