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The Tim Lehi tiger wraps around the front of my shin and the tail goes up the front of my thigh. I love Tim's tiger's so much, they make me angry. Grez did that Durga on me earlier today, I'm waiting for the swelling to hit. He's real light handed, so I'm sure tomorrow will be worse than getting tattooed. I know pic isn't amazing, I took it myself with iPad, heels touching, and toes turned out. If I just stood straight on, they could see each other, but we couldn't see them. That picture really does a disservice to the tiger, you can't see the awesomeness of the colors of the face or how it flows, but it's probably better that way. I know it would only make @hogg angry.

Got in a session with Henning yesterday at Kings Avenue Manhattan. Haven't seen him in a year and naturally he had a lot of catching up to do on the back piece in comparison to the head start Rubendall has had, haha. It was another 6+ hour session and it was pretty brutal. Side ribs and spine are no fun as you'll see in the pictures and I found myself constantly questioning..."Why am I doing to this myself???" Probably the worst pain I have felt so far getting tattooed. We managed to line and shade the background on my right side and also part of my lower back. I will see Henning again this Friday to line some more feathers and shade in the left side background and maybe finish coloring my koi thigh piece. Strangely ironic that this is marathon week in NYC (The ING NYC Marathon to be exact) because that is what these crammed in LONG sessions feel like. But totally worth it in the end. Enjoy the pics folks. Doing some drawing to get a feel of what left side will be like come Friday Laying down the background and connecting it to Rubendall's work A little more close up with a different angle Masters watching masters at work: Chris O'donnell and Richard Pinch observing and lending advice to Henning. I was in awe! Can't see much from this pic but we got a lot done and I was totally spent. More to come this Friday

Here's the latest from @Stewart Robson from yesterday at Black Heart. Left thigh yesterday and right thigh today. That is a really nice pice from Grez @dari snuck a peek when you were showing Stewart.....

Here is my Backpiece from @Stewart Robson started in London at FST November 2011. Did sessions in New York at Saved, SOG 2012, FST again in March and July 2013 and complete this past weekend at SOG. So between 2 continents, 3 cities and 60 isn hours this part of the journey is over. The piece is in the process of extending down the thighs and that will be completed at the end of November. Then we begin the front, have the subject picked out and stewart will be taking traces of me today.

Here is a terrible photo of what I got from Tony Nilsson while at NY Adorned over the weekend. Great dude and a really humble young tattooer. I'm stoked I went and got something from him while he was here in the states. Being that I really don't post all that much I've gotten a little behind, but I have some new stuff from Grez, Steve Boltz, and Bob Roberts that I'll try and get some photos of as well. It's funny because I am not a fan of forums or posting pictures of tattoos online in the slightest, but there is something so enjoyable about this site that I find myself always coming back and wanting to share. The tattoos that have been getting posted all over this forum are really mind blowing. There's too many people to mention, but I've been real jealous lately browsing around. Hopefully, whatever I throw up someone enjoys 1/100th the amount of how I feel about the O'Donnell or Rubendall (just to name a few) pieces that I get to see on here.

Here's the progress so far on my knee tattoo from Matt at invisible nyc

6+ hours yesterday with Henning Jorgensen at Kings Avenue Manhattan. Check the full back piece thread for full report!

I got tattooed by Trevor McStay, Tim Hendricks and Valerie Vargas this past weekend

Can we all just step back for two seconds here? Oh, just getting rad tattoos from Grez, Henning, McStay, Stewart.. @dari good to see you posting again! @Reyeslv nice blackbutt, @slayer longest knee of all time! That devil's got a Spider Murphy's feel to it.. @xmowglix she is purty. @Deb Yarian saw your updates from SF looks like you had a blast! And @everyone you guys are all my heroes.

That is correct, I changed my mind. Actually I changed my wife's mind. She was hoping we wouldn't have to do all this travel for tattoos. fortunately she's awesome and let me have my way......

x2 .....I'm a lazy fuck, and you said it so perfectly. Seriously though, these last pages has been something else. I think we're in the golden age of the "Latest Tattoo Lowdown" thread.

