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Healing up nicely! Peony sleeve by Kurt Wiscombe, Skull sleeve (in progress) by Kore Flatmo!

Alex Knierer

I like tattoos beacuse, well because I like tattoos. Fuck all worrying about culture and trends and who has what. I get what I like and that's that. Just me. And the "before and after" pic above, I believe there is a whole thread devoted to that in here somewhere, and there was some quesiton about it's provenance.

Just picked this up from Mike Fite on the thigh. Stoked. Now, driving 150 miles back home.

Well, Sunday rolled around again. Two extremely hectic weeks at work have reduced my online time, but I did manage to slide into The Pearl Harbor Gift Shop again. This time Glennie did a great little butterfly on my forearm. - - - Updated - - - That is an amazing tattoo. Stunning!

My simple answer is no, I would not get a "realistic" tattoo. Not because I don't appreciate the art and what it's doing for the tattoo industry. It's more because realistic tattoos have stopped looking like tattoos, and to me, look like temporary body paint. The whole culture of tattoos and the evolution of designs is what I love about getting tattooed--being a part of that. These realistic tattoos are such a severe deviation from what tattoos have been and have become. This doesn't mean it's not something to be admired or respected. However, realistic looking tattoos have allowed consumers that never would have gotten tattooed to find something that they like. In some ways, it feels like its only creating this other tattoo culture where everyone in the world has at least one tattoo, but doesn't know what it means to be tattooed. They don't take on the burden of setting themselves apart and defining their own subculture. All because they don't want a tattoo that looks like a tattoo. They want something that looks like a photoshopped nature photograph on their ribs. Now I'm just getting biased and cold.... But I hope someone understand what's I'm saying. As for the tattoos lasting, I don't think any tattoo truly "lasts". I'm not expert as I don't have many and I'm not that old. I do have a almost 6 year old solid black outline which looks the same as the day I've got it done. But that's because I took care of it, SPF 50 always. If you take care of it, it will probably look better than some one who didn't.

I was actually hoping to get a little sacred heart on my wrist from Freddy. Let him do it however he wants. Or some lettering. My wife has tattoos and I'm sure will get more but she's not a freak about it like me. She's knows she can always get tattooed anytime she wants and I encourage it but I don't think she's as quick to cover herself as fast as I am. I'm just thankful she always supports me but is also the voice of financial reason! She's the smart one, and I am the impulsive one. Maybe I can talk her into matching tattoos. It is our 1 year anniversary trip!

Some people have better luck than others with how their skin holds pigment. I still have some white holding strong from a tattoo by Jef Whitehead from maybe 1999/2000, I think it'd be gone for most people by now. I also still have something on my palm from 97/98, which at the time was something people said wouldn't last, but it was Dan Higgs, so execution played a strong role in its longevity. I also have to say, I know plenty of people with backpieces 3 layers deep, who's to say the option to retouch or completely cover tattoos gotten in our youth is a bad move? Not that I'll get to find out ever again, any one I get work from now only does tattoos that are built to last. But isn't everything temporary, really?

I feel your sentiment... I love SF and the work that's produced up there. Matter of fact, I just found out I'm getting a tax return! Time to call S&S and make an appt. :D :D :D

Yes. I know I used to get burned as a kid, but I was trying to get sun back then. I now have a 10 minute window, then I'm burnt.

First session with Jessie Tseronis from Sakura Tattoos in Winchester, VA. We were going to do a Kapala Skull but when I showed up he suggested this. I'm a "go with the flow" guy and I'm glad I did.

Hi all, well, i want to show you guys my Laserprojects. i hope you guys understand me, because my englishgrammar is not the best (i never had english in school ;) here are the pictures of my Lowerleg. Before and during the laserprocess. I started it in March 2011. we started to cover it in December 2011. The First Testlasering ! This was on the Inside Outside and start of the first Treatment And finally, it's almost finished! :) And Here is my Current Project i started in november 2011. it goes to the end... it was a full sleeve! almost 10 Years old... not really happy with it at all... Current Status Enjoy :)

Damn, those are some nice-ass sleeves.

I hope you don't think I'm trying to discredit realistic tattoos--as a former art major I see their merit and fully respect the style. Yes, they are tattoos, but I still think they draw a different crowd and subculture within tattoo collecting. If you study old flash and new flash as well as old tattoos (check out the thread on this forum-- not sure how to link it) and the traditional tattoos members are posting here, there is a clear evolution of style, execution, and design while maintaining the traditional style and elements. Perhaps you should watch the artist interviews on this site, as most of the tattooers talk about this bringing the old into the new. As for realistic tattoos, they have all the boundaries of an oil painting or drawing. While many, if not all, tattooers create their own artwork, designing a tattoo utilizes a wealth of different design techniques. Realistic tattoos are simply paintings tattooed on the body. The actual execution of the tattoo requires tattooing skills, but tattooing, to me, is about the design. And tattoo designs are very different from paintings and the like. Again, not trying to discredit the style, just my .02 on why I get traditional-esque tattoos.

