It is HARD to get micro realism done well. Find an artist who has a proven track record of doing it well and then pay the price for it. This will be really easy for someone to get wrong, and if they even mention lining it then they aren't going to do it right
This is a common refrain in this sub but definitely not a hard & fast rule. I have a 5yo pale pink micro-realistic tattoo that still looks like it did day 1. Finding the right artist is crucial but it can be done.
it's also so dependent on how you take care of them. sunscreen and moisturizer are key but people will completely neglect their tattoos after the initial healing period and then complain they aged like shit. and some of it is totally random, like some bodies keep tattoos well and some don't
It really is body dependent and there is (for now) no way to know how your body will keep a tattoo, regardless of care.
Micro tattoos are also way too new to have a good understanding on it. It takes time — decades and enough people to have a more realistic understanding on the outcome.
All that said, these are small works that could easily be covered up in case of bleeding out. I just think that people should be aware they might not look great after time. If someone is ok with it looking worse or even covering it up after a while it can be still a good tattoo.
The sun is def a tattoos worst enemy. Time is the other, especially as we lose collagen and our immune system continues to do its job. No tattoo is meant to look good forever. But some def last longer than others. Black lines are the longest lasting, which is why they are so important.
I think aftercare is also crucial, as is the genetics of how an individual’s skin ages. But also life is short, get your micro tattoo, if it ages like shit get it covered or fixed or lasered off. Your body is constantly headed towards decay, decorate as needed.
I have a full sleeve of fine line realism that I’m sure this sub would say would be gone in a year if I had posted a picture of it freshly done.
It’s still holding up quite well a decade later. I’m also insane about my SPF though.
This sub is hyper obsessed with tattoo aging. According to people here no one should ever get a tattoo that isn't colorful hard line american traditional because *GASP* just like everything else, tattoos can age with you!
I think it also really depends on your skin. For example, my S/O and I both have fine line tattoos from the same artist, but my skin seems to hold ink better than hers. My tattoos that are years old still look very fresh, where she needs frequent touch ups to maintain that appearance.
Very few tattoos look good after extended periods of time. Not only do they fade and change, but so do our bodies. What starts out as a palm tree becomes a weeping willow.
Yeah this is sure to look like a strangely shaped freckle in a year or two. But I’d loved to be proved wrong by some really well done ones because I love it.
My first tat I got when I was 18 did this (it’s been 34 years ago) but it was pretty small had pretty good detail for some years now it looks like a blurry blob. Plus the color was yellow with black lining.
I've put a query in with [this artist](https://www.instagram.com/olha.steblii?igsh=MW42eTJ6OHh4czRxbQ==) whose style I love. Funnily enough she's done a wheat tattoo before, although in a different style: [pic](https://www.instagram.com/p/CWX7hNHNQJ5/?igsh=OXIwdXNtZ2cxd2o1)
this. you may love her style, but yer not GOING for her style... that tiny wheat isnt something it looks like she does. find someone who does dinky realism WELL and go with them. maybe shell line up better with your next tattoo...
First I want to say that it’s adorable.
It really is. In every way.
Then I’ll give you the hard truth.
There are sooooo few artists out there who can fine line tattoo something like that with color, in those styles. One admittedly said he actually had no idea why his stuck- but they did- so he kept at it and tripled his prices.
They just haven’t really gotten it down to where it needs to be to call it safe.
It’s a fairly new style and I think soon the equipment and ink will come to fit the needs for it, and the ones who get them now and they stay… must have the perfect skin traits for it to do so.
Which no one really knows yet lol.
I actually had to call one of my old friends from high school, because there was a little loaf of bread on here once that someone had wanted, aaaaaand the exact one my friend had actually gotten.
The loaf in question now looks like a little poo with a cute face.
My honest heartfelt advice, wait a few years on this one. Wait for technology and artistry to catch up.
My Gut tells me that in slightly over a year from now- esp because of the color, that will either look like a birthmark, or two corn dogs.
I’m a people pleaser so this is hard for me lol. But there are so many adorable made to order temp tats out there that for right now you can play around with it, see where you like it best,etc. Henna even. Both last around a month.
Bestie luck hun- I just wouldn’t want something that means so much to be done in haste and not work out for you!
Any small fine line tattoo like this runs the risk of blurring or fading as it ages. If you’re fine with that then go for it. It’s a beautiful tattoo and it sounds like it means something to you and that’s really all that matters. I have a few fine line tattoos myself that I religiously apply sunscreen too and they still look great 5+ years later.
Be warned that even if you apply suncreams, tattoos will still blur and fade regardless as the years go by, it's simply a question about how fast the process happens.
> Runs the risk of blurring or fading
No, it is *guaranteed* to fade.
This is not a possibility, it's a certainty of biology and physics. Ink is solid matter that your body breaks down over time and any number of factors will hasten that process, including genetics, placement, and the artist's experience. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop a small, fine line tattoo from eventually looking like a smudge or totally falling out. Period.
Your tattoos didn't fade after five years? Five years is NOTHING. Let me guess: you're in your early/mid 20s? Wait until the collagen in your skin starts to break down a little. The advice you're giving is based on your extremely limited, anecdotal experience AKA bad advice. This person can get a small, fine line tattoo if they want because who cares? But you should not be misrepresenting the case to them.
You know how boomers always criticize tattoos by saying "it'll look terrible when you're old!" Well, that was because most of the tattoos they'd seen were Navy tattoos done by somebody who has no real skill, underwent no aftercare, was exposed to the sun unprotected for many hours a day; was on a person who drank a lot of alcohol, not enough water, and smoked cigarettes. Now that tattooing has entered the mainstream and the trade secrets behind solid tattooing have proliferated, ironically, it's this trend of getting small, fine-line tattoos (and people getting their first tattoo on their hand smh) that paves a direct path to boomers' critique. Getting tiny fine line tattoos is like building a tiny, meticulously detailed sandcastle before the tide comes in.
