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Jeesus fucking christ I love tattoos.

This post has been my favorite so far. It's a large reason why I joind and I think it needs some fresh love. Here's my backpiece, fresh after the final session a few months ago. Jill Bonny (Horiyuki) at State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose has done all my work to date. After a few months off, I decided to add background. We start again this weekend.

My husband Don, lost his wedding ring , so this year for Valentine"s Day we got back to back "Ds" on our wedding ring fingers. We have been married for 20 years and I can't stress just how strongly PRO-NAME I am. Actually, any tattoo that signifies your devotion to one another is good in my book. Don has my name on his chest that Ms Deborah did 20 yrs ago. My name in a banner in a design That Eric Inksmith did for our 1st anniversary, and Mike Wilson did my profile on Don's hand a couple of years ago. I also have his name in a few places as well as the band. Just going in to a relationship with the attitude that it isn't going to work is in my opinion, negative. And you know what? if we ever split up and I don't want his name anymore, i'll cover it up. I wish as many people would give as much advice and input when their friends tell them they're going to start a family with their mates. "Joe and I are in love and we want to have a -----/ get a ------" " Oh, don't! That's the kiss of death in a marriage" Just my two cents (:

I finally got my Sailor Jerry piece!! I'm freaking stoked. Done by Steven Kissinger at Virtue Tattoo in Stafford, TX. Thanks Steve, you fucking rock brother!!!!

@dcostello @hogg @MsRad @Iwar : Great meeting all of you last night - it was nice to finally put some faces to names! Perfect way to mark the one year anniversary of LST. Looking forward to the next one. Here are the pics I took.

Here are a few that I have been meaning to post up: Chest Eagle by Chad Koeplinger a few months back at State of Grace These next few were all done at Smith Street while I was home this summer. Dan Santoro - Lady Liberty (Bert Grimm Flash) Bert Krak - Reaper Hand Bert Krak - Skull (Tony Polito Flash) Bert Krak - Black Widow

Sorry Dan... *leaves with sad puppy look on face*... ;) I'm still laughing, @dcostello thats my 'call of the week' thus far dude

Dude. Don't make fun of Mike Giants work.

Fingers- The next day I think? I just couldn't break very well :D Palms- I was back at my computer job the next day but I wasn't biking then.

Thanks for making my summer alone in the country in Canada not so boring! I've had fun talking/arguing/getting told off/learning and hope to keep doing so for another year and more to come! I've made some new friends and reconnected with some I haven't seen in a while.

I'm a fucking idiot, that's for sure... The hipstamatic app is good for taking fanzy-schmanzy pictures in daylight, but at a dimly lit restaurant....neh, not so much. Tried to fix it as much as I could by adjusting the contrast, but the picture still turned out pretty fucking terrible. Sorry guys. I saw steve take a picture or two while we were at the table though, so maybe he's got some better ones. Awesome meeting ya'll by the way! And thanks to Scott for suggesting the Pot Roast, and thanks to Hogg for assuring me I wouldn't get high from eating it.

So far I've only travelled to London twice to get tattooed (the most recent trip was back and forth in less than 36 hours), but now my trip to SF is less than three months away and I'm so fucking stoked it's ridiculous. It will be expensive as hell, and all my money besides rent, bills and food has gone towards this trip, but I can't think of anything I'd like to do more. Exploring a new city in a foreign country, getting tattooed by incredible artists, meeting new people, thinking about your collegues working their asses of back home while drinking an ice cold beer in the sun... I for one can't think of a better way to spend my vacation, and I will most likely try to do something similar next year.

Here is a pic of my arm ditch tattoo done by Mario Desa on the 11th September. All nicely healed in 12 days. Same healing regime usual wash twice daily. Dab with paper towel and let air dry for 20 minutes before a very thin application of Aquaphor. For the first week I applied a lightwieght Tubinette tubular bandage. It's very thin and allows plenty of air to the fresh tattoo and keeps other parts of the arm and sweat away from the tattoo. All you have to remember, when changing the bandage, is to soak it for a few minutes during the the first few days. I also live with 5 cats. So its keeps cat hairs away from the fresh tattoo. Believe me cats hairs get everywhere.

