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Mario Desa was kind enough to tattoo me at the Richmond Tattoo Convention. I started my clean arm!

Man, he's 63 and you're talking about him like he's a teenager. Make sure he doesn't get it upside down.

Shitty cell phone pic of progress on my backpiece. 7 sessions, 22.5 hours, and 1.5 tubs of Aquaphor. I should be able to get it finished next month as my X-mas present to myself. (And by shitty cell pic I mean REALLY shitty)

There ARE bad people in every profession. The big differance with bad people being in the cop profession is that good people end up in jail, not just stuck with a bad education, bad service or bad tattoo. Bad cops are generally people who are insufficient at everything else and can only live on the rush that being "powerfull" can provide them. Sad for them and sad for us, too.

2 months from today at this time I'll have one session down with Grime and one for the following day :D T-Minus 60 days......

Anyone ever end up having a touching moment about or over a tattoo? Today I skyped my grandma for the first time, and I showed her the tattoo I had gotten of her name. Then my sister, who was in the room with her (she was visiting her in vegas) showed my grandma her tattoo of grandma's name... My grandma was speechless and then started crying. She was so touched that we cared enough about her to get it on us. She cried for like 5 minutes. I had to fight the tears on my side. She just thought it was the coolest thing and couldnt get over that we loved her enough to do it. Melted my heart a bit.

Back N' Ass! :D

Ah yes, yet another tattoo that I geek out over on IG ends up on an LST-er. Of course.

I love how here on LST within a few posts you guys already beat me to the punch but I will reiterate I guess. 1. Where are you located? I'm sure we can point you in the direction of some great artists/shops in your area. Also would you be willing to travel a bit for some stellar work? 2. Most of us got at least one tattoo we aren't fond of. I do! (and it's a bit bigger than yours for sure!) My approach is to just get some other really killer tattoos around it. 3. The best part about going to a good tattoo artist is they are killer at drawing tattoos! Hell it's their job. I also had the same thought process as you did when I got my first tattoo, which was to make sure I had an actual draw image before I enter the shop. Now I don't do that anymore. Good tattoo artists will draw up some killer tattoos for you. This is kind important if you want to do a coverup as they will know what image will over it up the best. 4. While this is more of a personal opinion double-meaning imagery can be cool but I really enjoy readable tattoos. This doesn't mean that it has to be simple and bland but more along the lines of "within 10 seconds I understand what image I am looking at." At least in my opinion even if people don't "get it" it still is visually appealing for the rest of your life.

I will definitely be checking that out! Any new material i can use to broaden my knowledge of tattooing as a whole is good material to me. Thanks for the stuff dude. So you are the famous Valerie Vargas, Pleasure to meet you. I think you just got put onto my, "Must get tattooed by" List :)

Grant, if you get tattooed at lab monkey ask rich about me or Stewart and say hello to the guys from us!

here's my new one from duncan x, from a bruegel engraving

Packing to fly to Tokyo on Sunday... I think that's pretty awesome (I'm not one of those people who hates packing). The only downside is that we were due to be leaving tomorrow morning and without any warning SAS cancelled their flight and re-routed us... I thought swedes were supposed to be super efficient and whatnot? Morons. So we're down a day on our vacation, but I guess the silver lining is that I sent them an e-mail laying some EU regulation smackdown on them. Because we didn't get notice in the appropriate timeframe, and because no exceptional circumstances apply, and because we're arriving more than 2 hours later than our originally scheduled time of arrival we should be entitled to compensation. Look at the regs it will be either 250 euro each, or as much as 400 euro each (depends on what whether the whole distance travelled in the intinerary is counted or just the leg they cancelled). Bought a few bits and bobs to bring the guys in Yellow Blaze today as small gifts. I know they'll probably never do a celtic style tattoo, but maybe what I bought will find a spot in their rather large library of reference material - a few books on celtic design, knotwork, bordering etc. Going to chuck in a bottle of whiskey too.

I saw this on instagram, I love it. Definitely going to have to get tattooed by Mario again @ the Philly Convention.

i haven't heard anything about this or saw any tattooers mention being there.. I'd just got to the Philly convention in February if I were you!

