LST Preferred Tattoo Professionals

[Joe Shit]

Figure this would be the place try this, SAN DIEGO, anybody know of any good shops/artists specializing in traditional style work? Theres so many damn shops out there and i dont really have the time to go to everyone of em looking at portfolios, any leads?

Eric & Chris@ SLEEPING GIANT TATTOO PARLOR |SAN DIEGO CA.

[Joel H.]

Andrew Stickler at odds n' ends in rockford, il does great work. the whole crew at smith street in nyc does some great stuff too. id love to get tattooed by steve boltz and bert krak. most of my tattoos are from my local shop in dekalb, il, protontattoostudio.com. Im happy to say that Justin Duncan from Proton is not only my man when it comes to tattoos but he is also a very good friend of mine. he never updates his online portfolio so almost all of the work of his on the website is super outdated ill try and get pictures of my tattoos hes done and upload them soon. Im new here and i dont want to start any drama but i thought the point of this site was to piss on the mainstream bullshit thats killing the reputation of tattoos yet ami james' shop is represented on here. Ami can tatoo and draw and thats all well and good but he sold out. His shop should not be anywhere near a list with spotlight and temple. You put a mcdonalds on a five star restaurant list.

[Lochlan]

Andrew Stickler at odds n' ends in rockford, il does great work. the whole crew at smith street in nyc does some great stuff too. id love to get tattooed by steve boltz and bert krak. most of my tattoos are from my local shop in dekalb, il, protontattoostudio.com. Im happy to say that Justin Duncan from Proton is not only my man when it comes to tattoos but he is also a very good friend of mine. he never updates his online portfolio so almost all of the work of his on the website is super outdated ill try and get pictures of my tattoos hes done and upload them soon. Im new here and i dont want to start any drama but i thought the point of this site was to piss on the mainstream bullshit thats killing the reputation of tattoos yet ami james' shop is represented on here. Ami can tatoo and draw and thats all well and good but he sold out. His shop should not be anywhere near a list with spotlight and temple. You put a mcdonalds on a five star restaurant list.

Welcome to the forum and thanks. Based on your above here's some blogs you may like:

Chad Koeplinger's tattoo blog, What Tattoo shops?

Mario Desa's tattoo blog, Who has tattooed you?

Patrick's tattoo blog, Who do you want to tattoo you?

As for the Ami James comment, there are many other tattooers at this shop don't you think?

Then the McDonalds one, I know some who would put it on a five star list, haha.

Thanks for joining the tattoo forum and participating!

[Jake]

Andrew Stickler at odds n' ends in rockford, il does great work. the whole crew at smith street in nyc does some great stuff too. id love to get tattooed by steve boltz and bert krak. most of my tattoos are from my local shop in dekalb, il, protontattoostudio.com. Im happy to say that Justin Duncan from Proton is not only my man when it comes to tattoos but he is also a very good friend of mine. he never updates his online portfolio so almost all of the work of his on the website is super outdated ill try and get pictures of my tattoos hes done and upload them soon. Im new here and i dont want to start any drama but i thought the point of this site was to piss on the mainstream bullshit thats killing the reputation of tattoos yet ami james' shop is represented on here. Ami can tatoo and draw and thats all well and good but he sold out. His shop should not be anywhere near a list with spotlight and temple. You put a mcdonalds on a five star restaurant list.

I'm going to preface this with the statement that I don't watch much TV and I've never seen Miami Ink and I've only seen one pitiful drama filled episode of LA Ink (ugh).

From what I've heard from artists involved in the Miami Ink stuff though, they've all had nothing but positive things to say about their experience hanging in Miami and tattooing. You reference how Temple is in the same list as Ami's shop... I was just getting tattooed by Freddy Corbin yesterday and he was telling me how he had fun in Miami during that time.

I agree that it's stupid to see people with fake tattoo sleeves and tattoo clothing and tattoo cologne and all this mainstream bullshit. I don't think that Ami's shop is a manifestation of this ignorance though. Yes he chose to broadcast stuff on television and make some money, but he still hired a staff of people like Hendricks, Wessman, Corbin, etc. who all do phenomenal work. It's like hating on a band for choosing to join a major record label and saying they sold out. If they're still putting out quality music then fuck it who cares how many people are buying the record. If these artists are still doing quality work then fuck it who cares how many people are getting tattooed by them. Yes the drama is stupid and that's why I don't watch these shows but the artists I know who were involved are still reputable and that's why one should really choose a shop.

