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got this from claudia de sabe yesterday: really stoked on how it turned out, and she's light-handed so wasn't as painful as i was expecting

Leaving home right now and headed to San Francisco, appts. with GRIME tomorrow and Thursday! :D

I went once a day every day it was up. I bought a big insanely beautiful scroll painting from Thom. Had the pleasure of meeting Scott Harrison, who was the coolest fucking dude. Got to hang with Binky and Higgs for a minute. Watched Grez tattoo some. Took a polaroid with DeVita. Met some nice folks, saw some people I don't see too often. Chris did an amazing job setting it all up, attending this is already the coolest thing I've done in 2013 and I have a feeling it's gonna be tough to beat.

I feel bad about all the problems you are having so I found a dragon for you:

Ive got an appt with Shrewsbury in a couple weeks!

Hooper is moving to Austin and will be at rock of ages. That is why he is not taking new clients, probably. Don't know when he will be here full time but it has been around since November that he is moving to Austin. Talk to dryfess. Oh, and hooper will be co owner of rock of ages with Steve Byrne and tony Hundahl. He has signed on a house too!

I thought that the first rule of Roper is that you don't talk about Roper.

When Thomas asked me to film 'the event' a couple of days before, he suggested we get someone to make a track/song using Oliver's reactions as vocals. Sadly I just didn't have the time but it would have been funny as hell.

sorry for the shitty picture, but this is from my instagram. here's a little garbage can cat filler i got from dan santoro on saturday. he also spider webbed my right shoulder. my right arm is so close to being done.

Wow, I opened this expecting a ton of fat hate. I am just starting a major weight lost journey and a major back piece is what I'm planning as a reward for losing the 100 pounds I need to lose. This has been something I've been worried about since I have 3 other tattoos I want to get done over the next year.

Yeah, if he comes back to Cult Classic in the UK next year too I would try and get over. Amazing work going up on IG every day. Booked to head down to AllStar Tattoo in Limerick next month, to catch some visitors while they're there guesting. I don't want to jinx myself by saying anymore at this point, because fate seems to keep conspiring against me every time I try to get down there.

This just put a big smile on my face. Thanks for brightening my day.

why not just get an eagle on your chest?

...On second thought, maybe you should just let Tim pick out your dragon.

Whoa that dragon looks like he's got a helluva wang.

Yep. I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Not that I know anyone or have any rapport on this site, but I'll be at the convention on Friday and possibly Saturday. I'm going to be getting a reaper on the side on my thigh from Richard Smith of Thicker Than Water/Jersey City Tattoo Co., and I hope to get a little something from Mike Adams and/or Josh Stephens as well. There are so many great tattooers attending that it's frustrating not being able to get tattooed by all of them...I guess there's always next year! Hope to see you there!

I went on Saturday after my gf and I got tattooed at Smith St. It was really awesome. Thom's artwork is really great, and, as mentioned, seeing it in person makes it that much better. It's truly amazing how that dude doesn't waste an inch on any piece that he does. There are stamps and paintings on the inside, underside, and backs of nearly all of the cardboard box pieces he had showing. It was great. Thom was super nice, and I was really happy to have met him. I got to talking to him about his art, and he told me it usually takes him a few hours to complete a piece, but will wind up adding things to it over the course of several days. I was able to get one of the paintings he made from the art show fliers. I've gotta thanks Chris Grosso for 1) letting me take some cool pictures that I'll post sometime this week 2) introducing me to some awesome people, and 3) just being an awesome and really nice dude.

Seems like we can expect a pretty weak showing this month (slackers!), so I'll throw my most recent tattoo into the ring. Torch + snake from Ron Henry Wells, done just before Christmas at Congress Street Tattoo.

Anyone else find it kind of weird the way we discuss tattoo artists' lives on here? Like, they'll mention something in passing, or comment on an IG post, then all of a sudden it's a topic of conversation (it came up with Chad Koeplinger earlier, and I feel happens a fair bit around here). I guess it's just kind of being 'out there', but I still find it a little bit weird the way tattoo artists have fans.

This ship back piece by Tim Hendricks in the LST gallery is awesome: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/gallery/traditional-tattoos/11606-ryans-back-piece.html

I just moved to the NYC area and he moves... Sad! Time to save up for a trip to Texas I suppose!

@49531 I LOVE that hannya! Awesome placement, and I especially dig the ropes. I have both my knees done and didn't find it as bad as I thought it'd be, except for just under the kneecap. Fuck that.

still healing- its about 3 inches tall

@spyro Have you checked out the Dragons thread on this forum? There's a dragon sleeve I posted by Grant Cobb done in the style you are looking for , or check out the art of Boris Vallejo and select something of his you like and take that to your artist . Conversely if you mention Frank Frazetta or Greg Irons in your consultation Tim will know what you mean , this is the stuff you should look at and also something the tattooer will be into . I'll post some of Vallejo's stuff but I'll let you do the rest to save my haggard hands .