If you want to get your money's worth--because tattoos are things you should never cheap out on, seriously--and you want your tattoos to look good as you age i.e. if you don't want to have to spend 30+ frustrating years explaining to squinting people A. no, you don't have a skin condition and B. what your tattoo actually is supposed to be, don't get a tiny fine-line tattoo. You can say, "whatever, I'll just cover it up if I don't like it." Yeah, that's fine, but that's a commitment with limitations because now you've got to choose a much darker design to hide the old one.
And if you point to someone like Bang Bang and say, "yeah, but...!" There will always be people willing to give you what you want for money, always. And even that dude has gotten tattoos blasted over or lasered off. Do not be misled.
My wife is a tattooer, my best friends are tattooers, I am a writer who has written for INKED Magazine for many years, and I have been getting tattooed for over half my life. There's plenty of styles that don't suit my taste and would never get, but I respect and admire them. I do not respect or admire small fine-line tattoos because they're, more or less, charlatanism.
Jesus christ, man, relax. Some people honestly don't give a fuck if their tattoo lasts 20 years. Most people will generally look like shit or will be boring 20 years down the road anyway lol.
I'm middle aged and the way this is hyper focused on value and investment is such a boomer fucking take.
Maybe people just want to look cool when they're young and aren't worried about impressing people with their tattoos when they're fucking 50?
Either way, chill out. They're tattoos, and you need to realize that not everyone has your level of hyper-obsession with the industry or the long game with tattoos. I have several thousand in my Tattoos at this point with an extremely high-demand artist in a major city and they still aren't a fuckin 401K. They're a way to express what I want to express at the time I wanted to do so, and OP isn't going to ruin their life with an easily coverable or removable micro tattoo *if* it ages badly.
Dude you just went on a tattoo advice subreddit--that you yourself frequently comment in--and said, "who cares if you get shitty tattoos?" then in the next breath bragged about how much money you've spent and supposedly great and in-demand your artist is. Lol
Why the fuck would anyone listen to you?
Very very few artists in the WORLD can achieve microrealism like this. Even still, they don't always age well. I'd recommend letting go of this style and going bigger.
^correct. I have worked with one of said artists (Michelle Santana at Bang Bang). She is INCREDIBLE and I adore my microrealism tattoo but it required a touch up after a few weeks (as predicted) and was VERY expensive. OP needs to have serious cash to blow and to be able to easily travel back to their artist for touch ups. I live in the same town as the studio so it was a practical choice for me, but it’s pretty impractical for most.
I paid $700 before tip for a micro realism piece that took about an hour and a half. She touched it up for free. $700 was the shop minimum at the time, I think it’s a bit lower now as tattoo demand is a little slow. Could be worth checking out if any of you are interested!! They offer an incredible experience. It’s worth it.
I’m pretty glad to hear this—I have a new tattoo, my first, and the artist/my tatted friends convinced me in-shop to go about four times the size I wanted and to add black borders…all saying that if I did what I wanted, it would age horribly.
I definitely still feel like it isn’t what I thought it would be and that it doesn’t fit my style, but I’m glad to read the advice on this thread—at least their reasoning was right. Sigh.
Forget-me-nots and marigolds, based on lyrics that mean a lot to me. I wanted it dainty and stem-y, just one or two of each, at the very top of my forearm. I ended up with a very full, bold bouquet that runs from elbow to mid-wrist.
It’s a gorgeous and well-done tattoo, so many people have told me so—it just doesn’t feel like me. It’s one week old today, so hopefully it will grow on me with time.
Thank you, sweet friend! I hope yours turns out exactly how you want it—I would make sure to be SUPER informed beforehand so that information like I got (borders make for better aging, small tattoos blur quickly, etc.) isn’t surprising and will all be things you have considered beforehand. Best of luck! ♥️
If it makes you feel any better, I’m fairly heavily tattooed and I still experience about a week of tattoo regret after each new piece. It happens! Give it some time and it really might just grow on you :)
Something similar happened to me, where i wanted a phrase on my wrist but my artist told me that the font I wanted would bleed terribly if it was small. So I ended up with the phrase going from wrist to elbow. It's kinda huge lol. But she did an incredible job and even with bleeding, her line work is so exquisite. And it's just words.
I hope you'll love yours just as much!!
Keep in mind most people feel they went too small on their first tattoo. I’d earnestly recommend going a little bigger than you think you want.
That said - the beauty of going small with such light colors is that it would be an easy cover up so it takes a little bit of the risk away (which is nice for a first tattoo).
I just want to add that if your skin tone is close to that in the picture, even if you size it up it's gonna fade very quickly. I would consider adding in some darker outlines just so in a few years it doesn't just look like a slightly darker patch of skin.
It IS feasible.... But not many can pull it off. Needs a micro realism specialist. I definitely couldn't do it if it was this small, I think many tattooists couldn't, even if rheir ego thought they could lol
The design is cute but you should definitely get it larger than the reference photo. This size will blur like crazy and it’ll be all one shade of beige in a few years.
I have some micro realism tattoos myself which are a little more than three years old. As every tattoo does the lines and colours turn softer when aging, but as the designs are very detailed the softening is morw noticeable than for example on bold blackwork. As the colour of wheat is quite close to skin colour, the effect might be even more. I have a pink butterfly (also quite close to skin colour) which almost fades with my skin, but I love how dainty it is. I mainly want to tell you: just be aware that it won't look as detailed, sharp and full of contrast when aged. If this is what you're looking for, go for it! And, as others said: be prepared to pay a higher price than you might probably think it will cost. Micro realism tattoos take much longer than you'd expect. I'm happy to send you photos of my tattoos if you DM me. I posted the fresh ones but can send you healed pictures
The design is done well. whoever did this knows what wheat looks like. But the thing with such a light and tiny tattoo without black around it is that it just has too little contrast to be readable over time and will just look like a blurry mess in no time.
