View Full Version : Tattoo Font Choice Assistance
camerajuan
21-04-2011, 04:03
Finally gonna take the plunge and get some ink on me.
My stubborn old papa was 82 and had been ill for three years. The last time I saw him he was sitting up in his bed, and I was sitting next to him. We were watching Crocodile Dundee and his gravel-breathed laugh still rings in my mind. I left for the new term of Uni that week & knew I'd never see him again.
3 weeks later, 4 days before my birthday his never-say-die spirit finally said enoughs enough & changed its mind. I was at Uni when I got the text from Mum. "Papa gone. X". I didn't know how to react initially but my mind finally started working the day before his funeral & I wrote a poem for his obituary website. Its still on there titled "My Way Of Saying Goodbye" - https://announce.jpress.co.uk/8119149?s_source=jpsc_scot_een#contribs_header.
Lowering him in with the cord was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
So, the maiden tattoo for me will be lyrics of a song my cousin sang at his wake called Dark Island. Its a really haunting song & my cousin sang it really well. Some of the lyrics really sound like something my Papa would say.
No MS Word font will do, I want a Celtic font, similar to the one used in Bilbo's book from LOTR. Scottish/Irish in depiction. If anyone has any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the long winded approach when all I'm asking for is a font.
Emotional times :'(
*reads poem*
*blubs*
that is lovely
Hope someone here can help you find the font you want xx
If you're after a Celtic type font, take a look here...
http://new.myfonts.com/search/celtic/
If there's anything you like, let me know and I'll see if I've got the font. There are a few others her who may also have font. I can then type it out if you need me to with a nice layout for the artist to copy from.
*reads poem*
*blubs*
that is lovely
Hope someone here can help you find the font you want xx
Ditto. I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my Nan almost a year ago and it still hurts like hell.
And Desmo's just made me well up offering to write it out.
*goes away to blub some more*
x
Lowering him in with the cord was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
*Wells up*
I put my grandpa in too. He was just a box of ashes by then, but it was still him.
:(
Lovely memories though :) Really lovely x
camerajuan
21-04-2011, 14:18
Thanks everybody so far.
Mum asked before the funeral if I wanted to go see him in the coffin but I think my last memory of being with him and laughing about Paul Hogans antics is kinda perfect.
Desmo, lot of good font ideas there. Thanks for the offer, would mean a lot. I'll look through them all in detail later on and get back to you. Incidentally, the song lyrics are here - http://www.rampantscotland.com/songs/blsongs_dark.htm
I'm not getting the whole song - that would be a bit much for my first Tat. Just the first two lines of the first verse and the last two lines of the second verse.
Papa used to say "Every day is a beautiful day" and up until a week before he died, he'd walk the half mile to Ladbrokes to bet on any horse that had one of his grandkids names in its name.
He helped build the chapel where his funeral was, fitting doesn't describe it. He was a brilliant and funny man.
Blackstar
21-04-2011, 18:31
*hugs* I'm sorry Sean, hope you are all ok. Hopefully see you soon, you know where I am. x
I can recommend a good tattooist but it'll be in the 'burgh
camerajuan
21-04-2011, 20:03
You working tomorrow Paula? I'm going home on saturday morning but I'll be at the Fort tomorrow for a bit.
Blackstar
21-04-2011, 20:54
I work in Princes Street now petal.
camerajuan
22-04-2011, 00:03
Not a problem - I gotta be there too!
But are ya workin?!?!
I love these kind of tattoos, that have real meaning.
From the link Desmo posted I would short list:
EF Gandalf™
Biographer
I'll have a look to see if I feel anything I have here is suitable for you.
Beautiful meaning for a tattoo - I don't think they need to have a meaning but I certainly love hearing about those that do.
I'm not sure how you are for travel etc but I know of two truly excellent ink artists near Bristol and one in Plymouth: I can hook you up with work examples if these are considerations but having seen Paula's dandelion I'd say she knows a pretty good inksmith too!
One thing to consider might be to approach an artist with examples of font style you like, but ask them to replicate this style freehand - this way you might end up with something more 'natural looking' than the exactly replicated letters that can often give a 'printed on' tattoo effect.
Depends entirely what you're looking for though - either way I think it's a lovely idea :)
camerajuan
27-04-2011, 18:52
Desmo,
After looking at the list & after looking at the samples of the ones Lozza suggested, I really like Biographer.
D'you have that one?
I love these kind of tattoos, that have real meaning.
From the link Desmo posted I would short list:
EF Gandalf™
Biographer
I'll have a look to see if I feel anything I have here is suitable for you.
