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Second session with Chad Koeplinger! Done at the Grim Reaper Tattoo Shop in Roma! Great Shop, great guys!

My friend Céline Aieta interviewed me about collecting tattoos and my photography project tied to that, when we both got tattooed by Guy Le Tatooer in Toulouse this March. She is running the new, all year 'round-blog for the Paris convention, Mondial Du Tatouage. Have a look: Joakim Mathiasson – Le tatouage intégral | Le Blog du Mondial du Tatouage It's all in french, but try google translate and it converts it to english pretty well. Was fun to be a part of this!

Coloured in today. Looks awesome.

I'm in. Let's all go get some more.

Got my second session in on this free hand piece by London Reese at The Vatican Studios in Lake Forest,CA First was done in 4 hrs Second was done after 6 hrs good times! but next appointment isnt for several months unfortunately. anyways, thanks for looking! -Joey

We bought a deep fryer last week. I'm generating new space by the day!

I don't want to flog a dead horse, but Jennifer Billig put up some pretty cool pictures a couple weeks ago. This is just a tiny picture on a computer screen but I'm in awe of how durable a good tattoo is, and how skilled a good tattooer is. If it hits me in the gut the style doesn't really matter to me. Yay tattoos!!! This makes me want to go get more right away.

Just popping in to remind everyone not to feed the trolls. Rad was a bummer, but I think a lot of us knew that he was trolling. LST is a great place--let's keep it that way. Please don't sink to a troll's level of discourse.

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 was afraid that I would be done with tattoos once I started the Humira. But like you said, I can catch a cold at the drop of a hat. I do feel like tattoos have helped me come back into my body though, like the other posters have said. Which is something that a person without them (or a serious medical condition) just can't understand, it seems.

A cheese grater takes much less space in the cabinet.

This thread is packed with a lot of good stories, ideas and shared experiences. People who consider getting any type of coverage should spend some time reading it before making the decision. A lot of this stuff you don't notice or know about until you are one of the freaks yourself. (Too late for most of us on here anyway.. haha) Thank you @UglyButProud for sharing your stories and struggles. Was a good read, gave both toughts and inspiration!

This right here. I followed Hurtado on Instagram some time back, and like you was originally blown away by the technical application. But after a while -- you nailed it -- I just thought, if I wanted to see an ultra realistic depiction of Darth Vader, then why not just look at a photo of Darth Vader? Why even bother with a tattoo if there's zero artistic interpretation to it?

@marley mission holly shit balls! Dude dry heal for a day and now is pealing like crazy! Thanks!!!!

I've been reading Eric Larson's new book about the sinking of the Lusitania during WWI. As usual, Larson is wonderful at telling a grand story. Its called Dead Wake. - - - Updated - - - Big fans of all the Deloria's here. Have you read Thomas King's "An Inconvenient Indian"? I'm going to have to read that Means' autobiography too.

I'm getting my elbow done by Chad Koeplinger in two weeks! I'm pretty set om a panther/rose morph thing. But still playing with different ideas!

Matt Arriola pantherized my last big spot yesterday at Spotlight. He couldn't quite get it to fit, so he decided to add flames. Always a good call. I have some inner thigh/tenderloin spots and a few tiny spaces on my legs, but if I said "I'm done" now, I don't think anyone would fault me. But we all know that I'm not done.

@steve1461686340 Best admin ever!

yep - I'm applying some security patches.

I was going to say an steam Iron but I think cheese grater is indeed the smallest so far. :)

tell us more about otter fighting :)

I went to Tokyo Disney and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt... [emoji14] When I went through the ticket area I was getting some pained looks but I (honestly) didn't realise until later in the day, when I saw a sign, that tattoos were to be covered. I guess they were irritated but for some reason said nothing (I think even Japanese employees look the other way if it's too much hassle / embarrassment sometimes). Had I known I would have covered up, if it's the rules then it's the rules...

+1 This.

Just a head's up, there are a bunch of work-appropriate (unless your workplace is very formal) cap-sleeve dresses at Uniqlo right now. (No white leggings, though...guess everyone else had the same summer leg-covering idea.) As for the Megan Jean Morris tattoo above, not my style at all but who really cares. It seems to imply rape to me, though the other one with the air vent reminds me of tentacle hentai. Insert long and tedious conversation about fantasy and BDSM and feminism here.

just posting this to be helpful not to be the forum police... from the Forum Rules : "Signatures: You are welcome to link to your own quality/original content TATTOO RELATED website/blog in your signature, but please add a link to Get Good Tattoos | Last Sparrow Tattoo on your site in a clearly visible location first. We will look at your site and moderate your posts if we can't find a link to LST -here is the code if you need it. *Note: We do not permit links to sites that sell tattoo products in your signature, or that go against the LST mission statement in general. Our moderators will be the judge, but 'cheap tattoo kits' are not a good thing. Also, we're not here to send traffic to your generic ad riddled landing page so don't bother."

