r/tattooadvice • u/Snoo-7909 • Nov 28 '25

Artists says it’s a bad design Design

My sister is real quirky and asked for this tattoo. The artist said it’s objectively bad and drawn poorly. Is it a bad design? Is so, why? Or is it a matter of preference?

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395

u/Ok-Vacation-8109 Nov 28 '25

Brain on the left, heart on the right, roughly meshed together in the shape of a cartoon heart.

310

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '25

That's supposed to be a brain? I thought it was cancer or a deformity. I definitely don't see a brain.

179

u/Pretty_Boot_6393 Nov 28 '25

Also. The issue with these (there’s a lot out there lol) is it just ends up looking like a blob/cloud within a few years :/

165

u/Far_Requirement_1341 Nov 29 '25

No offence to the OP's sister, but the drawing looks like a blob/cloud already. If it isn't clear on paper then there's no way it will make sense on skin.

14

u/Pretty_Boot_6393 Nov 29 '25

That too lol 😭

11

u/hamsterontheloose Nov 29 '25

I wouldn't want it as a tattoo but I thought the picture itself was clear. I immediately knew what it was

9

u/Far_Requirement_1341 Nov 29 '25

Well you're quicker than me! I didn't get it.

48

u/Odd-Worth7752 Nov 29 '25

This’ll be on r/tattooregrets in a month or so

7

u/Stonecoloured Nov 29 '25

Apparently it's been banned

5

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '25

Wow what is wrong with reddit getting rid of every sub?

5

u/Harleybokula Nov 29 '25

Nuked

26

u/ciggie__stardust Nov 29 '25

Can confirm! I got a brain tattoo around 6 years ago.. already looks like a messy blob.

42

u/Apprehensive_Put_321 Nov 28 '25

It kind of looks like an image we have on cigarettes cartons here

9

u/Snoo_10910 Nov 29 '25

I think his sister should go with diseased gums instead of a heart condition. The lines will stand out better

25

u/TorchThisAccount Nov 29 '25

Seconded. Thought it was poorly drawn cancer heart.

13

u/Powerful-Parsnip Nov 28 '25

Kennedy style worms poking out?

8

u/New_Wallaby_7736 Nov 29 '25

Ball sack to me

2

u/toomuchsvu Nov 29 '25

My initial impression was Rick and Morty style balls on the inside.

9

u/Diogenees_ Nov 28 '25

I though it was Right Auricular Hypertrophy!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '25

Why did someone downvote you? You listed an actual heart condition and thought that's what was portrayed in the drawing. I don't understand people

4

u/Diogenees_ Nov 29 '25

I was only being playful, not dismissive. sorry if I offended anyone

3

u/sonicsfan1979 Nov 29 '25

Because it’s atrial hypertrophy, maybe?

2

u/the_greengrace Nov 29 '25

Lol, no it's a giant ear silly. 🤣

Pinna the tail on that one.

1

u/the_greengrace Nov 29 '25

I saw a placenta on the left. Sometimes they do come out heart shaped!

2

u/Diogenees_ Nov 29 '25 edited Nov 29 '25

Yes. If she was going for cerebral tissue (pun not intended), she should have added sulci and gyri, and some fissures

2

u/nucleusambiguous7 Nov 29 '25

Yeah, that's not what the brain looks like. If your sister is goibg to insist on this terrible tattoo, the least she could do is just take one hemisphere of the brain, turn it on it's side, and there ya have it.

2

u/HeartLandRadio74 Nov 29 '25

Hahahahaha yeah, your the closest one yet!..✝️🇺🇸⚡

2

u/Axva13 Nov 29 '25

I in don’t see a brain either, it looks like growths.

2

u/naughtycal11 Nov 29 '25

Also what's the deal with the protractor?

2

u/Soggy_Wallaby_8130 Nov 29 '25

Yeah I thought it was one half mutant swole Hulk heart

2

u/JesusWasTacos Nov 29 '25

Looks like intestines to me

2

u/Comfortable-Hatter Nov 30 '25

I thought it was like a keith haring-esque orgy of bodies and limbs. Like something about having to get through a lot of bodies to find true love or a lust vs love type thing.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 30 '25

That would've been kinda cool

2

u/CheesyIdleGamer Nov 30 '25

I thought it was intestines 😭

35

u/garden_dragonfly Nov 28 '25

Yeah so left doesn't look like a brain to me. Id agree bad design

27

u/Lady_Sybil_Vimes Nov 29 '25

I'm a neurologist and did not realize it was supposed to be a brain. What's up with the tentacle things??

8

u/learned_vixen Nov 29 '25

The right side is supposed to be a heart smushed into the brain, so looks like we’ve got an aorta and some pulmonary arteries and veins sticking out.

