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Was wandering around Bath today and got a walk in with Jimmie Tatts, filled in an awkward gap on the inside of my elbow. The shop is a 20 minute drive from my house but i've never been there before today. Makes a change from all the travelling i've been doing for tattoos!

done by tony hundahl at the oklahoma tattoo convention one shot drawn on

Picked up this snake from Emiliano at Frith Street a few weeks ago. Just need a panther now so I can call myself a real LST member!

Why American Traditional tattoos are so liked here and mostly everywhere. I had a long conversation with my tattoo artist while I was getting some work done. He is a collector himself and we talked about different artist that we both would like to collect from. Than we started talking about the different styles and preferences... Holly crap I had no clue a traditional tattoo was so complicated in sense of boldness, expression, and technic. There is allot more to it than I thought. While still not my style I have learned to appreciate them even more.

I'm impressed by the technical ability of color portrait artists like Nikko Hurtado or Paul Acker, but a tattoo of Capt. Jack Sparrow or Catwoman, no matter how perfect, doesn't make me feel a thing. But that's how I judge all art -- not by how well someone can paint something that looks "lifelike" (or, in the case of music, how fast Yngwie Malmsteen can shred) if it has no soul. I'll take a Neil Young solo any day. I love how the best traditional tattoos can distill the essence of a thing with so few lines, and the more I look at tattoos, the more I can appreciate it. Strong, powerful images is what does it for me. No one would ever say Picasso is a bad artist because his paintings are "simple" or don't look "real." People can like what they like, but bashing traditional tattoos just makes the one saying it look kinda dumb or at least uninformed.

Here is my submission. 2nd session:

I'll throw my hat in again this month with this piece, all healed and new :)

Here's what I got on my NYC trip a few weeks ago. Eli Quinters Steve Boltz (didn't get a very good photo) Dan Nelson Got an appointment with Jeff Zuck at the Rochester convention tomorrow! Can't wait.

So I had two half days with mr.lambdin. Really chill dude with crazy creative Vision and talent.he drew Up exactally what I wanted without me really saying anything to him. Got 2 more days to finish in a few months adult image upload [/url] imageupload adult photo sharing

damn! ... gangsta

Me too. This place as taught me a lot. I have a much better appreciation of the style and that there are not coloring book tattoos. I love the butterflies and moths. Thanks for the list of other artists to look at, @cltattooing. All of them are pretty darn good, but I really like Aidan Monahan's stuff.

Traditional and Japanese are hands down my favorite styles of tattooing. A really interesting thing is happening in the development of traditional tattoos right now, where artists are keeping in tradition with the technique and tools of prior generations but really branching out in subject matter, concept, and style. For instance, look at the work of James McKenna, Aidan Monahan, or Slawomir Nietschke. All of whom keep with the bold line, heavy black, saturated color, negative space ratios, and dynamic designs, while exploring very interesting and wacky themes. Or even the less weird but still very advanced and finessed work of artists like Herb Aeurbach, Paul Dobleman, or Gordon Combs. It's a super cool and exciting thing to be happening within a particular school of thought and is what makes the style most interesting to me. It seems to me that the general populace prefers realism or new school tattoos, or even the more painterly stuff. If that's your preference, I don't really care, but I do attribute it largely to ignorance and a magpie effect.

I think certain things look good with my tattoos and certain things don't, but it's not hard to coordinate since most of my wardrobe is black & gray. I tend to like the way a black tank top looks with my tattoos...so I have lots of different black tank tops!

meh - why not?! last jar by jamie sawyer immortal ink clinton nj

The winner of Tattoo of the month April 2015 is @heathenist with this killer piece by Matt Arriola! Congrats!! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.

I speak from no position of expertise or authority, but I definitely have a preference for traditional. There's something about the boldness and staying power in not only the imagery, but also the application. That being said, I feel like there's also a versatility where even the most familiar of designs can be reimagined and transformed into something unique that still holds up over time. I guess what it really comes down to for me can be summed up by a sentiment I've seen regularly repeated on this forum: I like tattoos that look like tattoos.

Seems to me that when we talk about directions trad tattooing can go in it's worth bearing in mind the distinction between form and content. The form of trad tattooing is all the stuff that leads people to say "bold will hold". The sticker quality, readability, outline, use of black, bold colours etc. But that has no necessary connection to the content. You could use the form to illustrate anything, and people do... So we have espresso shots... Skeletor... Wrestling holds... But there's a reason panthers, Eagles and whatnots have such a long track record. They're archetypical images full of emotion and strength. A hipster gentleman riding an old timey bike, done in a traditional style, will almost certainly date. But a swooping eagle? Or a crying baby head. They won't go out of date anytime soon. The question then becomes whether there's a better way to organise / draw that swooping eagle, or how you make it different.

