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Here's a beautiful one taken from Miyazo's instagram: I will enthusiastically third how much that spot sucks to get tattooed. It feels so awful to get tattooed there.

My dude Matt Brotka drew this and posted this on instagram a bit of a time ago. Very relevant. Photo, obviously from his account.

Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.

First tattoo and I couldn't be happier. The work was done by David Hale out of Love Hawk Studio in Athens, GA.

The only people who come up with terms like "tramp stamp" is the uneducated, mainstream general population who's opinions are held without much regard anyway. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

I am slammed at work, yet I just read this entire thread. And I'm glad that I did, because there's some great back and forth in it. Thanks to everyone who posted something good here. I don't count my tattoos, but I do keep a list of who has tattooed me. Two weeks from today, I'm getting something from someone who's been on my wish list for a few years now. He'll be artist #42 for me. Then again, I started getting tattooed 20+ years ago. Some of the names on that list are very well-known. Some of them are complete unknowns. One of them is no longer alive, two of them have since stopped tattooing, and three of them were shit on in the this thread's first post. ;) Not a single name on that list makes me better (or worse) than anyone else who gets tattooed. But every one of them is a part of a story--my story. Just as every tattoo I have comes with a story of its own. I love meeting people and sharing stories, which is part of what I love so much about getting tattooed and hanging out with awesome people like so many of you. I'll stop rambling now, but thanks again to those of you who made this thread worth reading.

I wish that was true. When a phrase like that gets started, some people jump on the bandwagon to use it because it sounds clever, and they will repeat it because they think it imbues them with a perception that they are in-the-know or part of the in crowd. It's the same with any bullying, stereotyping, derogatory name-calling that can be done right on the edge of general acceptability without raising enough ire that people will challenge them. It's enough to make better people feel uncomfortable hearing its use, but not enough to say something because the response is generally, "I'm just making a joke, I don't really mean that, don't be so sensitive." Then you come off as the jerk for calling them out. Before, I didn't care for the term and didn't use it, but now I hate it. It was used on me "jokingly" by a very close family member to break the ice when another close family member saw the bottom of my back piece sticking out from under my shirt for the first time. While I appreciated an ice breaker because I was nervous about how my tattoo would be perceived, the tramp stamp comment really hurt and it still does thinking about it. It demeaned all the pain I've been through, and now it might possibly be the way that other family member remembers seeing it for the first time. I had a short conversation with the first family member, and if I hear it again, there will be a much more heated discussion.

I can't remember how painful it was. I think I was so traumatized, my poor brain is blocking out the memory. Funny thing about my backpiece was that the horse outline was drawn first. I walked around for a month with the world's largest "tramp stamp". I'm so slutty ;-)

Well I received the grand price today :) Unfortunatly I can't show the t-shirt together with the backpiece, but at least I got some sleeves that pair nicely with the t-shirt ;-) (and yes, I'm sooo wearing this tomorrow to the office :) )

Sheeeeeeeeeeeiiitt. GET IN THAT ASS LARRY. Full butt color protrait. Cause let's be honest, it's gonna look like doodoo.

What do I win?! Is it a cake? I love cake.

Stop gunning for my job @rozone! I guess you haven't heard, I'm the cut'n'paster around these parts.

odd little piece I just had done by Rev. J.R. out of Vicious Ink in Rochester Hills Mi.

Hey all! My names Ryan. I'm joining these forums just so I have better knowledge if what tattoos I'd want. I'm excited to join. I recently got the attached tattoo, my first, and have mixed feelings on it. I feel like I could have picked a better design. I'm now considering getting a sleeve to help integrate the tattoo and make it look better.

