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This completely flies in the face of all the talk of sobriety here, but it looks like I'm going to be teaching a course on beer tasting in the fall.

Just finished up this wild ass dude by Alan Berg

I just got back from another fun-filled session. 3 hours of stabbing on and around my spine....fun fun fun :) This time a lot more black went in (coat and bow mostly), a bunch of purple in the coat and bow and some pink in the Kitsune's feet. I have another 2 sessions planned (in 2 weeks, and the last one in 4 weeks), and the piece should be done then! :cool:

FTW Oakland http://ftwtattoo.com/ She is @cltattooing on Instagram.

I suppose I'll contribute to our collection of giant ass-flowers. Finished a few weeks ago by Grez!

I think people are really overstating the timelessness of traditional tattoos. I first started seeing them in the mid to late 90s when hardcore kids started getting them. I would guess this was to a large extent the influence of Higgs trickling down, though I did know a dude who got a bunch of bad old metal tattoos covered up with some really beautiful classic traditional done by The Dutchman in probably around 98 or so, and that was coming from a different place. Regardless, traditional tattoos have a time and a place, there isn't this continuity with them that a lot of people imagine there is, and my suspicion is that it's probably not going to be too long before traditional is going to be looked at with the same kind of sneering derision that a lot of people usually save for tribal or chromed out dragon sleeves. I'm not saying that a well-done traditional tattoo isn't going to age super well and that a big fuck off eagle on the chest or roses or a panther or whatever isn't always going to look badass, because it will, and I'm going to continue getting tattoos like that because they're powerful and they get me stoked, but don't fool yourself into thinking that they'll always be the "cool" tattoos. There are a lot of twenty year olds out there who are keepin' it super old school by getting face tattoos who are putting on shitty "traditional" tattoos that look like total ass. There's stupid things circulating of old timey celebrities with traditional tattoos photoshopped on them, I mean, there was a recent thread here about a gallery show of fucking porcelain dolls with traditional tattoos painted on them. Shit is becoming an unfunny joke.

I'm pretty impressed they were able to get a tattoo that won't fade over time! Good for them. Seriously though, I love reading bad Yelp reviews of highly regarded tattoo shops. It truly shows how little people understand tattooing and how insane some people's expectations are. It's often a shame for the shops, though. As evidenced in this thread, and in countless reviews, people throw out shitty reviews for ridiculous reasons, and I'm sure it often costs shop owners money.

revisited my guilty pleasure of reading bad yelp reviews of good shops/artists. This reviewer gave 5 stars (a positive review!): "Called to make an appointment. The receptionist (guy) was polite enough. Definitely sounds like he's capable of being a douche bag but he was informative. I can't wait to go get my tat on Saturday." It appears complaining about the receptionist/phone answerer is the "cool" thing to do on yelp.

I like to use Yelp for regular businesses like restaurants and stores. For tattoo shops it's not useful, because people who complain never give specifics and their problems usually sound small. They always say something like "tattoos are good but the vibe is snobby" or "very bad service, they refused to tattoo the idea I had, which was a great idea but of course I'm not going to tell you what it is in this review." They don't seem to respect the tattooer's right to not take on work that doesn't interest them/would look terrible. Honestly, I like the fact that Yelp exists so I can get back at people who screw me over. For example this dog boarding place recently failed to take care of my dog by walking her outside of the enclosure, something they assured me they wouldn't do. She escaped and ran across a highway. They also did many other things wrong but I won't get into it. I didn't actually write a bad review on Yelp for this (yet...) but knowing I have the ability to makes me feel a bit less like a worthless pawn in the system.

I'm just saying that we should beware the hubris of mocking how ugly a former tattoo trend while thinking that our current tastes are timeless and will never seem outdated to anybody. I love my traditional tattoos, but I also know that they will look very much of their time and uncool to people somewhere down the road. Tastes change. No one and no style is immune.

Thanks for the kind words, y'all! I am so stoked both to have it and to be done with it--I got it done in about a year, which flew by (even if each session was a mini eternity) but I'm excited to not have to heal this summer.

Sleeve-y sleeve being done in Beijing. Chinese Opera/flower/bat freehand jazz.

Just finished. Mask by Anderson Luna. Hopefully the detailing will hold and not turn into a blurry blob down the road.

I can't take a thread titled "Facial Tattoos" seriously. Sorry guys...

