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Started some dot shading last weekend. Quick 2-hour session with Thomas Hooper until next time, which will be in August. I need to take a month or so off so I can swim with the kids over their summer break. Once we're done with shading this section, we're gonna hammer out whats going on in the lower belly area and right ribs. crap...sorry the pic is loading horizontally. I'll see if I can fix that.

Alright people, random crap is intended for just that. lets keep it clean and respectful tho folks and remember to have a sense of humor too, and don't forget that we all share a common interest which is why we're here in the first place.

Oh what the hell. Might as well post my finished back piece. A year long process has come to an end and I can't wait to start another piece! Done by Stacey Martin-Smith at Golden Age in Austin, TX.

Wait a sec. When I said @Graeme was being a dick I meant "conscientiously patrolling this board for the purpose of weeding out inane and useless comments" not that he's a bad guy in any way. We all know he's a sweetheart. Well most of us do...

I always walk around stark naked, as to not obscure any of my tattoos No but seriously... For me, part of the tattoo magic is that whole tattoos seldom gets seen in the best angle and the best light for a long period of time when you view them on other people. It's part of the charm I think, that they are a bit secret in that way. I love seeing just glimpses of well made tattoos pass by on the street or half a tattoo peek out under somebodys sleeve. Sometime the mood is right to ask them to show the whole tattoo, sometimes that's not the case. In my opinion, my tattoos are for my enjoyment first and foremost anyway. I don't think about how other people will or won't get a good view of them (except for job interviews or formal settings when they could be distracting) Talk to me in a tattoo shop or convention setting and I'd be happy to drop my pants most of the time. Not to be too much of a elitist snob but I think tattoos are for the initiated, who love and respect the art. I don't bother a lot with how my tattoos are viewed by "plainskins" when I'm out and about in every day life. Wear the watch or don't wear it, whatever you feel like that day. And enjoy your tattoos. There enough is time to get naked in front of mirrors in your privacy or with whoever you want to share it with. Just my 2 cents

@Mark Bee @Rob I For the Win is a gamer term that came from the advent of mmorpgs and is still used as a term of encouragement and approval among gamers and nerds. Among tattooers and bikers, the term has generally meant Fuck the World. @Pugilist I'm on it!!! Say, it's Wednesday, isn't it... ;D

Fine Tattoo Work

If there's any good thing about that stupid article it made me come back to this website to see if anyone was talking about it. The thing I dislike most about the article is her argument that it's her body and she can do whatever she wants to it. That's not how bodily autonomy works, the right to do anything to your body does not mean she has the right to tell OTHER PEOPLE what to do to her body. By not respecting the artist's right to refuse work, she's dehumanizing him. It's sad we live in a world where a feminist website will publish an article by somebody who doesn't even understand agency.

Hello all, I very recently (Thursday, actually) got my first tattoo. I am quite pleased with it, an arrangement of an owl and flowers. It is a scar coverup, with the intention of making my arm something I'm proud of in stead of something to hide away. I've been hiding it for over 8 years, by the way, these are the first pictures featuring my left arm since then :) Added bonus? You can't see the scars at all. They're just gone. La, the tattoo artist, in fact used the deepest and whitest of them as highlights on the feathers and the beak, and many others are now bits of flower. It's amazing, how it feels to take something that you have been hiding for so very long, and to in one day, turn it into something you just want to show everyone. The idea is long in coming, with the owl being a reference to Minerva's little owl (and my love of nature). Sunflowers are my favourite flowers, and cosmos link to traveling along my country's roads. Mostly, though, it's because I find it beautiful. Fine line black and grey, with lots of grey wash that right now just looks dark, but that should lighten with healing (she said two weeks, maybe a bit more, to see the effect). This was taken the next day, so it's very fresh here. Done by the lovely La at Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Johannesburg.

Got some healed pictures of this one recently: Lighting isn't great but but you get the idea. And to think I told myself I wouldn't get more band tattoos.