Yeah, I have it and it's great. I talked to a couple of artists featured in it, and they basically all said something along the lines of "I was nervous it was going to be crap, but it turned out great." and another told me that they declined to participate, but then regretted that decision once they saw the finished product. It's only like 33 bucks on amazon and it's a pretty big book.

I don't remember what lead me Last Sparrow. My guess was the old time tattoo photos thread by Nick Colella. I was following his work a lot back then, waiting to go to Chicago and get tattooed by him. Btw Just booked plane tickets to go back in Jan and sent an email to Erik Gillespie today, waiting patiently to hear back. Regardless I will get tattooed, I just hope it's with him.

I think she lost her ass! (arh, arh, arh :rolleyes:)

Yep, saw it, too! Fucking awesome.

I'll post it up for my friend who hasn't yet joined but he's just signed up for a Odin backpiece/rib tattoo with Regino Gonzales. I'll be posting up some pictures here for people to check out. I also am just about finished with my Raijin tattoo and am about to start the rest of my leg with a dragon, some lightning and clouds. "Leg sleeve" is getting some progress!

Or we could want both...?

This was great. Thanks for sharing! Oh and I was thinking more of a Red Fang song for the ending...

I am a fairly social person but do not like talking about my tattoos with those that I feel are just being nosey. My standard answer... Them," Hey where did you get those tattoos?" Me, "prison" Although my work I think is exceptional and def not prison work(Ive never attended!) this response typically pushes people way from me while they make sure they still have their wallet and/or purse. If you want to be flat out mean and are in a bad mood....When they ask "Did it hurt"....just reply, "not as much as the sex I traded it for."

Like @Graeme said, I rarely get this one anymore because we live in a neighborhood where it's more common to be tattooed than not. I also keep my tattoos covered up a lot of the time. Usually when people do ask, it's because they are friends or acquaintances who know I've recently gotten tattooed and want to see and are curious. I would say that most of my tattoos do have meaning to me, but not in the literal, very specific way that they're represented on TV. For example, when I recently got a dragon on my thigh, it was because I'd been feeling really drawn to dragon imagery for how it depicts both luck and strength, and I'd been feeling like I needed a bit of both on me. I think of my dragon tattoo as my little good luck charm. Also I just really loved the design and couldn't get it out of my head! It was the right thing at the right time. I think when serious tattoo folks talk about tattoos having meaning, it's often in that way--some really beautiful imagery that just speaks to you and feels right on your body, like just what you need. Even my less obviously meaning-laden tattoos are still meaningful because they serve as reminders of the time/place I was in when I got them, and who I was at that time. These meanings are often pretty ethereal or abstract. When we make fun of the LA Ink style meaning thing, it's often because people go so literal, rather than letting the power of tattoo imagery speak for itself. All that to say that when folks ask me about what my tattoos mean, I am happy to get into it if it's close friends, but it is pretty annoying if it's people I don't know very well. Because there's no good answer. If I say it doesn't mean anything, then that's alarming to the tattoo noob (I think they mix up meaning or lack thereof with how seriously you took the decision to get tattooed, as though if it isn't obviously meaningful, then you must not take tattoos very seriously. So misguided.). But if the tattoo is super meaningful to me, then why on earth would I want to share such super personal stuff with someone I don't know very well? Part of the tattoo TV problem is that it assumes that even if we are getting tattoos that are profoundly meaningful, that we're also all super confessional exhibitionists who like, want to announce all this shit to any stranger we meet. Nope.

Already posted this in Latest Tattoo Lowdown but I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. 100 Years of Solitude rib piece Artist: Matt Brotka Shop: Salvation Gallery

I found a lost dog roaming around while I was walking my dog this morning. It wasn't wearing a collar. I caught the dog and went around the neighborhood trying to find it's owners without any luck. I had to get to work so I brought it to my house for fear that it would get hit by a car if left outside. I then spent the entire morning while at work putting out ads for this dog. I got a couple calls throughout the day but this wasn't the dog these people were looking for. By the time I got home I called my vet to see if they could scan this dog for a microchip but they were closed for the night. By this time it was dark out but I took the dog for another walk around the neighborhood in hopes of finding its owner, still no luck. Just an hour ago I was sitting at my computer and thought I heard a very faint whistle and what sounded like someone calling a name. It is unusual for me to not have the TV or music on while at home but for some reason I didn't tonight and I was able to hear this. I opened my window to see if I could hear it again. I saw a woman across the street calling out a name. I yelled across to her and asked if she was looking for a dog. Sure enough she was, and the dog I found was hers. She was in tears and I was so happy to get her dog back to her. I was so stressed out about getting this dog back to his family. All I could think about was how devastated I would be if my dog was missing. While putting out ads for this dog I couldn't believe how many dogs and cats people are missing in just this city. It really bums me out but I'm glad I was able to get one of them back home.

