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This was the first ever 'Traditional' tattoo I got, late last year, and I think I got a good one! By Frank Carter, Frith Street, London.

Hey! I am brand new. Jumping in at the deep end. I love this forum - been lurking for ages! I had this namakubi done by Danny Rossiter from Rain City in Manchester, UK. He's from New Zealand but has been tattooing here for years now, very talented and very underrated! Didn't an awesome tiger win last time??

I'm finally able to post my contest entry. Just finished up my back piece by Rodney Raines, Ace Custom Tattoo, Charlotte, NC. Sorry for the blurry pic, it's all I have. ETA: found a few more in progress shots on Instagram

I put this in my newbie thread, but figured I'd post it here in case folks were interested. Dana Helmuth at Read St in Baltimore. update: smaller photo

Sorry to those that have already seen it on Instagram, but I'm so stoked that I have to post it here also. Paul Dobleman is one of my favorite tattooers and I wanted to plan a trip out to SF to get tattooed by him; I've even been saving this spot on my arm for him. Saw that he was doing a guest spot here in NYC at Kings Ave, but he got booked up very fast. Luckily, I was able to grab one of his cancellations (thanks to @CABS for the heads up!). So I got my bike running over the weekend and took a rainy ride out to Kings Ave in Long Island on Monday. Rode home with this pretty lady from Paul. A very cool experience; couldn't be happier with this one!

and the winner is... @phickey with the killer tiger by Tony Hundahl(post #8) Wow crazy 72 likes!!! Congratulations!! Thanks everyone for your submissions. Keep 'em comin! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.

didn't enter last months but this is my most recent. made by Justin Hyde @ Old Soul Tattoo

Well... This marks 6 months since I took my daughters and left an angry wee man who had a hold over me for 10 years of my life. I guess leaving an abusive relationship is pretty awesome. I think a couple of drinks tonight, whilst packing up the house to move tomorrow ,is in order !

Yes Paul Roe of Britishink Tattoo in Washington DC....he is one of the only tattoo artists in the US allowed to tattoo the "bat"....given permission by Jimmie Skuse! If I had made it back up to Philly on the Sunday I would have just gotten it done by Jimmie.....but I just could make it back up! @gougetheeyes ..... The Hubby and I will be bouncing all over Brooklyn and Queens tomorrow! Going to stop by Smith Street when they open (hopefully) .... then to R&D Tattoo in Queens .... then back to Brooklyn to Mike Perfetto's shop to meet up with Tony Polito and his wife and then out to dinner with them I think! If you think you saw me in Brooklyn tomorrow.....then you probably did! :D Gonna try to catch a walk in at Smith Street tomorrow if I can get there in time! I may come back down Sunday as well depending on what happens and how finances hold out..... I'll be bouncing all over Long Island on Saturday....Cliff's Tattoo.....Top Hat Tattoo (Marvin Moskowitz)......then down to stop in at Kings Ave to see if Grez has anything open....and finally to Tattooing by Richie to see Richie Montgomery dinner with them I think

By Rye Gregg, Quarter Horse Tattoo, Stockton, CA

Recently all I have been doing is working, a lot. However, it has all been a means to and end... and that end is returning to Japan and getting my back started now in under 6 weeks! Will also be catching up with friends, checking out the place which will mean another travel blog and working out the details with @CaptCanada about the first Japan Lst meet up! Good times good times... seriously though I'm really friggin tired lol.

hehe hey @slayer9019 did someone just cut and paste? ;)

So here she is.. I'm pretty in love with her.. shes different from the other girls hes done for me. Its right above my elbow on the back of my arm (look how swollen my elbow is!) Back next week for a butterfly in the elbow ditch. Did i mention....I love her? Taken from Alec Benjamin's Instagram @alec_redhotandblue

I'm a week behind, but I think we need a "Which undercrackers best accentuate squidpants?" thread. My vote is shamrock boxers, but it's not for everybody;)

When I got tattooed by Jeff Rassier I told him to "make it as weird as possible", and his responses was "I only know how to tattoo one way". It's just in him, I guess.

I just go with a spot at this point and then it opens up other random spots and the more I fill it up the more cohesive it becomes. I get stoked after a tattoo now cause I'm like oh shit, I could put "random tattoo" there

Maybe she's healing a tattoo of another nurse...

Keep calm @keepcalm

May is upon us. Last month we saw a new record for likes with living4todays post. Can we top it this month?! LST Monthly Contest The tattoo picture that gets posted in this thread for May 2013 with the most 'likes' for the month wins! The contest starts on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month. Contest Guidelines Your tattoo picture must be posted in this thread (both tattooers and tattoo customers can win) in order to qualify. Include with your photo/post...tattoo artist name & tattoo shop. You MUST be the one who has the tattoo or did the tattoo. You can 'like' as many tattoos as you want. It can be a finished or in progress tattoo. To increase your 'likes' or to show off another's great tattoo share the link to the post in this thread on facebook, twitter, etc. - to get votes from your friends.. Let's see em! -----------------update------------ and the winner is...wait for it...TWO PEOPLE! @Eilin with the the amazing lady head in a mirror by Xam(post #13) AND @ironchef with the crazy dragon 3/4 sleeve by Henning Jorgensen(post #10) Congratulations!!

yea...OOPS! Hmm you might be on to something here...