Well guys, things are officially over. Thanks for the advice. Hopefully things will get better

I don't want to upload photos yet because my half-sleeve is still very much in progress.... BUT...... I am (read... my artist is) really going out on a limb and mixing styles. I'm getting a half sleeve on my right upper arm for my boys (1 biological and 1 step son). It's a feminine, soft trash polka style mixed with some soft watercolor-y realism. So far so good - I've really composed this whole piece myself and I'm pretty proud of what I brought to the table. OF COURSE my artist is taking my ideas and making them beautiful. Will post pics and give credit when it's done. Thanks for reading. :o

It's your tattoo, who cares who likes it. I agree, it looks fine to me. We all age, as does the art. I find it better to embrace our aging selves. If your lucky they will fade and blurr into nothing. A good sign of a life well lived. :)

So, I had my second sitting yesterday. 4 solid hours. Sigh, I sat my butt firmly and didnt say a word, Untill the hot towel and I admit I may have squealed like a little pig. :0 But it's done. This session was rough but that's the name of the game. I am thinking I may have been a bit overly zealous picking out my design. It's looking like I need 25+ more hours to complete it. BUT seeing the ever so small progress, about a 3 inch band is now shaded and colored around my forearm....I nearly cried. It's about the most beautiful thing Ive ever seen. I L.O.V.E my artists and he has been so wonderful to Hubby and I.(who is getting a back piece done by him) He is strictly a dry heal artists so I am following his directions to the "T" I will post healing progress. So far so good.

Hey! I finally won one of these! I've been in the running a lot so I'm pretty excited to have finally won. Though I feel a little bad considering all the great tattoos that were posted this month. Thanks everyone (but mostly Matt Arrriola). I always tell people that it's impossible for me to pick my favorite tattoo or what I think is my best tattoo, but I'm pretty sure this is definitely my coolest tattoo. @hogg that's awesome! What did you get from him?

traditional meets weird meets loose = awesomeness def where my interests are headed

Best advice. Block her from social media, delete her number. Not to be nasty, so you can get to the point of not having her on your mind, driving you crazy 24/7. Work on that emotional strength....and one day, you'll find yourself at a time not thinking about her when you normally would. That's when you know you're progressing... then it just gets easier. When a woman needs space, for whatever is driving it, whether we like it or not, we just gotta take a breath and give it to them. And if all that fails?, follow @ Rad Kelham's advice. Pearler! :)

Realising that I like colouring so much more than line work edit: I take it back. Please put me out of my misery.

Here's my kitsune. Done by Casey O'Leary at Anchor Ink in SLC, UT

Daaaammnn son, you did pretty good on that trip to NY, didn't you?! Looks great!

Asking for relationship advice on a tattoo forum...of course the answer will be GET A NEW TATTOO ! If you are hopeful that it is truly "a break" - then hang on bro but watch out because the heart bruises easily. I would be cautious, because what may happen is you wait around and put your life on hold only to find out she's already moved on. So just like a tattoo, make a decision to what YOU want and commit to it. On a side note, best advice I received from my buds...go bang some other people :p But be true to yourself and spirit, stay pure good luck

hey man, first off i feel for you and things will get better. day by day, it may be up and down, but overall hang in there. And by "hang in there", i mean don't hang onto her. If/when your girlfriend wants to "talk", IMO its best to tell her you've moved on and don't want any false hope from a girl who after 3 years decided to end things. no matter how hard it is, the worst thing is to drag something painful on. Hope there was some closure, where you and her bother were able to tell each other exactly what you feel. if things get really hard for you, its a great idea to talk to someone about it. friends/family too if you've got some good ones. also, i found writing out your thoughts/fears/anger just to vent, really helps. i would hesitate with having any contact with her. its not worth it! get rid of everything that reminds you of her. that helps. Take it at your own pace, but go out and distract yourself. reconnect with old friends, immerse yourself in hobbies, work, and work on yourself. best of luck man one love

^ Damn, that rose is gorgeous.

@tacifone break ups suuuuuuck! sorry you're having to go through it right now. finding a hobby to immerse yourself in to keep your hands and mind busy is a great help. A strong support network is a plus, too. Good luck man!

