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Got this Grimm tiger yesterday from Fergus Simms. Here is a pic of the three thigh tattoos I have off him so far taken after the appointment. Safe to say I am very happy with all of it.

I can't sing her praises enough, and I am so, so, soooooooo stoked on this piece, so here is my finished leg by Stephanie Tamez. Such an awesome person, and I'm gonna miss spending so much time at Saved! Except for a couple details, everything here is healed. Definitely one of my favorite tattoos.

Look at this blackness! It was a bloody mess. Kongo Yasha is really going to pop once this background is done.

If you could only be tattooed by one tattoo artist for the rest of your life... who would it be? Explanation is required. Shop talk, personal conversations and general work done plays a huge role in every experience and hopefully we will get some good stories out of this. (I haven't posted on here in a while, so I hope this didn't get brought up somewhere else.) It was a hard choice, but I know that if I could be tattooed by anyone else for the rest of my life... It would be Freddy. 1. I'm lazy and its a 1 mile walk to Temple 2. He is hilarious 3. I could hear him talk about India all day. 4. Jason, Derrick and Heath are awesome to talk to as well. 5. The shop is beautiful. 6. Every time I go in, I just want to get a million jesus tattoos. Your turn.

Just got me an appointment with Chad Koeplinger when he guests at Great Lakes this August. I'm fully and completely stoked for the tattoo.

Joined the tiger club today thanks to Chris O'Donnell, pics to follow. So fast and so great, incredible experience.

I don't know if this is tmi, but I went on a semi-blind date last night. It went really well, and I had a blast, but since neither of us were looking for anything serious, we just kept it casual. We ended up making out, which is terrible I know on the first date, but after it was all said and done, he told me I was more beautiful than I realized. Which just about melted my heart, since some of you may know I've had serious problems with dudes in the past and my self image. So, even though I won't end up dating him, I finally feel like I can go out and start seriously dating, without worrying and doubting my looks and self image. I realized that I can be more than I think I am, and that I can be liked for just being myself. /end emotional speech

Tattoos are permanent, which I'm sure you're aware, so the limits to changing an existing piece to your liking is difficult. My suggestion? Laser it. Take suggestions from members on this forum for quality artists near you that WILL care 200%+ about your tattoo. And basically start over. I know, I'm an asshole. Forgive me. Welcome to LST! :)

I had a tattoo healing nightmare the night after the first session on my back piece. I was being chased by a really slow-moving mob, but I couldn't run because every few steps my shirt would adhere to my back and I'd have to stop and very very gently pry it off before I could run again. Even in my sleep my priorities are fucked.

I have to share my nightmare from the other night! It was awful! I always have the post tattoo nightmare that I wake up and the tattoo has vanished, but this one was a pre tattoo nightmare and was way worse! Basically, I went for my appointment with Rose Hardy and she showed me the design we talked about, went to do the piece, everything was fine... Then in one session she's done and I have two large pinup girls (but not sexy partially naked ones, more like ones dressed for winter in 1950s Russia... Weird). And the placement was strange... One on each inner leg from like mid thigh past my knee to about mid calf. So I was like, ummmm, what did you do to me??? And she was so nonchalant and like, oh I wanted to try these out and thought you wouldn't mind. And I just felt like an ass because I didn't speak up. And I told her I would t pay and she just laughed at me as she jumped on a plane back to New Zealand. I was so relieved when I woke up the next morning :) what a weird dream ahhhhh!

Celebrating our 2 year anniversary on the Oregon coast today. Then off to Portland tomorrow to check out atlas and acme tattoo on our way back home.

Welcome to LST! So my apprenticeship experience was not too different from what it sounds like you're about to get yourself into. Solid advice: jump ship now, get like 10-20 more tattoos, paint your ass off, and try a better shop. Ideally, a street shop with walk-ins, tons of flash, and artists versed in several styles who do large and small work on a regular basis. I understand that this is rough advice to hear, but I can guarantee that you will have a much easier and much more fun time in your tattoo journey if you take that advice. I fully get what it's like to be young and hungry for it(still am), but you will benefit tenfold throughout the rest of your life if you start out the right way with the right information at your foundations. Or you can do what I did, which is apprentice at the first shop that will take you, start tattooing right away, fuck a lot of people up, not learn shit about your craft, leave half way through your apprenticeship, and then get another job at whatever shop will take you as you figure out how you're going to get good information and further yourself on your own. In the end, whatever you choose to do, it is all going to be difficult. What it mostly comes down to is are you willing to spend the time right now to learn the right way, or do you want to spend the next 5-10 years unlearning what you've been taught and figuring out what's what. Having someone tell you that they will teach you how to tattoo is the most exciting thing in the world! The fact remains that the time spent in a shop for 2 tattoos is not enough time to let you know if it's really something you're ready to be a part of for the rest of your life. Anyway.. sorry for being so preachy. You will decide what's best for you and your life. I wish you the best of luck on this incredible journey that is tattooing and getting tattooed.