Nice post Graeme. Applies to many things. I'm too old to care what is currently considered "cool". I just go with what I like.

can i add this yelp review of a tattoo shop. I saw this before and googled for it now, thought it was really funny. please read what she says and the details. They are too funny to me. (like the time of her "date") Hands down the worst experience that I have ever had with a human being. Bad all bad every single review here is telling the truth. 1st of all he is a liar, I met him about a year & a half ago on a dating website & he lured me over by telling me he was interested in me & offering to tattoo me as a 1st date.. awww how nice huh? Nope! l get there & it was not in a studio (like he said it was) it was in a room of a home, nothing professional, I should have left then but some of us have to live it to learn it (me) he started a tattoo & could not finish because it was like 3am & I was tired... good way to get me to come back right? Right.... LONG story short... he wrecked my skin & it cost me over $400 to fix it & I am not finished w fixing the art work of Shane, as the 3rd work of art I have been told that its not fixable & will have to be removed or completely covered up to make it right because he dug so hard on the blotched up eyelash area of eyes that he did on me... THANKS!!! I posted pix to show what he can do... THEN the madness that goes along w the mess of ink is priceless!! His unstable explosive entitled pushy attitude is beyond out of control. He harasses & bullies & people should be warned... he didnt even know me like that!!! I should have posted this a long time ago... well actually I did post this a long time ago & he got ahold of me & begged & threatened me to take it down... I just came from hearing that my tattoo cannot be fixed (again) so I am mad all over again!!! STAY AWAY!!!!

HAHAHA!! I just went back and read this old post from you @BrianH. Hilarious. Tattooer tries to give them solid advice for their benefit and they act like a brat about it, then go on to insult traditional tattoo styles and imagery. Extra funny to me because I saw almost every artist at Temple do a consult or tattoo while I was there and everyone was exceedingly kind, helpful, and professional the entire time. Would love to check in with this person 10+ years down the line and see how their tattoo "exactly how I wanted it" is holding up.

With thigh tattoos (especially big ones) it has taken me up to two weeks til I'm not sore anymore.

Before my appointment I looked up Temple's address on Yelp and came across this review. Gave me a laugh. I think I've said on here before but I'd never trust Yelp reviews for anything more than finding a quick lunch spot. So many uninformed people making stupid comments, on top of the company's shady business practices and bullying.

@CultExciter -- I'll be in SF for the next month(ish)! Are we still Instagram buddies? I'm going to DM you my number. Would be funny to meet you on the West Coast when we're both from the East Coast.

Bump. No major plans just yet. I plan on seeing Joel Long's exhibit at ATAK, and then going to the Perseverance show.

Going back to 1975-1980, you really had to ferret out an artist who would do a face tattoo. Most would not do anything above the collar and even hands. Rob

I've never done anything like this and I need to figure out exactly how I'm going to do it, but it should be a lot of fun. I suppose if the only thing I'm in any way qualified to teach is beer drinking, I've done pretty okay in life so far.

I don't think she's saying to apologize for it in anyway. But styles change, and even though traditional tattoos do have a staying power, certain elements won't be as accepted. I think it was Catcher in the Rye that said something along the lines of "no matter how cool it looks now, years down the line we'll all just look like those old people doing the Charleston." Should we apologize for that or let it sway what we get? Fuck no. But I'd be curious to see what collectors/tattooers/whoever think of my tattoos in ten-twenty-fifty years.

Am I the only one who is in love with the heaven and hell back piece that Steve Byrne is working on, I know I'm a total fanboy but every progress pic just blows my breath away

Just returned from another trip to China. I was actually shocked at how much enthusiasm and positive response there was to our tattoos this time around. Everywhere, literally...like, here are all these cultural relics, history, ancient landmarks, wonders of the world that are hundreds of thousands of years old...but wait rook! It is a crazy foreigner with all these tattoos. "WOWEE So very beautiful" was the typical praise. Chinese all wanted to get photos with our tattooed kung fu team, kind of fun to be a spectacle in China for a few weeks. The young kids at the Shaolin Temple were super hyped because I have lots of different animals tattooed. I would use the tattoos (and kung fu poses) to help practice their English vocabulary. Dragon, monkey, crane, tiger, eagle, frog, turtle, snake...and my miniature preying mantis tattoo was the obvious favourite, it got tonnes of laughs and what I assume translated from Mandarin into "what the...crazy foreigner...mantis...look how so tiny...funny!" I told my Shaolin friends the tattoos were Canadian chi gung, funny to hear a shaolin monk grimace about "much pain" from tattoos when you just watched them bust metal and sticks across their body. This photo below makes me laugh. Buddy Beijing was so pumped on the tattoos on my forearms I had to hulk hogan my shirt for him. He then got so amped and insisted we take a photo with him and his baby. And then with grandma and gramps. And then the whole family. And then individually. It was a pretty magic moment and victory for international tattoo relations! There was some confusion and disappointment though that I had near everything on my body tattooed...except for my back! Well there's always next time...starting my backpiece journey next month :cool: ------ my Instagram is "dennis_kool" if anyone is interested in pics from Shaolin and China

