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....our new moderator Hogg! We are really stoked to have him be our first moderator and think he'll be a great fit. He'll work with a lot of the day to day stuff like I have been doing (and will continue to do) since we launched the site I just need some extra eyes and hands. Please join me in welcoming him and if you have day to day stuff hit him up! If you are unfamiliar with him I coincidently did The Three Questions with him recently so check him out. Thanks Hogg for joining us!

I look forward to banning each and every one of you.

Ursula, thank you so much for sharing this with us, especially the pictures of your grandfather. Scott's mom still lives in the house that his Armenian grandfather, named Henry, built. I do believe that every inch of front and back yard was once producing something, and we're often called down to pick something that he had originally planted. I love the continuity, that my son, who's named Henry (as you know) can eat the oranges that the man who he's named after planted with Scott's oldest brother when he was a little boy. I'll plant some garlic in honor of your grandfather.

p.s. here's a couple photos of my grandfather last summer in the garden.

Awesome! I'm happy to hear about your new garden. I like "quick getaway garden" and "gypsy garden" best! I was just posting some photos on my instagram today of our garden. Well it's really my grandfather's garden. He lived on a farm growing up in Italy and kept the garden going when he came to Canada in the 50's. I can always remember him having a huge garden and even fruit trees as a kid. A few years ago they moved in with my mom and started a garden here (I'm living with her now too). He passed away in February but did plant some stuff in the fall and in the spring we planted the rest for him. Usually we get a decent harvest but this year it's gone crazy! Yesterday we got about 30-50 heads of garlic. Last week we brought in about 15 cucumbers, 5-10 zucchini, and countless beans (fava and green). We're still waiting on melons, and we have about 100 figs ripening on the tree (first year they've grown to size). We also just harvested a bunch of herbs to dry and preserve. So even in the afterlife, my grandfather's hard work has paid off and fed his family for another season.

I've just planted my first vegetables, and I'm still trying to come up with names for my garden. I had Scott build me two very large planter boxes ON WHEELS. We're allegedly going to start our home remodel soon, so there was some talk about how starting a garden was impractical, so the garden-on-wheels seemed to be the right solution for us. I think I might call it the "quick getaway garden" or the "gypsy garden" or the "non-committal garden." I don't know, I'm open to ideas. I did join a gardening forum, but then I decided that I like you guys better, and their moderators aren't as friendly as ours. :) So anyone else want to talk about gardening here? And more importantly, can I see some pictures of your garden? I'll get to asking dumb questions about tomatoes later.

I give you: PHOTOS OF BEANS

Jaycel, you didn't set up your pitch saying you wanted to conduct a thought experiment/exercise about how an approach to craft can be applied to the way we approach our daily lives, in order to live a more wholesome or fulfilling life. That's a subject dear to my heart and it ties in to alchemy and the concept of the Great Work. But I'll be damned if I'll discuss it on the internet with strangers. That's something for people who come and get tattooed or hang out at the shop, once I know they have the capacity to understand and contribute in a positive way. Although it wasn't you main intention, you set out rules to help assist ignorant and lazy people damage other human's bodies permanently. You didn't attempt to engage in conversation or discussion, your responses were mostly "Oh, you think I'm wrong, well yeah but, CAKE!, 'um yeah here's some jpegs" it's rare that a thought experiment will be encouraged by tattooers. that's for the theoretical world of academe. Tattooing is practical, it really happens, whatever the result of a discussion may be.

Wow, its strange to read this post, having been absent from the forum. As someone who has been sober for a while, regularly attending AA and NA meetings etc. I have seen this deadly destruction, and walked behind the coffins far to often. For the past few weeks we had an active alcoholic stay with us. He was homeless and coming to meetings twice a day trying to get sober. He has a history of alcoholic seizures so we got him into the local hospital to detox, and he stayed with us for a while until he got into a rehab program. Its a deadly disease, and Amy's death carries a strong message. I just wish the world would pay more attention to the nameless thousands who die with nothing.

i had a big garden at my old house(tomatoes,watermelon,corn,asparagus,peppers and potatoes. This year I made a little garden in the back around a japanese maple. My wife had me plant blueberries, strawberries, chile peppers,bell peppers and basil this yr will take a picture tommorrow when i get off work

Come on LSTers show your pussy/pussies Jasmine. 1990-2004 /

I just came across this and wanted to post it! I miss my dog!

I'm influenced by everything, but I try and only rip off people that are dead.

