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Got this lil lady from Shawn VanOven! Thanks for lookinh

The real trick is to just get tattooed a lot. You'll figure out eventually what works for you.

When I think of "So it goes" the first thing I think of is Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and how he uses that short phrase to mark somebody dying throughout the book. So I'd say get a reaper.

Session #2 - Did a 4 hour blast pounding the black into the perimeter of my Shaolin back yesterday! First half of the session was lying down, second half was getting tattooed sitting upright which I really enjoy, makes the tattooing feel alive. Heavy black in all the clouds, full across the shoulderblades and down to the love handle on the left hand side with a needle that looked like a metal paint brush. Machine was roaring like a tractor, the way I like getting tattooed! Unfortunately I got a little beating on the ribs/lower armpit to border my existing dragon. Zouch. It is a gnarly amount mileage for a session and I'm feeling like I took a bat across the back, a little loopy today. Built up the borders around existing tattoos on both arms, necks, and ribs tattoos. Pretty cool actually having Steve connect to the tattoos he did on my in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Despite sweating through my long johns, felt pretty strong when we called time yesterday, this morning however I woke up with a red hot back, had to shower to unglue the shirt from my back and wrecked my wife's nice towel (LOL). Once again a great experience from one and only TheGangOfOne (Steve Batt) in Edmonton, AB. I'm going to heal this up for a few weeks such that I can participate in Chinese New Year demonstrations with my kung fu school, then will setup the next rounds on the lower back and ass cheeks for February. May the Buddha be with me.

Pierre and Val who run Tattoomania in Montreal and who are the excellent folks behind the annual Montreal tattoo convention, have partnered with Jay Marceau and D-Markation in Quebec City to hold the first annual Quebec City tattoo convention. Anybody who has been to the Montreal convention knows how good it is: there are plenty of world-class tattooers there working in pretty much every style, and it's just a really fun convention with a really good atmosphere. Quebec City is also a gorgeous city to visit. The lineup so far is looking to be great. I'll have to see where I'm at with my back and how much money I'll have available to get tattooed but I'd really love to get something from Deno. Here's the website, facebook, and instagram for the convention with information about attending artists: arttattooquebec | Art Tattoo Quebec https://www.facebook.com/arttattooquebec Instagram Is anybody thinking of going to this? Me and @Pugilist will be there for sure, and it would be cool to have a little LST meetup if anybody else will be there. - - - Updated - - - I should also mention that you can get proper poutine in Quebec. I know that everybody who comes from out of province to the Montreal convention wants to eat poutine, but Montreal poutine is pretty crappy compared to the stuff you can get off-island.

Nothing says "I'm never going to regret this" more than getting a tattoo making fun of a passing fad.

=== Hi Everyone! Started this in Late October 2014 and just got it Finished on Jan 03 2015 6 Session of 4 Hours Each - Traveling back and forth from Montreal to Toronto... Tattoo Artist is Tony Hu from Chronic Ink Tattoos. http://instagram.com/tonyhutattoo Completed and Done! 龍 - Dragon by davidcwong888, on Flickr

I think @AverageJer posted a picture of a Sailor Jerry fish he got a couple days ago? I hadn't been on here recently and wound up getting a similar tattoo on Saturday. It's from Rollo flash tweaked by Josh Arment at the Aloha Monkey. You guys, I can't begin to do justice to how cool everyone at this shop is. After some very, very embarrassing last-minute indecision I went back to the first thing that had caught my eye on the wall (and learned a lesson about not overthinking things). Sorry about the picture quality.

My strategy is to play dead, like I'm being mauled by a tiny bear. So far it's working.

Really? I don't have any, yet, but I love tattoos with tattoos. When they're done well I think they look awesome, but I'm curious how the tiny blue tattoos hold up over time. Different strokes, and all that.

Reading something someone wrote here, that it will never be unprofessional to wear a long sleeve shirt at work, emboldened me to go down to where I wear my watch. In hindsight I wish I'd been convinced earlier since it would have let me get bigger forearm pieces.

@bongsau Awesome session! There is nothing cooler then seeing a back peice come together; it's just poetry in motion. @Graeme I believe the next session I have on my back will be in that general region and call me crazy but I'm looking forward to it. <--- May regret saying that.

So black @bongsau Those parts where they just keep getting hit and hit and hit. You think to yourself "He has to almost be done with that little spot, right?"

If you keep your feet completely relax, the rest of the body will follow. Try it!

