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Bum progress. The ass and thighs are just plain nasty, and I don't recommend that anyone get them tattooed. :) Done by Mark Armstrong, Sacred Art Tattoo Manchester

Finished the outline yesterday and posted some pictures to my blog thing

Horitomo September 23rd! Woohoo!!! :: happy dance ::

I don't know how to share this type of Instagram post, and certainly can't from my phone, but here's a link to my chest tattoo, done today by Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages. http://instagram.com/p/0i-naeNBEe/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm going to try to post a picture from my phone here: By Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just worked the Lady Luck convention in Reno this weekend and had such an incredible time. My teacher was about to receive some traditional Tatau from Si'i Liufau on the back of his thigh. We were sharing a booth, so I knew I would have an amazing view into this ancient way of tattooing. About 20 minutes before they were to start, Si'i came over and sat on the mat. He looked at me and said, "Nate... we're going to need you to help stretch". His apprentice asked me to take off my shoes and hat, then gave me a sarong to wear. We all sat on the mat and, with some initial guidance from Si'i, we went to work for over 4 hours. It was truly unbelievable to be a part of something like that. No breaks. No food. No water. Just blood and sweat. To be honest, I haven't been able to walk normal all day, because my back and hips are so sore. When it was over though, Si'i said, "Malo, Nate. Good job. Most people can't do what you just did. You did yourself, me and your teacher proud. Next time we come to the area, I'm going to have you help again." I really just can't even put into words how much of an honor it was to be a part of this. I'm exhausted and need to go to bed, but I just felt I had to share this experience.

First one since June (aside from a little Halloween special). Matt Arriola.

Hello Everyone, Been poking around these forums for a while and figured I'd register and talk about my experiences. I'll give a little back story and show you what I've had done. I always wanted to get a tattoo but kept putting it off because I was nervous about the pain and how my body would react to it all. In September of 2014 my friend Jason suggested going to a convention in San Francisco and I thought that would be a great time for it. Before the trip Jason and I ended up going to a shop and I got something small. I was pretty relaxed walking into the shop but once the machine turned on I got nervous again. I had this one placed on the upper portion of my calf. I thought it was a nice concealable spot and it was meaty so it wouldn't be that bad. I felt the area twitching for most of time but it came out fine. So October rolled around pretty quick and we flew out to San Francisco for the convention. At the time I didn't know what style I wanted but I did know that I wanted to get an owl. So my friends and I were walking around looking at all the different booths and Jason suggested Katja Ramirez from Rock of Ages. So thats what I did! From this point I decided I wanted to go for my entire right arm. A few weeks after the convention when I got home I added a little more. Done by Andrew Stortz (he did my first tattoo) @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH Here's more progress on the arm: Done by Andrew Stortz @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH Done by Jebb Riley @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH Kind of an interesting scenario with the next two... Hobo's and Congress St. are a 5 minute walk from each other and my friend and I both had the same time appointment but at different shops. Chad Koeplinger was guesting and Jason got on the list really early on. So as I'm getting the my work done Jason shows up and says Chad wasn't ready yet and he'd get a call when to come back. So he waited while I got the one below done. Done by Andrew Stortz @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH Jason was getting a mandala and to kill some time I got this... Done by Spencer Scott @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH Last week I had this done, forgot to get a picture when it was fresh. I didn't explicitly ask for it done upside down, it was a weird space and I thought I'd work. I ran it by the artist and he said it'd be fine. Done by Spencer Scott @ Hobo's/Congress St. Portsmouth, NH My future plans are to complete my left arm with either color traditional or Japanese, still in the decision making phase. Thanks for reading, -Rich

@BrianH in my experiences thus far, the shading is a lot easier to deal with than the line work.

Whew, I didn't know if I could sit through all this. Even Nathan was skeptical, but I wanted to finish. We didn't get a full on battle scene, but I loved what he came up with even more, especially the detail in the drowning hand, the ship, and of course, Poseidon's luscious locks!

got some dots and lines by alvaro flores in melb: planning to turn this whole arm into a blackwork sleeve by works from jondix, gerhard, anna day, kenji and others when/if i get a chance.

Can't go wrong with a Lehi tiger.

SHOTS FIRED EVERYONE GET DOWN In honor of your PRs, here is me hitting some deficits. I'm coming back from an injury and plan to leave these weights in the dust soon. The final single is 315. I did it shirtless because look at how beautiful I am. Ignore all the body hair.... *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl_NsQJFdMk"

So I finally got my chest piece. So happy with how it came out. By Valerie Vargas of course.

