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christ i owned it.i also lived up stairs was a hell of a comute. was one of the craziest and best times of my life, one that could never be duplicated. that shop had a bathroom where the ceiling was 6 foot so if you were tall you had to bend over to piss, the whole shop was like 6 foot 7 maybe..what a shit hole. rent was 400$ cant beat that with a big stick. my first tattoo shop was when aaron cain worked at miller cottons in monterey when we were still in highschool, i went to get my first tattoo touched up from him.the place was pure shit. he had stollen the pipe and drape from some convention hall and used that to seperate the waiting room from the work area. he worked off of desks from a motel that he got for free. class act.

The Full Back Piece Thread prompted me to start a new one about what the experience was/is like of getting your entire back done. I've actually always been extremely nervous about starting (my goal is to start before I'm 30) because I'm convinced my back is weirdly sensitive.. SO. How's it been for all of you who either have full coverage or are on your way? How's the process? How incredibly draining is it? How much have you had to plan, artistically? Mentally? Physically? Financially?

This is something that encounter at least once a week..... you know how when you have a dentist appointment you try to cram 6 months worth of flossing into 15 minutes before your appointment? or if you have to go to the doctor, you try to shower up before you go in for whatever is ailing you? WELL PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TAKE THE SAME LIBERTIES WHEN YOU ARE GETTING TATTOOED!!!!!!!!!! brush your teefs so it dont smell like you been munchin on shit sandwiches for lunch. if you are getting your foot or cankle area tattooed, please wash your dawgs and wear a clean pair of socks! dont come in after working in the sun on the job site with your work boots and wool socks. and for you goofy hipsters.... wash your feet, borrow some socks from your dad, and wear a pair of shoes other than the sorry ass moth holed pair of vans you bought 5 years ago and have been wearing EVERYDAY since. you're gonna spend hard earned cash on a cool tattoo on your foot only to slip said foot into a pair of sneakers that smell like onions and vinegar?! not so smart. do the right thing. and while you are at it, wear some pants that fit you and put your girlfriends shirt back into her closet.

Is there a way that we can make a forum category, or sub-category, maybe even a sticky of guest spot news ? I have missed out on some opportunities to get tattooed when a lot of good artist travel to Austin, Tx. I usually get to see their facebook that says going to "TX in one week", and it really sucks not to know of their arrival earlier in time (at least a month). I was wondering how some of you tattooers prep for guest spots, is it on the spur moment thing? Or is it something you plan ? And how can the news spread faster? Some people I've missed out or on my wishlist for Austin, Tx: Chad Koeplinger Deno Jr. Horimasa Matt Arriola FML

Alrighty - some of you may have already noticed that the new Tattoo Gallery system is live! Go ahead and start moving your pictures to the best-fit categories by following these steps: 1. click on the thumbnail of the picture you want to move 2. select 'image tools' at the top right 3. select 'edit image' 4. scroll down to the category dropdown menu below the picture 5. choose the new category and hit 'save changes' Let us know if you run into any problems trying to do this. You can also go ahead and start uploading new pictures and using all of the other new features available. I'll be fine tuning things here and there over the next week - let us know if you run into errors/bugs/etc. Enjoy!

I was stationed at Ft Sill in Lawton, OK in the mid 80's...if you wanted a tattoo you drove to Wichita Falls, TX...I just waited til I got to my permanent base in Hawaii. That was my first shop experience I can remember (Hawaii). I got tattooed in a little shop that probably did 90% military guys right outside of Schofield Barracks in a town called Wahiawa in 1986. I just remember going through the flash with a couple of my friends and we all got something done that night. We were totally sober, but it all seemed like it happened really fast and I dont remember the name of the shop, or who tattooed me. I do remember really enjoying it and I couldnt wait to go back and get another one.

Ive been taking jacked or "jack3d" sometimes it makes me nervous because of how much i itch and sweat. Is that normal? Im psyched we have a legit person with experience to ask questions!

Customer here: I think I'm just an obsessive collector at heart. That's the only reason I've ever managed to come up with, anyway. You could maybe also say that because my mam, aunties and cousins all have tattoos (and the fact I went with them for a couple) made it "one of those things", where you just sort of do it without thinking that much. Mind, I'm a lot more covered than anyone else in the family (see: obsessive collector).

Update: one small bug holding up the process here folks. should have it sorted within a week.. good times!

Stumbled over this today...

Haha, as if I just said, "trouble is" in that post above, as if that was the only thing wrong with him tattooing his knuckles. :P

I was CrossFit certified (the Level 1 cert plus a few of the speciality certs- Olympic lifting, Gymnastics) for a few years up until they required you to re-certify. To me it's a potentially very programme for novices who come along in good health and have no major imbalances or injuries. In a short space of time the trainee is exposed to a wide range of barbell work, kettlebell stuff, gymnastics, running, rowing etc. Factor in the volume of work and combine that with an improved diet and most new people experience some pretty good gains in a relatively short space of time. That said, in the medium to long term I think the randomised nature of CrossFit programming means that many people begin to plateau. You will make strength gains, but only to a point on CrossFit programming, for example. Most of the guys I started training with when CrossFit was new to Ireland have now moved on to tailoring their programming to their specific needs rather than shoehorning themselves into a one-size-fits-all randomised approach. The other pitfall, going back to my mention of people being injury-free and carrying no imbalances, is that CrossFit involves quite a lot of high-rep work on movements that can lead to problems. A lot of the same guys I trained with ended up with problems ranging from achilles tendon ruptures linked to box jumps to people developing knee and shoulder problems. You're not guaranteed to get injured doing CrossFit, but I'd argue that if you do it for a long time and with intensity then chances are you are going to need a good physio as if you were doing a contact sport.

life would be much simpler if i wanted black work, as Curly's about half an hour away from me, and one of the best. - Curly Tattoomonger

bob baxter is a piece of shit.

