Right now a customer of Cheyenne at Oddball Studios in Portland, OR, is flipping out about the nautilus tattoo they got on their nape. Apparently their friends ribbed them about the end of it looking like a penis, and now they’ve convinced themselves that the cock was actually added to the drawing as a cruel and twisted joke by the tattoo artist. They’ve been slagging the studio to BME members, on LiveJournal, and it’s even become a Fark photoshop contest.
Here’s the tattoo in question:
I mean, I guess I can convince myself there’s a cock in there if I really want to believe it, but if I’m stretching my “must see tubesteak now” muscle that far, I’m in a world of dick, and seeing forests of wang all around me (the supermarket’s cucumber and zucchini section is my pornography). Here’s a few pictures of a real nautilus shell. The left most one is one of the pictures that the client showed Cheyenne, and the others I grabbed from Google as examples:
They all kind of look like cock if that’s really what you’re desperate to see — and if you’re not a confident person, I suppose you could come to truly believe it if you’re friends teased you about it… But I think when you transfer the blame to the tattoo artist and actually start campaigning against what to the best of my knowledge is a top quality shop, you’ve crossed a karmic line that reflects very poorly on you.
To the wearer of the tattoo, I have but one piece of advice for you: If you ever go to the zoo, avoid the elephant enclosure.
Anyway, the tattoo doesn’t look like a cock. It looks like a urinal (source).
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The following comments were imported from our old comment system:
Posted on 12-19-2005 12:32:34 by volatile
Nope, it really doesn’t look like a cock.
Fark gets worse with every passing day *sigh*
Posted on 12-19-2005 13:20:33 by Corvin
If only the Farkers used their mad skillz for good instead of evil.
Posted on 12-19-2005 14:18:58 by Shutterbug
To me, it looks like that got what they asked for. Nicely done, too.
Posted on 12-19-2005 14:20:51 by seeking
What if he got a cock tattooed on his neck, would he bitch that the nautilus shell was added as a cruel joke?
Posted on 12-19-2005 14:23:28 by Ghostie
Its the shading, I think.
Maybe it’ll look better to its owner once its healed and they’ve settled down?
Posted on 12-19-2005 14:38:42 by Sade
I can see where someone could see a penis in the shell but I think that has more to do with shading than anything else.
It’s a really good tattoo so I don’t see where there is any complaint.
Posted on 12-19-2005 15:04:43 by savagerabbit
I find it looks like a cock (what can I say?) but it definitely wouldn’t if it was flipped the other way.
It’s certainly something they could fix and make it look less cock-like if that’s what they want.
Posted on 12-19-2005 15:13:09 by dream3r
i pity that tattoo for being put on such a wanker. if you don’t like the finished piece, go back to the artist and work out something. i’m sure if he acted like a decent human being, the artist would have been more than willing to fix it up to the douche bags liking.
Posted on 12-19-2005 16:00:35 by saram
Some people can see a penis in anything. But now that it’s being pointed out… I’ve got penis-shells, too! Thanks for pointing it out. 😛
Posted on 12-19-2005 16:13:27 by ChopperMark
Ok so it’s does look a little penile. mayne instead of flipping out and slagging off their tattooer they should have just asked to have a little more shading done. Maybe they can go crawling back to their artist, apologize and get it touched up for free.
Posted on 12-19-2005 18:40:37 by daphne
It doesn’t really look like a cock when you see the whole tattoo, but I think the problem is that when he isn’t pulling his shirt down, you can only see the top inch or two of the nautilus. Which is decidedly cockier.
Posted on 12-19-2005 18:42:26 by daphne
Not that I’m defending this guy; he’s a dumbass for not thinking it through.
Posted on 12-19-2005 18:42:51 by misplaced_ice
“Phallus is symbolically substituted with all things that are similar to it by their form, namely long things that jut out: mountains, rocks, sticks, umbrellas, poles, trees…. A hat and a coat as well as various machines and appliances have the same meaning.” – Brlizg on Freud’s interpretation of dreams.
Perhaps their friends have been reading too much Freud. We all know that Freud was a crackpot.
I think it looks like a nautilus.
