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Spent about 6 1/2 hours at Memoir with Kim yesterday and I think we finished this arm. She did a little more outlining and shading all over, and added a little misty shading background. I love it. Will post healed pics in a couple weeks.

Got this little guy from Dan Santoro, Bert Krak flash. Inside of the forearm 2-3 months healed.

Tattooed biceps?

His is not the only LST butt on our bookshelves.

Can you also find me a page of reputable good builders that call them guns?

CHAOS!!

Just wanted to jump in and say thanks to all the tattooers who post here. As someone who was quite clueless when I signed up here and still has a lot to learn, I feel a degree of responsibility for the change in nature of this forum and really appreciate that a lot of the original members are still active here.

I got my hand and my knuckles tattooed way too young. Still in college. I also have been around tattooing my entire life, and remember big intimidating white supremacist bikers being the main clients in the shop my parents went to when I was a little boy. I also know about people pulling away little kids, and getting stared at like you're garbage most days when you go out. Were it not for knowing that history, and truly what I was getting myself into, I wouldn't have gotten them done. I know that because my tattooer at the time told me that outright. I had backup tattoos in case he said no, one of which I got a month after my knuckles, and another three months after my hand. He knew I was willing to be a janitor, unlike most people who are 20 and think a hand tattoo won't stop them from being whatever it is they want to be when they move on from their hardcore phase, break edge, and start listening to Americana exclusively. Fortunately, tattooing chose me without too much time spent as a minimum wage slave at the mall. That said, I turn them down left and right. I don't want to ruin anyone's lives, and I don't know that I have the technical capability, nor have I earned the right, to do too many thing in areas like that yet. Some day, maybe. But for now, I'll say no, and hope that more people in my town will learn to turn away a few dollars in exchange for professional responsibility. And that clients will really hear my advice, not just see something they think is cute on Pinterest or Tumblr, and think hand tattoos will be accepted in the business world.

Oh yeah -- @hogg in the I LOVE TATTOOS book

Speaking of butts, @Lance, yours is forever on our bookshelf in the PERSEVERANCE catalog. Those Namakubi are bad ass -- PUN INTENDED.

I've heard it takes about 3 months for a tattoo to be completely healed. Also, lower leg tattoos take a lot longer to heal... so give it some more time then see how it looks.

Already ban hammered. Thanks, @Mark Bee.

Y'all, I have not been getting tattooed for that long. I have learned a TREMENDOUS amount over the past few years that I have been getting tattooed consistently, which has been almost entirely thanks to the super kind and open tattooers I have been lucky enough to spend time with. I know very little about tattoos, but what I do know, is thanks to them, and I am so grateful for that. And since I went from one tattoo to three to "there's no point in counting anymore", what I have learned is that there is a lot that I thought I knew when I first started getting into this, and I had so, so much enthusiasm about it! I had a lot of pretty innocent assumptions that I've had to unpack or add nuance to as I've moved forward. As I keep going, I realize I am just scratching the surface. Tattoos are about process, which is part of what I love about them. We are always learning, and like in any good pursuit in life, the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know. So when people say that a tattooer knows more than an experienced collector who knows more than someone new to tattooing, that's not the "forum police" (seriously this is so juvenile) or people being snobs; people BEND OVER BACKWARDS on this forum to give good advice to novices. What it is is having some goddamn humility, and realizing that you know some stuff, but you don't know much more stuff. And you have that humility because you love and respect this thing that you are into, and the people who have thus far guided you into it. I hate that I keep making sincere posts on this godforsaken thread, but seriously; stop feeling persecuted people, and have a shred of humility. We all have a lot to learn. Literally every other tattoo forum on the internet, as far as I can tell, is a free-for-all where people can spread misinformation and feel like kings of the virtual tattoo castle. All people try to do here is respect the tradition and promote responsible and beautiful tattooing. That does require taking a step back every once in a while to ask if a conversation is productive, and it also means that sometime people are going to get told they're wrong. In my experience, people try really hard to be nice when doing stuff like that, and only get snippy when someone has been purposefully obtuse or offensive or arrogant repeatedly, because we all lose patience eventually.

