Memorial Tattoo ideas...anyone have any?

[SuperKat]

So, I am pretty heavily covered in ink (hubby is a tattoo artist and we had a tattoo shop) so, for me it is natural to want to get a tattoo for my angel baby, I have one for my other three, and want to add one for this baby as well. I am having trouble deciding.

I have a dragonfly for each of my boys, and a butterfly for my daughter (all three are together in one calf piece, but I have room to add more to it). I don't know if my baby was a girl, (hubby thinks it was), but because I don't know- it makes it hard for me to put it as a butterfly or dragon fly. Then I was thinking of doing a totally seperate piece, and getting a dove pulling a ribbon heart (not totally original I guess, but I love it, and love the symbolism of it). Then I was thinking of getting a hummingbird, because 2 times I felt a fluttering feeling, and it felt like a baby moving, I know my baby was way too small to feel at just over 9 weeks...but at the time I was convinced it was the baby moving because I remember that feeling from my other kids, and I KNOW it isn't gas...I just don't know what else it could have been....so thinking it really was what it impossible...gives me peace....the idea that I was feeling my baby growing wings and testing them out inside of me.....

Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

 

[aviolet]

Awww love the dragonflies and butterfly, that's cool. And that's so beautiful about the hummingbird feeling and your baby growing wings

I have one tattoo for mine and I'm still trying to figure out what more I can do to "complete" it. Mine is my thumbprint over my pulse on my left wrist. for some odd (morbid?) reason I found comfort in putting a thumb on my heartbeat after I lost the baby - feeling my pulse was a reminder that I was still alive even though I felt so broken. Ergo, I decided to get the thumbprint there as a reminder that I can feel my little one living on inside of me, in my heart, and to say she has touched my life. Most people don't even realize it's a tattoo when they first see it and only after knowing me a while will ask what it is. And I am happy to share her with them. sometimes I just say it's for someone special, but sometimes I do say it's for her. and every time I've had a positive response from people.

I feel like it's missing something, like there should be something else there. but I can't think of anything that goes with the thumbprint. I love the idea of bubbles - they come in sizes both big and small, are beautiful and only momentary, disappearing into the air around us. But I've yet to figure out how to make that a tattoo or where to put it. I also want to get lyrics to a favorite song that matches the feeling of youth and energy that her spirit gave back to me, and that i'll probably have done along my ribs. I'd also like the words "Don't ever look back" on the back of my neck. Sometimes I regret, or I wish things could be different. so I'd like that reminder to keep going forward. All of these ideas are linked to my baby so they'd all be in her memory.

I hope you find something special for your little one

 

[SuperKat]

i loooooove the thumb print tattoo you have!!! That is so original! I have been around the tattoo world forever (10+ years) and have never had someone get something that original, super cool!
I don't know if you like hearts, but you could encase your print inside a red ouline of a heart. I can't think of a way to incorporate bubbles, unless you added more to the thumb print tattoo (and add bubbles as part of the background). I love bubbles too, bubble tattoos look amazing, especially if they are done right! lol I love all your other tattoo ideas!!! I was thinking of adding a nice quote or phrase to the tattoo for all the kids, I just haven't been able to find the right one. I want it to be fitting for all of them.

Thank you for your response! I love reading everyone ideas! (my hubby plans to get a baby angel portrait, the tattoos he has for our other kids are quite large, so it would work. i want mine to balance with the ones i have for my other kids, I want to make sure I am fair with all of them, you know?)

 

[aviolet]

Awww thank you I went to the doctor's last month and the nurse had to check my pulse - needless to say it was an LOL moment when she went to put her finger there and freaked out when she saw the print - "Is that tattooed on??" LOL yes ma'am, *blank stare* "wow that is soooo cool", lol made me smile!

I do like hearts, always felt like I would eventually get one somewhere and I like that idea, it would make it stand out more while still not being loud.
And I might have to incorporate the bubbles into the lyrics somehow instead because otherwise it might be too much. I wouldn't want my wrist to get too crowded.

I love hearing everyone's ideas too - you really get a glimpse into a person through their artwork

that is very sweet of your husband to want the angel tattoo!! I found an adorable angel drawing I was thinking of getting for a while but decided I didn't want it to be so obvious since my dad and brother don't know about the loss. I get what you mean about wanting your tattoo memorials to be balanced, I think that's very thoughtful

 

[SuperKat]

LOL that is hilarious!!! I love how symbolic it is! I really like when tattoos have deep meanings behind them. Most of mine do, not all of them, but I would say 90% of them have a ton of meaning and very few people know what the meaning behind them are. People usually ask, and I just give a generic answer...like my owl tattoo "why did you get an owl?" me: "oh, I love owls..." lol. (which isn't why i got the owl, I mean, I like them, but i like a lot of things...so...) lol.

