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Got a small filler from Grez yesterday.

Loving this mate :)! - - - Updated - - - Done by Ryan Evans :) Sorry for the craps photos, there is a video on my Facebook and instagram pages. 8.5 hours, puff adder with an ant on its nose tip, always loved that photo so thought I would get it done, still in progress :)

Went in yesterday, drove down to 39th St in KC. Hit Starbucks across the street since I'm about half an hour early. I'm sittin there, listening to some blues while I smoke and overcaffeinate, and Nathan walks up to the shop. "Boo!" he looks over, sees me and invites me in. After he gets a breakfast burrito and we both chew some gum, we get to work. Great dude, really - if any of you are ever in KC hit him up. We had to take a few breaks, including one where he accidentally knocked over his drink (another artist shouted "Your passion tea was too passionate!!"). We've probably got one more appointment left, and I can't wait!!

2 and a half more hours. Still didn't do the black in the tail lol. been FOR EHHH VEEERRR since being under the needle. Glad to get the time in. EDIT: sorry about my sideways pics

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

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

So... which subcultures and special interests did you enjoy as a kid/growing up? Do you believe that it paved the way for the passion you now have for tattooing? - If so, how? - Can you see similarities in the attitude, themes and aesthetics of those subcultures in the type of tattoos you like now? --- The reason I thought of this is because over the past couple days I had a major trip down memory lane and revisited some of my favorite stories and art pieces tied to the Warhammer 40k table top game. I used to be obsessed with the game and the whole universe, lore and backstory from about when I was 11 to probably 15. Short but intense. I didn't really play all that much since only one of my friends cared enough to start collecting and painting with me. Ah, those days. A lot of time spent in our boy rooms, listening to the radio, talking shit and having our eyes transfixed on various pieces of plastic. I actually think that Warhammer 40k was why I learned English so well early on. I read those thick books through and through. I also had a brief romance with the Warhammer Fantasty spin off game Mordheim which was super cool in my world. From the art of the game, I remember specifically laying on the floor while my parents watched television, drawing copies of the art in the rulebooks. That art was really captivating, wish I could see it again and also my probably not as fantastic copies. That's when I started to learn how to draw, and to have the patience for it. It was also the first sci-fi and fantasty themed stories I became interested in. Along with the world of Tolkien it's the only fictional universes that I cared about, and still have fond feelings for. I can easily see how the themes of the WH40k universe with all the grim dark, death, war, aliens, crazy demons and space stuff, religion and different ideologies sparked my imagination and interest for the same themes in other artwork AND in the history, religions and sociologial stuff in our own world. For those who can relate and want to do some reminiscing I can recommend these two starting points: Vaults of Terra on Youtube - Lots of listening material compiled about the lore of WH40k WH40k first generation art work gallery, 113 pieces When I came into the hobby it was second generation so I had never seen these until today, really cool When I came out of the Warhammer 40k craze I discovered music, especially punk and rap. So that shaped me a lot. Both when it comes to style and themes of the lyrics, and political ideas. I also started skateboarding around that same time. I started sketching graffiti pieces in all my school books, but didn't take it to the streets. Some years later I started to read comic books and going to hardcore punk shows. I don't really know when I started to notice tattoos, it kind of snuck up on me around the time I was 21 and suddenly I had my first tattoo. I didn't know anything about it until then and hadn't been longing to get tattooed either. That came later. I do believe however that the visual styles of these subcultures, and the themes usually explored in them, has shaped me a lot when it comes to what I enjoy to look at and what moves me. I got into tattooing sort of by accident and I am really happy that I did. I love it now and it has also opened up the doors to many other things that I now enjoy and take interest in. To me it's really fascinating to think of all the lucky accidents and random contexts you find yourself in through life and how some of them sows seeds for who you become and what you care about much later. End of another long winded, somewhat coherent, original post. Talk about your experience or nerd out totally in some obscure interests I've never heard about before, it's your thread now.

it's 20 years old now,and not "epic",but I got this for my mom when she passed away . it was done by "Charlie",a very old school tattooer at the "World Famous Emporium of Tattoos" in Van Nuys california in 95. . mom and me sometime in 1960

Bumping this thread for mother's day.

Always wanted to stand out, rebel, or buck the system. As a youngster I tried to be a hippie in the 70's but my older cousin had to explain that the movement was "over." I was sorely disappointed. Teen years I discovered the punk scene (80s) and found my groove. There was a lot of dysfunction, sadness, misery, anger, substance abuse, etc. in that scene, which I didn't really have myself, but the music and lifestyle transformed me. So, so exciting and a wonderful outlet for frustration. Now, my kids see the old pics and there are documentaries and discussion about some of the bands and the culture in general, and my kids think it is SOOOO cool that I was a part of that (East Coast, DC scene) but I have to remind them of what brought most people into that life, and that was feeling alienated by their parents, school, the world, and that we lost a lot of friends to substance abuse, suicide and careless accidents due to the extreme marginal lifestyle. I consider myself lucky. (RIP D. Brockie)

Sooooo I can't feel the gluten toxins leaving my hipster body. Well now I'm just embarrassed. I have some outlines that are blue and I can tell you that while they have held up it isn't near the way my blacks have held up. I wish all my outlines were done in black

ya,you're right,I must have had a few too many that day.

