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I'm getting tattooed by Chad Koeplinger at the Montreal Convention and I'm getting something fucking awesome that I am so stoked about.

apologies in advance for large pics. Too many to resize. Summer tour 2013 Baltimore One Shot! RIP Cosmo Philly just a quickie in St Louis NEW JOB! Joel Long's art show Boulder - - - Updated - - - More later

@Graeme I wish I could like that more than once. I might have mentioned before in here I've got an appointment with Myke Chambers next month at the Paradise Tattoo Gathering, Friday the 13th, anticipation is building.

I was first this morning do didn't get to see anyone else get photographed. Taki is a cool guy and we spoke for a bit and from what I gathered from him this is going to be an awesome exhibit.

I got this one today from Steve Boltz at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour. I had too much black & grey on my left leg so felt the need to get some color.

Got my anchor today :D loving it! Can't remember which thread we talked about these posters but here's Ray's 80 something of 250

I just booked a spot with El Monga for when he's back in Philly at Rumi Tattoo next month. He's doing a sort of benefit type thing for the family of Cosmo, the shop's owner who unfortunately just passed away last week. That shop's been a huge part of my life as a tattooed person--it's right in the same neighborhood where I live, where I got my first tattoo, and where I got tattooed by El Monga the first time--so this one will definitely have some sentimental value. I suggested that he do a Penrose triangle with his own personal flare to it, but we'll see what his feelings are on that.

To be honest it depends on many factors with how long color will last. It could vary from artists skill, pigment used, how it healed.... etc. Who are you wanting to get tattooed by?

cool tan = oxymoron

I was just at JANM, where they were photographing some Chris Brand back pieces. Everyone should get excited about this come next Spring. Plan your vacations and book your tickets now if you live outside of LA. This is going to be cool.

I've long considered a Ron Wells Twin Peaks tattoo.

I only get asked about my tattoos from drunk chicks that I don't know. Don't ask me why that is, but having been a "tattooed person" for a year now (not that it's a long time or anything), that's my experience. Now I am one of those persons that gets tattooed cause tattoos are cool, and I like the art and the looks of them. I don't have a fancy story about any of my tattoos, and some people seriously get angry because of it. They have obviously been watching too much TV if you ask me :rolleyes: One time, a drunk chick simply walked up to me, and asked about my tattoos. I told her that I just liked the look, and she started saying things like "Wow thats really dumb" and "Why would you want something permanently on your body, if it doesn't mean anything to you", and I just stood there looking baffled, instead of saying something back to her. I obviously should have told her how rude she was, but I never managed too do so. Now when chicks come asking me things, I make up some seriously lame story, and watch their reaction. So far not a single one has called me on it. E.g. I have a swallow, and it was my first tattoo, so one of my favorites are "Yeah, the swallow represents me moving to another city, away from home and starting my adult life, spreading my wings and becoming a man". They eat it up, and think I'm sooooo deep and amazing. Then I laugh my ass off, and walk away. It's kind of a fun hobby! :D

Haven't posted in a bit... Session number... 7 or 8, I think, from Mike Rubendall today. Finally hit the ass, which made my ribs seem like a breeze. About two months ago Thomas Hooper finished my torso: And then one from Scott Campbell about 3 weeks ago:

@rads no appointment for me yet, but I'm crossing my fingers for walkups :)

Bless! I fear you have misunderstood. I like the way tattoos develop and change with time, that's a lot of the point of having them (for me). Using a(ny) colour which would need to be touched up with time (to keep the design balanced) would spoil the natural aging process of the tattoo, as far as I'm concerned.

You should've asked her what her blouse means.

Here you go, ladies (and gents):

@eisen777 That sucks, bummed to not meet you and the wife. There will for sure be pictures posted here.

I mean, I have the back of both knees done. Even with a beer to take the edge off, that was still no picnic. I feel like after 8 toes, both feet, most of both legs, the front of my torso, the entirety of both arms, one hand, all knuckles, and smatterings on various places around my neck, I've gotten the gist of the "pain" part of it. While I do have a handful of less-than-stellar tattoos, I'd say the majority of mine are "good" at the very least. Now, my last roommate would swallow a few Vicodin, drink some concoction of "anti-energy drinks" he'd make and go to sleep until they were done. Most of the folks at Blackheart and Temple have worked on him, so I'd say he has some decent work as well. But, who knows? Carry on.

