# Decent rat (non-anthro) artists and looking for input on tattoo



## Masha (Mar 4, 2012)

I've always wanted a tattoo of my rat, Meryl, and even more so now that she died of a mass a month back. She was the first rat that I raised from a weanling, and we were pretty close, as humans and rats go. I learned so many things from her about training and animal keeping that you don't really learn from more free-roaming animals, and she was my constant companion to anywhere I could take her within reason. 

I plan to get the tattoo on my left wrist, because I want to always be able to see her. I know that wrist tattoos wear faster due to the location, so I know the tattoo will probably need to be done in a more "simple" style so when I need to re-do, it won't look crappy, faster.

So I want to mainly ask people who are more experienced with tattoos, what colours are hardest to keep? I have an idea for her body, since she was white with a gray mask, I could probably leave her body my skin colour (I'm one of those pasty see-through types), and just do the peach of her nose/tail/toes/ears (I was told white and pink-ish colours tend to fade faster, so only having a few small things in pink to fix up later could possibly be better than having her whole body to fix up?). 

I'm also planning to have her surrounded in a bracer-like cuff of azaleas, since they are a huge memory for me, growing up. The dark colours of the azaleas could perhaps make the white of my skin stand out better for her body. What do you think on that?

Do blues and purples hold up well? 

What are your opinions on a style that is simple but still has enough definition to make her an individual rat (unlike a tribal, which would just be a rat)? 

And, does anyone know any good artists for non-anthro rats? It's really hard to find them, honestly. When I find rat artists, they always have this ...thing, or making rats look like cats or dogs, or making this or that body part look awkward and not rat-like. 

I'd really appreciate any input.

(also, on the wrist-cuff-thing, I'm luckily going into a career field where having such a tattoo won't be an issue, since it's pretty common and most employers either won't mind or just will want you to wear a long sleeve shirt, which isn't a problem for me.)


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## Thaily (Mar 4, 2012)

Aaw, your girl was lovely, my condolences.

I'm told yellow and red fade fastest, and that black and blue will last the longest.
Though they will all need touching up eventually. Not sure how well purple does, although a dark colour would off-set your rat nicely.
And I think actually making the tattoo that is a semblance of your pet is a lot nicer than for example a tribal; I think tribals and the like have a tendency to look generic and impersonal, even when they are custom designs.

I totally get you on the dog/cat semblance thing, it's pretty awful. I like drawing me some rats, that said, I'm pretty swamped in work. So I'd recommend Moonsongwolf.
She draws quite a few and they actually look like rats: http://moonsongwolf.nabyn.com/


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## Masha (Mar 4, 2012)

That is a fantastic artist  And she seems rather good with plant-life, which is an extra bonus. Do you know what their commissions run, by any chance, if you've dealt with her? I took a look and didn't see anything, though I'll end up messaging her anyway, but probably not very soon. A tattoo in the next two months won't work due to my classes (lot of farm work with messy animals, don't wanna have a new tattoo in that environment).Thank you, by the way. She was one of the most beautiful rats I've ever seen, with the personality to match her looks. Very gentle and laid back for a female, too.Thanks for the reply


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## Thaily (Mar 5, 2012)

Did a little digging, looks like they're most active on DA and that's where I found their TOS and price list: http://moonsongwolf.deviantart.com/journal/?offset=10#/d41oqn4
Looks like commissions are closed, but she has a waiting list, so you should probably shoot her a message about that now and ask. Your slot might not come up for a while anyway and it will take a bit to make the drawing of course.


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## Masha (Mar 5, 2012)

Oh, thanks! Also seems she has a neglected FA. I can't get on DA, so that's awesome, haha.  Yeah, I'll shoot her a message. Thanks so much for the suggestion/help!


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## Thaily (Mar 5, 2012)

I can send her a message on DA for you if you'd like, just be sure to include your contact info so she can get back to you instead of me


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