That is actually what i was picturing with the bubbles too! (being combined with one of the lyrics you are doing, I think it would go really well on your ribs with that one, it would flow nicely as well!

I don't know how much you want your tattoos showing, but if you are okay with the thumbprint standing out more you could make some sort of decorative ribbon/ivy wrapping around as if it is all holding it together or something

Yea, I was surprised at how hard this loss was for him...I guess I just didn't know what to expect and didn't realize that he was as attached as I was, it was definitely comforting and makes me feel good to see that he was planning on getting one for the baby before I mentioned getting mine.

 

[aviolet]

Same here! I really like the stories behind people's tattoos. I have 5, 3 of which have deep meanings, the other two are really special to me but are more spur of the moment. and as long as they matter to the person i think that's all that's important.

People usually ask, and I just give a generic answer...like my owl tattoo "why did you get an owl?" me: "oh, I love owls..." lol. (which isn't why i got the owl, I mean, I like them, but i like a lot of things...so...) lol

lol!! I could see myself saying that too. I have a really elaborate lower back tattoo, so when i'm just standing in line at a grocery store it's easier to give a summed up response rather than the full explanation.

I'm definitely going to consider the bubbles with the lyrics now, that hadn't even occurred to me until this thread, so I'm excited about that!

Ooooh I like the ivy/ribbon idea....... I can definitely see something like that....will have to think on that some more.

Aw wow yeah it's really nice to know your husband has taken it to heart as much as you have, that is soooo sweet and a comfort definitely that he was thinking of a tattoo before you mentioned it.

 

[SuperKat]

I would say most of mine were somewhat spur of the momet, but I have a lot of meaning to them. What is your back piece? The back is the worst spot for me so far!!! (I have a full back piece in progess, a phoenix, it is outlined and shaded, just have to add color and background). I also have a traditional style sleeve on my left arm (shoulder to wrist). It isn't finished yet, we were working on finishing it and had to stop when i got pregnant, since I've lost the baby I haven't been back to the shop to work on it). the rest of them are smaller things (top of both feet, sides of both calves, and flower w/filigree on other shoulder).

I found a really cool design of a hummingbird by an artist named Si Scott https://www.gelaskins.com/artists/Si_Scott I looove that hummingbird...I don't think it will go that well with what i have on my calf though, and I am not sure if I want it a bit more realistic looking...I dunno..I'll have to think on it.

yea, I LOVE the bubbles idea!!! I would love to see pics of it if you end up getting it done!!! It is so fun to see other peoples tattoos!!!

Yea, it was really nice to see he put thought into it. I think the guys get looked over quickly with all of it, I even did it...I didn't realize he was as affected by it, since it wasn't growing in him and all that...I guess it is easy to forget that he/she maybe not have been growing in his tummy but he/she was growing in his heart.

 

[aviolet]

Aw the phoenix sounds pretty!! my back tat is about superstition being countered by things spiritual, to say I don't rely on luck, I trust my fate to God's hands. So in the middle of a string of vines is an upside down horseshoe (all the good luck supposedly drains out if you hang one upside down) with an odd number of holes in it (bad luck) and at the bottom of each side is dice, the number up reads snake eyes (again bad luck). Then through the center hole of the horseshoe is a nail piercing a 4 leaf clover (the clover supposedly being good luck, but in irish folklore the 4 leaves also represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and God's grace), the nail symbolizing Jesus Christ who was nailed to the cross (so kinda like God is piercing through these bad/good luck superstitions) and the dots on each die add up to 7 total ("God's number"). Try to explain that to people who are just making casual conversation and they get bored, lol. but for people truly interested I enjoy sharing the depth of it, since I did design it and it's something I'm passionate about.

The sleeve sounds really cool, I've always liked how those looked. Is yours a bunch of individual tattoos connecting or just like one giant tattoo? Mine are mostly small, I just have each hip, my back, my left arm, and my left wrist. the back though ended up being bigger than it should've been - in keep with the bad luck theme I had EVERYTHING go wrong when trying to get it done, and it makes me laugh everytime I think of it. I ended up with a woman who was used to tattooing makeup and didn't actually know how to tattoo body parts other than the face, I was stupid to think she would! family friend, i learned my lesson! she also put the stencil too high after I specifically told her not to (at least 3-4 inches too high) and i wasn't aware of it prior to her inking me. and becuz of her inexperience with the needle she pushed too hard and the color bled out and over time most of it completely disappeared from within the lines and just stayed a blur outside of it! her lines were squiggly like a child's drawing, and it looked so bad, every tattoo artist (REAL artists) I went to for help was appalled by her shady work. 3 hours of my life, I ended up having to spend another 3 hours having it totally reworked and it's a lot bigger than I originally designed it to be. but it had to be to cover up the color that bled out and i needed the vines to extend down the middle of my back since she'd placed the dang thing 4 inches too high!