Don't forget @Reyeslv's ass on page 121 of the Perseverance catalog.

for the last year or so i have been putting these together. last week i made #6. the first few are sold out but i still have a few copies of the last three. you can pick them up on my etsy if interested. thanks for looking shapes&shades by chrisnoluck on Etsy

we have some availability - call the shop or email!

You guys can call me at the shop and I can book it over the phone *hint hint*

Maybe this answer is in that thread, but I've seen ppl told to post their questions in the intro threads, being they can not start new ones, so OP I believe you posted your question correctly and like already stated, what you're seeing is completely normal in my exp and should be just fine soon enough.

Waxy wrinkled looking skin is what it looks like after it peels. It takes around 30-45 days for your skin to look normal after the tattoo.

He means "tattoo gun" aka tattoo machine. I come to this forum because I still have a minimal amount of knowledge on the tattooing process from the artists perspective. It's awesome to have that advice and information available on here. That is what makes this forum great in my opinion. So "police" away!

How could someone not like Black Flag?

It all just sucks when IG deletes Tattooer's profiles because they posted a new backpiece they're working on and it shows the client's butt. I've also seen artist's profiles being deleted too because a drawing or painting they worked on contained nudity. Completely non-sexual in form too. Yet all the while there are other sites which remain open posting almost naked (floss) women gyrating. And that's considered okay (because of the floss). It's really stupid. I'm now waiting for the moment when my friend's profile is deleted because she posted a naked photo of her little baby being bathed. On that note, @Stewart Robson had his profile taken down. He created a new one though "stewartrobsonfst"

dont worry your tattoos wont trick us into believing you are knowledgable. Im not saying that to be mean. I just dont have enough self control to not post a half decent one liner. On the topic of finger/hand tattoos... how does one wipe their ass with fresh finger/hand tattoos? Do you have to glove up for each bowel movement?

ROAD TRIP!

Complaining about "forum police" because I made a suggestion that some people agreed with and some people disagreed with? How thin-skinned are you?

The 'signal to noise' ratio can be a problem on any forum which, at a certain point, has a lot of experienced people posting on a topic. That knowledge base pulls in a lot of new posters, keen to ask questions, sometimes not getting the established culture of the forum, and you can get noise that dilutes the content to an extent. The thing is a closed-door or overly insular forum can be no better, because you end up with cliques and group think. The most successful forums I've seen are the ones which manage a kind of dynamic balance. I think LST is managing that now, just about. But like @irezumi alludes to, LST has lost out when tattooers stop posting. If we ever end up a forum which is entirely populated by collectors only, however educated, then that'll be the end for me.

There are some interesting points brought up here, some I agree with and some I respectfully don't, but I have to agree with @Graeme in that we don't need to be talking about hand or finger tattoos on this forum and for the same reason he mentioned. That brings me to a thread de-railing topic. It is the nature of things and people to evolve, everything around us in life and in the digital world is evidence. Not always a bad thing, but often brings about mixed blessings. This forum is evolving and in its own way that is/was the point of it, to talk about and educate people about good tattooing. The initiation thread has been blowing up with new members constantly and that's a great thing to see because it shows the amount of people that are interested in learning more about good tattooing, or (although fewer and fewer) people with vast amounts of experience and information come to share it. It is a positive thing to try to help fairly new people to tattooing learn about topics that they might not know about yet, just out of sheer ignorance(The word ignorance not to be taken in a negative light). It's great that there is a place for people to share this kind of information with each other. But personally for me it is rapidly evolving into me sitting at the front desk telling every single customer the bad news they don't want to hear. This is a topic that I've been doing for years and years and years and pretty much still tell people every single day in real life. It is becoming more difficult to want to participate when all I'm doing is basically saying the same thing I do every single damn day to people. This forum has been kind of a refuge for me when I wanted to escape the bullshit questions that I face all the time by people who like I said just don't know better yet. This place was almost all professional tattooers and or people who were heavily tattooed, which is what was the appeal to me. The number of professional tattooers that still post here has been dwindling at a fast clip over the last year or so. And I think I know some of the reasons why without having to ask them. One reason is "busy working" but that's not what I'm talking about. Hogg, I know you have asked us to save you from hearing "this place ain't the same anymore" (although it is undeniably true) but I am trying to show that there is a positive side to this evolution. Like I said it is merely just mixed blessings, not something BAD. I'm just a little bummed because it's evolving into an animal that I probably wouldn't of been interested in if I were a recent arrival. Thanks for letting me soapbox for a minute. I still like a lot of you people.

