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You'd get more luck asking at the places where an apprenticeship could happen. Hint: it's not the internet. But first, you need to get tattooed. I guess that means you need to wait. My honest no-bullshit advice would be to get a real job first. You'll learn more about people, money, hard work and responsibility there than at a 'Tattoo Academy'. That 'Tattoo Academy' just swindled a chunk of money from a child. I'm sorry, but you wasted your time there. Good Luck.

I'm stealing these from a friend on facebook, too good not to post here.. They are on his granddad who got them from Paul Rogers and R.L. Connelly (not sure who did which) sometime between 1952-53 in Jacksonville, NC. This is after 50 years of working in construction.

Hey Doug, welcome to LST. There are heaps of great resources here to check out and to soak up if that's your goal. Check out the newbie guideline section and do a search for anything that interests you :) First of all, I'm not a tattooer. I do have the privilege of knowing some amazing ones, and of having learnt a lot from them, this great site and other places. If they where answering the question, I'm sure they'd say - draw & listen. Your still young so spend the next few years drawing your ass off, maybe TAFE or Uni for art, and once your old enough find a great tattooer who's stuff you like and go and start getting tattooed by them. DON'T go to a scratcher or let some friends do it. Think ahead, work out your plan and then attack it. Get reference books and build your library - both tattoo and non-tattoo related and study your ass off. Once you've started getting some sweet tat-zaps (sorry small joke) from your soon to be mentor (they won't know this yet) start making yourself indispensable around the shop and show them that you have a real and honest desire to learn the craft, respect it and above all give as much as you can back to it. "If you look after tattooing, tattooing will look after you". Plus by this stage with hard work your drawing and painting will be off the hook and they won't be able to say no to you. And check out Scott's interviews, you'll learn a lot from them ;) One question - WTF is the Australian Tattoo Academy? And why does the thought of it scare me?.. I'm kinda glad I got in before you potentially got roasted (not supposed to ask about apprenticeships etc... but you asked for advice, not for one I guess) The fact that your 16 and trying to get your hustle on I had to respect, so I hope this helps and I hope some actual tattooers will chime in and give you some sage advice.

Just got an appt with Scott Sylvia monday before convention

I thought this belonged here as a great example of negative space. I also like how one arm has the star and dot filler vs. the other non filled. I think the non-filled arm is much stronger:

That is a sweet piece!

was this the abridged version?

Finally got started on my sleeve of science: Sleeve of Science

Ladies and Gentlemen, let's see what I can light I can shed here without going into specifics about anyone ;) First - I should say it's not as bad as the media makes it out to be (funny that?) However, there has been an increase recently in shit popping off between certain M/C's and the use of handguns which makes it a lot more high profile (We have pretty stringent guns laws, but that's a whole other story that I can explain later) The M/C's don't have a lock down on shops. You can be independent and remain relatively hassle free (everyone has some hassles in life ;) ), and it's usually the better shops that choose to go the indie route. They are tattooers who want to tattoo. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure members or associates would frequent these establishments also, but they aren't club shops. What it is, is that there is currently a bit of turmoil going on within and between certain clubs (patching over, women the usual issues etc) and associated businesses are being targeted (and the po po, I'll see what stuff I can find and upload). Funny thing is though, the footage of the Gyms' and what not that have been shot/blown up are hardly shown as I'm thinking it doesn't help with ratings? I'll find a link for you guys later to check out a program that aired recently on whats been going down. NSW government have or are passing laws which makes it illegal for members or associates of a M/C to own a tattoo shop (amongst other things) This is really quick and brief and I will go into a lot more detail later when I can, with links :) In summary - not as bad as what you hear, we're still cool.

i'm 34 and if you want something bad enough you will make the sacrifice, maybe have to be some ones bitch.. and as a career graffiti writer i can tell you nothing has happened to that scene remotely close to tattooing. graffiti isnt or ever will be about a dollar. edit when i say career writer it isnt be cause thats what i did for money, its because i dedicated every day all around the country for over 15 years to nothing but that.

is it rude to just flat out say... fuck this bullshit?!

This is a picture of me getting tattooed in Chicago last week. This is one of the strangest and most uncomfortable positions to get tattooed but seems to be the most effective to get your inner upper thigh tattooed. Thanks to Gilly Smash @ Family Tattoo for being such a good sport as it is a pain near the ass (among other things) spot.

This is the exact reason I stopped being so descriptive with posts on my blog. I'm not trying to fish for hits from people who will print my photos, I'm trying to show my work to people who want to get tattooed.

I driving 250 miles to Cincinnati to get my first tattoo from Kore Flatmo in September.

