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terrible photo and taken on the 3rd day of healing but here is my latest by Steve Byrne:

Ok, I'll play, though it is a tough month on this thread once again with lots of superb entries already. My sleeve has recently been finished and has nearly healed, the work was done by Mo Copoletta at The Family Business in London, it took seven three hour sessions which between December and May. I have already posted a few in progress shots but this is the finished product.

Not sure if this is even kosher but I just saw this on Reddit and had to share here. Dude got the same tattoo that his grandpa got in Pearl Harbor in '42. New one is by Daryl Rodriguez from Hold it Down in Virginia.

I finally got my ship + lion on Friday. I put this picture in my post about the design, but I will put it here too because it will probably be my last opportunity to contribute to this thread for a little while. I totally love these, but I am going to give myself some time to get used to having such plainly visible tattoos (compared to my other, well-hidden ones) before I start thinking about getting anything else. This was a big step for me, haha! Scott M (I can never remember how to spell his last name) at Tattoo Paradise in DC did these for me. He is great, and he did my elephant, too, so I was very sad when he told me he was moving to FL.

Mat welch from black rat tattoo las cruces, NM came to visit and I got a sweet Saturday walk in

LIfe goes on and we just got an mri on a healthy baby! Due in September sorry for big size I am not internet savvy BOY!

Hard to get a good photo and lighting but here is a healed shot of my front, does need some touch up work on it but I am in no rush to get them done hurts to much! Artist, Tristan Bently

I have a lovely wife that had no tattoos when we first met. She accepted me for who I am regardless of what was on my body. Now she has a few, and although I find them attractive, I could care less if she had them or not. Judging someone without them is just as silly as judging someone with. It's cool to have your preferences, I respect that, but it limits your options and potential good times.

..and some more progress on the background.

Just for the heck of it, I'll throw in my right arm 3/4 sleeve done a couple of years ago by Henning Jorgensen when he was guest tattooing at Kings Avenue Tattoo (both the Manhattan and Long Island shops). This picture was actually compiled by Henning and shared with me. Enjoy!

Those came out great! Very solid. They work great together and separately. Congrats!

the children of super cool parents

Dusty Neal

As you walk out of the shop with both sleeves finished you think of the PERFECT sleeve. DOH, DOH, DOH, DOH!!

I felt this way when I got my inner arm done. It was like whoa I truly am a tattooed person now. But I think getting over that initial shock and plunge into big tattoos makes the rest much more exciting. I also find I don't worry so much when they show because I feel like this is the person I am now. The transition from a person with tattoos to a tattooed person kind of makes you more confident with them. My example being an upcoming charity event. My first one I've attended with tattoos I can't hide. The last one was before I got my arm and shoulders done, so it will be a big shock. I struggled with trying to find a shawl or something, but realized my tattoos are my accessories and I shouldn't hide them even if it means ill get stares and comments all night. I also completely understand thinking more about tattoos before you get them. While I can't wait to have my arms completely done, I'm finding I'm being more cautious as I think of ideas for how to fill them in. I'm fine with waiting, I don't want to rush and get something then years later wish I did something else. It's important and definitely requires time to do it right.

It all depends on the event, how busy it is and the people involved. But for the most part when people say no changes, they mean no changes. Making something orange, instead of red seems like an easy request, but once you start that, you have to start entertaining everyone's color requests and I know from experience if you allow people any input they want all the input. That being said, it may not be no big deal for the person doing it, but you just never know and remember you are getting what you pay for in these scenarios. Edit BTW i think the coolest one of these special tattoo days I can remember was done about 8 years ago here in portland for Halloween. You basically stuck your arm or leg into a curtain, you didn't know who was tattooing you or what you were getting until the tattoo was done, but you did get to look at the sheet, you just had to be cool with getting anything on there. I didn't get tattooed, but it seemed like a fun idea.

The boyfriend and I took a vacation to Florida for a week. At the end of the week we made the drive up to Jacksonville and both got tattoos from Jesse Gordon at Inksmith and Rogers. I got a vampire lady and he got a vulture.

Phantom of the opera done by Fat from Spain (Iker Ruiz)

Here's my entry!! Done by Joseph (Jet) Diprojetto at Love Hate Tattoo in Rochester, NY:

Got this from Valerie yesterday! Got it as a walk in, i had only gone in on the of chance somebody had space, Right place, Right time I suppose!

Peony from Nathan Kostechko at Will Rise in LA. Based on a design from an Ichibay book (I think this one if anyone is interested, looked awesome). To be honest, though, I hope that El Monga cat wins...that thing is insane!

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've had moments where I haven't regretted my tattoos but I've looked at myself in the mirror and kind of been "WTF have I done". This has always been really early in the morning when I'm underslept and waking up for a 6am start of my workday so I'm not fully in my right mind and I find that as I get more tattoos I experience this lot less. Tattoos are a really big deal in many ways and I don't think that it's necessarily weird or abnormal to sometimes have complicated feelings about them.

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.

@BrianH yeah, that's pretty killer...

Here you go buddy. Always makes me feel better after watching.

WWJCD? What Would Jean Claude Do? The answer is; Sonic Boom! You can work that underneath the chest piece.