Posted on 12-19-2005 18:50:10 by Kea
I want that urinal…
Posted on 12-19-2005 19:20:58 by R
Sometimes a nautilus is just a nautilus….
Posted on 12-19-2005 19:33:06 by Pigstradamus
I live in Portland and I was in that shop that day and that kid was a weenie… Where I come from he wouldn’t have ended up in a situation like that because he would have been shanked a long time ago.
Posted on 12-19-2005 20:54:07 by cuntcumber
If you cover the curved part of the shell and only look at the top, it does look pretty penis-y.
The shading (which is what makes it look like a cock-head) will fade in a while, though, so it shouldn’t be so bad. But if he’s going to be such a wanker, he deserves to have a dong tattooed on his neck.
Posted on 12-19-2005 21:06:40 by Drez
personally i see a bandaid with tapered ends ..but ehh i still think its a cool tattoo
Posted on 12-19-2005 21:24:35 by Cheyenne
PENIS SHELL .
i made the tattoo. It looks kind of like a penis, but i did intend on changing it to his liking. Then i foolishly looked to the ‘friends’ with hopes they would accept part of the responsibility, Its a shame that the kid keeps trying to poison my good name.
Posted on 12-19-2005 21:38:09 by cheyenne
PENISHELL:
I did the tattoo. Its not that good, but its not that bad. Hardly anyone thinks it looks like a penis in my picture. Its a shame when someone tries to drag my name through the mud, but i have no concern about it. It is inaccurate to say i yelled and cursed them out. I offered to change it but the dude was ALREADY upset and so was his invasive gang. They were defensive and HE raised his voice to me, and blew it. totally blew it.
Posted on 12-19-2005 21:40:03 by Sarah
Penis. The “head” is clearly distinct from the “shaft”, and is shaded in such a way that it appears to be rounded out rather than concave. You can even make out the coronal ridge. It may be a bit stubby and pointed, but penis it is.
A touchup/reshading will do wonders. It’s not like it’s unfixable.
Posted on 12-19-2005 22:03:11 by Marcus
I dunno I see a penis it looks alot more drawn out then the shells in the picture near it but hey its just me
Posted on 12-19-2005 22:24:45 by BadlyDrawnGirl
“The shading (which is what makes it look like a cock-head) will fade in a while, though, so it shouldn’t be so bad.”
I agree with cuntcumber.
stop freaking out… and trying to get something you wanted done and probably paid good money for.. for FREE (which im sure he/she is going to end up, if he already hasnt.. asking for his money back..)
It looks good.. dont let your buddies “pick” on you.
Every ridge of the “penis” in the tattoo.. is a line/crack in the shell.. and yea, it will fade in a while and look alot better..
Posted on 12-19-2005 22:26:16 by Jalyn
Well if I look hard I can see a penis, but come on! As others have said, a little shading would make it perfect. I guess it would be unethical for the artist to offer to fix it and then add a pair of balls, wouldn’t it?
Posted on 12-19-2005 22:45:29 by Potown Al
All I see is a penis with a neck tattoo…I wonder if his buddies can hear the ocean out of it.
It looks a bit like a cock, but I agree with Sarah on the touch up. On the otherhand, I can’t see any artist in his area that will want to fix ole’ dick-neck after all this attention… imagine the first visit “hey, do you do touch up’s? I got this dick on my neck that I want to look like a shell” Priceless.
Posted on 12-19-2005 23:51:28 by ariel
I seriously don’t see a cock. at all.
Posted on 12-20-2005 06:48:15 by fantasien
i didn’t see a cock at ALL. if the tattoo looks like the design they agreed on, what’s their problem? it must have been a cock to begin with.
Posted on 12-20-2005 11:23:40 by tiggerbaby3035
i think it is the weare, he has cock on the brain. i bet he sees cock everywhere he turns. it is a good tattoo, a little more shading will take care of his small problem.
Posted on 12-20-2005 11:55:17 by Me
I think so changes to the shading, and maybe the shape would do the trick… But really… i dont see a penis untill i really try to see it. Still, i cant say i wouldnt be pissed off if i had a tattoo that people saw a cock in.
