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Today Bonel from Corazon Santo in The Netherlands which is also working on my second sleeve, finished the Phoenix backpiece on my wife. (The kanji was there already, it had been done a few years back by another artist)

I'm an office guy, so I have no plans for hands or neck. I'm starting to run out of spots, but I have some decent-sized ones left. They're all gonna suck (SEE "BACK OF KNEE" AS AN EXAMPLE), but at least they're still open. I do think about hands sometimes, though. And by "sometimes" I mean "often." My wife has lots of room, and there's always prints. :)

"Conan Fights a Wizard" "Oates" "Really Hot Taco" "Mark Twain Fights a Mummy" "Superheroes at the Pool" "Old Viking Fights an Octopus" "Think About This In Your Mind" "Eating Food" "Sweet Relief"

Made this rose painting, inspiration for the rose came from Shon Lindauer and some Nick Mayes flash

i had this one done by Björn Liebner.

I was down in Ocean City, Maryland last week and picked up the two pictures attached. Apparently they date back to the 40s from a photographer named A. Aubrey Bodine, based out of Baltimore. I don't know much more about them, but I thought they were pretty cool. Edit: Not sure why the one posted sideways. Sorry.

The good news is that the healing seems to be going really well. Two long 11 hour shifts at work with the constriction of a shoe. The swelling is going down after three days. I have the additional worry as I have type two diabetes, but what the heck. Good luck with your appointment. I just love those Horitomo cats.

3 week tattoo-bonanza to come: London: Mole eating planet, side of underarm, El Carlo. Lady head sleeping under starlit sky, inside of thigh, Jacyln Réhe. Eel eating it's own tail, around another tattoo on front of thigh, Deno. Trieste, Italy: Heart/factory-thing, front of other thigh, Rudy Fritsch. Back in Stockholm: Tibetean UFO in smoke, back of knee, Iain Mullen. After that: chill time for a month or three. edit: (checked bank balance) ... or six

I'll be there! Stoked to see y'all again.

Fucking bummed but I've got to bail on this. Wife will be out of town and I've got no babysitter for the kid. Maybe we could do another get together during the Bay Area Tattoo Convention?

I'd go to Scorpion. It used to be owned by Richard Stell, and they have a nice lineup. Scorpion Studios Tattoo | Houston TX Custom Designs Tattoo Shop I especially like Chris Ayala's black and gray stuff.

I'm not even going to think about doing my feet until I have a job that doesn't require me to wear high rubber boots at work. Healing my shin has been gnarly enough because of that.

Eddie Martinez, SuperGenius Tattoo, Seattle WA Did this in one sitting yesterday! Oops, image had not attached. Here ya go:

pretty shitty picture but i painted this 11x17" for a trade last night.

Why? Because in tattooing the customer usually isn't right. Because tattooing isn't the sort of democratic activity where you have an equal say to somebody who has spent years or decades constantly working at his or her craft because you read something on the internet.

I hope this link works . . . Unbelievable Skeletons Unearthed From the Catacombs Of Rome | Photos - ABC News

I took the original post to mean more like the tattoos Mike Adams is doing (I am sure I've seen other people doing stippled Americana tattoos too, but Mike Adams is the first person to come to mind) than Hooper, Jondix, etc tattoos. I think those Mike Adams tattoos look cool, but I do feel that it's something that people are going to play around with a bit but that probably won't stick around for all that long. Time will tell. When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter either way. Get the tattoos you want to get. I also think that part of the problem with all the information about tattoos being available on the internet is that there's just too much out there and not enough good sense about it. It's absurd that somebody with no tattoos could go into a tattoo shop and ask for a tattoo to be applied with a specific technique. Find a good tattooer and trust him or her to know what is best for the execution of the tattoo.

Honestly no one in my neighborhood talks to me about my tattoos unless they are and older person with no tattoos, and even then very rarely. I don't think anyone has said anything to me in like 6 months. There are two main drags in Portland I live by, one of them people get tattooed mostly by the people from Atlas, there are a few other shops around, but it's crazy to see a whole neighborhood of people with Dan Gilsdorf and Cheyenne Sawyer tattoos. The other drag is not that far, but still see a bunch of people with tattoos from Atlas, but another shop that specializes in more color realism stuff is there, so you get kind of a mix. People in the immediate area of that shop obviously like the tattoos coming out of this shop, but not my style, also it's a little weird to see gutter punks with realistic tattoos of flowers and sunsets. You can kind of tell how long a waitress has worked at the restaurant, by how well you can make out what her tattoo is supposed to be. The funny thing is one of servers at that same restaurant, ended up becoming a tattooer and now works at Elm St. The only reason I know is there are Elm St stickers all over the bar so I asked.

getting tattooed by Chad K on wednesday and Adam hays on thursday ... im a complicated mixture of excited, scared, awesome and stupid with a smidge of soon to be very poor

