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Whisper-of-Shadows — Backpiece WIP
Published: 2006-11-05 21:03:21 +0000 UTC; Views: 5613; Favourites: 58; Downloads: 18
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If you Fav it, then you'd better read the desc and comment too! Read the whole damn thing!A WIP shot of the backpiece design I've been working on for my up and coming tattoo. Scan didn't pick up on the graphite as much as I'd hoped it would, and I've tweaked it as much as I can in order to make it look alright.
Obviously it's not a finished piece. The dragon is still missing some of the flames, his two back legs and a bunch of scales. The Phoenix is pretty much done.
After I finish this sketch I'm going to head on over to the animation lab and trace it in ink to another piece of cardstock and clean it up so it looks really nice.
A bit of history behind the tattoo and my choice to get it:
I was born in 1988, the Chinese year of the Dragon. Dragons are naturally lucky people, and they're easy going and they generally love life. People born in the Year of the Dragon are healthy, energetic, excitable, short-tempered, and stubborn. They are also honest, sensitive, brave, and they inspire confidence and trust. Dragon people are the most eccentric of any in the eastern zodiac. They neither borrow money nor make flowery speeches, but they tend to be soft-hearted which sometimes gives others an advantage over them. Full of vitality and enthusiasm, the Dragon is a popular individual even with the reputation of being foolhardy and a "big mouth" at times. They are intelligent, gifted, and perfectionists but these qualities make them unduly demanding on others. They would be well-suited to be an artist, priest, or politician.
Too true. I take pride in being born in the year of the dragon, like so many people I know. Therefor, the dragon just makes sense to me.
And, in the year 1988, I was born on Williams AFB in Maricopa county, Phoenix, Arizona. Traditionally, the Chinese Phoenix (or rather, Feng Huang) has two heads, and is a composite of many different animals. Feng Huang never dies and gets reborn like the traditional phoenix does; he is one of 4 celestial gods in Chinese lore, the other 3 being the dragon, the unicorn and the tiger, but I'm not talking about them. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is represented by the Feng-huang which personifies the primordial force of the heavens. It was thought to be a gentle creature, alighting so gently that it crushed nothing, and ate only dewdrops. The Feng does not exist in nature, it is the mythical bird of fire and represents the Confucian virtues of loyalty, honesty, decorum and justice. The Feng originated from fire being born in the "Hill of the Sun's Halo". Its plumage blends the five fundamental colours: black, white, red, green, and yellow. The song of the bird is the harmony of the five notes. Symbolizing the Five Cardinal Virtues; "Its colour delights the eye, its comb expresses righteousness, its tongue utters sincerity, its voice chants melody, its ear enjoys music, its heart conforms to regulations, its breast contains the treasures of literature, and its spurs are powerful against transgressors". The male phoenix is named "phuong" and is the yang, solar, fire bird, but as the female "huang" it is feminine, yin, and lunar. The feminine aspect, denotes beauty, delicacy of feeling, and peace. The Feng and the Huang together, symbolize everlasting love. As a bridal symbol signifying "inseparable fellowship." The Feng symbolizes a duality, the yin-yang, mutual interdependence in the universe. The Feng-huang or Fung; the "vermilion bird," the "substance of the flame." This bird, has three legs and lives in the sun. The Feng is depicted as a bird of shining colours with the head and comb of a pheasant and the feathers and tail of a peacock.
With that being said, the pairing of the Dragon and Feng Huang is thought to bring great luck and fortune. The dragon is Yang, the male, and the Feng Huang is Yin, the Female. Together the two bring good luck and fortune, and create a sense of balance that helps keep everything in it's natural order.
It took some time for me to figure out what I want, and I'm still thinking about this long and hard, to make sure this is what I really and truley want. If so, I need to start taking some money and setting it aside for this because it is going to cover my upper back between my shoulders. Please, if you have ANY tips, hints, critiques, suggestions, WHATEVER, I need to hear them! This will be a permanent piece of my own ortwork on my body and I want to make sure it's as accurate and correct as possible!! I DON'T WANT ANY MISTAKES ON THIS!!!