I added a bit to my other arm with Nikki Balls the other day - will post pics when healed

Well first post so why not submit my tat. Done by Rocky Lasure at High Noon Tattoo. Still healing a bit.

Awesome filler. I have seen so many cool fillers, that I am stoked to get enough tattoos to get my own fillers. Is that weird?

Yes I'm very happy with how it came out. Amazing detail work

@xcom Yup, I sure hope I won't catch a cold any time soon!

Of the nose or nape piercing? I have a picture of the nose piercing on my phone. It doesn't hurt but with the septum flipped up and the other two nose studs it feels pretty busy and a little annoying atm.:eek:

MAY as well *wink wink* submit my progress. Color starting to be added to Odysseus and the Whirlpool calf sleeve. Third session. Done by Nathan Blankenship of Exile 2, KCMO.

Flo that is gonna be so crazy when all is said and done

finally a decent pic of my backpiece. It was really difficult. Even in this one the hands aren't shown at their best.

No, don't apologize. I assumed you were a native english speaker, or an American. Over here, there are a lot of people in the workout-super vegan-macrobiotic-hipster culture who will use the word when they're describing a load of baloney, i.e. "so glad I stopped eating gluten, I can feel the toxins leaving my body"etc. As far as purple, I just had some put in me, so hopefully there's no carcinogenic effects! In all reality, just go to a shop you like and see if there are other tattooed people around - ask them. They won't be as shut up about any adverse effects they've had, though I highly doubt you will have any issue with color. Artists thrive on giving people pieces that last a lifetime - not art that lasts a few days before melting them like the Ark of the Covenant. You mentioned solely color lines - my future brother in law's wife has a few of those, text done in pink, blue...they don't look good. Some of it may be the artist, some of it may be the placement (get a tattoo on your wrist and don't put sunscreen on it, it's gonna fade), but I really think you will have a much better tattoo if you surround it on both sides with black.

awesome thank you for sharing @mmikaoj

Yeah in a way I am thinking it can't be that bad if we don't see tattooed people dropping dead everywhere, but I would prefer companies would disclose the ingredients. Ancient ink was made with simpler ingredients as far as I know like pure ash, indigo or even with breastmilk (!!) :p It would be interesting to see how colored lines or font fade. If it simply turns lighter but doesn't look blotchy that is great. I was thinking of adding certain colored tattoos also to soften and break up the overall look, stick with a certain color theme of black, blue tones and maroon maybe...but that is just an idea of mine. Not sure it is realistic. - - - Updated - - - I apologize if toxin was the wrong term. I wanted to use a word that describes any harmful substance. In German that would be "Schadstoffe", so the word that first came to my mind was toxin, but I guess harmful substances would be more correct. I am thinking of substances that are foreign to the human body and cause a reaction...Not directly of course as in the tattoo will make you fatigued, I am talking about a reaction to a function in the body like the endocrine system for example, which in turn could cause other imbalances. Or carcinogenic substances that don't directly cause cancer, but speed up cell division and lead to an increase of cancerous cells (cells like this are normal to the body, but when they increase in number it can become a problem etc.) There was one site that spoke of heavy metals in tattoos...sadly not the music kind. But the body can detox from heavy metals, so hard to say if there is a longterm effect. I am interested in all this because I dealt with many chronic health issues the past years, plus cancer and it took me about 5 years to rid myself of all of it. So if anyone would tell me the color purple has a high concentration of carcinogenic substances (f.ex.) I might reconsider. In Germany tattoo colors were tested (though I can't find anything about dark blue, purple or maroon), and some brands were labeled as unsuitable. It seems though that German tattoo fans question these tests, because there seem to be no fool proof methods for accurately measuring levels of X. Very confusing... http://www.testberichte.de/kosmetik-und-pflege/3286/tattoofarben.html Please blame typos on my phone. I can't even see what I'm writing :/.

I've done Russian roulette style where I find an artist I like and the style I want, then I give him/ her my ideas and say I'd be happy with what you come up with. I'm setting up a traditional leg panther from a guy and told him I like what he does and feel free to do his thing. He is surprised by how hands off I am, and I feel like the tattoo will benefit from that. What if you wanted a traditional something and just told the guy I like eagles, roses and daggers and I'd be happy with a combination or any 1 you'd like to do. I have a list of images of love and it usually comes down to the one least in my brain ironically. I've been so focused on getting a badass namakubi that my next may just be that Japanese rooster I forgot all about

My nerdiness was school related. I got straight As, did Academic Bowl and Spanish Academic Bowl, and got a Golden Ticket out of my crappy home town. I was totally a nerdy red head with braces and glasses. :rolleyes: I still am, I guess. A nerdy red head with glasses and tattoos.

