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I'll go ahead and get this month started - edit: almost!. All months should really have a panther tattoo, shouldn't they? I'd love to see Aaron Coleman three-peat.

Ok I'll go First done by the totally awesome Valerie Vargas at Frith Street Tattoo, around 40 hours work, finished a couple of weeks ago.

now I remember why I like LST so much..it's all the looove and nice tattoos!

Well holy shit, guys! Party on!

Greg Irons

The smiling baby in this picture is Lovetta Wagner, daughter of Gus and Maud Wagner. She never got a tattoo either. Talk about willpower! And Millie Hull's sign...

Only minutes into the competition and there is already tough competition, Nice tattoos guys. Im entering my chest piece, it took 12 hours and was done by Luke Kehoe in Kalispell, Mt at The Temple Decor.

I've been pondering that lately, actually. I think it would look great if it were all done in lighter tones of grey. At least with my tattoos, what I have on my arms is mostly traditional with really strong silhouettes. So if the background patternwork would be subtle enough to not detract from the impact of the prior work, I think it could look DOPE

Sorry for the delay folks! The winner of Tattoo of the Month January 2014 is @embers with yet another amazing Bryan Burk tattoo! Congrats dude!!! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address. Thanks to everyone for your submissions! New contest will be up later today.

Anyone ever end up having a touching moment about or over a tattoo? Today I skyped my grandma for the first time, and I showed her the tattoo I had gotten of her name. Then my sister, who was in the room with her (she was visiting her in vegas) showed my grandma her tattoo of grandma's name... My grandma was speechless and then started crying. She was so touched that we cared enough about her to get it on us. She cried for like 5 minutes. I had to fight the tears on my side. She just thought it was the coolest thing and couldnt get over that we loved her enough to do it. Melted my heart a bit.

Hello and welcome to LST! Who did your tattoo? In my opinion, it looks good as it is and there's no need to add anything to it. About getting a quote tattooed on you, I suggest you read this first: Most Honorable Blog: The Letter of the Law: Laws for Lettering and Tattoos You don't have to accept everything in there, and there are things in there that I disagree with myself, but it's at the very least worth reading and considering. I also really don't understand how you can at the same time come here asking about what kind of quote you should get but insist that it has to be meaningful. The two are kind of in contradiction, no?

Jen Lee, Tattoo City bad month to enter because of that ridiculous vargas back piece….fuck it

I've never had trouble. In fact, last time I went through customs in Toronto on my way to Plurabella the customs agent I had told me he flew down to California to get tattooed by Bob Roberts. Fuck yeah!

The first two have always been top of the list, since they were my first two favorite tattooers. After that, it's been a slow addition. Chris O'Donnell Steve Byrne Stewart Robson Mike Rubendall Frank Carter Smith Street crew Frith Street crew (already got two down) waaaaaaaaay too many to list here...

Sixth session, almost done! By Grez. Said goodbye to my old and very odd lower back tattoo yesterday, too.

Mario Desa put this Higgs flash on me last night at the Philly tat con.

My pit bull and my sister's pug, lying on the couch at my sister's.

Got this super-awesome psychedelic-multi-eyed-alien-tiger colored in and finished up yesterday (black is healed). Flash and Tattoo by Theo Mindell at Spider Murphy's. Pretty stoked on this lil' guy!! You can check the pretty colors on his instagram: Instagram Or check out a crappy-hotel-room shot attached! What's that saying someone said around here about Tattoos being tough to photo because there ain't no lens that can capture the magic? Totally true in my experience....

@ironchef that is one hell of a tattoo, truly mindbowing I cant wait to see it finished - - - Updated - - - Valerie just finished my back, just short of a year, maybe 40 hours, its been a ride and I've loved every minute, well apart from the love handles, that sucked :D

Final session on my back with Rubendall today. It's bittersweet. So happy to have this portion of my back finished but will miss the fun times with Rubendall. Great gentleman, incredible artist and shrewd businessman. The complete ball of wax and then some. I still have some appointments booked and I'm thinking about starting something new with him. Henning will top things off end of this year when he'll be visiting and doing his usual guest spot at Kings Ave! Enjoy the pics! Eyes, spine, and the orb/pearl Filled in some more flame work as well Rubendall said when after the orb/pearl is full healed, it'll lighten up to a bit of an iridescent affect. Full moon close-up :o

I think @smiling.politely and @irezumi pretty much nailed it. I just wanna throw out one other piece of advice that you can take or leave, but that I have found helpful. Pretty much like.. you don't owe anyone your time or talents. If someone wants to pay you for them then get on it, but don't ever feel obligated that you have to go out of your way to draw or tattoo anybody for free. I have found that more often than not, the people who expect a hookup or free work are usually my friends. It's just kind of a bummer because if you like something enough to wear it on you forever, wouldn't you want to support the person/friend doing that for you? The only people who I will ever give the hookup to are loyal clients who have already paid me good money and let me do some fun tattoos. In those situations it's good because, in a sense, you are looking out for each other and it's a two-way street. But more often than not, if you give someone an inch, they will probably expect that inch over again even if they don't try to take a mile.