There was a thread about "dotwork" a while ago and I got fairly involved and possibly upset a few people. Check it out, I think I already answered the question posed by your thread title. Also, the word "fad" is inherently insulting in modern usage - but you knew that already. While researching tattoos, tattooing, tattoo styles, tattoo history and tattooers is interesting and probably fun. It's still kinda like researching swimming. Most of it's value comes from being involved, taking part, doing it, getting it done and having it be part of your life. Then again... On a long enough time scale, ALL tattooing since Ed Hardy opened the first appointment-only studio is a fad. Sailors going to war, getting tattooed in Honolulu was a fad. High-Society Europeans shipping esteemed Japanese irezumi artists over to tattoo dragons on them in the 1800's was a fad. Internet forums will be seen to be a fad. Finally, tattoo customers stressing about being period-correct like vintage clothing aficionados will be seen to be a fad of the early 21st century.

Getting good tattoos is a current fad, but I'm buying into it for the long haul.

Not getting something because it is a trend is just as bad as getting something because it is a trend.

So me and a friend were talking about this the other day. When we started getting tattooed we always did all of the aftercare instructions as prescribed. This involved numerous applications of Aquaphor, lotion, etc etc. As time passed (and we were getting tattooed very regularly) we have done less and less to our tattoos. I simply wash them with super-super-hot water the first couple of days to get all the gunk off. At this point I pretty much just dry heal all my tattoos unless they are "ultra crunchy" feeling. The results at least for both of us have actually been better. I heal pretty much a day before my next session (2 weeks exactly apart), and my tattooer has always been amazed at how fast and clean I heal. While I am not sure if it related to the person tattooing us (same person) but I know we have pretty different skin. Anyone else use this method?

So jealous! Wish I was in the area. Have fun guys!!

Jeopardy trivia right there.

Been tattooing five years in the lone star state, looking to use this forum to make new contacts and friends as I hope to start doing some traveling soon, doing guest spots and more conventions, looking to Borden my horizons and to continue to humbly learn. Also excited to find a forum to discuss topics of interest with those who's interest are similar to my own. ... About me, I came into tattooing a little late (started tattooing at 28) but it has always been there. My pop was an alcoholic Vietnam vet and always took me to the local VFW bar where ( at that time) alot of old sailors from WWII were still alive , being young, and most of them having grandchildren my age, they would tell me stories and show me their tattoos, I would try and replicate those designs on bar napkins while my dad hustled pool. Eventually I started drawing on kids at school with markers, and now I do it for real. I searched an apprenticeship under Christopher Giles of Dallas tx and now work in one of his studios in Sherman , it's a street shop, and I have come to appreciate all styles of tattooing, I love traditional Americana designs as I love history in general, but I also wish to Borden my horizons and do not want to pigeon hole myself into one style, I really want to expand my knowledge and skill set so that I can be proficient in several styles so that I can one day find what works for me to make solid, long lasting, bold tattoos. ..... Aside from tattooing, I like fishing and outdoorsy stuff, I like to try other artistic mediums to help keep me fresh and un burned out from infinity symbols and kanji ;) I'm a huge fan of joe rogan, have a pitbull named Kevin bacon , lover of all kinds of music, well, except for the new "monotone" rap. I don't get it. Anything else you wanna know, ask ...

That is one bad ass Shoki!

this has definitely been a problem for me in the winter. I live in toronto, and it gets cold as shit here. scabs form and start to crack badly. I hate putting lotion on thicker scabs, but it seems to be the only way to stop the cracking and let it heal.

For what it's worth, I know some people who've reported excruciating pain on their feet and said the whole story about having to wear slippers instead of shoes for a few days, yada yada yada. I, on the other hand, was able to loosen the laces on my vans for a few days and that was that. I didn't think they hurt worse than my shins, which was barely at all. So, hopefully yours go more along those lines.

I planned my feet just before a 3-day weekend. That way, I was able to lounge around the house barefeet and wear some flip-flops when I did have to go out.

Hi All, I've been lurking these forums for quite a while now, thought it was about time to sign up. Thanks for all the great threads, inspiration, and entertainment! Cheers, Rob

Go see deano cook

@hogg Agreed! My first knee ditch heal I was pirate-walking for a week. It was the most painful heal ever, while my kneecap itself was just kind of sore and swollen.

If I ever go back I would go to Diamond Club or get tattooed by Kahill Rintye at Tattoo City. TIm Lehi and Rassier would be cool too.

I'm leaving my academic teaching gig to take a job as a scientific illustrator for an excavation in Brazil next year. I get to do art for a living for a little while, and I am so fucking stoked. I'm also taking a printmaking class this semester, and it's the most fun I've had in any class, ever. Not sure why I love this really hard, really time-consuming process, but it turns out I think lithography is the shit.

perfect sentence.

