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It's a very fresh photo.....and not even a good one....but I had Dana Helmuth tattoo me this past Saturday at Read Street Tattoo and he decided to add a dragon head and claw in the area I had saved for him! :)

Guess some of you will have seen this already, Valerie at Frith St on me this afternoon Asked for a girl head, then today asked for freckles...

Since everyone has been kicking some serious ass and taking names lately, (and I haven't been a part of the fun) I just rang my homie [MENTION=2486]lukemuller[/MENTION] and he was kind enough to fit me in tomorrow afternoon after he finishes (he's a good man) No idea what I'm getting yet or where so this should be fun lol. I blame LST ;)

Heading to London from NYC for the third time in a fucking month (not solely for tattoos, I'm not that crazy), hoping to get another one from Liam Sparkes. I start my 4 sessions with Hooper here in NYC two weeks from today, and then in December I start TWENTY or so sessions with Mike Rubendall.

Pickup line of the year

I have a variety of different stuff, including black and grey fineline (9yrs), crazy brightly coloured "new school" traditional (7yrs), black and grey traditional (4yrs) and colour hyper-realism (5 months). So far I have been really happy with how everything has aged, I know none of it is particularly old but I haven't experienced all that much fading or bleeding of lines. I know there are questions about the longevity of realism stuff but it's a risk I was willing to take. I got an awesome tattoo by a fantastic artist and I couldn't be happier with it. It is the tattoo that draws the most positive comments and has the biggest "wow factor" - not that that matters particularly to me personally, it just illustrates the talent of the guy who did it. I live in the grey and drizzly land of Northern England so sun damage isn't a major concern, if ever I have cause to expose my tattoos they are covered in enough high spf sunblock to make them appear hazy. If I feel my realistic piece sucks after a few years then I know it was a bad move in a time when realism was trendy...if not, well bonus for me! All this being said, the artist who did my tattoo recently put a recent photo of one of his early portraits on Instagram and it still looks as good as new at over 4 years old. I like traditional work (obviously, or I wouldn't be on this site), and I want to get a fair bit of it in future... but it seems to me like tattooers of all styles are constantly improving and making tattoos which look better for longer, there should be no reason why realism can't be a part of this too...

beautiful tattoo Tim, Valerie does the best lady heads in the world IMHO

I got this from Deno at this summers Inkbash in Stockholm. He came up with putting the gorilla in a tower and the roots there. Midway through I asked him if he wasn't going to put something coming out of the skull. "Like what?" .. I don't know, something.. And he just put that dot trail in there, no pencil or anything. I think the whole piece came out just nice and strong, might be one of my favorite tattoos so far. He was super quick and fun to chat with. Tried to ask him about how graffiti has helped him develop as a tattooer but he didn't have much to say about it, except being taught to work fast. Jelle SOOS came by to say hi too, so I got to exchange a few words with him also. Man travels, a lot! Tomorrow I'm going to be under the needle of Joel Madberg SOOS. Putting a bird with alligator head on and around my knee, same leg as the tattoo above. A little scared of the knee actually, will I shake like crazy? (edit: oh by the way, the picture above is from today so the tattoo is close to 6 weeks healed or so)

Hi, My name is Jon and I tattoo out of Liberty Tattoo on Long Island. Basically joined here to converse with like minded tattooers and collectors...this seems like a very well rounded community, where there is a lot of really good information, and I would like to be part of it.

I will be there with my wife on Saturday and Sunday. I have no appointments scheduled (considering i have appointments on my back the next two staurdays and a consult with Horitomo to final design and discuss when we are starting), but my wife has an appointment with Valerie Vargas on Sunday.

I wish I was that big- now my goal is Hanuman status!

i will be there with Fam in hand, Have @Scott Sylvia appt at BH and @Valerie Vargas 2 tattoos on saturday. oh and stuart cripwell on sunday My wife and daughter will be pent up at hotel all weekend so i said this was my christmas present.

Is it anything like pulling a nipple hair out? I think I got this..

I've got a old floor cabinate record player my friends grandmother gave to me. I cant find a serial number or make on it, but she said it was bought in the late 60's. It also has an 8-track player which is broken and an AM radio. Its pretty sweet, and old country vinyl/delta blues sounds wonderful on it but any hardcore or punk sounds like shit... well, thats on any record player I guess.

Who will be the first to get this epic battle?

Greg Christian is guest spotting in NYC next month. Got an appointment on the 4th of November. Very excited.