If you don't understand art, fucking learn to. Jesus fucking Christ. No one was born with this skill. Look at good art, well painted or drawn works that respect scale and color, not some chick's deviant art. The entirety of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is available to view, for free, online. There are all of the Tattoo Age videos you can watch to see great tattoos and tattooers. If you won't learn to fucking understand art, we're not going to teach it to you. This isn't high school, we're not being paid. If you want to get a big boy tattoo take some goddamn responsibilities. You have repeatedly asked the same questions, and seemingly just thrown out anything you see at us. We are not your filter. We cannot and will not hold your hand. There is a time to ask questions, and there is a time to reflect, and read, and research. To try for yourself to understand something. You need to do what Graeme said and lurk more, read old threads here. There is so much information on here that if you are thorough there will be no need for you to ask any of these kinds of questions. Please listen to me. Don't continue to badger this already haggard community. Take this into your own hands.

I have known a lot of women with tattoos dating non-tattooed men! I was one of them, but then a year and a half ago my husband finally decided to get his first tattoo, and we all know the end of that story... :) PS your yiddishism made me chuckle, @else

Honestly I am 33, I was married for 5 years the first time and 3 so far this time and had a couple other 1 year or close to relationships. I am just not on the market that much. I would not be opposed to dating a heavily tattooed woman, but my wife might take issue with it. Also the idea of what is heavily tattooed might be different to me. I mean if the average person who has a tattoo has one or two at the most, maybe my wife with her 10-12 tattoos could be considered heavily tattooed, but maybe I still see her the way I met her. I mean it's hard for me to even consider myself heavily tattooed.

Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone! Brock, I do love traditional japanese tattooing, so I'm considering dedicating a thigh to it.

My boyfriend/fiance has no tattoos and no plans on getting them. Like your girlfriend, he has some stipulations, too. But will probably ignore them...oops. I really want to get my hands done and maybe my chest :/ Also, is it just me or are most relationships with one person tattooed and the other not, its always the man thats tattooed. I feel like were such an odd couple with me having a bunch and plans to get more heavily covered, and he has no plans or desires to get any. Thankfully, I don't mind at all, and neither does he!

Glad people are waking up to this man while he is still here to enjoy it. Wish I could have made it!

@spyro I don't think that you should be getting tattooed right now and I'd like to basically reiterate what @MsRad said earlier about it really seeming like you're rushing into this. I think it's great that you're looking for a good artist and want a good tattoo, but it's absurd that you need this much help. What are you going to do in the consult? What about when your artist shows you the line drawing? You have your entire life to get tattooed so there's really no rush to so it. I would suggest to hold off for a while and wait until at least the Toronto tattoo convention in June. Go to it, see what people in your city, across the country, and internationally are doing, see the tattoos in real life, and find out what you like and what you respond to best in person and figure out who YOU want to be tattooed by. In the meantime, lurk here, look at the design threads, look at the latest tattoo lowdown thread, learn about how to look at a tattoo in terms of design, linework, shading, coloring, and learn about different tattoo styles. Go to the library and look for reference. I know that my local library has Ed Hardy's Dragons book, maybe your has the same. It will certainly have books on medieval art where you can look at how European dragons have traditionally been drawn. Basically, what I'm trying to say here is that if anything is worth putting effort into, it's tattoos.

Everyone knows that if you pop a panther head it will grow into a full crawling panther! Be careful!

Dagger through neck, Valerie Vargas

When I get a pimple I usually squeeze the heck out of it and can't leave it alone, it ends up massive. On that basis I recommend squeezing the heck out of it and you might end up with a full back piece.

Aw I keep seeing all the photos on Instagram, wish I had time to make it out. Sounds like it was a good time! On a sidebar, John is definitely the best shop hand I've ever encountered. I can speak for tattooers, but as a customer he's very accommodating and kind!

Since I will lose anyways...lemme post up my snake/skull/dagger just for shits and giggles to see how it fares.. Regino Gonzalez - - - Updated - - - I love the black flames!

This is another one of those, "there is no point in you winning this contest because why the fuck would you ever wear a shirt ever again" pieces.

Aaron Coleman, three sessions.

not so much "crazy", but certainly tattoo related and cool . . . New and Hot Video: Dropkick Murphys Ante Up in 'Rose Tattoo' - Premiere | Rolling Stone

tattoos make everything look better.