Thank you! They're both a pleasure to be tattooed by, what with their lovely light hands. Nervio has done an extensive amount on me, actually. Where did you encounter him? Diamond Club? - - - Updated - - - Hello! And thank you!

Hahahaha, I think I actually picked up the same frames as both of you last night. The four pack at BB&B. They were the first things the wife and I hung up in our new house! Edit: I have no idea why my images upload sideways.

As long as you don't get a realistic color portrait of Bryan Cranston, I think you will be okay. If you get something that looks like a tattoo it won't matter if where it came from is relevant in 20 years. I kind of like the police drawing of Heisenberg, think it would make a nice simple tattoo and people who know would recognize it right away.

I second Chris Brand. Also: Small Paul at True Tattoo does nice traditional Japanese work. Bryan Burk has a little more Western influence, but his stuff is also killer. I also quite like Jojo Ackerman, and have heard good things about Unbreakable. Personally, @TrixieFaux & I get tattooed at Memoir. Kim Saigh did a beautiful koi on my arm though she's not strictly a Japanese-style artist.

That's too bad! We'll meet up at the exhibit I guess!!

You too? I'll be there later today as well. Although I have no idea where at the museum I'm supposed to go to. Maybe I'll get a chance to say Hi and see that back of yours too. Agreed, it's an honor to be able to be a part of this in any capacity and display my artist's work as well.

I always answer any "isn't that gay" question the same way (as a statement of fact with no judgement intended): "Uh, no. The last time I checked, and correct me if I'm wrong, neither tattoos nor roses are gay. Two people of the same gender having sex together? Now that's gay.":rolleyes:

Have an appointment today at the Museum to have pics taken of my Stewart Robson back-piece. Not exactly sure how it works regarding which pieces get displayed. I am honored to have such a beautiful piece from Mr. Robson and the chance to display it.

So, we did the BB&B frames and mounting tape just as @ironchef suggested and here are our 3 prints:

It's interesting, up here in the Seattle area there are billions of tattoo shops (quality notwithstanding), so there are a lot of tattooed people up here (quality notwithstanding), which leads to different discussions than what I was used to in San Francisco/Oakland. As mentioned earlier, there's a lot of "oh, you have a tattoo? look at this one that I got, now this one, now this one; I wanna get this, this and this, y'know?" but I also get a lot of "hey, have you heard of/ever been to "XYZ" shop?" "....no?" "Oh, okay." I honestly can't imagine what they're expecting to get out of that conversation. edit - I forgot to add that I also get a lot of people that are either a) upset that the tattoo they pointed out doesn't have a deep, Miami-Ink-esque meaning and a story to go with it or b) that I - somehow - don't feel like sharing the story with them, a total stranger.

Thank you! I've got no pictures at the moment, but my favorite items thus far are my front panel (still very much 'in-progress') by Jeff Rassier at Blackheart Tattoo in San Francisco [a whale biting through a ship]; a cholo vulture on my leg from Nervio at Roses and Panthers in Hermosillo, Mexico; and my first tattoo, a zombie pin-up girl by Khalil Rintye at Tattoo City in San Francisco. I'll be starting on my neck with Derek Noble at Lucky Devil here in Seattle next month, so I'm more than a little excited about that. I'll post some pictures soon!

Yeah. The next thing you know they'll be pitting "artists" against each other, timing it and making them COMPETE!!! Hey, wait a minute . . . .

My favorite recent personal experience. This was Monday. I was out for a jog, which is a sight in it of itself. I was crossing a street and noticed a small SUV teetering towards a stop sign, but thought nothing of it. As I passed I heard, "Hey, hey, excuse me." I stopped, assuming the person needed directions. I turned around..."What's up?" "You've got beautiful tats." "Uh, thank you..." "Do you ever let people photograph you? Would that be something you're interested in?" "No, that is not something I am interested in." I then jogged off. This exchange stayed with me the rest of my run. Mainly because I was near the park, and if the guy wanted a mouth fuck, he could've been more direct. I still would have said "no" but I appreciate a candid nature.

Chris Brand in LA. He is up in Northern California but based on the pictures on his Instagram, Brian Kaneko does some really staggering Japanese tattoos and since you'd be travelling anyway...