I agree. Also, if I could afford (or when I can) to make it to California, booking an appointment with Chris Conn would be at the top of the agenda. To get back on the topic of pet peeves...for me, the only big one I've encountered from a customer's perspective is having to listen to stupid, offensive shit. I realize that a lot of people would consider me to be overly PC, which is fine (I disagree to a large extent with what most people consider to be "political correctness" and see it more as "not being an asshole", but whatever), but it definitely turns me off to hear racist or homophobic shit when I'm getting tattooed. On one trip to a pretty well-known shop, my buddy that I was staying with (who is gay) decided that he wanted a tattoo too and came with and got tattooed. He was super stoked on it and really liked the dude that we both got tattooed by, but during his tattoo a couple of the other tattooers hanging out made a few gay jokes (unrelated to my friend), and it was pretty awkward and uncomfortable for both of us for a minute. Consequently, I probably won't ever get tattooed by those dudes, despite them making rad tattoos. With a finite amount of skin and a Want list longer than I'll ever be able to get through, I want to enjoy my tattoo experience as much as possible, so I'm gonna go with the tattooer I don't worry about having to endure hearing go off on some "faggot" shit during my session.

Got this on Saturday night and took this picture Sunday morning (please excuse the photo quality). By Johannes (blackstalliontatttoo.com) at Good Faith Tattoo in Boston/Brookline, MA

All I can say is that in this area, 3 hours of work for a deuce would be like a major discount. Most places, I'd say a hundred an hour is gonna be about the minimum. You play, you pay. You can always find someone working at a truck-stop or out of a motel, or go to a "tattoo-party", but you'll get your $50 worth there.

Snake head on me by Nick Vargas of F U tattoo in Santa Cruz

I couldn't resist putting up a current pic... Two weeks in a row of sessions YEA!

Hey my name is Nick, I'm a tattooer on Long Island, NY and I have been since January of 09. This site seems to be filled with some pretty rad contributors and I'm happy to be a part of it. Please feel free to get at me about anything at all. Thanks for looking.

I was at my local tattoo shop last night getting some work done on my backpiece and got to witness an 82 year old lady accompanied by her grown children get her first and probably only tattoo. She got "DNR" in small fancy script over her heart. Turned out she has a bad ticker and wanted a Do Not Resuscitate tattoo. She took it like a champ. It was awesome!

shoulders to ass!

i got tattooed 2 weeks ago and i'm already ready for another one.

That is probably the one in Tattooing From Japan to the West.

Please do. See if you can make it another 2 months

It's our job as tattooist to be knowledgable about what will hold up over a longer period of time. When someone comes into the shop to get tattooed it's not for today or tomorrow or next year. IT'S FOR THIER LIFE... If I saw a tattoo 5 yrs down the road that looked like shit because I put way to much detail in and it didn't hold up. I would be disapointed with myself and change the way I look at what I've been doing. Both articals make very good points, and Dan feels like that for a reason. It's cuz hes seen his tats 8 yrs down the road and hes not happy with the outcome. We need to learn from others experiences to elevate the industry as a whole

Definitely hear that! I travel a lot for bidness, and try to check out the local shops wherever I go. I usually just take a look at the portfolios that are on display, maybe watch some work being done, if I can do that without getting up in anyone's space. If anyone asks, I tell them I'm just sightseeing, and unless I'm in full long-sleeves and suitcoat mode, which is rare, I've got ink sticking out. Typically, when they see that, things are a bit freindlier, but I have gone into some places where a bad attitude seems to be a job requirement! I was in downtown Seattle, I don't remember the name of the place, and a young-ish (to me) guy was standing in the doorway of a tattoo parlor waiting for customers and having a smoke. I stopped in, took a look around, and wasn't terribly impressed. The proprietor was Brazilian, quite hip, and since I was in a tee-shirt, proceeded to tell me how he could tattoo my right arm white, three sessions, and "cover-up all that mess" (about 30 hours of Miles Maniaci tying up older pieces by Dale Grande) and replace it with HIS work which would be far superior. Couldn't believe it, but he was actually serious. Somehow, I resisted the temptaion.

i love doing that just feeling like you want something new so you call your guy and the next day your picking out what you want and slapping it on. only tattoo heads

Beat me to it. Got tattooed by him there last week!

I got tattooed by Tomas Garcia last week on my trip to America. He did a flaming torch on my tricep. He is such a nice guy and the shop he now works at is awesome. My Mum, Dad and sister all managed to get a tattoo from other guys at the shop while they were waiting for me too! I'll get a photo up when it's passed the worst of the healing.

