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I managed to get in with Frank Carter again while he was at Frith Street Tattoo last week. He tattooed this eagle on my chest. The photo is from Frank's Instagram

I've talked about this some before... A few years ago I found out that I have a neurodegenerative disease that will eventually land me in a wheelchair. I really don't know how fast or slow it will go. There's not any treatment for it, nothing to do for it but treat symptoms and wait for the inevitable. I got super depressed about it for a long time. I absolutely HATED my legs. Despised them for having this disease, for failing me, for "dooming" me to be disabled someday. Sometime last summer I started to have persistent dreams that I was getting my legs tattooed. I ignored them as well as I could for awhile, and then started putting some serious thought into going for it. I started looking around the interwebs to see what was out there... And then I came here :) Since I started getting my legs tattooed my feelings about them have changed completely. I don't hate them at all anymore. In fact, I might even love them!!! I definitely love the tattoos, and to a great degree all those positive feelings have bled over onto the legs themselves. And... I'm finding that my perspective about the disease as a whole is beginning to shift some too... I'm coming around to the idea that I need to view it less as a curse, not "being doomed", and more of just "a change"... I'm definitely not all the way there yet, but it's something that never would have been possible in the state of mind I was in when I hated my legs guts for having this thing in the first place. - - - Updated - - - And I have to add... I want to thank all y'all here at LST for being here, for giving such great input and advice, for showing off such great work all the time!! God forbid, what if I'd gotten crappy leg tattoos?!?! I doubt it would have had the same positive impact that it's had...

sorry kiddo, but you're in la familia.

Me and Dennis Cockell a year ago me recently with my buddy Chris

This. So much this. I love your story :D Although nowhere near the same, I have some health stuff that's not fun (Fibromyalgia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome). I felt quite negative toward my body, knowing I can't do the things I used to do, can't go out on a whim like my friends, can't run (used to be one of my big hobbies). Getting tattooed hurts like a mofo because of the hypersensitivity, but the achievement - getting to look at a part of my body and go "I sat through hours of pain for that" helps to pick me up on a bad day and remind me that I'm doing better than I give myself credit for. That there are still things that I CAN do, and having awesome artwork all over me is one. So yes, having tattoos has changed my life. In other ways too, of course - the way strangers interact with me has changed, but I can't say I have time or energy to think about that too much. Mostly they remind me that I kick ass.

My daughter is turning 18 in June and she's talking about getting tattooed. I'm sure she wouldn't want me to come with her though! I think she's super into being "independent" right now ;) She's in Denver, so I mentioned Marie Sena's name sort of casually, I was afraid if I was too emphatic that she should see Marie that she'd dig her heels in and see anyone but Marie!!! Oh, teenage daughters!! I can't wait til she's a tiny bit older/wiser...

@hollyjoybee Yes! I do Smiths/ Moz tattoos and my good friend Mike Adams does a few as well. If you're ever near the Portland area I would love to do a Moz/ Smiths tat on you! I've got 2 flash sheets based on the Hatful of Hollow album as well as a few other designs and do custom ones as well. You can check out my stuff on Instagram (@losingshape) or my website: losingshape.com. It links to my Tumblr as well as my Bigcartel shop. In regards to that Moz painting you posted, if I were you, since you're in the UK you should just find a tattooer who's style you really like to draw something up for you. Everybody over at Rain City (Manchester), Cock-A- Snook (Newcastle), and all the fine shops in London - Frith Street, etc, etc would most-likely do a great job. I just don't trust people on Etsy who aren't tattooers who sell "Tattoo Prints" who don't actually know anything about the craft of tattooing much less designing a good tattoo. That doesn't mean it isn't a good reference for style and how you'd like your tattoo to be designed.

i haven't really got anything helpful to say re placement.. i didn't know i was going to want to be tattooed as much as i am (and continue to be) when i started out. I think its always a really good idea to listen to your artists opinion on placement cos generally they know where a tattoo's going to work best.... i'm a bit of a fan of the 'jumbled' look anyway.. i know that doesn't solve your problem but i guess what i'm trying to say is placements something only you and your tattooer can decide. There's no right or wrong.. in my person opinion :)

yea tattoos have changed my life, can't exercise and swim because i'm always healing something and i have less spare cash to spend on drink, drugs and women....!

@else, maybe sit her down and say, "I just really think you should get tattooed by ANYONE other than Marie Sena. I would definitely NOT approve of you getting tattooed by Marie Sena."

Or a dragon

:) My legs might not *do* what I want them to do, but at least they can *look* the way I want them to look!!! - - - Updated - - - That's why I never tell!! My family would be horrified if they knew how much money I've spent on tattoos... not just the tattoos themselves, but I've missed work for them, stayed in hotels, etc. I think, in this case, lying is completely acceptable!!

Lotion, stockings, shower -- wait, which forum is this :eek: :eek: :eek:

oh, you mean a plainskin? :P

aat worrkkk And I'm ashamed to say that this is the only face-on picture I could find of myself.. *facepalm* I've gotten too old for camera-whoring self-portraits with duck face...lol

Yeah I just find it hard to lie to my mom these days. I use to try to hide it for a couple weeks but eventually I'll just walk around the house with my shirt off and let her see it. When I was 18 and got my first tattoo I let her see a full half-sleeve immediately after I got it. It was just too bothersome to try and hide it. Plus I hate wearing a shirt when I'm the house. That and me and my mom/family have been through so much in the recent past it's just hard for me to lie. I'm even contemplating telling her I don't believe in God anymore but I don't want to give the poor woman an early death. Maybe I can last a couple more years til I graduate and move out. I mean I have my chest and right arm completely covered it's just way too bothersome to hide it from someone you live with. I'm me and she has to accept that.

