Started this whole tattoo combo project three months ago honestly, got inspired after seeing some guys rockin’ full sleeves with different styles mashed together. Thought, ‘Heck, that looks seriously awesome, why not try documenting what actually works?’.
The Initial Hunt & Planning Mess
First step was diving deep online, spent weeks just scrolling through hundreds of pics. Noticed patterns—geometric stuff often blended well with realism right above the elbow, while traditional American anchors kinda popped near the wrist. Made a rough sketchbook for combos:
- Forearm Combo: Bold tribal patterns flowing into delicate Japanese waves
- Chest Piece Mix: Vintage rose + intricate mandala symmetry
- Sleeve Mashup: Blackwork geometric shapes fading into realistic animal portraits
Biggest headache? Finding artists who didn’t just specialize in one style. Messaged like 15 studios. Half replied with ‘pick one theme bRo’, others quoted crazy prices for combo work.
Execution Chaos (Way Longer Than Expected)
Picked Dave – artist who seemed chill about mixing ink. Day one for the forearm piece: tribal lines took four hours straight. Hurt like hell near the wristbone, no joke. Dave kept saying ‘almost done, bro’ while wiping blood off. Sucked big time.
Second session two weeks later – adding Japanese waves. Healing wasn’t even fully done yet, skin felt raw. Dave insisted the blend needed overlapping lines. Nearly passed out when the needle hit tender spots. Swelling lasted five days, used a whole tube of aquaphor.
Final touch-up round? Total disaster. Original tribal ink bled slightly under the wave colours. Dave spent another hour fixing edges, muttering about ‘bleed resistance’ or whatever. Cost me extra $200. Wanted to scream.
Results After Surviving the Whole Ordeal
Took three months total healing before it looked decent. Shiny phase, flaky phase, itchy phase – hated every minute. But now? The tribal-to-wave combo actually slaps. Moves naturally, the bold and soft elements don’t fight each other.
Lessons learned hard way:
- Artist matters WAY more than design: Dave was good but slow AF.
- Combo placements are crucial: Mixing near joints = extra suffering.
- Healing multiple layers sucks: New ink over healing ink feels like torture.
Still love the final look though. Would I do another combo? Maybe… in a year. When I forget how much this one hurt.
