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Eddy Deutsche cover/blastover from a couple of weeks ago in Oslo (Marius Meyer studio). It was such a fun day, so cool! Also met the legend Carson Vester. He told us some crazy stories! Who said he had lost it? New: Old:

Marius Meyer backpiece bonanza. Me and @Kai Eirik Espedal

Met with Carlos Torres in Paris after the convention to finish this little side piece. Fuck me this did really really hurt!

Hello. I want take a part in covention in my country. I was in tattoo convention in small our town early but will go to the big convention in that year (I used to go there with my husband and I went as guests, not as participants last 4 year). And according to this interested in the quality of my work - whether they are suitable for recruitment experience at conventions or have to wait a couple of years with the participation? examples: - - - Updated - - - sorry for big many photos i don't know as i can resize it there(

this is a great quote: "I have two cats. I'm the furthest thing from a gang member."

Session #6, 3.5 hrs, 22.5 hours total. Completed the blackground yesterday on my Shaolin backpiece after a really intense session. This was the heaviest session in my 12 years of getting tattooed. Inside the crack and underneath the butt cheeks, down the back and insides of the thigh. All the way. It really comes down to mind over matter. The pain was very sharp and the skin is very different in that nether region thus a spectacular array of sensations. But moreso it really messes with your mind to get tattooing in that very private and sensitive area, doing your best to be loose (not too loose, wink wink haha) and relaxed while your mind is frozen at what your body is undergoing. I'm still feeling mentally scrambled the day after. Unbelievable experience, some very serious tattooing. You really have to let your inhibitions go and have full trust in the tattooer. Steve really helped me push through and said I did really well with the sit. Really learned a lot about myself through the vulnerability of this session. I was chewing down on a towel for the last 30 minutes. But I did it. Exhausted and spaced out afterwards and now I've got this swollen black ass, shit-my-pants shuffle walk happening, at least for a few days. All the way! me-"I can do this" steve-"You are doing it man!" me-"I'm doing this!" steve-"You did it!" I've been sitting fairly regularly so I'm going to take it easy for a bit to heal and re-calibrate. Off to Jamaica in April to relax as my alter-ego Ras Colouring Book on the beach. Then a couple sessions in May to blast in all the colour and patterns and saturate some of the black again. This was a milestone tattoo session for me as well. I hit my 201st hour of total tattooing on my body over a 12 year period. I'm wearing a full body of tattoos now, all pieces new and old interconnected neck to ankle. But I left a few choice silver-dollar sized spots to tuck in a few mini collector tattoos ;) And the Ramones kicked on as I crossed the 200th hour marker...

Get tattooed, talk to tattooers, talk to tattoo collectors, and you might be surprised at what people know. For example, I know this local tattooer named Simon because I used to live behind the shop he works at and I'd stop and talk with him and the other people at the shop when I was walking my dog and they were taking smoke breaks outside. I've since been tattooed at the shop and sometimes I'll have a beer with him at the bar next to the shop when he's done for the day. He's a good tattooer, but he's a real street shop tattooer who doesn't have a preferred style but will do whatever comes in through the door and will do a good job of it. He has no internet presence, I'm not even sure he has a cell phone. Anyway, I was talking with him once, and he mentioned, just in passing, about when he lived and tattooed in the Marquesas. So here's this guy working in a really low-key street shop, mostly tattooing names and bird silhouettes and stuff found on pinterest and what not, and he has this pretty deep first-hand knowledge of Polynesian tattooing because he actually lived and tattooed there. I don't mention this because I think it's anything particularly special, though I think it is a kind of neat story, but rather because the more I get tattooed, the more time I spend in shops and with tattooed people, artists or otherwise, the more I understand and appreciate the immense amount of knowledge and understanding that there is in your average tattoo shop. Tattooers, at least the good ones--and it isn't worth getting tattooed by the ones who aren't good--love tattooing, they love the history and the stories and the lore of tattooing, and they collect this stuff just as much as they collect tattoos. They know far more about tattoos and tattooing than any academic ever will.

