Leaderboard

been meaning to get a healed pic of this up. scott sylvia started this one on me (outline + shading) last fall SFO convention...finished a few weeks ago. craaaaazy fast and scott was a real gent - got me in for an additional session 2nd day to finish up. totally stoked with how it turned out and the overall experience in general...

This nice nice little scorpion. Tattooed by Frank Carter, who is guesting at Frith Street ATM. Quite an awkward place to tattoo (and photograph) as it wraps around the wrist.

So heres 3 tattoos by Ralph Johnstone done at what i figured was the 400 S State Street shop that he and Tatts worked until they changed the law to 21 in 1963 and everyone closed shop.. This guy said he was pretty young when he got tattooed by Johnstone but said he was always very nice to him despite the super scary guys that hung out there. He said Johnstone introduced him to some mob guys that used to hang out in the shop when he was there claiming that one of them was Capones brother.

its been a while since i posted but heres a few more old timers, the anchor and tiger where done on a guy named Chuck Renslow. Chuck was "partners" with Cliff Raven and actually introduced Cliff to Phil Sparrow. Chuck was learning how to tattoo from Phil in the late 50s and decided it wasnt for him, but thought Cliff should pursue it. The rest is history. The next two images where done in Milwaukee around 1965, this guy said that they where done by two different guys at the same shop. He said he was 15 when he got them and that the tattooers seemed ancient to him, so I am assuming they where done by Tatts Thomas and Amund Dietzel since they where working together at the time. this post has turned out to be pretty cool im stoked to see how many people have contributed..thanks for doing so i love seeing these old tattoos and how they have aged.

I have a tattoo by Juan Puente, that was published in a magazine. This tattoo was inspired from an old line drawing Dan had. But Juan and I changed the design added a few things made it my own. I was totally thrilled to see it in a magazine. Then, I saw it again and agin in other magazines, only this time it was not my tattoo. Just a ripped off version of what I have. At first I was horrified and upset, why can't people think of their own ideas? But then I remembered something that Aristotle said, "there is no such thing as an original idea." Then one day while Dan and were traveling in New Mexico, we stopped in at a local tattoo shop. I picked up a portfolio to look at and low and behold, the artist had done my tattoo. It wasn't the same of course and I think mine is better, of course but I had to smile. All the way from West Hollywood California, my tattoo had made into a Japanese tattoo magazine, and on countless other people. It still is one of my favorites and still brings me joy when I see it. So if it can do the same for others, who am I to say it's mine and mine alone? Besides it was flattering to see that my Juan Puente tattoo was the inspiration for so many others.

I have snakeblood pouring out from my bellybutton! The navel lint must be the snake's guts spilling out.

Incredible! Scott's daggers man... I'm getting one soon, though a wee bit smaller.

These two where on a guy who came in the shop who was pretty wasted. He said he got the dagger in Lake Geneva at Greg May's first spot "you know by the train tracks before he moved upstairs" that had to be in the late 60s, he said it like it was common knowledge.. not sure about the Playboy bunny

I keep forgetting to ask what magazine this fashion shoot was in. "fine, funky tradition of needle-and-skin trade" hahaha

Pre: Bitch about getting tattooed. Post: Bitch about having been tattooed. Drugs: 1 muscle relaxer. 1 non-drowsy antihistamine. I've found that I tense up heavily after 3+ hours of getting tattooed, so the muscle relaxer keeps me from converting all of that tension into a sore body after the tattoo. Sore body + sore tattoo and no one wins. The antihistamine keeps the surface of the skin from swelling up so much and makes it a little more bearable. Food: Totally changed my ritual since reading my friend David's take on tattoo nutrition.

