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yep. i dont care if customers know some terms or not. to be honest, there's no terms as such really. rays, clouds red bursts, thats it really. if a customer was being incredibly picky as to highlight every last bit of the design i'd be a lot worried. best thing to do if youre dead set on certain details is to print out examples from the tattooer's online portfolio or point them out at the shop when having a chat. ive had people bring me an almost entire portfolio of other people's work expecting me to do it, and i always say to just go to the guy whose all this work belongs to.

You hit the nail on the head bigjoe. I call gimmick. I know some people who offer Japanese style tebori and one of them is Japanese and the other learned in Japan from a master. Outside of that structure it doesn't seem to make much sense aside from the points mentioned by David. Basically fake authenticity in place of talent, practice and hard work. Real authenticity is hard to find but many tattoo clients look in the wrong places. I've seen too many white dudes with botched Japanese style work done 'with bamboo' in Thailand. I guess they think if it's done by any guy from Asia it's authentic, right? I'm not sure how popular it is in the US or Canada but at conventions in Europe and the UK there used to be a few (mostly white) guys with facial tattoos working by hand, trying tattoo styles from the islands in the south seas. Even going so far as to sit cross-legged and stretch the skin with their bare feet. Often they were working within spitting distance of a great tattooer who knew more about their field of 'expertise' but he wasn't wearing a sarong and was tattooing snakes, eagles and skulls all weekend, listening to Motorhead.

"New Jersey Tebori" is just slang for handpokes done at the bar at 4AM.

It's kind of like my thoughts on white guys with dreds talking about jah.

A bunch of tattooers went shark diving for 5 days 2 years ago. Oliver brought some tattoo equiptment, and we all tattooed sharks on each other while the boat was rocking all over the place, and then we all got in wet suits the next day and soaked them in the ocean. The one I did on Oliver got so infected that it's no longer recognizable as a shark. I'll try to find a picture of it.

"A picture is worth a thousand words." If I wanted a tattoo with those effects, I would bring a picture with me to show the tattooer.

Personally that scratchy, graphic stuff gets too much attention as it is. I like it less than colour realism. I don't think it belongs in tattooing, a way for an artist to express themselves on somebody else's body. I know the people ask for it and pay for it, but part of a tattooer's job it to stop people getting ugly shit they will want covered when they grow up and see real tattoos done properly. Actually, I apply that to anything that doesn't look like a tattoo. "how clever, it doesn't look like a tattoo" I know this makes me sound like a dick, but I've seen it time and time again. I've even made some of the same mistakes myself, getting bold graphic crap that I thought made me special and clever. It didn't. It just ruined the space for a proper tattoo. I think what Hooper does is capture the same urge to be bold and different but he executes it with an amazing eye for design and respect for the body, not to mention his work is filtered through his knowledge of tattooing as a whole. Horses for courses I guess....

Hahaa. That skit is great. It's kinda the same as gaijin tebori, but not really. It's both fake, but the tattooer side of it is packaging or presentation to mask incompetence. Almost all tattooers have a touch of the showman in one shape or form. Some just pay more attention to showmanship than tattooing. I guess most of us are fakes really. Most of us don't live the lives our tattoos and clothes portray. I do a lot of themes from Japanese folklore, american sailor motifs and black and grey religious tattoos. All those things are naturally alien to me and not part of the culture I was raised in, but I love them all the same and try to respect what they are and do what I can with them. 100% authenticity isn't a goal of mine, but respect is. The caucasian rasta thing is the same as guys aping the look of traditional tattoos while dressing like a coal miner or engine driver with their curly moustaches and tattooing one private customer per day.

SUMMED UP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDq3_Af_cF4

Geometric black & grey isn't really my thing but Tomas Tomas turns out some pretty amazing work. Apologies if he's already had a mention.

I can't attest to a person's right or personally ability or even background in this art, but I will say that talking to a great deal of people about tattoo ideas many people have aspirations of getting some sort of hand poked tattoo whether it be from Japan, Hawaii or some other tribal civilization. However I would suspect that many of them wouldn't know how to pick a talented artist in this field and/ or won't have the chance to travel to these countries so having someone doing it locally is something they would jump on. But ultimately everyone gets the tattoo they deserve.

Steve Serazio works there and does great stuff, but it is nearly impossible to find any on the internet. Peter Shankman (I think that is correct) is on this forum and he was tattooed by Bob within the last couple of years. He may be able to help you out. Also Bryan Burk has a shop called Dark Horse Tattoo. They make great tattoos, and you have True Tattoo in Hollywood, and Gold Rush in Costa Mesa. Plenty of good spots to get work from. I wouldn't worry to much about portfolios at any of these places. Everyone that works at them is really good.