Why does everyone ALWAYS ask questions on the internet about things that don't directly concern them then get pissy when they don't get an answer? I don't get it? But really, I'll try to be nice... personally I don't answer that stuff online anyway. Here's some reasons why, in no particular order: 1) Many people equate time to cost and base their tattooer choices on cost. Most decent tattooers do not want to be involved in a bidding war or pitching for work. 2) serious customers ask at the shop, via email, the phone, conventions or whatever. We get a lot of time wasters, especially online. Nobody want to entertain time wasters. 3) It doesn't really matter. 4) with very large tattoos the time taken to complete it can vary between clients. Simply looking at a photo on a smartphone doesn't tell you that the client was a giant, or very petite. 25 hours for one client could mean 45-60 for another. 5) some of us get enough comments, likes, adds/requests or whatever on instagram per day that the 'news' or 'updates' tab that we miss it - there's less than 100 spaces in there so 100 likes and 2 comments means that your urgent request is missed. If you need to know how long a particular tattooer would take to give you a certain size tattoo or amount of coverage so you can budget for your tattoo - contact them via the method they prefer, phone, email, whatever. If you're just curious - get over it, you win some, you lose some.

Ever? I know that England508 on instagram has posted how long certainpieces take, and I have seen it other places. To speak to your question though from an outsider's perspective, the amount of time spent on a piece, especially large ones, could be seen as a private matter between them and the client. They spend a lot of time and energy on certain pieces, and are already sharing the photos. If they wanted to volunteer the info, then cool, but some might not see it as the casual onlooker's business. That's just my ignorant perspective though.

I'm back from my honeymoon in Chicago and it was brilliant. Chicago is a gorgeous and incredibly friendly city. I can't wait to go back. I went to Great Lakes Tattoo for a couple of sessions. The first (hand of glory) was with Chad Koeplinger and the second with Mario Desa (torch). The shop itself is stunning. It's in part dedicated to the history of Chicago tattooing and the legacy of Tatts Thomas - you feel connected to history going there. What an amazing collection of artists in this space. I was at the opening night party, though only for a little while, as my wife was ill that night and I didn't want to be away from her for long. I saw a ton of familiar faces from instagram, but being generally a little on the shy side, especially as I don't actually know many of the people there, I didn't meet as many people as I would have liked. Some, whom I later recognized from here, I wish I had introduced myself to, but oh well. It was a great time anyway. I'm already planning a return trip.

@CercleRouge wins at life.

Here is my first and only tattoo, so far that is ;) It was done in about 3 hours on my inner arm by Pat Patterson at Aces High in West Palm Beach, FL

I don't get it. Why would you get a tattoo that didn't offend someone, especially uptight people at the supermarket.

Ermm, are you okay dude?

Well, another trick is to take off your glasses before you look in the mirror. It's the easiest way to stay looking young!

Just thinking...

I know this is the Bad Tattoo sub-forum, but let's all take a moment to remember how fucking cool Freddy Corbin's face tattoos are.

Where were this girls friends to take her out for martinis and give her sassy advice? BFF FAIL :(

she should've gotten "Aslan" instead of ruslan....narnia is cooler than internet love storys anyways

This one didn't fall asleep, she fell in love. LOL

Ha, true. Thing is, it's a well done tattoo, and sure, it will evoke a lot of stares and gasps and people will point their fingers. Nearly 18 years ago it was 1995 and I was 16, had all kinds of metal in my face, could stick my fingers through my ears and was on my way to a 2ga barbell in my tongue. I was also the second person in my high school that was tattooed and got drug into the guidance counselors office, was told to explain why I was mutilating my body. As it turns out, I was also making acrylic captive bead body jewelery and plugs and had spent more than my fair share of time in tattoo shops, so my reply was: Why are your ears pierced? The specialist that was called it told me her mother had them done to her when she was a child, so I went down the whole "wow your mom mutilated you when you couldn't even make up your own mind or say no" route with her, followed by the "oh it's OK because your mom did it to you and ear lobes are considered OK for women to pierce." Keep in mind, this is before it was common place to see guys with both lobes done. Things where very different back then. It's shocking, discomforting to look at, new, strange, different. Doesn't mean she needs it removed, should be called out or made fun of, it actually looks like a half decent tattoo and clearly she wants to make a statement. Sadly, most people out there don't even know what Timmy B has tattoo'd on his face, what it means or why it's so controversial Announcing the Timmy B Machine, a Full Sized Liner | Custom Tattoo Machines | - and people are doing these "smaller" face tattoos on a very regular basis.