Artwork is © Lauren Smallidge, 2006, and will not be available to the general public for reproduction, distribution, or copying for any reasons. Please respect the fact that this is MY artwork going on MY body and it would crush me to find someone else walking around with this design on them.
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Comments: 40
Heeyyyy... I'm not the only one going for a tattoo of the Chinese celestial symbols after all! 
My theme seems to differ slightly from yours, though, in that my bird is Zhu Que instead of Fenghuang, as in one of the four mythological creatures of the Chinese constellation.
One thing about dragons, btw: the imperial Chinese dragon has 5 claws and ordinary chinese (and Korean, iirc) has 4, while Japanese ryuu have 3 claws.
About my piece: according to a few sources, the 4 celestials are Xúan Wu (The black tortoise of the North), Bái Hu (The White Tiger of the West), Zhu Què (The Vermilion Bird of the South), and Qing Long (The Azure Dragon of the West). Or at least these are the ones that were used in old dynasty era cartography and were widespread in far eastern cartography to signify the cardinal directions.
(In chinese cartography and other usage, there was usually also a 5th animal, The Yellow Dragon of the Center, who was strongly related to, and in fact often synonymous with, the Emperor of China)
The Mythological creatures also (naturally) correspond with one of the Five elements: Dragon - Wood, Bird - Fire, Tiger - Air, Tortoise - Water, which leaves Earth for Huang Long, the Yellow Dragon of the Center.
My plan for the arrangement, on the other hand, comes from the creatures' properties, the Tortoise of the North will be up, White Tiger of the West on the left, Vermilion bird of the south will be down, and the Azure Dragon of the East will be on the right, each with a bit of background corresponding to the appropriate season the beast governs, as well as some reference to the animal's assigned element. The inspiration for this setup is the city of Kyoto, where there are temples to each of the four beasts in the corresponding direction, north for the tortoise, east for the dragon, south for the bird, and west for the tiger. In Japan, they naturally don't have the fifth beast, which was the Han emperor's symbol.
Artistically, my piece is going to be strongly Japanese in style. I've found some wonderful Tigers in some art folders at the studio, as well as a couple of promising birds, and one or two possible tortoises, although for the tortoise I'm really hoping to go the way of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise, of which there are some really nice photos on the internet. I'll be sure to post pictures of the work in progress when I get that far, but I won't be sharing the design as a scan or photo until it's inked in. The only animal I'm having trouble with is the one that's drawn the most: the dragon. The Mosher art folders at the studio with all the wonderful tigers and stuff do have dragons, but I just do not like the heads on those things. I've been looking around here on DA and elsewhere for good dragon designs for a few months now, but still haven't come across one that would be just right. I guess we'll mix-n-match and modify with the artist tomorrow.
Anyway, all the best with your project, and sorry for the rant.
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Sweet. . . in fact I don't think I could give any tips, it such an excellent job, seriously.
how about peacock like plumes on it's head? but then again I don't know if that will make it look better. . .
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Go Dragon!!!...no wait!,,,GO Phoenix!!!...no wait wait!...crap I don't know who to root for...
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I love what you have done, you could add all four (dragon, Feng Huang, the unicorn and the white tiger) in the same piece, save up more money! the idea of a tattooist is to translate your ideas into a picture for you to decide yes or no. i love the pheonix the most. im inspired anyway. *wanders off*
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Yup, that be my plan!! I mainly wanna get the dragon and the Feng Huang the most because I'm born in the year of the dragon, and in Phoenix AZ, so they hold the most meaning to me. I'd planned on getting that tattoo done, at least the linework, during my winter break but I talked to several artists here where I live and they all guessed to get the whole thing done it'd take at least 3 sitting and cost roughly around $1,000 for full colour!! Yikes... I'm only a college student with a crummy part time job and I spend most my earnings on art supplies for school, but I've been saving up little by little.
So this here is only a rough, and I plan to go into better detail and intricacy in the inked version. I've gotta go to my school and use the animation lab's lightboards and see if I can do a better, (and much cleaner!!) rendering of it when I've got the free time. 
Wow, that was rambling of me there. Shesh...but, I'm so glad you liked this!! 