A shark a mate did, personally I think its hilarious :cool:

Yeah, he learned tebori from Horiyoshi III, but he was already a very well established tattooer by that time. He used to go by Washo and (I think) learned from Sabado, so as you can imagine, his style was very, very different from what it is today. I've always thought that it was cool that even after 10 years or so under his belt, he still humbled himself to become a student and start over in many ways. He's an enormous talent, and I consider myself ridiculously lucky to have work from him.

I love that coin collection. There are coins from places I'd never even heard of and I remember there was one from an island that had since been renamed or made part of a bigger country or something. @Rory it took the husband 5 years to make a dent in the book hording. I've started shipping books out to family members in what we call the "traveling library". When someone finishes one they sign the cover and send it to the next person. Last person donates the book to a senior center, hosipital or library. Bad thing is I bring in so many that my collection never really shrinks, but it keeps it from growing. Then there are the books I refuse to let go of because I like them. There's a lot of those... A guy I work with had to have his floors reinforced to handle the weight of all the books he has. He has two rooms with floor to ceiling bookshelve. He's my hero.

There often aren't any official descriptive terms for decorative tattoo elements. Even if everyone in a certain area or country use the same terms, someone from elsewhere will call it something different. Please don't use words like 'clouding' or 'rose work' etc, nothing says "I spend all time on the internet" like asking for some neo-trad clouding with rose work. Don't try to make up names and descriptions. Just say what you see.

Shit's fucking retarded. There are infinitely more resources available to learn electric tattooing than tebori. Like the initial post stated, only guys who should consider fucking with tebori are those who've mastered electric Japanese tattooing. I'd think you might need someone legitimate to TEACH you, as well. Anyone know who taught Horitomo? Was it Horiyoshi III? Shit's impressive. I liked Stewart's description of pathetic wanna-be Polynesian tattooers. How stupid can you be? Apparently, a lot dumber than me. And I'm a shithead. 99.9% of everything tattoo-related is rank idiocy. I can't take it. And I'm not even a tattooer, for Christ's sake. People need to stop being full of shit.

Would love to see those Sharks, Scott. Or at least what is left of them. Found this photo it's a three in one. The top shark is done by Doug Hardy, bottom one by Pinky Yun and the little fish at the bottom is done my Mike Malone.

Yeah if you've never had a finger nail ripped off, it's insainly sensitive. I remember that even if I was sleeping and my finger rubbed against my bed sheet it would send shivers down my spine, until the skin toughed up. But still who thinks "hey I should take this chance to tattoo that" that's way to hardcore for me. It's in another ball game, I'm going to go back to my bottle and nice soft plush toys. [edit] Ohh yeah should add this as a spot I don't plan to tattoo, and the roof of my mouth. Fun Fact: The roof of your mouth is the only spot on your body that you can tickle yourself.

Sailor Eddie Jr. Philadelphia

Teaching your kids to be open minded and to make carefully considered decisions is a trait that everyone should be taught. If a tattoo helps deliver this message then why not.

Oh thank god, I have been off and on the forums a few weeks (been couch surfing), I just got settled into my apt finally...thanks for that.

For awhile i decided all the animals on one arm had to be smoking a cigarette, eventually I ran out of space on that arm but not before I tattooed an ashtray on my wrist for all of them.

I think the saying actually goes: "Opinions are like assholes, and bubbleberry is goatse"

Might as well laugh.

Calling or emailing? I would call the shit outta the shop, emails can fall through the cracks pretty easily.

Would like to keep looking at this at work but sometimes I see people post stuff that isn't safe for work. I think it would be a good idea to warn people if it is or not. On a site I read...putting, NSFW in you're post or if you are "linking" something in regards to a reply back to a comment is pretty good idea to protect ya neck....and PLEASE Bubbleberry change your avatar please man, that shit is definately NSFW, thanks for gay ass every time I see you on here. Cheers

That last one was INCREDIBLE. I almost feel guilty for enjoying this nonsense so much.. Then I found this, for all you grammar nuts out there: The Best Obnoxious Responses To Misspellings On Facebook | Happy Place

te he he

We ate at Blue Hill in NYC for my birthday dinner tonight and were treated to a tour of the kitchen. So decadent!

Sorry to disagree here but there should be no wealth of knowledge here for an aspiring tattooer. I didn't get to jump online and get educated during my apprenticeship. I went to work, shut my mouth, watched, listened, and got tattooed by those I admired. I agree with every tattooer on here except that there is no need to take any of this, personally. People can ask anything and we can simply ignore it. This forum is going to be what we make it. A simple "don't feed the animals" approach is our best bet. PS... I'm convinced that guy doesn't even have a wife and these threads are all BS.

