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Then you've come to the wrong place. As stated in the Tattoo Newbie Guidelines thread: Do not start threads asking about specific tattooing equipment or techniques, LST is not here to teach anyone how to tattoo. Ask your own tattooer, the next time you are getting tattooed. Maybe they'll answer you, maybe they won't. Do not start threads regarding closely guarded trade secrets - this will keep LST a much more welcoming place for everyone, tattooers and enthusiasts alike. Do not start threads asking questions about "breaking into the business" of tattooing. If you do see threads like that, flag them for mods and try to ignore them until they can be deleted. We want LST to be a place that artists feel welcome, too, and those types of threads do nothing to foster that type of environment. Thanks.

got a few of these left from a recent convention. 16x16 or 18x18 don't remember. $30 and some shipping. my email and paypal: [email protected]!!

I grew up on a cattle farm and orange grove. I worked with chemicals all the time; while you'd wear a mask, I'm sure some of the pesticides and herbicides I used absorbed into my skin. I was once sprayed with Malathion poison while tending my grove- airplane flew over me and sprayed for fruit flies and I got soaked in it. Here in Philly, my drinking water tastes funny. I breath in second hand smoke, carbon monoxide emissions, etc. Tattoos may cause me cancer, but so will being alive.

first tattoo is my chest piece, done by Chris Conn, January of '05. sorry for the crappy photo, and there's been some fading and aging, but i still love it.

I dont have a pic. I was 15 and in a group home. A guy had needle melted into a piece of plastic and some ink from a pen. I wanted a Wu-Tang logo and he poked it in my arm while we sat on my bed.

Is there a way to impose a post limit before a person can start a thread? I know other forums I am a part of do the same (usually 25). This lets (forces) the poster to understand the nature of the forum (do's and dont's) before they open a useless thread. It also forces new members to use the search function before firing off a thread without looking first. Just a suggestion!

I'm having the colour put on this in nine days. I can't wait for it to be finished. Pardon my backlump. I was twisting and bending forward, with unfortunate effect.

I'm going to be the one who says it: Cowboy shirt, skinny jeans and walking around carrying a horn on his belt? There's a word for that and it sounds like hipster :D

Elvis Weddings at the ORIGINAL Las Vegas Elvis Wedding Chapel Best decision we ever made. Las Vegas Celebrity Weddings at Graceland Wedding Chapel I figure if it was good enough for Billy Ray Cyrus, Jon Bon Jovi and Rob Zombie...

Y'all should just man up and buy a print instead of being cheap and wanting a $1 sticker !!

@abees, fuck you for getting a kickass chad koeplinger tattoo as your first! I hate you! ;) So, to the folks that have a shitty first tattoo like myself; are you planning to cover it or keep it? I'm actually leaning towards keeping it. Atleast for now.

Chad Koeplinger, Frith Street, 28th May 2010, cause i wanted a torch :eek: (also the lettering was at the same time) the picture's backwards, as it was taken in a mirror. the stars and dots filler were done about half a year or so later when i was also getting some other things tattooed by him (Chad) again.

my naive possibly ignorant response is" i drink several bottles of water a day which are probably kept in hot warehouses for extended periods of time, the degrading of plastic will likely kill me before the ink"

My ex wife didn't like tattoos until we broke up, then she kind of went nuts. She got her stomach tattooed by Clae Welch and a bunch of other tattoos form people around town and one time even came in on her birthday to get tattooed at the shop I worked at, luckily I was not there that day. At some point during this we discussed getting back together but tattoos weren't the issue and never solved the issue, although I always found it odd that she was so against me getting tattoos for so long. Funny my current wife doesn't have a lot of tattoos, we worked together for a short time but we became friends because her aunt was in town and they wanted to get a tattoo, but were having trouble finding a place that did walk ins. I made a few calls and got them squeezed in. I think that was her first real tattoo, although she had a couple homemade jobs from high school. She has gotten a few tattoos since then, but doesn't seem to want to be covered and I don't think she has been tattooed in about two years, but she is going to get tattooed in a couple of weeks by Mario Desa because for her its time for a new one. There are still parts of tattooing she doesn't get but I think she understands that it is important to me and that it enough for her. Plus we keep separate bank accounts for spending money so that never becomes an issue.

