An update....
Sep. 27th, 2013 10:55 am I still feel like shit.
The current plan is to sort out the terrible mess I have made in my room by actually chucking stuff out. I have already unloaded 2 big bags of old clothes- stuff I wore before I lost the 4 and a half stone on my diet. I've done this specifically to try and get myself back on track: I have been binge-eating all week, and have put on 6lbs. -___-; I just feel like I'm not strong enough emotionally to keep on my diet, but if I do go back to my old eating habits, it will make all the work of the last year pointless. So to stop that happening, I am making sure that putting on weight = nothing to wear. So it's either diet, or be naked. >_>
The other thing I'm doing is sorting out boxes of stuff to take to a car boot sale. E-bay is no longer really viable, what with their fees, paypal fees, and shipping costs (and yes, I know that you are supposed to charge those to the customer but it doesn't always work out that way.) I have stuff like my Little Apple Dolls, which stand a better chance of being picked up at a car boot than on e-bay anyway, as well as some old Barbies, assorted figurines, and stacks of video game action figures which are no longer mint condition (so worthless to e-bay collectors) but might make a few quid on a car boot sale stand. Any money I make from it (and it might not be much- I'm hoping for £60 or so, if I'm lucky) will go towards a new tattoo. Hopefully this will help me to clear my living space significantly, while gaining something of value that I can carry with me forever. Happy Dinobird is pretty much a shoe-in, but if I make significantly more, I might begin work on the next large piece on my right arm- a beautiful yin-yang, made from a pair of nesting dragons wrapped around their eggs. It will actually go across my arm at a slight angle, rather than being straight up and down like this. That way, the dragons will remain impressive and the tails won't crash into my other tattoos.

(Sadly, I have not been able to find a watermarked or claimed version of this picture...I didn't draw this, and if I could credit it I would. If anyone knows the artist or recognises this, please let me know so I can give them their dues!)
About my tattoos:
I did go in and see my usual tattooist. He was pleased to see me, and took a look at both images for me. He gave me his usual rates and an estimate of how long each one would take. His quote was more expensive than the other guy, but I know he won't let me leave looking bad. Both this one and Happy Dinobird would need to be done in two sessions, but I was expecting that. He was very nice, and did exactly what I asked for- gave me a quote and answered my questions about positioning. Nothing more, and nothing less. Made me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
Oh, and he also offered to do a layway with me, as he knows I'm a student. So basically, I can give him money when I have it, and he will give me receipts, until I have enough for a session. He also said that if I need the money back for something, I just need to take in the receipts to get the money back, which is good of him. I mean, I wouldn't do that- but it's nice to know that I could, if I had to.
The current plan is to sort out the terrible mess I have made in my room by actually chucking stuff out. I have already unloaded 2 big bags of old clothes- stuff I wore before I lost the 4 and a half stone on my diet. I've done this specifically to try and get myself back on track: I have been binge-eating all week, and have put on 6lbs. -___-; I just feel like I'm not strong enough emotionally to keep on my diet, but if I do go back to my old eating habits, it will make all the work of the last year pointless. So to stop that happening, I am making sure that putting on weight = nothing to wear. So it's either diet, or be naked. >_>
The other thing I'm doing is sorting out boxes of stuff to take to a car boot sale. E-bay is no longer really viable, what with their fees, paypal fees, and shipping costs (and yes, I know that you are supposed to charge those to the customer but it doesn't always work out that way.) I have stuff like my Little Apple Dolls, which stand a better chance of being picked up at a car boot than on e-bay anyway, as well as some old Barbies, assorted figurines, and stacks of video game action figures which are no longer mint condition (so worthless to e-bay collectors) but might make a few quid on a car boot sale stand. Any money I make from it (and it might not be much- I'm hoping for £60 or so, if I'm lucky) will go towards a new tattoo. Hopefully this will help me to clear my living space significantly, while gaining something of value that I can carry with me forever. Happy Dinobird is pretty much a shoe-in, but if I make significantly more, I might begin work on the next large piece on my right arm- a beautiful yin-yang, made from a pair of nesting dragons wrapped around their eggs. It will actually go across my arm at a slight angle, rather than being straight up and down like this. That way, the dragons will remain impressive and the tails won't crash into my other tattoos.

(Sadly, I have not been able to find a watermarked or claimed version of this picture...I didn't draw this, and if I could credit it I would. If anyone knows the artist or recognises this, please let me know so I can give them their dues!)
About my tattoos:
I did go in and see my usual tattooist. He was pleased to see me, and took a look at both images for me. He gave me his usual rates and an estimate of how long each one would take. His quote was more expensive than the other guy, but I know he won't let me leave looking bad. Both this one and Happy Dinobird would need to be done in two sessions, but I was expecting that. He was very nice, and did exactly what I asked for- gave me a quote and answered my questions about positioning. Nothing more, and nothing less. Made me feel a lot better about the whole thing.
Oh, and he also offered to do a layway with me, as he knows I'm a student. So basically, I can give him money when I have it, and he will give me receipts, until I have enough for a session. He also said that if I need the money back for something, I just need to take in the receipts to get the money back, which is good of him. I mean, I wouldn't do that- but it's nice to know that I could, if I had to.