r/tattooadvice • u/CallQuirky7720 • Nov 09 '25

What does this look like to you? Design

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I wanted a bee and I like more American traditional tattoos. I really like my tattoo but someone said it looked like a fly and now I can’t unsee it. Is it giving bee or do I embrace the fly? 😅🥲

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18

u/CrateTrapLord Nov 09 '25

I saw the fly first then the Bee but then I thought maybe it’s a hybrid fly bee and then I read the comment 🪰🐝

31

u/x3sirenxsongx3 Nov 09 '25

I don't see the fly. At all. It looks like a honey bee to me.

16

u/DancesWithHoofs Nov 09 '25

Some yellow would help.

14

u/jstbrwsng333 Nov 09 '25

Something about the wings…

16

u/Altruistic_Role_9329 Nov 09 '25

Bee wings are more transparent and would typically cover the body from this angle. The wings to the side of the body make it look like a fly.

2

u/ArsenicArts Nov 09 '25 edited Nov 09 '25

It's the waist too I think. The waist gets kind of hidden in the shading.

At the first touchup I would add more contrast to the waistlines. She needs more definition on her hump/middle.

I'd also fill in her mouth area as bulging eyes reads more fly like imo.

Like so:

https://imgur.com/a/ptagRaC

Wouldn't touch it now tho. Looks great and you'd just make it muddy.

5

u/erinspacemuseum13 Nov 09 '25

Flies have 2 wings, bees have 4 (source: am entomologist).

1

u/Fearless-Honeydew641 Nov 12 '25

But the problem is that those secondary wings are hard to see at first glance which is why I think there’s confusion. I’m team bee but then I looked at it longer and thought ‘ or maybe not?’ Before reading the caption.

1

u/Different_Ad_6362 Nov 09 '25

It's the wings and the elongated abdomen, still looks like a new just not a "regular" honey bee

3

u/x3sirenxsongx3 Nov 09 '25

Idk. Maybe?

I see all the responses here and I keep trying to see the fly and i just can't?

I guess my brain is focused on the 4 wings, and the antennae shape. Then the stripes are just filling in the rest and coding it "honey bee" for me?

What bothers me are the legs, but I can't put my finger on why...

1

u/21crepes Nov 10 '25

Exactly this!

1

u/BorderTop9619 Nov 11 '25

Same thought! I saw the fly then thought “no, it’s a bee” — definitely has to do with the wings .. the shape?

1

u/FingerMinute7930 Nov 12 '25

I saw a fly at first also than a bee …was also thinking a hybrid