All I know is if I had gotten every single tattoo I wanted when I was fifteen, I would have a shitload of garbage on me that I would probably be super bummed on. Right now I'm covering up pretty much a full sleeve of tattoos of stuff like Shaggy from Scooby Doo and bongs and shit that a guy got when he was 15. It's not the moral and societal issues that worry me, it's the subject matter that a 15 year old might think is bad-ass that might not seem so so badass to a more mature young adult/adult...

besides getting tattooed, which is also awesome but that's for a different thread. Just got back from a guest-spot at Godspeed Tattoo in Breckenridge Colorado, where everybody are the friendliest tatbros. Did a early morning/sunrise canoe trip on a mountainside lake, skated at several different skateparks, several mountain trail bike rides, camped out for a few days way high in the mountains with good friends P Wee, Miho, and Joel Long, did some 4 wheeling in a jeep in same area, and had a campfire drawing session with P Wee & Joel. Can't wait to go back.

not the same as the random image thread. this is for posting pics you took on your phone. my porch has crabs. 3rd one I found. how the fuck does that happen? jumbo shrimp - - - Updated - - - Yes, really real. Happened at the previous shop I was at. So dude walks in with a guitar strapped to his back, bible in hand, his pants hanging low enough to see pupes, and basically looks like a weirdo nerd gone Falling Down (you know, with Michael Douglas?). Anyway, he asks about getting tattooed and writes down this semi-long list of bizarre phrases and math equations and shit; 'glue on guitar' 'my left nih' (>btw, I just figured out this was probably his spelling of 'my left KNEE'<)and like 5 other phrases I can't remember. So as one of us is preparing this, he uses the bathroom. When he comes out his face is all wet; I ask him if he's alright. He says "yes I was just getting a drink." pause. I said "why is your face all wet?" repeats that he was getting a drink. longer pause. at this point everyone is kinda watching this exchange. I said "from the toilet?" half-joking.... "yes" non-chalantly "I don't believe you..." he goes back in there and STARTS DRINKING. Long enough for me to snap this picture. double triple whoa. I was speechless for a second. "Dude, you need to get out of the shop; that was pretty fucked up. You really need to leave" Dude says OK and leaves. Holy what the fuck. Best thing that happened that week.

The rules: The tattoo picture that gets posted in this thread for February 2014 with the most 'likes' for the month wins! The contest starts on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month. Your tattoo picture must be posted in this thread (both tattooers and tattoo customers can win) in order to qualify. Include with your photo/post...tattoo artist name & tattoo shop. You MUST be the one who has the tattoo or did the tattoo. You can 'like' as many tattoos as you want. It can be a finished or in progress tattoo. You cannot enter the same tattoo in more than one contest. So sorry for not posting this up earlier you guys!