I HATE the term Tramp Stamp. You can probably guess why.... I've yet to share the story of my first tattoo on this forum, but I'd like to now that this topic has come up. * Warning. Long post ahead* I got my first tattoo 16 years ago on my lower back. I remember in the lead up going to around 3-4 shops to check out portfolios, no instagram browsing back then! None of my friends had tattoos or were interested, so it was a very solitary experience, and one which I new absolutely nothing about. I found a shop I liked the look of and booked an appointment for 3 weeks later. On my appointment day I was nervous but so excited. I had been wanting this tattoo for about a year and finally worked up the guts to get it. I remember eating a bacon, lettuce and tomato bagel beforehand from my favourite bagel shop, then it was off to get tattooed. The shop was small. Tiny. No bigger than someones bedroom. One tattooer and an apprentice. Flash covered the walls, lots of tribal which was so popular at the time. We got the stencil on and then down to business. Nothing had prepared me for it, I had no idea what to expect. I remember thinking "What am I doing?!" as the needle hit the skin. The tattooer had just got some new colours in and was very enthused about how the yellow was really popping on my skin. 2 hours later and we were done. I had a brand new tattoo. The tattoo healed with no problems. And I fucking LOVED that tattoo. I was so proud of that tattoo and I rocked it. I didn't care when my top rode up when I bent over, I was eager to show it off. I finally felt like I was me. At the time I was a photographer for a motor vehicle dealers advertising magazine, on a Friday I would load up the company car with magazines and distribute them all over the city. I remember I was bending over and filling up a bin and a random woman came up to me, looked me in the face and told me how much she loved my tattoo. You can imagine how good that made me feel. Fast forward a few years, and the hideous term Tramp Stamp started making its way into people's vocabulary. All of a sudden, it was mainstream. Everyone from celebrities to your neighbour was using it. I went from someone who loved their tattoo to someone who was ashamed of their tattoo. As the years went by, I even stopped mentioning I had a tattoo, or if someone asked to see it, I would tell them no. I hated it. The tattoo is not perfect. It sits slightly higher on one side, there are a couple of blowouts and the small flowers are starting to resemble little blobs. Do I still hate it? Yes and No. Do I love it? No. I love the memory of the experience and that's about it. Am I being too sensitive about the term? Yes, maybe. But I'm not going to suddenly jump up and tell the world that I'm not going to take this anymore, I'm going to reclaim the word Tramp Stamp and turn in into something positive, because I'll just end up looking like a dick. The term is so ingrained and so negative, I don't see how it's ever going to be something positive. As I look at more and more back pieces I'm starting to realise that it is something that holds great appeal to me. I have a solid idea about what I would like, part of it being a black panther, which I think would be perfect to cover up my existing lower back tattoo and have something on my back to be proud of again. But that is a whole other topic.

It cuts deep alright when family feel they can say whatever. It particularly annoys me even more because it just reinforces to me that they still don't get it and never will. I've had very deep conversations with my family about what this journey means to me. You'd think that since my 1st tattoo at 17 years old up to now that my words would actually hold some weight. That the seriousness in my tone and a well thought out response would channel to them a certain kind of meaning. And, in a heartbeat statements like...don't you think enough is enough...your getting more ink?, don't go any further than there...you won't get your face done I hope. Even to the point (I hear) that these are common discussion points between them and the fuckin neighbours! How do I know about that? Because the fuckin neighbours are dumb enough to tell me. Ha, and then they wonder why 90% of the time Micks aloof, doesn't say too much kicking back in the corner being anti social, at times appearing down right rude. Because it just ain't worth the time. @SeeSea. I'm hearing ya here. Family have a way of still making it hurt, even after all these years. Then, I had a "mate" who called me out at work in front of a heap of people when seeing my hands and fingers blazed. ...what are ya doing, there's rules to this you know, you must be breaking every HR rule in the book. This came from a dude who's got tribal sleeves, torso and back. I looked at this dude for a second in disbelief and just said...I don't follow your rules Greg and show me any HR guideline that states anything about tattoos because I haven't come across one. You should really get your facts right before shooting off your mouth. Hence, he's no longer part of my small circle of trust. That one didn't hurt, it made me angry. Ironically, I was watching Bad Ink last night and they were going on about tramp stamps. Made me cringe with embarrassment. No wonder the GP loosely use the term when it's perceived that we do as well. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

i dont think full ass tats are considered tramp stamps.