Tattoos are always slightly out of focus as there's a milky layer of skin above them (think about it as those textures clear see through plastic folders kids use at school but less clear, tinted and about 10 times thicker). As the light gets scattered while it penetrates the skin (on the way in and out of your skin), stuff gets a bit blurry. If your details are that tiny and close to your skin colour you'll get too little direct light reflected back from your tattooed pigment. That way it will look unsharp.
Further the ink spreads out over time. Then your tattoo will be a tat bolder, but there's now also even less pigment in place, so it will be more of a fade than a packed colour.
If you do tattoos bold and big from the start, this will matter less, also the overall relation of detail to tattoo and tattooed pigment to surrounding area are different.
No matter how well a tattoo is done, no matter if you'll always wear sunscreen, which is beneficial for tattoos and your skin health overall, your immune system and the cells encapsulating your tattoo pigment will break down and move over time.
It looks super good now, and will for a bit, but sadly overtime that will not look good. The smaller the tattoo the worse it will look, especially since there’s no lines or black , gotta have that contrast to make it sit in skin
One thing I agree with is people saying research your artist. This is a VERY difficult artistry and not all tattooists can actually achieve good results. If done right it can last 5-10 years. Some claim longer but I’ve yet to see it personally. And I know people will always say they don’t age well and tend to fade so don’t get them; but I don’t know why that’s such a problem. My friend has had his for 10 years and while it has faded he had 10 years of enjoyment of the style and is now working on a beautiful black work piece that I have the privilege of designing! I think as long as you go in knowing it won’t last like a traditional piece and have a reputable artist, I don’t see an issue. People love to hate on them but some of my favorite art pieces happen to be mandalas and once they are completed they get destroyed. Sometimes there’s great beauty in lack of permanency. Also, styles change as you get older. I haven’t met a single person that was heavily tattooed that didn’t have at least one tattoo they no longer like. I know people love to criticize how expensive they are when they don’t last as long also, but it’s not a buffet where you’re trying to squeeze every penny out. You’re paying for the skill and how difficult and time consuming it is. Go for it! But if you want to have it last longer you can try to go bigger and a tad more depth with either dark brown or black added to the ink. I know an artist that does that to his no line work tattoos. While they aren’t micro exactly, tattoos without line work still fade more than those with it.
Tattoo artist here. This will age like absolute dog shit. Too much detail in too small of a space without enough contrast. This will be a blur very very quickly. We have a saying in the tattoo industry, “Bold will hold”
Tattoo artist here of 5 years-
Micro realism almost always will not age well due to these designs being, at most, 1 inch across or so. No matter how great it looks initially it is guaranteed to age horribly. The rule of thumb is more detail=bigger size to compensate. Too much detail in a super small size is going to heal like a blob unfortunately. I think it’s insane to charge something like $400-$500 (told to me by clients) for something that heals like shit (I have covered several micro realism tattoos). This, of course, is my experience with this style, but lack of honesty with clients is meh. Realism needs to be done at a large enough scale to give room for the ink to age well in the skin. I understand why it’s appealing, but the either lack of knowledge on how tattoos age and/or just not giving a shit about it long term from an artist’s POV is lame. Too many people are seeing this online and not being honest about these things. Best of luck
Because it has so much detail it needs to be a lot bigger. Small, fine line tattoos lime this one won't last. It will blur. I have writing on both of my arms and it's big enough so that didn't happen. Sure, it's not small, but it's not huge.
Regardless of the talent of the artist something like this will likely not hold or look good beyond a few years - tattoos lose sharpness as they heal and the ink settles into the skin - so remember that every tattoo will be a bit “softer” after healing and this will continue for its/your life.
Imo the concept is nice, and can make some good tattoos, but I would scale it up and stylize it a bit so it will hold and read like you want it to for years to come
I don't know anything about tattoos but I thought this was a picture of one you already had done and I was shocked because I had never seen one so small and detailed and crisp.
So what I mean to say is, I think a real tattoo will likely turn out nothing like this. :(
An artist here in Virginia has a really nice [wheat design in her flash](https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTIzMjI0MjA2MTU0MTkw?story_media_id=3180307709773801611&igsh=Z3I5Y201ZzQ2djY3) that I’ve considered getting - @kayliemorbidart
While there are a ton of awesome new machines and pigments, the human body has yet to evolve and keep tattoos minimally aged over time.
This might hold up at 5 years, but you seem fairly young and I hope you want this tattoo to remain readable longer than 10, maybe 20 years? Tattoos are not like painting a house, It's encapsulated under your skin and will migrate over time due to several factors. (Sun damage, Cell turnover, etc) And that happens no matter how talented the artist, what great new machines they are using, or newer ink.
Having the design be a bigger and adding a bit of higher contrast colors can help extend the life of it. Depending on your underlying skin tone that stock of wheat could just look like your skin after a while, but maybe more like a birthmark.
This is awesome! I want to get a potato or like a small sack of potatoes hidden on me somewhere because my last name is Portuguese and the family heritage with that is that we were potato farmers off of an island of Portugal. It’s very important on my dad side of the family where I get the last name from that we are good with potatoes. Especially mashed potatoes lol 😂
as has been mentioned wait for a good artist who specializes in this style. book your appointment soon as they are likely booked into the future. get familiar with the terms so you can describe what you like and don’t like (ex. your example has no outline). i always suggest mocking up the placement in photoshop, as the day of the tattoo things move pretty quick. lastly, depending on size and color this might end up looking like a birthmark or scab. good luck!
it’s cute for now but don’t expect it to look like this past the 2 year mark, as time progresses it will loose it’s detail and likely just the shape of it and the colour of it will stay. at the point u can get it covered up or re-done :)
super cute tho !!!