@TrixieFaux your arm is *so* beautiful!!!

Haha. I was just thinking that there should be a running thread of this.

Here is a terrible photo of a print I got recently: Ghost cat by Geordie Cole, from Ink Dots, Black Spots, an annual benefit gallery show.

Okay, here's mine. I got it when I was 17, less than a week after I decided I was getting a tattoo. For extra shit points, it's an album cover: The guy who did it started it and then said, "Wait, are you 18?" "Uh... Yeah." "Okay, I just have to ask." I actually found his portfolio online not long ago and I'd never realised how lucky I was until then. My tattoo was one of his much better pieces. The top isn't bent like that, I took the picture at a weird angle. I hated it for a long time but I don't think I could ever get rid of it now. It's old school as fuck.

I knew what he meant @Dbeatdano, couldn't help myself.

Haha good luck with that! I remember a time when I was 'only' gonna get small things, and then 'only' a backpiece (no background), a time when I never thought I'd get my legs tattooed...ahahaha! There is no only in tattoo. ;)

This is for @BrianH ... Pretty heavy scabbing in parts around the 8-9 day mark. Then, a shot from today (I think it's been 3-4 weeks since I was tattooed, can't quite remember). It's still a little shiny and new, also gets dry, but I don't think I lost anything... Not the best photo but you get the idea I hope.

Not so cool but I love it... finally signed up for Covered CA. I haven't had insurance in years and I qualify for Medi-Cal now, so I can finally see a doctor, it's been 3 years and I really need to see one.

The results of yesterday's visit to Greg Christian. I've been walking around Cleveland eating ridiculous, inexplicable food today and goddamn, does healing this thing suck. I can recommend eating a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with meatloaf after getting tattooed, though...

THIS BOX IS TOO SMALL !!!

Firstly, fuck Yelp. Secondly, the tattoo industry has changed immensely. We discuss this often here on this site. We discuss it at the shop. The number one priority for the tattooer is to put on a quality tattoo for his/her client. We all have various expectations. Some people want a more comfortable environment, some people want that old school feel, and varying teeters between the two. I think that responsibility does lie to the client (no, goodness no, I am not referring to any circumstance of harassment). The majority of tattooers want to have a good interaction with their clients, that said, there are different types of tattoo shops, and not all of them are going to indulge or cater to clients in the same manner.

I hate to pile on @deadsp0t, but I do want to make a couple points. I've heard you say "silence is consent" on this and other threads, and I don't think you realize what a loaded term this is. Google "silence" "consent" and "rape," and you'll see what I mean. Just in case you're wondering what all this outrage is about. All that stuff about Rosa Parks/MLK I'll chalk up to a bad analogy and leave it at that. Except to say that when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. @Zillah, I'm a big burly guy and I probably would've done the exact same thing in that situation: bit my tongue, get my tattoo, and got the f*ck out of there (but no tip). So many ways that situation could have ended badly for you, sometimes it's smart to keep your mouth shut. @Bunny Switchblade, not to get off-topic or pick a fight here, but I'm getting a little sick of hearing this particular sentiment. I hear what you're saying, but put it this way: there are dives and fancy wine bars, and the existence of the latter shouldn't ruin your enjoyment of the former. Grungy old-school street shops are awesome -- and I hope they never go away -- but the private/custom/boutique-type ones exist because there's a market for it. Speaking as a non-tattooer, it seems to me that everyone who wants a tattoo should be able to get one, how and where they want it. And that people from all walks of life getting tattoos is good for business – even if it's the dreaded "soccer mom" getting a butterfly on her ankle. It's like with bands when people say, "I was into so-and-so before they were cool." Why should I give a f*ck if what I like is popular or not? Bands want to sell records and make money so they can keep making art. Tattooers do too.