This is my plan for our family beach vacation in two weeks. I picked up a Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF 50, but it looks like white paint, so I'll just cover with a micro-fiber shirt and use the Coppertone when I mow and to protect my face and ears.

I played a lot of Magic The Gathering during my early teen years. Tons of cool fantasy art on those cards. 5th edition Serra Angels and Shivan Dragons were some of my favorite cards. I guess you could consider it my first art collection. So many memories of hanging out in a hobby shop on Saturdays playing Or trading with strangers.

I've always preferred the darker side of things (though I don't wear full time black). Goth subculture always appealed to me, even as kid and I was very desperately wishing I could do magic ^^. In the early 90's tattoos became interesting. I spent a fortune on temporary and henna tattoo designs as a teen. I was also liking piercings which were getting more popular at the time. At 11 I got into the occult, and then with 15 added metal to my musical taste. The last step to being who I am now was probably adding Medieval Reenactment as a hobby. And I guess you could say my tattoo choices reflect a little bit of everything for the most part, as do my piercings.

I collected and played 40k also. First of all, I think it had an exceptionally well-supported art department with some really talented artists and designers. They also had good writers and hence the burgeoning second business as a SF publishing house (Black Library) in addition to the gaming. I can't say that my teenage tabletop gaming led me into getting tattooed but it was definitely part of a lifelong love of SF / Fantasy. In terms of subcultures there was a slight cross over with martial arts. I was going to Japan when I was in college to train martial arts about once a year (we did nothing else when we were there, lived on instant ramen and vending machine beer). The headmaster of the school was friends with Horiyihshi III.

Thanks for all the help. A lot of great tips in this thread, I think the season one will play a huge part. Since I am thinking about gettin the tattoo this summer.

I factor in a few things: Season - How will it heal in which season, in summer I prefer less covered body parts over covered. Body Part - Favorite body parts come first Money/ Size - I would decide for the smaller tattoo if the bigger one breaks the bank when the appointment comes around. But that's just me, I'm a planner with such things.

Depends on your artists list schedule too!

If they are equally tempting just pick one and move on. If you know that you're getting all of them eventually then it doesn't really matter.

Here is my elbow from Josh Stephens at Hold it Down, about 2 years old. Also, just noticed the LST shirt I just got in the mail today laying behind me on the bed.

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.

nice article, i even read it in French! congrats

Very cool! Congratulations. Damn, that back piece is insane!

That was a really nice and thoughtful interview. Thanks for sharing it.

Just a suggestion. You should embed the google translate widget to the site for lazy people like me! LOL Awesome site!

Thank you. I'm not trying to replace my hairline or anything and it often looks like a scuba suit if you have your neck tattooed and into a full head. I don't care what other people do but that's not my chosen aesthetic. It's more about getting the important images than coverage for me. @Rad Kelham - - - Updated - - - In fact I gave Jeff Zuck more space to work with but he felt like this was the best approach for this particular image and I'm inclined to agree...vs stretching images or elements for the sake of coverage.

left Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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/

But he is banned... Btw, I know this forum is pretty liberal and you've been here way longer than me, but the language is a bit much...especially the "g" word. Not anything I personally take offense to, it just looks like a middle schooler who hasn't learned how to curse properly, and you might offend others on this forum...

So my Mom is 70, and we also have a rather complex relationship. However, she very nearly died on me two weeks ago, was in the ICU, and now she's still in hospital. I've been visiting nearly every day. Despite the complexity of our relationship, I realized how devastated I'd be if I lost her (my father passed away when I was 16). Now I am considering (if I survive my first tattoo) getting something for her - not a literal "Mom" tattoo, but maybe a hummingbird, her favourite bird. As an aside, she's been delirious for a while, and I'm so happy that her mental capacity is coming back. Yesterday she suggested that instead of getting a tattoo, I should commission the artist to draw me something nice on paper.

@sourpussoctopus Thomas utterly kills it with placement. He did the sleeve on my left arm and there are a lot of things that are really impressive about the tattoo, but the thing that I maybe enjoy most of all of it is how well it's placed and sits and moves. I think it's the tribal influence showing through.

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha. Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach. As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality. I hope this makes sense.

I hope to join the LST Big Cat Club in early November with a crawling jaguar on my left thigh from Jason Brooks. That'll probably be it for me through next year up to my wedding; I'm also in the process of trying to get together funds to open a store. I'll have to live vicariously through you guys for awhile ;)

I am having a Japanese style dragon done on my shoulder onto my chest. I'm having it done by Kore Flatmo. my first appointment is on Oct. 26. This is my first tattoo, and I can't wait.