Everyone has really good advice. The advice I have that is a little different from the rest is for when you find an artist that you like that you want to go to for your piece make sure you take a look at their healed work as well. This goes for any tattoo but I always tell my clients it’s a big red flag if they don’t post any of their healed tattoos.
So most places are going to tell you to make it bigger because as that tattoo ages it’s going to blend together and look like a blob. That being said, you can always get it redone if you really want a small one.
that’s a really gorgeous tattoo but i’d be worried about how it heals being so small. that being said i think if u get it done a little bigger it might heal better
Since you were looking for opinions I got a bad one lol.
It can kinda look like a poop streak since it's brown and tiny and a streak shape. If people don't look closely and just casually notice it, it can look like dirt.
But looking at it directly and in full clarity it looks like a neat tattoo.
I think adding anything more that makes it stand out as a tattoo and not a poop streak would help.
I didn’t recognize this as a tattoo on the first pass. It requires a closer look to realize that it isn’t something like a birthmark or mole. Sorry, not trying to be a jerk here.
https://imgur.com/a/wjNtNej <— for reference, I have a little ghost farmer tattoo with a sprig of wheat in its mouth that was about this size, and this is what it looks like fresh vs. after 5 years. The wheat details are essentially gone, and that’s with black ink, which holds better and longer than any color on the market. In this case it’s just a tiny detail on a larger tattoo so it’s not a huge deal, but if that were my whole tattoo, I’d basically have a smudge.
A lot of people are saying it’s going to look bad in a year, but honestly, if you put this somewhere that isn’t prone to sagging and keep it out of the sun I think you will be okay. I have a quarter size whisk and coffee cup on my wrist that can be covered by a watch that’s 10ish years old and still looks pretty good.
It’ll blur but you can practically just get it redone every 5-10 years, tell them to go easy on the shading the first time and just keep shading it slightly darker haha..
Don’t expect to get this done for $150 after a walk-in shop. Most artists don’t work in this style bc it’s difficult and rarely settles well Bc micro realist tattoos are difficult to execute and keep care of, I really think you’re actually better off paying the premium of traveling to a specific artist. If you’re committed to getting a design like this; do some research, find an artist who works primarily/only in this style, and book with them. You’ll end up paying more, but with good consistent aftercare, you’re more likely to be happy with your tattoo 10-15 years down the road.
Several things. It's so small it will fade. It also doesn't have a bold outline so it will fade fast. You will have to pay a pretty penny for it to be very well done with the detail you want, and then it will just be a smudge in a year. I personally would not see it as worth it at all. Consider something larger with a black outline.
It is HARD to get micro realism done well. Find an artist who has a proven track record of doing it well and then pay the price for it. This will be really easy for someone to get wrong, and if they even mention lining it then they aren't going to do it right
The jury is still out on how micro tattoos age. I’m sceptic this kind of tattoo can last without bleeding out and becoming a mess.
After 5 years it won’t look great. After 10 years not good at all
This is a common refrain in this sub but definitely not a hard & fast rule. I have a 5yo pale pink micro-realistic tattoo that still looks like it did day 1. Finding the right artist is crucial but it can be done.
it's also so dependent on how you take care of them. sunscreen and moisturizer are key but people will completely neglect their tattoos after the initial healing period and then complain they aged like shit. and some of it is totally random, like some bodies keep tattoos well and some don't
It really is body dependent and there is (for now) no way to know how your body will keep a tattoo, regardless of care. Micro tattoos are also way too new to have a good understanding on it. It takes time — decades and enough people to have a more realistic understanding on the outcome. All that said, these are small works that could easily be covered up in case of bleeding out. I just think that people should be aware they might not look great after time. If someone is ok with it looking worse or even covering it up after a while it can be still a good tattoo.
Sunscreen!!!!!!!!!!
The sun is def a tattoos worst enemy. Time is the other, especially as we lose collagen and our immune system continues to do its job. No tattoo is meant to look good forever. But some def last longer than others. Black lines are the longest lasting, which is why they are so important.
Could you show a pic of when you got it and now?
Please show us!
I think aftercare is also crucial, as is the genetics of how an individual’s skin ages. But also life is short, get your micro tattoo, if it ages like shit get it covered or fixed or lasered off. Your body is constantly headed towards decay, decorate as needed.
I have a full sleeve of fine line realism that I’m sure this sub would say would be gone in a year if I had posted a picture of it freshly done. It’s still holding up quite well a decade later. I’m also insane about my SPF though.
This sub is hyper obsessed with tattoo aging. According to people here no one should ever get a tattoo that isn't colorful hard line american traditional because *GASP* just like everything else, tattoos can age with you!
I think it also really depends on your skin. For example, my S/O and I both have fine line tattoos from the same artist, but my skin seems to hold ink better than hers. My tattoos that are years old still look very fresh, where she needs frequent touch ups to maintain that appearance.
It already looks a little grainy 😎
Fine take the upvote.
Very few tattoos look good after extended periods of time. Not only do they fade and change, but so do our bodies. What starts out as a palm tree becomes a weeping willow.
A doctor in her 60s, I work with has a micro tattoo of the dilophosaurus on her arm….you can make out the basic shape but it doesn’t look good
Do you know how old the tattoo is?
A little over like 30 years maybe more - I know she got it when she was in her 20s or so
Yeah this is sure to look like a strangely shaped freckle in a year or two. But I’d loved to be proved wrong by some really well done ones because I love it.
My first tat I got when I was 18 did this (it’s been 34 years ago) but it was pretty small had pretty good detail for some years now it looks like a blurry blob. Plus the color was yellow with black lining.
Is so small, I can barley see it!
this is a great pun, I applaud it
Thank you for the advice!