@HettyKet Spend less time on the internet, spend more time getting tattooed.

@HettyKet I do understand your idea of wanting your tattoos to have some kind of unified "look". But from my point of view that is going to happen naturally, as @beez pointed out: most professional tattooers will try to make sure your new tattoo resonates with what you all ready have. And also, since it is dictated by YOUR taste, just take your time and research your artists and you will get tattoos that match up. Maybe not in everybody's eyes, but in your eyes. Also I think you should not limit yourself too much (remember: this is coming from someone who has 30+ tattoos, the vast majority in somewhat traditional style black n gray). For me tattoos is (among other things) a hobby, I had to explain this to my father recently. Throughout the journey of getting tattoos I often find myself evaluating and re-evaluating aesthetic preferences, mine as well as others. Example time: I had never cared for japanese style tattoos, at first I really disliked them (product of too many badly executed koi fishes and shabby dragons). But about two years after my first tattoo, by the help of looking at tattoos every day, I was starting to appreciate the technical side of japanese tattoos. Composition, color use, detail, good design. But I still didn't cared for the subject matter, I just didn't like it. Fast forward to january this year -> I get a tattoo of Judas wearing a devils mask. My artists, Iain Mullen, makes it resemble a hanya mask. Hmmm…. Fast forward again, about 6 weeks ago: I get my first proper japanese tattoo (!) a namakubi with samurai sword. And today? I realized that the smoke on my left upper arm (done about two years ago) has a distinct japanese flavor to it, despite being dot shaded. Sentiment, to ponder or disregard: to set out with one distinct style in mind and think that you are going to keep being as into it, and ONLY it, for the rest of your tattoo journey, is letting your present self dictate what your future self should do. Be flexible instead, don't let your own dogmas get in the way of passion. edit: spelling, this and that

You are correct, @dari. The Durga is gorgeous; the tiger enrages me.

So funny to me that I'm reading this now. I've dry healed a few things, mainly because I'm busy/lazy, but I got an awesome new lower leg tattoo today and I don't want to fuck it up. I've had trouble with a lower leg tattoo before so I thought I'd check out aftercare advice here tonight. I even went to Walgreens and bought Dial soap and some creepy Lubriderm type lotion (creepy to me 'cause I don't generally rub petroleum products on my body.) I do, however, love the smell of Dial soap, and we only use green/organic stuff around here so I'm super excited about that. I'm pretty sure my husband would tell me to keep the plastic wrap on for now, but he's not home so I'm getting in the shower. He always leaves the wrap on until the next morning, though, I have noticed that, so I will try to re-wrap afterwards. I am teaching a yoga class in 12 hours so I hope it doesn't swell too much. I just want to say, I love LST. I was talking to Valerie earlier today, it never would've occured to me to ask for aftercare advice, and here's everything I could possibly need to know in one thread specifically on the lower leg tat. (100+ posts!) Go LST!

Looks great, but it seems like your knee stops up around your balls!

@Graeme, I have hesitated to chime in, and I am glad I did. You said it perfectly.

We should all do this.

Honestly, I'm starting to feel the same.. After having trouble finding a spot for a palm sized tattoo when I was in SF it really hit me. Since January 1st I have been tattooed 10 times (and got tattooed 2 days before new years this year). I also am getting tattooed on Friday and then again on December 4th. So that will make it 13 before New Years again. Last year I got tattooed around 15 times. As much as I say I want to slow down a bit, I love traveling and I love tattoos and getting them. I'm already planning to go to the Philly convention in February and then getting tattooed by Rob Ryan the day before the convention.. Also planning a trip to Ann Arbor in April to get tattooed by Jeff Zuck & Cole Dunn.. maybe after then I will take a little break :rolleyes:

@HettyKet if you continue to see good tattoo artists, they will help your tattoos appear cohesive in the long run! I have found that when I leave it to a good tattoo artist, suddenly everything fits the way it's supposed to. Part of that is that I am not a visual artist, in the sense that I don't understand how it all layers together, and it doesn't even occur to me how something might link together, visually and stylistically. Tattoo artists do know, however, and they'll make it work! So trust your one - or many - tattoo artists ;p. I think I also read somewhere in the forum that Daniel Higgs said that basically all your tattoos go together, because they're there? That is a butchering, a bastardization of that quotation, and may actually just be what I interpreted it to mean. Grr, I'm gonna find these and put 'em in one document somewhere! There is certainly something to be said for the full body pieces being done by one artist. I think that their visual impact speaks to this, powerfully. I'm interested to hear what others have to say on this topic!

There was a lot of discussion about not talking about finances on LST in the early days, can we consider this thread respectfully semi-closed? Every shop/city/local tax board has different customs, you can always ask helpers if unclear.

Lemme see lemme see

I think you and me understand entertainment differently, son.

I also want to add how much I love how @mmikaoj described tattoos as a journey.

Sounds perfect. two/weekly sessions would be infinitely preferable to the monthlies I have booked in now. Which of you are paying? ;) But. Yes. Sage advice.

Trevor McStay is one of the best anywhere.

I am hesitant to even type this, but I think I need to start slowing down. I believe I've gotten 11 tattoos this year, and I'd like to get 2 more to make an even 13 for 2013, but I'm also not a very large person. I've only been getting tattooed for about 4 years and probably have 25% coverage. I'd like to get tattooed for many years to come and I know my tastes are going to change. What's probably going to happen is I'm going to stop getting tattooed for a little while, save up a bunch of money, and then start working on the really big pieces.

a new one from Hooper:

Just kidding guys. Greetings from San Francisco. longtime lurker of the tattoos sub-Reddit for those of you who are familiar, but wanted to find a better sense of community. Literally googled "BEST TATTOO FORUM" and this one was the first hit. Popped in and thought this place seemed pretty cool. Essentially here to blow time with some cool folks with common interests regarding body mods and tattoos. edit* instant regret about my username

Thanks for that @beez I'm after almost but not quite full coverage IYSWIM. Pretty much as per the pictures of circus girls I've posted here ad nauseum, so, 3/4 sleeves, full legs + feet, pretty much full torso, nowt above low-ish chest piece / full back piece height - can't see me upping how much coverage I fancy from that, but who knows! What I really, really like about whole bodies done by one artist is the stylistic cohesion and flow it that gives. TBH it's something I'd love to see more of in modern, traditional, western tattooing. Maybe if I were a more visually articulate person I'd be happy to see a whole host of artists, give a lot of direction on style and content and be confident in having a hand in the cohesive look I love. I don't know. But, much as I appreciate beauty and art in all it's forms I'm not capable of being visually creative. At all. Turning up with 50% too much material for the body part in hand and saying "I trust you, you choose" works for me, so far. So, yeah, on several fronts one/limited artist(s) just feels like the right way to go for me. But then I worry about not being 'normal'! Like I ever have been! Meeting new people is A Good Thing, definitely. I'd be most interested to hear the full version of the quote you mention! - - Updated - - I think I'm scared of (gross) variations in the quality and style of the work as well. - - Updated - - Please note - as I type I have 1/2 of my first tattoo and it's only slightly bigger than my hand - I know nothing.

Thanks for the advice, I'm hydrating now and will have a good meal beforehand.

WOW!! It looks awesome, ironchef. All sorts of jealousy and sympathy pain are running through my body right now! You have an incredible back piece in the works. I am in awe. Congratu-f*ing-lations, my friend. Well done!

I'd be too! Kudos to you for getting that done in the amount of time you had. Gogue's and Shige's work compliment each other so well it's ridiculous. Truly beautiful work man, congrats. Seeing all these awesome tattoos from the convention has been inspiring.

