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last tattoo i got was a session on my back.

New one from Valerie Vargas at Frith St on my calf. Taking pictures of your own calf is a bit of nightmare!

posted this in the latest tattoo thread but it looks like it belongs here as well Chad Koeplinger, 6-7 hours in so far two sessions to go.

I have three that I got impulsively. One is a wolf head that I got from Eli at Smith Street. I was in the area and thought that I'd drop in and see if there was any availabilities and just check out the shop and he had a cancellation because it was a cold, miserable, and snowy October day. Didn't really know what I wanted going in the door, but the wolf head flash was cool. Got a swallow from Bert at Tattoomania in Montreal for similar reasons...it was my birthday, I was feeling bummed about being a year older, thought that a tattoo would cheer me up so called up Tattoomania to see if they had an opening and they did. He did a great job on it, and tattoos are great cures when you're feeling down. The last is a rose and snake that Tony D'Annessa did. I had a consult at the shop he owns (owned?), didn't know if he still tattooed, but asked and picked a rose and a snake off one of his old roll-up flash sheets because it looked cool and I figured that if I was going to get tattooed by a guy from the real old school that something involving a rose was fitting. He said the last time he tattooed that design was in 1963. I am happy with all of them, but they're all pretty classic and timeless designs. I have plans for more spontaneous tattoos in the future as well (maybe not spontaneous exactly, because I plan on booking with an artist, but choosing the design off the wall the day of) because that can be a fun way of getting tattooed. I also have tattoos that I've put a lot more thought and planning into. Both ways are cool with me.

You mentioned maybe a snake but you couldn't think of how a small one would work? What about some William Grimshaw flash?

Valerie Vargas at Frith St Tattoo on my calf.

I might have stated this before but in my opinion there is a big difference between a snob and someone who knows what is good and wants the best. I'm into cigars and in that world there are tons of snobs. You can pick them out since all they do is talk about the most expensive or in style brands and think the lesser know or cheaper and worse. Same goes for anything else, tattoos included. I also stand by there is a time to be polite but also there is a time to not reinforce bad behaviors. If people keep telling the wearers of shit tattoos that they are good, they will never look elsewhere.

well my latest, a rose with my daughters name was pretty impulsive. was going to get some sneakers...never made it to the shoestore...

hmm, maybe not expect them to have a ferrari, but at least a honda. otherwise they'd be driving around in a pinto if you get my meaning.

Got a Smashing Pumpkins heart with my wife for our birthdays last year, though we'd been talking about it forever. @Perez did a surprise lil' snake tattoo on me in Philly last time (not a Lee Roy stencil, turned out to be a _____ stencil.. help me out here, Perez, blanking) right after I popped up from a brutal rib session. Best surprise/spur of the moment one! After the ribs, I didn't feel it at all.. 2b09b310550711e19896123138142014 7 Tattoo Picture | Last Sparrow Tattoo

Don't take it the wrong way. This site is about promoting great tattooing. So letting bad work slide because someone likes its it or it was cheap is not going to go over well. helping people find good tattooers, starts with helping them identify a good tattoo. It doesn't have to be super expensive, but it does have to be a clean, well executed tattoo.

The Swallow tattoo on my forearm was an impulsive tattoo.. i'd had a really crappy day at work and everything seemed to be going wrong.. i walked passed the same shop i've visited several times and thought what the hell i'll go in and pay a deposit. Alec was free for a walk in and that's how the swallow came in to being. It's one of my favourites and it also started a great relatioinship with my Artist.. I love it when things like that happen.. i'm not a great believer in fate but sometimes two coincidences happen at the same time and the results are usually fantastic :)

I'm currently listening to the Judgement Night Soundtrack. JUST ANOTHER VICTIM!

