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^this basically sums it up.^ there is a lot of energy being transferred in tattooing, which plenty of us who have been tattooed in different settings can attest. tattooers can get energy from the rest of the shop, convention, music, overall environment, definitely from the client and it transfers in all directions. good artists know how to get into the zen motions of tattooing and put on quality work no matter the situation. however, their emotional state obviously impacts their energy, which can dictate the energy of the entire session, if no other forces alter it. a great part of tattooing is that, as the client, you can be the positive force to alter the energy! a shitty part is, you can also be the negative force, knowingly or unknowingly! hahahhahaa. shitty clients can definitely put a tattooer in a bummer mood if they let it. tattooing is a collaboration and there's definitely chemistry to it. although a good artist might not let the work suffer from bad energy, the experience could definitely suffer... and the experience is a huge part of tattooing. it stays with you as much as the art! I think the best tattooers understand that and strive to ensure that the client has a good experience to go along with their highest quality of work.

I imagine it probably does. I am not a tattoo artist, but I am an artist in other mediums. The best art I have created is when the emotion really strikes me - I can see the beauty in my mind's eye and it compels me to capture the best image, sometimes to the annoyance of those around me. I think life's experiences really drive the quality of your art. We are not robots. I've done some great work when I was pissed off at something else and could use the escape of creativity. Just because someone is in a bad mood, etc., before coming to work does not mean the quality of the work suffers. There are great doctors in the world and not so great ones. Are the not so great ones in a bad mood? Lacking good training? (What do you call a graduating med student with a D average? "Doctor") There are people who write great software and those who don't. Why does voice recognition on my phone work a hell of a lot better than the VR in my car. Talent? Mood? Everyone comes to work in different moods, but the best know what to do when they walk in the door each day. So what do you do? Get recommendations for a great artist and look at their portfolio. Just like anyone else, their reputation reflects their ability to do quality work while existing as a human in the real world. I understand why you are asking this question, but I read it as a little insulting. You are asking tattoo artists to reply - what are you expecting them to say, "Yeah, when I get into a fight with my significant other, I just can't tattoo clean lines and my shading sucks"? Or, "Call the shop the day of your tattoo and ask if I am in a good mood."?

On the first day of my class, I ask students to introduce themselves by saying what they 'collect.' Last week, I had a student who said he collects traditional American tattoos, which compelled me to admit for the first time in a class that I collect tattoos. The student seems to have dropped the class.

We had a bolier go nuts (or something like that) at work the other day. It was about 87F in my class. An unforeseen hazard. Nearly gave it all up!

Cool word! I have never actually heard that word in the wild. I always proctor examples. Invigilating sounds so cool when spoken aloud. Reminds me of eviscerating. Which, I suppose, might be what the students are actually feeling.

My favourite work story is when I was invigilating an exam last April. I was healing my sleeve and had worn a Cardigan to cover it up (as I usually do) but it had gotten way too hot so I took the cardigan off. My arm was peeling like crazy but I figured the students were looking at their exams - not me. One student looked up as I walked by, saw my arm and said "Dude! That's Fresh!" in the middle of the exam. The benefit of teaching Uni students I guess.

Another 7.5 hour session done yesterday. Papa Joe went over a few areas of the outline (darkened up some areas of black). Interesting color palette...one I wasn't quite expecting. I trust him, though. I think I have another 3-4 hours left on this one. It only took me several sessions, but I finally learned how to really sit well. I was sitting on table with my arms hunched over a padded bar and my legs hanging over the side of the table. I basically had to relax as much as possible and focus on not tensing up my back. Just "accept" the needle and try not clinch my back up. I could have gone longer, but it was getting harder and harder to find my happy place, especially after breaks. Sorry for the bad pic. I had just gotten out of the shower and applied some Lubriderm.

Wow, that snake and roses is so cool. Here's a little one I got yesterday from Kurt Melancon at a fun Sailor Jerry birthday event at Leviticus in Minneapolis. Obviously not on the same scope as some of these but it's a quality tattoo and fun to share.

Finally started my left arm with Grez at King's Avenue NYC yesterday. We got most of the outline done, but there are still some spots to finish lining next month. I'm doing at least one sitting a month, unless they can squeeze me in elsewhere. We'll see. I'll probably post little detail shots along the way, but not really the whole thing until it's done (or close to it).

