Latest tattoo lowdown.....

[graybones]

@suburbanxcore Congrats on starting such a cool tattoo. Can't wait to see it!

[BrookR70]

Another 7.5 hour session done yesterday. Papa Joe went over a few areas of the outline (darkened up some areas of black). Interesting color palette...one I wasn't quite expecting. I trust him, though. I think I have another 3-4 hours left on this one.

It only took me several sessions, but I finally learned how to really sit well. I was sitting on table with my arms hunched over a padded bar and my legs hanging over the side of the table. I basically had to relax as much as possible and focus on not tensing up my back. Just "accept" the needle and try not clinch my back up. I could have gone longer, but it was getting harder and harder to find my happy place, especially after breaks.

Sorry for the bad pic. I had just gotten out of the shower and applied some Lubriderm.

[Ducky15568]

Another 7.5 hour session done yesterday. Papa Joe went over a few areas of the outline (darkened up some areas of black). Interesting color palette...one I wasn't quite expecting. I trust him, though. I think I have another 3-4 hours left on this one.

It only took me several sessions, but I finally learned how to really sit well. I was sitting on table with my arms hunched over a padded bar and my legs hanging over the side of the table. I basically had to relax as much as possible and focus on not tensing up my back. Just "accept" the needle and try not clinch my back up. I could have gone longer, but it was getting harder and harder to find my happy place, especially after breaks.

Sorry for the bad pick. I had just gotten out of the show and applied some Lubriderm.

Lookin' good so far!

[El Dolmago]

Finished my back on Friday night (well, Saturday at 5:30 am). It was a hell of a ride - it took almost exactly a year of sessions every 2-3 weeks. We'll do a final session after this heals to tie the bow on it.

This tattoo was made by Sean Zee out of Brick, NJ from pictures I've taken while scuba diving. I gave him 50-some pictures and a wish list, and he selected about 15 shots to create this scene. These pics were taken on 4 continents from 1998 through 2013 using (mostly) a Nikonos V underwater camera with an SB-105 strobe, UW Nikkor 35mm, 28mm, and 15mm f2.8 fisheye lenses, Sea & Sea (no relation) macro kit and Nikonos closeup kit.

Sean is a great guy, dedicated and amazingly creative. It boggles my mind how artists just "see" stuff like this and make it happen. He put up with a lot of questions and "what ifs" and "why nots" from this nearly virgin canvas (as he likes to say, "this woman only had lil kitty paw prints on her shoulder before this"), explaining to me all the ways this tattoo would NOT work, and ended up just putting it on the table that it really needed to be a full back if I wanted so many references. And to prove it, he designed the whole thing superimposed on a picture of my bare back and emailed it to me. I remember the moment I saw it for the first time and it shorted out my brain. I committed to the full back about 20 minutes after I got the email. (And I admit at the time I did not understand in the least what I was in for...)

Kinda funny, thinking back on it, how all the chatter and uncertainty and 14 years of wanting some sort of tattoo with my eagle rays were completely silenced and resolved in a heart beat. Anyway...

So, the critters making appearances, starting at the top right and going clockwise are: two moon jellyfish, two Moorish idols, two clownfish and anemone, a batwing coral crab and mustard tube sponges just behind him, a leopard moray eel, two squirrelfish hiding in red sea fans that cross my lower back, a sea snake in lettuce coral (very poisonous, which I didn't realize until after I'd crawled up in his face to take the picture and then been admonished by the divemaster after the picture was developed), a queen angelfish and a hammerhead shark. In the center are two spotted eagle rays and the broken mast of the Nippo Maru, a Japanese supply ship sunk during WWII by US forces in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia.

When I look at this, I don't just see a tattoo of fish. It's a diary of my favorite diving experiences. Each part has such different memories of the location, the people I was with, and the experience on that dive. (Yeah, poisonous sea snake. Whoopsie on that one. And the clownfish was actually guarding a little ring of day-old eggs. And trying to photograph moon jellies in a surge without being hit is like playing a 3D video game. And that I really really wanted my spotted moray eels but Sean said the pattern wouldn't age well, so with resigned sadness, my handsome spotted moray had to morph into a leopard moray. Sniff Sniff.) All of this flooding my brain at the same time.

And then I get this goofy grin on my face thinking about walking around with this huge awesome back piece that anyone I know would be shocked to learn I have.

He put up a little video where you can see the ribs, too: Video of SeeSea's Back. Healed pics coming to an LST contest near you. I want a T-shirt, dammit :D

That is seriously epic!

[polliwog]

I think @AverageJer posted a picture of a Sailor Jerry fish he got a couple days ago? I hadn't been on here recently and wound up getting a similar tattoo on Saturday. It's from Rollo flash tweaked by Josh Arment at the Aloha Monkey. You guys, I can't begin to do justice to how cool everyone at this shop is. After some very, very embarrassing last-minute indecision I went back to the first thing that had caught my eye on the wall (and learned a lesson about not overthinking things). Sorry about the picture quality.