What a great thread! i really like gypsy garden but its seems youve already named it! i do not have a green thumb at all! i wish i did because i would love to be able to grown my own veggies, it also doesnt help that i live in a condo right now, not enough sunshine on my balcony. like ive mentioned before i come from a large Italian family and everyone gardened and thats how they fed there families on very little money. while i was growning up my mother had at least 3 gardens in the back and then 2 in the front which were supposed to be for flowers but it wasnt uncommon to find the fresh herbs and some tomatoes or garlic had migrated from the back to the front. we grew apples, cherry tomatoes, zuchinni, pumpkin, string beans, hot peppers, cuccumbers, garlic, peas(those were my favorite!!) tons of basil, mint, and parsely. i think a couple times we had lettuce too! until the day my grandfather (my moms dad) passed he would go out to his garden. he was so proud of it! even now a days when i go to my cousins houses and they have started families of their own and i see that they have started gardening it really makes me smile, its kind of like a piece of our history and it really brings back great memories. i really see it as something that is dying out as each new generation in my family is born, hopefully i can learn to grow my own garden one of these days. on my other side(portuguese) my gandmother grew a few veggies like tomatoes and beans but she was more into her roses! these big beautiful roses that you could smell from a mile away! my grandfather loved his grapes! it was the best sitting on the deck in the backyard under the grape vine canopy that he built. then every year he'd a make new batch of wine. oh and how could i forget the pear tree they had, it was HUGE! and i think thats why they ended up having to cut it down because it out grew the backyard. wow, feeling really nostalgic right now!

I'm not generally the LOL type, but both of these got me. Divers didn't suck, either. Peacethefuckoutttdcostello.

I'm sure all the business end of things makes it not as fun. I've been considering going to culinary school... but I think I love cooking too much to make it my business.

did you put the tomato plants i gave you in? just for your records they were: Marvel Stripe: and pink berkeley tie-dye: you've seen my garden in person but here are some ideas for you: summer garden: this is last years garden...this years has squash, tomatillos, cucumbers in the from instead of melons. also the tomato plants are already 7 feet tall. winter garden: here's the homesteading blog if anyone wants to see: Recipes, Garden & Chickens | Marin Homestead

Every rule has exceptions. It's difficult to discuss anything if we concentrate on making allowances for the tiny minority of exceptions. When discussing negative things we should be (and most of us are) thankful that there are exceptions, but that doesn't mean we need to make great effort not to hurt feelings. If we're picking apart Dan's use of language, wouldn't someone who is 'immersed in tattooing' be exempt from the title 'layman'? I didn't see where he mentioned being a 'professional', just being 'immersed'. Subtle difference in wording with a massive difference in meaning. I agree with you both, Shawn and Ursula but you just both seemed to read something that I didn't think was there. It's easy to talk about 'us vs them' but often the sides are dictated by quality and attitude, rather than how you earn a living. Those on the 'inside' know where they stand, regardless of their profession. In the 'real' word it's easy to identify them by the way their tattoos look and how they conduct themselves. Online is different, real sincerity is more difficult to detect. Dan's remark about keeping quiet about things we know nothing about is some of the best advice anyone could give. Sometimes, if I'm feeling generous to seemingly honest people asking how to learn to tattoo I tell them to be mindful of the wise old owl. "...the less he spoke, the more he heard..."

Pfft. Conventions are SO last year. :D

Here's the garlic it still needs to dry out a bit

I'm gonna cheat, 'cos I can and I feel all rebellious and shit. First list is the 'big picture' influence on my work and who got me interested in what. Ed Hardy Horiyoshi III Scott Sylvia Jack Rudy Filip Leu Second is a personal list of people who have directly affected my tattooing and the way I approach it. Steve Byrne Ian Flower Valerie Vargas Chad Koeplinger Joint fifth between, Dante DiMassa (owner of Frith Street Tattoo) and Tim Hendricks. Looking at these lists reinforces how fortunate I've been up to this point. There's only one person listed who I haven't met. I think he's the one who'd make my palms sweat the most. I still get nervous and excited when I see/have met the others and they let me talk to them. I feel like a child at the table of adults.

ha later I'll have to take a pic- they are basically like crawling panthers- except squirrels- one red, one grey

you do realize this is the thread for all non-tattoo related hillarious images right?

Rudie

The "Beautiful" Jade 1991-2005

there's already another thread on this which can be found here.

repeat customers doesn't make you a good tattoo artist. this is how scratchers survive, because they're usually cheap and their clients are ignorant (or delusional) as to what makes a tattoo good.

Brian, we've all been telling you for weeks that this guy who was teaching her sounded like a fucking moron, well you just once again proved us right. He sounds like someone you and anyone else who wants a decent tattoo should stay far far away from him. As far as him taking a cut of the apprentices money, that is very common. Some teachers do it, some teachers don't let apprentices charge for their first tattoos and some let them keep any money but don't let them charge a lot. The other are right about her needing to toughen up too. You will fuck up a lot of people before you start doing tattoos you think are o.k. The fact that he look one look at her art and said "o.k. don't waste your time learning just go ahead and do it" should have tipped you off from the start. It's too bad that her dream didn't come through but that's life. Maybe if she keeps drawing and getting tattooed regularly by good tattooers she'll have another chance. If not, there's lots of other art related jobs out there. If she does get offered another apprenticeship, just make sure to really check it out this time I guess.