For a while now: - Freddy Corbin New interests: - Horikyo - Claus Fuhrmann

OK, well this is my first shot at a thread here, so I figure I'd go for something crazy that has my OCD in overdrive. I'm sure most of you have seen the Sailor Jerry documentary. If not, to spite the car seat covers and shirts, please do. In the out takes, Mr. Owen (I do use the "Mr." quite a bit, simply out of respect) talks about C. J. "Danny" Danzl and his laying a shader down in the gutter where the ladies of the night in the house above his old Colorado Springs shop (pre WW2) dumped their "rinse pots". He took them out after a week and retouched the black fish scales that adorned his right arm. Mr. Owen was laughing about what Danzl said to him, "You see anything wrong with me?" He was also a heck of a cook, making food during WW2 in the Merchant Marine (my Grandfather, now 91, was MM in the war as well), as well being cook (or in other stories captain) of the tugboat Danny Pazu. Oddly my Grandfather was a tugboat skipper as well. Funny how these things go. He also worked with ABC Hank in Seattle for a while. Owen said they were "Quite a pair." It put the hook in me, and a year or so ago I got started on some research on Danzl. I was planning just writing a blog post, but the more I've obsessed, the more I think it may become more. Not that I'm not busy with other things, both writing, tattooing, machine building (such as my machine "building" is), and working on getting a good friend broken in as well. I spoke with Mr. G (Triangle Tattoo & Museum), Mr. Eldridge (Tattoo Archive), Madam Vyvyn Lazonga (madame-lazonga-), who learned from Danzl personally, and as well Mr. Lyle Tuttle. (Tuttle actually gave me the lead to Madam Lazonga and is a heck of a nice guy who I'd like to buy a drink or 14 for sometime) I have yet to contact Mr. P. A. Stevens, but that will be coming as soon as I can get around to an hour or so. Mr. Tuttle didn't have time to help me, although he has a ton 'o Danzl ephemera, including machines and flash. He's a busy man, and I respect that. Madam Lazonga said she didn't know too much about Danzl, however I did read that he and Sailor Jerry were good friends, respected each other, and wrote one another on occasion. Mr. Eldridge, who is a wealth of knowledge and provided me with some sound advice that I didn't take for granted at all, told me a few things. One Danzl was forced to put up a "no spitting" sign for one. Two, Danzl had a laryngectomy due to throat cancer and used a "buzzer" (funny how it all comes down to things that buzz, huh?) to talk, but it never stopped him from talking. Also when he visited conventions, he always had great shirts, wild designs, wore colored, lacquered Panama hats, and an ascot to cover the surgery. I also found out that when Madam Lazonga left the Seattle Tattoo Emporium the social section of the local paper put a head line: Danzl in Distress. He also suggest that I contact the NTA, and if I wanted to write a piece with cred, I needed to contact Mr. Stevens. That was invaluable advice that a younger me probably would have scoffed at. I thank my stars I'm older, more respectful, but sadly still a dope. Mr. G was the best out of all. Funny, no big 'tude, and we had a great conversation that somehow got around to what the "old school" really means. That was a big thing for me too and it's very simple: you give respect and get it back. From Mr. G, who along with Madam Chinchila, visited Danzl's I got a great big hunk of facts. Danzl had learned from Percy Waters in Detroit, MI. He was a side show tattooer for a while, as well as being "Aqua Boy", hence the fish scales. Sort of pre Weeki Watchee Springs for you all in the know. He also told Mr. G never to use the term "gun", but was a gentleman about it. He wore elaborately decorated shirts, done with an ink tube with a ball point pen tip on it, the same that Mr. G used to mark his "senior 'cords" when he was in high school. Danzl told him never to tattoo a face, nor hands, as faces distract and hands, well, people never took proper care of them. Again, another touch of the "old school". Danny was also quite the ladies man, and would bring roses or corsages for the ladies who attended the National Convention. He also had a tank full of red bellied piranha with a sign that read, "Tattoo Removal" over the tank. He also once met Tom Waits at the lunch counter he ate at on the Pike. To the best of Mr. G's knowledge C. J. "Danny" Danzl passed away in 1989. So, that was rather long winded, if writing can be. Any one have any more information? Flash? A machine? Or even a tattoo? Any thing would be most helpful, and I'd thank you in advance, not that I wouldn't do it after either, on him? Please let me know, and I hope you all have enjoyed what I've picked up along the way so far. One last thing. I tried to get a hold of Sailor Cam Cook on the phone, but the listing for his shop was a dead end. Is he still working? If so, does anyone know how I can reach him? Again, many thanks, and I'm sure you'll read more blather from me somewhere around the ways. BONUS!!! Here is Danzl outside his Colorado Springs shop in the '30s or very early '40s. Note the Waters tattooing sign, and also "beer" in the upper left hand corner. Ah, the good 'ol days. http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/b0/f3/49/b0f34935df01ee8adb5f5904cd9af024.jpg Danzl working on his wife, possibly staged? Photo reversed. He wasn't no southpaw! http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8f/3a/6e/8f3a6e0aae008f496a369565add3d766.jpg Greg Irons, Danzl, and P. A. Stevens, maybe late '70s or early '80s. See why I don't work for Kodak? I can't tell you from film stock! Big thanks to Mr. Eldridge for this. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b1/62/3a/b1623a26115a2866923f4be1c9911fbc.jpg A machine made by Danzl, given as a gift to Tennesse Dave James (RIP) http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/a9/3f/8a/a93f8a24b075ad7bb5947ca2169d76db.jpg Danzl's road outfit, maybe from his carny days. Note again the Waters influence; "That's Me!" Also, there is a first aid kit in there too if you look close. Now that is weird. http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/3f/0a/20/3f0a20b2c169f7d0e13fa6226c941633.jpg Possible Danzl flash http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/44/ae/ba/44aeba7958534e243bf73053124030ac.jpg *For the full story on Danzl and health, here ya go, as only Mr. Zeke could tell it! From Baxter's Tattoo Blog. http://tattooroadtrip.com/blog/the-legendary-zeke-owen/

@temporarytattoo sorry but what you said makes absolutely no sense, at all. - - - Updated - - - google translate?