Posted on 12-20-2005 13:23:01 by danielle
Personally the Fark picture where someone put tighty whities on it is hilarious.
Posted on 12-20-2005 13:28:45 by taterotica
you know, when i saw that first, i saw no penis. hours later i was showing a friend what modblog was, she went “whoa, wait, did that guy have a penis shell?” hmm… beauty in the eyes of the beholder, i guess
Posted on 12-20-2005 18:13:10 by Steve
Iam NuclearSummer, tells me he has “tubesteak” on his leg but i dont see that either 😛
Posted on 12-20-2005 18:35:17 by Brett
Since this entire thread is about me, perhaps I should defend myself.
First of all, let me begin by stating, again, that I took my time when picking the shop. I asked around and viewed many portfolios and did not mind waiting a couple weeks to get the work done once I found an artist whose style I liked.
I did not immediately see the penis on my tattoo (though it is in a difficult place for me to see), but once it was pointed out and then photographed, it became very clear.
Despite all the mockery of friends and the embarrassment of having my tattoo spread all over the internet, I was completely willing to believe the incident was nothing more than a weird coincidence and approached Cheyenne with this mindset. I would have been soooooo happy to have gotten this thing fixed without any complications and to have the whole ordeal finally over with.
Though he claims to see the penis now, he completely denied it in person. Initially he agreed to fix it (though it might be hard to fix something you cannot see), but instead of discussing how and when to fix the problem, he repeatedly accused my friends and I of being delusional and having a problem.
My “invasive” friends (both females who were frightened by Cheyenne’s agitated state) did not speak a word until confronted by Cheyenne and asked what they thought of the tattoo. Even as his behavior became more and more confrontational, we tried to assure Cheyenne that no one thought this was intentional and only wanted to get it resolved. He did indeed yell and cuss at us repeatedly.
It baffles me that anyone, including the artist, would blame us for this incident. Did I put the tattoo on myself? My friends (some of which didn’t even know how to break it to me initially) did not brainwash me into seeing something that isn’t there. I challenge any of you who claim to not see the phallus to take another, good look at the picture. Hell, its even worse when viewed sideways… http://www.dotphoto.com/SAN1/1C/46/86/i1C46869C-C411-403C-B88E-66064C9C60CE.jpg
It is more than just the strangely dark shading below the head, its the way the tip is bulbous and curves out, over the straight edge of the shell. It should look concave, instead it appears overlapping.
Cheyenne Ive no doubt that you have built up a good reputation and clientele over your 12 years in the business, but your behavior and actions towards me and my friends (who came along just for company) were completely unprofessional and inexcusable. I did not enter the studio in any state of anger or aggression. I only raised my voice once you began to raise your own and accused us of being disturbed. I made no threatening gestures or threats towards you and simply left the building once it became clear you were not willing to handle this in a calm and mature manner. (Though I will say that in any other environment, I would have not stood for you getting in my face and confronting me or my friends in such a way).
Any tarnishing of your name or reputation is no fault but your own for how you have handled this situation. Even if you did not see the phallus, a calm apology and plan on how to fix the tattoo would have appeased my concerns.
Becoming accusatory and confrontational towards a customer (a first-time customer at that, with plans for many more tattoos to follow) simply shows your lack of customer service and interaction. At no point before this encounter have I wronged you in any way shape or form and initially had hoped to return for future work. I did not deserve to have this thing put on my neck (by accident or not) and certainly do not deserve to be treated as I have after the fact.
Posted on 12-20-2005 19:04:45 by Brett
I’d like to add one more thing:
You may not think that ending up with an unexpected penis on your tattoo is a big deal. But my first experience with the world of tattooing has been ruined. Do you think I’m going to live this whole ordeal down anytime in the near future? Imagine your surprise when you eagerly show off your new tattoo to friends and family, only to have them gasp in shock at what they see. (For Christ’s sake – my mother saw this!!!). And still, I managed to keep a cool head about the whole ordeal. How many of you could say the same thing if you were in my shoes?
Posted on 12-20-2005 19:54:37 by lii
By the way, the customer in question did not post the pic to Fark, someone else did. As a joke possibly. From there it took on a life of its own.
