Leaderboard

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

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.

I've never tattooed at a convention and the last time I tattooed at someone else's shop (as a visitor) was 20 years ago , I was working in Georgia and traveled to Jacksonville to work at Inksmith and Rogers. Well I'm en route to Inksmith and Rogers ,again ,to sit in and visit with Mike Wilson and Angelo Miller--- and also the rest of the crew. I'm a little neurotic and anxious--- but I'm flattered that they'll have me. I'm not even comfortable working in a different station in my own shop so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. I'm considering this my 20-30 yr refresher course! Wish me luck

no one has ever given me a large chunk of skin to "do whatever i want" on. ever. I appreciate all of my clients business and i verbally thank every one of them for getting tattooed by me. i am polite and do my best to give everyone a tattoo they'll love for as long as they have it. I draw every thing at the last minute because i can and because thats i like to work. when i'm drawing i make tons of mental notes about how im going to render thet final product(the tattoo). if i draw a tattoo a week in advance then by the time i sit down to do that tattoo all those mental notes are gone. I feel like it brings more creative energy to the tattoo. i like to think that when people get tattooed by me it is because they liked my work and are confident that i am going to give them a good tattoo and not because they are doing me a favor. and that they are paying me for a job well done and again not because they are doing me a favor. just like when i choose a hair stylist, dentist, doctor, mechanic, plumber or etc., etc. i pick them because they have the ability to to the job i want and i dont feel like im doing them a favor.

i think money should always be discussed before any bookings are made. this is a business transaction after all, like getting all excited by some beautiful alligator skin stiletto heels, running to the cash point without checking the price tag and and having your eager heart broken cos they were $3000. im sure there's some sort of analogy that would suit guys better but hey...

So I'm pretty much a packrat. And I have 1000s of hours of VHS video in various rubber maids around my house. Some commercially produced stuff. Some literally one of a kind transfers of old 8mm films that were left to me when older friends passed away. I found out last night that my "dazzle" video hub doesn't work with a mac, so I put an order in for a Apple compatible device. Soon I'll be transcoding old films to digital. I'll try to remember to post links to anything I put on youtube here, though some of the footage (Cliff Raven tattooing naked) may not be everyone's cup of tea so I'll use discretion. First up is some NON naked Raven, some classic Realistic Tattoo stuff with Hardy, Irons, Salmon, Zulueta and the gang. Just have to wait for the hardware to arrive!

I've never been tattooed by anyone that wasn't almost completely covered, and I can't think of any tattooer I know that isn't mostly all covered. Its like the analogy of hanging out in a barbershop, you're eventually gonna get a haircut. If you love tattooing, and you're around good artists, how could you not end up covered in them? If anything, I'd be weary of a tattooer who only had new and perfect tattoos. From what I've seen, a lot of amazing tattooers who've been tattooing for a long time are covered in kinda crappy tattoos (sorry, no offense), because they've been around tattooing for so long. Or they're under there somewhere, 2 or 3 layers down. Chrome bio-mechanical Virgin Mary, anyone? Of course, I'd never fault someone for being young, (or rich or thin or beautiful, for that matter), so young tattooers are exempt from this generalization, but I can't think of any 20 yr. olds I'd let tattoo me, either.

i can tell you that most tattooers i know HATE emails regarding scheduling appointments. the best way to set an appt. up is to call the shop. but thats only if you have to travel to see the artist. if you live in the same city, pay them a visit. ive traveled 2000 miles to get tattooed several times. it bugs the shit outta me when somebody emails and thinks they dont have the time to come in for a visit cuz they live 20 minutes away. if you are too lazy to visit for consultation, im too lazy to tattoo you.

if i went to get a hair cut and the stylist was wearing a hat or if i was hiring an interior designer and i met at their place and they had no furniture or if i was in a boy band and i needed a stylist and upon meeting them the were weaing sweat pants i'd have to wonder.

Thomas Hooper is easily in my personal top 25 tattooers. I love how good black work like this elevates a body part beyond being just an arm/leg/whatever. So good.

absolutely judge a book by it's cover... that's what it's there for

Kahlil is great, super nice dude and incredible tattooer. I am actually surprised at how few people know who he is when i mention him.

HeHe, everythings tough.we are all complicated, if this person cares to call ok. hope it all turns out ok. It didnt used to work this way, emails ,phone calls , shit, you couldnt call GTCs shop ,no public phone.

Im gonna add to my list Mike Rennie Danny Reed Squid Pants

I heard you going by the name of Crusty Squid Pants one night, what gives? Was it just that one night in Tijuana?

Nobody who tattoos simply to make a living, to put food on the table becomes 'great'. Maybe it's starts that way, but somewhere along the line something will change. Anybody who became 'great' at anything sacrificed a lot to get there. That's where the respect comes in. Tattooing isn't just another artform to 'express' yourself. It's something very different that has similarities to other crafts and arts but it's something that stands alone. You can draw similarities with other fields (and it can be fun to dream them up) but in the end nothing else has the same mix of craft, decoration, artistry, service and an emotional connection. The respect doesn't come from the amount of tattoos someone has. The lack of respect comes from the hypocrisy to dare to do to others what you cannot allow to be done to yourself. A subtle but very definite distinction. I would like to add that ANY craft is sacred. The time and energy spent perfecting any craft is akin to spiritual devotion. Anybody who fully understands their craft deserves respect. It's impossible to fully understand tattooing without having tattoos. One or two small ones doesn't count. I understand that visible tattoos are not for everybody, but that's not what's being discussed here. Anybody who buys supplies, attends conventions, buys magazines etc, serves the 'industry'. Those who get heavily tattooed and take their shirt off for a photo shoot, serve the 'industry'. - I never mentioned them, or the industry, as they are a different argument that I have no interest in. Tattooers who aim for quality and get tattooed serve the CRAFT. They also HAVE respect for the craft, so they deserve nothing but respect in that regard. Being 'cool' has nothing to do with it.

There are sometimes exceptions to any rule and I agree with Tim but I would go much further and use the term parasite. They are feeding off something and giving nothing back. I fail to see how any tattooer can understand what they are doing to people if they have no tattoos. Yeah there's the pain side. Mostly it's not that bad, but if you're tattooing ribs, chests, backs etc you should at least have empathy with your customer. But more than the sensation of being tattooed, there's the mental and emotional side to being a tattooed person. The way it feels to have made a deliberate choice to get a tattoo, placed a certain amount of trust in a stranger (usually) and to have the results with you every moment of your existence. To know what it's like to live with a tattoo, to see it age with your body etc. Not forgetting the social side, the way other people interact with you, either positive or negative. All these things cannot be understood without having tattoos. Being heavily tattooed is certainly no indicator of the quality of a tattooers work, but I have zero respect for tattooers with no tattoos.

I'm like a scout when I get tattooed- be prepared! I don't drink a week beforehand, make sure I've eaten well, moisturised my crappy dry skin.. all of that crap. One thing I think you might find useful is paying attention to what you're eating- David Bruehl wrote something recently about this which you might like- if you click here, you'll get to that (hope you don't mind me linking to my site, haha).

Myles Karr @ Three Kings Nice guy, great style

Sweet! I wanna see some RoyBoy Vids too!