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haha, that woman also has the butterfly i did on El Wood's arm. i remember seeing this a while ago, think a customer pointed me to it over twitter. i dont really know what to say on the matter other than i think the biggest shame is for the owner of the original tattoo, they put their trust and money on that piece to have someone else get a nastier cheaper version. ive had a couple of customers bring up this point after seeing a bad copy of their own tattoo online and the only thing to say on this matter is that at least you got the original and best. i havent crossed words with customers that pass through frith st who wear bad copies of my work, i stay away from it and leave them to get tattooed by the other guys. i assume that when i open up my book at some point the people who wish to get work by me will, and the ones that keep getting cheap copies wont. a while a go i finished a black and grey girl/tiger head backpiece and i remember stumbling across another artists website with a tshirt they designed and selling with a near enough tracing of the original design i did for my customers back with a tweak or two. ive since had the fortune to speak to said artist face to face and tell them how unhappy i was about it but they didnt apologise and instead chose to lie about it. but whatever, i told the owner of the backpiece and he was at first upset then kinda laughed about it thankfully. I def post less and less work online, not purely through these type of happenings but they certainly do not help. my newest funnest work is now printed in photograph form and added to my physical portfolio at work/conventions. it is sadly a very much double edged sword, i just try to toe the line and not disappear entirely.

I use this shit Available at most branches of Wickes or B&Q.

the problem is in my opinion is that just because there are more and more tattooers everyday the ratio of hard working creative and original ones are falling off.. part of self promotion is you have to make yourself and your work public. if not no one outside your town would really get to know your work. its obvious valerie is an amazing tattooer, with that comes all the no tallent as clowns who rip everyones shit off. i think its sad that people arent just willing to sit down and learn to draw a girl head with an animal head of their choice. instead to rip it off. then there is the part of a customer wants the exact thing. fine . try to steer them away but if they are persistant dont fucking publish it on the internet.... i love how people are called out on it...

Just get a tattoo and watch how it ages. If a tattooer has large work in their portfolio, such as backpieces etc, it's a pretty safe bet that some of it will be at least a year old. Most of the problem here comes from the fact that once we've finished a tattoo, particularly with one-shot tattoos, we rarely see it or the client again. Some of the photos on my website or blog have healed work next to the fresh stuff. Thomas Hooper occasionally posts photos of his work when it's settled into the skin. If you're talking about colour portraits, they look like shit 5+ years later unless they have a strong outline and plenty of black. There's many reasons for tattoos to look like tattoos. Another way is to visit conventions and see what people with healed tattoos look like. Remember: look but don't touch.

people think that the internet is the same as looking at flash in a shop, most people are clueless to the many things in every aspect of life. don't give it too much thought either way. there are things that happen every day that are far worse and more harmful that most of us live in denial of because of these periphera distractions. do good, focus on positive things, progress, and let the rest of the world devolve. i can't prevent rain from falling but i can provide myself with a pleasant refuge from the rain.

Cool page, you can scroll over images for a magnified view which is pretty dope. http://yellowblaze.net/

This used to annoy (and flatter) me, but not so much anymore. Now I find it more strange than anything else. I have seen 4 or 5 versions of that wolf/rose, and I don't understand why. The customers could have just asked their tattooer to draw something similar, and I'm sure everyone would be happier.

You can learn a lot more from doing 200 thoughtful (but quick) sketches, than you can from 20 amateurish (but clean) drawings. It's rarely the goal in the beginning to be able to tattoo what you produce. It seems sensible to blame the lack of a formal apprenticeship but there's no excuse for verbatim copies of custom tattoos. In my non-existent apprenticeship I learned to not copy whole compositions, but to try to understand the way design and layout problems were solved by my favourite tattooers. It's crazy because there's so much great tattooable flash that's cool to tattoo.

Richard Stell is working in Dallas right now. Send an email. Drive down there. Get tattooed by Richard. Post a photo on this forum. Get lots of compliments. That is about all you need to do.

I've also got an appointment on the 6th, with Scott Sylvia Getting a girl head/rose combo on the top of my forearm Also heading to Chicago and New York in late Jan and early Feb so hope to get something from Mario Desa a few thngs from the dudes at Smith st

i really want to get a Kuniyoshi image of a Suikoden warrior pinning down a wild beast, done by someone from State of Grace. trying to decide if i should get it on my arm, thigh, rib/stomach, or back.

I want a snake on my arm. Not a vicious one, a serene one. I want to go to Bryan Burk based on the high praise I have seen for him on here and looking at his website, but haven't contacted him yet as I will probably wait until my birthday in April.

@Stewart Robson, I was hoping you'd say, "Lie back and think of England." I always try to take deep, controlled breaths. For me, it helps to inhale deeply before the needle hits, then exhale slowly for the length of the needle attack. I only do that when things get really bad, though. Like for the entirety of my ribs.