And I have to say that I was there when he first prsented the above photo, proudly to his friends. It wasn’t up for long. And until I read your blogzine I had no idea of the name or location of either the artist or his studio.
Posted on 12-20-2005 19:58:34 by mara
I see this in very simple terms. Cheyenne has admitted he can see what the customer is unhappy about. He has the responsibility of fixing it to the customer’s satisfaction. He’s a jerk if he doesn’t.
Posted on 12-20-2005 21:11:32 by Trish
It’s definitely a penis head. Um, hello…the pictures of the nautilus shell don’t have a “head” and a circumcision scar. The person who did it even admits that he can see it. If it were me, I’d already have an attorney and have a suit on file. In fact, I’d be suing for so much money that “Cheyenne” and the shop owner would be looking for a nice refrigerator box to live in. The worst part of all this is that some of you people are actually blaming the freaking victim rather than this “Cheyenne” person, who either deliberately (as some kind of sadistic joke) or accidentally (for this to be an accident, he really sucks as an artist) permanantly tattooed a big effing penis on the pack of a person’s neck. “Cheyenne” needs to lose the attitude, apologize most abjectly and fix his mess. To do otherwise, just cements his position as the king of the bottom feeding low life yellow dog scum suckers of the world. Oh, and Shannon, if it’s not so bad, how about you get it tattooed on your neck and see what kind of responses you get.
Posted on 12-20-2005 21:45:21 by Ray Duncan
Guess it would be expecting too much from the “artist” to fix his (or should that be her?I thought it was a girl…with that name but they keep refering to “him”, or is that a typo?) mistake. I would be “slagging” the studio too if they didn’t fix it. Who is the paying customer here? Brett or Cheyenne? I guess if I had grown up with a stripper’s name I would be a tad defensive too, but come on.
Posted on 12-20-2005 22:01:06 by SCeire
I don’t even like the guy all that much and I feel sorry for him, there’s definitely a penis in that tattoo. I’m willing to believe that it was an accident (hell you even admitted that it wasn’t that good of a tattoo) since you’re obviously a shitty tattoo “artist.” I wouldn’t let you tattoo a four leaf clover on my arm, unless it was one of those disposable ones that came with my box of lucky charms, and even then i’d make sure you had some kind of supervision.
And dude, Cheyenne, i’m assuming you’re a dude even though you have a pussy ass stripper name, (holla for the dolla!) you’re afraid of a couple of girls? Two girls equals an “invasive gang?” What, are you a midget? I hope not, cause midgets are cool and you’re an ass.
Posted on 12-20-2005 22:13:19 by BadlyDrawnGirl
Has anyone ever been looking at the clouds… and a friend say “Hey check out that ______” .. immediatly it comes clear that a cloud in the SKY.. looks like whatever is said.
“Hey… check out the outline of all my freckles!! They look like a rocketship!”
Immediatly apon being told this by one of my friends that had a HUGE amount of freckles.. I saw the “rocket ship”.
C’mon. Let it heal.. and see what it looks like then..
& about the tattoo artist having a shitty attitude.. Yea, i think i would too if someone was blasting it to the world that I put a penis on their neck.
Posted on 12-20-2005 22:27:47 by Ned Dorsey
But, that’s the risk you run when you put a penis on someones neck.
Posted on 12-20-2005 22:27:56 by Ned Dorsey
But, that’s the risk you run when you put a penis on someones neck.
Posted on 12-20-2005 22:43:08 by Don H
It *definitely* looks like a cock. I’d be really pissed too if I were the customer.
Posted on 12-20-2005 23:17:07 by jnine
I think Cheyenne thought it was funny to do this and that he was cool, but now that it gets some publicity he has to pretend he doesn’t really see it, because who is going to go to a tatoo artist who draws obscene things on you as a joke? He should have just made the customer happy and shut up about it, instead of blaming the poor guy.
Posted on 12-20-2005 23:41:42 by Dignan
I’m taking a picture of that tattoo to my plastic surgeon. “make mine look like this,” I’ll say, because, *damn*, that is one fine looking cock.
