OK GWCers.
I’m in the market for a tattoo. This’ll be my first. I’m looking for upper arm (bicep) or shoulder blade area. Any suggestions?? If you’ve seen/have anything exceptional, please post it.
If we can collect enough (ANY) viable suggestions, I’ll make a poll (IYKWIM) and we can vote on the art I’ll be sticking on my body for the rest of my life. No pressure though. 
Artwork from semi-famous podcaster/padres living in Texas encouraged !
Nahh! The stormtrooper’s helmet is all wrong !
here’s one of my favorites
or maybe this?
Go big. I always said I was gonna get one tattoo, period. And I got one, and instantly wanted bigger/more. And in my case, it’s on my back, so anything else is gonna throw off the composition of the thing.
And if you can wait, sit on the idea for a year.
Starbuck wing/s are a total winner, though.
If you want to make it really meaningful, you can go through one of various rituals/rites/trials that will reveal your totem spirit animal.
And also don’t try to save money on it. Find someone good and reputable that you’re comfortable with.
Watch a few epsiodes of LA Ink.
Expounding on these very valid points:
Novelty versus significance is a dangerous battle. Imagine what a “passing fad” tattoo is going to feel like 30 years from now, when even you can’t remember why you did it. If you can contribute to the design in any way, it makes it far more meaningful and cherished.
Think ahead to expansion, because (a) it gets addictive, and (b) personally, the randomness of some ink collections just boggles my mind. It took me a month to come up with a full shoulder-to-shoulder design for the missus (which we can’t yet afford) that will tie together the pieces she already has.
I can’t agree with DXF enough on this – cheap artists give cheap work. I don’t know how far you are from Boston, but Kelly over at Chameleon Body Arts in Harvard Square did exceptional work on a very thin-lined piece for me that has not faded, blurred or “drifted” one iota in years.
Consider going with a temp-tat or Henna for a month or so, to get used to the idea of having the image there, and making sure you like the location you have in mind, too.
LA Ink demonstrates some skilled color/detail artists, pushing the envelope of vibrancy and at times, photorealism. When choosing an artist, take time to look at their portfolios, to see that their strengths lie in the style of ink you’re considering (black/white, color, tribal, portrait, etc.)
Excellent points.
As a kid, I was contemplating a dumb tattoo. Someone told me a horror story of someone he knew in the 80s who got a big Noid tattoo. Remember the Noid? Exactly.
And Keir put it more precisely than I did when said “Go big.” I meant more like, “Think it through.” Which is tough to do, but try.
The henna thing is a great idea too. Once, I was itching to get an armband. Got a henna thing to see if I loved having one. I didn’t.
And again, you can’t hear this too many times: Don’t get anything just to get one. If you’re committed to having one, the right idea will come along.
I’m getting the BSG logo (The Phoenix and the broken circle around it, not the BSG75 circle) as soon as I get somebody to make some nice line art out of it and get some cash
Speaking more from observation than experience, consider also that your skin changes as you get older. Think about what that design is going to look like with wrinkles, discoloration, and weird errant hairs. 
personally, the randomness of some ink collections just boggles my mind.
I used to work with a woman who did all of her own tattoos. She had something everywhere below the neck (at least, so I was told) that she could reach with her right hand. She looked like a frakkin’ sketchpad. No forethought, no theme, just random crap all over her body.
- Consider going with a temp-tat or Henna for a month or so, to get used to the idea of having the image there, and making sure you like the location you have in mind, too.
Note that henna should be reddish brown. So-called “black henna” can cause a severe allergic reaction, including permanent scarring.
I still think that Winnie the Pooh would make a great tattoo for you. 
That, or a cat’s butt.
and I’ll still pay for it if you get it
That, or a cat’s butt.
Can’t agree with Keir enough on this one. It’s taken me about a year to come up with the design I wanted and another to find someone good enough to do it. Be most careful who you let ink ya… it sticks with ya, dun’cha know 
I have been wanting to get the 2 I have redone & possibly added to, but I haven’t beena ble to descie what to do with them. I am not unhappy with what I decided on, but, if I had really sat down with a tattoo artist longer & really researched it, they would be different.