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Yeah, that tiger and snake backpiece belongs to me. I have another session coming up this Monday.

We can show before and after photos, talk about how it's done but I think for anyone who's considering getting a tattoo removed via laser should also probably watch a properly done treatment. YouTube is full of blisters, scabs, scars, bloody messes and all kinds of gross things. It's a shame Google Image Search is also full of the nasty tidbits. I'm sharing this video (and more in the future) not as a promotion of my business but as an informal education to the process, to help answer questions and to be the one who can answer them with my first hand experience both receiving treatments and doing them for clients. This client has several tattoos he wants lightened, all to be covered later. The white frosting you see is water in the skin being vaporized from the heat of the laser (condensed beam of light), it typically will fade within 5-10 minutes post treatment and the tattoo may even look darker for up to two days following treatment. He's agreed to let me record a bunch of his treatments so as he comes in I hope to expand both my creativeness with editing but also loop together one larger, longer video.

Got my belly filled up inna wild style by OllieXXX @ Lucky Strike Tattoo in Edmonton, AB Canada. En joy :)

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Well...it might hurt a little...

Flux Capacitor? Deception? Cojones? Also, to everyone who said OCD is a benefit: That's one of the stupidest things I hear about getting work in tattooing and tattoo shops. Since when did being obsessively compelled to do something, (without logical reason) benefit any profession, employment or craft? OCD doesn't mean being dedicated or diligent. It doesn't mean that you care about getting something right or keeping things clean. It stands for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. "Can I have a job in your tattoo shop? I have a mental disorder that makes me ignore reason and prevents me making sensible decisions based on facts. I won't seek help for this because popular misconception paints me as a hygiene savant or Rain Man with disinfectant." "No, I'll give it to this rational, dedicated, hard working, person who I tattooed a body suit on."

I hate to be that guy but the only FDA approved and effective method to remove tattoos is via laser. If you knew what was in pigments, you'd crap yourself, who knows what's in that stuff. Also worth noting, laser treatments are non-invasive. Think about that, tattooing is.

Here is a pic of my chest piece that the magnificent Chad Koeplinger did last night at Congress Street Tattoo.. I absolutely love how this came out. It hurt more than I thought it would, and I thought it would hurt a lot. Jason Scott and his wife Kim sat nearby the entire time and offered great moral support. It was an adventure. Definitely biggest tattoo that I have and by far the most painful. But, it was definitely worth the pain. Apparently Chad is coming back to Congress St soon and will color it then. I have to say, he is one cool dude, and was amazing through the entire process. I absolutely love the design he came up with. I will get my back done by him when that time comes. sorry for the sideways picture. That crap annoys the piss out of me. Pulled the other pic from Chad's instagram to show it properly.

Just ordered myself a copy. My tattooer told me a story about a convention he was at where the power tripped out in the last hours. Many people left with unfinished tattoos...except Mr. Stell's client. Apparently Mr. Stell spliced a USB cable and ran his machine off of a laptop battery to get the piece done. Super cool story :) Get well soon Mr. Stell!

I'm teaching my first lecture course, after three years of teaching only language classes. It's even the same course that made me think, "I want to be a professor when I grow up," as an undergrad. It's an intensive, 2.5 hr/5 day a week version of it--which is a pretty intense workload, but it seems to be going well. I don't want to be in academia for much longer, but I am still SO STOKED that I got the chance to teach this one!

(@hogg @Iwar @steve1461686340 @slayer9019 sorry I'm not sorry)

i try to ignore that thread because i suffer from back piece envy and i get completely side tracked day dreaming about starting my own.

During my last few sessions with Mike Rubendall, I had the great pleasure of chatting up Chris O'Donnell. O'Donnell is like a repository for NYC tattoo history and knowledge and just a really nice guy to chat with. Chris and I are currently discussing sleeving my calf with a snake (I think his snakes set the bar for snake tattoos). I was looking over his Instagram and Blog and O'Donnell has some KILLER back pieces up. Here are some examples of images off his website: This last one is a collaboration between O'Donnell and Thomas Hooper! INSANE!!!

Stop drawing. Start getting tattooed. Then get tattooed some more. then get more tattoos. Then maybe someone will let you hang around long enough to think about letting you learn. But in all honesty, you'd be better off getting a real job. From what I can tell, nobody gets an apprenticeship at a great shop by walking in with a folio of watercolours and drawings. Getting tattooed is a better place to start. Expect it to take years, not months. like multiple years, not a couple.

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 don't claim to know him Richard and @Jennifer Stell well, but I first met Richard in 1991 at Scorpion Studios in Houston. Our paths crossed again in 2010 when he tattooed me at the SFO Convention. Ask anyone in the industry or who has ever been tattooed by him: Richard is a badass with a sharp wit, endless jokes, and a wry smile that'll win you over ever time. And it doesn't hurt that his art is legendary; he has truly developed a style all his own. As many of you know have no doubt heard by now, Richard Stell suffered a heart attack a few days ago. He now needs open heart surgery, which is not a cheap procedure. If you're able to help out, even a little, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. To do so, you can PayPal [email protected]. Thanks in advance.