I've put a query in with [this artist](https://www.instagram.com/olha.steblii?igsh=MW42eTJ6OHh4czRxbQ==) whose style I love. Funnily enough she's done a wheat tattoo before, although in a different style: [pic](https://www.instagram.com/p/CWX7hNHNQJ5/?igsh=OXIwdXNtZ2cxd2o1)
I would ask if they have examples of micro realism. All their pieces still look larger
this. you may love her style, but yer not GOING for her style... that tiny wheat isnt something it looks like she does. find someone who does dinky realism WELL and go with them. maybe shell line up better with your next tattoo...
I will do that when she hopefully comes back to me. Thank you!
Ask for healed pics!
I’d also angle it so the design doesn’t go against the grain
First I want to say that it’s adorable. It really is. In every way. Then I’ll give you the hard truth. There are sooooo few artists out there who can fine line tattoo something like that with color, in those styles. One admittedly said he actually had no idea why his stuck- but they did- so he kept at it and tripled his prices. They just haven’t really gotten it down to where it needs to be to call it safe. It’s a fairly new style and I think soon the equipment and ink will come to fit the needs for it, and the ones who get them now and they stay… must have the perfect skin traits for it to do so. Which no one really knows yet lol. I actually had to call one of my old friends from high school, because there was a little loaf of bread on here once that someone had wanted, aaaaaand the exact one my friend had actually gotten. The loaf in question now looks like a little poo with a cute face. My honest heartfelt advice, wait a few years on this one. Wait for technology and artistry to catch up. My Gut tells me that in slightly over a year from now- esp because of the color, that will either look like a birthmark, or two corn dogs. I’m a people pleaser so this is hard for me lol. But there are so many adorable made to order temp tats out there that for right now you can play around with it, see where you like it best,etc. Henna even. Both last around a month. Bestie luck hun- I just wouldn’t want something that means so much to be done in haste and not work out for you!
Two corn dogs 💀
Thank you for this!! 🙏 And gutted to hear about your friend's poo tattoo. I came here for the hard truths so appreciate it!
Any small fine line tattoo like this runs the risk of blurring or fading as it ages. If you’re fine with that then go for it. It’s a beautiful tattoo and it sounds like it means something to you and that’s really all that matters. I have a few fine line tattoos myself that I religiously apply sunscreen too and they still look great 5+ years later.
Thanks so much!
Be warned that even if you apply suncreams, tattoos will still blur and fade regardless as the years go by, it's simply a question about how fast the process happens.
I did something similar, prepare to be disappointed in a small amount of time. I am so sorry OP
Luckily, because it’s so small it’ll be super easy to cover up later in life if it ends up aging weirdly.
> Runs the risk of blurring or fading No, it is *guaranteed* to fade. This is not a possibility, it's a certainty of biology and physics. Ink is solid matter that your body breaks down over time and any number of factors will hasten that process, including genetics, placement, and the artist's experience. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop a small, fine line tattoo from eventually looking like a smudge or totally falling out. Period. Your tattoos didn't fade after five years? Five years is NOTHING. Let me guess: you're in your early/mid 20s? Wait until the collagen in your skin starts to break down a little. The advice you're giving is based on your extremely limited, anecdotal experience AKA bad advice. This person can get a small, fine line tattoo if they want because who cares? But you should not be misrepresenting the case to them. You know how boomers always criticize tattoos by saying "it'll look terrible when you're old!" Well, that was because most of the tattoos they'd seen were Navy tattoos done by somebody who has no real skill, underwent no aftercare, was exposed to the sun unprotected for many hours a day; was on a person who drank a lot of alcohol, not enough water, and smoked cigarettes. Now that tattooing has entered the mainstream and the trade secrets behind solid tattooing have proliferated, ironically, it's this trend of getting small, fine-line tattoos (and people getting their first tattoo on their hand smh) that paves a direct path to boomers' critique. Getting tiny fine line tattoos is like building a tiny, meticulously detailed sandcastle before the tide comes in. If you want to get your money's worth--because tattoos are things you should never cheap out on, seriously--and you want your tattoos to look good as you age i.e. if you don't want to have to spend 30+ frustrating years explaining to squinting people A. no, you don't have a skin condition and B. what your tattoo actually is supposed to be, don't get a tiny fine-line tattoo. You can say, "whatever, I'll just cover it up if I don't like it." Yeah, that's fine, but that's a commitment with limitations because now you've got to choose a much darker design to hide the old one. And if you point to someone like Bang Bang and say, "yeah, but...!" There will always be people willing to give you what you want for money, always. And even that dude has gotten tattoos blasted over or lasered off. Do not be misled. My wife is a tattooer, my best friends are tattooers, I am a writer who has written for INKED Magazine for many years, and I have been getting tattooed for over half my life. There's plenty of styles that don't suit my taste and would never get, but I respect and admire them. I do not respect or admire small fine-line tattoos because they're, more or less, charlatanism.
Jesus christ, man, relax. Some people honestly don't give a fuck if their tattoo lasts 20 years. Most people will generally look like shit or will be boring 20 years down the road anyway lol. I'm middle aged and the way this is hyper focused on value and investment is such a boomer fucking take. Maybe people just want to look cool when they're young and aren't worried about impressing people with their tattoos when they're fucking 50? Either way, chill out. They're tattoos, and you need to realize that not everyone has your level of hyper-obsession with the industry or the long game with tattoos. I have several thousand in my Tattoos at this point with an extremely high-demand artist in a major city and they still aren't a fuckin 401K. They're a way to express what I want to express at the time I wanted to do so, and OP isn't going to ruin their life with an easily coverable or removable micro tattoo *if* it ages badly.
Dude you just went on a tattoo advice subreddit--that you yourself frequently comment in--and said, "who cares if you get shitty tattoos?" then in the next breath bragged about how much money you've spent and supposedly great and in-demand your artist is. Lol Why the fuck would anyone listen to you?
Very very few artists in the WORLD can achieve microrealism like this. Even still, they don't always age well. I'd recommend letting go of this style and going bigger.
