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just cram 'em all in there. i don't get it when people plan their whole bodies out or want all this "balance". do they plan on posing around naked all the time for us to scrutinize? most of the time people only see our arms anyway.

Flying to Rockford Il at the end of may to interview Zeis's Daughter Joanne. Joanne and her husband ran the supply business for a period of time after Zeis passed away and then sold the remaining stock to Lyle Tuttle for his museum. I am honored to speak with Joanne and I am excited as her input will add a level of depth to the book. I can't wait.

I'm with Shawn. I didn't initially set out to have "a suit." If I had, I would've approached things much differently. I have no regrets about my tattoos (but I do have a coverup!), and I love what Dan Higgs said in an old video that Shawn posted. It was something to the effect of, "Don't worry about whether or not something will go with what you already have--just put it there and it automatically goes together. You got Hot Stuff next to Jesus next to a clown." Take a look through my gallery and you'll see that I look like a yakuza from behind and a typical confused American from the front. :)

IMO it's nice to have and appreciate different styles as it is in other arts.it's part of being open minded and not having limits and boundries

This is my latest. Done by Chad Koeplinger last Thursday at Frith Street, London.

Facebook This thing is fucking great. I think that it is as perfect of a tattoo as I have ever seen. I know that Nick is on this forum so I hope that he doesn't mind me posting this link here.

I just sort of slap it all together. I was never going for a cohesive bodysuit, so it all just sort of blends.

I thought we could use a thread that shined a little light on some of the artists we love, but aren't necessarily very renowned or getting the recognition we feel they deserve. Lets get the ball rolling.... I've been a fan of the work of James Tex of Deadly Tattoos inc, located in Calgary, Canada, for a few years now. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with his work, and some members here might even know him personally and/or have tattoos from him. Anyways, I stumbled across him a while back in another tattoo forum where a member showed off the progress of a Samurai sleeve he was getting done from Tex. I was blown away by his work, and to my great viewing pleasure he had a fairly large online portfolio on his shops website: Deadly Tattoos inc. I'm not sure if everyone agrees with me in that he's "low key", but I can't say that I have read an article about him or seen any pictures of his tattoo except on his website (and obviously the forum I mentioned). Here's a few samples of his work from his online portfolio:

yay for threads about skateboarding. can't wait till my boys are old enough to worship their old man carving the bowls.. i'm sure they'll make me a lame dad on day one somehow.

I personally like to see a lot of variety. It's kind of like reading a book. Different chapters of a persons life.

I don't know how it would look stuck in the middle of a Japanese sleeve that was meant to be traditional Japanese. I think it looks pretty awesome next to traditional stuff. In my opinion done right, the way Thomas Hooper and a few others do it, I think it has the same power as well done traditional so they compliment each other very well. On a very basic level a lot of those stippled pieces follow the traditional formula; a third black, a third color, a third skin when you substitute the color with the lighter end of the gradient so it's not really surprising they work well together. I'm with hogg, that Higgs quote is the first thing that popped into my head when I read the original post, that video was the most inspirational thing I've seen for a while.

that flier is pretty epic.

Bob Roberts and Leo Zulueta « Occult Vibrations

As long as Kev brought up Rock of Ages tattoo in Austin, I like Jay Chastain's back pieces over there too.

Tony Hundahl-Rock of Ages, Austin,TX

well Isaac Fainkujen is awsome! i have haad some contact with him before and hoping to get tattooed when he comes to denmark this summer. i have to promote swedish artist Peter Lagergren. Let's get tatt'n

Paulywhore: You are correct, period. Not that it's a prerequisite for seeing simple insecure egomania for what it is, but I have a decent amount of experience from the collector's perspective. I've been lucky enough to have been tattooed by the following, among others: Lehi, Rassier, Malone, Sylvia, Grime, Don Nolan, Bert Krak, Stell, Adam Ciferri, Seth Ciferri, Whitehead, Brooks, Spanks, Roberts, Conn . . . and my best bud Kyle Franklin! You don't need a fancy bullshit worthless psychology degree from a "Little Ivy", which I happen to have, to deduce that most tattooers succomb to the temptations of warped adolescent egomania. There are exceptions, but those guys (and gals) tend to get so disillusioned with tattooing that they quit. Read Mike Malone's letters to Keith Underwood in recent issues of TAM. Spot-on. He rags on "cool guys" who are too self-absorbed to actually learn about the fucking artform. I've wondered if the absolute elite echelon isn't as likely to be possessed by this meek demon. Hell, if you spend all your time seeking empty accolades and proverbial fellatio, it might be hard to fully concentrate on something of substance. Then again, I don't know: Bullshit megalomania permeates tattooing from the bottom up, doesn't matter how well you paint or tattoo. Power corrupts, in every context. If you're used to having your ass kissed, you come to expect it. Fucking pathetic. I'm sorry these folks are really insecure and immature, but it'd be peachy if they wouldn't take it out on me while I put food in their mouths. To be fair, at the same time, I can totally see why tattooers get sick of clients. I couldn't do their job. Hell, I can be annoying as fuck, myself. Give me a painkiller and I never shut up. That being said, some of the behavior I've personally experienced and witnessed is absolutely inexcusable. Straight disrespect. Funny thing is, most tattooers are sedentary lumps of shit that couldn't fight their way out of a colostomy bag. Tattoos don't make you tough. Tattooing's an intimate and intense experience, and, too often, familiarity breeds contempt. Like I said, having spent a fair amount of time in tattoo shops, I can totally see why being a tattooer is the yellow brick road to misanthropy. I hate people, too, but I try to be humble, honest, and respectful. Ya know, all that "Golden Rule" bullshit. Speaking for myself, I'm glad my bodysuit's about done. I'm too old for this shit. It's too much work. God Bless!!

I guess I should post mine here, since I've enjoyed this thread so much: By Jill "Horiyuki" Bonny, State of Grace, San Jose, CA. You can also see my Scott Sylvia cobra on my right elbow (with my itsty-bitsy Ben Grillo spider under it), and my left arm, the upper part of which was done by Eddy Deutsche back at 222 and the lower 2/3rd of which was done by Horitomo, also at State of Grace.

my recent routine to customers has been: -take bandage off 1-2 hours after getting tattooed -wash with warm/hot water and antibacterial soap to open up the pores and let out excess blood/plasma, then rinse with a cool/cold water to close the pores -let air dry then apply THIN layer of aquaphor or preferred ointment (a&d, tattoo goo, h2ocean...whatever works for ya) I dont recommend re-covering/bandaging as the tattoo tends to be swollen/irritated after and with the warmth/blood/plasma could potentially be a bacteria breeding ground.....but everyone has their way!