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Just left the con. My first time at the London show, so I have no idea how it compared to other years but... Wow, some amazing stuff happening already. Couldn't get any work done but wandered around hoovering up t-shirts... Said hello to Valerie from frith street (briefly, their stall was one of the busiest I saw)... Nice to meet a famous LSTer- and she was very nice. Some random pics. I hung out with the East Tattoo guys and had a cask ale. Good day. Attached = a black and grey front piece Yang was working on... Dark Star cask ale... @jade1955 take note!!

This is happening in Los Angeles, looks like a cool exhibit. I saw Shawn Barber posting about it on Instagram. We're planning to go. Upcoming Exhibitions at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles L.A. Skin & INK September 30, 2012- Janurary 6, 2013 The Craft and Folk Art Museum presents L.A. Skin & Ink, an exhibition that explores the unique role of Los Angeles in the Tattoo Renaissance over the last 60 years. The exhibition will move through the transformation of tattooing from its traditional base of military and outlaw cultures into an art form of great distinction and adoption into contemporary culture. The exhibition will be in view from September 29, 2012 through January 6, 2013. Through “flash” (tattoo drawings on paper and board), photographs, tattoo equipment, and related art and ephemera, L.A. Skin & Ink will feature several noteworthy artists and the stylistic movements that have helped define the significant role of Los Angeles in bridging tattoo with fine art. Participating artists include: Bert Grimm, Bob Shaw, Don Ed Hardy, Cliff Raven, Jill Jordan, Leo Zulueta, Jack Rudy, Charlie Cartwright, Estevan Oriol, Mr. Cartoon, Edgar Hoill, Lucky Bastard, Zulu, Carlos Torres, Sergio Sanchez, Shawn Barber, Camila Rocha, Sean Cheetham, and more.

This amazing footage is of a guy named Barry all his tattoos are by Les Skuse circa I968 !!

Hi, my name is Jojo Ackermann and i have been tattooing since 1992. I live and work in southern California. Thanks

I'm there today, can't wait!

They're okay to me... I'm pretty much the anti-beer snob. Got turned off by hangin' with people who stopped at a few Samuel Adams or some other yuppie beer and called it quits. Meanwhile I'm pouring down a six of Bud 1/2 quarts just to cut the dust. These people know dick about drinkin' themselves sober. Another plus to bringing inferior suds to parties.... nobody is gonna touch it, maybe the college kids will hit on PBRs if I bring them. But it doesn't stop me from grabbing a few of their designer beers. I drink 'em fast so they gotta be looking right at me to catch it. CG

There's going to be a bonus Valerie Vargas segment later in the "season".

Pretty good, thanks. Tattoos doing nicely covered by a cotton glove at the moment. - - - Updated - - - It's very intense to say the least and it's every bit as bad as everyone says. I can only describe it as a deep searing, burning sensation. Jondix, mercifully, works quickly and is such a calming influence. - - - Updated - - - It certainly is. I coped by concentrating on my breathing and sort of zoning out. There was an air conditioning fan above me, I think, and I was mentally pushing the pain into the unit. Sounds a bit weird but it works for me.

Tattooed by Jondix at Into You Tattoo, in London, yesterday. I've never been so nervous before a tattoo but Jondix is such a lovely guy and made me feel a lot more calm.

I hate everybody so I just mumble a "yeah thanks" and wait for them to finish ringing up my groceries.

Dan Santoro Smith Street tattoo

My butler has heard other people calling me a snob.

Tattooed by Rose Hardy at Good Times, London.

I feel that I get VIP treatment at the shop I go to. I've been there since 2005, my son gets inked there and I recommend a lot of people to the shop. I get a good rate, I have a good rapport with all the artists there. First and foremost, I am a good client. I show up early and offer to go out and get drinks and whatever they may want for snacks. Most of them will take a soda or iced tea. I show up clean, sit in the chair and take the artist's advice more often than not. I never ask the price before we start, I always have enough in my pocket and throw a nice tip on whatever they say when we're done. I may pop a vicodin or two before I get there, but never drink before or bring a beer into the shop. If I do pop in to say hi, if they have someone in the chair, I'll only say hi or just fill in my next appointment date in their book. I'm honored that they let me behind the wall to do that. I do grab a few cards to hand out to people on my way out. I can tell when they have a d-bag in the chair.. the vibe in the shop is just off. Aparently, they do get a lot of people who are no shows or come in hours late. My wife asked me to take my son to the shop I use for his 1st tattoo. I clearly laid out for him what he should do and not to and all the etiquette I felt was necessary. Now they treat him quite well. CG

Call me old fashioned.

