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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!

shoulders to ass!

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

My sketchbook @Lochlan- Sticker Robot is the way to go

Holy hell. Guess you gotta give him points for effort.

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.

So can we get a roll call? Who will be there at the convention? Who are you getting work from? I will be there all weekend and I have appointments with @Stewart Robson. On Sunday I'm going to see if I can get a walk-up. Really looking forward to the trip and the convention!

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

Raptors vs T Rex vs Pterodactyl battle?

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

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

Going to Dark Horse tuesday to make an appointment with adam to get my shin done

Agreed @Dan S. While not getting too much into the "money" aspect of tattoos, I would say 100/hr is cheap in my opinion. If you can't afford a good tattoo now, save up and get it later. Once it's there it ain't going anywhere!

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

all booked for january. getting the elbow and surrounded area filled with a hannya mask from claudia de sabe. very excited!

I haqve some no name speakers and an 80s onkyo receiver I run ish through. It's not very good. But it gets loud and I can hear stuff. It's also pretty beer-proof. Which is important.

But they forgot to add @Kev 's tattoos..

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!

..the side of your fridge looks like this:

Here is my snake/panther combo on my right forearm. I was taking these pics at my office desk. 4 years old now. Wow. Andrew Conner. Harrisonburg, VA.

Nick CTC

You ain't never lied, my man! It's still a little sore this morning, but the swelling has finally gone down (some but not entirely). Just in time for me to get my knee tattooed this Sunday....

It's on Todd Noble. He saw my Grime tattoo and said "that's sweet, but mine's better" and pulled off his shirt.

Finally uploaded a few of my tattoos to my gallery so here's my favourite, my foxy lady head by the very talented Valerie Vargas.

Oh, I REALLY don't expect any of mine to turn up anywhere...

This thread needs more black.

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.

First things first. 14/88 The 14 Words. "We must secure the existence of our People, and a future for White children." As another poster noted, the 88 refers to HH, or "Heil Hitler". While the Hakenkreuz is all of the things talked about here, ancient symbol of the Aryans, Buddhists, Amerinds, et al, as well as the symbol fo the NSDAP, it has also been used in reaction to racist imagery created by Blacks and Latinos and directed against Whites. For instance, it is racist to have the Hakenkreuz (Swastika) tattooed on you. IT is NOT racist to have the Master, or a Cholo tattoed on you, or even a "Viva la Raza" tattoo if you are Latino. It is NOT racist to have the clenched fist tattooed on you if you are Black, or to have "Black Power", or the "African flag" tattooed on you. Bullshit. Everyone in the world is racist to some extent, and everyone SHOULD be proud of their heritage. The avatar on my account here is a pic of a shield-decoration excavated in what is now northern Germany, and dating from about 900 A.D. Is it racist? Guess I'm in trouble if it is, cause I've got it tattooed on my shoulder. As a guest in Cook County Jail in 1973, I got so damn pissed off about Whites being jacked-around by Blacks who accused them of being racist as they were mobbing them ten on one, that I tattooed the Hakenkreuz on one knee and the Iron Cross on the other. Since we wore knee-length cutoffs, they were real visible. Anytime anyone asked, I told them it stood for White Pride and White Power. Funny thing is, the Black guys I was locked-down with understood that, and they were good with it. I have had a few scraps over the years, but I've found that it's more the self-hating Whites that get lathered about that crap than the Blacks. Am I a racist? No. It's ridiculous to hate someone simply because of the color of their skin. I judge everyone by their actions. Am I proud of being White? Hell yes. Why shouldn't I be? Let's face it, kids...Whites are the minority. The population of the world is about 9% White, and falling. Conclusions? Well, if someone feels strongly enough about his beliefs, whatever they are, to tattoo a symbol that many find hateful on himself, then good on him. We should ALL have that kind of force of conviction. .02