All that fluid retention @polliwog, especially being on your feet all day. Try some elevation and a cold pack. ...oh, and a cider. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

I know, right??? When I got tattooed there, I was like, holy hell, how was this a big thing?

Just got my first tebori session from Horitomo. Was interesting not hearing the buzzing of the machine. Much more serene. I guess it's less painful?? Definitely going to take a lot longer to shade though!

I'm from Texas, lift weights, love tattoos, and married a Portuguese woman. I welcome you. I also encourage you to get tattoos that look cool and focus less on having them convey tons of meaning. What's the tattoo you currently have? Do you like it? Do you have a preferred style of tattoo?

Dave Regan added some maple leaves to the namakubi he put above my knee at the beginning of July. I apologize for the awful day after picture. I really can't sing Dave's praises enough. He's a talented and funny fellow that makes getting tattooed a joy.

according to my spreadsheet the countdown to appointment #1 is 120 days and possibly a quick consult for it while i'm in NY at the end of this month

The main progress of this weeks session. Is great to see some more colour. Background is now done and it is all colour from now on. :)

Cold ciders. Now ya talking my friend [emoji106] I'm easily bloody persuaded. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

brent patten, peter lagergren, george campise, greggletron, xskinnyx, & claudia desabe

@Pleadco - sorry to hear. My condolences.

who said they were only for the gals? "

I'll admit that when I got in to tattooing, I was directed to Richard Stell without knowing a damn thing about him. The guest spot news was broken on this website, and I was pushed by several members to take the plunge and get something. Should I feel dirty about that by going to a big name and not knowing his legacy? Maybe. I put my trust in the knowledge here on LST, and I never had a doubt I was making a poor decision. I wanted to be part of a community, and experience the things that other people were experiencing, so I just went with it. Was asking him to do something uncharacteristic of his style wrong? Some people may think so. Asking an artist to do a different style could be considered sacrilege to some. In my naivete I asked for something he doesn't generally do, but damn if he wasn't excited to do it. I have no regrets, and I also learned that you don't really understand someone until you meet them. You could follow artists on Instagram, and hear about them in other shops from other people's experiences, but until you sit with Stell and hear him, first hand, talk about his old biker days and how he had pet alligators and all the other crazy stuff, you can't fully understand. I would hope that people who seek out big names, solely for the name, have a better respect for that person afterwards instead of just, "Yeah I got XX to do this."

I laughed, @rozone. I laughed out loud.

He should do one of dudes with "old school" tattoos that are a couple of years old making fun of dudes with tribal tattoos. It would be funny because it's true.

I'm excited for this, but I've also watched season two of it so I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

I've seen work from "name" artists that wasn't the greatest, but I wouldn't say any of them have "lost" it. They are all human and have off days. I used to get bent out of shape if I noticed anything on a tattoo what wasn't perfect, but now I step back and look at the piece as a whole. It would be ridiculous to write off a whole suit based on a couple blow outs/poorly healed shading here and there. I'm in the same boat as @Graeme , I've travelled for tattoos based on how the work connects with me, and how the interaction was with the artist themselves. Skill is irrelevant if the person is an asshole. That being said, Horiyoshi III finished this piece up in July. Can't say I'd object to being the owner!

It seems to be the sternum (underboob area) that's a pretty popular equivalent at the moment. And as much stigma as the phrase holds I think tattoos in both those placements look great. And fair play to the girls that have got them (at a substantial size still) it's not a nice area to get tattooed. Especially the sternum! They're not for the faint hearted. I'm dreading the lower back and beyond when I get my backpiece done.

Not now, maybe not ever. Why would you get tattooed on your back anyway, you'll never see it, and unless you plan on spending most of your time shirtless, neither will anybody else.