My wife cannot stand my tattoos. She likes tattoos just not on me but i am heavily tattooed. She has none and doesn't want any. Thing is, she doesnt resent me for them, loves me for who i am and won't stop me from getting them. In the past i would get chewed out but eventually she just stopped doing that and would act like there was nothing there. I personally don't feel bad about it because a) it's my body b) she knew who she was marrying. She's gained a good amount of weight since we got married 8 years ago and i never mention a thing even though at 39 i am in the best shape of my life. I think that weight gain will affect her health more than tattoos will affect mine in the future.

It just spells "management material"....

Here's a pic from my most recent session with Fill Wood @Black Crown Tattoo in Leeds. Instagram We'll be starting colour next time

this is my back, done by Russ Abbott, I think right after it was finished, roughly 5 years ago now I think.

Cool. Amazing what she did to her own face. Woman Uses Paramedical Tattooing To Hide Burns And Scars | SF Globe

Cool - words with jagged corners. What a neat description. Tag, @pidjones, you're it!

Ok, Ya'll. Keep this up and I'll start throwing cyclotron terms at ya. They are heavy and have jagged corners!

Hmmm yeah I remember, but usually Montreal is all a blur. - - - Updated - - - Man that was a while ago, and pre the new shop which is super rad.

the rule of thumb i use is 2 weeks, or when all of the initial peel is done. Sometimes that means a bit less than 2 weeks, and sometimes a bit more. I will work out during the second dry skin peel, but I do prefer to wait until the initial peel is done before I start working out again.

Welcome! The most important decision is choosing a good tattooer that you click with.The design is secondary in my opinion.I'm sure your going to get a real nice tattoo at that shop.

That is seriously epic!

Thank you for some content at least. It appears to say "Murphy". Welcome to LST.

Thanks! I'm glad he's back to posting again, hopefully he's about to put a bunch of cool stuff up. Thanks @AverageJer!

I don't focus on symmetry. As I plan pieces, certain designs and ideas just seem "right" in specific spots.

Franz Stefanik from the Okey Doke in Toronto.

Thigh is my least favorite to heal and tattoo...crispy city

Just got this blaster today by Ron Henry Wells while he's in town at Lombard St. Tattoo. A somewhat new take on his drippy wolf designs - I'm so happy with it! Photo taken by Ron and stolen from his IG - Instagram

tell em that it's human natureMJ RIP WE LOVE YOU MICHAEL

Every show is different. Depends on the size of the stage, the panel of judges either sit directly behind you or up the front of the crowd. No. Chicks don't go topless. You'll know what to wear. Like a top piece swimmer or similar. Most events will have a best back female and a best back male, but I have attended a combined category once before, that was at a typical "convention'" style show. I much preferred the old MC shows. Panel composition. Let's put it this way, every show has its flavour and dependant on that flavour is how the judging will go. Not necessarily does the best tattoo win the category, but best for that particular style of show could be quite appropriate. You get the feel of this after attending quite a few. I've taken out best back at some events and haven't made the final judging at others. Anyway, it's all about having some fun and showing the crowd of like minded people. You'll get more "fuck yeah" comments when you're back mixing with the crowd. No, they're not that formal. Just have fun. The best 1st place trophy I won was a Viking drinking horn. Filled full of rum by a very nice looking young lady as I made my way back to the table [emoji4]

There was that time in November where we decided to say screw it and get married a year early, in a public park, with 9 guests.

Back with Chad K at Congress St Tattoo on feb 27th for my 4th session on my back!!!!! This one he is calling a "power session", which honestly just sounds terrifying!! He is finishing the lines and hoping to also finish all of the black shading!! Should be "fun"!!! Seriously though, I'm super excited!

...and he always had some mighty fine wine... sorry for the lame shiny pic photog i am not couple days into heal (tatt from wed) so still irritated pre peal shot matt dunn rabbits den milltown nj

I've been really enjoying getting lots of little fillers done recently, as I work on my left leg. This weekend I went to The Okey Doke to see Franz Stefanik. He did the mace, the tooth, and the chain link around the bulldog that he did for me in the summer.

Ha...that was actually my first thought when I read your initial post. I have married friends who have preferences about how much their favorite "bits" on their partner are decorated/changed. It's not a rational attachment but, I think, a natural one. Even I had a quick moment of "nooo noooo don't cover the bummm" panic in the middle of a backpiece discussion with my Hubbs once. It passed quickly but it was interesting to see come up (we are both pretty tattood/pretty always gonna be gettin tattooed people)...I think a little resistance to such things can be a perfectly natural knee jerk reaction.

