White needs darker colors around it to make it look lighter.

I know a really white guy who got a Renaissance jousting scene across his ribs and stomach. It was mainly white, yellow, and blue. He said it was super painful to keep going back for touch-ups on all the light colors, because they would start looking chalky on his pale skin, or just not show up.

I'd fade some pink into it. Stargazers often have that pinkish tinge. I agree, don't just leave the white parts blank. Then again, there are some lovely orange lilies *G*...

Treja--I want stargazer lilies too! I'm planning that one out still...I also want it to be very light but not all white. We should totally compare one day (although it will probably be a year+ before I get mine). If it goes as planned they'll be on the inside of my arms.

As for white...I have a friend who has very thin white tattoos that are hard to notice until she tans up in the summer. I've seen them for years now and they still look amazing. But they are literally lines, almost like scars, so there's less concern about shape and shading.

Also, the second part of my planned tattoo (5 hours from my appt as I type!!) is white with some blue tones, and my artist said it would be fine although sunlight will change it some. Since that one will be on my shoulder where I tend to get lots of sun, I may go with very pale blue instead.

The white in my almost 7 year old tattoos has barely changed color. When I use white on my husband, I usually have to re-do it and it still changes due to the pigment in his skin.

Tattooing, tattoos is a place where EVERYONE is unique, with a few 'averages.'

oh yeah, I've always wanted to do an all white tattoo since seeing one in a tattoo magazine. It looked like etched glass, beautiful.

When I talked to my artist a few years back about a white tattoo I wanted she talked me out of it for the same reasons everyone has said here. She suggested scarification instead. Would that be an option for you?

I asked my artist about 'whiting' as well. I wanted to do tribal patterns in white rather than black on my hands and forearms.

He said no way no how, and that he refused to do something that had a 50/50 chance of looking like crap. White ink on skin has the same potential bleaching hair has. It can 'turn' hair turns brassy. White ink can turn nicotine stain yellow.

Even babying it, it is subject to taking on your skins coloring, and your natural skin tone causing it to appear more... beige.

I would switch to a really pale periwinkle or even lighter. A silvery gray blue. That way you don't have to worry about going yellowy since the blue is a cool color (as opposed to the warmth of a white turned yellowish brownish)

I was bummed too when I found out. Then their extreme mods guy offered to do the same designs with scarification and removals, and I'd have to say that shocked me into just not thinking about it for awhile.