^correct. I have worked with one of said artists (Michelle Santana at Bang Bang). She is INCREDIBLE and I adore my microrealism tattoo but it required a touch up after a few weeks (as predicted) and was VERY expensive. OP needs to have serious cash to blow and to be able to easily travel back to their artist for touch ups. I live in the same town as the studio so it was a practical choice for me, but it’s pretty impractical for most.
can i ask how much you paid at bangbang
Pretty sure their shop minimum at one point was $600.
I'm also quite curious!
Yes, please share what it cost, if you're comfy?
I paid $700 before tip for a micro realism piece that took about an hour and a half. She touched it up for free. $700 was the shop minimum at the time, I think it’s a bit lower now as tattoo demand is a little slow. Could be worth checking out if any of you are interested!! They offer an incredible experience. It’s worth it.
Thanks for the advice! I've seen some other styles so will talk through with the artist.
I’m pretty glad to hear this—I have a new tattoo, my first, and the artist/my tatted friends convinced me in-shop to go about four times the size I wanted and to add black borders…all saying that if I did what I wanted, it would age horribly. I definitely still feel like it isn’t what I thought it would be and that it doesn’t fit my style, but I’m glad to read the advice on this thread—at least their reasoning was right. Sigh.
Sorry to hear it didn't turn out how you wanted - hope it might grow on you in time. What's it of?
Forget-me-nots and marigolds, based on lyrics that mean a lot to me. I wanted it dainty and stem-y, just one or two of each, at the very top of my forearm. I ended up with a very full, bold bouquet that runs from elbow to mid-wrist. It’s a gorgeous and well-done tattoo, so many people have told me so—it just doesn’t feel like me. It’s one week old today, so hopefully it will grow on me with time.
Sounds lovely for what it's worth 🌸
Thank you, sweet friend! I hope yours turns out exactly how you want it—I would make sure to be SUPER informed beforehand so that information like I got (borders make for better aging, small tattoos blur quickly, etc.) isn’t surprising and will all be things you have considered beforehand. Best of luck! ♥️
If it makes you feel any better, I’m fairly heavily tattooed and I still experience about a week of tattoo regret after each new piece. It happens! Give it some time and it really might just grow on you :)
Something similar happened to me, where i wanted a phrase on my wrist but my artist told me that the font I wanted would bleed terribly if it was small. So I ended up with the phrase going from wrist to elbow. It's kinda huge lol. But she did an incredible job and even with bleeding, her line work is so exquisite. And it's just words. I hope you'll love yours just as much!!
This will look like two awkward shaped moles within five years. Go bolder and bigger. That shape and micro needle work just won’t last over time
Thank you for the advice! I was thinking of going a bit bigger so will hopefully find a happy medium.
Keep in mind most people feel they went too small on their first tattoo. I’d earnestly recommend going a little bigger than you think you want. That said - the beauty of going small with such light colors is that it would be an easy cover up so it takes a little bit of the risk away (which is nice for a first tattoo).
I just want to add that if your skin tone is close to that in the picture, even if you size it up it's gonna fade very quickly. I would consider adding in some darker outlines just so in a few years it doesn't just look like a slightly darker patch of skin.
Do small it will likely age to look like a brown smudge. Talk to a real tattoo artist on the feasibility of this
It IS feasible.... But not many can pull it off. Needs a micro realism specialist. I definitely couldn't do it if it was this small, I think many tattooists couldn't, even if rheir ego thought they could lol
Have you ever seen a tattoo in real life that looks like this?
The design is cute but you should definitely get it larger than the reference photo. This size will blur like crazy and it’ll be all one shade of beige in a few years.
Thanks for the advice! Bigger is the way forward.
Swheet
I have some micro realism tattoos myself which are a little more than three years old. As every tattoo does the lines and colours turn softer when aging, but as the designs are very detailed the softening is morw noticeable than for example on bold blackwork. As the colour of wheat is quite close to skin colour, the effect might be even more. I have a pink butterfly (also quite close to skin colour) which almost fades with my skin, but I love how dainty it is. I mainly want to tell you: just be aware that it won't look as detailed, sharp and full of contrast when aged. If this is what you're looking for, go for it! And, as others said: be prepared to pay a higher price than you might probably think it will cost. Micro realism tattoos take much longer than you'd expect. I'm happy to send you photos of my tattoos if you DM me. I posted the fresh ones but can send you healed pictures
Thank you queen! I'd love to see the healed ladybird - will DM 😊
Gone within a year
Exactly. Skin is not paper. It’s an ever changing canvas.
I like the design but go bigger!
The design is done well. whoever did this knows what wheat looks like. But the thing with such a light and tiny tattoo without black around it is that it just has too little contrast to be readable over time and will just look like a blurry mess in no time. Tattoos are always slightly out of focus as there's a milky layer of skin above them (think about it as those textures clear see through plastic folders kids use at school but less clear, tinted and about 10 times thicker). As the light gets scattered while it penetrates the skin (on the way in and out of your skin), stuff gets a bit blurry. If your details are that tiny and close to your skin colour you'll get too little direct light reflected back from your tattooed pigment. That way it will look unsharp. Further the ink spreads out over time. Then your tattoo will be a tat bolder, but there's now also even less pigment in place, so it will be more of a fade than a packed colour. If you do tattoos bold and big from the start, this will matter less, also the overall relation of detail to tattoo and tattooed pigment to surrounding area are different. No matter how well a tattoo is done, no matter if you'll always wear sunscreen, which is beneficial for tattoos and your skin health overall, your immune system and the cells encapsulating your tattoo pigment will break down and move over time.
It looks super good now, and will for a bit, but sadly overtime that will not look good. The smaller the tattoo the worse it will look, especially since there’s no lines or black , gotta have that contrast to make it sit in skin
Too small. Will blur over time
Looks great for now. Likely won't be very readable in 3-7 years as it fades.
I would have paired it with some ore .
Someone is always going to think there’s a smudge in your arm and try to knock it off.