Rainbow owls sounds kind of sweet. I've seen worse ideas put into action. Ah well, to each his own.

I'll see you there Carolyn!

My first client that I know of passed away a few months back from rectal cancer. I worked on a Strat neck coming out of his upper left arm. I asked him while I was working on him how he felt about his mortality (he was terminal). He told me that he tried to live each day to the fullest, and inspire others to do the same. I look like a big tough tattooed guy. I had to put the machine down and go wipe the tears from eyes. It's art to be sure, but with a shelf life. People, their lives and stories keep me from burning out. But when I got the call, my heart went up into my throat, and went and had another cry. I'd say RIP Scott, but I know you are already.

^thanks for the link hoggy Serendipitous that I got some mail from him on the same day an article about him is in the paper.

I'm excited for this show, I hope to see some of you there! Thanks for posting this @cltatooing I get so busy with work I space cool events like this!

Really cool that Thom got written up in the NY Times today: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/nyregion/for-restless-pioneer-of-modern-tattoo-art-a-life-beyond-ink.html?_r=0

Austin and Dallas have plenty of great shops, but honestly there's no need to go that far - San Angelo TX is home to Trufant Brothers Tattoo. The Trufant Bros (Alex and Aubrey) are both solid tattooers, and they put on the West Texas Tattoo Convention, which is just around the corner, Feb 21-23, in San Angelo. There's a laundry list of incredible tattooers at that convention, I would definitely recommend getting tattooed there. As far as your idea, I'm in agreement on the rose and flag - a rose is a strong, classic image and the rose/flag combo is not uncommon.

Got started on my ribs with William Yoneyama today, 40+ degrees outside, nowhere better to be than under air conditioning. About 3-4 hours in, should wrap it up in a few weeks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sleeping after a back session sucks. That is all.

Far easier to placate a customer doing some quick touch up work or even re-working the whole tattoo, in my opinion. Is that tattooer still in town? Is he still alive? Did that client have a horrible experience with the original tattooer and not want to go back to that person? All three of those issues have popped up several times in the very short span I've been tattooing, by the way. But they usually come back for the other stuff that they wanted you to do as well, even if it takes awhile. They don't go in the portfolio, and, depending on the level of work needed, some are just a quick five second touch up as part of another tattoo, some are complete reworks at full price. Also, rather than send e-mail or send texts of images, especially if it's not a super close person you trust, I'd recommend having them come to the shop where you work to see the designs, just in case they find a reason not to get tattooed, then take them to someone else. Just a few thoughts.

I saw these donkeys on the way home from work the other day,seems like kind of crappy dry place to have to live IMO,not sure how well they are fed & watered,so we bought some fresh carrots,cabbage,& apples and brought that and some water down this morning and fed them the treats,as soon as we pulled over on the other side of the street they started walking over to us,so it appears we are not the only ones who do this ! LOL very cute & very friendly.I will keep carrots with me from now on and do this again for sure. . . . . . . . this is my favorite pic

got this little one today from frank william

If you're crazy, I am too. A few times I've sketched tattoo ideas on myself with eyeliner pencils and eye shadow. Before I booked my half sleeve I sketched one on myself when I was drunk and bored, made me decide to do it cause I liked how it looked. I'm not a tattoo artist so what I sketch will be different from the final result but it's a fun way to "test drive" the idea and channel my excitement.

@David Akers, my only fear with blackwork/mandala type stuff is it's very light and sparse compared to what you have now. You would have to laser that to the point of extinction. It's your decision, but another option would be to do the blackwork/mandala stuff from your shoulder down and have it blend into your existing forearm tattoo. Just my $0.02.

@kimkong looks awesome. And outlines are tough (especially super bold ones like those), so nice job hanging in there.

no,I can't say that tattoos have changed my life really, I've always been an outgoing confident person, having tattoos has been fun,because it's made me a little different than many people I encounter and that is the fun part of having tattoos IMO, I like the attention and stares,etc,etc that having tattoos causes in public, what I can say is (since I have been getting tattoos for probably 30 years now) is that my life has changed the tattoos I get,it's been an evolutionary process,constantly changing,and my tattoos are a road map of my life,including people,places,& experiences that I have encountered along this crazy trip we call life.

@Jennifer Stell "Richard has always ALWAYS said... Taking an apprentice is like getting married and someone taking your last name as theirs.... And there is no divorce, that's forever." That has to be one of the least talked about things in this thread. I had to remark only because I recently started and apprenticeship, and I really respect the man. He is an amazing artist and an outstanding human being. Respect between the artist and apprentice ( I think ) is a must. And for an Artist to take someone under his or her wing (a good artist) they must trust that the person is going to show the craft the respect it deserves. Just my thoughts...

when you see it.....