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I have some pretty bad ones I will never mess with ,because of association. one of them is by the late Eric Hogan. he was by no means a great friend , more like someone I knew, But I will always remember him, His mother would probably appreciate this. During these times that seem sometimes like a "cool" race, we need to remember the whys and hows people have always gotten tattooed. As a tattooer/ist we ,especially street shops, face it everyday. those silly reasons mean something to those not in the know. your Moms love, your children's love, you went somewhere, you freed yourself, don't forget. They aren't just cool. Last evening I put stick figures holding balloons on a woman's foot, I tried to put them on with all the professionalism that i could. If those don't meet anyone's ideas about what good art is or what a cool tattoo is,it doesn't matter. she talked about how she went to a different shop and they were rude about it. I did a good job, she was happy, I got to eat dinner doing something I want to do,not something i have to do, Im not cleaning toilets ,Im not a Walmart greeter. not that good hard work isn't respectful , Its that I'm lucky and hopeful today. And yes I will try and give them the best stick figures they need. I do love me some "regular people".

Ariella, I would suggest checking out some books/magazines (magazine thread here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/random-crap/956-best-worst-tattoo-magazines.html), reading some interviews and poking around online or even portfolios on here. Once you see enough nicely executed tattoos, it won't even be a question in your mind about how that dragon could be translated as anything but atrocious, even from a simple design standpoint. What makes a good tattoo is definitely not a trade secret. All it takes is a little effort and research, and once you've been exposed to more than what's walking around your town, it'll be like a big smack on the forehead. If my little sorority sister can start to "get it" after looking at a few shop links, anyone can "get" it.

Chris O'Donnell isn't featured beyond the interviews in the Grime episodes I believe. Here's the schedule for what's to come (taken from Shawn's blog) Troy Denning – New York City | Air Dates – Trailer: August 31 | Pt. 1: September 7 | Pt. 2: September 14 | Pt. 3: September 21 Troy Denning is the owner of one of New York’s premier tattoo parlors, Invisible NYC, as well as the owner of one of the most unique styles. Troy seeks to go beyond the work of other Japanese style tattooers, and searches for influence in the original Ukiyo-E masters. He has worked a variety jobs from mineworker to strip club security guard, all of which have added to his special outlook on life. He is a self-proclaimed karaoke master, and a fixture of New York’s Lower East Side. Mike Rubendall – New York City | Air Dates – Trailer: September 28 | Pt. 1: October 5 | Pt. 2: October 12 | Pt. 3: October 19 Mike Rubendall comes from the colorful world of old school tattooing in New York City, learning the tricks of the trade from the infamous Frank Romano at a biker shop on Long Island. Mike has come a long way from mopping the floors of his teacher’s tattoo parlor, and now owns his own shop, King’s Avenue Tattoo, in New York City. Mike is full to the brim with tales of his varied experiences as a tattooer, from working on Damon Dash in the Hampton’s to watching his co-workers piss into a woman’s purse at a local bar. Freddy Corbin – Oakland | Air Dates – Trailer: October26 | Pt. 1: November 2 | Pt. 2: November 9 | Pt. 3: November 16 Once the young turk of the Bay Area working with tattoo luminaries Ed Hardy and Dan Higgs in the early 90′s at Tattoo City, Freddy Corbin is now an elder statesman of the tattoo scene. Freddy proclaims that he is a spiritual man, whose shop looks like a cross between the Sistine Chapel and an old bar. He has battled addiction and dealt with loss but always maintains a positive outlook on life. Two years ago, he tattooed villagers for free in India on the banks of the Ganges River as a spiritual offering before the birth of his son.

Cheers Hogg!! All the crew there are super nice, extremely welcoming and patient with my bad Japanese. But we got there ;) lol Well I just got home after about 17 hours of straight travel. (It was only a nine hour flight but I had to go see my Mum and that isnt close!) So now ready for some sleep. I'll post pics once I get some for sure (I forgot to mention there is a decent cover up going on so some parts may need a little touch up when I return, but I am amazed in how its turning out) Actually there might be some photos on their blog so I will check ;)

"Having said that..."