You are correct! In the bottom right of the homepage, there's a yellow "Donate" button, if you're so inclined.

No, that's "Site supporter" (donating to LST). "Contributor" is a title you earn after a certain amount of posts I believe.

cool too see that when people notice your tattoos, they show theirs even they're in the bank world.

Sorry I'm not sure how to link to it from my phone, but there's a thread called " what makes a good tattoo" if you do a search for that, you should find tons of good information in there for you. As a general rule, tattoos with good use of black will age better. But you'll find a much better explanation of that in the thread I mentioned. Sorry this is such a half assed reply, I'm in desperate need of some sleep! Edit: nevermind, I didn't even realize that @TrixieFaux had already got this covered in another thread.

I completely disagree. A common misconception is a fresh tattoo, right after the machine gets set down, is when a tattoo looks it's best. Truly, a tattoo looks better as it has aged and the ink particles have settled into the skin and smoothed out. It is a big part of tattoo composition to understand how to design the lines, use negative space and contrast to make a tattoo readable for many years to come. If a tattoo image has deteriorated only after a couple of years, it was not designed or applied properly. My $0.02 - - - Updated - - - haha @Graeme beat me to the punch!

I could not disagree more with this. I was talking with one guy who tattooed me about this kind of thing and he said that he doesn't consider a fresh tattoo to even be a tattoo yet. It needs to heal and settle in before it is really a tattoo. I completely agree with him. I'd also say that a tattoo that doesn't look better settled in and with some life on it is a crappy tattoo.

A busy tattoo week in my household. I got tattooed by Glennie at The Pearl, tomorrow @eldolmago and me are getting tattooed by Nikki Balls, and then on Sunday we head over to The Okey Doke to get tattoos by Franz Stefanik (me) and Alex Snelgrove (Erin). Hooray for weeks like this.

...oh...Steve just got back from hanging with Roper and Shad in AZ. So I went home yesterday with some fresh tattoo on the back AND limited prints from both Roper and Shad. Man, best weekend ever.

Just posted two quick pics up on my gallery. My backpiece is finished but the ribs need another hour or so to finish the detailing.

@hogg @Iwar @gougetheeyes can we ban this embarassment yet? Sorry if I'm out of line for asking this but holy fuck

This was done by Charley at True Blue in ATX. This is absolutely the cleanest linework I have on myself and I am so stoked/humbled/honored by this tattoo. I apologize for the glare. Great Grandpa and Great Great Uncle were Azorean whalers that settled in New England shortly before the whaling bust. Great Grandpa turned to working in a rubber factory until he could start his own floral business in bristol RI, Great great uncle went from whaling to building fishing schooners and racing yachts with Hereshoff.

I have nothing important to contribute. I like all of you guys. Even when we don't get along.

I saw this on Instagram, it's on user tfjesse1046. Sailor Jerry put this on him in 1967. Readable and strong as fuck almost 50 years in.

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?