Took my girl to the museum of natural history to look at dinosaur bones and meteorites and other cool shit, ran around fao schwarz like little kids, and proposed to her on a mountaintop on the blue ridge trail.

Got this from Antonio Roque today @ Black Label Tattoo Co.

I think the general public dont think twice about lumping them together, Its us, the purists, that dont care for the association, I sort of feel sorry for every piercer I have worked around, I probably treated them like second class. Oh well, I too am a dick, apparently.

Some killer stuff in here! for perspective: Done by Greg Christian while he was in NYC at Wooster St Social Club I had made this appt a while ago and was really looking forward to it. Thought for sure it would get canceled after the Hurricane happened and flooded the city, leaving downtown Manhattan without power all week. Luckily, Greg made it to NYC last minute and I got this tattoo from him a day after the power came back on. It was a really cool ending to a very shitty week. Very fortunate.

Valerie Vargas was kind enough to do 2 tattoos for me and pretty up my thighs at SFO

Guess I'll post this in here since I never have yet. Cover up by Aaron Coleman, Immaculate Tattoo.

I guess I'll pop this threads cherry :D Done by Jeff Gogue, Off the Map Tattoo in Grants Pass, OR. Done at SFO Convention... Done by Jondix of Barcelona, Spain at SFO COnvention...

Health Issues With Tattooing (Mike Rubendall) « TAM Blog Not soooon, but it did come out :)

Here you guys go! ha just realized I screwed the last 30 seconds. will fix

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.

Mike Moses tattoos: Favorite right here:

the day i got the cobra pictured above by Robert Ryan, Marco was guest spotting at Electric and he did this AWESOME black and grey rock of ages on a local tattooers throat. the tattooer also had black and grey ladyheads on both sides of his neck, also tattooed by Marco. very nice guy and a super solid tattooer. Apparently he's coming back in the spring and I can't wait to get tattooed by him.

Robert Ryan is one of my favorite tattooers, and the majority of my tattoos were put on by him. Cobra design originally by Sailor jerry, repainted for the asbury park tattoo convention. the script underneath was tattooed by Rich Heller, also at Electric tattoo in Bradley Beach NJ. and the girl was tattooed on my 20th birthday, lots of fun. the dagger on my shin was designed by Dan Higgs. One of my favorite tattoos so far ALSO, an extremely underrated tattooer is Tom Yak, also at Electric Tattoo

I think mister Ron Henry Wells need more spotlight. He has been tattooing for what, 4½ years and is allready doing something of his own with the owls etc. The Laughing Hyena