Before my fifth tattoo, I felt like I had to really want the image for at least a year and that the tattoo had to have significant meaning to me. That worked for the first ten years after my 18th birthday tattoo. Oh, how that has changed ... My first real spontaneous tattoo was when I took advantage of a cancellation one of my artists had while I was driving home from work. I came home that night with a gorgeous Rose of No Mans Land and she's one of my most favorite tattoos. Now I like booking in with an artist and coming up with the imagery with them once I arrive. I'll be doing that tomorrow. Granted what I'm going for is mostly traditional tattoos and I want to make have a lot of those iconic images in my collection.

Thanks, everybody! I took the day off and spent most of it with my wife and daughter. It involved red meat, red wine, and red velvet cake, so all in all, it was a great success.

I'm heading down to Temple to get tattooed by Freddy again in July. Beyond excited.

Thanks :) done at london tattoo convention last year by Adam Hays of Red rocket NY

heres mine

You can't really consider yourself #covered if you haven't got a anus tattoo, now can you?

My first tattoo was a completely impulsive decision. I woke up hungover one Sunday morning and thought, "What should I do today?" The idea to get tattooed popped into my head, it felt right, and I pretty much immediately decided I wanted a traditional diamond because I've always liked the design. There's a shop really close to my house and I had heard good things about one of the guys who worked there, so I walked over and sure enough, he was working that day and had walk-in availability. The rest, as they say, is history.

At Taylor Street Tattooo they have a "Get What You Get" deal where you pay $50, get a token, slide it into a capsule machine (like at grocery stores for toys and candy) and whatever flash is in that capsule you get. I've done it and got a "Hot Stuff" tattoo and was thrilled. It's all classic stuff and fun. I may not go out and get it "right away" but like within a week or 2. In fact most of mine are like that. My most recent "Morning Star" tattoo was booked only a week in advance and it came to me right before I called to get the appointment. I've learned stuff I thought of too long I always eventually scrap then come up with something out of no where and it's way better and just run to get it. It's how I work I guess. I like to keep things loose. Sometimes it's fun to just roll in and pick some awesome wall art. I remember a time where that was looked down on vs. "custom" tattoos but as someone once said to me about wall art "it's done by guys who've been tattooing for years and years and know what'll look good so you can't lose."

just do it! maybe not your back... :)

You don't think a couple shaky lines qualify as something that stands out as being noticeably poorly done? For most things in life laziness results in a poor end product. Also your post comes across as being a snob about not being snob.

I'd be willing to get pretty much everything that can be covered by a long-sleeved collared shirt and pants, except for my nipples, my cock n' balls, my taint, my anus, etc. It takes a lot of tattoos to cover a body though so I'm sure I'll have far less than that by the time they lower me into the ground. I like hand tattoos a lot, but I don't think I would ever get them done, not because of limiting my opportunities for gainful employment, being even more of a disappointment to my mom, etc., but because when I see people with them in the real world (ie outside of tattoo shops) the only people I see who can consistently pull them off are hard-looking old dudes. These young guys with hand tattoos always have their hands shoved in their pockets like they're tired of being stared at. I'm not nearly tough enough for hand tattoos.

Starting my back (from top of shoulders to the bottom of my ass) with Chad Woodley from Sanitary Electric in June. He's doing a black & grey Fudo and it's going to be bad ass. Super excited about it to say the least.

This is why a winner isn't declared after the first three days. Great tattoo!

I got out in 2001 as an E-6 (SSG) after 9 years in, due to shot knees (Humans weren't meant to be pack animals BTW.) Glad I did, the U.S. Army (or at least the 101st Airborne Division) was all over the place with what was and what wasn't cool visible below the elbows in dress uniform during that time period. Beside's, I was totally sick all of the bullshit at that point anyway... I wouldn't trade that period of my life for anything though. It all happens for a reason I guess. My last day in the U.S. Army was 03/03/01. Nine years to the day. I didn't plan it that way, it just happened! Got out at Ft. Campbell, Ky. My only regret about my time spent in the U.S. Army is that I got to fire every small caliber weapon the army had in service at the time...Except one. The M-2 .50 cal machine gun.... Dammit! I never got to shoot Ma Deuce!

