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Got this rad dragon head tadoo from my Aussie pal Jake Fraser the other day who is in town from Melbourne. Weird spot but fun nonetheless! Look how happy that dragon is! Decided to go with slightly different colors than usual since it's surrounded by more traditional looking ones. Didn't even notice the little blue tips on the horns til I cleaned it off later that night. Really stoked on it! (Kinda reminds me of the Clay Smith Cams logo..

Work in progress, I have now had five three hour sessions with Mo Coppoletta at The Family Business working on a three quarter sleeve koi, he coloured the koi in yesterday. Probably one or two more sessions to go now.

I wanted to address the forum as to not let speculation get to out of hand. I am actually amazed that anyone is concerned about me leaving Chicago Tattoo and the amount of support and well wishes i have received is very humbling. I want to thank everyone for reaching out. I spent ALOT of time at CTC ALOT! from the first time I walked in at 15 with Erik Gillespie and was promptly told to leave to the last 18years (almost half my life) I have been in awe of that place. In awe of the history, the stories, the people, the friends, the tattooing, the flash, the neighborhood. Everything was just amazing to me. I always wanted to be there. Always. I treated it as my own and most people didn't even think otherwise. I have met some of my dearest fiends through there and through tattooing and I owe a lot of gratitude to the institution that I believe I helped build and to the owner Dale Grande. Like all people my needs started to change, my family started to grow and my career really started to get in a great groove. It seemed like the hardwork I had put it was paying off but there where issues that needed to be addressed at the shop that couldn't be resolved. I've sat on this decision for quite some time actually over a couple years. I've done a lot of soul searching and confided in my closest colleagues and friends and especially my wife on what to do and I came to the decision to leave Chicago Tattoo. I wanted to move on still in love with tattooing still in awe of the history and still amazed at 18 years of amazing times some great some not so great. I have a lot of things in the works. Nothing to crazy or unexpected but I can say that I will continue to stay to true to tattooing and what got me to where I am without tattooing I couldn't say where I'd be.

Love that everyone is just quitting their jobs, I did it a couple of weeks ago myself so from now on I'm my own boss! :cool: Since I'm the boss now I also booked a trip to Hollywood and tattoo appointments with Chris Conn and Bryan Burk! moahaha! Can't wait for May to arrive! Also I got my second session on my back with Valerie next week, good times! Life is pretty good right now! :D

@Ironmask I suggest exploring this site and seeing all of the quality work posted on here. We are always happy to have new people here, however, you may want to observe the way people work around here. This site is here to promote "GOOD" tattooing. As such, it is our missing to post and talk about quality tattoos. Although I can appreciate your enthusiasm, posting the work you are doing on yourself does not and will not ever be "appreciated" here.

Ive spent a while lurking the forums and browsing the galleries. Ive also watched all of the interview videos, which I loved. So now I finally got off my but and decided to be an active member. I have a background in fine art and Im a full time Graphic Designer. I have an appreciation for all the visual arts and I have recently developed a bit of an obsession for tattoo Imagery. Ive wanted a tattoo as long as I could remember, but I was always a bit of a wuss and was worried about the pain. Also, I would try to save up money for a tattoo, but would always end up spending those funds on something else. I was in the wedding of a heavily tattooed friend and as groomsmen gifts, we got gift certificates for a tattoo. Now I couldn't use money as an excuse and I couldn't back out. 2 Months later and I had an appointment. I had a great first tattoo experience and the ball got rolling from there. Ive been getting tattooed regularly now for a year and a half and Im proud of the work that I am wearing. My art background has made me picky with who I want to tattoo me. At the same time, my experience with working with design clients allows me the ability to trust my tattoo artist and usually let him do his thing. In addition to getting tattooed, Ive been really interested in the history of tattooing and how the process of tattooing works. I use to do alot of painting and drawing growing up and had to do alot of it in art school. My interest in tattoos has really gotten me motivated to draw and paint more. Ive been trying to learn the techniques tattoo artist use to paint flash. Its usually quite the opposite of the way I learned to paint, but I love the look of a well done painting in a flash art style. My regular artist (Dave Kruseman, Olde Line Tattoo) is really awesome with answering any questions I have. This is probably because he knows that I have no desire to become a tattooer. Thanks for taking the time to learn a little bit about me. Im looking forward to becoming a part of this community. Here are a couple pics