WOW that is a really beautiful hummingbird!!!!! Sooooo pretty and flowy with all the curly q's, love it!! have you ever noticed while looking for memorial tats that there are a lot that visually look right but still don't "feel" right? I find so many designs/ideas I love and they look great, but I always have to wait for the right one to leap off and punch me in the heart! The wait is frustrating.

Whenever I get the new tattoo I will post it for sure! I'm hoping to get it done before the end of the year!

Yea, it was really nice to see he put thought into it. I think the guys get looked over quickly with all of it, I even did it...I didn't realize he was as affected by it, since it wasn't growing in him and all that...I guess it is easy to forget that he/she maybe not have been growing in his tummy but he/she was growing in his heart.

Awww perfectly said

 

[nicb26]

havent read every post so sorry if its been suggested - but i read on here a few weeks ago someone getting 2 tiny footprints. i really love that idea. i have no tatoos and never wanted to get one before, but now i think what a fitting tribute to have a mark that will physically never leave you to represent the baby that mentally and spiritually will never leave you. i am trying to pluck up the courage to get tiny footprints on my ankle...

 

[Id_Think_Of_U]

all the suggestions have been beautiful! Have you ever though about a poem line or something along them lines? on my tigh I'vegot "If I should think of love, I'd think of you' I just thought it was somethin nice and I wanted to comemmorate my baby somehow.

 

[SuperKat]

Aviolet- I LOVE that back piece you have!!! I love that you put so much thought into your ink, it is amazing how many people pick stuff out of flash sets and put it in. My hubby prefers doing custom work and portraits. He did a upside horseshoe on someone once (just a horseshoe) and he had a lot of comments from people thinking that it was supposed to be turned around- it's funny how people are like that, lol. The girl had her reasons for wanting it that way! I LOVE the four leaf closer with the cross through it!!! That is the most original 4-leaf clover tattoo idea I've ever heard of!!!

My sleeve is all one piece- sort of. It is a collection of traditional art, but all goes together in one piece. I personally don't do the random art stuff, I prefer my pieces to all look like one big piece.

I love that hummingbird, showed it to the hubby (he's actually tattooed that on someone before, which is how I knew about it, lol), I showed that to him and a bunch of other ones so he could see that style I was leaning towards...he asked me what I thought about a watercolor-style hummingbird and he gave me an idea of what it looks like, I love his idea, so he is going to draw something up for me today. I can't wait to get it done!!

That is horrible about the start to your back piece, I am glad you found an artist to fix it for you!! We see that all the time in the shop. A lot of people that are new to getting tattoos tend to look at price rather than quality work out here, and out here, you certainly get what you pay for...a $20 tattoo is going to look like a $20 tattoo, LOL.

I can't wait to see the pic of your tattoo!!


Nicb26- I LOVE the idea of tiny hand/foot prints, they look really cute! I have a friend that lost her baby at 26 weeks, and she and her hubby both got their daughters hand/foot prints done on them. It came out so perfectly!!! I saw one where the peson had the hand prints done just so they looked like wings (with a heart in the middle). I thought that it was a sweet tattoo, and the heart looked pressed the way the hand prints were so it was a very soft delicate tattoo, perfect!! For your tattoo, if you go to the right artist then getting the stencil on is going to take longer than your tattoo, it will be over before you know it and the pain is not worse than anything you've been through already, i promise (My biggest advice is to look carefully at the artists work before picking your artist, look at their work, their tattoos should look clean with nice lines, etc).


Id_think_of_you-I seriously love that quote! Is it from a poem? I was browsing online yesterday for something, a quote that fit, I had trouble finding one, I would love to get one to tie in somehow with the calf piece I have my kids, I want it to be something that fits for all 4 (like what you have would be perfect!) It is amazing how hard of a time i am having finding anything! (Partially because I am not sure where to look!!lol)

 

[Id_Think_Of_U]

SuperKat, I found it on the internet one day when I was just looking, and I think its from a poem, but for thelife ofme I cant remember which one, I've even tried putting my qute into the internt with no luck! I hope you find one soon, I just typed in poems of love, theres some amazing shakespeare quotes out there. I love the idea of a humming bird tattoo though, the symbolism in that is perfect! x

 

[SuperKat]

I have been searching ALL day for different quotes, I think I will put that part on hold for now, I always come across quotes I love, but never when I am looking!! LOL

 

[aviolet]

Thank you!!! Yeah I think tattoo artists really value the 'art' part of it, and doing a flash one off the wall/out of a book isn't typically challenging or unique, lol.

I bet your sleeve is beautiful!! I like things that interlock too and aren't just random.

Oh wow a water color style would be amazing!!!!!!!!!!! definitely look forward to seeing the finished piece in photograph, whatever you decide!

