Leaderboard

You added 2+2 and made 7. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory but it won't make a difference to the texture of your skin under normal circumstances. It's good for: • Reducing swelling on areas prone to swelling during the healing process, particularly near joints. (note, hands and feet often swell more than other areas but consider the number of joints in those areas. Apply 'reefer' jokes to taste) • For particularly painful areas I use it before getting tattooed. I didn't notice any difference on my arms, thighs or stomach etc. But did notice it helped me avoid the panic, allowing me to relax more during getting the sides of my ribcage tattooed. Still, nothing helps pain management more than relaxation and breathing techniques. Seriously. Before getting tattooed, eat a light-ish meal (sandwich or something), the night before try to get a good amount of sleep, drink plenty of water, relax, sit still, shut up and get tattooed. It's pretty easy. Because I'm a pussy I have a glucose drink with me, taking sips every 30-60 minutes or so. Any stuff you've heard or read about people taking this-or-that concoction of pills, or drinks or whatever. They are usually heavily tattooed people who are totally bored of getting hurt and sitting through the boring bit of getting tattooed. So they'll try anything. Once you get over 100 hours of tattooing on your body, a little of the exotic shine and excitement kinda wears off the experience. They get tattooed for the end result, not the experience. If you still have 50-80% of your body free from tattoos, you can be considered fairly tattooed but there's a good chance you'll be stoked to be in the tattoo chair/bench/whatever. It's interesting to look around the shop and check stuff out, to watch a little of the process and to be privy to the whole atmosphere that makes a tattoo shop one of the coolest places in the world, to be part of it and contribute by getting a tattoo. So sit still, shut up and enjoy it.

I know we talk a lot about how photo-realistic/ non-outlined tattoos won't hold up, but does anyone have any pics to show that? I saw pics of realistic/ no outline stuff in tattoo mags from the late 80's-through 90's, so we're talking about stuff out there that's had at least 20 years to age. More a matter of curiosity.

planning to start on my back next fall, Tibetan style, kicking around ideas still. In my dreams, with unlimited time and money, I'd move to NYC for a while and have it done by Yoni Z at NY Adorned. Reality is that I'll have it done here in LA (which is pretty good too :)).

Sweet so you're saying all these tattoos make the ladies want my milkshake. All the girls on the playground are going to want a peice of me.

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.

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.

If you do decide you want to use pain relieving ointment (which won't help at all with the sitting still/twitching thing, by the way) please check with your tattooer. Some don't mind, some don't like it. It changes the texture of the skin and sometimes we have to work slightly differently. On some skin types or areas, it can make the skin puffy or spongy, therefore more difficult to make clean lines, smooth shading and solid colour. As with most things, it's better to ask your tattooer, either directly or by calling the shop. ...or you could ask faceless strangers (who won't be held accountable, should problems arise) on the internet...

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

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.

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!!!!!!

i dont have any photos but ive seen some stuff close to that old that looked both terrible and great. at this point its still a 50 50 chance. i would def like to see some conclusive evidence in either direction. ive always thought that no matter the tattoo when you get old your old and your work will show its age in one way or form. i used to work for bruce kaplan and i saw some single neddle work that was 15-20 years old that was holding up pretty fair considering lining and shading were done with said single needle

getting tattooed by chad koeplinger in february, thats the only thing that's set in stone. I always try and keep money to the side in case frith street tattoo have any cancellations or guest spots that crop up!

I take the wrap off once I get home. Wash the tattoo with hot water and soap until it stops weeping and then I wash it twice a day after that. I don't put anything on it at all. My tattoos all look as bright and colourful as the day I got them. Although my oldest is only just under 4 years old

If Stell is not working for you how about this guy? Austin is only a little bit further. Tony Hundahl's Photos | Facebook

The back! The back!

dry wrap. no lotion and i didnt dry the tattoo out fully before wrapping either. wasnt too sweaty, i'm in scotland, its winter ... I only stopped wrapping when the tape started ripping into my skin , the tattoo is healed now but the tape marks are not ... I dont think moisture is bad - the theory is that wet healing reduces scabs , dry healing encourages them. most hospitals encourage wet healing of wounds as it reduces scarring, same idea. Main thing you need to be wary of is heat + plastic wrap is a great place for bacteria to thrive so change it often and keep it clean ...

It screened on ITV called the fight of their lives .