Haha cheers! Yeah I absolutely love Franks work - that snake you got is beautiful. I will definitely get something more off him, maybe next year. I'm in with Valerie in a few weeks, I love going to Frith Street!

Sounds well-deserved! Congrats! Hope you guys are doing well. A few months ago marked two years since I left my ex-husband. He wasn't abusive, but it was hard to bring up the divorce discussion (I'm the one who wanted to). My life has been totally and completely awesome since then, though, so I'm so glad I did it! Cheers to moving on, @hollyjoybee!

farthest i have traveled so far is central PA to chicago to get tattooed by mario & frank at ctc last summer. about to double that by flying to SF from central PA in september. getting tattooed at spider murphys but i definitely want to stop by temple and a few other shops while i'm there and have the opportunity.

A company that wants you to show loyalty by getting a tattoo of its logo is a company that can get bent. Isn't this roughly equivalent to that choad who tattooed his name on his girlfriend's face in that they're basically claiming you as their property?

Thanks everyone. Can't wait to see what's in store for May

Thanks. I'm a photographer by trade so I told him I'd shoot this when it healed up. I think I'd make a small fortune having tattoo shops hire me to set up mini easy to use photo studios in the corner of their shop. I see so much great work online that doesn't look nearly as good as it actually is because of bad photos in crappy lighting. They don't need to photoshop it together like I did, but good light makes all the difference.

Yes! Just Kids is great and makes the old New York sound sooo good. I'm currently reading Justin Spring's Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade. Steward's tattooist name was Phil Sparrow and his life is completely astonishing. A great read for anyone interested in Phil Sparrow, Gertrude Stein, Alfred Kinsey, or gay culture in the 1950s among other things.

Just Kids is goddamned amazing. I can't really say enough good things about that book...if you're into Patti Smith you're going to love it as a given, but her whole depiction of being a poor artist in New York in the 60s, her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, it's just incredible.

I've often wondered the same thing. My guess, as others have suggested above , is that it's just a matter of giving your tattoo artist freedom and maybe specifically asking for something different. For my ROA back piece, I requested that it not be a simple old-timey one, but didn't ask specifically for UFOs or any of the other craziness I happily ended up with.

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...

Dennis at @ProvidenceTattoo

Not sure if this is what you meant but this is who I thought of: sam rulz

For me personally it is a tie between the crease that connects the bumcheek and the thigh, and between the toes. The first was cant-breathe pain, whereas the second was I-dont-want-to-breathe-anymore pain.

Congratulations @lving4today !!! That tiger is so cool!!

Thanks man! Paul was such a nice dude. I think I'm still going to plan a trip out there and get another one from him and/or Stu. :cool:

Looks great. The total number of treatments will depend largely on what your cover up piece is and who's doing it. Most people have 2-5 treatments for cover-ups, waiting a minimum of 8-10 weeks after the last one before getting a tattoo. The good news is you're very fair and the tattoo is all black, so you'll see some pretty dramatic fading about a month after your 2nd treatment. Keep us updated with progress!

Hi and welcome to the board. Please take the time to watch the artist interviews, read and learn from old and new threads, and appreciate that this is a community that is pretty unique on the internet. To quote a poster from this forum who I have a tremendous amount of respect for:

@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."

@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.

Amazing...but FOUR SESSIONS? I mean, I have heard that he is extremely fast and his use of negative space is absolutely incredible, but still...FOUR SESSIONS?

@CABS - Yeah man, definitely worth the trip. The shop is cool as hell, and I showed up early expecting a line but ended up being the only client there for the first hour+ of the sitting. Jeff is a solid dude, I highly recommend him. Jeff and a couple other guys from the shop (including Jason) will be at the Bay Area Convention this year, too... Here's a slightly better picture from Instagram:

@hollyjoybee I dare say you would/should get extra for undercracker nail services (at least a decent tip!) and I'm pretty sure @SStu and I will be in sometime in the near future to get our nails done lol

Undercrackers. Nice. Im using that.

Occasionally young kids come into the shop with huge throat tattoos, massive stretched ears, hands and knuckles done.and they're only 20-23... And I can't help but ask them "what do you do for a living?" sometimes the answers surprise me lol. One turned out to be a fisherman.lol - - - Updated - - - *shudder*

I 'll donate the sales $ from the next 5 copies of ( my non- instructional satirically humorous book) " So you want to be a tattoo artist?" But I first have to figure out how and where to post a pic again

We really need more Zeke Owenses.

If the shop says it takes credit cards then it is fine. Some shops do, and some shops don't. If you plan on getting tattooed at specific shop then call ahead and ask. I know you plan on stopping by Temple, but one of Temple's best tattoo artists, Derrick Snodgrass, lives in Kentucky. If you live in Kentucky you need to get tattooed him.

ditto. flew 2,000 miles to get tattooed by scott sylvia at 222, drove 800 miles to baltimore to see seth c. just this summer drove 1,000 miles to nj/nyc, got a rose from bert krak. it never ends. used to take the greyhound an hour each way to get tattooed and drive down to chicago, 1 1/2 hrs each way. i do it without thinking...still!