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Finally back at it. This one from Xam at Seven Doors, taken from Instagram:

Got started on the back again after taking a break for the summer. Finished the upper background and started on some color to my pleasant surprise!

Carried on to Italy from florian Karg to Silvano Fiato today :) What a true gentlemen and artist! Just came out from his studio. I only went to join the face to my knee but he insisted on working on me for 5 - 6 hours for free including the knee joining. He always thought the first piece I had done by him was very plain and didn't push his skill level and wanted to at least do as much with her as he possibly can. So he reworked her face some, blended it into the new piece, ready for the final piece at the back next year. Personally i liked the previous one but now that he has added more shading and depth I much prefer the new piece. Once the swelling goes down and redness it should look awesome. He went over the house in places to make it darker but he couldn't continue or put any white in her eyes, lips or house as my skin is too raw. He will see it all healed next year and add more to it. To be honest I have had enough of being tattooed, feel really drained and tired. I am going to make my new appointments for late next year and take a year out, I think my body needs it :) He didn't touch the train as he said when this settles and heals it will be the right shade. Personally I love the depth he has given her.

Got this chest eagle off Steve Byrne last week Don't think I posted these either Fudo of Stewart Robson Leopard off Valerie Vargas Scorpion off Valerie too And this mad skull off Andrea Furci

I think if a full back is even a consideration at some point in the future it's better to keep your back open to give yourself as many options as possible, and get tattooed elsewhere--arms, legs, ribs, chest--in the meantime. That said, I've seen many an amazing backpiece work around/cover/incorporate existing tattoos. My wife, for example, had her back done in a folky Americana style by Stephanie Tamez at Saved and Steph incorporated an old tattoo of a map my wife had between her shoulder blades and the whole thing works, flows as a coherent tattoo, and looks fantastic. If you look at Jojo Ackermann's instagram, he's working on an elephant backpiece that works in both an older lower back tattoo and a decent-sized butterfly between the shoulder blades and it looks great. I guess what to take away from this is go to a quality artist and you'll end up with a quality tattoo, no matter what you choose.

Nekomata Monmon Cat - By Horitomo, State Of Grace. Done at the London tattoo convention 2014!

Florian is really fast, well fastest artist I've had work on me. My idea of course didn't work lol not enough room so we had a compromise. He has never**done a spider before, so I broke his virginity. 5 hours for this but this place is so painful and sensitive. Shit pics, red raw and swollen. I personally love what he has done. The space was a lot smaller than we thought :) Tomorrow off to Silvano again!

I'm down to meet up, but I'm in Fremont. Perhaps we can hook up in the South Bay after your Monmon cat. Otherwise, if there's a larger LST group meeting up, I can see if I can make it work. - I don't know if there's a current exhibit, but ATAK SF might be worth checking out. - The Exploratorium is fun for kids. - I haven't checked it out yet, but all tattoo heads love skulls! There's an exhibit at California Academy of Sciences. - Before or after Blackheart, you should check out Clarion Alley for a free exhibit of some badass graffiti. You should also grab a burrito while you're over there!! - If you're into views, I like Twin Peaks, Treasure Island, and Bakers Beach. - Mitchell's ice cream is pretty close to Skull and Sword... nice reward after suffering some bodily harm. - Bars are all over the place. I'd probably ask your tattooers or just wander around and find one that meets your preferences. Enjoy!

You are human after all! ;) Looks fantastic, I really like how he darkened it and I can't wait to see healed pictures once it settles in.

For fun, my peony by Wendy Pham done as guest spot at Red Rocket Tattoo in NYC

Finally got some color in yesterday :)

@Russ that Leopard is soo sweet!! Looks awesome! Had this Eagle and Skull combo done at the convention by Paul Dobleman

Had such a great time at the London Convention on Saturday, didn't get a chance to see much of it but I ended up getting tattooed by Greg Christian on top of my appointments with Bert Krak and Eli Quinters. The frog and fly are from Eli and the eagle and snake from Greg (picture from his instagram). I dont have a picture of the Ed Hardy Butterfly I got from Bert but i'll post one when I do.

Got my first leg tattoo yesterday, at the London convention. By Eli Quinters.