So, I went to see my artist this morning. He said I had more of a reaction to the tape they used than I did to the tattoo, which totally makes sense because it's right where the tape was after my tattoo was done. He said not to worry and also mentioned to not address them at the same time and lotion them up seperately between washes just to be on the safe side I appreciate you all for helping me.

I meant my first time getting tattooed in San Francisco, not in general, my bad for awkward wording. I'm getting tattooed at Blackheart w/ Scott, and I am currently trying to talk my wife into letting me make an appointment w/ Freddy Corbin! We're ballin on a budget so not to sure if ill be able to swing it but I'm going to try like hell. Idk when ill make it back out to the city and there's too many good tattooers to choose from

My wife and I are headed to San Francisco in June! Super pumped. It won't be the first time i've been there but the first time I will get to stay a week, and the first time I'm getting tattooed. It can't come soon enough!

Diamond Club! Junii's adding a couple of karajishi to my peonies as we speak. Wooo! Man, I love it here. Happy, happy sigh! Go SF!

i like it when people think there is a special "technique" to making this type of tattooing last. tattooing is poking holes in people with needles dipped in ink. thats the technique. it has always been that and always will be. each new generation learns the hard way.

I LOVE this city!!! There is art everywhere! Lots of tattoos! Eye candy to the max! It is also sunny and I've been deep in the dark days of the Seattle winter and early spring, so maybe my sudden and intense (though hardly new) love for this place is influenced by the sun and warm(er) weather... Getting some work done at a coffee shop before a tattoo afternoon...today is a good day! <3 SF and you crazy people who live here. :)

I'm on a tear. I still have two more appointments in the next three weeks.

yes! you never quit!

@RoryQ let's get a beer afterwards if you have time.

I was talking to Mike Fite who did a variation of this on me yesterday ... He said it was an early turn of the century design ... Possibly as early as 1890, but definitely lots in the 1910-20's. Here is mine I got from him:

You should really try and make it happen, even if it's just a little bit of lettering, getting tattooed by Freddy Corbin is a not-to-be-missed good time. How about a little something for the wife?

i am not trying to shit on your parade you have already said your tattoo is for the now here is a quick google search to a very different healed tattoo. You just asked for examples so here is one clicking link below the blogger screenshots the photos from artists FB to show validity there is a blog with it on BME Risks | BME: Tattoo, Piercing and Body Modification News | Page 2

yeah tape sucks sometimes...i've gotten more sore and had tape wounds heal for loooong yes...but heals just perfect!

Yep same thing happened to me. Tape must've rubbed up against my arm overnight. Took longer to heal than the actual tattoo itself. (Didn't put anything on it; healed up fine.)

Well don't take it personal, I just hear people giving that advice often. For a mild burn I'd probably use witch hazel or aloe. For some kind of allergic reaction/rash/poison ivy/etc I'd use some type of cortizone and or an antihistimine. But that's just me. If its just a rash it doesn't need some type of medicated stuff on it. Overuse of such things can potentially lead to their ineffectiveness. Also, the main reason I didn't recommend any of that stuff as a solution is the fact that I don't know what she's actually got going on as far as the rash. No pics of it and troubleshooting things over the internet like that aren't always going to offer an exact remedy. If its any consulation to the original poster, I DID get poison ivy in a tattoo that was still healing up and it turned out ok. So I wouldn't stess too much about that aspect of it.

Tax returns can be like a trip to Vegas... Sometimes good and sometimes not!!!!!

That stack of cash you were showing on IG went to a worthy cause. WELL DONE!!!!

Ha. The drawers. Just drop 'em, hop on the table, and you're good to go.

I wouldn't call them the blues, but when I first got my sleeve outlined to the wrist I had a "holy shit" moment. I had my back piece outlined yesterday and when I got home I had another "holy shit" moment. Not buyers remorse, just a "I can't believe I did this" moment. That's turned into a "fucking A!!!" feeling this morning. :-) Now if I could only stop looking at them every time I pass a mirror ...

@beez I am assuming that was your tattoo Diamond Club posted on IG? Very nice! I really need to visit SF, hang out, eat good food, and be embarrassed by how much choice there is in amazing tattoos.

