I admit I only joined LiveJournal to post this...
This is my first post, so sorry if it has some issues. I've been planning my first tattoo and have really enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful ones in this community. Anyway, I'm a very indecisive person and wanted some advice. Here's the backstory: I've been studying abroad in New Zealand this semester and I'm nearing the end of my time here. Sorry to be one of those cliche "study abroad changed my life" people, but I have grown a lot as a person here and I want to get a tattoo to commemorate that.
Again, this probably sounds cliche, but The Lord of the Rings is my favorite book (and yes, that's how I first became interested in NZ.) So I settled on a hobbit, because I feel it would be representative of my time here- there is a Tolkien quote that goes, "There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow." I practically had to force myself to go abroad because I was so anxious about it, but once I found the courage to go, it became an amazing experience, one of the most significant of my life so far.
Here are my questions...
1. I have narrowed it down to three images that I need to choose among. As a total tattoo newbie, I don't how well any of them would translate to a tattoo. Which would work best? The first is a drawing by Tolkien from the first American edition of The Hobbit. It's Bilbo bowing. The second is a random image I found online (sorry, I don't have the credit for it.) The third is another original Tolkien drawing of Bilbo- I'd get rid of everything around him, obviously.
2. Placement. I would like to get it on the side of my torso (ribs). It has to be easily hidden because in a year or two I will either be an elementary school teacher or a school librarian. Would this be a good placement for it? How big would it have to be? I'm a very small girl.
3. Alternatively, I might like to get the quote above, but I think it's too long. Any suggestions for shortening it?
4. Is anyone familiar with/can anyone vouch for Crazy Horse Tattoo in Dunedin, NZ?
I apologize for the length of the post. Also I was a bit unsure with the photos so they may be too large or too small.
Thanks in advance to anyone who offers advice!