I use to make sure I ate about an hour before, and then after I'd head out to find a med rare steak or burger. A few nights ago I got my first tattoo since going vegetarian. I did not get a steak or a burger and I was hella grumpy because of it. Not a happy camper. Now I have to find some other after tattoo ritual. Seeing as beer is so highly recommended, I think I will start with that and build from there. I've also felt that pain killers were cheating, like if you had the balls for a tattoo then you should have the balls for a tattoo. I've had one artist use numbing cream once during the work, but I didn't see that it made that much of a difference. When I get around to doing my ribs I'm pretty sure I'll cry like a sissy and probably cheat any way I can and screw what I thought before. We've had a couple of highly medicated people come in the shop and they made me uncomfortable. I'd hate to have a medical emergency on my hands if they misjudged their dosing.

Here's another one that Eric's wife Bev posted on Facebook, she said it was outlined by Eric and colouring and lettering by Paul

from my understanding, the term "freehand" really does mean to use no stencil and no drawing, but to just freehand onto the flesh. drawing an image onto someone and tracing it is not really freehand. sometimes i get customers that ask questions like, "did you freehand this tattoo?" while looking at pictures of my tattoos, because they've heard the term and want to seem like they know some stuff about tattooing. they also seem to think that freehand is better than using a stencil.

Palm Tattoos are rad. There back on track.

Welp. A lot of PD I know are able to admit when they are on a shit detail and rarely the public catches on. He was probably intrigued by how accurate your drunken observations were.

Not gonna lie, i got legit chills at the beginning of the video. you know, when you see Grime studying his client's back while we hear that mysterious bell chime music, and then listening to Civ's comments about Grime overcoming his personal obstacle by "crushing everyone in tattooing", and then the music changes and that "Tattoo Age: Grime" title appeared, i swear, haven't felt chills like that in a while.

I was harassed by a cop here in Portland with sleeves was trying to catch people riding the train with no fare on 4th of July. I bought an all day ticket at 9pm to go downtown and came back at 1am train stops running at 230 hence end of day. He threatened to write me a ticket because it was after midnight and I was drunk enough to tell him he was just upset that he was stuck on bus duty and he was fucking wrong. Still not sure how I didn't go to jail that night or even got a ticket.

I just got a call from Jeff Zuck, letting me know that my name was up on his waiting list. I booked in to get tattooed by him three weeks from today, and by Tomek Szumiec (who'll be guesting at Name Brand) the day after. I'm so unbelievably geeked about it, and now I'm having a really tough time getting any work done this afternoon. Just have to figure out what I want to get from Tomek...

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 happened in the 1930s but its an amazing story. The shark arm case in 1935 A fisherman hooked a small shark off Coogee. A four-metre tiger shark then took the smaller shark and it was caught, too. Instead of dumping the catch, cutting it up on the beach or taking it to the fish markets, the fisherman took it to the Coogee aquarium, where it was thought it would make a wonderful attraction for the following Anzac Day weekend. While spectators watched, the shark vomited up a human arm. The arm was identified as having belonged to a James Smith, of Gladesville, a former SP bookmaker and bankrupt builder with minor convictions. His wife said a distinctive tattoo of a boxer on the arm "resembled" her missing husband's tattoo. His fingerprints were also matched with police fingerprints. Smith had last been seen drinking with his best friend, Patrick Brady, in a pub at Cronulla. Brady, well known to the law, was an expert forger. Another suspect, Reginald Holmes, tried to commit suicide, failed and accused Brady of the murder. Police let Holmes go and he was found shot dead. Brady was charged with Smith's murder. However, the only evidence available to L.J. McKean, the senior crown prosecutor, was that Brady was the last person seen with Smith and that after being confronted by the police, he had told a large number of lies about his whereabouts and movements. The judge directed a verdict of not guilty. Brady, a World War I veteran, died in Concord Hospital in 1965. Those lines look blown. Nothing worse than being identified by a poor quality tattoo.