Also I don't think the point of this site is to piss on the mainstream bullshit so much as it is to promote positivity and good tattoo craftsmanship. You could probably argue that Miami Ink doesn't promote positivity within a seemingly overcrowded trade, but on the other hand it has lead to an influx in customers for a lot of better shops which can only be helpful. Here's a link to a thread that discusses the dilemma of these TV shows more in depth, Cable Invasion ( Miami Ink, LA Ink, Tattoo TV Shows).

It's definitely a loaded topic that someone who's actually watched the show is probably more qualified than me to speak about it.

[dari]

I'm going to preface this with the statement that I don't watch much TV and I've never seen Miami Ink and I've only seen one pitiful drama filled episode of LA Ink (ugh).

From what I've heard from artists involved in the Miami Ink stuff though, they've all had nothing but positive things to say about their experience hanging in Miami and tattooing. You reference how Temple is in the same list as Ami's shop... I was just getting tattooed by Freddy Corbin yesterday and he was telling me how he had fun in Miami during that time.

I agree that it's stupid to see people with fake tattoo sleeves and tattoo clothing and tattoo cologne and all this mainstream bullshit. I don't think that Ami's shop is a manifestation of this ignorance though. Yes he chose to broadcast stuff on television and make some money, but he still hired a staff of people like Hendricks, Wessman, Corbin, etc. who all do phenomenal work. It's like hating on a band for choosing to join a major record label and saying they sold out. If they're still putting out quality music then fuck it who cares how many people are buying the record. If these artists are still doing quality work then fuck it who cares how many people are getting tattooed by them. Yes the drama is stupid and that's why I don't watch these shows but the artists I know who were involved are still reputable and that's why one should really choose a shop.

Also I don't think the point of this site is to piss on the mainstream bullshit so much as it is to promote positivity and good tattoo craftsmanship. You could probably argue that Miami Ink doesn't promote positivity within a seemingly overcrowded trade, but on the other hand it has lead to an influx in customers for a lot of better shops which can only be helpful. Here's a link to a thread that discusses the dilemma of these TV shows more in depth

It's definitely a loaded topic that someone who's actually watched the show is probably more qualified than me to speak about it.

Well said, Jake!

And I'm with you, I never saw Miami Ink, but that's cause my husband said that if I recorded it, he'd cancel the cable and throw the TV in the street. Otherwise I might've watched an episode or two. Everyone slows down when driving past an accident, right?

I did manage to watch a few episodes of Miami Ink. It wasn't exactly mind-bending television, but it wasn't terrible, either. Pros and cons, right? Yeah! People got to see amazing artists doing amazing things! Boo! They think they need to tell their tattooer their sad, sad, story.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

[dari]

thank you so much Lochlan, your the best!!! :) I looked at all her pictures and all i have to say is Amazing! i was actually kind of speechless! i thought i was gonna have to travel to Japan which isnt entirely a bad thing but im actually really glad that shes in the U.S. at State Of Grace. i would sooo be down for a dinner with other LSTers, dude i want to hop on a plane and visit right now!!!

Jill is a good friend of mine, just had dinner with her late last night post- Willie Nelson. I promise I would come by for a visit if you were getting work done by her, OR we could all go eat somewhere super yummy.

[Joe Shit]

Chris Adamek (Chris Adamek) on Myspace ELECTRIC TATTOO One of the best shops in Jersey. Rich Cahill Studio - RichCahill.com POWERHOUSE TATTOO CO. Jersey City Tattoo Co. Checked out this new shop in Brooklyn last night owned by Nalla Smith. Goose Tattoo / Brooklyn, New York This dude John Poverty works with him.

Swallows&Daggers | Interviews | John Poverty Dan@ www.inkmantattoo.com does excellent japanese work. REGINO GONZALES - NYC - INK Love Regino's work.