I wouldn't eat this but they look awesome! I think @Lochlan would eat a turtle or two though...

I want to mirror what Ursula said... and yeah, having a little spot to run off to online, has been refreshing when needed the most here lately.

Thanks Alanna for the warm welcome! I'm from Singapore but have lived in Australia for a long time. Now in Bangkok working for a little while. No US connection whatsoever, only through the internet! I look forward to spotting some Thai shops though the quality of work I've seen on the street so far, though plentiful, has been mediocre. Seems everyone & their dog thinks Thailand's a great place to lie on the beach and get a tattoo (usually simultaneously)?!

It's not completely gone. I have been to places it still exists... It's a vibe. Those shops are the places I think of, and draw my hope for the future. It's not just the shop either.... it's the chemistry of the crew inside the place that makes the mood, and sets the tone, which makes the magic happen. Some days I hate life in general. But I dunno... Doesn't everyone? For the most part I try to remind myself, it's a blessed-charmed life we lead in a jaded sort of way, there's a lot of freedom, but that's a double edged sword... I have been doing a lot of thinking, and yeah, it's all appeared to become shit, but there's still the few circles of comrades, that I draw my inspiration and try to absorb the magic when around them... I've only been working in or around a shop, since I was 18... a measly 11 years. But it's the faith a couple people have in me, (one in particular), that's what gets me to pull my head out of my ass and keep my chin up, and keep going. Learn the lessons good and bad, eyes open mouth shut, and mind open. Welcome to the site sir... I have stumbled upon some magic here: Kore Flatmos Interview really struck a good chord, I listened to it three times already while working on other stuff and it gave me some goose bumps listening to him talk about tattoos.

we rule!

just had one put right below my throat in my clavicle today, thought it would be bad, seriously didn't feel a thing.

Also, people need to stop getting finger mustaches. It's not funny anymore, plus getting a tattoo on your hand as a joke, bad idea. Especially since it's people who don't even have tattoos that are getting them now. Actually even if you have a ton of tattoos or are a tattoo you still look dumb getting a finger mustache these days. I feel kinda bad for everyone who got them before it was cool who now look like shitty hipsters.

I can see what your saying there. I stick with if they don't see it there is nothing to judge me on especially considering I have 'darker' themes

Nothing lasts, isn't that part of the appeal of tattoos? Not a huge fan of the wedding ring tattoos, but we've been talking about each getting something after the wedding.

so where is the group photo. I want one with usernames pointing people out. @dcostello the tomato variety for your info: Porkchop (yellow), Pink Berkeley Tie Dye (Purple/maroon), sungold (cherry), i think there may be a beauty king as well (blush/pink)...then jalapenos and seranos. what desserts did you guys get?

Reviving this topic maybe but an interesting change of work environment for me has prompted a response. For many years I worked in the court/tribunal system which included working as a judge's associate (that's judge's clerk for the Americans). So, incredibly conservative environment which included sitting up front in court & the whole deal with representing the judge at all times. Completely covered up there. Then I continued in the law but as an in-house lawyer where it was OK for me to shave my head closer to the scalp and show my head tattoo or have my new front torso piece peaking out of an unbuttoned shirt. No one here really cared because there wasn't much eye contact happening in the first place! Now I work in very hot and sticky Bangkok for a refugee NGO with lots of client contact and the clients are from all backgrounds and religions, with many of them not having left their local village their whole lives and are now suddenly in Thailand. Boss says it's ok to wear short sleeves at work and show my sleeves. However, I'm aware that my tattoos may offend or alienate some clients from some cultures and religious backgrounds. I'm playing it by ear at the moment but the last thing I want is to not be able to gain the trust of someone because of my visible sleeves. I'm hoping that at the end of the day my demeanor & work will be enough.

Most relationships don't last, can't blame the tattoos.

That was a blast! What a fun group and thank you again to @steve1461686340 for treating us! Iwar- you better watch what you wish for!

Fuck sleeves dude, I want the full bodysuit!

