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Another Jeff Zuck piece from the Roc City Tattoo Expo. Rad guy, Great tattooer.

Here ya go @chrisnoluck Getting a cramp in my leg trying to stare at this thing

Well, I think a good majority here are aware of these people. I love Aaron Cain, Pacheco and James Tex. Certainly not oblivious to it. I'm also certain that I don't have a tattoo machine tattooed on my hand, but I can recognize most on site. There isn't a Captain Big Nuts card to attain around here. I certainly am not interested in making anyone stay if they feel like they don't belong. Just know your audience. Period.

I'm not sure I understand your point here. Eddy Deutsche is a traditionally trained tattooer who had also branched out in subject and style but keeps within the technique. Also the credo isn't exactly "traditional is better" it's "bold will hold." I don't know. This thread has gotten kind of ridiculous. If you have a chip on your shoulder, don't engage other users in a negative or confrontational manner, go start a thread that promotes positive information and education on the tattooing that you like.

I just get the tattoos that you LST'ers tell me to get so I don't have to worry about all of this nonsense. Why put my brain through the trouble of thinking if you all will do it for me.

I think a lot of the users who comment that "this is not going to last" etc are actually commenting on the application of the tattoo, not just the style as a passing fad - just because you "appreciate the details" and "recognize good art" doesn't necessarily mean that the details are good or that the art itself is good. Many people here who don't like the styles you do are making technical comments on how the art will last and how it is applied. Of course, some people just dislike it, and that's okay too, but to say that people just don't look at the details or appreciate good art I think is not the case, based on what I've read on the forum over the past few years. I am also someone who loves traditional and japanese work - it's what I have on my body. I can definitely appreciate other styles, they're just not for me. @Rad Kelham ...dude...so much filip leu respect on here it makes me want to shout what the fucking fuck that you even wrote that!!!! You obviously have a lot of good tattoos and a lot of good tattoo knowledge, even if they aren't my favorite styles or subject matter - but you also assume we have a lot of ignorance about other styles simply because we don't talk about them as much (although if you use the search thread you will see a LOT of talk) or don't like them as much. I will echo @xcom in that I think the board is getting a lot more aggressive lately. (of course i did just make this post because i got so mad at some of the stuff i read, so I am certainly a part of this too).

Lots of mention of Filip Leu, Aaron Cain and others on here. There's even a guy with a Leu back piece hanging around. I don't really get why you'd come into this particular thread, which is clearly about traditional tattooing, and start ranting about people (supposedly) not recognising true greats of tattooing... If you think someone needs some love then why not be constructive and start a thread?

Filip Leu, who? Never heard of the guy. He some instagram phenom? Ha ha!

That's not what I said at all. You have a relationship and wide exposure to tattoos and I respect your tastes even if they're not my tastes. I just think that traditional tattoos are harder for the layman to appreciate because they're not as flashy.

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

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.

@beez, points taken. People love to say "that's not gonna last" with regard to newer styles of tattoos, and that traditional tattoos will last. Pardon me, but let's get real folks - that attitude is largely horse crap. Those old traditional tattoos on our parents and older, they mostly look like shit now. Have you seen any real sailor jerry tattoos now? Unrecognizable. All tattoos age and degrade. On the other hand, here is an Eddy Deutsche sleeve completed in 1989 which I photographed less than a year ago. This piece is over 25 years old at the time of the photo. Dude also had an OLDER Guy Aitchison sleeve on the other arm and it looked equally good. And I also agree that this place is pretty aggressive. I make some unpopular comments, but they are opinions on tattooing in general. In response I often get personal attacks, like my art is crap and I don't deserve a tattoo machine tattooed on my hand. Now that's just plain rude stuff.

I am sorry that you feel this way. I have seen several people say the same thing, and it really stinks that people are declining to post pictures of their tattoos because they think they will get yelled at, or because traditional is felt to be more popular here. (BTW - I have no traditional or Japanese tattoos). It may be because these styles are thought to have more longevity in terms of content and readability over time, so that gets more air time, and other styles get ripped apart because they are thought to age less well. Or even that people might think their tattoos aren't "top quality" and will be judged accordingly. Please post.