I think I remember @El Dolmago discussing how she snuck some tattoo history into one of her lectures? Tattooed people giving a little bit of history in context is kinda cool IMHO! Margot Mifflin, who wrote "Bodies of Subversion" and "The Blue Tattoo: The Life of Olive Oatman" is an academic who has written some interesting and informed material about tattoo and the history of tattoo, and I believe she travels around giving lectures about tattoo history. - - - Updated - - - @Vaas there's an antique bookstore near me that has some older books on Maori tattooing and the like - I don't know where you live, but try a library and check out 'tattoo' in the anthropology sections, you might have some luck! - - - Updated - - - Sorry, can't seem to stop with this. I've enjoyed many posts from this site: http://tattoohistorian.com/ I agree with @Graeme and @bongsau that fundamentally the best way to learn about tattoos is to get tattooed and talk with tattooed people - and that it's important that that is how the history/culture etc is passed on, but I also think there are a number of things academics can contribute to the history of tattoo! Learning, researching, compiling, educating. We have some tattooed academics here on the board who are ensconced in the culture, and who have learned it (are still and always learning) the "right" way - I would love to take classes from them, if they were to offer some sort of tattoo curriculum. But "tattoo 101" or other pop/made for the masses courses - yeah, that kinda sours my stomach. The source DOES matter.

Hmm. What I meant was literally the origin of tattooing. Before you could walk into a shop and get something done by a guy with a tattoo machine. I doubt he'd be able to tell me about Maori rituals and show me what they looked like, and I won't take his word for gospel even if he did. I don't see why learning about history from a university is a bad idea, since I'll never be able to visit all those places to ask people there how it all went down.

Fundamentally, I believe that learning about tattoos and tattooing is something that should primarily be done through the experience of getting tattooed, hanging out in tattoo shops, talking with tattooers and tattooed people. I think there's something really important--maybe even integral--about the way that knowledge and history in tattooing is primarily transmitted orally, that things are passed on person to person and that everybody is going to have his or her own idiosyncratic views of tattooing rooted in his or her own direct experience. I loathe the idea that this wonderful, messy thing called tattoo could be broken down into a curriculum with learning outcomes or whatever bullshit that university administrators want out of courses these days so that undergraduates could take it for three easy credits. I am skeptical that tattooing has anything to gain from it being offered as a course to college or university or art students; it seems like it has far more to lose than it can possibly gain. I'm not saying that academics can't contribute anything to tattoos (I think most of them do a pretty poor job, but my objections aren't just that we need somebody to do it better), but it's something that should mostly stay in the shop and with the people who actually have something invested in tattoos. That's my opinion, anyway, and opinions are like assholes.

I'm confused. In the U.S. you pay for the tattoo not the design. Save up until you can afford the tattoo you want. There's no point in approaching artists until you're ready.

Religion DOES frown apon tattoos, lucky for me, I HATE religion ;) I do NOT at all identify with being religious. I believe in God. I believe we should treat others the way we want to be treated. Not to get all Bibley but JC hated the church and religion too. :)

That seems very relevant in the context of history and anthropology courses.

University and colleges have art, sociology, history courses on subculture, pop art, etc. So not really surprised to hear this although an academic course on tattooing seems off the mark. The best way to learn about tattooing (whether you are a tattooer, collector or whatever) is to GET tattooed, not a semester listening to lectures and writing a paper at the end of the term.

I really hope that they don't go far past the early stages. College courses about tattoos and tattooing are a terrible idea.

I forgot last night but remembered this morning while getting ready for work. @finegentleman @Shaggy sorry it took me so long

Contain the excitement pre tattoo? Hi all, My name is Nina and I'm so happy to fianlly be here. I'm a bit of a weirdo, so I've been planing my double 3/4 sleeve tattoos for about 23 years now. Sounds extreme but that's how I roll :). Actually, I have (with much pain) purposefully kept virgin skin for THIS one endeavor. Unfortunately severe health issues took over my 20's, paying off said medical bills took over my 30's. So now at 43, I have the health, time and money for a great artists. My first sitting is April 10th and I can hardly concentrate on ANYthing else. I am obsessed now that MY time is finally here. Lucky me! Any ways, thanks for listening to my newbie babble.

I do nothing. I wash it the morning after then I leave it alone. It works for me, but its probably not for everyone.

Some more pics!