[AverageJer]

I think @AverageJer posted a picture of a Sailor Jerry fish he got a couple days ago? I hadn't been on here recently and wound up getting a similar tattoo on Saturday. It's from Rollo flash tweaked by Josh Arment at the Aloha Monkey. You guys, I can't begin to do justice to how cool everyone at this shop is. After some very, very embarrassing last-minute indecision I went back to the first thing that had caught my eye on the wall (and learned a lesson about not overthinking things). Sorry about the picture quality.

This is excellent. My wife got a tattoo from Doug Hardy when he did a guest spot at Aloha Monkey a few years ago. She had a good experience at the shop and obviously they have some great artists.

[sophistre]

I think @AverageJer posted a picture of a Sailor Jerry fish he got a couple days ago? I hadn't been on here recently and wound up getting a similar tattoo on Saturday. It's from Rollo flash tweaked by Josh Arment at the Aloha Monkey.

I absolutely that fish, and I am jealous. I am still waiting to get one! (My first tattoo was originally scheduled to be a mermaid or a fish, and we've just never gotten back around to it.) What a fun one.

[pidjones]

I love that, polliwog! A very colorful, perfectly placed dolphin. (At least, it looks like one of my submarine dolphins.) So clean!

[BrookR70]

That is a super nice fish. I especially love the detail in the fins and face.

[SeeSea]

Nice! I love the flow and the detail on the fins!

[draven888]

===

Hi Everyone!

Started this in Late October 2014 and just got it Finished on Jan 03 2015

6 Session of 4 Hours Each - Traveling back and forth from Montreal to Toronto...

Tattoo Artist is Tony Hu from Chronic Ink Tattoos.

http://instagram.com/tonyhutattoo

Completed and Done!

龍 - Dragon by davidcwong888, on Flickr

[xcom]

Working on a space theme on my arm. Still work in progress.

Sorry for the shitti pics...

Edited:

Re uploading pics

[draven888]

===

Hi Everyone!

Started this in Late October 2014 and just got it Finished on Jan 03 2015

6 Session of 4 Hours Each - Traveling back and forth from Montreal to Toronto...

Tattoo Artist is Tony Hu from Chronic Ink Tattoos.

http://instagram.com/tonyhutattoo

Completed and Done!

龍 - Dragon by davidcwong888, on Flickr

This is a Video we took of the arm before starting the last Session...

Video before the Last Session...

https://flic.kr/p/pT29Ft

It was a great experience overall...

:)

Photo from Sessions 1 to 3

Dragon Tattoo In Progress with Tony Hu @ Chronic Ink - Toronto Ontario Canada by davidcwong888, on Flickr

[Cork]

I prefer the traditional stuff on myself, but I really like that realistic Japanese style. Looks great @draven888

[seasam]

===

Hi Everyone!

Started this in Late October 2014 and just got it Finished on Jan 03 2015

6 Session of 4 Hours Each - Traveling back and forth from Montreal to Toronto...

Tattoo Artist is Tony Hu from Chronic Ink Tattoos.

Instagram

Completed and Done!

that's rad man :cool:

[draven888]

Thanks everyone!

I'll post once it's fully healed...

:)

[jvince1230]

Got this lil lady from Shawn VanOven! Thanks for lookinh

[polliwog]

This is excellent. My wife got a tattoo from Doug Hardy when he did a guest spot at Aloha Monkey a few years ago. She had a good experience at the shop and obviously they have some great artists.

One of the more pleasant surprises was how gentle Josh Arment is. I think I finally know what you all mean when you say someone's got a light hand...before I'd just assumed everyone on here was crazy.

[blujax01]

Wil Murray banged out a filler on my arm this past Saturday.:cool:

[marley mission]

whatever...

Jamie Sawyer

Immortal Ink

Clinton NJ

first time with Jamie

awesome and fast artist

great convo

does it get better on a 'sick day'

[Mark Bee]

Today I capped my other knee with a demon head by Franz Stefanik at The Okey Doke in Toronto. Its always a great experience with Franz. Interesting conversations with a great guy who also does amazing work. I'll have to update my legs in the Squidpants thread soon. I'm really looking to forward to getting some filler work around some of the larger pieces on my right leg now.

[kelzu]

Today I capped my other knee with a demon head by Franz Stefanik at The Okey Doke in Toronto. Its always a great experience with Franz. Interesting conversations with a great guy who also does amazing work. I'll have to update my legs in the Squidpants thread soon. I'm really looking to forward to getting some filler work around some of the larger pieces on my right leg now.

That looks amazing @Mark Bee, I love the kneecap

[Mark Bee]

Thanks, @kelzu!

[pidjones]

whatever...

does it get better on a 'sick day'

Righteous use of Paid Time Off!

[KBeee]

whatever...

Aaaaaaah that is awesome! Your Triceratops made me LOL. I love it. I actually find it kinda inspirational...I'm a total weirdo. :D Thanks for sharing!