I have waited to long add my tattooer to this thread. He lives here in Japan but travels to Mannheim, and Philadelphia (well before philly, had a problem at the airport that he is working on) regularly. Traditional tebori artist, good guy, and fun to talk to. Bunshin Horitoshi

ShawnPorter: Happy Birthday, Sir. Best

Heres a few of my favourites

OOH NO YOU DID NOT!!! You might as well have just called this: "Andy Perez, the thread" Heere We Gooooo!

well deb..I get it..since we have alot of mutual friends and that seems to be the subject amoung us as of late. I just dissappear for awhile...( I did it for the entire decade of the 90s well part of the late 80s too but some of that was beyond my control.so to speak)then I kinda step out and see whats going on...I am at the point where i feel like stepping off again,well i kinda have and i know it left some people puzzled but I (hopefully) got that straightened out. There,I guess was always politics in this just not so mainstream...but now more than ever that end is heart breakingly sad...Jack Rudy had an idea one time of starting "the tattoo tattler" a gossip column dedicated to the politics and whispers thereof...I only wish I had thought that up first. You know the thing is after many years basically all you know besides a few people have something to do with tattooing.And once upon a time it was harder to have those that were not in this relate to you..but it is so mainstream now that it does not matter as much anymore.I mean the whole world tattoos now...I miss the smell of angel dust in the shop...(not that I ever liked that shit)but just the fact that it was a possibility....etc..etc... I think you just have the blues..the regular old blues..what do you have 30 plus years in now....We need you more than ever...so dont sell your inversion table just yet...did you feel this way before you went to jax bch or after your return...? just wonderin...you got a great spot to lay low...so hang in there...just know you are not alone with those feelings.... you do not need me to tell ya this but remember that is not water some of these people think they are walkin on..after all it aint like we are transplant surgeons..we just put colored scabs on people...then it becomes kinda funny...from the sidelines anyway....hope you feel better

This is our cat Sophia. She doesn't like people and won't drink out of a bowl. She stays outside most of the time (we live in the country). She cries when she wants to come to drink from the tap or take a nap. I had two other cats but they we're both taken by a wild animal in the same week along with about 4 other neighbourhood cats, we think it was a mountain lion. Someone spotted one right around the same time in town.

the other one is the same except grey..they are ok

Dan, I'm having a hard time figuring out the tone of your message. I hope you aren't trying to imply with the last sentence that tattooing is a more special thing than other trades. I can assure you there are people who feel as strongly about their trade or craft as tattooers do about theirs. There's people who put as much hard work, time, money, etc. into their craft as a tattooer or tattoo apprentice does.

Jaycel, I got the tone of your post and the intention. Although the intention was sincere enough, It's great that you realised, or have started to realise that the principles of most other crafts can seem to be applied but don't translate well to tattooing. Mostly because tattooing is a permanent mark that somebody has to live with and carry with them every day of their life - There is a responsibility that comes with that, although I'm reluctant to discuss it (and other subtleties of tattooing) with non-tattooers as it's easily misunderstood and mis-used by laymen. The reason any discussion of this type is met with hostility from tattooers is firstly because of the responsibility I mentioned and unlike other crafts, tattooing has magnetic attraction for people who wouldn't involve themselves with any other craft-based endeavour. Many of these people are not prepared to undertake the work necessary to create good tattoos. They are only prepared to do the steps they think are necessary to make sick tats. Here's the bit that may get me some shit. Getting an apprenticeship isn't the holy grail. An apprenticeship from a shitty tattooer is worse than no apprenticeship at all. What's that you say? No good tattooers are prepared to teach you? Well there's a reason for that. That doesn't mean you should let an incompetent fool enable you to become a more inexperienced incompetent fool. This is the part non-tattooers ignore when they spout on and on about 'sticking it out and finding an apprenticeship, doing it the right way' It's not right if you are taught wrongly. Many many shitty, inexperienced tattooers have an apprentice. Some of those apprentices have a lofty sense of self-worth and think they are 'real' tattooers because they cleaned the toilet of a shitty tattooer for months. Eventually the work you create and the way you conduct your affairs becomes more important then the way you got there. Mel, I seriously doubt that your dad could make a shitty machine better. Maybe better looking or better constructed, but without knowing how to tattoo, or having a great tattooer teach you. It isn't possible to make a tattoo machine work well. If someone came to me asking for an apprenticeship with pretend tattoos drawn on a mannequin, I wouldn't take them seriously at all. An apprenticeship isn't an art school mixed media project. There are a million smaller things to learn before you get to that point. If any budding tattooers/apprentices read this, the important thing to remember is - Never take advice from someone who isn't a tattooer. Even better, don't take advice from someone who isn't teaching you.