My opinion has definitely changed over time. I started with getting work by some of the new guys (back then) who were pushing the art to the next level. I loved the way it didn't look like all the "old guy" stuff that my grandfather and uncles had from their days in the military. I thought that the up and comers understood my generation and had a better grip on all of the newer art styles like lowbrow and graffiti. I couldn't imagine going into an old biker type shop, which is where I got my first professional tattoo, and trying to get one of those guys to tattoo a Robert Williams image on you? As I got more years under my belt (and tattoos), I really started to appreciate the imagery of all the traditional stuff. Even back in the mid 90's, I wanted traditional subject matter tattooed on me, but done by the new school guys with a modern take on it. Once all of the classic traditional guys started getting wider recognition with the releases of books full of old flash and the internet, I really got a good understanding of the history of it (as I'm sure a lot of other did too).My tastes evolved into liking/wanting straight traditional stuff, as I realized how powerful those images were. Even though these days I really wouldn't have any desire to get any abstract/painterly/realistic work done, I appreciate the hell out of it and am proud to wear that type of stuff. I really think the way abstract and traditional stuff share space together on my skin is pretty cool... Don't hate, APPRECIATE!!!!

I think I'll be joining a lot of you in sobriety, at least for a while. It turns out that drinking makes me pretty depressed these days, and it's time to figure out a better way of coping with shyness.

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.

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!

I don't think traditional tattoos necessarily inspire a 'fuck yeah, that's awesome' reaction in most people straight off the bat. A segment immediately - absolutely - and maybe more since they really came to fore as a genre in the past few years, but I think it's fair to say that most people (and a lot of collectors) are more readily able to recognise good tattooing when it comes in the form of accomplished japanese style, black and grey etc. It probably took me at least five years of collecting and looking at tattoos a lot before I started to "get" traditional (maybe I was a slow learner). Even then, it was even longer before I understood what was going on with some of the more folksy approaches to it. To me the thing about traditional tattoos is that although you could say that there is a flash lexicon there ready to use, the devil is in the subtle details. A Bert Krak crawling panther will be a very different beast, excuse the pun, to an Uncle Allen take on the same starting point. I love that aspect of it. Looking at stuff from particular artists and seeing where they've gone with it. You get the really whimsical and fun, like Jesse Gordon Jnr, you get the real traditionalists, like Tommy T. here in Dublin and people who are doing a really distinct personal folk style like Mario Desa (or at least, that's what I see there, apologies if I'm wrong :P ).

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.

Actually, I don't think anyone has. You are shitting on a pretty important part of the tattoo world (and a tradition that yes, people on this board love, for good reason!) with little to no interest in understanding it, which does not bode well for your supposed future career as a tattooer. You have been doing this for weeks, including insulting people's actual tattoos on here. Your attitude is both misinformed and rude. It is not stimulating any kind of worthwhile critique. Please just try to add to the discussion like a civilized human being. I am bummed that what was a positive and interesting thread turned into this shit show. I will say that when I first started getting tattooed, I didn't "get" traditional either. I didn't understand how beautiful its simplicity can be. Seeing the work of some amazing tattooers in person really opened my eyes (I had a real "a-ha!" moment the first time I saw Chad Koeplinger tattooing at the Montreal convention, when I still only had one tattoo). Now it's most of what I have. It is interesting how it takes a little bit of time and learning about tattoos to "get it", but I think the world of traditional is rich and diverse and like @cltattooing said, we are really lucky that there are some amazing folks out there right now doing cool things with this style.

Real talk...why are you being a dick? Either contribute to the conversation (dumb snarky videos aside) or go away. Some of us prefer traditional, you obviously don't, both are fine...this thread is supposed to be a celebration of traditional, so I don't know what you were expecting.

@Rad Kelham, these are the pics I love to see - tattoos with some age on them. It is difficult to find pics like this on the 'net, or it is for me. Most of the pics you find when researching are of brand new tats on very young, good-looking people. No offense to young, good-looking people, of course!

Just got work done by Charley at True Blue, Red River, in Austin. Let me tell you, I'd love to keep it a secret, but he deserves the props. Charley has been doing this a long long time. Knows just about any piece of American tattoo history you can care to bring up. He keeps a low profile, mostly catering to walk ins. He's JUST now working on a social media presence: https://instagram.com/charleymarquez I came in and after seeing pics of two of his American traditional hand pieces, I asked him for a traditional rose with a whaling harpoon. One of his comments was "for every hundred tattoos, I get to do one like yours." He smashed my idea out of the park, his execution was MIND blowing. And it was great to shoot the shit and talk tattoo history with someone else who has no filter. I apologize for the glare, very fresh.

Really? I've seen nothing but love for most of these dudes on here. Isn't there a whole thread on Filip Leu? I do hope you stick around though. Strong opinions and healthy debate are what keeps this place interesting.

