# I got a tattoo of my dog!



## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

UPDATE 28/05/14:

We added colours yesterday! Here is my arm now (sorry for the bad quality photos, the light really isn't great)




















And the photo my artist uploaded on her Instagram account: http://instagram.com/p/ogzusnN2RN/

The filling in took exactly 4 hours. For now I'm letting my arm rest, but I'm already thinking of adding some more flowers and a minimal background.

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In late October/early November, I posted a thread in the off-topic section of the forum where I said I wanted to get a tattoo of my dog, who had then just passed. I had an appointment with a very talented and well-known tattoo artist, but he ended up cancelling it for timing reasons.

Disappointed but determined, I looked for the perfect tattoo artist for weeks... and found her! Her name is Yliana Paolini and she works in Brighton, UK.

Our first appointment was yesterday and she tattooed outlines. On our next appointment, in late May, we'll be adding colours! 

The photo Yliana drew from:










...and the result today (the photos aren't of the best quality since I'm using a mirror to photograph my arm)





































I'm so, so happy with the result so far. If anyone is interested in Yliana's work, you can view it here: http://instagram.com/ylianapaoliniart


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Beautiful! Made me tear up a bit.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Absolutely beautiful. She really captured Luna's smile 

I am hoping to get a tattoo of Meeko when I have the money too


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

BostonBullMama said:


> Beautiful! Made me tear up a bit.


Thank you! It was a very emotional moment for me too.



taquitos said:


> Absolutely beautiful. She really captured Luna's smile
> 
> I am hoping to get a tattoo of Meeko when I have the money too


Thank you 

And yay, I love tattoos of dogs! With a model as expressive as Meeko, you have lots of possibilities!


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

I plan to get one too, eventually. I think my next tat will be representative of hubby and I.


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## greenmaria (Oct 9, 2013)

What a great subject for a tattoo! It looks great. Definitely post pics when you get the color in!


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Oh wow, that looks amazing so far!!!  That's a good sized tattoo for your first one. You must of sat through it really well!

I can't wait to see it with color! Beautiful. <3


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

BostonBullMama said:


> I plan to get one too, eventually. I think my next tat will be representative of hubby and I.


Oh I can totally understand why you'd want another one! 



greenmaria said:


> What a great subject for a tattoo! It looks great. Definitely post pics when you get the color in!


I will. I can't wait to see it coloured!



CandyLeopard said:


> Oh wow, that looks amazing so far!!!  That's a good sized tattoo for your first one. You must of sat through it really well!
> 
> I can't wait to see it with color! Beautiful. <3


It is slightly bigger than what I envisioned... and I love it! The tattooist had the drawings in several sizes and we agreed that the biggest one would look best, so we went for it!


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## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

Beautiful ink...can't wait to see the finished product. 

And now I want more ink (more than I usually do lol).


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Bigger is better in the tattoo world because bigger = a lot more detail! Good choice going with that size.


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## kcomstoc (Mar 9, 2013)

OMG!!! that's an amazing tattoo  so glad and so excited to see the final result


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## Canyx (Jul 1, 2011)

Looking AWESOME. I checked out that artist's gallery and her work is blowing my mind. Her textures are palpable.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

Nice tat they did a great job


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## xoxluvablexox (Apr 10, 2007)

That came out really great! Checked out her website and love her work. Definitely agree with Canyx about the texture.


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

Thanks everyone! I love my tattoo and I can't wait to see it finished. It's gonna be a loooong wait...

I'll definitely post pictures when it's completed!


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## SnapV (May 14, 2013)

Wow beautiful tattoo! It's a great tribute to your Luna  I already have 2 tattoos and I may do the same as you when Koopa passes (years and years from now hopefully).


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

That is so awesome!


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## BellaPup (Jul 7, 2007)

Congrats on the ink! It's beautiful now - I can't wait to see it when it's done!!! I definitely also plan on remembering Bella that way when her time comes. She will never leave my side


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

Thanks so much! I'm happy that people are enthusiastic about my tattoo and excited to see it finished.



BellaPup said:


> She will never leave my side


That was exactly my reasoning. Together forever!


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Very beautiful! What a great tribute to Luna.


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## Equinox (Nov 11, 2008)

An incredibly beautiful piece and tribute. Can't wait to see it completed


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

ireth0 said:


> Very beautiful! What a great tribute to Luna.


She was a great dog, she deserved a great tribute :b



Equinox said:


> An incredibly beautiful piece and tribute. Can't wait to see it completed


Thanks, neither can I!


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## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

She has an amazing portfolio of work. Please keep us posted on updates.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

I love it so far, can't wait to see how it turns out. Keep us updated.


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

I edited my first post to add pictures of our progress


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

It's gorgeous all finished!! Wow! I love it!


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## Catdancer (Apr 11, 2012)

Wow! The detail is really amazing. That is a beautiful tatoo and a wonderful tribute to your fur baby!


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

BostonBullMama said:


> It's gorgeous all finished!! Wow! I love it!


Well, it may not be completely finished yet :b I'm gonna wait for the colours to settle before deciding if I go for a (simple) background. But thank you! 




Catdancer said:


> Wow! The detail is really amazing. That is a beautiful tatoo and a wonderful tribute to your fur baby!


Thank you! Of course, all the merit goes to my amazing artist :b


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## jade5280 (Feb 20, 2013)

That is GORGEOUS! The artist did a really fantastic job. Makes me want a tattoo.


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

It's beautiful!


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

jade5280 said:


> That is GORGEOUS! The artist did a really fantastic job. Makes me want a tattoo.


Thank you! And you should totally go for it ;D 



Kuma'sMom said:


> It's beautiful!


Thank you!


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## Rocky33 (May 8, 2014)

You have a beautiful dog and a really talented tattoo artist! That is amazing work!


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

Rocky33 said:


> You have a beautiful dog and a really talented tattoo artist! That is amazing work!


Thank you!


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## JazzyTheSiberian (Feb 4, 2013)

Wow, the tattoo is amazing, I love detail.What a great way to remember Luna.


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## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

That's an amazing tattoo. I love the detail.

I'm considering getting one for Charlie but I'm still not ready for the commitment of a tattoo lmao


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

JazzyTheSiberian said:


> Wow, the tattoo is amazing, I love detail.What a great way to remember Luna.


Thank you 



Little Wise Owl said:


> That's an amazing tattoo. I love the detail.
> 
> I'm considering getting one for Charlie but I'm still not ready for the commitment of a tattoo lmao


If you're already thinking about getting a tattoo, there are chances you will take the plunge someday ;D


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## SnapV (May 14, 2013)

It's really beautiful, what an awesome tribute to your Luna


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

> If you're already thinking about getting a tattoo, there are chances you will take the plunge someday ;D


This! Also, they're addictive, lol. I got my first about 13 years ago, and I got my second last year, a tribute tattoo for my cat, Astra, and I've got the next two planned out for sure, along with vague plans for another.


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## Whistlejacket (Jul 26, 2012)

SnapV said:


> It's really beautiful, what an awesome tribute to your Luna


Aw, thank you!



Kuma'sMom said:


> This! Also, they're addictive, lol. I got my first about 13 years ago, and I got my second last year, a tribute tattoo for my cat, Astra, and I've got the next two planned out for sure, along with vague plans for another.


They're most definitely addictive! I already have my next one planned too, I even know which tattooist I would like to do it... and I know I would definitely like Yliana to tattoo me again... once you start, you just can't stop, lol


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## CandyLeopard (Oct 14, 2013)

Beautiful!! Thank you for sharing the update! I was very excited to see it  your artist really did a lovely job. I'm sure Luna really appreciates it too


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