My [future] tattoo

I want to get a tattoo.

I want a smooth leaf silhouette or shadow on my left wrist edging onto my palm. Here’s why.

The most important reason goes back to over a year ago when John 15:2-6 (You are the vine, we are the branches…) stuck out to me in a brand new way.  I was learning that I couldn't do life on my own.  I am just a leaf. Without my life source, without Jesus, I will shrivel and die.
That's what it means to me.

For #2: I enjoy nature very much and I love the connection I have with it. In fact, God loves me through nature quite often. A sunset, a tree, the colors in the foliage, or chance encounters with wildlife remind me of how God loves me very specifically and how He loves to bless me.

Then #3: I associate nature with richness and goodness. I am reminded of how Sam refers to everything that’s “good and green in this world" and of how it's worth fighting for.

As for the collage of inspiration for my leaf tattoo: Starting from the top row, from the left, this is what I appreciate about each of the images along with the credit.

I love the subtlety of the wave. The placement is nice, too.

The New Zealand fern is all around awesome and more reason to go the fern route. The silhouette looks stellar.

The placement of the shoulder feathers looks so beautiful to me.

The olive branch on the arm is pretty much everything I would want if I wanted this on my arm. I love everything about this tattoo.

Next row.

I appreciate the coloring of the blue waves. I’ve thought mainly of just black ink, but this one makes me consider color.

The tree. Awesome subject matter. So well done. I love the thinning of the lines. Makes it look a little elegant.

Pheonix: Coloring. Same as before.

Artichoke: the thicknesses and thinning of the lines. It keeps the image interesting.

Next row.

While I don’t like these leaves entirely, I like the concept. This is pretty close to what I had in mind, but I’d like a classier looking leaf. (Makes me sound high maintenance, but, if I’m going to PAY for something PERMANENT, it’s going to be as perfect as possible.)

The shoulder blade. Just all around general awesomeness.

The fern. I’m pretty sure this isn’t an actual tattoo, but it is so beautiful. I like this one so much. If I went the fern route, I would want it to look very similar to this but not white and not on my arm.

Red tree: Coloring. See before. Also noted the lightness of the color which makes up the whole tattoo. There are no defining dark outlines, but it allows the red to stand almost as if it is blocked out. That’s not a good explanation, I know, but it just feels steady without outlines. I like that.

For more images of tattoos I find inspiring, check out my Pinterest board.