@Wilhell, @Ninab, their 3 year old son Levi and myself will be visiting SF from October 15th till 22nd, and we'd love to hook up with some fellow LSTers while we're there! Don't hesitate to holler if you'd like to meet up with us :) I was also wondering if anyone knew what the best mode of transportation to and from San Jose is. I'm booked with Horitomo on Saturday (the 18th), and I have to get from SF to SJ and back. I'm considering renting a car, but from what I can tell most car rentals are closed on weekends, so I'd have to rent friday through monday if I go that route. Any tips on exhibitions, museums, bars (don't worry, Levi's not tagging along for that one) etc are also more than welcome. If anyone's wondering, Wilhelm is getting tattooed by O'Donnell and Hoyer in NY the week before, then Rassier and Lehi in SF. Nina is booked with Scott Sylvia, and I'm in with Grime and Horitomo. If we're lucky there might be one or two walkins along the way too :)

See the back panels kind of like your rib panels. One nice big feature slamming a panel, then down the track if you wanted to expand, the same on the other panel, then say ya wanted to expand further, a cool theme to tie them both together. I get what some are saying here, I'm with that same concept to back tattoos, for me it's one large theme mapped from the start, but I also get what your saying too. Definitely achievable.

This is just so, so wrong on so many levels. I think there are a couple puns in there, along with fodder for a sexual harassment claim. My tattoo artist would have a field day with this. ;)

Just saw this one. Pretty cool that it looks like it's a "coverup" by incorporating the previous tattoo as an integral part of the new tattoo .. as a hand tattoo. Iain Sellar.

i agree with @Graeme if a backpiece is part of the long term plan keep the space open

Augh, I am sorry @Mark Bee, and to everyone on this thread who is going through hard times these days. I don't talk about this much, but I have been dealing with some scary health issues for the past year or so, that really came to a head in the past couple of months, and it has been a hard and sad and shitty slog. You are all good people whose loved ones are lucky to have (or have had) you. And I hope that things get easier for all of us soon.

It's not selfish to acknowledge the huge impact that this will have on your life. It's hard enough that she is family, but spending so much of your life caring for her just compounds the loss. I lost my mom to cancer, and I know how hard it is to see a loved one slip away. I also know the amount of bravery it takes to stick with them till the end. You are much stronger than you may think right now, and you'll make it through.

Does that offer stand for other people/cat lovers?

@CultExciter @CABS If you two roll into town, I'll take you kids to dim sum and also cheap dumpling joints. 'nuff said!

Grats on the TAM nod you guys. Your butt is getting a lot of exposure @Wilhell ;) Marius Meyer finishes tattoo | TAM Blog

Regino Gonzales of Invisible NYC. He's a cool dude.

My 2º appointment with Unmon at LTW (Barcelona) Only one last session to go!

I really want to do a sheet of wrestling flash after reading the conversation that stemmed from this... Like, Goldberg tribal has to be involved in some way. I also came across my old ECW shirt from high school recently (which fits again, thanks to healthy-ish eating), which is helping to fuel the urge.

My cat was judging my beverage of choice the other night. (A good many of you have already seen this.)

awkward cleaning moments with our fur ball.

Jut finished my Valkyrie tattoo a week ago. While at work the other day one of my coworkers asked me if the girl tattooed on my arm was supposed to be me... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got this Namakubi from Pino Cafaro on Saturday at the London Tattoo Convention. Pino was a great guy and I'm vey happy with the outcome. It's on my chest so it was hard for him to tattoo given that there was no bench. Tricky to do in a chair.

I'm considering getting a tattoo on my back, but I'm undecided on location and subject. A lot of different possibilities going through my mind. Sword, dragon, tiger, etc.. The back is such a large area and considered a prime spot. I'm not looking for a full back piece at this time, but who knows what I will want down the road. Are there certain areas that are good or bad if I will expand in the future ? Shoulder blade, side, center, top, etc. ?

Just had my motorcycle down with the mechanic the last two days, ready to pick up in 2 hours. Upgraded the cams to some 57 Andrews and back on the Dyno. Interesting to see the numbers, but even better, I'll be riding the mountains with my bestest, oldest brother today, then a heap of us hanging out at the local pizza joint tonight drinking beers and planning our run for Saturday. Life's fuckin sweet these days, and appreciated [emoji106] "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

What's the news with this @gougetheeyes?

3 posts and 3 very solid tattoos by fantastic artists. This is going to be a rough judging month for sure.

