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As far as tattooing goes, most Japanese, traditional style work is based on folk tales or religious/devotional stories or artwork. So Japanese stuff is a mix of Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto being Japan's 'Old religion'. Buddhism grew from a sect of Hinduism, in India. Many of the Buddhist tales involve long arduous journeys to spread the new religion to the people of the world, starting with Tibet, through China and it's surrounding countries, eventually to Japan. In India, Buddhism was mostly a small sect or cult but in China it took it's own flavour and was adapted to suit the climate, existing folk tales and myths. That version of Buddhism travelled to Japan and mixed with Shinto to evolve into it's own flavour of Japanese Buddhism. That's what we see in traditional Japanese tattoos. Many of the Japanese gods and mythical beasts have equivalent Chinese names, sometimes tattooers use the Chinese names. There are very few people working in a strict Japanese traditional style. Most tattooers, especially outside of Japan tend to work in a more broad 'Asian' style (although they focus on the japanese style). Taking elements and stylistic touches from traditional devotional artwork from across Asia. As @Kev already mentioned most of the decorated skull tattoos are based on real decorated skulls from Tibet, like the example above. There are also smaller, more cartoon-looking skulls that could be mistaken for sugar skulls. They are often used as decoration around ritual instruments or artwork. You may have seen Filip use them as decoration on a larger skull's decorated cap. Because other Asian countries don't have much history of decorative tattooing, it's not really possible to follow their example directly within tattooing. But the religious designs are awesome and people want large tattoos. That's why you find a mish-mash of broadly Asian influence wrapped in a mostly Japanese frame or background. The interesting this is, the more you delve into the histories and myths of various distant and unconnected cultures, you notice many of the same elements. Swastikas, winged spirits and pyramids are good basic examples. (As a side note: it was cool to stand in a temple in Japan and notice Borneo style tribal patterns on the panel frames). Jung called these 'Archetypes' (although this refers more to conceptual ideas and relationships, not graphic shapes) I call them 'fair game' for including in tattoos. It's my opinion that it's one of our jobs, as tattooers, to understand these elements to better apply them to tattoos and to guide the style and subject of our work more in line with historical or human tradition. Wether we admit our understanding or explain these archetypes to our clients is of no consequence. This is one of the many reasons I'd rather tattoo a witch/crone holding a twig instead of a gent holding a pipe. But that's another story. I don't want hippy clients asking me to channel their mystic history into their Celtic, Navaho, Saxon, Russian armband/finger tattoo. Nor do I want to stick an eye in a triangle on anything and everything. I tried to shed light on this, but I think I just muddied the water more...

You can probably tell what was the last area to be done, LOL.

Well, I can say getting my backpiece has made me think I don't have any other tattoos. It is physically and mentally the most challenging thing I have ever put myself through (tattoo wise). I chose my artist (Henning Jorgensen) because I admired his work, and because I was comfortable around him (I'm pretty shy). I just told him the basic idea, and obviously let him do whatever he wanted. I'm about 65 hours into it (It goes from neck to knees), and we started about 2 1/2 years ago. We should finish this year. Because of the traveling involved I have to sit all day. Even on bad days, when it is horrible from the first moment to the last moment.... I have a regimen that I go through to prepare for a session. Getting my body as healthy as I can (no booze, lots of healthy food, and sleep). It seems to be the only way that I can make it through all day sessions. As I've aged, I definitely have gotten to be a much worse sitter (at least in my mind.) But, you can do anything if you really want to. I tried taking a pain killer for the 2nd lining session (because the first one was so rough), and it made me so dizzy and nauseous, I decided I would rather deal with the pain. Now that we are getting closer and closer to the end, I feel very happy that I have gone through it. I feel like I've crossed into a new level of being tattooed. And, I feel like I really now can be justified in the pain I cause others (tattooing them), because I now have been tattooed over the majority of my body. It feels like I've been going through a right of passage getting it done. Moreso than any other tattoo. Healing has never been a problem, and I usually get on a plane across the ocean a day after getting worked on. Sometimes I'm bruised, sometimes a little scabby and a little limited in my mobility; but never overworked, and never had a problem with sticking to clothing or healing up really rough.

had a couple hours with derek noble yesterday. couple hours left and its finalllly done.

Stewart is more than ''so called''. some of us are a little harsh sometimes. Brutally honest maybe. I see so much weak lettering, I worked for the source of fine tattoo lettering for a lot of yrs, fonts are not where its at. Charlie and I where talkin on the phone, yeah ,a land line, the other night and we were discussing how it seems most don't understand that you have got to ''draw that lettering''. my advice to anyone, including to myself is,always work on the Art and the Craft. Oh yeah , My mom told me namecalling isnt nice.