I don't get it. I love tattooing on every level. Despite the changes in the business over the last few years, I still love it. I love getting tattooed even though I hate how much it hurts. I love putting a tattoo on someone. I love the bonds I have made from tattooing AND BEING TATTOOED. I'm not suggesting that everyone should have tattoos on their hands and neck like I do, but if you tattoo, I would think you might want to have some awesome work. My tattoos are constantly visible and I am proud of them and proud that I am lucky enough to be a tattooer. As to what others have said, I have learned tons from getting work done by great tattooers. I would not be the tattooer I am without having information passed to me by other artists. You can only learn so much by sitting in the same chair day in and day out. Also, I am never more inspired than when I visit another shop and get tattooed. It gives me an energy that is amazing. I often want to get right back into the shop and draw and tattoo better. Anyway, I love tattooing and can't imagine not getting tattooed while being in this business. It has never made sense to me but I guess to each his own but I wouldn't get tattooed by someone who doesn't have tattoos. Just my thoughts on the matter.

I think I'd have to look at the tattooer on a 'case by case basis' for this, to be honest. There are some people I know who are covered and don't really put out work that's great, and I know some who aren't that visibly covered who rock. The guy down the street might have no tattoos for a good reason (like, I dunno.. haemophilia?) but is incredible at what he does. All I know for sure is that I'd respect a great tattooer with no tattoos of their own a lot more than someone who's shit, who has loads of tattoos to try to prove a point.

I don't have a bunch of tattoos so I guess that puts me in the "little" category. It's certainly not from lack of wanting, but I don't settle for junk shit and I don't have the money to pay for what I want right now as I have a 15 year old daughter. If that makes me less of a tattooist then fuck it, I'll take the clientele I get.

This is the best drinking game ever! I so wish I was still a functioning alcoholic! Of course, this game could conceivably push anyone over the edge.

I kind of hope this show doesn't come to England. I'm already sick of people telling me what their tattoos mean, and the dramatic stories behind them. On the other hand, it could be fun if you play the Needles and Sins drinking game while you watch it. Have you guys seen that yet? Go to Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog and it should still be on the front page- it sounds hilarious :)

1. Having my machines referred to as guns. 2. Having strangers yell to me on the street that Im "tatted up". 3. (And this technically is not a term but....) Having clients come into the shop and say.." I wanna get my sleeve done today" With absolutely no clue as to what they want tattooed, as though I have a library of books of pre drawn full arm pieces and they have the tolerance and money to get 18 hours worth of work done in a single sitting.

i talk people out of backgrounds and useless additions all the time. i see so much garbage online. people just throw every trick in the book in there. or just tack on a bunch of roses around something, it looks awful. just let the image be itself, it has strength on its own. a gypsy head doesn't need blood splatters, a crescent moon, fog, a tree, roses and fake cholo letters all around it. except for a few people, tattooing is in a sorry state creatively. by the way, the outline thing is a SMITH STREET thing, which has now been beaten to death by anybody with a computer. you can't do anything new and cool without vampires sucking it dry. ok, i'm done...haha

thank you guys. I own just about every "how yo draw the head" book there is and im always looking for more . i'm always studying them and real faces when i can trying to grasp and understand as best i can. so thanks for letting me feel like it's paying off even a little bit.

i was 15 one of my buddies was going to get tattooed by dragon mike in houston texas and my other friend was getting tattooed by richard stell at scorpion studios which was across the street at the time around '91/'92 and i tagged along all i really remember is how terrified i was of richard after he tossed me out for drawing in the shop and mimicking the designs on the wall. i was 15 and didnt realize what a faux pah that was. also richard was a much bigger and orney looking dude then than now if you can imagine.i still came back and hung out almost daily with my buddies but i hung in the back scared of richard. that impression stuck with me so even as a grown man in my 30's id see richard at conventions and was afraid to approach him til the san jose convention 3 years ago where i walked up and introduced my self and he remebered i believe because the first thing he said after i told him my name and that used to hang out in his shop was "oh yeah, didnt i throw you the F%@$ out?" then i got tattooed by him and he was the nicest guy and very quick witted so then i felt pretty silly for being afraid of him for all those years. ha

Great story! I think some of the tattooers on here should start duplicating this experience for newbies whenever possible.

one more as long as I'm posting Skulls and Snakes back pieces... This one's by Tim Hendricks and I love how much the water adds dimension and layers to this piece

just be respectful. yes tips and cupcakes are awfully nice, but thats not what gets me to work on time everyday. just be nice. leave your tuff guy attitude at the door. dont try to impress us, just be nice. if you know some jokes, please share. if some crazy shit happened to you earlier in the week, tell us the story. if you are coming to us because you saw how awesome we did of a job on your friends japanese sleeve, dont be surprised when we are bummed that you want us to do your celtic armband. haha come in clean and with a good attitude. thats all i can ask for. anything extra is frosting on the cake

"Tattoo Nightmares" Ramsey style, go in to those fly by night establishments and tear them apart, artwork, cleanliness, presentation...I'd watch that and it'd inform the public what NOT to except as normal.