@Maximalion - this is nothing compared to the HA's v RM in the 90's, now that was a war! @Amok - Not sure how much I can really say on it... it is still recent history and not being from the city of sin, I have no idea what is happening/what happened in relation to it so it may have to wait for another time. Sorry homie ;) @Dan S - the Highway 61 stuff is actually pretty damn interesting, but it may have to be in a PM. That shit is local to me on a number of levels lol. As I mentioned earlier it isn't that bad, or no worse than usual? In saying that, other members of society might have a different view/argument but it's only because they are now more aware of it because of the coverage. And I guess where I grew up and who I grew up with has given me a slightly different view point. It has a lot to do with the gun crime associated with it. After the Port Arthur Massacre, all auto & semi automatic weapons where banned, handguns no longer can be owned by private citizens (citation needed) and other laws surrounding firearms where tightened. Most of the incidents have involved handguns and semi autos so that's big news. Also these younger guys have none of the 'old codes' so innocents have been getting caught in the crossfire and people are rightly pissed about it. Back in the day it was pretty bad. No, you couldn't just open a shop and you had to have some sort of affiliation to be protected/left alone. Pretty much like most places I guess, Then (and I don't know how or why) Things changed and shops started to pop up that weren't biker controlled and everyone was happy. You still had your spots outside of capital cities (and inside to be fair) that where club controlled - place I grew up for example was where Old Rebels came to retire (ie. set up meth labs lol) and the only shops around where associated. Only now has that started to change. (it takes awhile to catch up out that way) In recent years however, especially in Sydney, new groups have popped up, organisations looking to get other income streams/ways to launder money have turned to the old ways and shit has been getting a little hectic. There has been a few incidents locally (Brisbane) but in my view nothing really out of the ordinary and nothing really, really bad. Gold Coast has had some shit go down though lol. Mind you, I don't really like the place so eh. And Adelaide has had shit brewing for a few years (you don't touch another brothers old lady is all I'll say) And then the normal territorial and supply disputes. I'm going to ask some friends who are a lot more knowledgeable on the subject, and if it works out I might try and set up an interview and report back. Please note, I'm no expert, I have some knowledge and I have really only scratched the surface on some of the issues. Lets see how it all pans out over the next few months/years ;)

Horiyasu:

this is pretty much what i'd like to get around my wrist

Has anyone seen these designs Classic Nintendo Characters As Japanese Woodblock Prints and here Jed Henry Illustration I'd loooove to see these in tattoo form.

I love that the panther, while awesome, might not even be the best tattoo that Iwar got in June! Congrats, my friend.

Imagery is imagery, and if you dig it, you can wear it. That even goes for shit-ass-loser-neo-nazi's. There truly is no exception. You are allowed to get just about any tattoo you want. Albeit, I reserve the right to make fun of you if you have no idea who the hell Fudo-Myoo is, even though you're wearing a sleeve from Rubendall.

I giggled Yorkshireman has 15 Miley Cyrus tattoos | The Sun |News

I work as an engineering consultant. It's a small company and very flexible, do-it-yourself. Everyone knows how covered I am and if it is the end of day in the summer and I wear a t-shirt it is no big deal. I always wear long sleeves when I meet with clients or am on a work site. I don't need "sweet tatts brah", "what is the deep meaning behind your tattoo" or "what are you going to do when you are older" distracting from whatever the focus is. Believe me, adults, have a hard enough time staying focused in a meeting, nevermind me rolling up sleeves to really take their ADD for a shred. On the flip side, if I am doing industrial type projects and I am meeting with contractor/trades types I'll flash some skin. You'd be surprised how much goodwill that can bring when the rough-and-tough contractor realizes that you are not a square, engineer-with-a-pocket-protector type.

Obviously, some stuff will not get shared. What made things really interesting, is that during the war (no idea what it's like now, I left Montreal over 10 years ago), no one wore colours. So, when talking to someone, you didn't know if he was a member (and if so, of what club), an associate, or just some lawyer/doctor type (remember, this is the mid-late 90s, when H-Ds started getting real popular with the "lifestyle" crowd). Of course, you knew some of the players. There were the occasional tense moments, like when a well-known high-up of one club walked into the big dealership I was working in at the time...Then left...Then 10 minutes later, some high-ups from their rival club came in. Could have gotten ugly by 10 minutes, there! There was also another shop I worked at where a certain club wanted the franchise associated with the name the owners were getting...but the owners who were establishing it were members of...er...let's say an Italian...family. There had to be sit-downs, etc...There were 6 owners for that shop, with names like "Big Joey" and "Little Joey", etc... Then I moved to the Wet Coast, and saw colours everywhere. Went to a swap meet put on by the R&W (they are the only big players here, AFAIK), and saw them all in full colours. Kept looking over my shoulder. My boss was wondering what was wrong with me, then realized I was from Quebec, and looking for bullets to fly! I also had a coworker out here who was also from Quebec, and worked at a known club shop in Montreal back in the day. He saw his business partner get blown away right in front of him. They just walked in the shop, put the gun to his head, and blew him away. After that, he worked with a shotgun under his work bench. Personally, my relationship with all those guys is "Hi, how are you doing." Shake their hand, listen to bike problems, but their business is their business. I prefer to remain friendly without being involved.