Continued....(I promise this will be the last installment) So the wife is obviously feeling pressure from her social and career circles to be something she isn't. Like I mentioned earlier, I've been flying the middle finger at "normal" society for so long, it's almost cliché. Her and I have a pretty long history together at this point so I may not get a pat on the back and the "I'm proud you have so MANY tattoos", but I at least still feel, she's got my back. My kids are shaken by it but they have so many other friends in and outside of school, the sting only last temporarily. Just from the sheer osmosis of seeing their parents be proud to be who they are ( I assume), they quickly adopt the "I don't have time for people that don't like me " credo. I'm proud they're our kids and think this will pass and give them good fundamentals about real life. My wife seems to get over it too, but in a more therapeutic, cry with your friends type of way. We talk about it and she agrees that "some people just suck" regardless of the reason they chose to take it out on you..... Even though we come to an agreement that tattoos weren't the root cause of all this dumb school crap, I tell her that I will be on my best "tattoo behavior" when the need arises, like her formal work events or anytime she thinks I should cover up. As I said earlier, the whole time we've been together, I haven't gotten tattooed or really expressed any burning desires to. There was casual mentions of eventually getting more work done, but nothing definite or planned. So out of nowhere I get the "have you ever thought of getting tattoos removed" question. In my mind, life has been going well and all the perceived craziness about tattoos causing social damage in my families life, is in the past. As I mentioned, I was pretty upset and hurt by the question. It wasn't like my tattoos were done by some lousy scratcher or in a Russian prison, my tattoos were well done, colorful, and with the exception of the "death before suck-ass" dagger, appropriate. My wife tried to explain all of the reasons that she thought it would be a good idea, most of which, had something to do with social situations. I always had an answer to her concerns... Q;What if there's a formal party? A: I'll wear a tuxedo and look more handsome than I already am! (jokingly) Q:what if we have to go to a summer party with my important clients? A: I'll wear white pants and a blazer (like Thurston Howell) Q: what if it's a swim party? A: I won't swim (tell them I can't), just stand back and watch. You get the idea...... I told my wife in no uncertain terms, I'm more likely to cut off my legs than get the tattoos removed. She didn't like the answer but knew she couldn't reasonably go any farther with it. She said she was sorry she felt this way, but truly loved me. I said "if you truly love me, you wouldn't feel this way and ask me something so absurd". I was really bummed that the women I had been through so much with, was acting like one of "them"!! I think she had a bit of a crisis over the whole thing, because I think she planned the outcome to end differently and I would just happily agree to remove solid, beautiful tattooing, on a large portion of my body. Thankfully, she talked/cried/drank it out with a group of her close friends that rationally told her she was insane for asking of me what she did. Even people in her own family talked her away from these unrealistic notions and told her how lucky she was to a not be married to a "social automaton" (her aunt said that). She told me " I came to my sense and realized I was way out of line" and thanked me for being a great husband and father, tattoos or not. I was still a little hurt but relieved I didn't have to chop off my legs or get a divorce. This brings us up to 8 months ago.... I decided that the time was right to get more work done. I was sparked by seeing a local artists hand painted flash (included in an art show) in the newspaper. I was nervous, but cautiously approached my wife with the idea. Her reaction was a stern "NO" followed by a short lecture about "haven't we already been through this?". I reminded her that I hadn't been tattooed in well over 18 years and we never specifically discussed this, just causal mentions. I reasoned with her that any tattoo I was going get would not really change anyone's perception of how covered I already was. My left wrist has a Seth Ciferri piece and left forearm is covered by a Dan Higgs piece. other than those, I really wanted to "finish my arm" I told my wife. I also told her this was a good opportunity to get the kids names tattooed on me, something I always wanted to do since they were born. She reluctantly agreed with the stern warning "no hands/face/feet". A week later I was getting tattooed again...... But, I've since expanded our agreement to get "just my arm" to include my chest/pecs and some minor fill-in stuff on my legs.... Ain't life grand:):):):):):):):):) - - - Updated - - - Thanks.. As I said "required" situations like school...jeezus, I would never willing put myself in close proximity with those jackals if it wasn't for the kids. Most of those awful parents have just resurrected their high school clique hierarchy (or lack of) to prove how important they really are. It seems to be quite prevalent in elementary where teachers ask for volunteers and parents spend every non-working moment helicoptering around their kids. luckily middle school teachers want none of this crap (my daughter is already there) an the closest you have to come to any of these stepford mothers, is in the drop off lane... don't get me started on kids sports! Glad to hear there are some "good ones" holding down rationality on this crazy world of elementary schools :) - - - Updated - - - thanks...damn straight, but I've known this all my life. It's just taken my wife a little longer to realize. I hope she doesn't have a change of heart because I gotten and plan on getting some pretty kick-ass work done. Didn't a women chop her husbands penis off as he slept....?

Hm...to be honest...all these people passing judgement so easily, I would not want to be on good terms with them anyway. What you are experiencing imho only filters the good people from the judgemental shallow assholes. So you don't need to waste your energy on them. More time for the good people. As far as a job goes, we all need money to survive, but how much do we really need to be happy? I used to work in a well paid job in Manhattan, but that wasn't my world and instead of selling my soul I now work a simpler job. Less money, more peace and happiness. Even without that many tattoos I have been sort of a loner all of my life. I guess I come across as a weirdo to people naturally...I really don't know. But my experience is the mainstream usually avoids me but if I do make friends in the right places (Goths, Metalheads, Medieval Reenactment), people absolutely love me. Quality friends over everyone liking you and the image you have.

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

Here's an update on my back piece from my last session with Fill Wood @ Black Crown Tattoo in Leeds. I'm getting close the end- maybe another 2 or 3 sessions to finish Hoichi's gown, the detail in the Biwa and a few other bits. Link- https://instagram.com/p/15lGppmzSi/

@mmikaoj sucks man hope you have a quicker recovery this time around

Done yesterday by Mr. Chad Kopelinger at Rock of Ages... In 1.5 hours... Someone needs to do a study on how he can tattoo so god damn fast. Really awesome experience all around. - - - Updated - - - Such a good tattoo. We both had a nice painful day yesterday.

I still can't get a handle on what a Hipster is. Maybe the generation gap lets me down. Are we talking motherfuckers who change their style depending what the current trend is? In Australia we have a simple term for them types. "Wankers".

Next LST shirt: 'Last Sparrow Tattoo: Get a panther' 'Come for the tattoos, stay for the panthers' 'Last Sparrow Tattoo: Panther heads R us' It's true though. Get a panther! Ahaha

I love how fuckin big it is as well. Not just a little 3x3 on the bum cheek or something; the whole fuckin inner forearm. Having such an obvious mark of stupidity can't be helping his love life much...

Some guy named @Scott Sylvia put a cobra over my elbow. It swelled up nicely: But healed perfectly: Every tattooer who sees it is amazed that he got that red in like that in one pass.