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got my neck done by chris conn - - - Updated - - - also started my back with bryan burk

Eagle battling a snake by none other than Chad Koeplinger, finished in 3 sessions, outline in Denver, shading and color in Austin. Sorry about the glare in the photo, my apartment has the worst lighting of all time.

D'aww. Come on over and get some tattoos! :) Edit: Oh hey, @cltattooing put up a picture of what we got up to today.

Finished my minogame, Gemma Pariente - Full Circle Tattoo.

My just completed full back piece based on the tale of Mimi Nashi Hoichi by Fil Wood at Black Crown Tattoo in Leeds For those who would like to know more of the tale please look here The Story Of Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi And you can check out Fil Wood's work here https://instagram.com/fil_wood/

Had my final session with Fil Wood @ Black Crown Tattoo in Leeds and I'm totally drained. Check him out at https://instagram.com/fil_wood/ I'll post more pics in the future once it's healed and touch up have been done, but for now I'm done and ready to jump in a bathtub full of bep

The winner of Tattoo of the month May 2015 is @Scott R with this bad ass Tony Hundahl tattoo. Congrats!! Since @Scott R has won Tattoo of the Month once before, the LST shirt will be awarded @cltattooing who came in second. Congrats!! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.

hilarious! and original! no one has ever made that joke before!

Almost done!!! 1 more session needed for grey wash background. By Mark Duhan, Skin Deep Ink in New Milford, CT (hummingbird was already there) Back of the arm is swelled up pretty good. This is all about my boys. The flowers are for their birth month. Artist did an awesome job of rolling with my idea for a watercolor/ feminine polka trash colorful mish mash!

What, no books made out of real human skin?

I was at a wedding too last week, and a grown man, who managed to reach 35 years of age, with a family, asked me if I was working on my backpiece myself. From neck to knees. Full backpiece. Was I tattooing it on myself. I just told him I wasn't flexible enough to do that and left forever.

It looks that way, though I'm still not keen on getting my arms covered. Other than my partner, hardly anyone knows I'm tattooed, and I like that. Well, people on here know, but no one on here knows me in person so it doesn't count ;) It's not that I'm embarrassed by my tattoo, I just don't like people knowing everything about me.

I get the same comments about the leaves on my arm. I have a Japanese maple in my yard. It's handy when the family comes over and starts making comments about my tattoo. If the debate ever gets technical I can just pluck a leaf off for comparison. I'm waiting for my weed enthusiast sister to bring over a pot plant as a counterpoint. In general though I'll just give the general public who comment a chuckle and let them think I am a stoner.

does that page have a butt crack?

I just used this stuff again on 2 more pieces and I'm still pretty in love with it. I had my inner bicep, from elbow to arm pit done. I made sure to have the scraggly hair in/around my arm pit shaved. Placed the -derm partially into my arm pit and around the area where my upper bicep meets my arm pit. The stuff is so flexible, it didn't inhibit any movement and was super comfy. I also had the outside lower leg/ankle area done and same thing, -derm placed on my foot/ankle ditch with no problems. ...again super flexible. My method was similar to @Dan except for step 2, I used a small amount of auqaphor. The coolest thing about the -derm for me is, it greatly desenitizes the areas it covers. Instead of having that freshly injured, raw nerve feeling, it makes it feel dull and easy to deal with. I've never been able to sleep directly on a fresh tattoo for 3-4 days until I tried this stuff. The only small downside I've experienced with the -derm is taking it off. Patience is the key here and it has to be done S L O W L Y. I can't stress that enough!! If it's applied to a spot that you can't easily reach, you'll need some to help you. The 4 times I used it, it was removed to reveal an almost healed tattoo with ZERO scabs. The latest 2 (inner bicep/ ankle) didn't even peel. Most people I know who have/get tattoos are astonished how -derm healed work looks after 4-6 days...like "WOAH..you just got that?"

I put both my sleeves on my arms! My artist said that was the best place for them. :-)

He would probably have been just as creepy whether you were tattooed or not. Creeps gonna creep.