Last month was super busy. First we had Ink and Iron tattoo convention at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I barely made it to the convention at all. I was going to go on Saturday but I'd heard it was hot and crowded. I guess as I am getting older and working more in the office side of things here at Dringenberg & Co., I feel less like hanging around not working at conventions. Besides with my new school and work schedule I have to try and make time to rest. Even though I have taken time off from school to work this summer I am still finding it hard to find extra time. After Ink and Iron was our one year wedding anniversary. While we have been together for what seems like forever, we only got married one year ago. This year we celebrated our anniversary at the Tattoo Masters Invitational at Hollywood Park. It was really fun. Although there was not that many people coming thru the door, it was a tattoo convention for tattoo artists. I feel like everybody there was able to get a small piece from someone and really take the time to visit with each other. the night before the convention started was a roast. It was my first tattoo industry roast. The Roasters were Bob Roberts, Joe Vegas, Jack Rudy, Freddy Corbin, Philadelphia Eddie, Paul Jeffries and Permanent Mark. The Roasted was the legendary Hanky Panky Schiffmacher. I though all of the guys told some great stories and there were more laughs than awkward silences. So to me the evening was a success. It was really nice to see Freddy and Lisa Corbin. Freddy married Dan and I last year and I always enjoy when I get to the wives. It was additionally cool because I got to meet Henk's lovely wife Louisa. I had never met Henk so getting to meet both of them was awesome. Long ago when Dan was away and I lived in Italy, I had taken a trip to Amsterdam with some friends. I dragged them to the red light district to go to Henk's tattoo museum. So meeting the Schiffmacher's and being invited to the new tattoo museum opening was for me very rewarding. It's like things are stating to come full circle. It feels good to work hard at something and be able to experience the fruits of your labor. Which brings me to what is happening now. If you are in the tattoo industry and you are on Facebook then you probably know what I am talking about. There hasn't been one day in the past week where there hasn't been a posting on Facebook to boycott or sign a petition to boycott some new tattoo t.v. show. I will not give ANY credibility by naming it, but you all know what I am talking about. Here's the thing. Why should we help them with free advertising. All the posts and google searches only fuel the fire that is already burning. If you are a true artist then such nonsense shouldn't affect your trade. My father is a world renowned musician. Don't you think there are music schools and internet videos already in existence that could potentially take business away from him? Let me tell you, there are. And good for them. But what does that have to do with him? NOTHING... For him, he wakes up every day and goes to work. Whether he has a gig or not. He is up practicing his instruments at a minimum 8 hours a day. He has been playing since he was 4, and professionally since he was 14. His craft supported a family of 5 children and none of us ever went with out. So I ask, why is everybody so worried about this new t.v. show? If you are a true craftsman/woman of the tattoo industry and you work every day perfecting your craft, this show will have no impact on your life. They say it takes 10,000 hours to make a master. So just work on that and let the chips fall where they may. Do great work and your life will be blessed. I realize this business is a business and there is a certain amount of the game you have to play. While I may not agree with all of the politics they exist and we have to coexist whether we want to or not. But please, please,please......stop giving credibility where no credibility is due and just get to work. Work on your 10,000 hours and be rewarded by your achievements. To read my full blog with photos check out www.theillustrateddaughter.com

I do have to say that the guy doing my friends Phoenix is absolutely amazing and is probably going to be the guy for my other calf. Regino Gonzales from NYC Invisible REGINO GONZALES - NYC - INK. Below is the outline my friend has started so far (6 sessions or so from complete)

Stewart, thanks for that. This is the kind of stuff I do feel privileged to know, to be able to connect the dots. And the kind of connections I bet others will be talking about over the next 50, 100 years.

Dude, this was during the initial event. Thats how mad I was. After she walked out I listened to Blood For Blood and drank myself to death with good scotch.

What Max said.... Isaac Fainkujien . I got tattooed by him while he did a guest spot at The Sinner & The Saint in Aachen, germany

i sincerely think, keeping it clean and dry is the best way, for me. i leave the wrap till either bedtime or the morning, depending on the area tattooed or the size of the tattoo.i wash mine with fairly hot water and soap for the first few days to stop it from weeping, the first wash is the most important and i will take a while to wash it. if towards the end of healing it feels a bit dry thats when i might use a pea sized amount of unscented moisturizer. i get too many customers believing its the cream that heals the tattoo and look at me funny when i tell them, its not the cream doing the healing, its the skin, so take care of it and dont smother cream on hoping for a miracle.

i hate that, too. i always blatantly ignore the loudmouth know-it-all and talk directly to the customer. then i don't let the loudmouth come past the wall for the tattooing.

The phones are an every day occurrence. It's always "I wanna get this...." I say, "A blackberry? The iphone is cooler looking, you should get that tattooed on you,"...chirp chirp fucking retards. Nothing against retards. My other one is "Yeah, I have my reference, can I use your computer?" What the fuck? Use your own, spoiled fucks try to put a little effort into it, just a little. If twenty years ago you told me that 90% of everyone I tattooed was gonna bring me a picture of a tattoo they downloaded off the internet as reference I would have laughed my ass off. But I have to say, it save a lot of the "thats not at all what I wanted" crap. Fuck! Where have we come too?

people who walk in on their phone and try to ask questions while STILL ON THEIR PHONE. or answer their phone as you're answering their question. i just walk away. also, spoiled college kids who lay on our couches and put their feet up, and people who ask "so, what ELSE do you do?", implying there's no possible way i could actually earn a living tattooing!