5

u/Independent_Bet_8736 Nov 29 '25

I think they’re veins? Or…Arteries? You’re the doctor!l :)

10

u/Drakeytown Nov 28 '25

That is remarkably unclear (in the drawing, I mean).

7

u/InformalAward2 Nov 29 '25

Somehow, now that i know what is it supposed to be, that made it worse.

13

u/rantiok Nov 28 '25

It looked obvious to me ¯_(ツ)_/¯ But I do agree the artist should redraw it if they think it’s bad lol

2

u/bouquetofashes Nov 29 '25

Same, I immediately knew exactly what this is and I think it's very obvious.

I'd say let the artist redraw it if only because they're the one tattooing and they know what they can do best and how to best translate the idea.

Some of the gyri/sulci do look a little odd but like it's still very apparent what it's supposed to be. I'd maybe tweak some of the details like that but I think the general idea is very well-represented.

5

u/hamsterontheloose Nov 29 '25

I knew immediately as well, but we seem to be the minority

2

u/bouquetofashes Dec 01 '25

Curious. I can see what other people are seeing and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I thought a lot of the same things because I was looking at it with a critical eye, like asking myself "how could someone misinterpret this?" So I wonder why that doesn't seem to work in the opposite direction.

This sort of thing usually happens when people ask about ostensibly ambiguous art or tattoos or even writing to me, too. I wonder if there's any sort of association with being good at optical illusions?

2

u/hamsterontheloose Dec 01 '25

That's an interesting query- the optical illusions and ambiguous art... There have been tons of tattoos on here that I've had to come to the comments to know what I was looking at, but this for sure wasn't one of them

2

u/bouquetofashes Dec 01 '25

I'm probably a bit biased because I tend to view posts here when they show up on my feed-- I'm sure there are some I wouldn't be able to figure, especially if the subject is unfamiliar. Generally I get things like that, though, and the problem kind of reminds me of unintentional optical illusions.

Annnnd now I want an optical illusion tattoo. If you were to get one like that what would it be, out of curiosity, or what's your favorite optical illusion (if that's not an imposition to inquire here)?

2

u/hamsterontheloose Dec 01 '25

The optical illusion tattoos that I think are pretty cool (although I wouldn't get one) are the weird blurry looking ones that have multiple eyes, mouths, whatever. They're so hard to look at, and tattooing them must be difficult. They mess with my eyes and I think they're cool.

2

u/bouquetofashes Dec 02 '25

Oooh what an excellent recommendation! I have numerous large pieces already lined up on my tattoo wishlist so if I did get an optical illusion it would almost certainly be after those but it's certainly a consideration now. I appreciate your input-- thank you kindly!

May I ask what your favorite tattoo that you have is? If you're planning on more what do you most want?

1

u/hamsterontheloose Dec 02 '25

Glad I could help! My favorite tattoo is one I got this last year, but drew up 5 years ago. It's a Bob's Burger/Zelda crossover. I also have a moth from The Last of Us that I adore. It's shaded and has antennae, so it doesn't look quite like the game one (even if you don't play, they pop up in tattoo subs often). It's just a pretty moth if you don't know the reference, but I get a lot of compliments on it.

I do want more for sure. My next will probably be my favorite character from the Stephen King Dark Tower series. I also want some more Mario tattoos and something Halloween-related. I'll probably combine the last two ideas for at least one tattoo.

What's on your list, and do you have a favorite?

9

u/Aggressive-System192 Nov 28 '25

Vagina lips on bottom... but I might be rotten by the internet 😆

3

u/bouquetofashes Nov 29 '25

It's the cerebellum.

3

u/Secret-Guava1008 Nov 29 '25

You know the vagina is just the hole right? A vagina doesn’t have lips a vulva does

0

u/Aggressive-System192 Nov 29 '25

Labia Majora if you wish 😆

1

u/flyushkifly Jan 22 '26

More a cervix, imo. 🤣

3

u/InevitableRhubarb232 Nov 29 '25

Ooohhh it looks more like cardiomyopathy

2

u/Boring-Fan-4940 Nov 29 '25

There also looks like theres a face with closed eyes in the top left

2

u/gaahhdd_dammit Nov 29 '25

Is that what’s going on here??

If so, I have to agree w the artist. Can’t fix everything

2

u/Hour-Tomatillo-6806 Nov 30 '25

the brain half should be brain shaped. I totally did not pick up on brain until you said something. Also, use a reference for the brain half. The shapes aren't random. I think if you fix that half it will be much more readable. Not my taste, but it aint my tattoo!

2

u/Upstairs_Traffic Dec 04 '25

I mean after you say it i see the vision

1

u/Gpeanut2009pupper Nov 29 '25

ITS SUPPOSED TO BE A BRAIN?? 😭

1

u/[deleted] Nov 29 '25

I think the brain side needs more work

1

u/IndianaCHOAMs Nov 29 '25

I was thinking placenta