I'm getting one of my two tattoos embellished this weekend.

[Shakespeare]

Right now, it's just the chinese character (as shown in the pic), which is about 1 1/2 inches square, way down on my lower back (with embellishment, it'll be about 4 inches wide and 3 inches tall). I love my tat, but I've always felt it turned out a little too small, and have spent literally years trying to decide how I wanted it embellished. After getting out of a hellish marriage last year, the lotus flower (which I've always liked anyway), seems a most appropriate symbol.

What do y'all think? The tattoo artist really dug the design when I stopped by with it last week. (this is also an excuse for everybody else to show off their body art)



The chinese character, btw, is the pictogram for dragon, which is my chinese astrological sign, as well as a symbol of luck and power.

[YankeyMCC]

1. I like it...it seems to go together nicely

I'm getting my second tattoo this weekend and it's funny you mention a marriage breakup in connection to your updating of this tattoo, my marriage is breaking up too and that prompted me to get this second now (I was sort of waiting to make a final decision, waiting for something to prompt me to do it actually) tattoo and make a slight change to what I wanted.

It's nothing dramatic, just some wolf tracks on my arm, indicating moving forward.

[Rising Phoenix]

2. cool....here is my back piece

[idgiehkt]

3. as long as you don't end up on hanzi smatter, it's all good

that is a beautiful flower, I guess it's a waterlily?

whoa...I've heard the ones on the lower back really hurt. eek.

[Shakespeare]

4. No, it's a lotus flower.

A symbol of enlightenment and rebirth (they grow up and bloom through the mud).

What's hanzi smatter?

edited to add: Okay, I googled that, so I know what "hanzi smatter" is now. I didn't just go in and pick that character off the tattoo studio wall. I'm rather well versed in asiana, and had a calligrapher in Hong Kong who's done scrolls for me do the rendering of that character (which I was already familiar with). Like most chinese characters that are pictographs, you can see the dragon in it (the head is in the upper left quadrant, facing out, and the tail is in the lower right quadrant).

[Gormy Cuss]

5. A lotus and a dragon sound like a mighty powerful combo.

I think the new tat is pretty.

[Shakespeare]

7. Thank you!!

I'm really excited about getting it done.

[idgiehkt]

6. yeah, I remember the scrolls on your wall when you showed

pics of your apartment, they were really nice. I think that flower is beautiful. When I was in high school I played a character named "Lotus Blossum" in the play "Teahouse of the August Moon"...I was kind of a funny looking geisha, with the big wig and kimono and a full set of braces, lol.

[Shakespeare]

8. Impressive memory!

geisha with braces....LOL Cute. :-)

Tattoos hurt, but when I had the character done on the small of my back, it was tolerable. Just barely, but tolerable.