On Sunday I got a gross Mr. Toad. No particular reason, I wanted to start getting more stuff on my legs, and I wanted something traditional Japanese. Done by Stace at waterstreet tattoo in vancouver, Canada.

finally got my other knee tattooed this afternoon. by lowercase j

More progress on my back piece this weekend. Artist: Jill Bonny - State of Grace (The bird and side piece were already there)

Hi @Breakme and @Pugilist - thank you for asking :) She came home today - she got through the surgery just fine yesterday and was a model patient - kicked butt for a little old lady. She's upstairs passed out after a good supper. They removed a liver mass but she had a big mass right in the middle of her pancreas. They got a lot of it which will help with her nausea and barfing discomfort - it was really pressing on her stomach, but whatever it is, it will grow back. It is too invasive. They also found a shadow in her chest on the X-rays. Test results for the two masses on Monday, sigh, but I think we all know where this is going. We just hope it's gonna go there slowly and that we can keep her a happy kitty for all that time. I think about her being a monmon kitty on me somewhere. She has the perfect coloring for a koi.

@beez ROAD DAWGS

I have slapped the heck out of my arm over the past few days...I forgot how much tattoos itch when they are healing! It'll be healed just in time for my next session next week, and I can start all over again. Gotta say, I LOVE the start my artist made last week though. It could probably stand on its own.

I prefer day time tattoos. I've had a couple in the evening and I always find it next to impossible to sleep if I get home late. Earlier is better, for me at least.

oh yeah, noon is the perfect start time. then you can put in 5 hours (which is pretty well my limit of sitting really nicely) and go home, eat something and just sleep!

@keepcalm do what the man said! Otherwise just walk in - maybe on a tues or something where they wouldn't already be busy. Shops are usually good about accommodating out of towners. Good luck!!

get a tattoo from @cltattooing

@peterpoose Just take it as someone loving what you get so much that they have no sense of self-worth, to the point that they'd get something that you got. As Chaz, the graffiti artist said at the Perseverance show, biting is the highest compliment.

Sir! I salute you!

I love Friday 13th tattoos :) I will prob get one!

One of these times I'm actually going to not be broke around this weekend, and I'll get a Saturday the 14th tattoo.

Yeah, yours has the sultry. The other chick looks zoned out or ready to sneeze. Any thought to contact them and ask WTF, even if you aren't upset?

It's constant to stay on top eh mate?! Ya know, I remember when I was young and started dropping lots of LSD & mushrooms and shit, I did it 'cause it was fun, and ya just don't realise how quickly everything spirals out of control. From there I started shooting amphetamine. When I realised I had an amphet problem, I started shooting smack to wean off the speed...so it was like shoot speed in the AM, shoot smack in the PM and instead of having one, now we had fuckin' two addictions to battle. Man, a few years living like this is one thing...but I find the hardest battles it not so much the physical addictions I needed to conquer, but the integration back into "normal" society. Dealing with the Mr & Mrs Jones's of the world. When ya lived on the edge man, it's real hard to find stimulation at times. They're the times I find myself at my weakest. It took a long, long time to understand what it meant about it being "for life"...actually, I think I just started to work this out recently. You know...you're gonna draw lots of strength from this journey mate. Embrace those positives :) I wouldn't normally throw something so personal like this out there, but the topics here & thought....fuck it.

I headed over to the Okey Doke tattoo shop on College St. in Toronto this morning to get a tattoo by Franz Stefanik. What an amazing experience. Here is my latest tattoo, as I continue to work on my legs.

Not re-pressed yet but worth seeking out is the Eye Tattooed America book. For some reason I just assume everybody has the same books I have. I'm kind of in the same boat as Ed in that respect of not realizing how popular they were. When I heard they were reprinting Tattootime I said to myself "I thought everybody has those books?"

Fourth of July tattoos? ;) I may be in town as well...WEST COAST MEETUP!

Hahahaha One of our favourite reviews is for a local street shop (the one next door to where we grabbed beers during the convention), where the person complained that the tatooers would not let them try on stencils of all the various designs they were interested in before deciding what to get.

4th hit on my back. 7 hours on veil and leaves. Once healed veil will be an opaque grey to distinguish from the black and grey background, everything under the veil will be boosted once healed aswell,Thanks.

tilt at new life tattoo in champaign, il

yelp can suck my dick. we have a good rating on yelp but it seems the reviews dont follow a time line or any order what so ever if it was just by most recent or best to worst , ok, but they keep bad reviews on the top of the page so you will want to pay them a monthly charge to be able to manage your own reviews? what the fuck is the point? its aplace for passive aggresive douche bags to shine. as for brian dont worry about your eviews your one of the best tattooers in la that will speak for itself, that and your shoe collection......oh and cody got a bad review on a tattoo he didnt even do how awsome is that? jeremy swed did it.. so fucked.