@Zillah, I'll bring this back to topic. When I got my flapper on my chest, the tattoo artist basically had to touch right above/ on my breast (not like fondling but just had to stretch out the skin on my chest, etc.) and while it was mildly uncomfortable for me, it was nothing compared to what happened to you. The only acknowledgement that it might even be a bit awkward was his sorry as he first touched me. Nothing too serious but I was 19 and a bit shy. Now as for the silence as consent... highly disagree with that statement. Even the examples with Rosa Parks and MLK are WTF moments. Silence is never consent, never acceptance. Silence is taught, is a self preservation technique when there is a threat to speaking out. I was silent, when I was teased/bullied by girls who I knew could beat my ass if I said what I really thought about them. I was silent when I knew I would get slapped by my parents if I said what I wanted to. I was silent as groups of men talked horrible things about the way I look and what I should do sexually because I am so ugly to them and therefore desperate. I only ever speak out when I know that I cannot bear it anymore, when I am willing to take the risk of bodily or psychological harm, or when I know I have a fighting chance. Silence does not mean I consent to my treatment, it means I am too afraid of the consequences to speak up. and that's why deadspot missed the point.

I promise you that you are not on the side of Rosa Parks and MLK in this conversation, and that it's genuinely one of the most offensive things I have ever read on this message board to see you make this comparison. Rosa Parks and MLK were tireless in their articulation of the power imbalances that exist in our society, and the ways in which dominant groups silence marginalized ones. Pretending that their resistance is equated with "always speak up" with no analysis of power asymmetry, structural misogyny, and the fact that women HAVE SCARY FUCKING EXPERIENCES TALKING BACK TO CREEPY MEN is both painfully stupid and morally appalling. And that is the last thing I will say here, because I gave up internet arguments as a new year's resolution two years ago. But I just could not let this go. PS it gives me faith in this board to see so many like-minded folks calling this out, and not just women. <3 you guys.

Well originally I was going to post one of my own experiences after seeing the thread title but was side tracked by the discussion. Anyway... Some background info...I have a fairly large amount of coverage...probably more than 50%. I am not the most toughest client but I have been told by most that I sit pretty well...even if I want to take hourly breaks and all which may be annoying to some. So I am getting a tattoo from Shotsie at T&B 2013 in Santa Rosa...this was like a dream come true because I admired his stuff from my very beginnings, in the late 80s. So I guess I am kinda frazzled by my recent long flight and am kinda hyper. Wanted several cig breaks in the course of the 3 hour piece. He reminded I was paying by the hour but I was cool with that...nicotine addiction is a bitch! I guess I wasn't too comfy sitting in the chair(I prefer lying for any body part if possible) and was moving around too much...he never said anything, but maybe I could of been more aware. But you know...tattoos kinda hurt lol. So at the end of it, I am feeling very good, that "I made it and here is my reward' feeling you get when I particular piece is finished...as he is wrapping it up he says with a surly tone..."I sure hope your customers sit better than you...I had to wrestle you the whole time"...which I felt was bullshit because I don't move while the needle is in my skin...maybe I shifted too much when he dipped I guess. It was an instant buzzkill...even the extra $100 I had set aside for tippage was no consolation. Its a beautiful tattoo but every time I look at it I can't help but think how much the situation soured my experience.

The problem is that when you are in a vulnerable position, it is pretty difficult to speak up. Calling misogynistic behaviour out rarely ends with the perpetrator apologising and reflecting on what they've said/done. At best, you might get a patronising 'lighten up' type response, at worst an aggressive response. "Silence is consent" is victim-blaming bullshit. This is far more offensive than I think you realise, and is scarily close to blaming her for what clothes she was wearing.

I'm not a tattooer so I wouldn't have to try to purposely fuck up a tattoo. It would just naturally be fucked up.

Are you blaming her for his rude comment?

My overall look is incomplete!

We've got four cats and two dogs. Like others, there's far too many favourite photos to choose from. However, this week I'm going to see the highly excellent Monster Truck play in Glasgow, so here's Jorja rocking one of their T-shirts. Because - well, why not. :D

Talk to me or @Graeme in person for 5 minutes and you'll see how boring and uncool tattooed people are. You won't want to get tattooed to avoid growing up to be like us. Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

Try introductions first, show us a photo ov your sick tatt bro

This is how a Phoenix should look.