Leaderboard

Shopping on price is a massive mistake IMHO. Tattooing is like anything else you buy and quality comes at a price. My advice for what its worth. Look at the gallery, there's some great tattoos on there. Find an idea or design you like. Find a good artist. Im sure there are some great tattoo shops in San Diego (I'm from the UK so I can't recomend any). Get a quote pay a deposit and set a date. If you need to save some money set a date months away and start saving.

@Blank I would keep refining what you want and save more money. I think the tattooer and you will be happier, you will get what you want and he wont have to be confined to your smallish budget allowing him to put down a more visually pleasing tattoo.

here's some pix of my sleeve from Marcus Kuhn...

@hogg, He's not coming to London, I'm going 'over there'. There has been no online announcements or conversations because they often cause trouble, or at least a good luggage search/interrogation.

you could get a $200 tattoo on your shoulder and have something that looks good but it may not fit your requirements or expectations regarding size and the need to include a cover up in the tattoo. if $200 is what you've got to spend then maybe focus on getting a different tattoo and save the coverup. that old tattoo ain't goin nowhere so it can be covered later on.

1. yes it is more difficult, especially if the original tattoo is black or another dark colour. The tattooer you end up choosing will be able to advise you on the cover-up-ability of the tattoo you have. 2. It sounds like the guy you're referring to is an asshole. Designing custom artwork for clients is one of the main parts of being a tattooer. It's not totally out of control to ask for a deposit on large artwork (for example a back piece). This is so that when you never come back they won't have wasted their week designing your large scale tattoo. Any tattooer worth a shit should have zero problem designing your tattoo. If they aren't super busy it's not unreasonable for them to have a drawing to show you within a week or so. Like I said they may want a deposit of usually $40-60 which should go towards to the total cost of the tattoo. I do not recommend having a non-tattooer design your tattoo. They don't know what will work and what won't, especially with a cover up. 3. Generally tattoos on arms and legs cost less than having the same design done of the chest, stomach or ribs. This is because it ends up taking longer due to the tricky area and generally the pain level is a lot higher and causes the client to want more breaks. Sounds like you're thinking of your shoulder though so it should be a fairly easy area to tattoo. As far as a realistic eagle vs. and old school one, both can be done quickly, and both can be dragged out into super long sessions. It's really hard to say without looking at an actual drawing, but you are correct, the bigger and more detail, the longer and more expensive. 4. At the shops I am familiar with, $200 with get you about a palm sized tattoo, maybe a little larger. What you are describing would fit into that budget or close to it, that is assuming you don't have gigantic biceps and the tattoo getting covered is fairly small. Keep in mind when covering a tattoo you will have to get a much larger one over top. So look at your tattoo and then imagine one 2-3 times the size to cover it. My advise since you live in California is to check out the LST Preferred Professionals list. There are sooooo many amazing, and I really mean amazing, tattooers in Cali. Pick out some that you like and go visit their shop, chat with whoever's there about the tattoo you want and see what they think. Ask them for a quote and be up front about your budget so they know what you're working with. There will be a moment when you go into a shop and realize that 'this is the place' and 'that's the tattooer'. Here's a link to the Preferred Vendor list I mentioned : http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/member-referrals/43-lst-preferred-tattoo-professionals.html Also I'm sure that the guys who run the site would always be happy to help you out, they can be found at BlackHeart Tattoo in San Francisco

I couldn't stick to the same tattooer or tattooers as I'm a complete tattoo slut.

Welcome to LST and the advice of taking your time and getting good tattoos is a damn good suggestion especially if you plan on tattooing as mentioned in many of the interviews here

Grime just posted this Oni Vs. Panther pic on the Black Claw facebook page and I can't stop staring at it. Check out his facebook page here: BlackClaw | Facebook

Man, I wish all the people I tattooed valued my opinion over theirs. Trying to politely convince someone that their tattoo is a bad idea when they are dead set on it can be pretty draining...

Chances are that your computer was rotating it for you when you viewed it locally, but the file was actually sideways. The site doesn't care how big your files are as it re-sizes them when they're uploaded. If they're ultra-huge, the upload may timeout, but that's probly the only limit there.. Cheers

I would say wait and save your money. I am really happy that I waited till I had an "unlimited" budget so that money didn't ended up effecting the end product even if it was just down to a smaller design. In the end it is permanent and you don't want to do a cover up on cover up!

I have a guy in mind that I'm trying to get to do my back once the laser is done. When/if he commits I'll post it up. Super excited if he does!!

Thanks. I feel very lucky to be here. Speaking of tattooers traveling through, I got this from Ron Henry Wells the other day

I was 15 I think; I was coming back from my HS Graduation and asked my folks if I could get a tattoo as a present. They said yes and we stopped at a shop in Savannah, Georgia where I got tattooed by a scary biker chick named Darnell. My mom lied and said I was 16 since that was the minimum age Darnell would tattoo. I had doodled this little sun that ended up looking nothing like what she tattooed on me. I'll look for pictures (it's since been covered up by Josh Hoffman) but man... it was AWFUL. She did it with a single needle, but some of the lines blew out so much that they were easily 1/8" wider than other parts of the tattoo. I was nervous, so she gave me booze to sip. Then tattooed my brother with the same needle setup because "you two are family".

I did forget to mention who I was tattooed by... Paulino origionally from Milan (now Rising Dragon NYC) Regino Gonzalez (multiple) and in a few weeks, our own @Stewart Robson I know I have a very short list now but thanks to LST I have a too many artist to book in the future!