Finished my back on Friday night (well, Saturday at 5:30 am). It was a hell of a ride - it took almost exactly a year of sessions every 2-3 weeks. We'll do a final session after this heals to tie the bow on it. This tattoo was made by Sean Zee out of Brick, NJ from pictures I've taken while scuba diving. I gave him 50-some pictures and a wish list, and he selected about 15 shots to create this scene. These pics were taken on 4 continents from 1998 through 2013 using (mostly) a Nikonos V underwater camera with an SB-105 strobe, UW Nikkor 35mm, 28mm, and 15mm f2.8 fisheye lenses, Sea & Sea (no relation) macro kit and Nikonos closeup kit. Sean is a great guy, dedicated and amazingly creative. It boggles my mind how artists just "see" stuff like this and make it happen. He put up with a lot of questions and "what ifs" and "why nots" from this nearly virgin canvas (as he likes to say, "this woman only had lil kitty paw prints on her shoulder before this"), explaining to me all the ways this tattoo would NOT work, and ended up just putting it on the table that it really needed to be a full back if I wanted so many references. And to prove it, he designed the whole thing superimposed on a picture of my bare back and emailed it to me. I remember the moment I saw it for the first time and it shorted out my brain. I committed to the full back about 20 minutes after I got the email. (And I admit at the time I did not understand in the least what I was in for...) Kinda funny, thinking back on it, how all the chatter and uncertainty and 14 years of wanting some sort of tattoo with my eagle rays were completely silenced and resolved in a heart beat. Anyway... So, the critters making appearances, starting at the top right and going clockwise are: two moon jellyfish, two Moorish idols, two clownfish and anemone, a batwing coral crab and mustard tube sponges just behind him, a leopard moray eel, two squirrelfish hiding in red sea fans that cross my lower back, a sea snake in lettuce coral (very poisonous, which I didn't realize until after I'd crawled up in his face to take the picture and then been admonished by the divemaster after the picture was developed), a queen angelfish and a hammerhead shark. In the center are two spotted eagle rays and the broken mast of the Nippo Maru, a Japanese supply ship sunk during WWII by US forces in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia. When I look at this, I don't just see a tattoo of fish. It's a diary of my favorite diving experiences. Each part has such different memories of the location, the people I was with, and the experience on that dive. (Yeah, poisonous sea snake. Whoopsie on that one. And the clownfish was actually guarding a little ring of day-old eggs. And trying to photograph moon jellies in a surge without being hit is like playing a 3D video game. And that I really really wanted my spotted moray eels but Sean said the pattern wouldn't age well, so with resigned sadness, my handsome spotted moray had to morph into a leopard moray. Sniff Sniff.) All of this flooding my brain at the same time. And then I get this goofy grin on my face thinking about walking around with this huge awesome back piece that anyone I know would be shocked to learn I have. He put up a little video where you can see the ribs, too: Video of SeeSea's Back. Healed pics coming to an LST contest near you. I want a T-shirt, dammit :D

I posted this over in "http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/5952-thread-posting-while-getting-tattooed-page9.html#post107507" mid grind last night, but here's an update. Right ribs to arm pit and detailing out the right side. I'm still limited to what he puts on Instagram, so it's not close up and the lighting isn't great. But man this is getting me crazy happy! Although, of course, next session was supposed to be my last one ... but now it's not again... ;) But he can detail it out all he wants - I'm just in love. Ahhh, he just put up a detail shot. The right is finished - second pass on the blue and rays are next, and finishing the left ribs, then a final pass for whites and blacks. Stolen from Sean Zee's Instagram

I was at an educators' training today with my principal and a bunch of teachers from my school. Since it wasn't a thing where any students would be, I wore clothing that showed my tattoos. My boss sat down with me on a break and wanted to see all of them. He said they were beautiful. He has the attitude that it is up to me what I want to do but understands why I cover them at work. "People can be so judgy," is what he said. I'm still going to cover them at work, but I'm just glad to know he's cool like I had hoped. He seemed to especially like the Horitomo.

Anyone else planning to use this thread for one of their first 10 useless posts?

Jesus wept.

Hitting that "10 thoughtful posts" at a record pace!

That's a pretty douchey interpretation of "being a close friend".