Someone stab this thread repeatedly so it dies a slow death.

@ironchef based on my 16 hours of getting tattooed by him, Chris is an outstanding guy. Also I think that snake and tiger backpiece belongs to a fellow LST member.

OK, but what if you're 16 and you want those years to go real fast? THEN what do you do??? :-)

I have probably said this before, and I may say it again, but thanks to you all for getting such rad tattoos. It's great checking on this thread and seeing so many tattoos that I would be super stoked to have on myself.

Yep. Richard tattooed me at that convention the night before.

Awesome, just ordered my copy.

It's odd that you mentioned that, because I came across this video on youtube a couple hours ago :)

signed a lease and am moving in with my girlfriend on July 1st. excited about having a "nice" place for the first time in my life. it is a 1 bed 1 bath with a small kitchen but a huge room that will be used as a combined living/dinning area and a little nook that will be set up as a office area. also really high ceilings (10 or 12 feet) so plenty of room for my growing print/flash collection, just need to convince my girlfriend that some of the dragon prints aren't as scary looking as she thinks they are.

Government employee?? :-)

Saw this on Instagram..All proceeds from Born Weird Book sales for May15 will go to help Richard. Photo by bornweirdbook • Instagram The site is Yellow Beak Press

Next week I will be getting a Rock of Ages on my arm done by Joe Ellis. My wife and I are headed over to Scotland on vacation and I will be stopping in at Lab Monkey Tattoo in Stirling next Tuesday. I think I posted about this in this thread a while ago but I'm leaving in 2 hours so I'm pretty excited. Might not be able to use internet and make posts until I get back but I will get pics up as quick as I can!

Thanks again for sharing this. I had so much trouble with the aquaphor and dry healing methods I previously tried. Both resulted in thick scabs, cracking, and color loss regardless of who the artist was. I used the re-wrap method to heal my last session with O'Donnell and it healed beautifully. And my most recent work from Byrne is in the process of the the thinnest/lightest peal I've experienced. The only thing better than an awesome new tattoo is a perfectly healed awesome tattoo. ps. if i make it up to the montreal convention i think i owe you a few beers for helping me figure out an aftercare routine that works for me.

start smoking crack! bam! and 10 years have gone by and you stay fit!!!

Go door to door to everyone in your neighborhood and ask if you can clean their bathroom for free. Every skill you will need to be successful at doing that will benefit you and its not something that most people can figure out. How to talk to people, how to sell and close the deal. how to make someone feel comfortable allowing you to enter their personal space. Cleaning, lots of cleaning and knowing how to clean and which order to do things in...also its real helpful if you develop ocd. I've seen plenty of people who can draw but can't tattoo and also struggle with the interaction with strangers and making them feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation.

I saw the news but he is too tough to be held down by this. Huge thoughts to the stells I hope I see them in Tulsa soon. Out of country till memorial day but will ask the sea gods for speedy recovery for him

for the first time since October I have no future appointments booked... i think i need to go make an appointment to get my koi half sleeve polished up (now that i figured out a healing method that works perfectly for me) and extended to 3/4 so it matches my other arm...

Back piece thread too, but right now that's basically this thread but just backs.

This thread and the interviews are by far the best parts of LST.

Sorry for the Gigantic pictures. These were from an annual charity motorcycle event we did last weekend in memory of a fallen firefighter. There were about 400 bikes gathered for a 50 mile ride through CT. Great day!

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.

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

..and some more progress on the background.

Only thing worse than people using the word 'industry' is when people make up words like 'skindustry'

Claudia De Sabe now working out of Black Garden Tattoo London .

or sandpaper... :eek:

Haha, I'm pretty ocd but I suppose its just one of my many "mental disorders". I find that the ritual of setting up for a tattoo, cleaning up after, how I draw, most things I have used my "mental disorder" to be a benefit rather than a burden. The patterns and methodical nature of things involved in tattooing, at least to me, are things I find enjoyable. I wasn't speaking to obsessively cleaning because you can't control it but I don't expect people to understand how my brain works.

Hi There All, I'm Neil really looking forward to contributing here and getting to know you all. I've already browsed through a couple of posts and people's profiles and I love some of the work being created. It's looks like a really active place to be!. Kind Regards Neil

"it's real helpful if you develop ocd" sounds useful in a tattoo shop yes

and a little prayer wouldn't hurt, either.

I saw a midget piercer with "Bite Size"

Maria Sena is coming to NY in June. Was super close to emailing her and calling the shop, but decided it would be best to save every penny for my appt with Rose Hardy in July since my tattoos always seem to grow in size and price the day of. I'm real bummed ill miss getting something from Ms. Sena, so some one on here better get something from her while she's in NY!!! You know who you are ^_^ Anyway, I absolutely cannot wait for my appointments in July!! Ive been waiting for over 6 months to get tattooed and i know it will be worth it!

You're stoked! Not a day goes by that I don't marvel at the tattoo he did on me. Super happy for you.

How about a Dip Shitster?