You're right... I was thinking about going to Horitomo or Rubendall, but they would probably give me something washed out and faded looking anyway. Probably not even worth thinking about getting anything on my back for now.

Hey, you don't want a Fudo. They are WAY overplayed. Why don't you be original instead? You should think about getting something with meaning rather than just picking something out of some old Japanese mythology.

Not sure it's all in the name, location trends come and go (not overall styles, mind you, trends). I haven't seen a wave of girls avoiding the ribs after the advent of the term "skank flank." I've done probably two lower back tattoos that fit the term (symmetrical, side to side, etc.), while I've done hundreds of rib ones.

I didn't know Japanese work only went down in Asian countries... here I was, safe with the knowledge that there's way more people doing large scale Japanese work in America and Europe, only to have that crushed. Looks like the Fudo on my back down the line is going to be way harder to get.

Things I just remembered: this board has an "ignore user" function! @mmikaoj - again, I am so impressed by your engagement in this discussion despite how prickly it's been. Here's to civil disagreement. Also, I hadn't considered how differing languages might make for tricky discussion. Good point. @CultExciter - he didn't sell you out, your chemistry is just too strong to be ignored!

You should see the text messages @CABS and I have back and forth. I'd probably be ban-hammered. :)

Yeah, I agree that all art is subject to criticism, but continuing from what @Graeme said, not everyone is a good critic. Welcome to the trouble with the internet - where everyone who can type is seen as having an equal opinion. I also think it's very important to distinguish between taste (e.g. X tattooer's stuff isn't for me, because I prefer this other style) and critique (e.g. X tattooer has "lost it" and no longer makes solid tattoos). The former is of course something we all can and should do--figure out what appeals to us and why--while the latter is something that requires much more knowledge than just what I find personally appealing. No one is saying we all have to love the same things, but rather that it is dangerous to conflate what we like with what's objectively good, and to think we're assessing tattoos based on the latter when not only is that not the case, but we're all still climbing the steep learning curve of understanding that at all.

Thanks :) Triumph is a good shop, Jason does solid work also. You can certainly go back there to finish up your arm, but I wouldn't be concerned about it if you wanted to expand your horizons with different artist(s). There are a ton of great shops down in Seattle, and I might have a few suggestions for you ;) Slave to the Needle Tattoos and Body Piercing in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma : Aaron Bell, Levi Polzin, Cindy Maxwell. Rabid Hands : Bryan Kachel and Jerad Shealey. Dark Age Tattoo - Dark Age Tattoo Seattle : Jesse Roberts (his waiting list is only a couple of months) There are more, but that should get you started. British Columbia is also chock full of great tattooers, if you have your passport or enhanced drivers license. Cheers!

Those people are very wrong. Be proud of that piece.

Here they are (stolen from her instagram)! By Nora Townsend of Magnetic North Tattoo in Burlington, VT. So blown away by the end result and love how big (and low :eek:!) we went. Nora is so amazing, and it was refreshing to talk candidly about the tattoo industry and all our favorite artists. She's apparently heavily influenced by Wendy Pham... kickass! I was so impressed how knowledgeable a small town shop in the middle of nowhere VT can be. One of the co-owners of the shop showed me an old in-progress O'Donnell piece, soo good. Made me miss being in NYC, but very relieved to have a solid shop down the street from me!

got my knee done by matthew houston in amsterdam yesterday: took that instagram picture, can't make my own cause its swollen like a watermelon at the moment. :D

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

A coworker once asked me: "aren't you afraid of what will happen in hell?" I asked for some clarification on this and he said " I was taught that what you have tattooed on you will be what you're tortured by in hell". At the time I had only an anchor and a flaming lantern, which I guess you could come up with some pretty inventive torture ideas with. I know some Christians are quite against tattoos, but that's some superstitious craziness right there (and I'm a christian!).