Just saw the Fincher version of 'The girl with the dragon tattoo'. Pretty good adaption, if you ask me - although I'm not sure the swedish original really needed to be re-made. A fair bit has been made in reviews about the differences between the two movies ... IMO the similarities far outweigh the differences. Very visually slick and I liked the opening credits - very Bondesque and the Trent Rezner (sp?) version of 'Immigrant song' is awesome.

i remember during the full length of my apprenticeship i had to draw pretty much all designs for the shop i was at, so that got me up to speed on the basics of initials, tribal, traditional and japanese style stuff, none of it awesome by any stretch of the imagination but it helped me understand reference and how to use it

I think a lot of this also stems from new artists not having a proper apprenticeship. Where drawing is a huge part of it. I have a friend that is an apprentice and one day they were told by the end of the week (had the full week to do it plus all the other duties they had) to draw and complete 200 completely different Koi designs to be inspected upon completion. This sort of training makes the apprentice know how to draw an image or alter one that a client brings in so that they can make it their own and not a direct copy.

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...

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!

What bugs me when people poach is it hurts the rest of us. I enjoyed looking at Valerie's blog and seeing her work evolve. Sometime ago the entries slowed and I understand why. You aren't original if you want someone else's EXACT tattoo or if you trace it and apply it to someone else.

Make an apt with @Stewart Robson and do a road trip then share it with us! I know many LSTers, my self included, would be very stoked to watch a big tattoo by him be shared with LST. As you saw from his blog he sometimes shows progress of his larger tattoos and it's fun to watch unfold. In my opinion, Japanese and traditional tattoos look the very best years later AS LONG AS it is done by a good tattooer. I think they look even better aged than when brand new. The key component is finding a good tattooer after that everything else works itself out...... As for color portraits, not a fan of them though have seen a few yes a few good ones years later.

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.

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

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.

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.

i do like the sound of tattoo predator

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 saw the first image and was just about to go get the Vargas image, but you were one step ahead of me. It's actually fascinating that these people can't even rip-off well. The wolf's nose shows that he can't quite nail the perspective, but most importantly the execution of the brows gives it a completely different tone. In the Vargas tattoo the wolf is dead-eyed but serious, and the girl is thoughtful and focussed. In the Kmyta tattoo, the brown makes the wolf look sad and slightly animated, whilst the girl looks just blank and dolly-bird like. I'm probably analysing it too much, but as a non-artist it is fascinating how the small nuances create a completely different subject. I'll say one thing in his favour - he obviously knows his limits, judging by his choice for ear-rings.

Friday 13th Jan 2001- Stefano C -Lucky 13 Cat Jan-Feb Stewart Robson doing Japanese infills on my right arm End of Jan El Monga- Devils head inner bicep. March Duncan X- Female with cloven hoofs April - Daniel Albrigo, finishing my Cosmic Skull on my abdomen April Friday 13th another 13 tattoo (undecided) I'm hoping to get another one from Mario Desa & Chad Koeplinger as well In 2012 My wifes got work booked in with. Stewart Robson, Oliver Mackintosh, Lucy Prior, Crispy Lennox & Lianne Moule. Next year looking quite busy.

I dig this a lot. We are all people with a common interest and like sharing experiences thru this site. I get just as much of a kick talking to someone who looking for a first tattoo or a tattooer I admire. When it comes down to it we are all just people with our own interests. I could give a shit about people opinions on my tattoos. If you like it, great! If you dont, nod your head and move on... we dont need a system for making people think they got a shitty tattoo. This isnt Inkmasters, its an awesome tattoo community.

Oliver Peck is one of the hosts and I guarantee he's not a corporate asshole just in it for the money. Go watch his interview and then come talk shit. I don't know anything about the show really, and I probably won't watch it as I don't watch t.v. at all really. Also there's already a thread about this which I'm to lazy to find and post the link to.

somethings can't be lasered away, i wonder if he goes to used cd stores to buy his old albums so he can burn them to keep his kids from hearing it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eSN8Cwit_s

at some point everyone here is going to feel butthurt about a tattoo they have. :D

So a few months ago I started noticing this weird hipster trend of posting photos of oneself with a nosebleed. It was all over the social networking sites. Just random bleeding hipsters. I thought it might be a cocaine reference, but it turned out that hipsters are just fucking stupid.

fixed.

Yeah, hmm thats just truth. She trolls on Yahoo answers, don't pay her any mind. Also, don't go to yahoo answers for tattoo help.

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

This one is mine, Panther Reaper from Grimey..