I got this hourglass done by Stewart Robson about a month ago. The black/grey badly done stuff was done by a guy in Manchester but I don't believe in cover ups, but I've learnt me lesson now :P

I hate having my picture taken anyway but if I say 'no' it could be because: a) the photographer is a dick/creep. b) the magazine they work for is a shitty magazine and I don't want my work in shitty magazines. c) maybe i'm having a rare day where I'm sick of people trying to make money from tattooers/tattooing. In tattooing the maxim 'All publicity is good publicity' doesn't hold much water. Try 'Good tattoos are good publicity'. That's how most of us get new clients and retain current ones. At a convention I rarely refuse photographs of me working. Sometimes if people are polite enough to ask (which is rare) I'll ask for them to not use flash. Outside of conventions, the answer is rarely 'yes'. If I'm not working the answer is never 'yes'. Luckily I usually work conventions next to Valerie, photographers love taking photos of women, not hairy dudes, so I'm mostly left alone.

Happy to report that all of the videos have now been converted to single files for your viewing pleasure. enjoy.

Post part 2: Super hot bath. Soak tattoo until I feel like Im about to pass out. Repeat for a few days.

Loved that episode and can't wait to see the next two. It's so good to be able to watch a program where the show is actually about tattoos and not some sob story. Does anyone know how many episodes in total they are planning on doing?

Pre: Try and get good sleep (never happens, to excited), eat a good meal about an hour before to let it digest... and bitch about getting tattooed haha During: Water and juice at the ready, and some chocolate for the breaks Post: Another good feed, a beautifully rolled joint, a shower when its time, finish the joint and have naps. Unfortunately though, joints aren't always an option in Japan so a beer also goes down a treat to help with naps. I was once going to take a muscle relaxer when I was finishing off my first sleeve as I had to sit until it was done (the artist was heading overseas) There was even a pharmacy next to the studio. however, because the session was after hours the pharmacy had shut and so I had to suck it up for the 5 hours. 2 1/2 of those hours was the inside of my upper arm... and it truly did suck lol. My mate had already been tattooing for around 10hours, wasn't leaving until finished, and suffice to say he wasn't in the best mood/tired so he was a little more heavy handed than usual haha

yeah anything off those sheets are solid winners for sure. i wish we could see more of that snake vs tiger jam.

Glad to see this thread up and running again. Someone needs to get Nick Collela back into the mix.

I'm not really into the style of tattoo Grime does but I can't deny that he does it really fucking well. I didn't really know anything about him other than hearing his name all over, so it was really interesting to learn about someone new. I'm looking forward to the rest. And Stewart is right, he makes you feel like a lazy retard hahaha.

Commute to work 20 minutes.

I see some guys TRYING HARD to play the lawyers of not tattooed tattooers!!!!WHY? A lot of guys put it very correct so its no need to say more to proove that -come on guys!!!!of course you should be heavily tattooed if you are a tattooer.Its a matter of love and need at first.You cant do otherwise.No if we need 4-5 pages of talking to find that yes there are 3-4 tattooers -respectful tattooers-that says it all.

Nobody touches my belly button.

I like to think that I've had some help getting started correctly (thanks, 12oz guys). Nice to see you around these parts.

Got so close to being done yesterday... Sorry for the crappy pic...

Sorry to say but I'm getting sick of tattooers complaining about it. When you love something, concentrate on that and let the other BS fall where it may. We far too often look to the negative aspects of tattooing and lose sight of our love and passion. We have the single greatest career that I can think of. I love tattooing and I refuse to let the negative aspects of it get me down.

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

Got this from Chad Koeplinger 2 weeks ago in Chicago.

My torso is done and done :) Finished picture has been in my gallery for a while now. I know Valerie posted this in her gallery, but in case someone might have overlooked it you can check it out here: Valerie was going to do a guestpot at a local shop here in Oslo, but had to cancell in the last minute. She offered me to get the tattoo done at Frith street instead, so I jumped at the opportunity and flew back and forth in less than 30 hours. It was a blast! :)

Probably the best reason/way to be broke!

