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just show up and if the drawing sucks don't get it tattooed on you...

Ami James for influencing the middle aged lady that works at the convenience store down the street and all the girls in my son's high school football team and Ed Hardy for influencing me.

depends on who youre dealing with really... personally I draw EVERY tattoo the night before or the morning of the tattoo or sometimes i draw it on the client with markers when they get there as do a vast number of top notch tattooers that i know do as well. I've been drawing for 30 years and drawing for tattoos 5-7 days a week for 15+ years. so when it seems like i drew your tattoo in 15 minutes, really i drew it in 30 years and 15 minutes as Bob Ross would say. There are tattooers who can work on a simple design everyday for a week and have it suck and there are tattooers that can draw the most complex and large designs in 5 minutes and create an amazing tattoo. its all relative. like i said it really depends on who your working with. everyone works differently.

The way I see it as at least he called you. I think that shows that he cares about giving you what you want.

And as a client I like to think that my tattooer is so committed to my project that they carry it around in a special brief case hand cuffed to their wrist till my tattoo appt------ but as a tattooer I find it interesting that clients assume that as soon as they make their appointment- i'll be working on their tattoo non stop - till they're in my chair- This isn't directed at anyone who posted--- just a side note.

never EVER feel dumb for calling, these tattoo artists will usually be paying the wages of the kid that answers the phone. this is to minimize having to sit at home in the evening using up their wind down time answering emails. that's certainly me, and anyway, some of my receptionists know more about my schedule than me and are way more eloquent than me at answering questions. personally I'm done with emails and do everything through frith street, it's amazing how much time replying to emails sucks out of your day off/evenings. if you phone and then they explain that said artist prefers email conversations, then there's your answer!

Well when the book is related to illustration I think that quote goes out the window.

I wouldn't take it too personally, to be honest. Tattooing's a 24/7 job sometimes, and the guy may have just had a ridiculously busy week or something. It's pretty likely you're just someone who's slipped through the net of an otherwise tightly run studio. At the same time, I'll echo what Ursula and Jake are saying- if you're unsure, or if the drawing sucks, you don't have to get it tattooed on you.

In defense of your tattooer I have done the same, many times. I take notes during my consultation with my customer--- but because I find that the closer to the appt time we get the more likely the client is to change their design. I do my final drawing just a day or so before the appt. At the start of each week though I start calling clients in my appt book to confirm their appt and a lot of times what they're getting isn't indicated in my appt book. So I might ask what they're getting or need a reminder

I've shown up to appointments when an artist hasn't drawn anything yet and yes I had to wait longer but I still ended up with some killer tattoos. Think about how many people/tattoos he/she has to deal with on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I'm sure one or two clients are bound to slip through the cracks. If he forgets again on the day of just pretend you're a walk in- in which case you'd have to wait for him to draw it up anyways. I would be more concerned with your seeming lack of confidence in your artist's skill level more than his forgetting what you wanted tattooed.... The majority of your leg is a big chunk to give to someone you don't really trust is going to deliver you something you'll be happy with.

YES! Just watched the trailer and am suffering sudden hearing loss and an erection lasting more than 4 hours. Should I consult a physician?

Like Deb I've done this a load of times. I'm usually pretty organised and take notes but sometimes I don't feel like I need notes. Usually because the design is pretty self explanatory or a large chunk of it will be drawn on the skin or at least figured out on the day an pieced together from smaller stencils. A sleeve of carp and peonies for instance, doesn't need to be pre-thought out with sketches. I draw the individual elements and fit them together on the skin. I wouldn't take notes and make sketches for something like that. Two days is plenty of time to draw a subject that you're familiar with.

i'm a bit scatter brained and do forget details sometimes, usually if i've had a consult months before the appt. but i take notes every time to help me jog my memory. there has been times ive had to call someone and double check what were doing, because ive forgotten what we spoke about or to clarify since they have the same name as another client of mine. i dont think ive forgotten completely what i was ever gonna tattoo on someone but id hold off till the day of the appt and see what happens and trust your tattooer. i only draw up designs a couple of days ahead max, and sometimes even on the day itself (on paper, or on drawn up on the skin with marker pens)

For my actual list: 25. Leo Zulueta 24. Sailor Jerry 23. Mike Wilson 22. Cliff Raven 21. Marcus Pacheco 20. Thomas Hooper 19. Hexa 18. Deno 17. Dana Brunson 16. Adam Shrewsbury 15. Robert Ryan 14. Zeke Owens 13. Bob Roberts 12. Horiyoshi III 11. Filip Leu 10. Devita. 09. Jack Rudy 08. Fred Corbin 07. Ed Hardy 06. Eddie Deustche 05. Dave Lum 04. Mike Malone 03. Guy Aitchison 02. Paul Rogers 01. Daniel Higgs

I think everyone's #1 should be: Shawn Porter Sure, I don't actually tattoo... but I really want to be everyone's favorite. So yeah. Change your lists or we're TOTALLY not friends anymore. xox

I'm setting up scheduled posts for OV for the airing schedule, so it'll automatically add an update a few days before each show airs to remind folks what's coming next. Easier to do it all tomorrow than to forget to update when a new episode is about to air.

Just saw this tattoo video of Henk Schiffmacher and figured others on here would enjoy it.....

uggggnhhhhh

This is sadly very true. The day we are forced to use pigments that have passed a safety test is the same day we tattoo with food dye. Six months later, your tattoo will look like shit. Maybe it will seem to someone that this is a good idea - just pay for regular touch-ups, but it isn't. keep tattooing the same patch regularly and it will be an inflexible scar in a couple of years or so. It hurt enough the first time too, thanks. The reason tattoos are permanent is because the ink is NOT safe for the body. The skin protects the body (organs, muscles etc) by holding the ink/pigment where it entered. Yeah, we don't want to use pigment that corrodes the skin and we don't want to use ink that's contaminated. But I like my tattoos to look good. I know they are not 'safe', I paid someone to break my skin and draw skulls, tits, devils, dragons an' shit. Sadly, in mainland Europe Shawn's scenario has began to be real. Certain brands of ink are blacklisted and approved brand's bottles must have batch numbers and expiry dates etc. An un-announced visit by the health board that discovers blacklisted ink can result in your shop being shut down. The brands are not blacklisted because they make shitty tattoos, nor because they are dangerous. Almost anyone reading this will have some of that ink in their skin. Personally, as a tattooer, I like the idea of a craftsman using tools and materials that are the result of another craftsman's passion, experience and expertise. Some of the highest quality materials in tattooing (ink, machines, grips, pens, power supplies etc.) are made by individuals or at least 'cottage industries'. I love being able to speak to the guy who made my equipment and buy it directly from him. Giving him/her feedback about it improves the product too. Demanding that your tattooer use government approved equipment will harm the end result. Not to mention inflate the price drastically. Lets not even get into the discussion of working across different states, countries or continents with 'approved' equipment. Jeez. I need to lighten up and post more one-liners.

Anybody mention Kahlil Rintye? Ed Hardy's Tattoo City I've been a fan for quite some time. Timeless stuff. There is some weird amazing spark of life that just oozes from his stuff.