Doesn’t seem like overkill to me, the main thing here is to make sure your artist is up to standard, do you have any images of the design?

You can bring separate pics to the shop. I think the more references the better but not to the point it’s like you’re bringing a hundred different pics.

your best bet is to let your artist incorporate your ideas into a piece that will work as a tattoo to fit the space you are willing to donate………despite my own years of art school and years of being tattooed I find they always know better……..tattoo is a different kind of art form, the artists much consider that lines grow and the piece can change over time, they know how much detail and how much open space and line spacing to put into a piece to make the design last for years

It’s the classic 10-pound shit trying to stuff in a half-pound bag.
Figure out what you want your tattoo to be. Is it a ship, or a sun, or your zodiac, or a cross, or the wave? A tattoo is best with ONE subject matter.

I say you get a SHIP tattoo. Let it take up most of your upper arm. Have the cross on the sail and lion as the figurehead of the ship (google “lion figurehead”), like how you have it posted. Change the angle of the ship so that it fits the shape of your arm (tall instead of wide). Some Japanese style water and finger waves for background. Have a sunrise or sunset behind the ship. It’s still just a tattoo of a SHIP with most of the things incorporated.
The zodiac can be a separate tattoo all on its own.
You can buy that Hokusai print and hang it. It looks better on a wall than as a tattoo.