@Kahlan ......find a good shop....go inside and tell them you want to help with the shop in your free time (scrubbing the toilets, taking out the trash....sweeping the floors....etc.) AND tell them you'll do it for free! Don't even mention you want to tattoo....and definitely that you are doing it at home....even on practice skin!!! Put away your machines doll....it really is disrespectful to those who have earned the right to tattoo the proper way. For over 20+ years i had been getting tattooed and never ever thought about picking up a machine to tattoo someone because of the respect I had for my friends who tattooed and just out of respect for the craft. One day i went into a shop while i was on a "tattoo road trip" and a guy told me he'd "trade tattoos" with me! I explained that i did not tattoo and why i was against this! He told me he had learned to tattoo from bob shaw on the pike in california after the vietnam war and had 40 years in the biz and he wanted me to tattoo him. I was really worried what some of my friends would think about me tattooing him but I figured he had earned the right to tell me it was okay to tattoo him....so i did! You may think it is silly of me to have been scared of what my peers would think....but it's because I respect them.....and they respect me! I didn't want to loose their respect because that is a very hard thing to gain back! You can learn the way you are learning.....BUT....to truly have the respect of your peers you should learn the proper way! And to have the respect of your peers in this craft.....is one of the highest honors there is! I'm not busting your balls doll......just trying to give you a different perspective on why you should learn the right way! I personally think you should be offered an apprenticeship....not ask for one! And why do I suggest you should offer your services to a shop for free and work like a dog for them for free??? Because you will never learn the proper way to tattoo until you earn the trust and respect first....then you learn to tattoo! It took me 20+ years to be offered an apprenticeship that was the right fit for me! My answer to the original question in this thread is....yes....there do still need to be apprentices! But not because you need free help or because the shop is slow and you need the 5-10k you can get for teaching someone! It's because the craft needs quality people in it that are willing to earn it and one day pass it on! An apprenticeship is not about learning to tattoo....it is about learning the business as well....at least it used to be! - - - Updated - - - i had the pleasure of sitting down with Zeke at the Philly Convention and the world is definitely a much more wonderful place with him in it!!!

Put saran wrap down on the toilet seat for the first time yesterday :D

tomorrow my youngest turns 1 (!!!) and i just quit my job. good times.

Such a dynamic piece! Really powerful image. Here's the three pieces that true put it over the top for me from Henning. These will eventually be the inspiration for the one I want to get on my thigh:

Waiting outside War Horse to get tattooed by Ron Wells. We're finishing up my skull and mandala from a few months ago. Pictures to come.

Moahaha is right! It sounds like every Norwegian gets tattooed like a pro. I haven't quit my job because I love my job for the first time in my life. However, we're moving into a much better place on the first and after we get back from a summer trip are going to look into adopting a dawg. Feeling pretty good myself right about now..

Remembered I'd posted in here way back in October right after I got the collar rocker about how much I wanted the chest eagle. I was worried if I could sit through it... I could and I did! It hurt just about as much as I thought it would!

i know exactly what you're thinking and yes, you're all terrible people to get awesome tattoos!!! fuckers!!!! (but you are LST fuckers, and thats something good, very good!) yes i'm drunk.

You can never have too many dragons.

The weird thing is this was the easiest time I've ever had not smoking. Only a couple blips of cravings. I still have partial packs scattered around the house/car and probably half a carton sitting on my dresser. The only major difference between this time quitting and the ones in the past is I really just got fed up. I wasn't quitting for single reason like cost, health, girlfriend, family, etc. I just simply didn't want another cigarette for whatever reason. One weird thing I have to get used to is actually being able to smell cigarettes now. Before I could never actually smell cigarettes, smokers or pretty much anything to tell you the truth.

I'm a bit biased being an ongoing client, but I personally love Henning Jorgensen's tigers. I plan on getting one on my front right thigh soon as he finishes up my left thigh and the collaboration back piece he's working with Rubendall on. Check out the pics!

@gougetheeyes That little guy is so rad! Don't make me get a fourth dragon....

Welcome! It's refreshing to hear about someone with a fine arts background who appreciates tattoos that look like tattoos. :)

I love how these things become milestones.

Well put @Brock Varty

I had a huge chunk of my lower leg tattooed on Tuesday, and HOLY SHIT healing the knee ditch sucks. Everything else is fine, though sleeping has been tricky the last two nights, but FUCK YOU, Mrs. Back-of-the-Knee. The tattooing itself was really pretty easy for the most part, but unbending my leg is the worst healing pain I've had to deal with so far. Kinda like someone is taking razor blades to that crease. I just hope that it heals well enough that I don't have to do this again. Okay, whining session = over.

In progress... Finished. Half skull half samurai mask.

I hate all of you. Hate hate hate hate hate hate. These tattoos are too good.

You need ten posts to start a thread and it's for this very reason. "Initiation" threads don't get buried here like a lot of other forums so use this thread to post away with questions, pictures, etc. We try to contain new users who just have one or two questions from upping their post count quickly simply in order to start a new thread, get their questions answered, and then leave. This way, we keep everything in the welcome thread nice and neat. Most of our LST users are long-time contributors to the site and are more than happy to try and answer questions and help out.

My two-headed raven ! inner bicep Zafera Kambouris. Ashland, MA

I'm pretty happy with Nick's tattooing, so I will stick with him, as long as he doesn't move to frkn Paris or something! I would never rule-out having work done by the other tattooers at CTC, they are all first-rate.

Tattoo by Chad Koeplinger done at Frith Street Tattoo in London, England Filled up the spot nicely! (and quickly 2 Hours!)