You will look no more "ridiculous" with tattoos than anyone else! Get tattooed, get what you want, fuck the world. I don't tattoo so I can't answer your questions about working with skin and placement but I can't imagine it's that much of an obstacle. @Shawn Porter posted a video a while back on his OV blog, an awesome awesome Dave Lum video, where his shop helper -- a woman -- was talking about how she hated her legs and her butt. How she was self conscious and never thought she'd get tattooed there, but once she did get some coverage on those areas, she loved them. Maybe the only big folks you're seeing with a significant amount of work have some not-so-great tattoos.. or maybe you're just freaking out cause you've only got one so far. But if you've got the itch, you've gotta scratch it, and everyone else can go to hell. Truly. Apologies if this was too strongly worded.. I had the night off, some beers were consumed. The only people I don't like with a lot of tattoos are dickheads regardless of their tattoos.

Hahaha

I thought of one, but it doesn't always annoy me in a bad way. I hate when people come in and tell you how much they are into tattoos or that they are going to be a tattooer, but can't remember anyone who tattooed them. Much like a one night stand, if someone is going to tattoo me I am going to make sure and catch their name. It would be hard for me to forget who tattooed me. I guess I just don't think you can really be into tattoos if you don't know who is who. I guess a couple scenarios that stick out. Hanging at a buddy's shop a couple on vacation abroad walked in wanting a couple small tattoos, they had a few tattoos, but none very exciting, but being a good guest my buddy asked who did their tattoos and he struggled for the name but came up with Filip Leu as the guy who did their wedding band tattoos. We were both kind of floored, you were able to somehow catch Filip Leu with some spare time and well I guess it's a meaningful tattoo to them, but imagine what could have been. When I was at Spider Murphys recently a guy was getting tattooed by Matt and in this scenario I will say this guy was definitely into tattoos, he certainly liked talking about the Dragon Ed Hardy put on him in the early 90's. He was getting a rose next to an existing tattoo of one of picassos paintings. Like a good host Matt asks him who did it, and the guy says Ed was busy and he had one of the other guys in the shop named Dan do it. Asked what year and he said 91-92, holy shit Dan Higgs did this tattoo on him, which is cool in itself, but would have been cooler if it was something he had drawn up. Anyhow most of the times it's more annoying people with less interesting stories that annoy me, the above scenarios were kind of cool, but I think I have rambled on enough.

I've actually never dated a man with tattoos. I was in a 6-year relationship that ended a couple months ago, with a guy who never even considered getting tattooed. My current partner also has virgin skin and no plans to change that, but loves my tattoos. I do sometimes wonder, since tattoos are a big part of my life, whether I'd be better off with a tattooed love interest, but I can always talk to him about my plans to get more and he gets just as excited as I do so I guess in the end it doesn't matter. I suppose it's a less common combination (tattooed woman, non-tattooed man) but I wouldn't say it was all too rare.

Xed Le Head , Divine Canvas

I have an appointment on Feb 4th, I am not going to say who because he is not that well known, but from the tattoos I've seen him do and the people he has tattooed around and who have tattooed him, I think I might have found my guy for Japanese. I am just having him start on the back of my leg and leaving my rib for what I talked about earlier in the thread. Still not decided which route to go, but did go back and revisited Jason Kundell's stuff yesterday at his shop, those guys are always very hospitable when I stop in. Like I said I like his stuff for sure, but he does everything so big I feel like the space I would have to give him to do a dragon would be the size he normally does one claw in. He seems to love to go big and the finished product certainly has quite the impact. Needless to say I got a feel for how long he is booked out, so I am going to meet with Dan when he comes into town later this month and see what his situation is and go from there.

The only thing that looks better in person than an Andy Perez tatttoo is Andy Perez himself. Hide yo wives, hide yo kids.

5'10", 89kg/196lb As a fat woman: fuck body hate, get tattooed. To elaborate: being both fat and disabled, I've had issues with my body for a long time. The act of getting tattooed (facing a chronic pain and sensitivity problem) and the act of BEING visibly tattooed is, for me, extremely empowering. I'm not the typical "hot tattooed chick", and it is glorious. It's a way to take back this vessel I've been cursed/blessed with, and to feel more comfortable going through life in it. Plus, tattoos are awesome.

Man...that is some serious commitment right there! Interesting how the old work comes up when the black is broken up...that hand-spiked stuff goes deep. I wish you every success, and hope your new piece is everything you want it to be. I'll be checking this thread often to see your progress. As a side note, I was in Seattle a few years back, and stopped in a shop downtown, just browsing. Brazilian tattooer was working there, ran a big rap on me about tattooing over my existing work with white and re-doing it. Anyone ever heard of or tried this? I wouldn't want to do it, but had never heard of it and was curious.