Hi all! I'm a research scientist who studies paleoclimate, climate change, oceanography, and archeology/anthropology through stable isotope geochemistry. Stuff about me. My grandfathers pretty much raised me. Both were WWII veterans. My grandfather on my dad's side was a BAR-man in the USMC with the Pacific from 1942-1944. He was the embodiment of the Greatest Generation, I loved the man to death. He essentially raised me: he taught me how to shoot a rifle, how to fish, and gave me my moral compass and innumerable life skills. I miss him every day. He fought on Rennell, Bougainville, then was assigned to the First Provisional Marine Brigade, where he fought in the Second Battle of Guam, losing sight in in his right eye to a Japanese Grenade, sending him home. The Brigade would go on to Iwo Jima. The grenade probably saved his life. Yes, he was tattooed. My other grandfather was a total badass, as well. Field Artillery in the battle of Kasserine Pass. He was captured by Rommel's troops, and was a POW at Stalag III-B in Furstenburg. From which he escaped. Twice. Ratted out both times by refugees. They used to trade red cross cigarettes to the guards by making them give a salute and yell "Heil Roosevelt!" My dad was a 3rd generation Marine, of the Full Metal Jacket era. He was also a real POS of a human, and being in the Corps did that part of him no favors. He told me, to quote, that if I tried to carry on the family tradition, he'd kill me himself first. So, having grown up in Florida, I pursued what interested me. I'm not the kind of person who could ever have a job just to pay the bills. I get totally enrapt in whatever has my attention and interest. So science was a natural fit. I went to school for way too long. I paid my way through undergrad (chemistry/marine science) working in a boatyard, at a public aquarium and TAing/tutoring. I did research and taught more to survive through getting an MS in Oceanography and a PhD in Geoscience. Now I wake up and get to do what I love every day. So my main fascinations are the history of tattooing insofar as to be tattooed is to be human. Then, secondarily, American Traditional. As a scientist and person who tries to be an autodidact (and has sailed in the South Pacific, and was raised by Veterans), it's impossible for me not to be fascinated by and deeply respect Sailor Jerry. And as a general person who loves tattoo history, Paul Rogers, Cap Coleman, Amund Dietzel, Thom DeVita, etc. etc. etc. I am not a tattooer or artist. I don't have a visually creative bone in my body. To me, good tattooing is an ultimate and purely human art form. As human as paintings of mammoths and ungulates on cave walls. It's a truly special, endemic form of tool use that pushes the human brain out to the max. As a final note, the university I work at has a very conservative student body and is in a very conservative town. It's also too hot for long sleeves all year, so all of my past and future work is necessarily coverable by short sleeves, and preferably shorts as well. Thanks!

Pics! :D

That's the good girl machine. The other one is the bad girl machine.

On the first break in the chair at Infamous Tattoo in DEL

@BrianH: All those lines are bringing back painful memories for me. Looks incredible already!

thanks SeeSea and exume, I sent everything you suggested SeeSea. I do understand it is an honor to be tattooed by him and did expect to be put on a 1-2 year wait list. Or, at the very least, to hear that he just wasn't interested in what I wanted - and that would have been ok - it is his time and artistry after all. I guess I was just so disappointed not to even get a "no" email back. Since I'm traveling the country right now, I'll keep looking for a Japanese style artist who might want to work with me. So SeeSea are you getting a cat tattoo from him - that would be really awesome! Of course, anything he does is awesome!

@BrianH. Superb man! Just incredible!! Nice to have that outline done!!!

Awesome! That is going to be amazing. Glad you got a couple of nights off and were able to take it easy. How is it feeling today? When do you have your next session? -Rob

Mine was around 4 - 5 hours. I flew to NYC and took a cab straight to the shop (which opened two hours later.) After the tattoo I was totally out of it from sleep exhaustion. Wish I would have been in a better state of mind so I could have talked to the artists more, but I needed sleep. Mike R did the tattoo, awesome dude and his shop is out of this world.

Doing some redecorating, want these to go to a good home. Both were bought directly from Grez in '08. Both come with the frames that they're in. Vulture and skull. Marked as number 44/100. $300 US shipped. Paypal only - gift or add 3.5%. Snake and Skull. Marked as number 23/100. $300 US shipped. Paypal only - gift or add 3.5%. Let me know, thanks!

@BrianH, that's looking awesome so far! Keep the updates coming.

Nikko like all the other artists would all do the same traditional type tattoos in realism. Nikko is doing my mums portrait at the top of my arm and I thought of something around it like from famous flash or traditional work, like the butterfly posted earlier or a mirror or locket? Not sure really, it all looks great in my head lol It was just an idea to try something new but it may not ever get to being tattooed, as it just might not work. Thinking about fillers also. I love the traditional little stars or dots but I dont think they would fit in well with realism pieces. I guess I have to speak with the artists and decide if it would work. At the moment I am thinking it will just look like realism pieces and not have any hint of the traditional side, which is hard to capture in realism I suppose? Not sure I am making any sense to you guys either lol

@Diehardonvhs whoa that design is dope. kudos man!

Props @peterpoose for getting to get work from Nikko. I got an appointment with Rich Pineda this coming October. Back to your tattoo though. Maybe I'm not understanding but you want to tie in aspects of traditional to the sleeve he is going to do on you? And are you having Nikko do that portion as well I assume?