...I can't believe this thread has been dormant for 6 months. Last night we went to a wedding. I wore a little black dress with thin straps so the top third of my backpiece showed. I had my hair up. Overall, I got positive reviews or no comments - it was very cool. However, "Jackass" (as he was come to be called), came up to me at the bar. Picture 60 y/o paunch, light pink button-down, partially untucked - all the guys were all still wearing suit jackets. Partially in the bottle. So he is chatting me up and then sees my tattoo. Him: Wow, I just saw your art. It seems like the entire back is a "new thing." The first time I saw one was when we took our son to a dude ranch in Texas and a girl had one. It was quite alluring. Me: ::eesh:: Him: So this was probably more than one session? Me: Yes, it was two. (Actually, it was 20). Him: So, how is your Hepatitis C? Is it under control? Me: Excuse me? Him: You know, your Hep C. And your Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B? Me (deadpanned): Everything is under control. Him: You know, I ask, because you had more than one session, so there was more than one needle. So you have to keep it under control. Me, (skeeved out and walking away): It's fine. So I tell my friends, and we all get weirded out. Shudders. So anyway, later in the night, I want to go back to the bar and get a drink for me and the Hubs. But Jackass is there talking with another guy I don't know. But I go up anyway and talk straight to the bartender and order. Him to buddy: There are a lot of women in those same little black dresses. They must all shop at the same store. Me: ::Stars straight ahead:: Him (announcing into the air): Well, I guess no one heard that. Me (walking away with my drinks): I'm sorry, it must be my Hepatitis C showing. Him: Excuse me? Me: IT MUST BE MY HEP C SHOWING. Him (huffed up and offended): I was just being concerned. ?!? Super shudders. Eeeeesh. One of my girlfriends said I should have rubbed my arm over his and "gotten my Hep C all over him." But I was too skeeved out to even consider touching him. I hate people who play these little word power games. I have to come up with a few more standard answers to assholes. Happily, I did get the chance to smack him back down.

Second sitting with Alex Binnie at Into You. Mainly on my backside, but also lower back, and some further up. This sitting was probably about 3 hours of tattooing, bringing the total tattooing time for the two sittings to around 6-7 hours.

I just had an apple turnover and a chocolate milkshake. It was glorious. But I'm lactose intolerant, so I may be posting an update in the "Post shitty things you have been doing recently" thread LOL.

Session #8 ...a respectable 2.5hrs (27.5hrs total...what the seriously?). I was a bit anxious about this session. It was the first session that deviated from our regular routine (Mondays @12pm, take the day off work, wake up early, workout/train/stretch, eat big-large, pack my thermos and meal). I worked a really intense half day at my day job in engineering. Slammed a coffee, ate a sandwich, arrived at 3pm and ate a bunch of rice and beets. Steve took some time to draw-on the dragon into the monk robe directly. Dragon was quickly outlined. Coloured in with gold and yellow. The robe was coloured in with a dark cherry red. I made it through a heavy 2.5hrs on the spine, shoulder blades and bbq-back-ribs. Damn, my right side hurts more than the left! We were both happy to call it for the day. I'm still bruised from the section below 2 weeks ago too... I'm feeling very connected to the details of this piece. The symbolism of the good luck dragon in the robe - I've been part of my kung fu school's dragon team for the last 10 years. Before Sifu passed, he reminded me that the Dragon is the signature form of his kung fu school and to keep his legacy going. It is with great honour that I carry the image and power of the Shaolin monk on my back. And as I was getting this work done, I drew strength from some of my junior kung fu brothers and sisters who are presently over in China training at Shao Lin. We came close to busting the needle bar at the end of the sitting, joking about my iron shirt technique haha. No seriously though, you could hear a nasally phase shift in the sound of the machine response, sounded like a jews harp! I'm back at it in early-June for Session #9 ...likely the final session in which Steve will tackle the robe trim details and skin tones and eyes on the monk. Then it's time to relax and enjoy what is looking like a busy exciting summer for me. Go lake swimming, camping and burn my shirt in any fire pit that crosses my path haha. Steve and I will regroup in the fall after the ink has settled in for touchups and we will hit ALL the black again to really saturate the shit out of it. Then the real fun begins...filling the remaining small openings in my suit with fun little tattoos. "Eric, I'm bummed we are almost done! I'm never gonna see ya again...I really enjoy tattooin ya man!" Shout out to Steve Batt in Edmonton, AB. One of the most underrated and skilled tattooers in Canada...seriously this cat is on a different level, constantly striving to improve and progress his drawing, composition and tattooing. amituofo :cool:

I was wearing this hat at a restaurant in Portland and the waiter knowingly asked, "Japanese maple?" as he gestured towards the hat. I smiled and replied, "good eye. one of my favorite tress!" takes one to know one. the hat also happens to match my arm.

Tattoos we're not happy with happen, but you really need to get over that one.

Nice when the tattoo comes in under budget. I think the artists want you to come back and don't want all of your $$ at once. I'm sure they lay jedi-mind-tricks on customers all the time.

This! I've also had more than a handful of weirdos say "I'll pray for you" or something similar. This always makes me glad I have several devil tattoos and the wanting for several more.

You'd better have the £££! ?

I have never heard this before and I love it!

Douchechills and douchebumps.

oh good heavens, how do you guys not laugh when people are being that dumb? I can understand some general ignorance from those that aren't tattooed or not around anyone who is (I get "did that hurt?" "yes" "well then why do you do it?" often)...but good night Irene those are some idiots. And an asshat thrown in for good measure w/his concern over hep c.

First thing one of my friends asked me about my first tattoo, "Do you regret it?" "Yup, sure do."

@sophistre So much fun! Really great to meet you, thank you again :)

https://instagram.com/p/3P_YuSTBGZ/ All done. :o We stuck with flowers for fillers in the end, even though we did talk about a frog. He took some shots from other angles, but didn't put them up. Maybe he will later. I'm a little sad about it being finished, so I can't imagine how you backpiece people felt when it was over! ...but I might get to find out, because we may have chatted about it a bit today. We'll seeeeeeeeee. :cool: I get a day to bang around Powell's Books tomorrow and cap off the night with Mad Max, and then I get to be tattooed by @cltattooing the day after that! Definitely a great mini-vacation.

By Nikki Balls. Done at the Pearl Harbor Gift Shop, Toronto, Ontario. Apologies for the crappy pic.

Placement is, in my opinion, the hardest thing about tattoos to understand, and it is also often the factor that distinguishes good tattoos from great tattoos. This probably isn't the most satisfying answer, but I think to really understand placement you need to look at real tattoos on people because pictures, especially the tightly cropped Instagram photos that make up most of what we look at these days, really give no sense of placement. Half the time you can't even tell what body part they're on.

Did you inform that you have become pretty anti-conservative and you think negatively for people with preconceived notions?

My parents, within the process of moving across the country (MI to CA) stopped by on their little pre-move road trip. Had a real nice day hanging out with them and doing fun little touristy stuff around town. Been about a year since I'd seen them last so it was really good to be together and just spend some time as a family. Also they're going to be living near San Jose so I'm selfishly getting excited about all the new tattoo opportunities I'll have available without having to worry about booking hotel rooms.

I have put much thought into this and the psychology and perception around tattoos and impressions that are made. I have to admit that I myself am somewhat judgment about placement in cases where content can be offensive. That being said, I feel the same way about offensive language on shirts etc... I myself do not get offended, as I was a Marine for 11 years and there is nothing I haven't heard before. But, I realize I share this earth and thing and there is a time, place, and audience for everything. Fair or not, it will limit employment opportunities and may deter customers so ultimately unless you own your own business it's a choice you have to live with. I have a few friends with many non traditional face piercings and neck tattoos that complain about not getting jobs. I don't know any of my Marine friends without tattoos. I made the mistake years ago of getting cheap tattoos with little meaning. I live in regret for many years until of a coverup. In the 20 years I never recalled 1 person commenting on it being cool or that they liked it. That being said. I think a high quality unique tattoo(s) with a thought of them will not make someone pass judgement as quick as bunch of unplanned themeless banger with awkward placement. Just my 2cents