I've been in several relationships with untattooed partners. I don't seek out tattooed partners, but due to my social circles, that's just how things tend to work out. Plus, tattooed chicks do ana.... err. Wrong thread. One of my untattooed girlfriends had Dave Bruehl do a sleeve for her first tattoo. My fiance (oh hey, I got engaged last week) has no tattoos but is talking large Thomas Hooper tattooing for her first tattoo. I honestly rarely give it any thought.

getting tattooed is a journey , enjoy the ride.

I have hung out at the shop twice so far while my friend gets his tattoo worked on. Place is the best shop I've ever walked into so far. Everyone's really nice. Going to drop a deposit Monday for a few tattoos Im getting done.

I once showed up to a tattoo appointment and the whole lobby was empty. After a couple minutes someone came out to use the restroom and escorted me to a back room where there was a small group of guys watching the Kenny Powers Eastbound and Down. I sat their for like eight episodes, i think we ordered pizza, maybe even got a six pack and eventually after 8 hours at the tattoo shop I had my $120 aviator skull off the wall. Now sometimes I don't just go to get tattooed but to see what they are watching.

Hahahah :D Would fucking rule!

Hahahaaha Petri, I hope I'm still in NY when you come to NY so we can make the rounds as an awkward, nerdy duo.

this.

As long as he wasn't charging me by the hour I would be happy to watch youtube videos with him.

That was fucking gooood! I have to admit. Troy havent really done anything for me. Like he was maybe always the guy in the back when all the other ones, like Chris, Shinji etc., were more interesting, but after seeing this. Fuck I have been blind! Thunderous tattooing, motherfucker! This was the best one yet I would say.

I was lucky enough to score a last minute cancellation with Valerie Vargas at Frith Street Tattoo on Monday. The design is a 1920s flapper girl that Valerie drew up on the spot for me. Valerie is a genius! I am so unbelievably thrilled with how it came out. Looking a bit gross at the moment, will post another pic once healed.

i hope to be the turtle! i want to take it slowly because i know my desires and interests are constantly changing. i guess i want my body art to reflect my whole life and not just a point in my life. who knows, even how i feel now may change and i might get covered in a short period of time. but for now ill stick to the ways of the turtle and just like shannon said above its a journey, so enjoy the ride. i am forsure going to try!!!!

My girlfriend of the past eight years is a total pinky. Nothing, nada, zilch. I had visible tattoos when she saw me for the first time, it's never been an issue, and there have been a lot of new tattoos on me since. If kittens licked em' on she'd be covered from head to toe, but since they're done with needles it ain't never gonna happen. It doesn't bother her in the least that I get stared at sometimes if we go to a nice restaurant or the movies. We were at dinner a couple of weeks ago and she stared at my arms for a while and said "Hey buddy, you know you got a big open spot on the back of your left forearm. When are you gonna get something so your arms match". God I love that woman!!! Funny thing is the only men I've ever heard her say she thought were attractive to her were me (better be), Paul (the guy that's been tattooing be for the last year) and Mike Ness from Social D (I turned her into a complete Social D junkie)!

Scott's a damn nice guy; we had a chat about a fairly obscure subject back in 99 or 2000, and when I emailed him about the appointment he told me that my name sounded familiar, so he googled me; then, realizing he knew me, referenced the conversation from 11 years ago. Good people. I'll ask him if he's working anywhere in Portland.

I am not concerned about tattooing causing skin cancer. But, to be frank, I am curious about tattooing hiding skin cancer that is already there or arises after being tattooed, correlation is not causation, for anyone thinking I am saying tattooing causes skin cancer, I'm not.

1986 in hawaii when I was in the army:

I felt like blowing some life into this old thread. I got this tattooed in some random tattoo shop in Copenhagen back in 2000. The design is taken from my dad's old businesscard (he's a guitar luthier). The picture was taken two minutes prior to posting... Your turn!

Okay, now this thread is inspired by dcostello. He says that if someone will make a place for him to post his drunken pictures (and I guess rantings) he will post... So here you go. To start it off, I wasn't drunk, but it was a slow day at work so I sketched up this picture with the intent of making a nice old lady.. started writing the scripted and wrote a K (kill) instead of a H (help) so I said fuck it lets go with that... How about this place is for all of us non-artists to share some of our time when we are bored/drunk and doodling. [edit] also I know the h in how is capitalized when it shouldn't be. mistake when outlining.

feel free to yell at me for saying this but i find that heavily tattooed women, if they are not tattooers themselves, are off the fucking wall... and i love them but never date them and to address what brian was saying about his buddy's meeting girls in the shop that they tattooed and who are now interested in tattooing. i hate to sound like a shit head but from my personal experience, thats going to be a shit show and i wish them the best of luck