Where can you submit artists to be added?

Hotness! Love the work.

Good thing you hit that dead lift PR recently. You aren't going to making any gains in the next 2 weeks.

Outline is real nice, now the long journey to pack some black in to that background. I'm almost tempted to ask how the butt and thighs were. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is one heck of a start! It is very clear in the story depicted.

The obvious elbow tattoo. Scott (Skotydont) Fox, Columbus.

@teeo, Bad ass!

I was going to DM you, but I suppose this is universal. I am not fat but was overweight for many years. I am older, and have the delightfully attractive back flaps. Not bad, but you know we obsess about things that we focus on more than others do, so of course, that's where my eyes went. HOWEVER, I was/am amazingly delighted how my back tattoo hides them! My tattoo artist placed the long dorsal (top) fin of my eel right along that area, and it's gone! It even gives eel life in a way. There is another thread somewhere around here - maybe it's actually this one or the ladies thread - that talks about tattoos as cosmetic surgery. I've also got the dreaded batwings - but I see women with some awesome upper arm tattoos, and you know what - the batwings end up so secondary to the tattoo. A tattoo completely changes what you and others focus on. Try not to escalate it into something so encompassing. Believe me, when you get that tattoo, the focus is gonna be on the art, not on back fat. Hugs.

Enjoy your session today. Looking forward to seeing pics. -Rob

Nice work. If I didn't go down the Japanese path I would have done traditional American style. I love how simple and bold it is. Eagles, Panthers, Snakes, Tigers etc etc. It doesn't get any better than that.

Got this tiger shark on my calve 3 weeks ago from a dude named Brad Dawe who owns Hell or High Water in Moncton, New Brunswick. Finally healed! But still a bit shiny.

In twenty four hours I'll be knee deep (lol) in the outline of my calf sleeve! So pumped, just need to buy the essentials and I'll be set!

Made quite a bit of progress today with Fil Wood at Black Crown in Leeds https://instagram.com/p/0dTv7zmzSG/?taken-by=fil_wood

Less experience, lower hourly rate...more hours, higher overall cost. Your back is the primo real estate. Start small, see how smooth this newish tattooer's technique is, how you heal, and also how you click together in a tattooer-client relationship. Less experienced tattooers may have good technique but have they made enough past mistakes to understand placement and design composition? I'd rather they make the mistakes on someone else! my $0.02, i've been tattooed by apprentices and guys with 20+ years experience. And now that I'm almost full-up there are some spots I wished I'd waited to get with the 20+Exp cats. But really when it comes down to it...no rugrats

and squats are bad for my knees, right?

Finally finished. Now I'll start working out again. On Monday. I promise.

I've been avoiding my ditches as long as I could, but a few sundays ago I decided it was time. jason ochoa at greenpoint tattoo put this rose in there and now that it's healed, I'm stoked to do the other arm. it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I expected and it was pretty much healed within a week or so using tegaderm. definitely a believer in that shit. if there's a thread discussing that stuff, let me know and I can share my experience. anyway, here's a healed pic:

Thanks to me not being diligent about booking new sessions, I now have a mishmash of up and coming sessions. This pic is the result of my last session on Saturday which was at the Sydney Tattoo Convention. Only a small 2 hour session but was cool chatting to different people wandering past asking about my work etc. Was also my 1st attendance at a tattoo convention/show. I got to see alot of people getting tattooed by many artists and the main thing that surprised me was how few engaged with the artist and chatted. So many had headphones on or were playing with iPads with no interaction with the artist. For me that is a big reason why I "enjoy" getting tattooed and keep going back for more. To me a big part of getting a great tattoo is connecting with your artist, chatting with him/her, chewing the fat, disagreeing with him/her and at times arguing with your artist. (Something I have done once or twice.) Not sure what all you LST's do but my job is very technical and most would class as boring. Is another reason why I enjoy my tattoo sessions, I get to connect and chat to artistic and creative people. Much more interesting than the crap I deal with at work. :) Anyway enough of my rant, here is the latest pic. Cheers Jason

My son is nearly 12, my daughter nearly 10. My daughter likes looking at my tattoos but says it won't be for her. She's funny though, she sees other people with tattoos and frequently and quietly comments, "dad, you have way more tattoos than him" My son is always planning his suit which comprises of dragons, snakes, ships and skulls. They can never understand why people have to stare so intently when we're out when I'm rocking singlet and shorts. It's nice to know they're developing a non judgmental attitude towards people who "appear" different.

Uh I know several big girls with GREAT tattoos- the key seems to be to get BIG tattoos...Im a fat guy myself and i dont see how it matters- Also I think being fat (5'8" 260) is pretty awesome bc i have enough room on my sides to get like 2 extra backpieces

tattoos make everything look better.