I'm gonna stir the pot here, and I want to be clear that this is all in an effort to understand, not confront or argue. I promise. smiling.politely posted a painting the other day and asked about pricing in his thread. The minute I saw it, I thought, "Uh oh.." But you learn a lot from year to year as you get older and while tossing up a panther head painting and asking about pricing in a forum full of curmudgeonly tattooers is not the best idea, I thought, "Shit.. I guess I won't mention my own sketchbook. Or messing around with watercolors." So, aside from trying to cash in on generally accepted tattoo designs, it comes back to this question of ownership. As far back as I can remember, I drew and I drew on myself. When I got older I bought tattoo magazines and drew designs out of there, sometimes for friends, none of whom actually got tattooed. I was definitely not a great artist. I have the utmost respect for those on here who are career tattooers. But I sit in my kitchen when I have the time, and draw. And yep, sometimes they're (poorly drawn) panthers and pharoahs horses and lady heads. Ms. Rad said something on ShannonShirley's blog: "i even draw flash in my sketchbook, but i wouldn't dare show anyone what i've created... tattooing is a whole different world, and i've come to the conclusion to not even try to understand it since i will always be an outsider" So we're all obviously outsiders. I guess the question is why we're not allowed to draw traditional designs. I draw other things, too, but I feel that tattoos have been such a part of me for so long, it's hard not to want to try drawing a panther head a new way, or get my roses down. (Damn, roses are tough..) And right now, I'm cringing just like I did when I read the post asking about pricing for the painting because I almost don't want to read the responses. I'm sure smiling.politely didn't mean to insult anyone. I hope I'm not insulting anyone. One of the great things about LST is us regular civilians get to learn. I still remember Alanna's post about going from watching tattoo tv shows to learning about Amund Dietzel and getting a Dietzel tattoo from Nick Colella (I think it was). So.. if no one is trying to take money out your mouths, and someone shows an interest in the art side of it, why assume the worst? All tattooers were the same regular folks before, drawn to art, enamored with tattoos, drawn to it all for whatever reason. And I think there's something to be said for defending your craft so vehemently. Tell me to fuck off and die if you want, but this probably won't stop me from continuing to draw. Because unless someone straight up copies, nobody owns "panther head" or "pair of swallows." If they did, nobody would have been tattooing them for the last hundred years. Hope I didn't offend anyone, just trying to understand.

I did find it interesting that that kid got shot down so inappropriately harshly while Ursula's embroidery was so well received. Both were non-tattooers offering tattoo imagery for sale. That other kid ended up typing out his life story to appease people, which is a shame. I would have went with a 'hey, fuck off, sport'. And Gouge- no one will think you're an outsider because folks seem to like you. It's all about who you know... didn't you know that? :D

That's because your back is weirdly sensitive. Ever asked someone to rub your shin? Nope. But back rubs are awesome because your back has a million sensitive spots, all of which feel super fucking awesome when getting tattooed, especially the lower back. You already know that tattoos hurt, and you seem to be acutely aware that the back will hurt, too. You also know that you're already on this path (didn't you just get your hand tattooed?) and that the back is the ultimate canvas. you just need to figure out what you're getting and who's gonna do it, although something tells me that you have more than a few ideas in mind. While I did find the process to be painful (and expensive), I have no regrets at all about doing it. It was so exciting to see it come together, session by session. There's something about having a full back piece. It's something that I've always admired, but for years, I didn't think I'd be able to make the physical/financial/mental commitment to go through with it myself. Completing it was a big milestone for me, and I have a beautiful souvenir of the experience that I get to wear for life.

4 sessions so far, 1 more to go.

I just breath in, and then out :) Or as mister A. P. Shrewsbury beautifully painted But yeah, it can suck fucking balls ;)

I sit in a train for 5-7 hours before, eat something and go back to sitting in the train for 5-7 hours after the tattoo and go to shower when I get home and sleep. I also pray Satan to give me strenght and immunity for pain.

Nope....I just save up the money i work hard for every day and spend it on the things I like! :)

I drink a 6 pack, and Eat a couple of bowls of chili beforehand. I make sure to put lots of garlic in the chili too. Then I drink as much coffee as possible during the tattoo, and take smoke breaks. This usually makes for a magical experience that I recommend for everyone. I also have a warm up dance that I do, but that is secret.

Good to keep a well-stocked medicine cabinet for all occasions, tattoo or no.