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I feel like it's good to have a super posi thread every now and then! @Graeme and I talk about this a lot - that being into tattoos has not only gotten us, you know, some amazing tattoos, but that it has also broadened our horizons in about a million different ways. This is thanks to the fantastic people we are privileged to interact with and the amazing knowledge and insight that they've shared with us. I had no interest at all in Japanese/Chinese/Tibetan/etc. art before we started hanging out in tattoo shops, for example, and now it feels like an amazing world of art has been opened up to me. Tattoos have also led me to learn more about Buddhist practices and indirectly influenced both of us to learn how to meditate. Basically it's turned us into goddamn hippies, which I am super down with. I'd be curious to hear about ways that getting tattooed has led you to learn and experience new things, beyond the joy of a needle in your ass crack. In the age of Inkmaster, I think it's worth talking about how rich tattoo culture is, and how connected it is to other amazing cultural, artistic, spiritual, etc., movements and practices.

I think for ease, I'll divide this into sections: 1. History I've learned 2. New art forms I've discovered 3. Cool people I've met. 4. LST Although I got my first tattoo back in the very early 90s, it wasn't until about 4 years ago that I started seriously looking into the history of tattooing. Since then, I've discovered a rich and deep worldwide artistic practice. From Japan, to the American carnival, to Scandinavian sailors, I have learned a great deal about how different cultures have appreciated (or denigrated) the art of tattooing.I've seen WWI records of soldiers inductions, complete with detailed descriptions of their tattoos. Fascinating! A trip to Great Lakes in Chicago led me down the rabbit hole of tracking the post-war era of American tattooing, (Tatts Thomas, etc), which I quickly fell in love with. It must be the historian in me. 2. Originally I thought of tattoos as simply a mark on the skin. As I've become more and more involved in the tattoo scene, for lack of a better term, I started looking into how different cultures' styles developed and spread across the world. It also opened up a new way for me to understand complex cultural markers and how we relate to them and respect them. Tattooing has opened my mind to being ever more interested in how other cultures mark themselves and express themselves through art. 3. All the cool people. This cannot be overstated. I have met interesting, talented, funny, smart, people from all walks of life by spending as much time as I do in the shops and in the surrounding areas. I've met tattooers with amazing stories of travel and adventure, and tattooed people who share the same passion and fascination. This has had the benefit of getting me traveling more than I had been over the last decade. Montreal, Chicago, and beyond! 4. The LST community. 'Nuff said. You are good people.

great thread idea! as a result of wanting my tattoos to heal nicely i've gotten into eating significantly healthier and crossfit/weightlifting so my ass will look nice on instagram #tattooedmanbutt #instamanbutt #buttgram i'm more willing to travel if there are tattoos involved in the trip. visited nyc, austin, montreal, and burlington vt for the first time as a result of tattoo collecting. i also hangout with more canadians than i did prior to tattoos

My appointment with Henning at the end of the month has evolved into a 2 day event. This is going to be a fun challenge.

got this little herbert hoffmann-design as a tribute for my omma - which is a colloquial expression for grandmother (oma) in my area of germany///@alexwildtattoo

Here's an update on my Mimi-Nashi Hoichi (Hoichi the Earless) back piece by Fil Wood at Black Crown. Second session and going strong

^ this. Tattoos have taught me a lot about being comfortable in my own skin, and comfortable with being myself in relation to the outside world. It's not so much an act of rebellion (which I think has kind of been taken away, to a degree) but an act of intentionally altering your appearance, in a way of your choosing. Making that choice is the liberating part to me. Also, like everyone else said, the number of super cool people I've already met through tattoos in some way is awesome. People from all walks of life, whom I wouldn't had made that initial connection with if it weren't for tattoos.

Oh speaking of which, the number of amazing restaurants that tattooers have introduced us to is ridic.

yes you are a good person for not peer pressuring me into making questionable decisions. i think i can handle it. day 1 will be "easy" just finishing my thigh. day 2 will be the new experience of getting my torso brutalized. it will build character.

Spent some hours on the shin last week. Finish this up and a couple of small pieces to complete the leg sleeve hopefully next month.

Loose lips sink ships, including your own.

That tacos are the best food for discussing tattoos.

@ironchef henning persuaded me by saying "That's what Ricky is doing :-)" so when it gets tough i'll get through it by thinking "i need to accumulate more total hours than Ricky" i'll try my best to set a high benchmark for you to chase.

I think the only question here is are you making fantastic life decisions or are you making marvelous life decisions.

Don't forget to bring the extra "hush" money. I bet for the right price he will call you a champion on instagram. Just keep breathing, you'll make it through.

My arm by Joel Madberg, Salvation Tattoo Stockholm:

Finally booked with Seth Wood for his November guest spot in L.A. to bang out more of my dragon 3/4 sleeve. Haven't been tattooed since April, but at least I had the summer to go swimming and save up some. I'm not gonna lie; it's been tough seeing all of your awesome tattoos. I've been very tempted to get work from some great artists in the meantime, but trying to stick to my self-imposed "one tattoo at a time" rule.

The issue is that this is a public forum built for tattooers and enthusiasts alike, most of us simply love getting tattoos and want a place to talk about our passion and have a place to check out new artists and discuss the radness of others work. We don't discuss the technical aspects of the craft because for a majority of the forum it is irrelevant to our discussion, and, being public, should we talk about the technicalities of tattooing, any jerk-off scratcher can come along, read what was discussed and attempt to use that knowledge in butchering their friends.

