Leaderboard

Matt Howse did this on me yesterday at Fortune Tattoo here in Portland and yes it is right up in my business.

This is a photo taken by my friend, @Iwar, right after Marius Meyer did a hell of a oneshot on me. I was almost dead, at least very close to fainting. Haha! See a better picture of it in the august contest. The front is just a collection of good and bad tattoos. Some day the owl is going to taste the laser..

because people don't know shit. getting a bad tattoo can be traced back to customers not trusting their own instinct (walking out of a shit shop when they don't get a good vibe and getting tattooed regardless), not trusting/listening to their tattooer or just getting a design theyve seen repeatedly before whether it's good or not. people will get what they see. tattoo flash used to help in some cases for the undecided. The google image search feature has harmed the customer/tattooer relationship. it gives people the idea that they can get whatever they want as long as they like it, but there's so much more to that equation. I mean of course you can and you should, it's your tattoo but listen to your artist when they tell you it's gonna look like crap 10 years from now, that it needs to be bigger or to simply not get an upside down tattoo just cos youve seen it on your best friend or some blog on tumblr. it doesn't make it right. I dont really see anything wrong in the designs people choose to get tattooed today, i just think it's much more important that they get a better version that will look good in years to come rather than the attitude i've seen tattooers take, such as doing exactly what the customer requests without advising on size, placement and clarity of design.

I don't think this thread could teach someone to tattoo, but if someone came in an requested to get tattooed by a rotary I would be besides myself that they thought they had a say in the matter. Why can't tattoo machines, be magical devices conjured up in secret lairs with parts unknown to modern man. I have been tattooed by a rotary machine and i guess at times it was less painful than a coil, but not rainbows and unicorns better, and after two hours it sucked just as bad. Tattoos hurt

1 Shot Rib Tattoo (5.5 Hours) by Tim Hendricks at Gold Rush Tattoo .

not the most recent but got this back in december from jaie devore haven't posted many pictures of my tattoos but here you go looks a little crooked in the pic but not when my arm is down

You should be used to it by now? The skull is pretty cool, I will say that. There has to be a common ground, I mean the skaters didn't care for the BMX kids, but they could agree they hated the rollerbladers, we just need to find the rollerbladers.

I once had a customer show me this method that was being used on her foot tattoo (i tattooed something else on her arm) and it looked horrific. it did indeed take off the tattoo (mostly) in the spots where the treatment had taken place, but if anything it makes a cover up way harder because of the contrast between the 'skin' spots and the rest of the tattoo. she also said the scabs took months to heal, were incredibly painful to apply and heal, the area stayed swollen for weeks. she said the spots had to be over an inch apart due to the swelling, the person doing it told her. if a customer of mine brought me a tattoo in such a estate asking for me to cover it, i'd be very dubious as to take it on. google image search results. i'd say speak to your tattooer before you do anything, the tattoo you want covered up might not need such drastic removal, or simply a couple of laser removal treatments might be enough to evenly fade the tattoo away to allow a less heavy cover up.

I hope when you complete that thought it isn't total nonsense like it is here. When I look at the lettering tattoos that people like Tim Hendricks, BJ Betts, Katie Sellergren, Anderson Luna, to just name a few, I don't think for a moment that lettering as a craft, or tattooing as a craft, is being degraded. That is melodramatic garbage and I don't think you care enough about non-tattoo forms and ways of lettering to even believe that yourself (and if you do, you're still wrong about it). Even getting away from people who have made their names doing lettering, there are so many more tattooers who work hard to improve their lettering maybe not because it's the area of tattooing that they're the most excited about but because people ask for lettering, and they want to give their clients the best tattoo they can. This isn't just a new thing...read George Burchett because he writes about doing huge amounts of text on his clients. Obviously a lot of text-based tattoos aren't done well, but that doesn't mean that text is bad as such. Also, for the purposes of this forum and our attempt here to actively promote good tattooing, I think that completely dismissing text in tattoos as being bad is counterproductive.

My girlfriend, @Ninab, is now booked in with Civ and Stuart Cripwell for the convention, and I am still waiting for a confimation from Mike Rubendall and Ichibay. What do you want from Henning Jørgensen if he gets a cancellation, @jade1955?

We don't have those over here, so I had to google it. Looks about right.

Finally done after 16 hours. Rodrigo Melo out of Northstar Tattoo in NYC.