RED STAR IRONS :: BROOKLYN'S FINEST TATTOOING Marcus Kuhn's new place in Brooklyn. tattoo bern Welcome to North Star Tattoo Daredevil Tattoo Scott Bakoss

www.thickerthanwatertattoo.com Resp Revolver Tattoo Oh Ashley Love Three Kings Tattoo. 8 of Swords Tattoo Studio - Williamsburg, Brooklyn

[Joel H.]

thanks for the feed back. in all honesty i dont like ami james because all the gangster wannabe drug dealers where i live throw his name out to try and act like there big in the tattoo world. also the miami ink walmart clothing. thats just too much for me. im 100% with corbin on the idea of having tattoos become illegal. im not big into japanese tattoos but i love the idea of the Yakuza with his full body suit hidden under his expensive business suit. im young and dumb and i dont have any type of reputation but i will fight to the death to defend the reputation of the true craft. the true artist who draws everyday and always tries to improve. i dream of becoming a pro like many of you some day and i want to earn my spurs. in my ignorant opinion i think an apprenticeship should start with a punch in the face every morning to make sure you really fucking want it. i want the respect beat it into me. i got way off subject and i apologize. Jeff Zuck in ann arbor, mi. his work is immaculate. i love his work.

[tammy]

thanks for the feed back. in all honesty i dont like ami james because all the gangster wannabe drug dealers where i live throw his name out to try and act like there big in the tattoo world. also the miami ink walmart clothing. thats just too much for me. im 100% with corbin on the idea of having tattoos become illegal. im not big into japanese tattoos but i love the idea of the Yakuza with his full body suit hidden under his expensive business suit. im young and dumb and i dont have any type of reputation but i will fight to the death to defend the reputation of the true craft. the true artist who draws everyday and always tries to improve. i dream of becoming a pro like many of you some day and i want to earn my spurs. in my ignorant opinion i think an apprenticeship should start with a punch in the face every morning to make sure you really fucking want it. i want the respect beat it into me. i got way off subject and i apologize. Jeff Zuck in ann arbor, mi. his work is immaculate. i love his work.

well you have to admire your passion and commitment to the craft.

ps. scott sylvia will punch you in the face if you beg nicely enough...there is a video of him punching one of his colleagues on here somewhere....

[dari]

i think an apprenticeship should start with a punch in the face every morning to make sure you really fucking want it.

Joel, you might be on to something!

[Wedge]

My only comment is I agree with Joel's opinion about Jeff Zuck's work being immaculate and from what I've seen Ami James isn't all that great anyway..

[Avery Taylor]

Maybe instead of a punch in the face your girlfriend should cheat on you every morning. That is real pain. A punch only hurts for a couple of minutes.

[gougetheeyes]

Chris Adamek (Chris Adamek) on Myspace ELECTRIC TATTOO One of the best shops in Jersey. Rich Cahill Studio - RichCahill.com POWERHOUSE TATTOO CO. Jersey City Tattoo Co. Checked out this new shop in Brooklyn last night owned by Nalla Smith. Goose Tattoo / Brooklyn, New York This dude John Poverty works with him.

Swallows&Daggers | Interviews | John Poverty Dan@ www.inkmantattoo.com does excellent japanese work. REGINO GONZALES - NYC - INK Love Regino's work.

RED STAR IRONS :: BROOKLYN'S FINEST TATTOOING Marcus Kuhn's new place in Brooklyn. tattoo bern Welcome to North Star Tattoo Daredevil Tattoo Scott Bakoss

www.thickerthanwatertattoo.com Resp Revolver Tattoo Oh Ashley Love Three Kings Tattoo. 8 of Swords Tattoo Studio - Williamsburg, Brooklyn

bigjoe, all great suggestions! I recently met Nalla super briefly and he was super nice.. Got tattooed by John there and did a little Q+A with him for a website SwallowsnDaggers.. you can find the interview HERE. Also, Dave Wallin at 8 of Swords is a good friend of mine! Dave rules!

[Joe Shit]

Hey Gouge,yea Nalla's shop is spacious for a shop in the city.I met John when he was working at Thicker Than Water,and spoke briefly about some tattooers we know in Jersey.I check out your blog on a daily basis..If your in Brooklyn,you should try to get an interview with Mike Perfetto.He did a koi fish on me like 10yrs.ago,and it still looks fairly new.

[Lochlan]

swallowsndaggers

They post some cool tattoo photos I checkout often.