Awesome question...my first thought was to pick one of the big names, like Shige, or Filip Leu...But I think I would genuinely have to go with the artist who I have the most work from, the person who taught me more about tattooing than anyone else I have ever met - Mark Armstrong, Sacred Art, Manchester. I have full sleeves and full chest done by him, and we just started a full Japanese backpiece (neck to knees). He is not a big internet name, but I couldn't give a monkeys, I count him as a great friend and a great artist, he knows a lot about the history of tattooing too. He used to work at Herbert Hoffmans, he apprenticed Tomas Tomas and Matt Black as well! I also worked for him for a couple of years. I have been to other artists, for smaller tattoos, but I always seem to come back to Mark for the really big stuff!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love Stephanie and I love that fucking dragon.

LST is the boxer briefs of forums. The right amount of freedom, balanced with enough control that balls aren't flying everywhere. Nobody wants their walnuts smashed when they go jogging.

Feeling a little blue after completing the half-sleeve and chest plate this past Thursday. Oh why oh why didn't I just get a 3/4 cause I already want it extended! :D

One I finished up a week or two ago... @youthcrewalex That skull is insane!

Here is another picture of the same tattoo I posted in this month contest -thread. Tebori by Horimasa Tosui done in his private studio in Amsterdam last week at wednesday. The pictures are from yesterday.

Had Chad K. finish my eagle this past friday night at Congress Street Tattoo in Portsmouth. Love it. So glad it's over.. A brutal couple of hours, but so worth it.

When you go back in, thank him for that. I've heard that it's not good to tattoo them because you wanna be able to see if the mole changes color. However, that didn't stop a certain someone from blasting right over a raised mole on my arm. It stung like you would not believe and I bled like a stuck pig (stuck Hogg?). I have moles all over my back that didn't get tattooed over. Luckily, my backpiece is a snake with a million dots, so it worked out well.

Four hours is a loooong time on the back. Kudos!

Oh shit, now that's a tough question. I think I can only speak for artists that have already tattooed me, as personality is a huge factor when getting tattooed. I think I'd go with Sonju from Tattoo 13. I like that guy's brain. His ideas about inspiration, creativity, the birth of images, and laws of tattoo aesthetic are ON POINT. He's also an odd bird who don't give no fucks about no stupid social stature of any kind. Good dude to hang out with, very funny, and we share birthdays. Go team Sancho :)

Sometimes I wonder if it's far-fetched to think certain artists should be paying for the laser treatments....

When you start booking tattooing appointments during your honeymoon.

I'm going to be hanging out with Pushead on Sunday. You know. No big deal. I'd love to hang with you folks, but... he wins :D

@Rob I that snake makes me think of this: Very rad!

just got this dude last night pretty rad, a little oozy still, hard spot to photo

Finished this today as a gift may make prints

Great Lakes opened up yesterday. How many of you heathens stopped in and got tattoos?

@cltattooing I've noticed that after I clear coat things a lot of the stains and areas that bleed a little are not as noticeable. And they most surely are not noticeable by most people other than ourselves. My mentor constantly tells me that with doing paintings, just keeping at it. Apparently progress isn't an overnight thing.

My guess is in Norway. That's where trolls are from, right?

Just had one of these last night. Had a dream my tattoo kept peeling, even though it's been healed for a while. And each time I peeled it, it became shittier and shittier and went from traditional to color realism that looked like it had been faded for 10 years.

I imagine @Dan S has plans to visit.

@semele that's hilarious!! :p

I don't want to make it seem like I don't *like* my new tattoo, I do! It's just not finished yet. :) There's still some shading that needs to be done, too. Also, it looks super alone without any friends. I think I need a couple more. To balance things out? Please I would like to win the lottery now, kthx.

here are some paintings of mine, criticism welcome - - - Updated - - - and a couple more from this year.

fuuuuck. i need this shirt.

Saw on Horitomos' and SOG's Insatagrams that they are going to be putting out t-shirts, too:

I'm about two weeks away from my appointment with Russ Abbott while he's guesting in Mass. Can't wait.

Forgive me if his name has come up before in this long thread, but I believe there is pound for pound no one better than Tim McAlary at Goldrush Tattoo in Cost Mesa, CA. I know there is no best and I would never claim that he (or anyone for that matter) is the best, but he definitely deserves some recognition. He is killing it.

i painted this weird thing the other day.

Caught Pacific Rim tonight. Analogue robot gave me a laugh, and that baseball bat of a ship was rigid as fuck... If only today's oil tankers were that tough! Fun flick though. Nothing complex, just the good simple giant robot fun that our younger selves went nuts for.

He was sharing a booth at the Rochester convention with Mario Desa when @Pugilist got tattooed by him and I'll vouch for Frank William's tattoos looking really good in person too. - - - Updated - - - Another guy I was really impressed with at that convention is Matt Bivetto who is now tattooing at Three Kings in Brooklyn. His stuff is so raw and powerful and he came across as a really nice, good dude. I really want to get tattooed by him, I just need to figure a couple of things out first.

Thanks dude. I've got prints for sale in the for sale part of the forum :) @cltattooing

Finally have a new finished piece to enter the contest! Not expecting to win, but it's a good way to show off my finished tattoo by Kore Flatmo! The pictures were taken in May by Kore when we finished up. Yay! :D

So the shop got this gem sent to our facebook yesterday...

I stay pretty busy trying to make sure that my five year old daughter, and two year old son don't grow up to be assholes. It is not glamorous but I like it.