And perhaps most notably: some of the stuff that I _absolutely_ wanted to get 2 years ago, I am really happy I didn't get. Not that it would be really bad tattoos, they would probably be good, but more so that now I know better, and don't want to waste the space with anything less than optimal. Also goes for changing my taste and finding artists that I like better. For example I have this idea for a lady head and at first I was so sure I wanted to have Sarah Carter do it, but now probably two years has passed since I first got the idea and about 10 tattooers have been considered, and I am still not sure haha

When I first went home after moving out, I was nervous about showing my mom my first visible tattoo (my first tattoo was inside my lip) - a zombie pin-up girl on my forearm (by Kahlil Rintye of Tattoo City, then of Mom's Body Shop). I decided on wearing short sleeves and to not bring it up and hope she wouldn't smack me silly. She just looked at it and said "Well, at least you can't see her nipples."

I do enjoy ass, but have I been missing out on payment opportunities?

I definitely wish I hadn't gotten tattooed as rapidly as I did for a period of about three years. I had a good relationship with a few good artists and that made it hard to stay away, but I really wish I'd fleshed a few of these ideas out a bit more before committing to them; there's a few good tattoos that had the potential to be REALLY good. I'm about 60% to 70% covered, which seemed really cool a couple years ago but I wish I'd been a bit pickier.

Are the tattoos in the game as bad as in real life? I don't know what it is, but professional athletes seem to get exclusively tattooed by the worst tattooers available.

Max Kuhn

thanks guys! i am sooooo happy with these pieces! over the moon really!

So that IS you, @MoistTowelette! You earned every last drop of those tattoos. They look absolutely incredible.

Sorry for blurry pic. Bottom hannya and black flowers done by jeff gogueand took a total of 8.5hrs in 2 sessions. Top hannya and flowers done by shige. Took 8hrs. Not yet complete... :-( Close up of shige's work. Pretty brutal he hit the nipple, sternum and armpit. That fucker...

from the convention ;p

current progress on my chest . first pic. how it was. second picture. how it looked after 2 treatments with a medlite II nd yag laser. third picture. how it looked straight after laser with picosure. the bright blue side, got lasered the second time with picosure, the dark side, got lasered the first time with picosure.

Generally we like to keep talk about money off of LST.

Longest was 19 hours on ribs, I felt fine. Carlos tapped out before me to be honest, I could have gone longer quite easily. Were all different and for me thighs is weak spot it seems 7 hours and then it starts to kill me :) - - - Updated - - - Yes I enjoy the travelling, the meeting new people as much as the actual tattooing. I am also going to try and slow down after next year lol I also want to extend my tattooing experience :) Yeah I am 41, so I guess I would like to have some tattoos while I am still relatively young but yeah I have gone very fast and spent a lot of money in a short space of time, probably close to £50,000 on tattoos since 2012. My Mrs wants me to slow down also lol

Legitimately 16 hours? Kudos to you, if so. How awful do you feel at the end of that?

@Duffa www.gopfl.com it was called the Pillow Fight League, more like WWE than MMA. Although one of the girls did end up going to train in MMA, I'm not sure how far she's gone with that. Staged story lines - yes, but they were often built on real things, like i hate this one chick in real life and now you're gonna make up a reason why i have to fight her cause you know it'll be good. When I was in the league the actual fights were 100% NOT scripted. Everything was real, people got hurt, refs were needed and the winner was the winner. After I left things slowly evolved into scripted fights with crazy wrestling like moves. The last time I fought it was super boring and I kept getting stopped by the ref every time I did anything. Unfortunately the league after about 5-6 year run imploded on itself and no longer exists. We almost got a reality type t.v. show but our biggest bidder MTV felt that some of the ladies faces weren't tv friendly. I did however appear on Good Morning America and a show called the International Sexy Ladies Show and some weird show that had a section called "sports that didn't make it to the olympics". Good times while it lasted. OH and the best pillow fighting move ever - push them on their back, put your pillow over their face and start punching!

It doesn't make me cringe but I don't like the term - leg sleeve