Dungeons and Dragons tattoo: ideas?

[Summer-Knight925]

1. someone mentioned a 'future partner' having to see this tattoo. That makes me laugh.
2. I thought about a logo or a d20, however, my personal disdain for 4e and the current direction of the brand name has me leaning against a straight up "D&D" on my body. I'd rather have an iconic piece of artwork to say "yeah, I've been down in dungeons and I've fought my share of dragons".
I'm not a fan of dragon tattoos, they come off as tacky to me and so just getting a red dragon wouldn't really do the trick, I'm looking for something incredible, not some little dinky d20 on my arm.

As for the whole "don't get a tattoo without thinking about it for awhile" segment of responses, that's why I want something big and not just a d20 or a logo, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to commit to it, not just give it a 2-square-inch part of my shoulder.

This thread wasn't asking the question "SHOULD I get one" but "what should I get?", I'm asking for artistic opinion.

 

[hbarsquared]

If you're into Eberron, I'd totally suggest any one of the Marks. They're cool, they're artistic, and they're completely recognized as D&D while also being great designs for those who may not recognize it.

 

[Libramarian]

I don't think that the 1e PHB cover is such a good choice for a tattoo. There's not enough detail to the image. I think something by Russ Nicholson from the Fiend Folio would work better.

[sblock]

[/sblock]
That githyanki tattoo came out rather well.

A friend of mine has a giant Yoda down the right side of his torso done in scarification. It was hilarious at first but it's truly ugly and I don't think he likes showing it off anymore.

Try to get something that looks cool even to people who know nothing about D&D.

 

[Jester David]

A reworking of the cover of the first PHB might work. Check out the reprinted 1e PHB or the 3e PHB II.

 

[Dwimmerlied]

I am asking if any of you either think this is a good idea

I read this literally and responded as I thought

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Not the biggest fan of tattoos, but I do appreciate a well done one. You've made it abundantly clear that this is not about whether or not, but about what image.

And you want something iconic and artistic. Possibly big.

Here you go:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4smu9OYh3kU/UQ7b6pjBc7I/AAAAAAAAG-A/f3nyh4-vEiU/s1600/paladin-in-hell.jpg

 

[steeldragons]

For your back...the symmetry and all, I would go for this instead of the 1e original phb:


ya know, minus the actual title and print, just the guy opening the doors.

Now, if you want to be REALLY ambitious, and tell the "whole D&D experience" story...



It would take up top to bottom, side to side, but I can only imagine how long it would take (and painful. yikes!)

Or something like this could work too...[last suggestion, I promise. ]

 

[Unwise]

What about an iconic D&D specific monster? Like and ithillid or beholder? You can find some pretty sweet artwork for those online.

The reason I mention it is that most D&D books, especially some of the earlier ones have had very shoddy artwork imo. It also gets around the issue of having to have realistic faces as I mentioned earlier.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Agreed with Unwise; most pre-DiTerlizzi D&D art makes me think of children's art books. Though somewhere on the blogosphere I saw a black-and-white of Orcus that was very evocative -- due to its massive concentration of black ink and lack of detail.

If I was going to get a D&D tattoo, it'd be an actual icon (like my Lady of Pain avatar) or a monster. Maybe a very large tattoo, but not square. The human body isn't square, and doesn't look good imprinted with square images.

 

[mythago]

1. someone mentioned a 'future partner' having to see this tattoo. That makes me laugh.
2. I thought about a logo or a d20, however, my personal disdain for 4e and the current direction of the brand name has me leaning against a straight up "D&D" on my body. I'd rather have an iconic piece of artwork to say "yeah, I've been down in dungeons and I've fought my share of dragons".
I'm not a fan of dragon tattoos, they come off as tacky to me and so just getting a red dragon wouldn't really do the trick, I'm looking for something incredible, not some little dinky d20 on my arm.

As for the whole "don't get a tattoo without thinking about it for awhile" segment of responses, that's why I want something big and not just a d20 or a logo, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to commit to it, not just give it a 2-square-inch part of my shoulder.

This thread wasn't asking the question "SHOULD I get one" but "what should I get?", I'm asking for artistic opinion.

Speaking as someone who does have a huge honking tattoo and is still very happy with it:

1) Your choices are not limited to "dinky" or "full back tattoo". You can get a pretty hefty-sized tattoo on a shoulder, an arm, part of your back, your leg, etc.

2) People are going to want to see your tattoo. Trust me, it is going to be pretty inconvenient to take off your shirt every time you would like to show it to someone.

3) You're going to "commit to it" regardless of where and how large the tattoo is, because it will be part of you; it's a little silly to say that anything less than a full back tat is not a "commitment".

And yeah, 'should I get a tattoo?' is in fact an artistic opinion. You're in effect making yourself into a piece of art. That better be art that you plan to take care of for life and that you can see yourself enjoying even if your life changes in ways you can't guess. You may very well be a happy gamer in 20 years. You have no idea if you're going to have a partner, have a job, etc., and assuming you'll be just like you are now - except with more gray hair and wrinkles - is a one-way ticket to making a bad artistic decision.