[Joe Shit]

Another good tattooer to interview in Brooklyn,is Craig@ Hand of Glory Tattoo He's been tattooing in the city for a long time,and he has two shops in Park Slope that have some good traditional tattooers.

[Joe Shit]

Scott Smith Tattoos Baker Street Tattoo joshandersontattoo.blogspot.com MercuryTattoo.com | The Home of Scott Bramble, Frank Guthier and Scott Althen | Paul Marino | Facebook

White Lotus Tattoo and Art Gallery - 59 Main St. Toms River, NJ www.neptunetattoo.com FREEHOLD TATTOO Right Coast Tattoo - 1802 Long Beach Blvd. Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 Welcome to Dark Star Tattoos in Toms River, NJ Fat Kat Tattoos - Keyport, NJ

Brooklyn Ink Tattoo and Body Piercing Porcupine Custom Tattoos ::FLY RITE STUDIO - BROOKLYN, NY:: Bound For Glory Tattoo Studio | 644 Forest Avenue Staten Island, NY 10310 Dave Lopez Tattoo Zam Art

The Devil's Rose Tattoo Superstition Tattoo - SuperstitionTattoo.com João Paulo Rodrigues Cjay Tattoos of east side ink Tattoos Best Long Island, New York Tattoos House of Colour

© Bryan Bancroft / Liquid Brick 2004 Home - GREGORY DI GIACINTO- PROFESSIONAL TATTOOER AND TATTOO MACHINE BUILDER. HOT ROD TATTOO Home jay paranich tattoos, japanese tattoos fullcoveragetattoos.com Immortal Ink .com

[Chris]

Bro, try Two Roses tattoo in Barrio Logan,,look for Ben Grillo

[Chris]

Bro, look for Two Roses Tattoo Parlor in Barrio Logan rt on Logan Ave.,,ask for Ben Grillo

[Joe Shit]

Bro, look for Two Roses Tattoo Parlor in Barrio Logan rt on Logan Ave.,,ask for Ben Grillo

I called the shop last year about how long Ben's booked up,and they said over a year.

[briankelly]

how about loxodrom.de ?

[Lochlan]

how about loxodrom.de ?

Welcome to the site Brian but please take note to this guideline on this thread:

Tattoo Forum: Member Referrals

Below you will find a list of discussion topics in the Member Referrals forum. Do you know of an artist that does amazing work? Or any other tattoo professional you would like to refer. Post them here. This forum is for members to refer others (NOT themselves- you can do that in the vendor marketplace above).

From what I understand in your introduction that this is the shop you tattoo at?

If you wish to self promote you can either put your website info in your signature, post in the Tattoo Marketplace but take note to this for that area:

Tattoo Forum: Tattoo Marketplace

Below you will find a list of discussion topics in the Tattoo Marketplace forum. If you are tattooer or sell tattoo supplies, you can post 1 thread here advertising your product in exchange for a link to the forum. The threads in this forum need to be approved by admin/moderator so if you have posted a thread here, pm Team LST with a link to your site that shows the link back to LST.

Or you could always set up your profile with your info as you have, update your tattoo gallery often, and participiate in the forums and tattoo blogs and your work will begin to speak for itself.

Here is some other info you may find useful, Tattoo Fourm Help

Thanks again for joinging us.

[briankelly]

thanks, lochlan. i do work at this studio, but lars uwe and bjorn leibner also both work there, and they are better than most tattooers.

[rockers1977]

hi there. i'm wondering if anyone can recommend some shops in Rome or Venice, Italy. I'll be travelling there soon and would like to be tattooed. I've been tattooed by Eric Jones, Sid Stankovits, Jef Whitehead, Scott Campbell and Mutsuo (Three Tides, Osaka) for reference to style, etc. anybody got something for me? - thanks,

- jeff

[Scott Sylvia]

hi there. i'm wondering if anyone can recommend some shops in Rome or Venice, Italy. I'll be travelling there soon and would like to be tattooed. I've been tattooed by Eric Jones, Sid Stankovits, Jef Whitehead, Scott Campbell and Mutsuo (Three Tides, Osaka) for reference to style, etc. anybody got something for me? - thanks,

- jeff

beppe works in verona which isn't far from venice he has a shop called ink addiction he rules on many levels and is a great tattooer and has the craziest looking tattoo shop you will ever see. worth the trip.