I think it begs the question that WHY is this topic you started related to you getting tattooed in the future? I had similar, or somewhat at least ideas in one topic at tattoodles years ago. Im not bothered to find it but mister Wells put me in my place and smakked some good ol sense into me. I see people writing stuff about this and that, line weights and stuff, even if they arent a tattoo artist. Not that it matters... But I dont know shit about that kinda stuff and I dont care to know. Like what machine someone uses. As long as it makes a hole, good. When I have gotten tattooed by Sailor Andy, I dont even talk about the tattooing process. Like "what kinda shading and color will you use in that part?". Maybe Im just antisocial or stupid, but I just dont care :) I care about the history and stuff, but the process, there I am just a another Joe Average who wants to get tattooed and then leaves (after I have payed first and complimented the tattoo, of course.)

Got this from Chad Koeplinger 2 weeks ago in Chicago.

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

Casper is currently living with me. Sleep mode.. Took this one while he was yawning. Kinda scary looking..

More Ed Hardy « Occult Vibrations Im on an Ed Hardy kick; hopefully have some Lyle Tuttle soon.

OK here's the thing Bubbleberry. You aren't a tattooer. Not that your opinion isn't valid, but try to understand things from this perspective: Among craftsmen, information is the true currency. It's why master woodworkers, calligraphers, metal smiths, violin makers etc. guarded their secrets. It's keeps the things that you do special. When everyone knows everything, what is special? Thats why the Stradivarius violin is what it is and not just some normal violin. When I was in my apprenticeship my teachers told me things. Very valuable things that helped me in my journey. Things I still think about today. One had been tattooing 14 years and the other 9. They had accumulated a lot of experience. They made mistakes, figured some things out, talked and worked with other tattooers, and had a chance to see a lot of things they did age and make adjustments to compensate. When they taught me stuff, they put their faith in me that I wouldn't just treat the things they passed on as just stuff to talk about or things to say when you want other dudes to know that you know what you're talking about. It was truly valuable and needed to be seen and treated as such. I had very good friends working at other shops in town on their own similar beginning adventures in tattooing, and I never told them any of the shit my bosses told me even if I thought it would help. Which was hard, but here's the thing. It wasn't my secrets to tell. As much as I would like to help someone out that I think might benefit from a hint or two, it's not my information to tell. I couldn't betray that. It's what keeps it valuable and helps keep that bond between student and teacher sacred. I truly believe that. That's maybe why so many of us are up in arms about the tattoo school thing. Because we may have gone through the student/teacher apprenticeships, and value that. I'm proud of my lineage. They aren't huge name dudes or anything, but I think that are some of the best tattooers I know. My stuff has a look to it that you can trace back to the people I worked with and learned from and that's important. It keeps things rich. It's the best way to cultivate and nurture tattooing as a whole. My stuff may not be the best stuff out there, but it's mine, and what's mine is a combination of the people who taught me, and I'm proud of that. Think about your wife. She's going through her very own apprenticeship. What about the accumulated knowledge that her teacher is passing on to her. Should she not hold that in truly high regard? Shouldn't she keep his secrets and put them to good use? She is now part of his lineage. That's not something to take lightly. That information is valuable and she should treat is as such. That's not to say that you can't ever mention it. Trading bits of information between craftsmen is another way to honor the value of the knowledge, AND that gives me the privilege of being able to go back to my teachers and tell them what i've learned as a part of the way you can pay them back for giving you so much in the first place. As craftsmen we meet up at conventions, guest spots, shop visits on vacations, writing to each other, and we can sometimes trade portions of information to each other and we can in turn use these in our own ways and it helps keep tattooing robust and alive. It helps us form bonds between each other. However even in those situations I try to hold back certain aspects of the info, as do the people on the other side. It keeps the level of mystery, not in a mystical sense, but in the sense that we now have to figure out the key to unlock this particular piece of knowledge, and sometimes we find our own key and use for it. Tattooing is different than most things in that it's still a largely master/apprentice craft. True a lot of tattooers came in through different means but most of them respect the apprenticeship as the proper way, and although more tattooers than not shouldn't actually be giving apprenticeships since they aren't really cut out for it, and we have too many to begin with already, it's still the proper way. That is part of the tradition that, at least I hold in very high regard. Ursula, if you're paying for info, that you've in turn used to help you create something unique, then yes you should see it in that light. Hold it back. People ask and ask, but that shows you just how valuable and special your stuff is. Let them find their own secrets. Now if you are meeting up with other people and can trade parts of things for more info, then good on you. I could write more on this subject but I think I need food right now. I'm sure smarter people than me can expound in a better way.