Hi guys, I'll keep this short, I'm from London, been lurking for a while and love the content and discussions so thought it was about time I joined this great community. I've been tattooed by - TNG - Crank Tattoo, Nagasaki, Japan (now at Central Tattoo Parlour, Kumamoto) Stefano C - Frith St, London, England Claudia De Sabe - Jolie Rouge, London and on Valerie Vargas' waiting list for my next one. See you at the London Convention this weekend. Thanks

Militant Black Guy from the TV Show Balls of Steel.

I am a chef. Being a chef and eating out, I sometimes get a professional courtesy of a couple free apps or dessert or a glass of wine for free or have had items taken off the bill. It is a courtesy and I always tip up to pay it back to the server. I think often times tattoo artists offer a courtesy to repeat clients & friends, but everyone should know it is at their discretion. I think some clients place too much emphasis on the bond they may create with a tattoo artist. Getting a tattoo is a very personal thing. You are letting someone alter your body by piercing your skin thousands of times. You have to have trust. That said, the client has to understand that they are sitting there paying for a service the artist is offering. If they are unhappy with the arrangement they can chose to leave or alter it. If an artist cuts you a "deal," say thank, give them a better tip and most of all don't expect that every time you get work done. Professional courtesy is a courtesy, not a given and definitely should not be expected. By coming to expect's it, the client under values the artist's skill and the relationship between artist & client. I have been hooked up by tattoo artist friends and I have paid $250/hour. Each time I go in with only one expectation....a good tattoo.

Made a deposit with Scott Ellis yesterday and the area ( outside thigh panel) was traced. We should be starting 2nd week in November. This is going to be my first big tattoo, and in a weird way, it seems like much more of a commitment to being tattooed than the other smaller tattoos I have. Did any one else feel that way when they got their back/thighs/full chest/ ribs done?

don't sweat it too hard, it's well worth the outcome. Just think forward to the end result...

I had my last session on August 21 and met with Grime September 1. He said 4 months to heal should be good, I'm supposed to call in mid October to schedule my first appointment for January :D

I'm still doing the doctor thing from my 2011 car accident and was in for ultrasound therapy at the chiropractor recently. The technicians, all cute ladies.... ask about mine and tell me they want to get some. Another time over the summer I was an an outside engagement party and all the young people were asking what shop I go to.. nothin' but good compliments. On the beach, some of the older ladies fuss over me and check them out, ask me what they mean, I tell 'em its mainly about the artwork. CG

That's great!

Neutral attitude would be great! I'm not asking for her to like my tattoos or to understand why I get them or anything like that and I intend on covering them up out of respect when we go over to their place for dinner (as I do now), but they are going to start a huge fight that unfortunately my wife is going to bear the brunt of. Part of getting tattooed is knowing that a lot of people are potentially going to have adverse reactions to them and make snap judgements on my character because of them, and that's part of the deal.

I got a wolf from Jason McAfee a few months ago. It was a great experience, and I will definitely be back to get more from those guys. I was fairly nervous, being in the presence of such talent, but they were all really nice. As @hogg said, I enjoyed my small involvement in tattoo history.

This might be valuable to the general public in showing them what to look for in a shop. A lot of people have no clue what makes a clean shop, or how the process should work and are too lazy to do the research. This might provide an easy way to see what NOT to look for in a shop. I guess we'll see. Probably lots of manufactured drama and yelling, i.e. "Wiping the machine off on your dirty pants is NOT cleaning it!!!!"

Got a piece from Freddy last winter. Probably the best tattoo experience I have ever had. Great work obviously, but so down to earth, easy going and welcoming. My girlfriend got her feet tattooed by Hector Fong. Awesome. I love his work and plan to get something from him sooner than later.

No respect.

@gougetheeyes when Les passed away, his son Danny kept the club going, i believe. and after his passing, it's now run by Jimmie (Les' grandson, Danny's son).. i just looked back through some posts on Jimmie's Facebook, someone asked about if anyone can join.. here's what he said - "it use to be anyone with a chest or back piece or over £ 5 pounds worgth of tattoos could join the club mate now days yes most people can join tattooist an fans mate theres no secret handshakes or teaching how to tattoo mate its just a club that my grandfather ran i continue to run it to keep his name alive".