since i use wordpress for my blog, i can see which search terms have brought people to my blog. traditional tattoos or tattoo flash are usually really high on the list.

My friend and I were looking over Google Analytics and noticed there was a huge surge in the search term "Traditional Tattoo" in February of this year, especially in Australia and New Zealand. I expect to see more of this soon...

@MadeIndelible - oh they're appreciated ;) And I completely appreciate the amazement factor as well. Something about a well executed suit that just has some special magic. I'm thinking about heading over in September... I've sussed some cheap flights but will still have to see about funds. I'm getting itchy though I can tell you!

@Duffa , I'm amazed by the tattoos I have been seeing lately. Glad to see my posts are appreciated. When's your next trip to Japan?

I always buy stuff thinking "I could sell that or trade it later..." Then I get home and listen to it and say "Fuck this, you are mine forever." I had a lot of stuff up on deadformat.net a few years ago, but stopped keeping track of what I bought. Ive got some great Neil Diamond stuff. *If anyone has any Sheer Terror records and are looking to get rid of 'em I will buy.

I saw on Grant Cobb's Instagram that you may come by Liberty on the 13th and get tattooed by him. My wife and I will be there that day getting tattooed by Matt. I wanted to get tattooed by Grant but we have had these appointments scheduled for too long to cancel. I met Grant a couple of months ago at Spotlight, and he definitely falls into the category of people I like and would like to get tattooed by.

too long to read... someone please paraphrase...

I woke up too early, so lack of sleep reminds me of "Fight Club", which reminds me of this scene:

I think it is a product of culture(s) today. Many of us (I'm as much to blame as anyone), use Google to figure out what ailment we have, use Yelp to figure out what restaurant to eat at, use Amazon reviews to figure out which pair of headphones is best. There is no problem with word of mouth, but there becomes a point when people no longer use their intuition and best judgement to make decisions, and instead opt for the majority rule. We no longer let ourselves experience anything. Unfortunately, Orwell's and Huxley's premonitions are starting to render themselves true.

This guy... :rolleyes:

Rocks and water and dragonflies :) and more of those flowers, they look incredible. Nice piece.

Sorry, not letting me edit... How about a qilin/kirin? They are a flying magical dragon/horse/unicorn thing all mushed together.

Billy Hay has started to do some awesome Japanese work. Its lovely

Hey Folks: I am starting a leg sleeve (s) with Stuart Cripwell. I am getting tattoo about once about every other week and you can see what we have done so far below. For the first few pieces, I just picked stuff I liked and had it tattooed in spots I thought would fit my body well. Now, I still pick out the piece but Stuart outlines the negative space [ex: the empty slot of skin between two tattoos] on tracing paper. He then draws the piece, adding and taking away, so that it fits in the outline. Best, Dellwood P.S. I am in the market for good set of kneecap tattoos ideas. I know there is a thread on this but was hoping for some more suggestions taking into consideration negative space, traditional style tattoos. I have been looking at Spider Webb's books of traditional American body suits and the knees are always hard to make out. From what I can see, though, it seems like suns, nautical stars/hexes, spider webs, and elephant heads were pretty common.

You want honesty? That's nothing I'd want on my hand.

Looks fine to me, now its time to fill up the rest of your arms.

well...this is bound to turn into a huge mess. but, here's my take. i think we all "appropriate" things, especially those of us who follow "traditional" tattooing. by its nature, traditional or classic tattooing follows a certain code, look, and rules. we follow a lineage. most of the designs have been passed on to us through that lineage and visual heritage, and their origins are long lost, or if there was an originator, he is long dead. now, if a LIVING tattooer does something unique and original, and it's his/her own idea, and overnight, thanks to facebook, it's being copied all over the world and internet, i think that's wrong. that guy came up with something cool and new, maybe his whole own style or niche, and he's still alive, making a living. we should respect that.