I was so stupid going to a family friend, they weren't cheap either, her history doing permanent makeup had me foolishly thinking that meant she knew what she was doing, but she'd never done a large piece on a person's back before!! grrr oh well, it got fixed, and i didn't pay her a dime of her desired $300 But I agree - you get what you pay for!!! Of all things to skimp on, permanent ink being seared into your flesh is not one of them!! LOL

I've decided I want the lyric "We can dance until we die", there are so many lyrics I could have chosen but they all seemed a bit melancholy or sappy or even wistful. And I need something that's more BAM! and 'live in the moment' kind of thing. Ever since I lost Justice I've found youth in my spirit to live while I can, and every chance I get to go out dancing I imagine her dancing with me! Personally if I could dance until I die I'd be happy! Cuz once I die I know I'll be dancing in heaven too The full lyric is "We can dance until we die, you and I, we'll be young forever" - and I adore the full lyric, but it seems too long. So I'm thinking I'll just get the first half, with the bubbles incorporated into it, along my ribs somehow (still not sure of placement) and I'll probably ask the members of my family to each write one of the words and then I'll have all their handwritings on me instead of just a generic font This is just a rough idea, not sure if I'll do it, but so far it feels good to me.

 

[aviolet]

I have been searching ALL day for different quotes, I think I will put that part on hold for now, I always come across quotes I love, but never when I am looking!! LOL

LOL isn't that always how it works out! it's fun to be on the hunt but once you exhaust yourself and finally wave the white flag of defeat THEN it pops up and says 'here i am!' lol

 

[grandbleu]

I love this thread and all your ideas girls. I don't have any tattoos at all and wanted one when I lost my little one. I was thinking about getting one at my wrist that would look like a zig zag to most people but would be the W and N joined together (Wee Nut - the nick name for our baby before I miscarried).

I LOVE the thumbprint that AVIOLET have on your pulse point...very unique and meaningful.

 

[v2007]

This is mine

https://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd204/molliesmum/phone036.jpg

V xxx

 

[grandbleu]

I took this picture in with my "tattoo" in black ink to give you an idea...the little thing next to the initials is a little heart

 

[SuperKat]

Aviolet- Oh definitely! My DH's favorite pieces to do are ones that people put a lot of thought into (or ones he gets to take the reins on, of course,lol). He doesn't really do a lot of pick-and-stick tattoos, unless someone brings it in, but usually if someone comes in wanting tribal he free hands it (since the myspace days, there was an image floating around of a man half naked with a large tribal piece...that is about when tribal came back with full force, it actually died down for a few years, lol...then people started bringing in that picture 'i want this!' LOL)

Yea, I am super excited about the hummingbird! I am hoping to ge it done soon (I was hoping to get it done yesterday or today, but I don't think that is going to happen and my DH needs to fly out to California to work on some clients out there for 10 days >< so, looks like I will be waiting a bit...bummer!)

DH has actually had people come to him wanting permanent make up tattoos. He had to turn them away since he isn't trained for that, is it is a totally different art than regular tattooing! Most imagine that the two are basically the same thing, but almost everything is different about them.

I love your lyrics tattoo idea!! It reminds me of a song that I told my DH I wanted at my funeral if I were to die young, lol. I'm wierd like that...planning things like that out, I can't help it though. The song I heard that reminded me of yours is that 'I hope you dance' by Lee Ann Womack, I don't typically listen to country music, but loved that song when I heard it.. I love the idea of having loved ones do the writing too! We have people come into the shop with stuff like that. I always wanted to have my kids draw a picture on me and have it tattooed on me somewhere.

Oh, and I *always* have that problem of looking for something like crazy...the sad part is, is that I have given up my search, then tattooed the best I could find, then AFTERWARDS I will randomly run into tons of pictures of what I was looking for done in a million different ways! Drives me batty!! lol



Grandbleu- I am such a tattoo fanatic, I love hearing about and seeing peoples work! It's fun, like looking at a human scrapbook! I love that thumbprint tattoo as well!! So original!! I also love your tattoo idea!!! I love the simplicity of it! I love the little heart too, I have a bunch of those on my arm I was actually trying to think of something to get using the nicknames we had for the baby, like barnacle...couldn't do the initials on that though, my last name starts with an 'S'...lol, and barnacles aren't particularly cute to have tattooed, lol, then there was pea pod....again, a toughie...wee nut is an adorable nickname!



v2007- That is beautiful! Thank you for sharing! I love that name as well! I have a monarch style butterfly for my daughter on my calf (in pink...I think I am going to add some purple shading to it though soon as it seems to be her fa. color).

 

[SuperKat]

I like to browse deviantart.com for tattoo idea, I searched memorial tattoos and found this and HAD to share, so beautiful!!!