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It is indeed, i have a thing for quotes...! I'd be interested to know how it works out for you! Lots of money to save, i thought it would be more than 3 sittings but yet again... Should be one amazing tattoo. Yet again, anything tattoo and i love it... *sighs* if its going to tlast forever it has to mean something as you have said. I'm glad your not just doing it because it's pretty. Some people think more on what they are going to eat than what tattoo to get. just my opinion. never mind. *looks at pic again and smiles*
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Quotes rule, I'm a nut about them.
Oh man, I'd love to let you know how the whole tattoo thing goes when I get it done! I'm glad to see you're really interested in it too. 
I'm super glad that I've decided to wait until now to even thing about getting it done. I mean, I had this idea to get a different one of my designs done on each of my shoulder blades when I first moved out to Cali, but thanks to my mom, we held off on the idea. Thank the gods/satan!! That would have been a huge mistake because it was a very intricate design and over tim it would have turned to something really muddy, ugly and unrecognizable. But this one, my 4 Imperial/Celestial Guardians, them I can totally live with. I hate the people who just get up and go, "Oh I think I'll get a tattoo today!" and then they do and years later it looks like shit and they hate it.
Phew, long comment...
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I love the quote!! why would want bono from U2 on them forever??? Ok so maybe id have the used on me... its another obsession. Never mind.
As for the colours, well, personally i like grey tattoos but for this it wouldnt work, I'd stick to one shade, like the dragon shades of blue and green and pheonix rich reds. (id swap the colours arround by hey it yours!) sometimes if it is too confusing your can't tell what it is. its good you have people who you can ask about tattoos. I really am starting to hate tattoo artists though. It's almost impossible to get an aprenticeship in england and i am NEVER going to ring one up again. Hell no.
As for your mum, thank her not the goddesses/gods/satan/whatever you believe...
Anyway, as soon as I get my scanner working I can upload my designs. Hell i wish it would work. I hate computers. *curses* back the design, one last thing good luck with the pain!!!!
(I love the bird more than the dragon, they way you have it placed as if it really is flying. I'm so fussy i havent actually got a tattoo yet (and im broke, yet again, my dad said he'd pay) I stuck the picture of wings up on my wall and got board so thats a no, my two wolves arent right somehow and the dragon i did western style isnt amazing enough. fussy. i can't get it to look like its flying. I have reasons for all of these but... nothings right.)
oh and a quote...we've all been through hard times, and its up to us if it strenthens or destroys us. music has saved all our lives. -the used. my fav!
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I always read your whole discriptions and did again. I agree that no one should take this for their own, though it is great - so don't be shocked if it inspires other artworks and tatoos. I have wanted to draw a piece like this... but I will make it my own and not steal from my friend.
I assume you weren't born in January. The Chinese new year is at the end of January or the beginning of February (I forget exactly when)... but I want to say I love this, and all your work.
If a tatoo is what you want, then do it. Your back is an excelent place. Throughout your life, it will change far less than other parts of you skin will. And I can think of nothing better than your own work to be inked in.
Take care now... and yes, I am going to fav it. So there!
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Yeah, I know other people might springboard ideas off of this but that doesn't really bother me. I'd freak and get bitchy if I saw this same dsign on someone, bit for bit, but I've seen plenty of Dragon and Phoenix designs like this before. By all means, go ahead and draw up a design like this! I'd love to see what you could do!
Nope, not born in January. I was born in December, on the 9th actually! I've got a few more weeks before I'm a legal pain in the butt! (Or as my dad so jokingly says, "Now you'll be able to legally buy cigs and porn! Wooooo!" and he's totally against both things.
Baha! I have to email a few places back home in order to get an estimate and see if they can actually do a design like this. I'd hate to get my hopes up and then find out that there are too many lines and too much detail that would ultimately ruin it! If that ends up being the case, I'll be holding off on this design for a few more years (until after I graduate. My dad is against tattoos as well and he said that he'll stop paying for my tuition if I get a tattoo before I graduate. Buuuut I don't really want to wait 2 1/2 more years.
Anyroad, I have a few "backup designs" that I want to get as well, but I do have a nasty habit for picking the most painful parts of my body for those.
Heh, but thanks so much for the fav, and glad ya liked the design!
