Fueling the culture / getting tattooed by big names

[rozone]

Stop gunning for my job @<a href="http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/member.php?u=3578" target="_blank">rozone</a>! I guess you haven't heard, I'm the cut'n'paster around these parts.

[cltattooing]

well said hogg... now do tell who's #42

If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure it's me?

[Pleadco]

If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure it's me?

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?:

http://youtu.be/gXuWoEYCz8A

[hogg]

If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure it's me?

You're #41 (but #1 in the hearts of LSTers everywhere).

#42 is next week: Brian Kaneko.

[Iwar]

@hogg are you going all the way up to Arcata for this, or is he doing a guest spot in the bay area?

[hogg]

@hogg are you going all the way up to Arcata for this, or is he doing a guest spot in the bay area?

The latter. He's at Diamond Club next week. Oh, shit--you'll be here! Want something? You know you love all my tattoo ideas. ;)

[Lance]

Brian Kaneko?!?!

As @rozone says, " @hogg wins again".

And again! And again! And again! And agai...

[cltattooing]

You're #41 (but #1 in the hearts of LSTers everywhere).

#42 is next week: Brian Kaneko.

Psh you can't count it if you haven't gotten tattooed yet!!

Anyway, I just ran down my list and I'm at 28 people, woo!!!

[hogg]

Psh you can't count it if you haven't gotten tattooed yet!!

I'LL DO WHAT I WANT!

And damn, already at 28? Impressive. I hope you counted yourself.

[Pugilist]

@hogg , you have ok taste in tattoos.

[cltattooing]

@hogg hahaha!!!! I did actually!

[CultExciter]

but #1 in the hearts of LSTers everywhere

TRUTH!!!

[CABS]

@hogg always has the inside scoop.

[hogg]

@hogg always has the inside scoop.

[MadeIndelible]

I have heard it said, during a session, that when you go to a legend, you are going for their experience. You can only get an Eddy Deutsche tattoo from Eddy Deutsche. That being said, I have been tattooed by some lesser known tattooers and legends as well. I'm very fond of my Scott Sylvia tattoo. It's both technically perfect and soulful.

As far as newbies being libelous, you have to learn to follow the rules, so you can break them correctly.

@hogg , what are you getting from @cltattooing ?!

[hogg]

@hogg , what are you getting from @cltattooing ?!

Already got it! http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/blogs/hogg/395-some-my-tattoos-have-meaning.html

[cookietruck]

@hogg articulated real well what it's all about. alot of times i post the tattoos i got coz i'm stoked about them but after a while i pull that shit down because my thinking turns to something along the lines of this is my tattoo and it's for me, my experience and our ideas...so some stay up some get pulled...just depends on my mood really and it's probably kinda weird at the same time. few rarely stay up on instagram for sure.

i only have few tattoos from big name dudes. stell is one, and honestly, as i was thinking about that i didn't really think many of his tattoos are what i'd want on me, but he seemed like an interesting dude. i ended up with a rad tattoo but more importantly, stell is a rad dude and it was a fun experience. yeah it was fast, kinda loose and not the cleanest but it has soul and all the proportions are right, it looks proper from a ways back like it's supposed to.

as far as eddy and horiyoshi losing it, you gotta do your part too, come up with a good idea and don't overdo it. i see that shit all the time on steve byrnes instagram, people asking for so many things that it just makes the tattoo ridiculous and it loses soul. like the person ordering a custom whatever and they decide well since it's custom, i'm gonna get all this shit and really go all out...but damn maybe that's the tattoo they need coz that's their personality and that's the tattoo they deserve.

i'm rambling now, i should've just said i like to get tattoos from dudes i like to hang out with. the fact that these dudes aren't all over instagram is huge fuckin bonus.

- - - Updated - - -

come up with a good idea and don't overdo it. i see that shit all the time on steve byrnes instagram, people asking for so many things that it just makes the tattoo ridiculous and it loses soul. like the person ordering a custom whatever and they decide well since it's custom, i'm gonna get all this shit and really go all out...

makes me think of this

[DJDeepFried]

I say screw all the noise and get what you want from who you want. Everyone has their reasons for getting tattooed, who are we to judge?

I just wrote this whole long rant but then I reread the thread and realized I couldn't say it any more simple or eloquent than this.

If we're being honest, aren't all our tattoos a form of narcissism to some extent?

Also, if we're talking "famous," how many tattooers can the average person name? Kat Von D, Ami James, maybe Bang Bang (who's famous mostly because he tattoos famous people)?

Totally agree with the idea of seeing tattoos in person vs. tiny closeups on Instagram. Seeing Shige and Jeff Gogue tattoos up close and personal at the Perseverance opening blew my mind – like I had no idea how powerful a tattoo could be. It's like looking at pictures of paintings in books vs. the real thing.

