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As promised, here are a couple of pics taken the day following my session with Nick Colella during his visit to The Pearl Harbor Gift Shop. I admit my photographic skill are weak at best. Nick is a helluva a guy and does killer work. Excepting the part that hurt like *^$, the experience was awesome, and since I'll be in Chicago over the summer, I hope to get at least one more done by Nick. So the inner bicep is tender - who knew?

Lost my LST shirt so maybe my tiger can help out. Tony Hundahl - Rock of Ages Austin, Texas - one shot

I just want you all to know that I love you very much.

I love Cool Hand Luke. Kill Bill - meh. True Romance - now there's a movie!!

Worked some more on my back yesterday with Mike Rubendall And then a new one today from Thomas Hooper

My newest tattoo done by Ron Henry Wells:

I guess I'll go first, but I already have a feeling that I'll be going up against some really tough competition this month. Nick Colella formerly of Chicago Tattoo Co., currently going rogue until he makes an announcement about whatever he has in the works:

Since a lot of us are getting tattooed at the same shops, I was wondering if it would be useful to have a thread to consolidate bar and restaurant recommendations around those shops, sort of like a LST tattoo-themed travel guide. I searched the board before starting this thread and found posts about specific cities, but nothing that could be used as a general resource. Is anybody interested in this idea? If so, where do you get tattooed and where do you eat around there? Where do you go for a drink after your session? For the tattooers: what places do you recommend if your clients ask for advice on where to eat or drink?

since none of you will end up in gothenburg it's kinda useless for me to tell you where to eat. too many places. so i say, if you're in my town, i'll cook for you!

I know I joke about a lot of stuff (especially my skinny naked man-ass!!!) but really, getting the back piece has been like therapy for me this past year. Starting March 19th 2012 I started having some really bad back and pelvis issues. Through misdiagnoses and what not it has been a real struggle to get it corrected. A LOT of really low points in my life over the past year with some very bad chronic pain. I was beginning to get to the point that if pain was all that was left for me the rest of my days, I'd just pull a Hunter S. Thompson and not live like that anymore. Chronic pain over a long period of time can fundamentally change your personality. But, anyway I went ahead and I got the back piece started on June 30th, 2012, and about once a month thereafter I'd go in for another 3 hour session. For those 3 hours I'd know getting tattooed was going to hurt worse than my back and pelvis was that day, when it was gonna start hurting, about how much it was going to hurt, and then, when I'd had enough, I could say "Stop, I've had enough." Long story short, I got the back all finished, touch-ups and all around January 20th 2013. Ironically (hipsterism!!!) I was reading Tamblog shortly thereafter and saw one of the health posts and discovered Piriformis Syndrome (look it up on wikipedia folks, it ain't fun), turns out that's what I have. It can be fixed with exercise and physical therapy, and I'm now on the road to recovery. I ain't out of the woods completely yet, but I'm getting there. I feel much better now and I've buried Hunter completely.

ok mine is frome Chad Koeplinger! done at invictus /Oslo a few days ago!

I'll put my newest up there, from Mike Fite:

Mario Desa, Frank Carter, Beau Brady, Yushi Takei, Matt Ariola, Zuno.... yep i think it's safe to say you're right!

Mine always look faded and kind of "sad" for a little while during healing. But they're are all as bright and deeply colored now as the day they went on now that healing is over. Give it a little time. :)

Ive never heard of anything like this before, is it irritated by clothing? regularly shaved area? If its not settling and bugging you id say see your GP and take it from there. just my 2pence

I have done the breakfast club and it was rather good. Another busy place that is small so there can be a wait there as well.

And here's me ducking in to Nando's for a takeaway burger all the time. I guess that's because i usually drive to London and have little time to get anything done before i head to the shop, not enough time to look around! Got my appointment with Mario next week so maybe i'll be a bit more brave with my dining choice!

it's pretty hard to see what's going on. i don't see any reason to fret about it right now, you're barely a week into the healing process. the worst thing that will happen is that you might lose some of the color when the scabs come off (i can really only see a little bit of scabbing anyway, but the picture is really small.) and if that happens you can get it touched up. if and when you do get it touched up, i'd talk to your artist about adding some black shading for contrast, because it makes colors look brighter against the black. good luck!