Of course it seems fishy - if there was not something wrong she would be there and there would be no problem. I guess we knew from the start there was a problem, but thought that it may be ok, or he would not be telling her to tattoo people, right? Wrong ! Brian, I would be interested in what your thoughts are? I spoke to another artist today, in another well known studio, who stated that it was not how they apprentice people, but, like you indicated, she would have to tough up, get used to making mistakes, and learn how to fix them. I think if it had been fixed she would have been OK with it. As Kore Flatmo said in his interview - " I can beat my niece in arm wrestling - it does not mean I am strong - you have to compare yourself with the best, not the worst." So what would those who consider themselves good tattooists have done ?

i'm only posting my own tattoo, because henry did it first. this is one i did on an east berliner. you can't see the dolphin jumping in front of a sun, but that is behind the shark.

Sheee'it. I don't even tattoo and I have an apprentice.

Regarding apprenticeship, I think there is a common misconception that most tattooers have apprentices, but this is far from the truth. Maybe that's the case in some places, but I have no idea where those places might be. But I know quite a few people who've been tattooing 15-20 years who've never taken on an apprentice.

Waters Uncle Allan Chad Koeplinger Coleman R.H. Wells These people have directly influenced the way I think about and approach what I do.

ursula, those are some great pictures of your grandfather and his garden!!

The only type of tattoos that you can have too many of is bad tattoos.

i did this one a while back

Man with an unfeasibly huge cock

but there are also those, just as with tattooing, who imitate the crafts that Dam mentioned also on a subpar level (as you have described from your own experiences Ursula). like the "chocolate maker" who buys the candy chips at their local craft store along with a candy mold. to me, that's just reshaping it, that's not making chocolate. a true chocolate maker sources beans, roasts them very carefully (usually, in small batches at first), then grinds them to make the chocolate liquor, adds just the right amount of sugar and vanilla, then tempers it until it's perfectly ready to be molded. that's a true chocolate maker. just like i sew, but i wouldn't call myself a seamstress. my grandmother slaved over a sewing machine altering various uniforms for the local police and post office, working 10 to 12 hour days just to keep her business alive for over 20 years. she was a seamstress. me? i just hem my pants and dream about quilting. anyways, back to Dan's post. i don't know if this is how he meant it, but i took it as his sarcasm also was directed towards those who are hobbyists, and not dedicated craftspeople. also, i dont think you have to spend every waking hour dedicated to your craft to be considered "serious" about it, but i think it should be a big part of your passion, and a driving force in your life.

maybe this will be better.

My girlfriend brought that article home :) . I was like "I know who that guy is!" And yeah, it makes a change from the usual sort of tattoo-related stories (The one that sticks in my mind is the girl who claimed she fell asleep during a tattoo session and ended up with a faceful of stars she didn't ask for).

Only 100% tattoos 100% of the time.

Chris Grosso just mailed me a link to this:

Shannon, if I understand you correctly which be honest your past few posts is a little bit difficult. We are not judging other people by the places that they have gotten tattooed. We're saying places that we don't want to get tattooed or to get tattooed yet. Not everyone on this board has jobs that take kindly to visable tattoos, or not everyone wants tattoos that are out in the open all the time (neck/face). A cock and balls on the top of the head, yeah it's an odd tattoo, but if that's what the guy wanted alright. If I misunderstood your post forgive me, but it just seems like rantings when your drunk. So take care and have fun.

As the saying goes "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" Yeah, we really need a step-by-step guide to 'Teach yourself to tattoo - in 9 easy steps!' While there may be a few crumbs of sound advice in the 9 point program, the fact it's laid out like a 'how to' stinks, sorry. Nobody is self taught. I never had an apprenticeship. I could say that I'm self taught, but that would be egotistical and more importantly, incorrect. I learned and continue to learn from the people I have worked with, the people I currently work with, the tattooers who were gracious enough to allow me to watch them and be present while they worked and the people I've been tattooed by. I could have worked for the rest of my life and never figured out some of the simplest things that were shown to me or that I have seen. Aw, fuck it. Yeah, ok, I learned by tattooing pigs and grapefruit, taking evening classes in human anatomy and drawing still-life compositions with graphite sticks and writing essays on pop art. I watched every Bob Ross VHS tape. I took classes in CPR, blood borne pathogens, midwifery and chiropody. I took apart my shitty tattoo machines and put them back so that they would be even shittier. But most of all I took advice from every non-tattooer who thought they knew how to learn tattooing. (only some of the above paragraph is false, but all of it is sarcastic)

i have 12 animal tattoos i just realized: eagle canary sparrow 2 sharks 2 squirrels moth owl snake chimp wolf It had not even occurred to me haha edit: I also have 5 skulls, 6 if you count a shrunken head ha and 64 eyes total