I swear by a xanax to make me less stressed. A muscle relaxer to make me less tense. A antihistamine to make me less swollen. Anyone who wants me to 'earn' it can suck it.

Tibet is part of china I believe, and china is right beside japan pretty much..... There seems to be a lot of similarities in Japanese and Chinese folklore and art. I don't recall having seen any really old Japanese tattoos with Tibetan skulls. Maybe it's just a newer thing that people getting modern Japanese style tattoos are adding just because they like the image or meaning. Not everything in modern Jap style tattoos are technically supposed to be there according to Japanese art history.

And there it is. Tattooers like Stewart -- tattooers who have dedicated their lives to tattooing, gone about it the right way so as to pay respect to the trade and lineage of the craft, tattooers who are not only fantastic artists but know the ins and outs of their equipment, shit, tattooers that work in a shop -- pretty much have every right to be a dickhead to someone with an inflated ego scratchin outta their kitchen. Because we all see this shit every day. Do yourself a favor and put down the "gun," draw your ass off for the next couple of years, and maybe if you're able to learn a little humility (and also how to draw) in that time, you'll get lucky enough to get some tutelage with an apprenticeship, or at least get someone to point you in the right direction. Good luck.

I blame the availability of poor equipment.Anyone who has ever been told they drew a good picture picking up machines and setting up shop in their homes. The shop I work at is in the ghetto and there's a lot of "my dude do it for fifty'' Most of the time we tell them to beat it, except around the holidays when its dead. Ha. No we tell them to beat then too.

@cu-bu there are a couple pics of henning working on my back in frisco here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-101/1513-pix-sfo-convention.html he also has one from one of our sessions up on his instagram. not much of an exhibitionist myself, so, not really into posting or taking pics of myself.... @hogg thank you kindly for the kind words on my humble tattoos! and, yeah, I feel very lucky to have gotten so much work from Henning. He is quite a rad individual. I hope I can be as able and excited about tattooing after doing it as many years as him. Especially as he seems to constantly progress, and to balance his life so well.

You know what show I would watch religiously? "To Catch a Scratcher"- Follow a professional tattooer and a health department representative as they meet-up with Craigslist kitchen scratchers and expose them on live TV. Network producers- PM me for my billing information.

i have a heart and a knife making the stabbystabby (not the kind your parents made on the weekend when you went bike riding as a kid) I'll see if i can figure out how to get a picture of it [edit] i worked it out

Ok at the risk of sounding like a huge bitch i'm gonna post this anyways... As far as I know Scott and company started this site to promote good tattooing, and good tattooers. I've noticed lately in the members gallery there have been a lot of bad tattoos uploaded. Is this just going to turn into another tattoo photo gallery where anyone can post photos of every horrible tattoo they do, and then have people thinking that work is good because they saw it on a site that claims to promote only good tattooing? I feel bad when I log on and on the very first page there's awful tattoos being shown. Am I just a horrible person for thinking this or do others feel the same way? I feel like if I wanted to see average bad tattoos I could just do a google search or visit one of the numerous tattoo design websites. Is it wrong to have a moderator removing bad work at the risk of offending the person who uploaded it? We seem not to have a problem telling people in the forums when a tattoo is shit.

How to troll a dating website......

Hi all, My name is Matt. I'm Debra Yarian's oldest son- debyarian on here. Looking forward to taking part in this forum.

I work in a small community that is kept fed by a huge military base. Including the shop I work at there are 10 tattoo shops to service the area, 3 of which are reputable shops. The other seven have crappy artists and cheap prices. I'm sorry but I am not going to drop my prices to compete with licensed scratchers, the guys at the other reputable shops all agreed as well. So what happens is we try to send each other business whenever we are overflowing and they do the same. We all focus on doing every tattoo to the best of our ability so that the quality of our work on our worst days still kills the other shops. Whenever we do have someone saying that Joe Blow down the road will do it for cheaper, we refer them to our local wall of shame, it is a cork board that shows pics of tattoos that we have either had to cover or rework, a before and after. It helps to educate the public on what their "good deal" might look like.