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.

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

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

Thought I would post the full sleeve pics and after it has healed :)

It also doesn't hurt that Scott is fast as hell. Haha. But yeah, getting tattooed by him was a blast. I can't do headphones either, like some people have said. Like @CABS said, I just kinda chat and zone out as best I can with that. The shops I get tattooed at most often are pretty open, so I usually have people in and out, flash/art to look at, and other tattoos to see. Plus, the artists tattooing me the most lately are great guys who are easy to talk to. I did four hours the other day without batting an eye. Lots of hilarious conversations with Grez, my buddy, and tons of other people in the shop. Like @Graeme said, the more you get tattooed, the easier it'll be to find your"happy place." Or just look at butts on the internet.

Japanese Jason Brooks or Katja Ramirez

Here's my lady done by Shawn VanOven

@sweetling kind of strange for someone with a wrist-text tattoo to be admonishing another person for a wrist-text tattoo, no? I'm sure many of those people with (admittedly cheesy) text tattoos feel the same way about words as you do. They likely also had a "very personal" reason for getting the tattoo... @ShyGypsy what do you mean about not getting a text tattoo to prevent racial discrimination while traveling? This is a very weird statement to me.

@Cork, I hear you! You may be right too. Afterall, who'd want to be the other "Horiyoshi". Ha ha! Thanks for the link @beez. I've been following his work on IG. I like the legibility. Both are def cool.

Also drinking a beer while getting tattooed.

I sort of enjoy reading during a tattoo. It's hard enough to concentrate that just directing your energy towards making sense of text is a good distraction. Obviously this won't help you if your arm's being tattooed. I've never tried listening to an audiobook, but I bet that would work well, too. I generally stare into space and just go with my weird thoughts. It helps if there's a lot of cool stuff to look at on the walls. One thing I do when I can't sleep is to try to tense my body and relax it down gradually, trying to stay as in-control as possible. This could work as long as you avoid moving the area being tattooed. Or get tattooed by Chad Koeplinger because he's so funny and personable that you won't really care that he's hurting you.

thanks homies! shaolin power

@bongsau You are definitely earning this one. Your training is serving you well, and so far, so fantastic on your back.

Panthers and roses is an unbeatable combo.

I'm sorry. Did someone ask a question? I was in @OutOfIdeas happy place ;) But seriously...meditation will only get you so far if: 1) You have a heavy handed/inexperienced artist 2) You do not have a lifestyle/physiology conducive to happyfying neuroendocrine response under the physical duress of getting tattooed 3) You are one of those few people who inexplicably experiences A LOT of discomfort getting tattooed even though you are NOT a crybaby wussy pants (meaning most of the people crying vociferously about getting tattooed are usually also a crybaby wussy pants in every other area of their lives.) I have a good friend. He is very together, tough, cool, healthy, laid back and fun but no matter where the tattoo is or who is doing it, it is very painful. He is NOT a crybaby wussy pants. And in reference to 2...everyone is different. I found tattoos to be more unpleasant after I have been sick and get more unpleasant as my blood sugar drops (longer sessions). Hubbs avoids caffeine before and during. @xcom You could try exploring new habits the two weeks leading up to and day of a tattoo and see if it helps with your tattoo experience.

This is a Video we took of the arm before starting the last Session... Video before the Last Session... https://flic.kr/p/pT29Ft It was a great experience overall... :) Photo from Sessions 1 to 3 Dragon Tattoo In Progress with Tony Hu @ Chronic Ink - Toronto Ontario Canada by davidcwong888, on Flickr

The more you fight the needle, the more it will hurt. Call me a wuss, but I take one Advil before the session and whenever I need it. It helps me relax a bit. Also, I pretend like I'm trying to sleep. I've never fallen asleep, but I was nice and relaxed. On Saturday I was in the shop for 8.5 hours (7.5 hours tattooing time). I took 3 Advil total.

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).

Thanks! That dress cost $23 on eBay. My swell 'Devil and Daniel Webster' sportscoat was $80. We do it up right.

Watched it a couple weeks ago, it's great! He and his family are extremely approachable. I was introduced to him by Kurt who has sleeves/back/thighs done by Filip. Was great getting to talk to him, and it was interesting to see the amount of respect and admiration he garnered from other artists at the convention. One artist I spoke to said they were too nervous to go talk to him! Here's a picture I took of the backpiece that @Graeme posted Filip, Loretta and Titine signed a book for me as well!