Posted on 12-21-2005 01:15:01 by Jon Jon
You girls need to quit bickering about whose fault it was and who’s the bigger bitch. It looks like a cock. Maybe not everyone sees it, but a lot of people do, and that’s enough to warrant fixing it. and both of you, quit whining.
Posted on 12-21-2005 02:15:47 by KtoTheZ
hahahaha hi penis neck
Posted on 12-21-2005 12:00:21 by Bored Stiff
A cock by any other name…is still a cock.
Fix it.
Posted on 12-21-2005 12:04:55 by Spawn
If it walks like a cock and talks like a cock…
I thank this blog for letting me know the artist’s name, because now I know who to send people I do not like to.
Posted on 12-21-2005 12:14:31 by Bemused
“& about the tattoo artist having a shitty attitude.. Yea, i think i would too if someone was blasting it to the world that I put a penis on their neck.” –BadlyDrawnGirl
That’s my favorite post in the thread. Apparently, we are to feel sorry for the artist who did the drawing. Why? Because people on the internet now know that by his own admission he’s not competent at his craft. Such a concern is but a drop in the bucket compared to the guy who actually has to go out into the world each day with someone’s practical joke attached to his neck.
That’s not even factoring in that he’s getting the brunt of it on the same internet where we are for some vague reason supposed to pity the prankster who drew it. Your analogy is best described as pitying the person standing next to a gunshot victim because his shoes got blood on them during all that organ splattering.
If I’m the owner of this tattoo parlor, not only is the artist already fired but I’m doing anything possible to avoid a lawsuit. I hang out on the message board where this all started and, for whatever reason, that place is Attorney Central. It wouldn’t surprise me if 5 or 6 have posted here by the end of the afternoon. Thus far, all this discussion has accomplished is that it’s armed them for battle since the “artist” in question confessed that he put a cock on a dude’s neck. Even if we ignore the psych evaluation that comes with that acknowledgement, it’s certainly the smoking gun a court is going to notice.
Posted on 12-21-2005 12:18:51 by London
This isn’t about seeing a penis in the clouds or freckles case…You don’t have to squint, be cock crazy, or use your imagination to see it. It’s pretty damn obvious that it’s a penis and that it was done, either purposefully (with joking malice) or out of ineptness…The poster who mentioned the “circumcision scar” nailed it…The tattoo looks nothing like the pictures of a the natilus shell…none of those pictures of shells look like cocks…Look at the shading and coloring of the tattoo…now look at the pictures. If you don’t see a penis in the tattoo…you’re a liar, a fool, or a friend of the artist.
Posted on 12-21-2005 14:14:23 by Atomic Scar
one thing i found interesting: if you are in denial of the presence of cock, check out the fark page, scroll down until you get to the one of the person with this tattoo with his shirt not being pulled down…I had denied it being cock like but with only the “tip” sticking out, it is most certainly a penis.
as for the suing thing:
DON’T FUCKING SUE. it’s the worst problem in this country. sit down and work it out like humans, not like pigs. stop being greedy.
(that was to the people saying this guy should sue, not to the person in question-he doesn’t sound like he wants to sue)
Posted on 12-21-2005 19:44:51 by MaidenDisaster
How old was the tattoo when the photo was taken? Is the reddish tone near the ‘head’ coming from shading or from the skin irritation that you can see after a fresh tattoo? Either way… it looks like it can be easily fixed by extending the upper part of the shell.
Mathematically, it seems to be a little off. Use the Fibonnaci sequence, and it would be a little more proportional. Maybe this is all too much thought for a tattoo, but most artists study the golden ratio at some point…
Posted on 12-21-2005 19:49:18 by MaidenDisaster
Here, in case you don’t follow me.