Rex Kwan Do style:

Higgs is obviously a legend but the local legends of texas really influence me. tony hundahl, Jason Brooks, Oliver Peck, Richard Stell

I just read all this. It's a wind up, isn't it? How to price a tattoo and deal with customers is stuff you learn before you even learn how to make a stencil. However if this is serious, decide what the work is worth to you and if the other person doesn't think it's worth the same, that's ok, don't take it personal, maybe they're naive, maybe they're ignorant, or maybe they just can't afford it. If thgere is a sign on the door saying open for business, people are entitled to come in and try to do business. Having a sign prominentley displayed stating the shop minimum and some examples of what you can expect for that minimum is a big help, for the customer and for the person who is selling the tattoos. I don't want to insult ya by going any farther on this because I know you have been around a while. Also, I'm not on here to tell anyone how to run a tattoo shop so they can open one up. Most of the talk on here is art criticism, or how to heal up tattoos, what's in, what's out, who's cool, etc...and some of it is very interesting stuff, seriously. I will say that a lot of the more artistic people are in the ha'penny place compared to the scratchers when it comes to hustle and street smarts. If one man's niche is doin $20 tattoos ina basement and anothers is doing $200 an hour bodysuits, thats fine by me. It means there's a tattoo out there for everybody, and everyone can have a tattoo if they want one. And before anyone forgets........Mike Roper tattooed in his bedroom for years, Filip Leu tattooed on the beach, Paulo Sulu'ape tattooed in a hut, Freddie Corbin tattooed in his apartment. And many of the tattooers the people on here look up to started out in their kitchens. And many of them tattooed cheap, or for free. Yea, freee, swallow that one whole. For many of them, their first introduction to tattooing was getting tattooed by friends in their basements. So, before we go demonising the "scratchers", getting tattooed on the cheap in a basement, kitchen or garage is just as valid as getting tattooed in a longhouse in Borneo. It probably costs about the same, has similar sterilisation, and the lines are probably equally shakey. Not to mention the spiritual/cultural/rite of passage significance of a ghetto kid getting a ghetto tattoo in a ghetto tattoo shop. At a ghetto price. None of this is intended as a defence for idiots doing shit tattoos cheap or for arteests doing average tattoos at extortionate prices. It's just me saying that much as I can hustle, tattooing isn't a business for me, it's a practice and if I can pay my bills living this way, then that's a privilege and an honour. And a blessing. I'm grateful that I have a bit of talent and a bit of hustle. I take pride in my profession and I don't sell it short, especially not for money. I hate to not tattoo someone, but sometimes the tattoo they want isn't the tattoo they can afford, and I don't mean only in monetary terms, sometimes the persons ego is a bit big and they think they deserve more than the are entitled to. The same goes for the tattooers. Anyway, I'm sick of typing, it's not my thing.

My life is a weird happy delusional stage. Though once I end up in the shower with you, shaving your body hair, I'm going to stop taking medication and devote my life to Jesus, cause there's only so much I can take. Haha.

@jgoss1579 I don't think you need any more words of encouragement. Lots of people tell you you're awesome. I'm trying to be honest. I don't know a tattooer worth shit that's had 100% positive feedback. I can bet you I've had way more harsh things said to me than what I typed to you. Maybe you don't know it, but Shannon Shirley just handed you a golden nugget of information. I tattooed shitty lettering for years before I learned what he just said fairly recently. I still get shit for my lettering from the people I work with and are friends with. Here's my 'be nice' bit: You need to look at the way roses are in real life, not in an online tattoo folio, figure out how they fit together then figure out how to simplify that to be more tattooable. Try to figure out the rhythm and regularity of the way leaves grow up a rose stem, there's a pattern there. Figure out the way the veins spread across a rose leaf, then simplify that. If you were not tattooing in your kitchen, someone could tell you these things, give you examples and have you practice a few times in less than an hour. As you're on your own, it'll probably take you years. I know that because It took me years. Believe it or not, I'm nicer on the internet than I am in person. Particularly with people who want to tattoo. You usually need to get a tattoo from me before I'll give any advice at all. I don't think I'm a great tattooer and I'm not sure I'm 'recognised' but I try to do nice work. I've been fortunate enough to have been given advice that helped me grow from being totally shit to having people ask to get tattooed by me, in a shop where everyone turns out great tattoos every day. You should realise that the world of tattooing is pretty small, even though it's all over the TV and global. Tattooers all over the world know each other and visit each other, even outside of conventions. Threats on the internet are pretty retarded. You can guarantee I would have said the exact same thing to your face, but you'd know I wasn't just being a jerk to make you seem small. I was being honest. Something I'm reluctant to mention, because it's boring as fuck, is hygene. in 4 months, without any assistance, it's unlikely that you have even a grasp of cross contamination. I know it's possible to buy sterile equipment via the internet and that seems like you're 'safe' but cross contamination isn't about equipment being dirty. I know you're not going to stop attempting tattoos, people rarely do until they get good, or bored, but... If you're tattooing your wife/girlfriend/whatever as well as friends and strangers, do everyone a favour, learn and understand cross contamination. Otherwise you may as well all just have a bareback gangbang fisting party with every hooker and junkie anyone ever met.