Roar.

a pbr in my hand waiting for chrisvk to arrive in my town

yep - that's it in a nutshell!! I found that walking, after the first 50 yards or so, actually feels pretty good on the lower leg tattoos... Minimizing the rubbing of clothes is super important, I had to buy some pants two sizes too big to accomodate the swelling, and I've also sometimes worn leggings underneath for a little bit of compression and to eliminate friction as well. It'll be ok Delicious!! It'll all be worth it!! :D

tattoo day tomorrow, more work on my left arm. No idea what! There has been talk of a blonde haired lady, mandalas but i have no doubt whatever he comes up with will be fabulous. Only one more session with my tattooer after tomorrow before he's off to travel America for a few months. My body is breathing a sigh of relief!

Pop out the lens and put your penile unit in the hole. In the same line as a "skull fuck". Except in a skull fuck, you need to remove the eye.

Thought I would share this awesome sheet Tristan Bentley from Ocean Ink had recently posted on his instagram page.

haha sorry @else and @Delicious you both have such pretty forum names i got muddled :p

our very own @LosingShape does a fair few Morrissey tattoos too I believe...

Re: the Morrissey portrait ... I know Mike Adams (Hold it Down in Richmond) has done a lot of Smiths / Moz tattoos:

The thing that I especially like about people who get tattoos is that they're often people who are staking out their beliefs or things they love and not interested in whether people approve or not. Most of the world is too tentative and perpetually skeered, these days.

You would *have to* mention something like that ahead of time!! I'm not sure how that conversation would go though... him: I have a dragon in my pants her(?): That's what they all say!!

amnesia???? I don't remember that... Oh well! I think Pharaoh's horses on the back of the thigh would be great! I don't have an opinion on the tattooability of the Morrissey flash... that's outside my scope of practice ;)

@Lance The backpiece is coming along great. After next session we are taking a breack so Horitomo can start my arms and the background on the top of my shoulders. After that is complete Jill is going to start the background on my backpiece and connect it to Horitomo's work. At least that is the plan for now. Have you had any sessions since the last time I saw you? I know you were pretty close to being finished with your backpiece.

Yes @Delicious! It will be a beautiful woman from Mr.Conn! And a little cat of some sort from Burke at Dark Horse Tattoo in LA! Exited!

Latest addition to my collection of lady-heads! :o Photo's are stolen from Xam's IG account, will post some healed photos on my gallery later :) The shop is amazing, and the people who work there are amazing! A very good tattoo- experience! Happy :) By Xam at The Family Business, London :)

I've heard this same sentiment echoed many times, especially by women. I started getting tattooed the minute (ok, a month or so later) after I turned 18.. without getting too sentimental, I think that in a way it did help me figure myself out, even if for the first four or five, I didn't really know what I was getting in to. I've never had to grapple with any body issues but internally.. it seemed to level me out a bit, if that makes sense. Glad your changing skin is literally changing your life!

slightly intimidated by the talent in this thread but none the less here are a few of my more recent ones

Promo video for Born Weird NSFW "

graphic

When I was at that age my father started quoting Mark Twain all the time... I think he was trying to not murder me.lol

You'll be all right. Once you realize how your body treats tattoos (as wounds) you'll get a lot more comfortable with the healing process. And you described it perfectly; tight skin, some swelling, and -- especially on the legs -- that surge/sting when the blood circulates down. Always notice it when I swing my legs out of bed with a new one.. So I've just learned to wait an extra few seconds, let it circulate and then stand up and walk slowly. You'll be fine for the bus as long as you can find something to wear that's not super tight and doesn't rub it.

Mine too! I was just thinking the other day "I don't have enough flowers!!" I was considering getting nothing BUT flowers for the space left on my left calf, and I've got an appointment in June for a big ol' flower or two on my right shin...

Banned.

Got my first skull from Rempe while he was in NYC.

It doesn't matter what anyone else does. All the things everyone else does that you may not like or agree with are just distractions from focusing on your own goals. That's not limited to tattoo sales.

I'm convinced that a good part of what passes for journalism these days is basically trolling. A lazy article about tattoos is going to get shared quite a bit on social media, people are going to leave plenty of stupid comments on the article, and the newspaper is gleeful that they just got a ton of hits for an article that took five minutes and no research to put together.

Thanks yeah I'm probably just gunna tell the coach that I'll be out for a week tops because I wanna make sure its healed before going back since I dont want to mess it up Sent from my XT910 using Tapatalk 2

My newest tattoo done by Ron Henry Wells:

This is me in November last year ,grew my hair back since and stopped fondeling my nipples

A few years ago my brother bought a tattoo kit from china for $150 australian (really super good quality....) so I tattooed this above my knee , and we tattooed a few friends. After two days the power supply broke and safe to say I never touched a machine again hahah I'll leave it to the professionals.

I've posted this elsewhere but not on the rose thread...my black & grey roses by K. Saigh. Wish I had a better camera.

I think this is it, from his instagram:

aaaaand Im done.