Since its the year of the dragon and dragons are bad ass lets see some dragons. Dragons you own or dragons you like, Post them up. I own these two. Thigh piece is from Shige, Yellow Blaze Japan and the dragon and sword is from Dean Sacred, Sacred Tattoo New Zealand.

tilt at new life tattoo in champaign, il

Maybe I just need to incorporate my existing tattoo in to a new. Kind of build around what is already there instead of covering it up.

This one has been posted here before but damnnn, this is so good. Mike Roper

haha jon welcome and I too have a plan to be covered in tattoos before i have one visible. I see myself having full back, thigh,torso and upper arms covered before i get a visible. why dont you upload your tattoos into your gallery so we can see your work again welcome aboard good to have you

I thought a Drake was a male duck. This fucker sounds more like a male chicken.

Just got something from Zach Nelligan and my boyfriend got something from Civ at the Salt Lake City convention. I'll post pictures later!

Tom Waits's Blue Valentines also has a tattoo reference in it although it's not a song about tattoos. "The ghost of your memory... the tattoo broken promise I gotta hide beneath my sleeve"

Well I stick and poked a shitty rune on my arm in high school, my friend did the band "emperor" E logo on his arm, so this was the 90ds so I did the rune often seen on burzum albums. Young dumb metal head, my tattoo feel out (mostly) still it got covered up(what was left of it). Then tattoos became legal a few years later. My wife who was my girlfriend at the time went to the tattoo shop and got a baphomet from a cross eyed biker in Worcester...because i was not to be out done my my wife I went to get a OM MANI PADME HUM. Still looks nice but its become a college kid cliche I keep it because my wife got it too. Hell that time was all about LSD and spirituality so sue me.

Oy vey. Save your money.

Hahaha I love this post.

more dragons from artists I admire.

Good advice. I don't plan to try to haggle the artist. I want quality over quantity, so I'd prefer a superior smaller tattoo over a larger crappy one.

Haha see you there! :)

@Avery Taylor Deposit paid & booked in for April 6th.

There is actually a blog entry that was started by Mario Desa that a lot of people have added their lists to! Here is the link...... Who Has Tattooed You It's pretty interesting....at least to me!

Taz (hubby) was talking on the phone with Todd Noble last night so it looks like next weekend we will be heading out to Black Cobra Tattoo and I will add a piece from Todd! I was not expecting this one but the way the weather has been (knock on wood) we were thinking a trip to the beach to just hang out would be nice and Todd is right on the way....ha ha ha! I have no clue what i will get.....probably whatever he wants to do!

I have a left-field contribution: "Johnsburg, Illinois" by Tom Waits. At about a minute and a half, t's one of the shortest songs around, but I've always loved it. I sing it to my daughter often. http://youtu.be/azD2Q5FudBE Here are the lyrics (with the tattoo reference in bold): She's my only true love, she's all that I think of Look here in my wallet, that's her She grew up on a farm there, there's a place on my arm where I've written her name next to mine See I just can't live without her, and I'm her only boy She grew up outside McHenry in Johnsburg, Illinois Makes me wonder who did Tom's tattoos:

So one of my Brothers was getting divorced, and as part of the settlement, he had to pay his ex $200 to get his name, which she had tattooed on her shoulderblade, covered up. No big deal. He gave her the money, they got divorced, all is well. A few months later, we see her at a party, and she asks do we want to see the cover-up? Sure! Instead of covering his name, she had gotten a tattoo of a dog with it's leg lifted alongside it, pissing over it. One of the best tats I've ever seen!

got another bit of Spider Murphy flash from the apprentice in the shop where i work. not the greatest photo, but it gets the point across. photo and tattoo by Jon Probasco.

I go to the artists I do because they know better than I do and I value their opinion over mine where tattoos and art are concerned. This tattoo was a bad idea for all involved.

tattooed on my calf by Mike Schweigert on my 18th birthday at Electric Tattoo, Bradley Beach NJ

My first tattoo story isn't anywhere as amazing as the gentleman I tattooed yesterday. This is his first tattoo , done 32 years ago by Capt. Jack Collidge in New Jersey and it's still amazing today.

david bruehl

My eagle tattoo lined by Randi Baccheiga & shading and color added by Ernie Carafa

This was done at the opening of Todd Noble's shop Right Coast Tattoo

IMO, I think that whether it's a dorje, rock of ages, Om mani padme mantra, or Quetzalcoatl, it's all iconography. Which can translate well beyond the boundries of the faith it's associated with.

Art Forms in Nature « Hoopers Electric – Meditations in Atrament Here's a set of photos of my just-about-finished sleeve from Thomas Hooper.

Jason Kundell Tattooland booth Chris Brand tattooing LSTs own Stewart Robson tattooing Junii Salmon Mike Giant Thomas Hooper tattooing Jondix tattooing With Thomas getting ready to add on the last day Hooper Mani Mantra tattoo Jondix tattooing me :D Anderson Luna tattooing my Wife Me, Jondix and Thomas Hooper I'm already looking forward to next year!!!

Its great to see other media forms doing their homework and utilising more tattooed subjects . The first example of a Marvel hero being tattooed occured in the Pacific Overlords with the appearance of Kayama Inouye aka Irezumi . Sega went straight to the source for the Yakuza game series and utilised the enormous talents of Horitomo . And most recently Dr Lakra has exhibited pieces tattooed with his black and grey flavour .