Help this domino tattoo fall into place.

January 7, 2008 7:37 AM

My grandma passed away last year and I've decided that I want to get some sort of memorial tattoo because she was a very important part of my life. I need help coming up with ideas for a domino themed tattoo.

Alright, Mefites, I need to probe your gigantic (and creative) brains.

The one thing that my great grandma always loved to do was play dominoes, so i figured a domino-themed tattoo would be dorky and excellent. However, the logical thing to do (DOB - DOD) just seems tacky (right?). Can anyone think up something else that could be easily represented with dominoes? I briefly considered binary, but that would be way too long and monotonous.

I haven't yet decided on where I want to get it. I have pretty much a blank canvas and will probably decide the location based on the design I end up with. After I get a rough idea I will probably visit my local parlor to discuss it with a professional.

Any ideas that incorporates dominoes in a meaningful way are greatly appreciated. They don't have to be restricted to "Double 6" tiles, either. We often played with a set of "Double 15s"

posted by boreddusty to grab bag (20 comments total)

Just make sure that when you do come up with a design, you just tell a good tattoo artist your idea and let them sketch out something that looks like a tattoo. The worst professionally done tattoos are ones where someone walks in with a design and they ink that exact image in. It has to work with your body, and be kind of organic looking.
posted by andrewzipp at 7:45 AM on January 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

I actually added in that middle paragraph to curb the number of responses like yours, andrewzipp, but I do appreciate the advice and will definitely be letting an artist take the idea and "flesh" it out.
posted by boreddusty at 7:55 AM on January 7, 2008

You could tattoo a mourning band around your upper arm, but have it subtly divided into domino sized rectangles with circles that are your skin color or a lighter color than black.
posted by milarepa at 7:57 AM on January 7, 2008

Definitely take andrewzipp's approach and engage a good artist. The will certainly be able to tell you if something you are planning is too detailed or complicated for them to execute.

My first off the top of my head idea was to execute a standard domino shape (perhaps with the */** pattern since that seems to a common way of depicting a domino and use your grandmothers name and relevant details as the border around the outside edge of the domino. Not sure how that would look of it would be too fine of print for it to look good so that's why talking to an artist is an important step.
posted by mmascolino at 7:57 AM on January 7, 2008

DOB-DOD is never, ever tacky for a tattoo. Seriously. Maybe arrange a domino layout with the pips as hearts representing the DOB/DOD thing, that's the first thing to come to mind. That would make a cool sleeve.
posted by knowles at 7:58 AM on January 7, 2008

Another idea that I just had while reading the Wikipedia article on Rube Goldberg machines:

Perhaps separate the DOB and DOD into two separate (or perhaps a single string) designs with the DOB being the dominoes being set up and the DOD featuring them being knocked over i.e. the dates would be represented by the values on the Dominoes. The digits are all small enough for this to be done with a Double 12 set.
posted by boreddusty at 8:09 AM on January 7, 2008

How about a very large domino on it's side across your chest, with each of your nipples being a dot?
posted by poppo at 8:20 AM on January 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

lols @ poppo

where on your body will this tattoo be? If it's on a long part (arm or leg) you could show a profile of dominoes tipping over into each other (signifying death) with her name inset on the side of one. Or if it's on a flat part (your back or ribs) it could be a woman's hand holding some dominos (or really anything.) I like knowles idea of the pips representing the DOB/DOD.
posted by red_lotus at 8:33 AM on January 7, 2008

If you don't want DOB/DOD, how about braille for her initials?

For what it's worth, though, I think the dates would be fine. Would you call it tacky to put the relevant dates on a gravestone? To list them in an obituary? What you're proposing is almost as traditional — date of death, especially, is an incredibly common element in memorial tattoos.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:33 AM on January 7, 2008

Perhaps "tacky" isn't exactly what I meant. I guess that initially the thought of putting the date of her death into a tattoo wasn't exactly the idea or theme I wanted to convey. I guess I didn't really want something so literal.

The more i think about it, though, the more I'm warming to it. nebulawindphone especially made some good points which have caused me to change my view slightly.
posted by boreddusty at 8:55 AM on January 7, 2008

My instant idea was some old-school Sailor Jerry inspired stuff. A couple dominos, maybe backed with a rose or a heart or something, and a banner at the bottom reading "grandma" or something. Kinda kitchy, but I suspect most anything with dominos will lean that way, it you might as well embrace it.
posted by Kellydamnit at 9:02 AM on January 7, 2008

I love Kellydamnit's idea. And I'm in the camp that wouldn't include DOD -- my understanding is that you want to celebrate her life, rather than focusing on the end of it?
posted by runningwithscissors at 9:05 AM on January 7, 2008

I think you'll thank yourself later if you just do a simple, single domino, top-down, probably actual size. It's a subtle statement and you'll know exactly what it means. Give it some room to breathe, if you have any other tattoos.
posted by picea at 9:11 AM on January 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Like picea, I'm in the minimalist school. One domino, with the pips representing a two-digit number of some significance -- her age, month/day of her birth, your estimated winning percentage against her (or vice versa), whatever.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:34 AM on January 7, 2008

i don't think you need to necessarily include anything ABOUT your grandmother per se, but simply a couple of stylized, cool looking dominoes. people will ask you about it later, and you can share some great memories about your gran with them.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:37 AM on January 7, 2008

Like red_lotus, I originally pictured a small row dominoes tipping over.

Otherwise, seconding picea's advice to do a single domino, nice and simple. There's more expressiveness in a simple image than in an elaborate scheme with backgrounds, text, borders, and what-have-you.
posted by bassjump at 9:37 AM on January 7, 2008

Two dominoes: one with y/y for DOB, one w y/y for DOD for instance for 1927-2006, you'd have 2/7 and 2/6
posted by nax at 11:18 AM on January 7, 2008

Also, sounds like a pretty cool grandma, that memorializing her with tattoos is appropriate. Sympathies on your loss.
posted by nax at 11:19 AM on January 7, 2008

I like the idea.

You could do 4 dominoes for the dob-dod.

Picture 4 dominoes lined up. For the dates used by nax The top row shows:
1 / 9 / 2 / 7 (The "top" half of the domino)
2 / / / 7
posted by TheDukeofLancaster at 10:14 AM on January 8, 2008

Thanks for all of the great ideas! There were definitely some that I didn't even consider.
posted by boreddusty at 12:13 PM on January 8, 2008