Yeah, the transition from "person with tattoos" to "tattooed person" is definitely weird and kind of hits you without you expecting it! It is an adjustment, although I feel like once I have moved through it, I will feel way less new tattoo anxiety in the future!

Im kind of feeling this. Everytime I look at my leg, I realize it's marked forever, with a really big tattoo. I didnt really think it out that much. Not to say that I dont love it, Im enamored of it, but I feel a little bit like a took a big leap, idk how to explain it, but when I look at my leg, I finally feel really tattooed. Not like heavily tattooed, but like I feel like a tattooed person for the first time. The other ones are no bigger than my palm to my first knuckle of my hand, so they didnt make me feel like I was that tattooed. It's scary. I realize I'm going to look like this for every day of my life, until I am an old lady. And while I love my tattoos, I want to really think hard about getting any more. It is a big commitment to be tattooed. One that shouldnt be taken lightly.

Just celebrated a wonderful mother's day, cooked and cleaned for my mom all day, and I'm happy to say she told me she's had a great mother's day.

Got it done on Friday - very happy! Scott M at Tattoo Paradise in DC did it. He is moving to Florida, which makes me sad. He's great! He got these done faster than I anticipated, and the healing seems to be going well so far. Please forgive the lines from my sports bra in the picture - I'll be wearing racerbacks for a few more days, haha :p

Great tattoos. The vampire lady is perfect.

did this one recently tattooerman.com

Just got this googly-eyed little weirdo last night from John Raftery at Fun City. I'm calling him "Elwood." Pretty happy with it.

This is a great thread. When I first started getting tattooed I wasnt into gals that had tattoos on their arms or really anywhere visible. Then when I started getting more tattoos women with more tattoos started to grow on me. Then when i decided I was going to be a tattooer and I fully sumerged myself into the whole culture I then started to find women heavily tattooed far more attractive than woman without. I think it is mostly like everyone has been saying that an untattooed woman wouldnt quite grasp how big of a part the world of tattooing is in my life. If they couldnt share the same passion then it would be really hard to find other things in common. Especially being a tattooer myself, most of the women I meet now days are in tattoo shops or at conventions. Luckily for me my old lady loves tattoos and the culture. I met her when she came in to get a tattoo re-worked. When we met almost a year ago she only had 5 tattoos. She now is almost complete with one sleeve and her back piece is drawn up. She had always loved tattoos but was affraid she wouldnt be able to find a guy that would accept her for her tattoos. Then when she met me she realized that i would love her with her tattoos and she went for it!

You want a skull in that spot. You're welcome.

In many years time, his friends will be telling tales of great adventures and all there achievements in life, and if nothing else Joe will be able to turn around and simply say "I got a walk in with Valerie Vargas". Win/end conversation.

I saw this one in Brian Bruno's book over the weekend. Picture stolen from his instagram. Unreal, I am jealous of whoever has this.

My only problem is there are too many good tattoos. I'm going to break my "like" button some day soon!

I am so glad that I found this thread. I go through the same thing most of the time. Though like most everyone else has said, this feeling is fleeting. It only lasts for about a day or two. I think it has to relate to the change that has taken place. You body is exhausted from the impact of the tattoo machine and the healing process. It is also a change that you have to prepare for mentally as well. Your brain knows that you have been in some sort of pain for the past few hours, but it take a while for the mind to comprehend that it's permanent. Even though you may have planned it out for months, change is change.

On Saturday I had my left inner forearm tattooed from elbow ditch to wrist, and I keep doing double-takes at it now! Someone else has said it's worse in the mornings and I definitely get that. The piece was a long time in the planning and it turned out better than I could have expected, it's just the permanent reality of it on my arm I'm adjusting to! It doesn't help that I'm the only person I know with visible tattoos; I know I'm going to get critical and sometimes startled reactions from family and friends, so I suppose I'm just going to have to be able to deal with that.

Got fresh ink on Saturday and the blues are setting in on Tuesday night. The skin isn't even flaking yet! So glad most places don't take credit cards, otherwise I'd be in more trouble.

I'm trying to be more participatory these days. Here's me: Weeeeee

I've never had the blues or regretted what I did, but when my sleeve was outlined it took several weeks to get used to it. I kept thinking, "What the fuck have I done??" But not in a bad way, I just couldn't believe that I did it. I've only been working on my tattoos for a year so I suppose I'll get used to them eventually, but I rarely look in the mirror and don't notice them. I tried to explain this feeling to a few non-tattood people, but they just kept thinking that I regretted getting them. No way, I'm planning my next sleeve and chest panel!

When my backpiece was really starting to come together, I remember walking past a mirror and catching a glimpse of myself. At first, I thought, "Holy shit, that guy is covered!" Then I thought, "That guy is me." I often have a similar reaction when I see, say, an MMA fighter who has full sleeves and maybe a big torso piece. Then I realize that I'm way more tattooed than that. I don't regret anything in those moments, but I am a little surprised that I'm surprised.

Nope, never happened. Not with stuff I put on myself, not on stuff I've gotten since then. Always enjoyed planning it, having it done, watching it heal.

I can understand the emotions you go through. The before, during, and after of getting a tattoo is very different then anything i have experienced. I know i have stopped and looked at myself and thought "wow! when did i get so many tattoos!" and then think what can i get next!

Stevie Edge!

Where were you on the night of September 14th, 1983?