Question: do you think the Gandalf one looks more Irish than Scottish? Just a thought. Best to get it right than to not be 100% happy with it.
I'll take a look for you later on regarding fonts. It doesn't jump out at me as one I'd have but I can usually get hold of most things.
camerajuan
28-04-2011, 12:03
Excellent, really appreciate that. Cheers Desmo.
RE:Gandalf font, it does look more Gaylic than Gallic(Irish - Scottish)but theres heritage from both sides in my family so either way would be fine. Of course Scottish would be better!
Question: do you think the Gandalf one looks more Irish than Scottish? Just a thought. Best to get it right than to not be 100% happy with it.
They both look pretty what more do you want ;)
camerajuan
29-04-2011, 01:51
Good point!
I really like the Gandalf one but I think its too Middle Earthy and as much as I love those films & books I don't love them enough to have a font on my body that looks like Bilbo wrote it. I'd rather go Celtic than Baggins.
camerajuan
05-05-2011, 18:58
Decided on a font & got it from a free font site.
Its called Gourdie Uncial. Looks swish.
Gonna book it tomorrow as I'm really quite excited about it and my gf will spend all her money if she doesn't spend it on me soon!
Sorry fella, been quite busy at work this week what with the bank holidays.
I didn't have that original font so couldn't do anything with it. Do you still want/need me to do some kind of layout? If so, you could always send me a link to the font :)
camerajuan
06-05-2011, 12:44
Understandable, my student loan was delayed by 3 days due to that messy weekend!
I have a rough idea, song words in quotation marks with Goodnight Papa DOB - DOD beneath it. The font doesn't have numbers so I was hoping the artist could fashion something similar. I've picked where I'm going - its in Southampton. Link enclosed. Anything you could throw together would be well appreciated.
http://www.fontspace.com/mouser-fonts/gourdie-uncial
Hopefully I've got the correct text in there :)
Had to play about with it a bit as, like you said, there were no numbers but also no apostrophes or quote marks either so grabbed those from another so need to check they're in the appropriate places and nothing has been missed.
Also need to add in the correct dates as well.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/326412/Goodnight%20Papa.jpg
Let me know what to change and we'll go from there :)
camerajuan
06-05-2011, 16:54
Thas a lot better looking than the set-up I had on MS Word. Looks really really good. What font are the numbers from? Is it an MS standard?
The dates are the only things to change - they're on my sig. If you could send me a word file with the correct dates and the font files (if needed), I can get meself booked in & inked next week.
Really appreciate this :D
Sorry, didn't spot the dates in your sig, silly me :)
The numbers are from Formal 436 BT. It wasn't set in word but I can do a PDF if that is OK?
OK, image above should be updated with correct dates and here's a link to the PDF :)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/326412/Goodnight%20Papa.pdf
camerajuan
06-05-2011, 17:46
That looks amazing. I think I have my tattoo!
Thanks so much for that. I will of course post a picture up on here once its on. Better do some sit-ups so the belly doesn't look as full of cider as it really is!
AWESOME! Thanks everybody for inputting!
camerajuan
06-05-2011, 17:49
Also - for the tattoo display on here - how do I add photos to a thread?
I've never done it before and I can't see the link to "add albums" on my User CP.
camerajuan
12-05-2011, 13:02
BOOKED!
June 24th, the best small font guy is booked up until then so I gotta wait & prepare meself!
Cannot wait.
Blackstar
12-05-2011, 20:44
Good boy, waiting seems hard but in honesty if you can wait you know you want it :) hope you and jodie are keeping well x
Where are you getting it done?
camerajuan
13-05-2011, 00:10
Paulys Tattoo in Southampton, just up the road from my Uni digs.
Spurred on by this thread I got my new tattoo yesterday - the 7th May was a year since I lost my Nan (bizarrely, her twin sister died on the 7th May this year).
It's a Lily (as was she :)). If you don't mind CJ, I'll post a pic in here when the redness has gone down :)
camerajuan
15-05-2011, 20:48
By all means. Its in the same bracket as my reasoning.
Love to see what your tribute is.
camerajuan
06-07-2011, 16:09
Wee update - As I am currently in the middle of a medical trial I had to cancel the tattoo as the effect would invalidate the tests I'm doing.
Re-scheduling for some point in the next 4 weeks & will DEFINITELY put a picture up when its done.
I did wonder the other day how it went. Shame about the delay, but you'll get there in the end :)
camerajuan
07-07-2011, 07:30
Not a chance I'm missing out on this. It means way too much.
Good thing is, the guy at Paulys has said they'll just keep my £20 deposit until I decide to get it done & then just take it off my total. Ledge!
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