interesting one today - took an old friend paddleboarding who i hadnt seen in a long while he was quick to inform me that he had become pretty conservative and felt strongly and negatively about tattoos and people getting tattoos - we've known each other over 20 years so it was just a conversational blip in a great day of SUP and catching up but...it was a bummer in a way - a reminder i guess of how judgemental folks - even good folks - can be - meh

Well now that I've made a deposit, I can post about this...getting a panther head coming out of a rose by Chad Koeplinger when he comes to DC at the end of July. He's one of my very favorite tattooers so I am so thrilled.

How was the visocaine? I used H2Ocean Soap once on my first back session. If you look at my instagram post of my first back session you can see how swollen my back was down by the armpit it was way too much to handle. So for me to go home and drive comfortably he used it and it worked for a good 10Min. Enough to go home. I never used it again and to be brutally honest I got somewhat of a wake up call at the expo that I went a few months back. He did the last planet and again a shit load of passes I ask for that soap and he reply "There is no room for that shit here". So I learned quick to channel pain and fuck the world. I walked around the convention and I was stun to see how many artists use it on very painful areas! I was at the Eternal booth and I at least saw 3 people or so asking for any numbing product... I am about 62hrs of total work... I have learned that: #1 - I have to be comfortable where ever I am sitting so I can focus out of pain. If am not comfortable I will do anything I can to be comfortable on my next session. #2 - I can talk while getting work on for the first 6hrs. Anything after that dont talk to me cause I am fighting my self. #3 - I Learn my limits. Depending of the size and type of work. This can go many ways from pain to how my body reacts and heals during the process. #4 - I enjoy silence. Too much commotion and loud music just takes me away out of my comfort zone. And many other things that people here wont care about but it definitely has been a body learning experience.

Just got home with this one. Still swollen...

Got this done by Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages the other night.

My name is Mickey Frost and this is one of my last works.

I doubt anyone will beat that tiger/cobra but Zuck it.

Might as well add my recent tattoo to this thread. ;) Done by Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages in Austin.

I started my back last Thursday with Alex Binnie at Into You in London. The snakes head, and the maple leaves were stencils, and the snakes body was drawn on. The outline will continue onto my backside, and will be done next time. The time tattooing was roughly between 3 1/2 - 4 hours.

"Hobby" is the touchy word here. A hobby is something you're doing on the side, that's not as important as the primary stuff you do in life to survive - work, eat, provide, etc. Hobbies embody the luxury of time one has available for other less vital pursuits. It would be great if we all had jobs that we love, doing things we love, maybe even as much as we love our hobbies. But saying a career SEEMS like a hobby can be interpreted as demeaning a career. Sometimes it all come down to how a single word is used. And I don't think the original comment was meant to demean the careers of tattoo artists (even tho it kinda does). Quite possibly it was a statement of wishful envy, that someone has a career that seems so fun. YMMV.

"Tattoos are an addiction eh?" Tattoos make me happy, so very happy! And yknow what? So does ice cream. And I bet basketball makes other people happy. Motorcycles make people happy. "LIKE OMG BASKETBALL IS AN ADDICTION EH?" "YOU MUST BE ADDICTED TO MOTORCYCLES." "MY NAME IS ERIC AND I HAVE AN ADDICTION TO ICE CREAM." You see? It's just a tattoo, not heroin for Christ sake!

I get a lot of "I never would've guessed you have tattoos!" often followed by something along the lines of "but you look so nice!!"

Has anyone ever thought maybe the reason Dann Higgs doesnt want anything to do with tattooing is the crazy Dan Higgs posts and sometimes creepy hero worship like the ones that happen here and everywhere else his name is mentioned. I mean ive never been tattooed by him nor met him, but i would think that its all pretty overwhelming.