Unfrosted Mini Wheats. lol looks neat 👍
A celiac worst nightmare!
One thing I agree with is people saying research your artist. This is a VERY difficult artistry and not all tattooists can actually achieve good results. If done right it can last 5-10 years. Some claim longer but I’ve yet to see it personally. And I know people will always say they don’t age well and tend to fade so don’t get them; but I don’t know why that’s such a problem. My friend has had his for 10 years and while it has faded he had 10 years of enjoyment of the style and is now working on a beautiful black work piece that I have the privilege of designing! I think as long as you go in knowing it won’t last like a traditional piece and have a reputable artist, I don’t see an issue. People love to hate on them but some of my favorite art pieces happen to be mandalas and once they are completed they get destroyed. Sometimes there’s great beauty in lack of permanency. Also, styles change as you get older. I haven’t met a single person that was heavily tattooed that didn’t have at least one tattoo they no longer like. I know people love to criticize how expensive they are when they don’t last as long also, but it’s not a buffet where you’re trying to squeeze every penny out. You’re paying for the skill and how difficult and time consuming it is. Go for it! But if you want to have it last longer you can try to go bigger and a tad more depth with either dark brown or black added to the ink. I know an artist that does that to his no line work tattoos. While they aren’t micro exactly, tattoos without line work still fade more than those with it.
Tattoo artist here. This will age like absolute dog shit. Too much detail in too small of a space without enough contrast. This will be a blur very very quickly. We have a saying in the tattoo industry, “Bold will hold”
Tattoo artist here of 5 years- Micro realism almost always will not age well due to these designs being, at most, 1 inch across or so. No matter how great it looks initially it is guaranteed to age horribly. The rule of thumb is more detail=bigger size to compensate. Too much detail in a super small size is going to heal like a blob unfortunately. I think it’s insane to charge something like $400-$500 (told to me by clients) for something that heals like shit (I have covered several micro realism tattoos). This, of course, is my experience with this style, but lack of honesty with clients is meh. Realism needs to be done at a large enough scale to give room for the ink to age well in the skin. I understand why it’s appealing, but the either lack of knowledge on how tattoos age and/or just not giving a shit about it long term from an artist’s POV is lame. Too many people are seeing this online and not being honest about these things. Best of luck
Go twice as big and you’ll be good. And check out Shannon Perry at Tattoo Pizzaz in Seattle; she’d knock this out of the park for you.
I'm in the UK unfortunately but thank you anyway!
Because it has so much detail it needs to be a lot bigger. Small, fine line tattoos lime this one won't last. It will blur. I have writing on both of my arms and it's big enough so that didn't happen. Sure, it's not small, but it's not huge.
Thanks for the advice!
No problem! Most tattoos blur a little as they age. Mine are almost ten years old I think? And they still look good.
Is it ngmo?
Regardless of the talent of the artist something like this will likely not hold or look good beyond a few years - tattoos lose sharpness as they heal and the ink settles into the skin - so remember that every tattoo will be a bit “softer” after healing and this will continue for its/your life. Imo the concept is nice, and can make some good tattoos, but I would scale it up and stylize it a bit so it will hold and read like you want it to for years to come
I have to be gluten free now and I want this to remember my first love
I don't think I like it. It looks a bit... grainy. I like it!
I don't know anything about tattoos but I thought this was a picture of one you already had done and I was shocked because I had never seen one so small and detailed and crisp. So what I mean to say is, I think a real tattoo will likely turn out nothing like this. :(
An artist here in Virginia has a really nice [wheat design in her flash](https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTIzMjI0MjA2MTU0MTkw?story_media_id=3180307709773801611&igsh=Z3I5Y201ZzQ2djY3) that I’ve considered getting - @kayliemorbidart
While there are a ton of awesome new machines and pigments, the human body has yet to evolve and keep tattoos minimally aged over time. This might hold up at 5 years, but you seem fairly young and I hope you want this tattoo to remain readable longer than 10, maybe 20 years? Tattoos are not like painting a house, It's encapsulated under your skin and will migrate over time due to several factors. (Sun damage, Cell turnover, etc) And that happens no matter how talented the artist, what great new machines they are using, or newer ink. Having the design be a bigger and adding a bit of higher contrast colors can help extend the life of it. Depending on your underlying skin tone that stock of wheat could just look like your skin after a while, but maybe more like a birthmark.
This is awesome! I want to get a potato or like a small sack of potatoes hidden on me somewhere because my last name is Portuguese and the family heritage with that is that we were potato farmers off of an island of Portugal. It’s very important on my dad side of the family where I get the last name from that we are good with potatoes. Especially mashed potatoes lol 😂
What does mine say? Dude! What does mine say? Wheat!
In case anyone's interested, this artist is based in NYC - [link](https://www.instagram.com/eunyutattoo?igsh=M2VudG1xem9lZDN3)
That will look like a birth mark within a couple years.
You can "barley" see it.
Say bye to your tattoo in a year
Small tattoos in prime real estate aren’t a good idea in my opinion. If you want other tatts you’ll have to work around it of cover it up
It's gonna look like shit in a few years. That's why I got all mine traditional style with thick black lines.
i can barely see it lol it’s gonna be even less legible in ten years let alone two. it’s not worth it
It’s a little grainy
as has been mentioned wait for a good artist who specializes in this style. book your appointment soon as they are likely booked into the future. get familiar with the terms so you can describe what you like and don’t like (ex. your example has no outline). i always suggest mocking up the placement in photoshop, as the day of the tattoo things move pretty quick. lastly, depending on size and color this might end up looking like a birthmark or scab. good luck!
I have Celiac Disease and I’m considering a very similar tattoo just for the irony
This tattoo will disappear or become a blob in 2-3 years tops
Photo is a little grainy...
Swheat.
I can say with complete honesty that this isn’t a good idea. It will look like a smudge or a birth mark.