I try not to pay attention to bad tattoo sites and direct copy stuff. The nature of my work means I don't see copies of my work anyway. I obviously see copies of Valerie's work daily, sometimes even in our shop, but one of my favourite things is to see a copy traced from a magazine/photo/printout of a tattoo. So the distortion or perspective on the photo is tattooed on someone but the distortion is exaggerated. So if it's a gypsy girl, it winds up super elongated and narrow. You can see a little of it on the copy of Stefan's wolf on page 1 of this thread. Particularly on the curve of it's head. When it's super pronounced, it cracks me up every time. We get the tattoo we deserve, I guess.

I usually think its best to get your tattooer to source great reference material. Most of us (tattooers) spend a great deal of time/money/effort collecting source material or information for our tattoos. Some of us even do it away from the internet. But in the interests of not poo-pah-ing a discussion: Try searching the internet for reference material that ISNT a tattoo. Adding the term 'tattoo' to a google search is like initiating a shit-filter where it only delivers the worst possible images. Good luck.

Yes but only if he/she has a bad headache. ;)

I've just sent an email to Bailey Hunter Robinson. Hopefully October.

you might out-hipster the hipsters! Only way to beat that is get an arm with glasses tattooed over your face..... Wait, when did being all black metal become cool? EDIT: Just went to Uncle Allen's site.....HOLY SHIT!!! I absolutely love the "black metal in traditional" look.....F$CKIN DARKTHRONE traditional tattoo!!! How did I never see this guy before?

I take immodium before doing anything most of the time. The last thing you want is to shit your pants.

We should review the progress on the goals we've established here!!!

You need to move into a better tattoo town...Your in the middle of nowhere. Jon@ Devotion Tattoo Check out their Facebook for updated pics of their work. Chalice Tattoo Studio - Boise Idaho Custom Tattoos Ink Vision | Boise ID Electric Company (1896 Electric Co.) on Myspace This shop is in Logan,UT

should be starting my back.....I think I've settled on the rough idea and Tattooer(s) I want to have at it......... BTW, very impressed with some of the tattooers and ideas in this thread, thanks for sharing everyone. I look very forward to seeing the tattoos!!!

1) I do enjoy freedom when designing a tattoo, but I have learned over the years to pry into the clients thoughts as deep as possible before putting pencil to paper. It's easy to spot a client who is willing to give me total freedom, but if I see an ounce of "control freak" in a client I spend the time consulting their ideas until I feel like we are on the same page.(even a walk-in) 2) I would redraw a design as many times as took to please the client. I have had many clients that simply wasn't happy until the design looks like a they drew it them self in 8th grade. Once it reaches this point I respectfully decline to do the tattoo. I will add this. My rule is, I will do anything to please the client, but I draw the line when I have to send something out the door I'm not proud of.

Might be the Whiskey talking here but , 2012 will be the year of the Tiger and Eagle for me yass !! I might get the ribs done definetly getting the other thigh covered . And mibbe something wierd from Ty Mcewan when he coimes back over. Anyone thought abpout what your up for getting next year ??

Then take look at this "Spencer Kmyta" tattoo And compare it to the original @Valerie Vargas tattoo which he obviously tried to rip off It's like the second picture in his online portfolio! The fucking nerves on this dude.... Same thing happened to @Stefan Johnsson a little while back (different hack though)

Totally agree with @Lochlan if you think Stewart is the best, take a trip tosee him. I and others on this site have done that and have NOT been disappointedAT ALL. Good luck in your decision!

Already have my first four appointments of the year booked--two in January, two in February. More shading on the back piece. Hopefully, some color soon.

Have you seen Jef Whiteheads work? I love it, some of it has a vibe like his art for leviathan. (and yes tim lehi did M.C.A.A.L, that art is great too)

I love uncle Allan, his twitter feed is quality, the man is too metal.

Re: Instagram - I don't even have an Iphone - I just wait for the updates to be posted on Facebook.

I just want my dueling Sylvia/Corbin pieces to come to fruition. That's all for this year. I went overboard this year.

You do realize we all hate you now right?

Finish my right arm. Get my other foot done. First tattoo on my chest/belly. Avoided getting anything on my torso so far out of dislike for my own flab, now decided I shouldn't hate it, but decorate it :D

Having more sessions on my back. Going to NY and planning a visit to Smith Street. Also planning something on my forearm. Lastly, I am going to the bay area tattoo convention!!!! Oh yeah, before I do all this "tattoo" stuff, as my wife refers to it, I'll be looking forward to February. My wife is expecting our second (AND LAST) child. It's a boy and we are stoked!!!! Bring on 2012!!!!!!

So yesterday was interesting. By the time I started my back piece I'd been up for 30 hours working. But the lining is pretty much done. Here's the link to his blog: Panther vs Tiger in Progress – Stewart Robson The sparrows were a suggestion from @Stewart Robson and from the Amund Dietzel book and I think an excellent idea. Can't wait to get the lining finished and start on the shading :)

Here's a closer picture of my back.. The last ones I posted I now realize were reversed.

Wow, s/he reminds me of Hoyt's mother in True Blood.