What the heck, I'll throw mine in the ring this month...Got this one back in Janurary. Done by Thomas Deaton at Twisted Reality tattoo

Hey, welcome to the forum. Mr. Flatmo has a pretty large fanclub on this forum, but really, I envy you having to choose between him and Rubendall. You'll get amazing tattoos either way, and from what I understand, you'll have a great experience with either as well. Check out Kore Flatmo's instagram feed for more pictures of his current work and I wish you luck with whoever you end up getting tattooed by. Instagram

Watched The Cook , the Thief, His Wife and her Lover last night - pretty risqué stuff for Helen Mirren, it's not every day you see a Dame's bits . It's very theatrical with beautiful cinematography and awesome costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier check it out if you get the chance its a trip .

@hogg, when one of the twins says "P-I-Z-Z-A" i could swear it was too short.

That's closer to chopped & screwed than hyphy, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.

I usually bring along an extra towel to wear/cover as needed or loose fitting boxers that can be rolled up.

I first started sneaking cigarettes when I was twelve, but didn't have enough access on the regular to be a full-time smoker 'til I was 15, and then I was off! Always a chain smoker, from the day I was able to get actual packs of cigarettes in my grimy teenage hands! Anyway, I was finally able to quit in Oct '11. I was dating a non-smoker and hiding how much I smoked was annoying/felt like high school/kinda dumb - a friend of mine had found an e-cig that she really liked, I tried it and decided to give it a go. Best decision ever! Having the e-cigarette was the ticket. I could still blow 'smoke' rings and pull it out and go for a smoke when my cigarette smoking friends went out. At some point I got really sick for 6 days and didn't smoke the e-cig et voila! Non-smoker. Lost the nicotine craving. @Tatanium2012 I keep an e-cig with me at all times. I haven't actually taken a puff of one for close to a year, but having it is helpful! I don't drink anymore (believe it or not, you can develop an allergy to alcohol!), but when I did I could never quit smoking, I tried! Those two go together! The minute I started sipping a drink I would start thinking/obsessing/searching for cigarettes. By the time I quit smoking I had already had to quit drinking - functioning at parties was still a new and curious thing for me. I found that my e-cig allowed me to hang out with the smokers like I was used to without having a smoke. Worked for me!! Congrats to all the non-smokers etc out there now! It was hard but I am really glad to be a non-smoker now.

Here I thought ICP was a local thing. Since you seem to be a decent person I will spare you my ICP jokes. I live 50 miles from Detroit so I've had just about enough of those guys.

Nick, looking forward to your new venture, I'd say "good luck", but lucj won't have anything to do with it! I'm sure your new shop will be a success and an inspiration.

I'd say a a Violent J or Shaggy 2 Dope Rock of Ages. That's exactly what you need. All jokes aside, I'd continue working on your arm with solid fills with and bold outline. You're going for cartoonish elements, so make that even more powerful by getting big and bold stylized characters.

@SStu - it's called a cryo-cooler, it's are next big purchase.

Appt booked with Tony. Guess well see what kinda tiger I get

Some amazing stuff posted here, wow! Here's my entry, by javi Rodriguez guesting at frith street

http://tattooroadtrip.com/blog/category/zeke-owen/ Here is a link to all of the letters that Zeke wrote for Skin and Ink. I thought I had posted this on the forum before, but maybe not.

@Kahlan No lecture here, everyone else seems to have done a great job of that. Just some straight up info: At the shop I work in (Which may or may not have a reputation on being harsh to 'wannabes') we get at least one person each week asking for an apprenticeship. In the summer months we get AT LEAST two per week, often more. Aside from the fact than none of them can draw and most haven't been tattooed at our shop, - I'm not even sure if any of them know what kind of work we do (hint: almost everything) they certainly don't look through any of our folios while they are in the shop. - There is no way that our city can support 52 to 104 new tattooers each year. I've been there since 2007. That would be over 800 new tattooers. But really, shitty tattooers should stop taking apprentices and helping them become shitty tattooers. If a good tattooer won't teach you, tough shit. If a good tattooer does teach you, I hate you because I never got that chance and I did a whole bunch of shitty tattoos while I was 'learning'.

I think the girl been booted in the ass about enough. She said she gets it, so leave us all lighten up a tad.

We really need more Zeke Owenses.

I LOVE that face!! I'd be talking to it all the time... "good morning Dragon, let's go make some coffee." ;)

There are plenty of tattooers out there, that is for sure. The world needs more quality tattooers and less of the garbage that is currently parading around as "professional" tattooers.

I quit my job and moved to the other side of town. Big, scary changes, but I figure before my health gets any worse I may as well "seize the day" and start doing stuff I wanna do. So far, it sure beats answering phones (lessened income aside :P )!

I think people just like the imagery. It's powerful. Natives are a reminder of your wilder more human side I guess. Reminds us of a time when hunting and living off the land was the norm, as opposed to the TV pop culture trash that most of the world has been turned into. I'm into these Navajo or southwestern style Native designs that Chad Keoplinger has been doing. I'm not sure if I'd get one tattooed, but I'd totally consider a small piece if I was around him or knew him.