That was a blast. Good times everyone. We need to get Iwar a long sleeve shirt with tattoos on the sleeves before he leaves. My phone wants to spell "Iwar" Gwar.

The VBS series on tattooing has really made me proud. It's almost like the first time I read Tattoo Time. It reminds me of why I fell in love with the tattoo culture and art. It does not make me want to vomit like the other pop culture tattoo offerings for the masses. I'm really stoked on these videos.

haha, no way! this girl was an engineering major. i suppose the triforce could be a simplified version of it. i've gotten to do quite a few triforce/zelda tattoos, actually tomorrow i'm doing a link tattoo on a guy who i put a ganondorf on last year. i'm actually surprised at just how many zelda tattoos i do each year.

@Raskolnikov - that shit above had me in stitches, and slightly concerned lol

1 song in and it sounds like springsteen. 2 songs in and i'm hooked.

i laser at least 1 wedding ring tattoo a week. seriously a bad idea.

that arrow thing is amazing lol

Oh man...I have a coworker who has four tattoos (that I've seen) of pretentious Latin phrases in a Roman font--all upside down. Two on his forearms, one on each foot, and I'm sure a few more that I've not had the pleasure of seeing. Homeboy's starting to look a little "Memento." I don't know why shit like that gets me so heated--as my wife pointed out, they're not my tattoos, so I don't have to like them--but god damn! It just makes me think that he doesn't actually like tattoos. /rant

I know you're clawing desperately for a way to be 'right' in this argument but this way of thinking would only apply to someone who is expressing themselves, for the benefit of their clients via their tattoos. Thats not the way it works. We get tattooed because we LOVE tattoos. If a tattooer does save space for the different 'periods', by the time they are a decent tattooer they should have passed through so many 'periods' that they have a shit-load of tattoos anyway. I still have space on one of my forearms. My bodysuit was finished before I did anything there. But like Bart said, that saving space, which isn't what this argument is about. I'm guessing you, a friend or your tattooer doesn't have many tattoos and you're trying to find a way to be told "It's ok, you're different." It's ok, they will get lots of tattoos eventually. But to put another spin on the argument: how many good tattooers (I mean tattooers, people who do tattoos that look like tattoos, not colour portrait guys) don't have many tattoos. There are a few, but not many. Also, this isn't a theoretical argument, where logic wins. "If this is true, then this must equal false" It's a real-life discussion about real things and when it comes to tattoos and tattooing: The tattooer is ALWAYS right. ;)

Man there is some real nice work in this thread, my faves are, as have already been mentioned, Valerie Vargas and Sarah Schor and I'd also like to add Xam.... And I may be a little biased but Dennis Pase, this is my fantastic lady head by him...

I flew from SF to San Diego and back in the same day just to get tattooed by Ben Grillo. It was a great experience all around (the Cuatro Milpas burrito was a total bonus!). I also got a souvenir tattoo from Horiyoshi III in Yokohama, but that's not why I went to Japan. It was just a wonderful part of a trip my wife and I had already planned. On that note, I'm more into the idea of getting small souvenirs in other locations, but not planning the trips around that. Small pieces are about all I have room for these days, anyway.

Sure. The tattooer doesn't have to be a "big name" just anybody you feel you'd like to get tattooed by. I have a friend in Australia who tattoos, not a big name but a great dude, and I would love to travel there to hang out and also get tattooed by him again. Makes a great excuse for traveling! Sidenote: I am a shitty, shitty traveler and wouldn't go half the places I do if it weren't my lady making me.

I don't have any cover-ups on my body but I tattoo a hell of a lot of them. Most of the larger work that I do (bigger than 1/2 sleeve) usually incorporates some kind of cover-up. I started to make a point of NOT taking a 'before' picture. Sometimes I do, but I found that the cover-up requests got bigger and bigger the more cover-ups I showed. Covering a half sleeve sized tattoo with a full sleeve compromises the end product but I sometimes enjoy the challenge and the problem-solving aspect of it. This is one of the more tricky ones from last year or so, when I used to take 'before' photos: I got an email today asking if I could cover a full sleeve - with a sleeve.