The Tibetan skull is an indigenous part of Tibetan Buddhist imagery. Here's the real deal: Side note- as a Mexican, I don't really get the fixation on sugar skulls. Sure they're cool looking, but they're centered on a very specific, seasonal tradition. To me, it's like people getting Christmas trees 'cause they look sweet'. End of digression.

i feel ya. we have 8 other shops (!?!) within about a 5 block radius, so we deal with a ridiculous amount of "price shopping." it used to be hard for me to turn that work away, but over time it has become apparent that some people simply do not give a fuck about the quality of the tattoo and just want a bargain. a few learn the lesson, but many never do.

I watched Jack R and Brian Everett do portraits in a motel room about 20 yrs ago ,after a car show in Nor Cal,that made these peoples portraits look like they need to keep drawing.I remember in the middle of it all they asked me to run up the highway about 10 miles, in my custom 64' chopped and shaved Cadillac I built, to go and get more A&D from the gas station in, Buellton? No It was Santa Nella, ''Split Pea Anderson's''. An honor. Using the internet as reference still freaks me out.Most of the people I deal with lately can't figure out how usually,I don't use reference, I suck it out of thier heads and draw it on thier skin.

you could be the one to resurrect this style, you know the late 80's are going to be the new fashion rage

@jgoss1579 I hoped your photos were a joke or at least someone trolling. If you've had 100% positive feedback you're asking the wrong people. You need to stop tattooing in your kitchen. It's sad that a post like this can go a day without anybody saying anything, deleting the post or whatever.

@Ursula and everyone else who weighed-in, thanks for voicing up. In order to know what a good tattoo is VS a bad tattoo OR a bad tattoo VS a mediocre tattoo and so on, one must often see the difference. It's an open forum so this is part of it though we thought ahead, somewhat, and put some things in place... -Use the 'like' button because photos/tattoos that are most 'liked' rank higher and appear on the first pages. -Next, there is the comments section so leave feedback on both good, mediocre, and bad tattoos but be respectful. -Lastly, everyone starts somewhere in getting tattoos and more often than not we start getting bad tattoos first and it is not til we learn what a good tattoo is and/or someone offers constructive criticism that we realize I need to get better tattoos or some time passes and you take note its all bleeding together or its fading much faster than it should. This site is aimed at all interested in tattoos so all have the opportunity to learn and get better tattoos. Shit, I was in a shop topless the other day getting tattooed and I know when ever this happens around those who know tattoos I am going to get comments on my bad tattoos so I laugh with them while getting better tattoos.

I have also noticed many of these people uploading shitty work aren't even members who are participating in the forums or the blog sections so it makes me feel like they are just trying to post pics in hopes of getting customers, which kind of defeats the purpose of the website...

Fuck yeah! If I win I want my trip payed, hotel and food :) And some of them american whores.

I feel like it worse than ever,that's all. I think I'll approach WalMart, maybe they'll let me set up next to the hair salon.

@jgoss1579 My first tattoo was on myself. It's still there. I did ten versions on paper, each time fixing parts from the previous version, to get it as good as possible before I even set up a needle. It's not about how much effort you put in or how new you are or how stoked you are to be makin' tats. It's about how the tattoo looks.

I figured it was a modern thing too, us gringos seeing something 'asian' and saying well fuck it throw that in too. The Tibet being a part of China thing...that's a big ole can of worms

There is no fresh I advice because it's not a fresh problem. Any time in story that two people have been offering the same service in the same area, this has come up. I'm not a tattooer but I've had the same problems being a visual artist. Other people (and it's always people who claim to respect you love your work) copy your style or technique and do it poorly, then sell it for a quarter of the price. In the end the idiots who buy the poor quality work, if it's a tattoo or a carpet, will regret it. There is always a reason why one thing is more expensive then the other, often this reflects the quality or authenticity of the item. Not always, but often. I find it to be a little funny that you, Shannon, would post this though. I'm saying this because I recall you sending me an unsolicited private message one day with hints on how I could sell more artwork. Your idea was to sell my artwork for $25. Sorry dude but this sounds exactly like the person who wants a sleeve for $50.

nice words of encouragement dickhead.. its people like you that deserve to get punched right in the face, and if i were eye to eye with you..I damn sure would. If you dont like the pictures, then keep your comments to yourself, but dont bash them cuz you are a so called recognized artist..lol

I'm a liitle creeped out everytime Dave sez '' canvases''.........''It puts the lotion on.....''

