I’d go for a pheonix and try use the sunset as a basis for th sky and the swirly thing (sorry couldn’t make it out properly) as part of the tail/feathers

Some good and valid points here. Which kinda brings me to my dilemma.

I have a half sleeve that I’m kinda toying with either going 3/4, full or ending at half (easily covered by my uniform).

I work for the ambulance service in the UK and whilst it was on the requirements for my pre-employment that the service didn’t condone tattoos visible that could be deemed by the public as offensive, there are many of my colleagues who have full sleeves and still wear the uniform. My sleeve is currently jap koi with cherry blossom and chrysanths and water… hardly offensive. They haven’t said outright though that your contract will be terminated if you do have one done.

My uniform consists of a elbow-length polo shirt or for those with sleeve tattoos, they recommend long-sleeve shirts. The problem with this is that our role, as with nursing staff in hospitals is supposed to be ‘bare below elbows’ – that said, we still wear watches and people have full sleeves.

I don’t want to jeapordise my future progression in this industry as its something I’ve just started, by making a bad call judgment on going full-sleeve ink.

I’d be interested to hear from anyone else in this predicament.

TBH mate I’m not sure. I’m a Scorpio and really wanted to incorporate that into my design but not sure if it works in Jap style as its a completely different thing astrology and traditional designs.

I would possibly recommend either speaking to someone on here who really knows their background into Jap styles and what goes/doesn’t go together and see what they say.

There was a different thread on here I was reading yesterday that I also commented on and one of the senior members seemed to really know his shit about the elements you can and can’t put together – that’s if you WANT it to be flow in an authentic style. For me I think I might end up having a completely separate tattoo with my star sign on somewhere else.

You could have a really small Sagittarius logo done within the design, say like on one of the koi’s scales, so it was still in the design but not so prominent that it looked out of place?

I think this is deviating away from the original thread a little.

At the end of the day, if everyone had the same tattoo, it would be a little boring. What one person likes inked, another won’t necessarily. For me personally, tribal on me had it’s day a few years ago, a bit like the Celtic bands everyone trended for back in the early 90’s – but that’s just my opinion which is why some people still have them done and others want them covering up – hence the original point in this discussion.

It would be good if we could change tattoos like we change clothes but sadly until that day arrives, I guess we have to plan out what we want carefully before committing to it.

I have to agree with buttwheat here. The more you mess with this the worse it will end up looking and you still won’t be happy. The best I would imagine you can do, and this is what my tattooist recommended for me, is find a laser removal professional (not sure if your doctor can point you in the direction of a reputable one), tell them what you intend to do ie have it knocked back as opposed to removed. Apparently black is an easier colour to remove with laser than reds due to the pigment absorbing the heat better. It will only need knocking back to a lighter grey for a decent cover up.

My advice, and this is just my personal opinion (what do I know?) get a Jap sleeve(half or full) done. The intricate colours and design will hide the previous remnants of your tribal. Plus, it will be timeless. I can’t help thinking tribal will go the way of a lot of ‘trends’.

Just some food for thought bro.