Ach, I'm not trying to be part of tattooing. Still a month to wait for my first appointment. No consult though so am a bit tense. - - - Updated - - - Oh, and I'm glad I asked even if it did unintentionally ruffle a few feathers. Cheers

You can't learn to swim by reading a book. To expand on that again, tattooing is best experienced first-hand. Many times, here on this forum, in the shop I work at and conventions etc, someone has mentioned that they wish there was a book that had all the information they were looking for about a particular subject at that moment. It usually doesn't exist. You have to find it yourself. With regards to tattooing and "tattoo culture" We're living in a folk art culture. We should embrace the folk art tradition of oral storytelling and first hand knowledge and be relieved that we not (yet) shackled by the literary bounds of other art movements, cultures and historical societies. But to be more on topic, in a general sort of way... I'd stick my neck out and say that any style of tattooing (until maybe around 2000-2010) is influenced by the popular culture surrounding the people who get those styles. Sailor Jerry cribbed movie posters and other advertisements for many of his designs between the 40's - 70s. Mike Malone used objects and paintings he found in Chinatown as reference for many of his popular designs. It stands to reason that Charlie Wagner would have used Edwardian style filigree ornamentation (from a variety of sources, jewellery included) in his designs. The dotwork thing is slightly separate. During the first decade of the 21st century tattooing entered a more post-modern, referential phase where most styles of tattooing referenced or were influenced by earlier styles of tattooing. Except dotwork. I consider the work of Thomas Hooper, Xed Le Head, Jondix (I'd extend that to Duncan X) to be the only "new" style of tattooing since biomech in the 90's - but that didn't seem to catch on outside of tattoo culture the way their work did. That's why I still bother to get involved when someone refers to dotwork as a "fad". While it is imitated ad nauseam, we've alive to witness the birth of a new tattoo style that was influenced by disparate artforms outside of tattooing to the point where it works and it's possible to have a coherent bodysuit of that style. Pretty exciting stuff.

Mike Rubendall. First appointment isn't until February 2015.

Stipple-shaded traditional is, in my opinion, absolutely a fad. I feel like they're the kind of tattoos you'll be able to look at and pinpoint a two-year window in which they were made. I don't think there's anything wrong with it as a technique as such (a large part of my forearm is dot shaded) but I don't trust anything where the technique is put before other considerations. In other words, a tattoo isn't cool just because it's dot-shaded. It still needs the characteristics of a good tattoo concerning the strength if the drawing, silhouette, placement, composition, etc.

I'm going for the whole "symmetry" thing. Thought about getting my knees done during the same session. Sounds like the stupidest idea ever. But I'm down. To take a week off from work. Because I won't be able to walk.

The City, SF, San Francisco. That's it! - - - Updated - - - When you say vintage, I immediately think of Paul Dobleman, Stu Cripwell, Theo Mindell at Spider Murphy's. Heath Preheim at Temple would be your guy too. Juan Puente at Blackheart can do anything and everything. Jason Phillips at FTW in Oakland, too. Shit, too many options! This is why I don't really want to travel for a tattoo anymore (with the exceptions of Regino, Santoro, Boltz, etc.) Jason McAfee at Temple kills it with the California tattoos. I would like to get one myself from him.

I've just returned from a brilliant weekend at the Montreal Tattoo Convention where I had the pleasure of seeing many amazing things. I watched as the Leu Family double-teamed a guy on Saturday. I am still a bit shaken from imagining doing that myself. I met a ton of cool people, including at least 3 folks from LST. I had the chance to talk to Ron Henry Wells, which was a particular pleasure. Not only a brilliant artist, but a hell of a nice guy. Sadly, I didn't have an appointment with him though. Next time! I also had a good sitting with Chad Koeplinger, and he put two new tattoos on my leg. I'll post one now, and the other once its healed and I can get a better pic. As usual he was a lot of fun to talk to and I ended up with a couple of pieces that I am thrilled with. - - - Updated - - -

Not the best picture but I got this from Justin Hyde today @ the Meeting Of The Marked convention today.

The best thing you can do is what I did - wait until you are old to get your tattoos and that way you'll probably be dead before they begin to fade! That's my plan and I'm sticking too it. I also don't have to wait to see what they look like when I get old. I can just look in the mirror! :)

This is not on me--it's on my wife--but it's too good not to post here: By Paul Dobleman, Spider Murphy's Tattoo. I booked with him for next month--can't wait for my turn!

This is exactly what I do these days. With excellent results, too.

i've had comments like this get back to me concerning the desk guys at my shop and they only make me wonder about the customer. i highly respect our staff at frith st and like them very much as friends, they are trustworthy and take care of me and my appts and if they were useless, they wouldnt be employed for sure. I could easily say this applies to most good tattoo shops. i'm not sure how well your encounter went, just saying be careful what you call people online, it can come across much more harshly :) good luck with your tattoo :)