critink:

I got this tattoo back in december. It’s a talking heads song, and a reminder of a very significant part of my life. 

I’m not asking for criticism on the tattoo itself. The lettering could have been FAR more consistent throughout and I twitched a few times. It is plain text, and it is what I asked for. However, I’m hoping to add more traditional pieces (roses, etc) to my shoulders and back, and I’m wondering how well the text will blend. Do you think I should add a banner of some kind around the text? What are your suggestions?

I wouldn’t normally answer a personal question like this, but there are lessons to be learned.

These straight-line tattoos that don’t flow with the body won’t flow with other tattoos. You won’t be able to do a banner because the letters have no flow, unless you want some awkward, straight banner. If you get flowers/vines or something else flowy around it, the flow will clash with the straight line. And, over all, the more straight lines you add the more it will clash with your body.

I would personally suggest moving far away from this piece with other stuff because it’s going to look pretty weird no matter what you do. Moving to your lower back, ribs, or arms will help. Anywhere where you won’t see this tattoo and that one at the same exact moment.

It seems like creativity could save this - I picture the words on a rustic, rectangular wooden sign in front of a tangle of wild flowers/ vines/ branches like you would find along a dense, hidden path in the woods. If you can make the image have a purposeful geometry, it seems like things could comfortably flow around it.