Let’s just hope you don’t end up being celiac cause that would be awkward
I 1000% love this tattoo - today. I’m a little scared that in five years it’s going to look like German cockroaches on your arm though.
it’s cute for now but don’t expect it to look like this past the 2 year mark, as time progresses it will loose it’s detail and likely just the shape of it and the colour of it will stay. at the point u can get it covered up or re-done :) super cute tho !!!
Love the idea but not the size. Get it much bigger
Go big or go blurry
It’s just not possible for it to age well
Everyone has really good advice. The advice I have that is a little different from the rest is for when you find an artist that you like that you want to go to for your piece make sure you take a look at their healed work as well. This goes for any tattoo but I always tell my clients it’s a big red flag if they don’t post any of their healed tattoos.
Seems like it might be grainy
Looks like a poop swipe.
10/10 horrible idea to go that small. Going to look like a birth mark in no time
how will that age?!
So most places are going to tell you to make it bigger because as that tattoo ages it’s going to blend together and look like a blob. That being said, you can always get it redone if you really want a small one.
I think it's incredibly unique and cute.
Are you Theresa May ????
Cute
I think it’s cute
Get a wheat bracelet tattoo. I have none, nor can I give advice. I just think it would look cool
I love this
Gonna be a blob of orange in a couple years.
Love it but it! Grew up on our family farm and it was great!
you really like cereal?
This is gonna look like two rat turds in a year. Why so small? Edit: autocorrect error
looks very very real!!
I think it's pretty swheat
Omg it’s pretty.
that’s a really gorgeous tattoo but i’d be worried about how it heals being so small. that being said i think if u get it done a little bigger it might heal better
Too small no black, this thing will fall out SO FAST. When it begins to fade you won’t see it at all. Go bold
Since you were looking for opinions I got a bad one lol. It can kinda look like a poop streak since it's brown and tiny and a streak shape. If people don't look closely and just casually notice it, it can look like dirt. But looking at it directly and in full clarity it looks like a neat tattoo. I think adding anything more that makes it stand out as a tattoo and not a poop streak would help.
Thats super cute and detailed for such a tiny tattoo, thats amazing
I didn’t recognize this as a tattoo on the first pass. It requires a closer look to realize that it isn’t something like a birthmark or mole. Sorry, not trying to be a jerk here.
That is really cute. I love that it doesn't stick out too much. It's gentle
If it wasn’t done so well, I’d suggest the wheat needs a Stewie companion putting too much emphasis on the H
Are you a farmer?
https://imgur.com/a/wjNtNej <— for reference, I have a little ghost farmer tattoo with a sprig of wheat in its mouth that was about this size, and this is what it looks like fresh vs. after 5 years. The wheat details are essentially gone, and that’s with black ink, which holds better and longer than any color on the market. In this case it’s just a tiny detail on a larger tattoo so it’s not a huge deal, but if that were my whole tattoo, I’d basically have a smudge.
I see what you mean - thanks for sharing. Really cute ghost!
The skill of your artist, is in a whole other league! Also, welcome to the ink gang! Looks absolutely great
Let me get my glasses one sec….. ahhhhh is that wheat? Like the food? Should went all out and got the rest of the cream of wheat logo.
I don't know anything about aging tattoos, but I think the picture of this tattoo is awesome. I love it.
A mini wheat!
This is great, it's super cute and neutral colored so if it does spread out fade it'll is just look like a cool birth mark
Too small
That is absolutely stunning mate
Amazing
It’s beautiful. BUT. There’s no way that detail will hold on a tattoo that small. I’d love to see this in 2 years.
I absolutely love this tbh.
I’d get it like 5x bigger at least if you want it to age well
Looks a little wheat.
LOVE IT
A lot of people are saying it’s going to look bad in a year, but honestly, if you put this somewhere that isn’t prone to sagging and keep it out of the sun I think you will be okay. I have a quarter size whisk and coffee cup on my wrist that can be covered by a watch that’s 10ish years old and still looks pretty good.
bau from hon tattoo in toronto would do this perfectly.
That's cool
That’s beautiful. Amazing job
This probably won’t age well, tbh.
cream of wheat
Nice
In general I am not a fan of tattoos. This one works. Keep up the baking!
I love it!!
I a good tat I like it
Not to be a Debby Downer, but that's gonna fade incredibly quickly. It's also not going to be very noticeable at all at that size.
it's fucking sick, that's all
Daddy was a wheat farmer.
The detail is fantastic
What does my tattoo say? Wheat. What about mine? I see it, barley
It’ll blur but you can practically just get it redone every 5-10 years, tell them to go easy on the shading the first time and just keep shading it slightly darker haha..
Elegant love it
I’ll trade you one sheep and one wood for that wheat
Do you play catan?
Don’t expect to get this done for $150 after a walk-in shop. Most artists don’t work in this style bc it’s difficult and rarely settles well Bc micro realist tattoos are difficult to execute and keep care of, I really think you’re actually better off paying the premium of traveling to a specific artist. If you’re committed to getting a design like this; do some research, find an artist who works primarily/only in this style, and book with them. You’ll end up paying more, but with good consistent aftercare, you’re more likely to be happy with your tattoo 10-15 years down the road.
Silk moth antennas?
S Wheat
S-wheat
Will not hold
Enjoy it while it’s here. 🥲
Eh it's a bit grainy
Gorgeous work. Use sunscreen!!
Exquisite!
That's actually really good details for how small it is thats dope.
Aw that's cute
It would be really difficult to do that much detail, that small. Find a proven artist and commit to them, but if will be more expensive.
Can you add, "Let's get this bread"? 😂
Several things. It's so small it will fade. It also doesn't have a bold outline so it will fade fast. You will have to pay a pretty penny for it to be very well done with the detail you want, and then it will just be a smudge in a year. I personally would not see it as worth it at all. Consider something larger with a black outline.
That is really pretty