Thought it might be appropriate to break my lurker status by joining this thread. Here's my in-progress kitsune by Claudia De Sabe at Jolie Rouge, London. Didn't want to outright swipe the photo but here's a link to it on her facebook page Claudia De Sabe's Photos | Facebook

thought this quote was appropriate for this thread. If anyone knows the source i would love to have it. ‎''The tattoo is the mark of the soul. it can act as a window Through which we can see inside, Or it can be a shield to protect us from those who cannot see past the surface"

Jondix

Thought I would post a pic of my front, It seemed to be a long journey and now it is near completion it feels slightly strange, anyway as planned we will be putting a dagger through the neck and are still undecided on what will fill the space between the dagger and what is already there, also we are waiting to see if it will need anything else after it heals and final touch up session. Artist is Tristan Bentley, Ocean Ink Miranda Sydney Australia, tattoo is swollen and red will take another pic after it heals.

Boom! fixed:

Done by Danny Reed @ Hot Stuff Tattoo back in June '012

...you take a picture of your new tattoo ASAP so you can show it off on LST

I tried to think of something I wanted tattooed on me that I didn't already have and couldn't come up with anything. Plus any idea I had would have paled in comparison to this design. Further proof of the importance of flash.

Yeah. I don't have it myself, but I spoke to Mike Rubendall again today at the convention because he wanted to take some more pictures of the tattoo and he told me that the photo was blowing up on Instagram. It's pretty cool to know that he put something on me that he's really proud of. He's such a genuine, humble dude.

Stuart Cripwell on Wednesday.

Well, in that case, I'll submit my dagger I got from Mario Desa last November.

last session... yummy...

Thanks for pointing me to this thread. I'll be there on the Saturday, getting tattooed at 4pm by Ross Nagle. Can't fuckin wait!

I've got so much flash tattooed on me I'm thinking of changing my name to "Flash Harry"

The two largest pieces on my arm, on my forearms actually, are Sailor Jerry flash. It's history. I eat that shit up.

Excellent thread! I love, love, love Temple. I've been tattooed there by Freddy and Heath Preheim, and my wife has been tattooed there by Freddy, Heath and Jamie Ruth. We've also stopped by to see other friends get tattooed, or just to visit with Freddy when we're in the neighborhood. Those of you have been tattooed there know that things run on a slightly looser schedule, but it's all part of Temple's charm. Just sit back, soak up some great stories and enjoy your small place in tattoo history.

Stitch626, how lucky for you to not be in a relationship with a fickle, small minded little man anymore. Sounds like he just released you from what could've been a long and lengthy suppression of your true self, I'm willing to bet he was vacillating and thoughtless in other areas as well. Maybe you should send him a thank you card every year on the anniversary of your independence?

I recently had a young lady make fun of the awesome eagle on my chest. She also said that people with tattoos just get them to make up for their lack of personality. I told her to get the fuck out of my apartment.

I also weighed in on the thread MsRad's referring to, with this-I now have a phobia of too much pink skin on men. I've just kind of gotten so accustomed to being around more heavily tattooed folk, if I see a dude walking down the street with his shirt off and he's all pink, kinda creeps me out. Or maybe it's just that dudes who insist on walking down the street shirtless creep me out? But the ones with no tattoos look like they're in some kind of lady suit, like the one the guy in Silence of the Lambs was making. I do believe that we love who we love, and if it's really love, externals don't matter. What's most important to me is that someone is comfortable in their own skin, being true to themselves, and fully living the life they're meant to live. That being said, I'm really glad my husband hasn't held back regarding tattooing or anything else. I was in a relationship with someone who wasn't tattooed, and he was a somewhat restrained individual. It was when I once picked him and his boss up at the airport in shorts, and he was freaked out because his boss, who already knew I was tattooed, could my tattoos on my calves. When he was sheepish and weird, and his boss was actually happier to see me then he was, I kinda knew it wasn't going to last. Not because I embarrassed him, but because I saw him for what he was, a coward. Of course there are always exceptions, but most heavily tattooed people aren't overly concerned with what mainstream society thinks of them, and they generally aren't cowards.