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I may draw something similar. I don't think I'll ever get a tatoo - but I might sell some in Second Life! That'd work for me!
Legal pain in the butt? I don't think there's laws against being a pain... and I have little reason to concern myself with you being "legal" - No question that you are the absolute 
Bar code on the neck? Like the one guy Fei fell for in Cowboy Bebop? That's cool, I guess.
As long as you are happy with your life and (if you choose to get them) your tatoos, it is your own business... though I see little problem just not saying anything...
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Aww, no tats for you? Shame, it seems like you'd like to have a few of your own! If you ever get any, you'll have to tell me! What's Second Life? Sounds wicked cool!
Nyeheh, I can oficially be a legal pain, of course! Legal with the cops at least. Would you believe that I almost got arrested one time for "breaking and entering"? I was taking care of my neighbors dogs and I tripped the alarm sytem and the cops were pretty peeved. Twas late at night and I was standing there shaking my head and saying, "look, I have the freaking key and I live right next door. Go talk to my mom". Man, i made it in the paper the next morning...How criminal of me! As for the being interested in you bit, I hate to say it but I'm already in a loving relationship. Sorry to crush your hopes! 
Cha, bar code! I dunno who it is in Cowboy Bebop (never caught onto that show actually) but I've liked the idea of a barcode. It's still a debateable thing though.
Yaahaa, Miami Ink! God I love that show. If I were anywhere near Florida I'd totally get it done there. But...I'm on the complete oposite coast! Bummer...
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I think tatoos are cool - just not for me. *shrugs* Oh, well... hehehe
The whole B&E thing... I respect cops a lot, but they can be awful dumb sometimes.
Crush my hopes? Lovely lady, I knew beforehand you wouldn't be that interested... besides, you'd probably think I'm an old fart. I'm 28. I am actually very hapy for you and a little envious that you have someone... good for you. I can still admire you - and envy him, though.
I love Bebop... in this case it was just a 1-episode flashback for Fei... it wasn't like the guy who had the barcode was an important character, anyway. Did Riddick have one? Dang... now I have to go watch Pitch Black again to see... as if I need an excuse! Vin Diesel rocks!
You might see about a vacation to Florada to get the tatoo done... I doubt they could resist putting your lovely face on camera... and then all your DA friends would record the show and play it to their friends... "See her? I know her! She just commented on my latest pic!" hehehe And when our friends didn't believe it... we could come here and prove it! 
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Eh, whatever works for you! I'm the "rebel" of the family (I dye my hair and get piercings...oooh, the rebelion of it all)
Old fart my ass. 28 isn't old you goof! Though admittedly I prefer to stay away from men who are more that 5 years older than I am. (I had an awful experience when I was a bit younger and it left me a shattered person, very hateful and self destructive, and that dark period lasted over a year.) But, what's to say I wouldn't enjoy your company? I don't really like hanging around with people my age, I think a lot of them are incredibly immature and stupid. I grew up with adults being the only people I really talked to, so I guess that'd be the reasoning behind all that. Admire and envy at your own will then!
Yeah, I think I only ever watched one episode of Bebop, and that was in the middle of the series I think, so I never caught on to it. I know on old friend (ex-friend, if you can believe it) was obsessed over the idea of me getting one. She had a thing for me...and necks, and barcodes.
See, I'd love to boogie down to Florida and get me a tattoo on the show, but then I'd run the risk of my segment being aired, then a friend of my dad's watching it, and telling my dad about it, and ultimately busting my cover. See, my dad's logic is that if I get a tattoo before I graduate from college (at the age of barely 20) then he'll pull the plug on my tuition. I think the payments are only about $360 per month, but with the job I'm holding down I barely make $300 a month because I can only work 2 days a week. Most of that money goes toward art supplies and presentation supplies. See, I'm going to that school only because I won a half ride scholarship and because my grandparents are letting my live with them. Had those two things not worked in my favor then I'm be in Colorado at a community college. Sooooo... damn, I really want to be on that show and meet the crew, I really do. I even know a few people who I could bum around with down there. Nikki, a friend of mine from high school who moved in our sophomore year, and Thomas, a friend of mine who used to live in California, but moved to Colorado and joined the Air Force Academy but dropped it and now he's in flight school there in Florida. (He's an awesome pilot) Ehehe, those bragging rights would be so awesome like, "yeah, I was on Miami Ink, and I'm commenting on your stuff. Whatcha gonna do?" I'd be a mini celebrety or something.