I wish I could get the russian stars for time served in the Mafia. Cool design, but dont want to be frontin something.

Ryan Mason's work is awesome! I've been wanting something from him for quite some time now. Check out this amazing backpiece:

So far I've been told to get color since I am damn near translucent white, it comes with the territory of working inside, usually no windows :( . Just like Ursula I am Italian but its a joke since I am sooo pale. Only part of my body that ever got tough skin was my hands from years of working on my motorcycles, cars and off-roading.

Looks fine to me, now its time to fill up the rest of your arms.

yep.. sadly there's quite a few people who look exactly like that.

Okay, here's the update. Hotstuff and Panther by Scott Sylvia. Kewpie and White Tiger by Bryan Burke. Both tattoos were done in 2 sittings, black in one sitting, color in the next. Scotts side was about 5 1/2 hours. Bryans side was 4 1/2 hours total. I started Bryans side first but finished Scotts side first. I lagged on Bryan and was procrastinating getting it finished a bit because Scotts side hurt so bad. Bryan actually had to call me up and be like, "we finishing this tattoo we started or what?". Sorry Bryan. Both these guys are quick as can be and for a painful spot like the ribs I really appreciated that. I gotta say the second sitting with Scott i was feeling a little nauseous and almost ready to tap out towards the end. Scott hurt more!

you just hit the nail on the head. here's the thing, most of us don't talk about all aspects of the industry, especially those of us who don't tattoo. it's kind of like a secret recipe, you might get most of the basic ingredients, maybe even their amounts, but the spices or the signature ingredient is left out. because why pay for the milk if you can get the cow for free? most of us (at least i think) are perfectly fine with not knowing every single detail about what it takes to make a tattoo if we're not tattooing. there are aspects of the industry that i'm curious about, and if i asked an artist in person about them, i might even get an answer, but if i was told "sorry i'm not going to answer that", then i would respect it and back off. while your statement about the internet is true, that you can learn just about anything from searching around, this community is not the answer to all of your questions, and if someone says "no" then you should also respect that there is a reason why they said "no". it's ok to ask, and i agree, if you're new to something, you may not be aware of boundaries, but when someone says to "stop", then you should stop. this goes to most situations in life, online and off.

this our old dag Mr meiko he died about a year ago. we were real bummed. i got a pyramid tattoo to remember him by at blackheart when i was in SF. as a sort of tomb for him as king of pit bulls. plus i didn't really want a pit bull tattoo. my wife got a carrot because that was his favortite treat. from bob at perfection in austin. but now we got this little girl. she is hilarious. and just wandered into our lives.

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

I got this idea from Shawns thread on his new "bundle of Joy" where he announced he was adopting this cute italian grey hound. i know im not the only one who loves talking about their pets so please share away. heres a little explaination of my pictures. DEPRESSING STOREY WARNING: the first one is of Joia (joy-a, this is the portugues slang word for treasure/jewels) she was my first portuguese water dog. i rescued her from a hell hole of a living situation. i got her at the age of 1 yr and she lived with me and my family until she passed 7 months later. unfortunately she was born very very sick and by the time we found out something was wrong it was too late. sorry for the sad storey but thats life!!! the 2nd and 3rd is of Avelan my current dog. we showed her within Canada and she got her championship with 4 weeks, we are so proud of her. now that shes sterealized we cant show her anymore so we've moved on to training in agility. its so much fun and shes got so much talent and ability!! lastly are some pictures of cross stitch pieces i did. i do this in my free time because it keeps my hands busy and i think its as close as im gonna get to art of any kind becasue i dont draw anymore.

Im no celebrity, but my co-worker offered to play for my next tattoo if its Justin Biebers portrait with the words "Baby Baby" above it. On my shin. Im leaning towards "Fuck Yes" but the thought of having that little asshole on my body forever pisses me off. Also, my only addition to this horrible idea was that the Biebs has to look hella mean. HELLA. With more teeth and fear though.

I love his tattoo as much as I love his moustache.