@Mark Bee you can't seem to go wrong at The Pearl! Love seeing your already impressive collection grow. - - - Updated - - - I can't believe I haven't posted these here! I got my butt snake colored in at the beg of feb. Basically I got home from my tattoo trip, and my dog had a big sudden health issue that had to be dealt with STAT! So I didn't even think about it. Pics attached. I'm booked for more at the beg of Apr too!

Yeah! It was so great being tattooed by Chad! I had a lot of fun! Looking forward to the next session!

I did much research before deciding to do my coverup. After watching television shows showing what could be done, it was encouraging while at the same time, you don't want to trust just anyone. As great as the internet is, I have seem far too many bad cover ups although many were simply amazing. My first attempt at research was disheartening as after asking several shops, I simply got too much conflicting information, people simply too eager for business, or simply my gut telling me something wasn't right. Finally I saw some coverup work on a tv show mentioning an artist from Dallas. After a quick search I found that he was a few miles from my house. At this point I went to his shop, but he was on the road. Talking to the shop manager and explaining my situation, I mentioned that if possible I would like to do a Captain America tattoo. Once I said that, I was quickly able to set up an appointment with the owner/artist. Although very high in demand, apparently if you are wanting something that they want to do as well, I have found that artists can shift schedules if there is a type of tattoo that they want to do. Fortunately for me, I later found that the artist was a much bigger superhero fan than myself. Over the next month, I spent wakeless nights admiring his work and many of the comic stuff he has done and spend many hours downloading comic images trying to conceptualize what would work for the coverup. My consultation finally came and after asking me what I wanted, I kind of hesitated with questions as to what my limitations were. His response was, not to worry about it, just tell him what I wanted and he would make it happen. So, I gave him my top 3 comics. We set an appointment and I left trusting him to come up with something. It was kind of crazy committing to something without knowing what exactly I was going to get until I showed up, but I trusted my instincts and research. I was straight up blown away with the results and feel I learned quite a bit along the way. - Older tattoos are better candidates for coverups than relatively new ones - Non-recognizable shapes are easier to cover than geometric shapes I don't know why some artists try to just go for the simple black out with no detail, like a panther head. You do not necessarily need to go darker for coverups, blues rock! - You should anticipate going at least 2x the original size. Bigger is better - Detail will help draw attention away from the orginal tattoo, so some slight detail show through - At least for me, the skin where the old tattoo was scarred and bleed a bit more than fresh skin. These area scanned more. Anyway, if anyone has any questions, shoot away. PS.. I was still a little bloody on the yellow lines, but you get the results.

Not all religion frowns on tattoos. I worship with a congregation that has three members of the praise team all with tattoos (visible), and I know several ministers with tattoos. There is one verse in Leviticus that forbids tattoos for the dead. That same chapter forbids cutting the hair at the sides of your head or edges of your beard, harvesting from a fruit tree less than five years old, or wearing clothing of two kinds of material. There were reasons - good reasons at the time - for each of these. Doesn't mean it all applies today.

I once got kicked out of a peeler bar in Calgary in 2007 because my arm tattoos were showing. That was pretty funny.

rofl. Hahahaha

Why's it a terrible idea?

Thank you) Yes, I drawing sketch for my work in tattoo in different style and make collage if it necessary. :) in instagramm and facebook you can see tattoo makes by me and my sketch for tattoo =) FB: https://www.facebook.com/karviniya some of it:

I know some courses like that are in the early stages of development.

I was 9 when my grandfather past away. He was my hero and he really ment a lot to me. The last thing he said to me on the day he died was "I hope you always find a reason to smile". When I turned 16 and my parents agreed on having a tattoo I decided to place that sentence on the inside of my upper arm. So now I always have a reminder on my grandfather. It was my first tattoo and it definitely won't be my last. But it will be the most important one to me. Because my grandpa made me to who I am today. He was a really wise man and died way to young. But I'll never forget him

Hi everyone,I`m an old dood still getting tats at 71. I really like seeing new new artwork but love old school stuff too.

No mexican this week...straight up diet of bananas and fibre lol

Here I am trying to avoid getting my back and sleeve going at the same time.... I need to learn. LOL

@bongsau - oh suck it up. Seriously, you must be overreacting. Haven't you learned to hover yet? Amateur.

Feel free to bump an old thread if it's covering a subject that you want to further discuss. No harm in that @xcom!