Posted on 12-21-2005 20:47:22 by KilledByLove
append to me once , all this tattoo artist drawing mistake , but mine is a maple leaf on my forearm tath look like a Marijuana leaf … my family that are against tattoo saw my sleeve and the maple kind of Marijuana leaf looking is the first thing they seems to notice .. really didnt help my situation beeing an illegal drug free having this on my arm in front of my family , friend and coworker and client but i talked to the artist who laugh at first and then told me he didnt see it but offer to add more shading to kind of hide it , now ive done more work around and its barely noticable only potheads can see it ..
my point is , shit like that can happend , and it really sucks for the person who where it , and if he went back to the studio im sure he didnt say no to fix/cover it , im sure it would of been way easyer for him and cheyenne to have it fix and over with … maybe he wasent happy , who would ? .. but sometime taking the blame and try to convince the client to fix it and being calm and take a little bit of that “angry client shit” would have limited this mistake to him and is little circle of friend , but now your work and your name is all over internet , not to cool … and really .. its a shitty tattoo , you even admitted yourself , i dont know wath you where thinking by putting shading where you put it , really …dosent make any sense ..
and for brett , if you didnt already went to a another studio to get it fix , is cuz you like all this attention …. really ……
sorry for my english , im french
Posted on 12-22-2005 22:06:49 by red*razors
i only see tattoo shading that reflects the customer’s example well. maybe he should have brought a more “perfect” nautilus picture to the artist.
Posted on 12-22-2005 22:16:03 by uct
really took me along time to even see it as a cock.
Posted on 01-02-2006 00:40:45 by petroldarling
i don’t think the cross-sections of the nautilus shell appears to look like a cock at all. i think it is in the shading, if anything, and that is a stretch. i have a nautilus tattoo on my arm myself (seen here), and i’ve looked at about a zillion pictures of the cross-sections. i’ve never thought they looked like penises.
Posted on 01-07-2006 00:34:47 by Sqiudipus
It looks like…
A murdered nautilus – a bit of shading in the larger part of the red toned area cross section touched up with white and blue, and a shadow behind the entire shell would remove the phallic imagery – if there is any to begin with. it is an excellent TAT. Shame that shannon is not big enough to overcome the stupid comments of whoever it was that started the whole penis thing. In fact I wish the whole penis thing (everywhere in everyway would self-combust and leave us Cave-y creatures to it.)
Posted on 01-07-2006 00:35:34 by Sqiudipus
It looks like…
A murdered nautilus – a bit of shading in the larger part of the red toned area cross section touched up with white and blue, and a shadow behind the entire shell would remove the phallic imagery – if there is any to begin with. it is an excellent TAT. Shame that shannon is not big enough to overcome the stupid comments of whoever it was that started the whole penis thing. In fact I wish the whole penis thing (everywhere in everyway would self-combust and leave us Cave-y creatures to it.)
Posted on 01-07-2006 00:51:49 by Squidipus
it was worth saying twice – but I apologise for calling Brett shannon. And – having read ALL the posts (I came here from another blog) I reckon the way forward is to forgive cheyenne, do the male hand clasp up the arm thing, brothers – and have the upper area reshaded.
Nautilus are ACTUALLY archetypal female imagery…
Posted on 01-09-2006 00:19:08 by Ailia
Seriously… I don’t know where all of you are getting this stuff. I don’t see a penis, except in that tighty whities photoshopped picture on fark. Both of you need to chill out, Brett should stop being a jerk about it (whether or not it started out that way), and Cheyenne should fix it. And making fun of someone’s name (not usually a personal choice) is real fifth grade, guys. It’s just stupid and rude.
yea. it’s a boy. i’d be pissed, too. handle it like men, ladies!
Hey all that matters is the dude that has the tat. on themselves.So if they see a cock thats all that really matters. Me personally id wait for total healling and then some and seek out some deifferant artist opions and just let them know that the other artist and you had conflicting opions and if they can indeed see things from your side and perspective and if they can see themsleves goin over and corecting to your liking the tat. P.s if u look closely there might be a male symbol in the shell itself ..after all the penis … represents manhood and maybe the fractal universe through it in there for a purpose.Like the saying goes maybe u just didnt fall off the turnip truck and U c a penis in the tat. but then again there are many families that have lived and survived from being turnip farmers ~_0
hmm..I really think the picture and the tattoo match. maybe they should have asked for a tattoo of what the shell looks like when it’s WHOLE. what you’re seeing is the shell once it’s been split open…..it would look better whole. anyhow…they have to wait for the tattoo to heal, then maybe get some touch up work done..