My personal problem with this stuff is that it doesn't deal with or derive from the basic motivations of humans or society. All the long-lasting tattoo imagery addresses or springs from some basic element of humanity. Which is why they've lasted a long time. My opinion is that this style of work (trash polka et al) is created with the main motivation to stand out from the crowd or be 'different'. The drive to be original, different or special, is fundamentally flawed and certainly short-lived. If tattoo designs derive from deep-rooted human drives and archetypes it's pretty much impossible for the concept to become dated. The execution is a different matter. In my opinion all the best tattoo imagery comes from or symbolises basic human drives, or the needs of humans in society. Skulls, pin-ups, powerful animals, flowers, hearts, religious imagery, daggers etc, etc. Most of the flash or portfolios (including tribal) in a decent tattoo shop will succinctly encompass the interesting bits of the human experience. That's why the work posted in this thread rings hollow for me, regardless of the difficulty of the application.

Yup I know all about it. I'm waiting on a visa to get back home to FL, once I get it we have only 90 days to get married!

If I were ever to be single again, which is unlikely, I couldn't date someone who wasn't tattooed, or had only a couple. I find that when you are a women and you are heavily tattooed and you date a guy with less or no tattoos it creates this weird dynamic. Like the dude is always trying to prove he's tough even though he doesn't have tattoos. Or it just becomes this thing that they always want to talk about with their friends and whatever to prove how cool they are because their lady has tattoos, like living vicariously though your tattoos. Or you get the guys who don't have tattoos and only like you because you do have tattoos because it's cool or some dumb shit like that. I also couldn't date someone who has really horrible tattoos and thinks they are really good ones. In college when I only had maybe 5 or less I had a guy tell me I had enough and shouldn't get anymore, I instantly knew he'd never turn into anything real.

Without fail, the lady head in a rose Scott tattooed on me is the one that always gets the most, "Wait, lemme just.. see it one more time.."

I threw up in a fire pit at my moms's cabin this weekend. It was their one year anniversary with the place and there were many neighbors in attendance. After fly fishing all day/drinking tons of whiskey I came back and had more. I was also apparently found in the bathroom with a spilt can of copenhagen long cut all over the toilet and not one but two open beers by me. My mother and I. Shes kinda proud.

Well, still a little drunk from last night. So this can go here. I was smart enough to drink multiple Four Loko's last night (Always a good idea.) Around 0100 I decided that I needed to leave the comfort of my friends house in West Berkeley and go home. Why I decided to ride my bike (which had gotten a flat on the way over to his house) 5 miles through West Oakland I dont know. All I know is that the Loko gives me super strength and makes me ballsy enough to ride around places I should not be.

I was probably drunk, sad and listening to Lucero.

I always leave a steamy load in the potty so people see how awesome my bowel movements are.

Let me say it is an honor to be the first post in this thread! I can only imagine some of the ownderful stories to come!!! First tattoo was a pachuco cross on my left index finger! Was done by needle and thread with india ink by a boy whose name i can't even remember! It has lasted 28 years and believe it or not cost me a promotion to a management position 17 years ago....back when tattoos were not as ""hip" or "fashionable" Would I do it again??? Yes....most definitely....although knowing what i know now.....it would have been professionally done! I got my first Professional tattoo 26 years ago by the lovely Juli Moon while she was still at Dragon Moon Tattoo in Baltimore, Maryland! It is a butterfly on my left breast which has since been incorporated into my chest piece! I am fortunate to have started being tattooed by such a wonderful tattooist right out of the gate and i know that now! I have made several mistakes over the years by being tattooed by people in the craft who were friends but less than accomplished tattooists but fortunately nothing that is horrible or couldn't be fixed! Why did I get tattooed? I grew up in an area where people had tattoos....not necessarily I guess the best area, and I fell in love with the art at a very early age! I am the only one of the three girls that walked to the door of Dragon Moon Tattoo that went inside that evening! It was more of a street shop then than a "studio" and I have to admit I was scared to death! But I did it and have lived with the outcome of my decision for 26 years now! What a wonderful decision it was too! I have some of the best friends and have met some of the nicest people! That decision 26 years ago has led me to have a wonderful collection of art on my body done by 49 artists to date! I want to have the best work I can have....by the best artists I can get to tattoo me! I am a collector of fine art now and my skin is the canvas!!!