I didn't really understand much about yelp until I opened my shop & a month or so ago a girl who'd gotten tattooed (also a business owner on my block) made a yelp profile for my shop, which I was happy about. She wrote a nice review, then I found the page, and began to customize it as the owner of the business (which involved several steps, one of which was getting called by a robot & entering a special code to verify I was actually at the shop). I encouraged customers to write a review, most of them had never heard of yelp; just trying to stay apace with all the other shops, most of which in the area have about 20-60 reviews. Soon I had maybe 7 or 8 reviews, and I was pleased. Then I noticed they started to vanish. Upon looking further I found that they had been "filtered" by yelp, supposedly in the name of fairness. Yelp tends to filter people who it deems "not totally trustworthy" users, mostly new users, or people who join yelp to write about a single experience or business. Might sound strange, but yelp is also a social networking site, like facebook or myspace, where people make profiles, upload photos of themselves, make friends etc. So while it seems normal to most of us to review a business or two and be done with it, there are people with thousands of yelp friends and hundreds of reviews. these are the "trusted" yelpers now out of 12 reviews that people who've been to our shop took the effort to write (and time spent participating in yelp's own money making endeavor), 9 are filtered, including the review from Felicia who created my yelp page. Someone who reviewed later is now labeled as the "first to review", and I'm not really interested in participating anymore. BUT, and this is why I think it IS relevant to tattoo shops as well, at this point if you DON'T have dozens of non filtered reviews, and a score of 5 stars, you're below average in your city. Almost every shop in LA has 5 stars, as do most businesses. If you've got 3 or 4 stars, people who don't know better might assume there must be something wrong with your shop (when maybe someone just didn't like you, or the price). I found a low star review on the page of the shop I used to work at because someone came by for a walk in and we didn't have time, so they gave us I think a 2 star review? They're not even a customer! Also, I'm not sure most people know that businesses CAN NOT opt out of yelp. So, a hardwood floor refinisher in LA might be the best at his craft in town, but perhaps he's a little grumpy; suddenly there's 20 people on yelp, who may have tried to reach him on the phone and couldn't, or didn't like the fact that he was quiet or reserved while giving a bid, giving this guy a bad review, when they may have never even done business with him. I had a window replaced in the front of my shop for an amazing price, they did a great, quick job, everything was great about my experience with Superior Glass Co. On yelp, all kinds of people who merely called are talking about what assholes they are there. Today I was having coffee at a diner that's been open for 30+ years. After joking around with my waitress about some kids that wanted their check broken up into $5 pieces on different credit cards, she came back to me and said "look what that guy wrote". This shitty kid had written "$2.75 is too expensive for coffee, I'm telling yelp!" on his check. what a fucking dork! A tattooer friend of mine yesterday made a very good point when we were talking about all the online things tattooers do today just to keep up, something I've never even thought of, though I think is very true. He said these days, no one goes to shops to look at photo albums to decide who to get tattoos from, they do it all online. Why would young people get in the car, waste time and gas, look for parking, deal with walking into an intimidating environment, where they might be ignored, when they can do it all on facebook, myspace, blogs, tumblr, websites etc? Then once they find an artist they like, they can go to yelp and read about what an asshole they are. It's a necessary evil, but unlike facebook or twitter, if you own a business, you're forced to participate! I remember being at Spotlight when I got "the call" so many articles about yelp talk about. They told me that for $300, they'd make it so that when people searched "los angeles, tattoo" or something similar, our shop would "come up first". How they do this for multiple people paying, I have no idea. If you search for businesses on yelp though, you'll noticed they are placed in a numbered order (#1, #2...) I do know that businesses that pay get placement at the top of other people's pages (when I view my page, sometimes it'll say "check out this tattoo shop" with a link to another local shop). I've check those pages, and paying doesn't un-filter their reviews, get rid of low reviews, or seem to let them arrange the reviews themselves. A local shop I know pays still has over 50% of their reviews filtered. My opinion is that this is a bullshit racket that should be banned. I'm sure their lawyers cry 1st Amendment when pressured, but where're the rights of people who's reviews are filtered out? (After a prior lawsuit, you can now read filtered reviews, but you have to enter a code, and they're hard to find, as is any contact info for yelp itself). Some robot, or asshole behind a desk shouldn't get to randomly decide who gets a say and who doesn't. The website touts itself as some kind of grass roots "for the people" consumer advocate, when in reality it's a money making machine created by a former corporate officer at Paypal.