I used "plainskin" at the shop yesterday...all I got was fucking crickets. No one had a single clue what I was saying.

An original mandala of mine. Tattooed by Zafera Kambouris in Ashland, MA

that mad bio fire honeycomb thing ? Amazing stuff . The Vulture is amazing too

I've always said you just can't trust a guy with a nekkid face and no tattoos.

Hello again! here's a little update after my 2nd session with Valerie at Frithstreet yesterday! One long session left before we finish the first part of my back :D Yay!

Not sure what you are trying to read, nothing to be read there lol On a more serious note :) No need to be sorry mate, I will probably not even be alive in 10 years lol. I got it for now and however long it lasts, it lasts. I know alot of people specially on this forum are all for the old school type tattoos that do stand the test of time and everywhere that old school tattoo people say the same thing. Its like the Old school tattoo people vs the new type of tattoo art artists are throwing out nowdays. No one is sure really whether they will last, you can only presume, inks are better, machines etc. I am not talking about mine but all of this new type of tattoo work seems to get the same treatment specially from people like yourselves that are into old type tattoos, which I am not. I never wanted an old school tattoo and was only until I saw this new art that I fell in love with tattoos. I can appreciate the artwork but I just don't like old type tattoos even though I grew up around them :) I did ask Dmitriy while I was in Odessa about my concerns and the fine details, so he sent for a friend he did 5 years previously with an intricate piece of this new type of art that people are saying wont last (no outlines etc) to show me how it aged. I have to say it was like it was done yesterday and exactly the same as what I saw on the internet years before. So I live in hope lol Some folks on here said because I have alot of black it should hold up better, either way I don't care, at the time I got it, its a beautiful piece of art whether it lasts or not:)

I've been really digging Easy Sacha from Mystery Tattoo Club's work lately. Seems like there are some good tattooers working there: EASY SACHA Instagram

I did what I call "The Reverse Lebowski": a bathrobe worn backward. Just untie it and brace yourself.

Hey man, no problem. On my lowerleg i had 2 sessions, then it was bright enough for him to cover. since the last lasertreatment on the leg, i waited like 4 or 5 months. on my arm i had in january the 5th session. oh and markus lenhard is doing the new piece, he is from berlin. www.luxaltera.com

ron swanson parks and rec..

I've experienced this before. It's usually a very fleeting feeling, but I think it has to do with getting used to the change. I know I'd be a lot sadder if I woke up and a tattoo was missing.

I think this is the designer label version of a tattoo, it doesn't matter if the tattoo is good because it is recognizable as that dudes work so in some circles it's probably a status symbol of some kind. Getting quality tattoos from top tattooers has never been a big thing in the Hollywood A list circles (I know I go to all the parties) I feel like if you weren't into good tattoos before you had some level of celebrity it's not something you seek out neccesarily. Just because Scarlett Johansen has been in tons of movies doesn't make her any less apt to make bad decisons about tattoos as any other girl in her twenties getting her first or one of her first tattoos does.

just to throw this out there. i was talking to my daughter yesterday while she was drawing. and she told me that what she was drawing was a tattoo. so i said cool i didnt realize it was a tattoo and her was response was "of course daddy, it has black in it" i never told her that it was her own observation, needless to say i was extremely proud of her. so after all that could be said about what lasts or not i can say this. if a 5 year old can come to that conclusion on her own that its only makes sense to have black in tattoos then i conclude whether things stay or not it belongs there.

That aint cool. Just to set the record straight it was Catfish Carls wash. Bummer for them I thought it was a great product. Cult- How about I post the worst tattoo Ive seen and credit you with it? or let peeps know you have hep C? Love or hate Skin Candy / Bloodline, since 1996 we've never had a lawsuit with regards to a reaction from one of our inks....ever. We've invested close to $500,000 in sterile manufacturing equipment and processes to safegaurd this kind of shit from happening to YOUR clients. Our ink is dispensed and blended in a pharmacy/food grade processing machine in a 16'x56' clean room. Again, love or hate us for what we do or what we've done, you can't dispute our commitment to your clients health and safety. I just hope Catfish carries the $2million product liability the rest of us have to?

tips are good as a show of gratitude. i think refusing them is a bit strange. each to their own though. i tip my tattooer(s) with cash.

The other day I was looking at Shiges' site and saw this photo I then realised that this client must have the same concerns and considerations for his artist as @hogg does ;) Shige to client "Lets get a photo of your chest piece and sleeves" Client to Shige "Just let me take off my pants"... lol. (yes I am aware that on shiges' site you can see that the same client was getting photos of his backpiece at the same time... but for the purposes of hilarity we won't acknowledge that)