@else, you're so cool.

Frith Street-Koya Smith Street- Prime Meats, Court Street, Blooklyn. - - - Updated - - - @Tim Burke Thats useful info about Honest Burger taking your phone number. I turned up there in January. I didn't fancy the idea of waiting outside in the freezing cold for 20 minutes.

Frith St/Soho in general - London Koya - Japanese udon noodles on Frith St, sometimes there's a bit of a wait and you can't book in advance but it's really fucking tasty and they do a good beer from the Kernel brewery. Honest Burger - Really good quality burger served medium unless you state otherwise served with rosemary salt chips. They also don't take bookings, but if you go along and they can't seat you they'll take your number and ring you rather than having to wait so you can just toddle off for a well earned beer round the corner somewhere. http://honestburgers.co.uk

While most of my body is still empty space, this particular empty space was bothering me the most... Drove up to Toronto yesterday and had this sparrow/rose done by Tim Pausinger. It was my first time at that The Pearl Harbor Gift Shop - what an amazing place! All three of my tattoo experiences have been great but The Pearl was on another level (maybe due in part to me being more experienced at getting tattoos also) of cool. Definitely now going to be my default recommendation to anyone who asks me where they should get tattooed. If they don't want to drive an hour and a half then they just don't want it enough ;) edit: Just wanted to add that this was my first tattoo since joining LST and my first chance to post in this thread. Looking forward to many more.

Got tattooed by Matt Arriola at the West Texas Tattoo Conv. Super pumped on how this came out.

All of the above! ALso: The healthier you are the more prepared your body is for what's about to happen to it. Try not to come in hungover, get a decent nights sleep, eat a good breakfast, and lunch, essentially come in on a full stomach, by hydrated, and be relaxed as much as you can. I've been told that exfoliating the are you are going to get tattooed for about a week before hand helps greatly with the healing but that's more of a suggestion. Try to keep an open mind. Tattooers are professionals(for the most part, but not always so do your homework!). We have a wealth of knowledge we can bring to bare at any time for you, so take advantage of that. You will get a great tattoo. A tattooer who cares won;t talk you out of your idea, but might help you do it in a way that transcends your personal whims and trends, and will age gracefully, and compliment you as a person. Though it may be somewhat different than what you initially had in your head. Try to be a little malleable, and trust your tattooer. Try not to be some emotionally attached to every single detail. Remember: you aren't thinking like a tattooer. You think like a person who likes certain images and is used to seeing things on t-shirts, computer screens, and prints. Sometimes things don;t work in skin and we try like hell to make things work the best for you. Try to remember that as much as tattooing has become a main stream product for most clients, it's still a hand made craft to us. If you are expecting hospital levels of sterility, Professional attitudes and expert technique then see us, not just treat us, but SEE us as professional craftsmen/women. Most of us have your best interest at heart because we can and do see the big picture. We are looking at your tattoo in our heads 10 years into the future. At least. We just want to do a nice tattoo for you. So when a tattooer explains why an idea is too complicated at a certain size, or why there is too much clutter, or that outlining it pink may not be the best idea, pay heed to that. You are hearing the educated opinion of a craftsman. If you want a tattoo, don;t let your significant other try to do all the talking. Be plain, and straightforward with the things you want out of your tattoo. The less we have to guess, the fast we can get on the same wave length and make you happy. If you are on vacation and you plan on things like tanning, going to the beach, strenuous activities, swimming, hot tubs, etc. Plan to get your tattoo at the ass end of your vacation so there is less interference with healing(and we can't tattoo sun burned skin so take care of it!), but try to get to the shop at the beginning of your vacation to set the appointment up, or if possible call ahead. Many shops can accommodate walk in's at most times, but since you have a limited time, try your hardest to think ahead. Rush jobs at the last second may not be ideal especially if you want something more involved than a single sitting, quick tattoo. Avoid food that makes you fart before the tattoo. No one wants be sniffing your pooh ghosts while they work. Hope some of this helps.