My husband, Don, was in the army for 20 years. From 82-2002. He retired as an E-8 First Sergeant ( only one rank below E-9, the highest rank one can achieve as an enlisted man). By the early 90s he was fully sleeved, had his back, one side and numerous tattoos on his legs. He also began tattooing less than 1/2 way through his military career and worked both jobs, when able, till he retired from the service and only tattoos now. To my knowledge, he never had any issues and it didn't prevent him from rising in the ranks. I know that during the war in Iraq, the army relaxed it's standards to allow hand and neck tattoos, but has since reversed that. Much of our tattoo business is either army or air force- it hasn't changed much since I started tattooing, years ago.

Hum will always be one of my favorite bands. Along with Lungfish and Unwound. We can keep our little secrets.

Flash from the Bowery is a great book. And the Amund Dietzel books are awesome, loads of flash and good history.

All of my tattoos save my first have been pretty much impulses. Started with my gypsy lady on my arm and just came up with the other ones while at my previous tattoo sessions.

@vPooch hope your session is going well! Post pics!

i know i'm a snob. i will only go to artists after thoroughly looking through their work on facebook/magazines etc. i want the best quality work on my skin, and would not be happy with less than that. its hard sometimes when people show you stuff or recommend someone and you look at it and its terrible, to not tell them so, but its best to keep that snobbiness in your head. if nothing else it'll stop you getting shit work.

Lol, to me this sits squarely in the don't ask questions you don't want the answer to category.

This happens to me way to often, I usually just nod away and then tell them I have to go take a big old shit or something equally as important

got a few coming up, Nick Mayes is tattooing a dagger and a hammer on my thumbs next week, Beau brady is tattooing my other hand in May and Chad Koeplinger is doing another session on my back in september.

got the shading done yesterday

Hey Rob! also...since I know you, get a black metal tattoo by Uncle Allen or Jef Whitehead.

BANNED

To day I had my final touch up session for my sleeve, and after many hours we were finally done with my sleeve :cool: The artist is Noi Siamese III at 1969 tattoo in Oslo (I tried to show some pictures earlier in this thread, but something went wrong, hope its ok that I try again, and sorry about the large images..)

@Graeme so you're saying that because it happens with everything on the internet, it's ok? I have no problem with people trying to do 'fresh' things. In my opinion, this style is still fresh, therefore how can anyone else do something new with it? Maybe it's different because I've been fortunate enough to see the seeds of this style develop from other things in a natural and gradual way that I feel uncomfortable when someone else hops on the wagon when the bumps have been ironed out. Yes it does happen, I know I can't stop it and I'm not trying to. The reason I take the time to post here is because Last Sparrow is different. It's better than that. This place is the real deal and I care about it. It may be just another forum to chat about whatever is on your mind to pass the time, for most here, but for the collectors and tattooers who post here there hasn't been anything this positive about good tattoos and tattooing on the internet, ever. There's been a machine forum that was good for a while and some kinda-sorta fringe industry sites and forums that were good for a while but there's never been somewhere online for just tattoos where quality matters and people who are respected in the real world are respected in the forums. Too often a post/blog count matters more than the quality of submissions and real-world experience. It's different here. Last Sparrow is having a real-world effect and I think it's up to us all to realise the responsibility we have and to try a little harder to be thoughtful and intelligent in our actions online and offline. While I wouldn't wear tattoos in the style Amanda Wachob does, I can see how they would appeal to some. I'm not even sure it appeals to 'tattoo people'. It's not really a new tattoo style either. It's based on a style of painting (wich was once new - over 70 years ago) Ed Hardy did some similar stuff in the 80's too. @TrixieFaux some of the people you mentioned do visit SF. I'm not trying to tell anyone who they should get tattooed by or whatever and I'm not knocking anyone specific. I'm sure 'new' guys give props or shout-outs to Hooper, Jondix, et al. But it still stands that without the guys who developed the style none of us would even want to get it tattooed.