Thankyou, I asked specifically for the eyes to be like that, I love odd-eyed cats! The split tail comes from Japanese folklore, I've always loved the Nekomata especially, they supposedly are cats that were treated badly in life, and in death gain the powers of necromancy, murder and arson for their malevolent revenge. Bad kitties.

if i fits...i sits

Tell me about it. The whole right side of my body went numb half-way through. Was basically sitting sideways on a chair with my leg ontop of an arm-rest. Worth it though.

Nothing else on my legs, but got a few other tattoos yeah. Thanks. My thoughts exactly. Looks a bit lonely down there so I'm itching to start filling them up with more.

A healed, and much better photo of my peony I got a couple weeks back. Much simpler than what's been posted. Done by Glennie at the Pearl Harbor Gift Shop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just got home from packing the back of my neck. Fuck me is all I can say. Absolutely drilled the fuck out of me. Not easy going for Ol mate either, belting into that weathered, rubbery skin. Was a solid drilling to pack this area out. Regardless, it's done. We never have to visit this site again. Now, for post tattoo recovery. Hot shower/ cold cider hand in hand.

Very intriguing. I love me a good road trip.

I Had 3 hours of FUN today !! Previous sitting ! This was the first sitting, now I had 3, all about 3 hours at a time.

So @CABS that means you need to come to Virginia. Hang out. And let me drive you up there. Settled. Hahaha.

Exactly. I was just reading the tattoo book thread, and googled all the ones recommended for a good starter collection. I was strongly tempted to order a bunch of books, until I realized that money was for actual tattoos. Stick to the plan indeed.

@CABS In no particular order my top five NYC shops would be: Kings Ave, NY Adorned, Greenpoint, Invisible, and (even though it is not in New York) Electric in Jersey. I would also include Saved, Funcity, Flyrite, Northstar, and Three Kings in the mix. As I write this I'm not sure that Smith Street even makes my top ten.

I've been planning on getting a mermaid tattoo for a while now. I'm definitely planning to have her boobs covered up...not because I think there's anything wrong with bare breasts in art or for any other reason, but because I can conceive of social situations (particularly involving extended family) where I would be self-conscious and uncomfortable about having them on my person and therefore potentially on display, and I'd rather just feel unreservedly awesome about my tattoos at all times. So...to me, it's not worth it. I imagine this is just a subjective thing.

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here! I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

Quick appearance on the beach. Still a lot left to do and layers to add, but it's coming together. Back in the saddle on Friday. Dude asked me, "Please don't tell me you did that all in one sitting." :rolleyes:

I've mostly been a lurker for a few years, so 'hi' everybody :). As far as my 'overall look' goes, I'm covered top to bottom. Sleeves on both arms, my legs are covered, stomach, ribs, feet, hands, fingers, neck, even palms. No head or face tattoos and I try to avoid getting a face tattoo. I have to admit that I have never been a big fan of back pieces for the plain reason that you can't see it, but as I'm slowly running out of real estate I strongly consider getting a back piece. Since I'm a big fan of American traditional, I'd love nothing more than to get a badass piece from Judd Ripley at Sailor's Grave :). It all started when I was 19 and I got a lettering (which is now covered) and a bunch of stars (not covered) tattooed. As the years progressed, I got about 1 tattoo per year. At the age of 26, I started my left sleeve. I made the common rookies mistake and impatient me made an appointment with a tattooer who had time the following week. I wanted to get a fullsleeve as fast as possible and so I had an appointment with him every other week. I didn't really have a solid idea for my sleeve (I just gave the tattooer the word 'music'...), so I wasn't really happy with the outcome. As I started travelling a lot and with Instagram popping up, I began researching and finding new artists and booking appointments with these artists. The idea to travel to get a tattoo from a great artist hadn't occured to me to that moment. And now , I'm here covered in tattoos from a bunch of different artists from all over the place and I couldn't be happier. About 98% of my tattoos are just designs I really like. Panther, eagle, shark, Sailor Jerry designs,...some are music-related (lyrics, potraits) and maybe 2% have a deeper meaning. I live in Germany, so people are a bit more conservative when it comes to tattoos than Americans. When it's hot outside, I never wear short pants or skirts. As an American friend, who once visited me,put it best:"The Germans have a staring problem." It really is a pain in the ass, even though I live in a big city. I travel a lot and sure, every time I'm in the US, people stare too, but it's just different. Usually Americans come up to me and say something along the lines of "I really like your tattoos". I like the sincerity. I hope I didn't get too offtopic here. Sorry for the rather long post.