I have to think hard on this one because I'm not really sure if I can separate tattooing from the rest of my life. Especially what with having gotten into it really young, I definitely still feel like I'm forming my identity and that tattooing at the base of it, so like... yeah, where does that start and end? I can definitely echo that my appreciation for art has changed a lot. Growing up, I was always attracted to really dark, fantasy based, hyper-illustrared realism and through more tattoo exposure, I'm finding that I could give two fucks about those styles in tattooing. I'm learning a lot more about the language of symbols and visual narrative, so more folky, graphic, and older art is more appealing these days. I think the biggest one so far that I am learning the most about right now is how to manage yourself as a self employed business person. Granted, tattooing is pretty far removed from the business world but there are undeniable overlaps that can be effectively used to one's advantage to propel their career, and I find that stuff pretty interesting!

Tattoo experiences have got me into some cool music: Mastadon, The Dickies, Three 6 Mafia, American Me (soundtrack). But most importantly tattoos are teaching me how to own it, how to be confident being my own god damn self !

Aside from the spiritual side of things, which could take a while, getting tattooed has made me a lot more conscious of not just external, but also internal health. A lot of focus is put on moisturizing with lotions, etc. However, just as, if not more, important is how healthy your skin is from within. Doing both will keep those tattoos looking their best. I drink a lot more water and stay as hydrated as I can, as this aids in the healing process and overall epidermal health, which in-turn makes my tattoos look brighter and better :cool:. Also watch what I eat, less fried stuff more good stuff, etc. I'm also very aware of any and all sun exposure I get nowadays. I used to want the nicest tan during summers and, and now I'm the guy wearing spf 70 and UV protective shirts when I go out haha.

Y'all are nuts.

Got the Black & Grey Tattoo box set in the mail yesterday!

A little snippet of my back done by Grime...

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

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

The main thing I got really into because of tattooing is the art of sign painting. I don't paint signs myself (yet), but it's so fascinating to me to see Gary Martin in ATX and Ken Davis here in the Bay Area perfect their craft. Also, like others have said, I want to start eating healthier and work out harder because of tattooing. I don't have any tattoos on my belly (yet), but when I get to that point I want to make sure I'm in good shape. The stomach is the only part of my body that could go through some drastic changes throughout my life. I've thought about what designs would work on a giant beer gut, even though I hope to not get to that level. I've also grown to appreciate low-rider oldies, because it gets played often at Temple.

@BrianH Welcome to the "Two Days of Tattooing with Henning Club"....technically it'll be 1 1/2 days for me this go around. From what it sounds like, same for you as well.

Here is my little panorama of tattoo related books. Not pictured are magazines.

Did @Graeme text you what I told him to? I.E. "You don't have to do this!!" I worry.

Finally finished. Ever since my first "off the wall" flash tattoo in 1989, I have always dreamed of a full back tattoo. It was a year long experience that I'll never forget. I'm happy it's done and really happy I won't be in a constant state of healing anymore!

Looks great. I really have to check out Trophy. I heard its a nice spot right by (under?) the new Crow's Nest. I picked up a couple end of the season tattoos from Tim Pausinger at The Pearl in Toronto today. I'll post in three pictures. My left leg is really coming together now. I hope I can find good employment soon, because there is still a ton of work to be done!

Met with Will Lollie of Empire Tattoo yesterday. Working on a Foo Dog sleeve. Sketch to be ready in couple of weeks. Hopefully get started on tattoo in mid November.

Please read the forum rules, especially about sharing technical information. This forum isn't the place to talk needle groupings, voltage settings, etc. That aside, I'm not really interested in this experiment and I think we probably have too much about aftercare methods on here as it is. I've seen it far too often on here that people with very little experience getting tattooed are interested in the -derm products because it seems like a simple way to heal when they should be instead following their tattooer's aftercare instructions instead of dabbling with other methods when they don't even yet know how their body heals tattoos. Sometimes we say too much on here.

This dingleberry I went to high school with came to me for a lion. Told him I don't do realistic but I can stylize it with heavy linework and dot work (this was about two years ago) said he was all in. Tight. Then asked how much. When I told him 150, which is a fucking steal, he got upset and said his cousin said he'll tattoo it for a 12 pack of beer. Nothing good can come after this. A few days later this is whats up on facebook with the caption, "Can't tame the beast in me." Let the laughs begin.

/grabs popcorn

As we say in this neck of the woods: bon courage.

What a gorgeous start so far, @Kinglambert

Hoichi has his ears ripped off at the end of the story. This piece depicts the part if the story where Hoichi is playing in the cemetery surrounded by onibi. If you're interested the full story is here The Story Of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi The story is also told in the film Kwaidan

CaitlinBurnett10 - start at the beginning of this thread, there is lots of "boob info" there. Full back in three days, I'm wincing - power to you!

echoing whats been said - totally dig that lion

Nice teaser! Hopefully I'll run into you at the Convention and get to see more of it!

That was EXACTLY what I was going to say as I was reading @Graeme's post! Awesome book. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Here's a pic of the line work, Will post a couple of pics of the finished product when its completed.

Just bought the Family Business book for 10 bucks. Currently reading "Wear Your Dreams" by Hardy.

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

Got this one yesterday: It is done by Zooki at The Sailors Grave, Copenhagen. My best friend got a matching one. I recently moved to Copenhagen, which is 400 km away from where I lived before, and this weekend my best friend visited me for the first time since I moved here. We got these in celebration of his visit :)

Nothing worse for me while I'm trying to get through a challenging tattoo than someone chatting. It pisses me right the fuck off, I think because it breaks my concentration. The breathing though, vital to a much easier sitting. "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"