Following on from another recent thread about tattoos and the pro's and con's.. Do you have one? why did you get it? what does it represent to you?

I have decided to have one, I have created my design, it has meaning to me and will be a work of art when finished. My tattoo represents my family in the form of a Chinese Koi scene. Each fish represents my myself my wife and growing family. In Chinese tradition, the Koi is the strongest of fish. It will persevere in it's quest to swim upstream to spawn often against incredible currents and odds. It is said that if a Koi can swim it's way up and over a steep waterfall it will change into a magnificent Dragon, the most revered of Chinese folk law creatures. It echos my life and my journey to where I am now and how proud I am of my family.
Below are the first two stages of my journey, the initial sketch, to a more detailed sketch by the artist that she did for me to see colours and more details. I will continue to post more photos until the final tattoo is completed.

Stage 1, initial thoughts



Stage 2, the coloured sketch





showing the size and placement