[falco4758]

95% of the "big names" get these big names for a reason, they have stellar work. this isn't the actor or Hollywood industry where people get names for being pretty, or stupid, you get a good name in the tattoo world simply because your the best at what you do, this is why I go to them

[The Tig]

What a great read this thread has been! I find myself agreeing with so much of what has been said so there's no need in regurgitating existing posts. Also, being able to disagree and remain civil is critical in a well functioning culture.

Within the tribe, mentioning who tattooed something is just a natural part of the discussion. I'm glad to see many LST'ers have avoided the dreaded red carpet elitism, "Who are you wearing?". :D

[Jar W]

We only have so much skin, which puts a premium on getting good work. As has been said already, well known artists usually get that way by doing high quality work. On the other hand, getting a tattoo is about more than the finished product. For example, my first tattoo artist was a young artist who's been doing tats for about 2 1/2 years - the same amount of time I've been doing my profession. There was something about that similarity that appealed to me. We're both still learning the ropes so to speak. We connected right away and had pleasant, entertaining conversation while I was getting my tattoo. When I look in the mirror, I like what I see. When i went back to the shop, he remembered me and was excited to see how the tat healed and we bullshitted some more. Now we have a sort of connection. I mean, we aren't best friends or anything, but we're cool. I like that hes relati ely new and young and that i have some of his work. I do think it helps the community grow. I wouldn't change that for anything.

Ultimately, there's enough skin to get great tattoos from well known artists and also get tattoos from lesser known artists as well. Just do what's comfortable and what you don't mind seeing in the mirror. Hell, if someone doesn't post on this site, they likely won't know the difference between Frith street and smith street any damn way.

[Guerillaneedles]

Wow, just finished reading this thread from start to finish. First things, there are some truly eloquent opinions on here, and I'm really impressed that there has been so much in the way of disagreement and debate handled in a proper grown up way..... Surely it is a rariety indeed to find an online discussion which features strong opinions that has not degraded into name calling or worse. I kept thinking I wish some of those people who judge the heavily tattooed as stupid could read some of these posts!

Secondly, my humble opinion is that there is a distinct difference between seeking out a tattooer solely because they are a well known name and doing so because they do solid, beautiful work that appeals to you (and they're well known). I'm very lucky to have been tattooed by some well known tattooists, but every single one of them I have chosen because it is their work that speaks to me first and foremost. I'm also extremely lucky to have had lovely, positive experiences with those guys, so much so that I've been back for more! A tattoo is so much more than the image you're left with. I pride myself on my collection, but have been known to be tattooed by people I've never heard of because I got good vibes from them. Last year at Brighton I got tattooed on whim by Stewart OC (who was then at Prick, London) because I walked by his booth, we got talking and just got on. I thought, I want this guy to have my money! I'd just started my apprenticeship and he was so lovely, offering advice etc.

And last of all, as a tattooer myself, someone who is constantly working on improving, putting the best tattoo I can on (not just thinking about that instagram photo!), I do come across customers who clearly only want to be tattooed by certain people because they have a 'name', like it's more important to have been touched by those people than for them to have a good tattoo. That definitely irks me! Sometimes I think that comes from ignorance and the assumption that just because you've heard of someone that they MUST be better than someone you haven't heard of. But as as an anyone who has a 'hidden gem' in their local shop knows, that's not always the case!

[PairODiceTattoo]

On 10/3/2014 at 12:37 PM, joakim urma said:

@Pugilist

I agree about what you said about instagram, totally. However in, dare I say most, of Horiyoshi III's older work it IS possible to see that his lines are getting really quite squiggly. I don't think his strenght ever was in doing the cleanest tattoos but the shading now.. even in a fresh, bloody and low res picture you can see that it's not "right". What I mean to say is that no one touches his legacy and importance in the field (!) but I can't get my head around how people are so very into his newer work despite the flaws that I point out. But then again I don't see the appeal of the new work from Stuart Cripwell (and others) who also seem to have went down the route of making quite rough tattoos on purpose. Not the kind of look that I'm into, but I guess to each his own.

Horiyoshi III is excused of course, he's old and sick. I find it amazing that he still makes tattoos at all. Given the chance I might feel the need to get a tiny thing from him as a souvenir from a great visionary. I just don't get people who are up for giving him their whole back, now, and act like it's going to be the best tattoo ever..

</blasphemy>

Please tell me you are totally being sarcastic?  First night back on LST... and I'm going back to the Eternal Order after catching up on this quilting bee gossip and asshole excuses..... I will not pretend to be tough, or brush off this shade... Rude much. What's your real name so I can tell all our friends to avoid tattooing you. Cause no one has time for some new kid acting like the "tattoo police." 

[JTJTJT]

Obviously h3 hasn't lost it but sometimes I look at his Instagram and see his posts of old school bodysuits and with he did stuff more along those lines where you've got tonnes of background with limited colour pallet and smallish foreground. It's my favorite iteration of japanese stuff.