Am I allowed to be jealous? Because I am. The freckles are SO GOOD.

Only some parts of my chest were bad.. might have been when she was laying in one of the lighter colors... I did thing seriously about gnawing on my belt. The pain was in the blow torch range. Rob

I've walked in and right out of new shops where the vibe was bad or they didn't know how to treat a customer. I'm not the most PC person in the world, but I put on my company manners when I'm out whether it be Ace Hardware, Petco or in a tattoo shop. Some shop owners are unaware of the first impression thing and wonder why business sucks. Rob

The Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts is coming up, we'll be setting up at Temple Tattoo in Oakland for a couple days prior to the show, and then Electric Oni in Petaluma a couple days after... Time to reconfirm or setup appointment time/days with me ... And we're packing light so if there is a painting you're wanting, or a print in mind, drop me a message.

You don't share an IP by any chance, do you?!

Yes.

This site needs a Glossary :)

Harry Potter Deathly Hallows friend tattoos ... Kinda in shock I did it. Done by Javier Betancourt at Ochos Placas Tattoo in Miami, Fla.

You see my snake tidbits on my squidpants? (idk lol ftw)

I just wanted to mention this new project we are working on. It is an exhibit catalog for an art show with the theme “Born Weird” at Portland’s own Upper Playground gallery FIFTY24PDX. Craig Brown of Historic Tattoo and Scott Boyer of Yellow Beak Press have hand picked the contributors for this project. Tattooers were selected based on style and asked to paint four sheets containing gross or weird subject matter. The result seem to be all over the board from gross-out to just bizarre. We promise it won’t disappoint! The book we are producing will include all of the content from the exhibit and some extra material. We hope to have it out in early 2013. Check Yellow Beak Press production updates.The opening was on 10-4-12 at PDX’s Upper Playground gallery. The exhibit will be up until December 2012. The roster is as follows. Aaron Coleman Adam Craven Adam Warmerdam Andrew Stickler Andy Campoy Bart Bingham Bradley Delay Craig Brown Danny Reed Erik Gillespie Ezra Haidet Jeff Rassier Jeremy Joachim Jesse Bob Jesse Gordon John Henry Gloyne Josh Howard Justin Wheeler Luis Campos Matthew Welch Matt Ziolko Miguel “Uzi” Montgomery Murray Sell Nick Filth Scott La Rock Sean O’Neill Shawn Mcdonald Tim Lehi Zach Shereck

Hi, welcome to the board! There are SO many good tattoo artists in New York City, is there anything in particular that you're looking for? It's pretty easy to get around the city with the subway so I wouldn't be too worried about location in the city. Anyway, here are some shops to look into: NY Adorned Saved Kings Avenue Tattoo Three Kings Tattoo Smith Street Tattoo Parlor Fly Rite Tattoo Invisible NYC Greenpoint Tattoo Co Daredevil Tattoo I'm sure people here can suggest other shops too, but that should give you a good start. Good luck! - - - Updated - - - Hi, welcome to the board! There are SO many good tattoo artists in New York City, is there anything in particular that you're looking for? It's pretty easy to get around the city with the subway so I wouldn't be too worried about location in the city. Anyway, here are some shops to look into: NY Adorned Saved Kings Avenue Tattoo Three Kings Tattoo Smith Street Tattoo Parlor Fly Rite Tattoo Invisible NYC Greenpoint Tattoo Co Daredevil Tattoo I'm sure people here can suggest other shops too, but that should give you a good start. Good luck!

I believe Tomas Garcia is now working at Sid's in Santa Ana, CA.

I helped build most of the 'icky' parts of BME. Just so you know.

Nick CTC

I suppose from a non tattooers perspective I would appreciate complete honesty from my selected tattooer, if I were set on a design that the artist knew would not pass the test of time or would not make a good tattoo I would expect the artist to at least point it out and try to steer me in a better direction.

i didnt read the article but heres m2c. by nature pastel colors fade quickly do to exposure to light. so it stands to reason that that would happen when you put them into the skin. i also do believe as i said in a different thread that the technical ability of the person putting them in comes into play a great deal. but in the end all tattoos will change, some will spread some will fade. to what level, i believe really depends on how a persons body deals with the ink and the technician applying the ink. ultimately if the client is happy and business is good then its a success. even the people who have bad tattoos that love them, see a great tattoo in their head. figuring out what tattoos are better than others is a moot point. as tattooers we all pretty much are on the same grind so what difference does it really make. as a collector that loves their tattoos what difference does it make if another collector doesnt.