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I hope you can... or at least that things make you happy, lovely lady.
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I read it all so now I can fave it BWAHA!
okay so here comes my two-bit knowledge about tattooing!
Things to keep in mind:
Skin isn't flat, this is going to dip in where your spine is make sure your tattoo artist can compensate for that.
Color tattoo's fade, I don't know if your going have this done in coloe, but just sos you know.
Main thing is make sure you get a good tattoo artist, my mom has a license and she has no talent in the ways of tattoos.
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But thanks for the tips and info, and I'll be sure not to let your mom anywhere near me with a tattoo...gun? Stick? Ink. Yo' momma ain't coming near me with inks yo.
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the only suggestion I can have at all is that the lower, curving wing looks a little akward in the way it is attached. But I don't know much about drawing wings O_O
MAN THIS WILL LOOK WONDERFUL...
because...I love eastern dragons...they're my favorite dragons! He seriously looks just like a classic one should.
Good luck :3
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Yeah, I have to agree. I think the only reason I made it like that was because I was running out of room on the page. 
Thanks for the good luck too, I know I'll need it! 
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Ahh I didn't know how you were going to finish it off, but yeah, if it's going on your body then doing that definately makes sense.
What colors are you planning to do? The color of the element of your year?
*totally random* I be a water cock.*
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beautiful job! love how u did the feathers and the scales and the fur, looks marvelous
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Thanks so much! The scales and fur are only prelim textures and they were done really quick so once I actually put effort into this it'll look 1000 time better!
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lol ur welcome! im dyin to see what itll look like finished! omg *dies* X3
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It's amazing...
I'd never be able to get anything done like that on my body...
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I don't know how I'm going to manage myself..
But, glad ya like it!
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Well, I don't like tattoos, but this is about the coolest tattoo design I've seen. Very cool idea about putting the Chinese Zodiac on there
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Mm, alot of people don't like them (like my entire family) but to each his own, and I know it. It's all a matter of personal opinion and taste I guess.
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Wow, great background research there, I can see this will have a lot of meaning.
I love the concept so far, great job. <3
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Yup yup, it will! A few people are sort of iffy on it, they're all, "You're not Chinese, you're as white as can be, so why do you wanna have Chinese gods on your back? POSER" buuuuuut it's my body, my design, my choice.
I think I might have to settle for only getting one or the other the first time around because even just the outline inks will be pricy. Eventually, I think I want to get all 4 celestial creatures (dragon, Feng Huang, the unicorn and the white tiger) so I can have a complete backpiece, but that'll take a lot of years and a lot of moolah...
Totally off track there, but I'm glad you like the concept!
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That's interesting, I love going off topic sometimes.. xD
It really gives spice in some conversations.
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this is really awesome the things i could even think of commenting on is of all the pictures and carving of phoenix ive seen they have 4 very long tail feathers alos chinese dragons have five toes i believe. but you are right about the phoenix and dragon representing yin and yang, from what ive found
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Really? I didn't know that about the tail feathers. I'm going to go back and do some more research on the matter, because it looks like I've missed out on quite a few things here. I'm pretty sure that they don't have 4 feathers though, because the number 4, when pronounced in Chinese, is very similar to the Chinese word for "death". At least, that's what I've been told and what I've researched. I think the Feng Huang has either 3, or 5 tail plumes, since there are 5 main colours in the Feng herself. I think the dragons only have 3 toes though. I'm failrly certain about that. Chinese have 3, Japanese have 4, and Western/European have 5. Thanks for pointing those things out though, I'm going to go back and research this a bit more now!
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You know what is funny. In China, Seriyu (the blue dragon of water) has always warred with Suzaku (the red peacock of fire). I found it interesting
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Hmm, that is pretty interesting...I think I'm going to have to do a little more in depth research on this. I thought I'd covered it all, but turns out you've proved me wrong! Thanks for the tidbit!
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no problem. If you need help I can write soemthign out for you via note on dA
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