This last time I used redemption for the first 3 days, then switched to lubriderm once peeling started. I was completely peeled and heeled by the start of day 9. I have found the key to any of the aftercare products is to make sure there is no excess on your skin. Once applied, I lightly dab any access ointment or plasma oozing off with a cotton cloth.

lol i've been getting so hooked since then. i still revisit that one too to look through all the artist suggestions again. im glad i found this forum - mad helpful community

so today on Kauai we participated in the dog field trip program with the Kauai Humane Society today,they let you take a dog out for the day with an "adopt me" vest on and they supply leash/water/water bowl/treats/potty bags and we took her on a hike and to the beach all day today,her name is Jillian,what a cutie. we had a totally great day with her. It gives the dog a chance to get out of the kennel for the day and it exposes them to more potential adopters. Shelter Dogs on Field Trips | Kauai Humane Society . . .

Bowling pin eagle.

You are my hero! :D Now put some color in that master piece, you can do it! (Rob Schneider line) Awesome work!

Had my 4th session on my back with Chad K this past friday at Congress St Tattoo in Portsmouth, NH. I'm sure several have seen these pics already, but I love this thread and wanted to join the fun even if it's not a "full" back piece. Could not be more thrilled with it. I love Chad and I love this tattoo. He thinks only 2 more sessions till we're done! I think it helps that I'm a small guy. Less to color :) Lying down pic was taken by Chad night of, and the standing up pic was taken by my wife the next morning after that dreaded first shower. Lighting is terrible in the second pic, but you get the idea. It's so freaking bull shit that the pics always post sideways. trying to attach link to gallery photo which I think i was able to fix

Maybe they'll all get lasered together when she gets older, so she won't have to feel different then either. I think this is about making the parents feel special, rather than making the child feel accepted. I don't think they had the foresight to think about how the child will feel about it when she gets older. My guess is she won't like it. There are better ways to go about making a person feel accepted and loved. Making a big deal about of their faults, or "blemish" as the article says, is not the way to do it. To me, this is sending the message that how she looks is more important than her other qualities. And since she doesn't "look perfect" the parents are going through great lengths to make sure she doesn't feel bad about it. It doesn't sit well with me that the mother says she was "heartbroken" and that she "sobbed and sobbed knowing my baby was going to permanently marked for the rest of her life." It's just a birthmark! That baby is still beautiful! And beauty isn't everything anyway. I dunno, maybe I'd feel differently if I had a birthmark. Or a child, for that matter.

No outline, no black shading...they're not going to have those tattoos when the kid grows up.

This is clearly good advice. People are free to do what they want, but there are somes rules... On a arm tattoos should go from the top to down, not from the hand to the shoulder.

I'd advise you to hold off on hand tattoos for now. Start on your sleeve; maybe your tattooer could even incorporate your hand in a way as awesome as this Seth Wood piece. Personally, I think hand tattoos with no sleeve just kind of look like a hand stamp you get at a club, or something. Unless we're talking mehndi-like design, then it's whole other thing.

If i may ask a question. @2bacanvas, did you get you name from ink master? I feel like the level of nitpicking is derived from that show almost. In all honesty, the octopuses face has elements of a skull in it to me, and that's really cool. I like how you thought out of the box and got anemones instead of traditional flowers even though they mimic chrysanthemums in a way. Japanese is far and away my favorite style and my knowledge of it is considerably shallow compared to people on this board. If you are going to analyze EVERY line in something handcrafted then this isn't for you. I have a small chess piece on my forearm. It came out like crap (the artist said I made him Nervous), and every time I go to get it covered or reworked I find a reason not to. Learn to love your art as it ages and becomes more of a piece of You and less of a mark on you (if that makes sense)

^ ^ ^ t h i s

Yep, @Graeme is right. Who gives a shit what people think. The majority of people have no ability to discern elements of a tattoo design once it is applied to the skin, let alone a japanese piece. I had someone ask me if I had a dinosaur on my forearm a few weeks ago. DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A FUCKIN' DINOSAUR TO YOU?! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!! People are dumb, just ignore them.

Shoveled the walk and 20 percent of the driveway, gave in to my sciatica and went inside to drink. The novelty of this has worn off.

Cris Cleen Grez Bailey Robinson Nick Colella Tony Hundahl