Tattoo folks, help me figure out this design!

Cafe Society
1

I know there are some people here who are against tattoos, but please let this thread be for those who are interested in helping me with my tattoo, okay?

I have been unfortunately thinking of my Grandma’s declining health lately. As much as it sucks I have the feeling she won’t be with us for too much longer. She’s a tough old 93 year old, but a recent stroke has left her with declining mental and physical abilities. I hate thinking about her mortality, but it’s been on my mind since a friend’s grandmother recently passed.

I hope it’s not morbid, but I am hoping to firm up my idea for a commemorative tattoo in her honor. And yes, I am also visiting her and calling her and taking advantage of her awesomeness for as long as I possibly can, but the facts are the facts and I know I’m going to be devastated by her passing. It may happen sooner than I’d like.

She has always had her own nickname for me, Jenny-tori, from the Latin hymn Tantum Ergo. She always sings the line “Genitori, genitoque, Laus et jubilatio!” at me. So I’d like to so something with this hymn as a tattoo.

I’m wondering how to execute this idea though. I could do the words, or maybe the musical notes in a string? I am an artist and my husband is as well, so I don’t need help in the actual drawing department. Just help thinking of the best way to bring this to life and I’m hoping you guys might have some creative input on this one.

Any ideas? Would you prefer just the words, or an arrangement of notes from the hymn? I’m leaning toward the notes, that way it’ll be a bit of a secret for me and I can picture her singing every time I look at it.

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My input—as a Tattooed person—is to go to a good shop and work this out with the person doing the tattoo. A good piece of art isn’t necessarily a good tattoo and vice versa.

The tattoo artists I know have a really good sense of what works for body art, independent from their knowledge and skill in Art.

ETA: I have a tattoo that has notes on a staff and, while I like it, I wouldn’t recommend it as a motif that is well-suited to tattooing.

3

If (on the off-chance) she sings the Gregorian Chant tune, use that notation. http://www.ecoute-voix.org/IMG/jpg/Pange_hymne.jpg

Modern notation http://www.adoremus.org/NewABart/PangeLingua391.jpg

4

Oh awesome, thank you! I think bringing the notes to a tattoo artist will probably be my best bet. I’m thinking of having the stanza wrap around my wrist.

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Can you elaborate? Are you unhappy with the tattooing of the notes itself or just the motif?

6

Since few parts of the human body are really flat, I can imagine that maybe musical notatio wouldn’t look great. I do prefer images to words when it comes to tattoos, so I’d vote for the staff over the words.