Thanks for sharing that. I met and talked briefly with Filip about a year and a half ago at the Montreal convention when he was doing one-session, four to five hour backpieces with Kurt Wiscombe. He was very friendly, down to earth, and despite having spent pretty much literally his entire life around tattoos, clearly absolutely loves tattoos and tattooing and still sees all the magic there. He's a real inspiration. - - - Updated - - - Here's a short video of the backpiece him and Kurt did on the second day. One shot.

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.

Here's a photo of my winged lion by Valerie Vargas, its quite big so a little distorted and wraps a lot, it's only a start but I love it was such a great experience and a lovely shop and atmosphere, plus it's like the first tattoo I've had in six years that's needed more than one sitting, looks like il be visiting home again sooner rather than later

Part two of my Simpsons in Space leg sleeve! Keep in mind that there will eventually be a black space background so the helmets do not look right yet. For example the circles will be stars. I posted part one here a while ago but here it is if you missed it. and here is part two on the other side. Work is being done by Rev. J.R. out of Vicious Ink in Rochester Hills MI. Next up, Mr Burns and Smithers! - - - Updated - - - whoops, those are way bigger than I intended, sorry about that.

Got this lady head from Max Kuhn on Monday! Wraps a bit!

Is there truly such a thing as a universally accepted perfectly executed tattoo by a best artist, etc.? No. And no, we're not "in a a way" wearing shitting tattoos using this comparison that has odd criteria. What does "perfectly executed" mean to you? To others? Who is the master of all tattooing? To you? To others? @Mick Weder mused above about shitty tattoos on his brother that had great meaning. Are they shitty? To you? To others? /end list of rhetorical questions Argh. /end postingB4coffee

Marius Meyer was kind enough to let me shoot some video while he put the finishing touches on my friend @Wilhell's back piece. Hope you enjoy it! (Sorry German LSTers! This unfortunately won't play in your country due to the licensing restrictions of the soundtrack)

When my best friends husband died unexpectedly she asked if I would get a matching tattoo with her to honor him. I said, "Absolutely!" It was supposed to be a grasshopper on our right foot. We searched for hours until she found the image she wanted. About a half an hour before we were to go to the shop she pulled a T-Shirt out of the drawer, paused, held it to her chest and starting crying. She looked over at me, held up the shirt and said, "I changed my mind. I want to do this instead." It was his phrase, he said it all the time 'It's all good'. I never wanted any writing or anything like this but now it is on my foot and I don't regret it for a moment. Truth be told, at the time, I would have had 'Live, Love, Laugh' tattooed on my forehead if it meant relieving her grief for one second. That same friend was diagnosed with cancer in May. When she told me about it I took a sharpie and drew a line through 'It's all good' and wrote 'Fuck cancer' snapped a pic and text it to her. She responded, "Tee hee. No no mama put it on the other foot. I don't have time to die." She had her last radiation and chemo treatments yesterday and the tumors have already shrunk over 90%. The moral of this long post, sometimes tattoos are just tattoos and sometimes they connect us to those who help us walk through the darkest shit in life. Sometimes a bad tattoo can turn out to be your favorite. Lest we not judge what we don't know.

Myself, I go to whichever tattooers I'm familiar with and whichever tattooers who's quality of work I think is good. I've been tattooed by 16 different guys with 160hrs (and counting) over ten years. Tattooers with different style/vibe, different equipment, different processes, different touch. Hammer hands and gentle-gentleman. I've gone to most of my tattooers for more than one piece. This has really expanded my experiences and journey becoming an illustrated man. By going to different tattooers I've had the opportunities to be tattooed in new shops, old established shops, local shops, travels, private home studios, different shop setups and so now I know what I like, who I like and where I like to go to receive a tattoo. I've been tattooed by apprentices and I've been tattooed by some legit people that have been doing it for decades. Having Some tattooers are great to just slap on a banger and have some fun. Some I know will squeeze me in at the end of a day and sharpie one of my ridiculous ideas on. Some I know give that little bit extra in terms of refining a design/idea and being very particular about placement. I am lucky to say I have had nothing but positive experiences and NO REGRETS which is an important thing I attach to being a tattooed person. If you have one tattooer you trust, that's great and enjoy it. I like to think that variety can lend itself to a wider range of opportunity and experiences.

What sort of upbringing do you suppose leads to someone craving attention so desperately?

Dennis at @ProvidenceTattoo