Yea, ice cream and cookies is a way better vice anyways.

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.

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?

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.

@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!

i think something to keep in mind is that many factors impact how you heal and if you scab, etc so it might not be your care that influences this process i had same artist recently do a thigh and shoulder piece shoulder was thin peel done in a week thigh will be much longer for a full heal - more in the 6 week range i also have an artist i barely even peel at all anyway

I'll just put this here again. 26 years old.

Hairstyles and clothing styles change as do our preferences. Same with music, and you can always turn it off. I guess that is why tattoo style is so important to many people on here. Still, you can find just as much (or more) disagreement, solid entrenchment, and overall discourse on a forum about motorcycle paint jobs. People will not have the distinct attachment however that this is permanent art on their body. There will always be those who appreciate and even love all of it, just as there will always be those that have particular styles that they love and can do without the rest. I'm glad that there are not sub-forums for the different styles. The underlying process of artist search and selection, booking, preparation, getting tattooed, healing and maintenance is pretty much the same. I'm thankful for the generous sharing of those aspects here, and just try to observe the rest. I'm trying to learn to appreciate ALL of the styles (comic book walking dead is quite a stretch for me) represented here. - - - Updated - - - Try @livedintattoos on Instagram.

@Rad Kelham googly eyes at that eddy deutsche sleeve! thx for sharing! I love seeing older work like that. do you have a pic of Guy sleeve as well? @Iwar from here runs @LivedInTattoos on instagram, cool pics of older tattoos.

I love this! I feel the same way. As I get more tattoos I realize that it is almost like getting something BACK that I lost rather than getting something new.

hahaha so cute!

@beez, I hear you.

I can appreciate many different forms and styles of tattooing, for me I am a huge fan of Neo-Traditional tattoos and is what most of my work is done in. I like traditional american/ Japanese tattoos, but for me, they just don't 'float my boat' aesthetically. The imagery is fantastic though. I can appreciate the work put into these designs, the process of how it is applied, the craftsmanship. I love tattoos and can't even begin to explain the plethora of information this site has taught me over these last few years. I can confidently say I understand the sites' (for lack of a better word) obsession with traditional american and Japanese style of tattooing. Its all going back to tattooing's flourish and roots of what can stand the test of time, its what has been proven to work. But as with every form of (for lack of a better word again) 'art' there needs to be an evolution for it to survive in a way. Just like in nature, evolution needs to be small and subtle, yet changed enough to not go extinct. Such as, grime's work when he was starting to get major recognition. It was similar to a lot of styles out there but had a twist that was recognizable and worked well, well enough for people to copy his twang. As grime was just an example to how tattooing can change into something the general populace will know almost nothing about, most only look at whats 'hot' right now. All in all tattooing is something that to me has no certain look, shape, or form; since it has been practice for thousands and thousands of years. Thanks for listening to my opinion on the matter, I'm sure some of you will have different perspectives that you can share and enlighten me/ us on this hobby we all share, Thanks!

@hfs40000 so good! Jeff is the best dude

For a while I was very interested in the above myself, just because it looks so good in pictures and in person, when the tattoos are young. Who wouldn't want a Rembrandt on their back?! Pretty! However, I have now come to prefer the traditional style for the suitability and longevity on the human skin. As I have seen my own tattoos age over a decade and more I can see why traditional techniques/styles stand the test of time. My next tattoos are not going to be necessarily traditional subject matter, but done in a traditional style.

What grade you in? Sounds to me like a spammer trying to collect info.

Bobbit.

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

ok then...Session #7 on my back just got locked in for Monday! Starting colour and pattern details hooray

Yeah...i'm suddenly reminded why I haven't been on here in a long time. Have at it, kids.

One thing I've learned at LST, if you aren't sure whether you should ask a question about the industry insofar as how to break into it, buying inks/machines/etc, or any other hair-brained questions that can be thunk up: just don't. Think before you ask, if it revolves around the industry, if you wouldn't ask your tattooer and be met with a reasonable response, you don't ask it here. Period. Don't be a smart ass, or think you're trying to shake things up and break the mold, or turn into a lawyer who minces words and parries with semantics. I am here because I want to share with others my love of getting tattooed, and talk about the history and culture of it. I'm NOT here because I want to talk about how to acquire the tools of the trade without actually being in the trade. It isn't my business to do so, nor do I think it is anyone's who is not a tattooer.

@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.

New to me 2001 1200 XLH.

Electric Tattoos & Misc. Artwork (Hand/neck/finger/face tattoos and why I won't do them on you.)