Both of these are by Clamore Wolfmeyer at Amillion here in Austin. I didn't get a shot of the Higgs Druid, but here is my wife's pillowcase the next morning! Haha! Boldwillhold!

Here is a little piece of mine :-) This dragon sleeve has been done last year by Bonel of Corazon Santo in The Netherlands, which is currently working on my other arm (and a Phoenix backpiece on my wife :-) )

it all boils down to the every day normal person being dumber than dog shit

Got this moth done yesterday by Josh Damnit at Donovan's Autumn Moon.

A lot of judgements on appearances in this thread. Thank goodness nobody ever judges us on how WE look.

Hard to beat that hooper sleeve, but I got this little party cat from my buddy Chris Cotner from Austin. More people should check him out, he rules.

Gaaawd!!! So many cool tattoos being posted in this thread lately. I absolutely love this one!! Been thinking of shunga for my own pits for a while (although I once swore i'd never get my pits done. Ha!) but I'm not sure if I have the balls to get that type of imagery tattoed on me yet.

Do it!

Defo getting one of these aswell @jade1955

I dig that little clover in there. I also think this thread wins for best title.

You can, but I will still add that typographical tattoos aren't necessarily bad ones either. Stephanie Tamez being an example of somebody who has done pretty spectacular large scale type-based tattoos.

Can I just point out that there is a gigantic difference between script tattoos and typographical tattoos?

Man I thought this thread was about bad tattoos (difficult enough to define as it is without entering douchey territory), not about tattoos I don't like. That distinction seems pretty crucial to me. I can't stand black licorice, but that doesn't mean I'd call it a "bad" food (although I definitely have done that when my husband has eaten it because I'm a jerk).

Scott Sylvia says he can make it on the 19th too, and he suggested we reserve a big table at Lolinda on Mission St. in SF. Sound good?

Yeah it's on a sheet of flash in the Spider Murphy book, but I just assumed it was a Simpsons Reference. Not the main reason I got it, just a bonus.

Aesthetically I can see what she is saying, but the rest of your arm has a certain look for sure, but if you like your tattoo and it brings you luck then keep it I say. Often tattooers frame tattoos instead of covering them, because people don't know how sentimental they are about there old tattoos or maybe just the experience of getting that tattoo or just being 14, and it sounds like that is the case.

i like loud noises

what others think is their problem, not yours. me personally don't give a flying f**k what others think of any of my tattoos anyway...but thats me...

I've never been tattooed with a rotary, so I can't really compare the sensation between the two machines. All I know (or at least feel) is that the sound of a coiled machine is such an integral part to the tattoo experience. I can't imagine going into a tattoo without the artist setting up the machine, running it and adjusting the voltage before asking if I'm ready to start. I need to hear that sound!

as soon as i get back from SF and save up some cash i'll be working on mine. hopefully that will happen before thanksgiving.

Several years ago I had a sweet little first-grade student of mine tell me, "tattoos are evil". That's what her very religious mom had told her. I didn't want to go against her mom by saying too much...but I did say something like, "Well, they are just pictures. Can pictures be evil?" She looked thoughtful and we left it at that.

That's awesome! Looks like the shroud of turin LOL

I got my third piece from Ron Wells Friday, and I LOVE HER: & if anyone wants the link to my Grez back piece progress, PM me. I don't want my butt all over the internet before its finished--after that, I of course give zero fucks.

Stoney by Steve Byrne.

Hi, my name is Brede André Lian. 23 years old guy from Norway. Got introduced to this forum by Wilhell. My Story: Been into tattoos about 2-3 years now, and now for the last 1,5 years; tattoohistory- and culture. My first tattoo was the Black flag bars, and from there I got hooked. I´m very into trad. Tattoos, but recently got a good feeling for jap. stuff. Thanks for having me, this should be fun! Cheers. Brede Lian

I've got a small, simple typographical tattoo. "breathe" is all it says, but shoot! I think that tattoo is a lot wiser than I am. It continues to teach me so much. People usually don't tell me what a cool tattoo it is, but then that's not why I've got it! It's there to help me and whoever else out. Remember to breathe!

Thanks !! Your pin up came out amazing too!