@beez aah sorry! By Carolyn LeBourgeois (me) at FTW Tattoo Parlor in Oakland, California. On my friend Kiki :)

There is a tattoo convention in Edmonton, AB this weekend. I wasn't planning on going because I've already got a big project in progress, that is my focus and most real estate is reserved. Also, the Edmonton convention seems to be mostly cup cake and tea cup tattoo artists from the local shops, not really my thing and not a lot of tattooers that impress me. Oh! Jime Litwalk will be there (yawn). But then I see Matt Gone (checkerboard bodysuit) is hosting. I think it would be fun to get some pics with him because I've been following his progress for years. Danny Trejo is the celebrity guest but I'm not paying him $50 to get my photo taken with him. So I think me and my wife are gonna go check it out, see the trashiest and most interesting tattoos in town, maybe enter our matching Chris David eagle tattoos into the best traditional tattoo contest. I think it will be funny too if I show up to the best small colour contest in my underwear with tattoo bodysuit and enter my silver dollar sized mantis lol. My buddy is also planning on going, he's got a Paul Jeffries back/arms/chest plates so I'm expecting him to lay a whooping on the best large colour. No backpiece contest though, but trad, script, realism, sleeve all have their categories...bizarre Also there are a few tattooers I'd be into watching work...Danny Gordey, Seve, Miles Kanne (catch up and show him how tattoos he did on me 7 and 10 years ago have aged!), Stace aka Water Street Phantom, BJ Betts. Hopefully I will see "Snake Man" this old cat in town who always struts around shirt-off in the summer, covered in old school snake tattoos. Maybe there will be some unknown cat there that will catch my eye, maybe an opportunity to get a small tattoo, who knows stranger things have happened! I think it will be fun to walk around with my shirt off and have candid conversations with tattoo lovers. I've only been to 1 tattoo convention...it was in 2005 years ago and I won best large B&G for my Escher dragon. Maybe I enter that tattoo again now that it is 10 years old!

Matt Dinovo- Black Squirrel Tattoo, Omaha, Nebraska - - - Updated - - - I can't seem to post the right picture of this tattoo. The full picture is in my profile. Thanks for looking.

Derek Noble t-rex. Dark Age Tattoo. Couple more sessions to go. Neither traditional nor Japanese so nobody is going to like it -apologies.

I guess this isn't totally a ladies issue, technically speaking, but: Have your wardrobes changed a little since you started getting visible tattoos, for those who have? I'm going to my first really formal function since I started my arm -- a friend's wedding, cocktail attire -- and it was funny to me, trying stuff on in my closet, how fussy I've gotten about patterns and colors. I still wear all kinds of colors when I dress casually, but now I'm preoccupied with making my tattoos look good! Thank god for little black dresses.

@CultExciter, it's a Big Move spring! Been up in Portland Maine working for the last three weeks while the wife wraps up things in NYC and we do the big move Thursday-Friday. Walked away from a great job (and job offer..) and tons of great people -- but also walked away from a city we're simply not willing to simply survive in anymore for more reasons I care to list. Don't know if it's the right move, but I was giggling by myself in the car when I shot outta there three weeks ago.. Had an unbelievable send-off on my last shift. Doing my best to look ahead!

DOne by Tony Hundahl at Oklahoma tattoo convention. Had a blast all weekend drawn on one shot

@CultExciter Super good plans, both of them! Wish you all the luck man! My stuff: - Moved in with my girlfriend three weeks ago. Beautiful roomy apartment in the city. First time in my life that I don't live in the suburbs. Even though I really loved living with my four friends in the commune house this feels very exciting and like a new stage to live life from. - Moved out of the commune house but still rent a corner in there as a workshop/painting space. Just painted the walls and started arranging it. It's going to be awesome to have a space like that to really focus. - Started a eight week meditation course two weeks ago. Exciting and interesting so far. Don't think I ever sat down for any extent of time and tried to "clear my head" before. After 27 years of constant input/output, except for sleep, it's fascinating and also very hard. - Got back to spending more time and effort in the kitchen again. In love with cooking vegan food, so much to learn and try out! - Somehow got over my strong fear of interpersonal conflicts. Or, at least I can act the way I want and not choke up or suppress my opinions. It feels really good to be able to be honest with my feelings and opinions, instead of "being easy going" in fear of creating a heated argument. Conflicts are just obstacles to get beyond, it's not dangerous.

My son is almost three and he's very interested in my tattoos. He asks me what they are all the time and they've allowed me to teach him words like "cheetah," "eagle," "oni," "panther," and "snake."