Thought it would be interesting to see and hear about "homemade", you know, the needle-wrapped-in-thread and ink variety tattoos, and about "jailhouse" work, be it single needle dipped in ink, guitar-string in a BIC pen barrel with a tape-player motor, or any other variant. I still have a few that haven't been covered, and I've seen many, many really nice pieces come out of various joints. I will post some pics as soon as I can scrounge a better camera, and get permission form some of my Brothers to post pix of their work. Anyone else have an interest in this? If not, Admins, please feel free to delete this!

South Africa's no joke those portraits perfectly illustrate that . I remember a comment about how some Philly tattoo Convention people looking "hardened" by life well compared to these guys they look like the Vienna Boys Choir .

Well, I'm on track now for Phase I of my upcoming backpiece. Reconnected with a local tattooer who did my first tattoo 10 years ago (as well as a rib piece and a sleeve). He was enthusiastic about taking on a backpiece project for me next winter and we've planted the seed. Will be getting traced out soon. Saved up money for the first 2 sessions. Starting laser hair removal next week. I know - gross - but I figure I gotta get the back bush whacked if I'm going to commit to a backpiece. Is this a normal thing? Give me a break, I'm half Sicilian! Updates in 2014 haha!

Five days is not nearly long enough to consider a tattoo "healed," so it's hard to say exactly how it will look from here. However, after such a short amount of time you're probably seeing a lot of dry skin and scabbing covering the ink, changing the actual color. If you're still unhappy with the color after another few weeks, it may be time to call your artist.

@asradin amazing collection from Paris. Well done to you.

I just found out that El Monga will be tattooing here in Philadelphia in a few weeks, and at a shop that's quite literally down the street from my house, no less. I want to call in and book a spot with him (he is a guy, right?), but I have absolutely no idea what I want or where I want it. Help.

Yeah, missed the n. Hoest burgers could be something quite different...

looks like Jondix did it...

I actually decided recently that I'm really not interested in chicks that don't have tattoos. It is such a huge part of my life that I don't think a "plainskin" would understand. On a basic sharing of interest level, my partner would need to be tattooed...preferably heavily, and by awesome people.... :)

Howdo @brockvarty @captaincabinet Id be interested in getting involved trading, theres some of my stuff in my gallery. Ill trade with anybody whos interested

At this point I am just used to lifting my skirt and letting everyone stare intently at my ass under very bright lights for five hours or so. Oh, my mother would be SO proud! ;) But yes, despite feeling self conscious, the tattoo studio is a relatively comfortable and safe place for droppin' the drawers, and the results are so awesome I am totally glad to do it. :) I think @hogg mentioned a bathrobe trick? Bring bathrobe. Ensure Lebowski status. Change in bathroom so that the opening is facing the back instead of the front. Waddle out of bathroom. Shake that booty a bit. (my edit, natch ;)) Then be serious and let your artist do her work. WOO Tattoo!! >:)

I think that's a fair compromise.

I have been working on my spitshade skills hard lately due to all the trades I have lined up. Man, I really need to practice more. I feel like an ass...

funny...i get back on here and i see this and the post speculating about our departure from ctc! ha! one kind of answers the other...it's more a forum for civilians (no offense). i'd like to chime in here and there, but honestly, i'd be more interested in a forum for tattooers only, as i chat with "civilians" all day! but i want to try to make an effort again to be on here more because i do think it's a positive!

I've posted it before but it may as well go in here too! my skull/snake off Valerie

Quick update of more work from Rubendall on my collaboration backpiece. His attention to detail is fantastic and looking at his water makes me sea sick! More to come before I take a break over the summer. Hope to see Henning soon to continue the upper portion of the backpiece. Enjoy the pics folks. FYI, there's some work that's still healing and of course new work. Will have fully healed pics in a couple of months.

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

Of anyone here, you have more right to be preachy. You, Don and the rest of your family represent the kind of authenticity that cannot be faked, styled or imitated. A beacon for us all.

Norm Will Rise.

just be respectful. yes tips and cupcakes are awfully nice, but thats not what gets me to work on time everyday. just be nice. leave your tuff guy attitude at the door. dont try to impress us, just be nice. if you know some jokes, please share. if some crazy shit happened to you earlier in the week, tell us the story. if you are coming to us because you saw how awesome we did of a job on your friends japanese sleeve, dont be surprised when we are bummed that you want us to do your celtic armband. haha come in clean and with a good attitude. thats all i can ask for. anything extra is frosting on the cake