A review of Wrecking Balm from Amazon. Classic 354 of 434 people found the following review helpful 4.0 out of 5 stars Don't get it in your eyes, January 2, 2012 By Amy L. Brown (WOODBRIDGE, VA, US) - See all my reviews This review is from: Wrecking Balm Tattoo Removal & Fade System (Health and Beauty) I bought this for my wife who wanted to remove a tattoo from just above her buttocks. I believe they call it a tramp stamp. The tattoo said "Ronnie", which is the name of one of her ex boyfriends. So you can understand how I decided to spend the money on getting that damn tattoo removed. My wife didn't really want to get the tattoo removed. Although she denied it, I think she was still into this "Ronnie" character. She would always visit him in jail, as well as send him letters and pictures. So I found this product at a local Wegmans. I didn't tell my wife what it was, instead explaining to her that it was tattoo enhancement cream. I told her it would sting a little, but that was just the stuff doing its job. Now, you have to understand that my wife is a big girl. Let's just say that she constantly wears jogging pants and refers to them as them as her pants. So she couldn't really see the tattoo herself. Even when she tried to use a mirror, it was hard to make out. So I thought everything would turn out okay. Well, the cream worked. Every evening I would apply the cream for her, telling her that the tattoo was looking better and better. When in fact it was fading more and more. I told her that the micro dermabrasion thingy was actually a tattoo polisher. And so I would spend a good 15 minutes every night grinding away at that damn tattoo. And it was almost gone entirely. Then Ronnie got out of jail. It turns out my suspicions were correct. My wife still had a thing for him. I came home from work one evening to find Ronnie and my wife hanging out on the couch. And boy did they look pissed. And Ronnie was a pretty tough looking guy. Apparently, and I'm not trying to insinuate anything here, somehow Ronnie had noticed the now bare space just above my wife's buttocks and had asked her about it. And now he was pissed off because he had bought her the tattoo to begin with. And she was pissed off as well because I had tricked her into having her tattoo removed. Long story short, I had the option of getting my ass kicked, or of buying a new tattoo. So we went to the tattoo place, shelled out the cash for a new tattoo, and winced the entire time as Ronnie and my wife watched me get the words "Ronnie's Bitch" tattooed on my chest. Since then my wife has kicked me out. And Ronnie is now living in my house. And me, I'm on my second tube of wrecking balm tattoo fade system. I can't tell you enough how much I like this product.

I'm ok with people I know well, just don't want too many people up the food chain to see or customers. Not really that much at stake, just my level of comfort with dealing with people. CG

My butler has heard other people calling me a snob.

I pretty much have zero hope left for humanity. I wish people would just stop encouraging and taking care of these people and let natural selection kill them off. Or maybe soon our planet will just fucking explode. Sorry for being such a negative nancy but fuck!!! I keep running into this shit. As it is I recently had to get rid of cable because I can no longer stand to watch the crap on tv.

I thought it said "1,000,000 served"

Being someone that has been on the hiring side, tattoos or not you are at the mercy of the other person's prejudices and opinions. Between me talking with other hiring personnel and thinking about candidates, I can say I've caught some weird prejudices about people during hiring. Although sometimes what is accepted as a normally good trait, sometimes can but a negative. In my sister's field someone that comes off as more bubbly and "creative" (whatever that means) will get picked over a stiff in a suit, but the opposite is in my field. Crew cut hair and expensive suits rule my world.

Correct. Wrong. Unfortunately when you have visible tattoos, you put yourself at the mercy of the person who's doing the hiring's prejudices. You may have the best qualifications of all the candidates, and still not get hired. It may not be fair, but that's how it is.

sex sells. no offense intended, but this is not a question anyone should need to ask.

I hump all my female clients and on occasion some of my male clients. Anyone wanna make an appointment? I take a $50 deposit.