It is not all that weird. Certain things I just will never like no matter how hard I try to see why it might appeal to others. It is nice to know likeminded people to share my interests with, but I accept that not everyone likes knitting, sewing, medieval stuff, black metal etc. I can still have a great time with people that like different things :) Aaaand in this case we all like tattoos, so we at least have that in common...and whether we prefer lettering, symbols, portraits, flowers, birds, skulls, minimalistic /simple tattoos or really complicated art and lots of color should not matter so much imho. - - - Updated - - - Not sure if that was also referring to my above post, but I just wanted to make clear that I did not state that "everything is art", but "there are many types and forms of art that are abmatter of taste". Meaning lettering, like I noted above, can be done well or not so well, or placed wrong. But so can all tattoos. Even something very elaborate and complicated can be done badly and not harmonize with the body's curves. Whether it is art also depends on the execution. I know a tattoo of a fantastic very simple triangle (only outlines), that I find looks great because it is just so well done and not misplaced. I do agree that customers should take the advice of the artist regarding placement and things like that, just the artist should not say "you want font? That is not art, how about a skull instead?" There should be a compromise that makes the client happy and incorporates the professional advice from the artist.

That's so badass. I love Tim Hendricks' black & red work and am 100% envious of your cobra. Badass badass badass!

thanks :) I am pretty OCD with my tattoos. I use Sunscreen (clear spray). I made a homemade batch of moisturiser lol I dont wear long sleeves no but I am in the UK so. Although this year has been really hot. Like a prick I went and sunbathed a few weeks ago for around 3 hours. I had sunscreen on but still some smaller parts of white started going yellowish so I left :(

Ehhh...but most of us are taking pictures of our tattoos with cameraphones and it's not like those are good pictures to begin with.

Those are two completely unrelated posts, pal.

"Watched video of 1990 National Tattoo Association Philadelphia Tattoo Convention" I think I have home video of that show somewhere in my OV rubbermaid.

I have become of fan of dry healing too, when i got my earlier tattoo's I was told to apply bephanten or something similar on it. It did work fine, but the tattoo's were always 'sticky'. When I got my first (full) sleeve last year I was told to 'just do nothing' :) And it went great, after getting home i washed it, and repackaged it for the night, but after that nothing. The first few days i didn't need to do anything, after that i got a bit dry on some places, and i put some (generic) lotion it, usually once a day was enough.. And like was said earlier, it's a wound, and needs to breath to heal, and not to be suffocated with some goey stuff. On another forum i frequent most members are keeping their tattoo moist, and 'brag' about not having scabs or anything.... no ofcourse not, they are rubbing everything off by lubricating the thing 10 times a day....

Holy shit these massive one shots are making this thread epic! I guess I gotta step up and get a one shot back piece

Something a bit different to the tattoos you usually see on here. I know you guys love the Traditional stuff, but I like too many different styles to stick to just one :) Tattoo by Remis Cizauskas who works out of Dublin Ireland, but is currently "On The Road" guest spotting and attending conventions worldwide.

@Swan Cult Classic Tattoo in Romford is where we recommend many people to go if they are east of London. I've seen very impressive results from Joe, who works there. Searching for prices online will not give you an indication of how much you will spend on removing/lightening your tattoo. Much like tattooing, the skill of the operator plays a huge part. Many places will let you know that they are using the latest equipment etc but your results and eventual cost will depend on the current state of your tattoo and your eventual goal. Session or hourly rate will not really tell you anything - 10 sessions at £30 doesn't mean that you will get better results than 5 sessions at £60 or 3 sessions at £100 or whatever I've seen more bad lazer jobs than I've seen bad tattoos. - Think about that for a minute. It's a lot. Visit in person or call to arrange a consultation. Ask to see photos of similar sized work. Many websites will show miraculous disappearance of small tattoos leaving no trace. It's probably a good idea to speak to the person who you want to do the tattoo too. Different tattooers use different approaches to cover-ups. Before anyone thinks about getting in touch with any TV people. Please look at the previous work of the particular production company. Endemol recently twitter-spammed hundreds of people asking about regretting ear piercings. I guess they're planning a show about how people regret tattoos etc. I'm not saying that's bad, just be aware of the editorial slant of any media you chose to get involved with. If I was being less fair, I'd say expect a freak show.

From what I've learned is that the first few washes are the most important. If it's in a location that's easy to wash I can get minimal peeling and no scabs, where as if it's a hard to reach place (upper back) get noticeably harder healing. It seems too me, dry or with creams, the first few washes is what gets a clean heal.