I understand that.....and these smalltown tattooers seem so cut throat. If everyone didn't try and f#ck the next guy we all could grow a little. wow, what kinda of fantasy gibbrish was that?

OK..... My girlfriend....Shannan....has got me watching this crap now.I think the newest ones,last night.These people are all well above what you see coming out of your ''average '' middle America Tattoo shop. Although the prosthetic painting looked like crap to me.But,I stick with my earlier comments about TV producers. F@#in Vampires. They won't stop till they destroy all that is sacred.

I was lucky enough to convince Jill Bonny to do an Americana gypsy head a few years ago and she nailed it. I love the fact the she did some research and put some personalized touches in it. I couldn't imagine there being a bunch of Jill's girl heads walking around, so I thought you all might appreciate this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7G5MIpFui4

Have to have a part where the scratcher and the three hundred pound juggalo he was in the middle of carving 'sykopathetik' into try to pick a fight with everyone on the show. That's reality gold, even if it happens every time.

I didnt realize Jack Rudy is going to be on the show.....im going to keep watching for that alone.

Meeting on Thursday with realtor in attempt to be more proactive in this endeavor. So hopefully the next one doesn't slip away.

Dude FUCK ingrown hairs. I have no remedy for you... I have noticed that (without getting too intimate here) the longer the undergarments I wear, the better that whole situation tends to be down there.

Good evening folks, my name's Jesse Fowler, and I'm a tattoo artist currently working in Burlington, Vermont. I'm not exactly a novice, but not yet ready to call myself an old-timer. I am quietly celebrating twenty years of tattooing this summer, with a large portion of that time here in Vermont. I've experienced a wide range of tattoo and work/shop styles over the years, and that has given me a huge range of artistic styles to work in. I don't think I have met a style of ink that I don't enjoy working in, and I probably never will. Black, grey, color, traditional, Japanese, new-school, even "tribal" - they all have a place as long as folks want them in their skin. I have been leaning towards making the work that I do more like a painting than more traditional tattoos, but always remembering to bring the aesthetic of those old pieces along. I want the ink that I give to my clients to be as solid in twenty years as it is the day they leave my shop. Now and then I get to see some of the work that I had done that long ago, and it certainly shows when I was following that rule - and when I wasn't. I love this craft, and I hope to see it at least as healthy and vibrant when my time is done as it was when I entered. I am looking to online community sites such as this one, to find more ways to not only promote and share my work, but also to become more involved in the larger community of artists and collectors - the popularity of tattooing right now poses as much of a threat to our craft as it offers opportunity. I'm looking forward to seeing how this site works, and hopefully connecting with more fellow artists out there. Sincerely, Jesse Fowler Vermont Custom Tattoo - Burlington, Vermont

That's because your old mate makes his opinions based on the internet and tv shows, not the real world. He obviously has never seen Oliver take walk-ins all day and totally nail every single tattoo drawing, regardless of style in less than 15 minutes. Then execute every tattoo, regardless of style, cleanly, quickly and accurately without rock star attitude. Just to make this clear, Oliver manages to give walk-in customers what they want and make a great tattoo that he can be happy with and other tattooers will appreciate. Think about that for a minute... walk-in customers who don't give a shit who he is... and just want a tattoo they can like.... great tattoos... It's a rare talent among tattooers and even more rare among 'artists' who make tattoos. Making great tattoos, making customers happy and having a great time while being so fucking cool to everyone else in the room and helping tattooers less experienced than him, yeah, fuck that guy. I'd hate for the guy who does my awesome tattoo to have a toothpick, like ewwww, gross, totally not cool.

I think the dislike is kinda harsh for voting down someone's own tattoos. If it's an artist uploading their work, that's one thing, but LST doesn't currently differentiate between artists and collectors.

I admit, I uploaded one of one I'm not happy with and know it's shit quality, but only to post in the tattoo removal subforum. I'd be more than happy to take it down though.

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.

i guess my lady has weighed in on this but i got tattooed at fourteen by aaron cain in his bedroom sitting on a couch hung over as hell and my life rules.... fuck with out that pivotal moment who knows what my life would be like..as for my mom she tried to stab me with a pair of scissors she was holding at the time. so she was not happy. as for my kids if they were close to 18 and relatively sane and wanted something timeless i would do it. i would not let them get a pig head with a rose in its mouth and sunglasses on like i did..haha. i think this is my life and families way of being, financially and spiritually. i mean thats what i do and who i am, they are a part of the pack. if they want it i would do it for sure.