Boy you aren't kidding. We just had a baby and my wife was reading up on when it's okay to drink. It basically isn't. Everything sits in the milk, you essentially have to "pump and dump" if you get too drunk, or take something you shouldn't have (I'm talking something as simple as Peptol Bismol being a no-no). Infection could certainly pose a risk, but I don't think it's the court's decision. It is certainly something the mother should take in to account.

Prob goes without saying but wait till the tattoo is healed before you start wearing your watch.

I've never heard of an allergic reaction or infection arising from out of tattooing making breast milk unsafe to consume... I know my wife would be interested - are there many cases you're aware of or are there any resources / articles on this out there? Fascinated as to how the judge will enforce his no breastfeeding ban though! Given his concerns you'd think he would have banned her from risky sexual practices too.

Dry healing is the way. I'm new to it and wouldn't change now

I did tattoo number 10 tonight. Got to work on the outskirts of one of my teacher's tattoos. Super supportive client. It was an interesting spot to tattoo on. Really happy with my saturation. 14 hour day at the studio, so I don't have much more to say, except GOODNIGHT!

It is a comfy shirt. Great choice in tee.. - - - Updated - - - Do a different design! Keep that shirt LIMITED EDITION. I'm a sucker for LIMITED EDITION. - - - Updated - - - - - - Updated - - - FIND THE WI-FI. And Taro, that Bob Roberts piece is so good.

I haven't had any issues with my watch hurting the tattoo it wraps around. You are fine.

Shiiiiet, people been getting awesome work lately. Hats off ya'll!

Some place that makes really excellent tacos should offer a Free Taco Wednesday to anyone willing to get a FTW taco tattoo. And I should live next to that place.

Bob Roberts @misterbobroberts "Find the Wo...Instagram photo | Websta (Webstagram)

I've only heard it used as "For The Win."

From last Saturday at Great Lakes Tattoo in Chicago Nick Colella -big-ass eagle (chest) Mario Desa - rose of no mans..tribute (ankle) Frank Willian - pocket knife filler (inner arm ditch) It was a good day.... besides getting 3 killer tattoos, I got to hang out and bullshit with Chad Koeplinger and Robert Ryan and the rest of the GLT crew plus it was Robert Ryan's "The Radiant Name" art opening downstairs. GLT is probably the nicest shop I've ever been in and everybody was super nice and fun.....

Ask and ye shall receive! @Graeme @OutOfIdeas so glad you guys like the shirt!! Need to do another run on those

Hahaha you turd! Temple and 13 are tied right in second, it's so hard to pick favorites in this town but obviously I am biased :) @xcom FTW has been a common addage in tattooing from its' earliest American days. You can find one somewhere on a sheet in almost every traditional shop.

I was worried for a moment that I was the only person here who noticed that her ear piercing and your nipple piercing looked similar.

I always read it as "Fuck The World" which these days usually means that I read things like "Look at this video of a kitten riding a Roomba FUCK THE WORLD". Everyday surrealism is great.

Just got an appointment with Nathan Kostechko during his guest spot outing at Rock of Ages in August. Boom.

Try losing an hour to Rachel Dolezal thinkpieces...in shitstorm terms this is a brief shower. (NB I don't actually advise doing this.) Really, things get ugly fast elsewhere online. Like, stomach-churning, stay-with-you-all-day bad. I appreciate that even during tense moments here, people generally stay civil. A little brusqueness is not the worst thing in the world. And in a more general sense, if I didn't routinely get straightened out by people who are savvier & smarter than I am, I would be pretty fucked.

The thing is, I was snarky in that first post but otherwise I was trying to start a conversation that would hopefully get people thinking about how they contribute here. I've had my balls busted on here plenty of times and as humbling as it is to hear somebody you respect telling you that you've posted some bullshit, it's a valuable learning experience. Anyway, the thing about being married to a moderator is that I have somebody often in the next room telling me not to be a dick on here because it makes her job harder if she has to hand me a warning.

Glad I brought an umbrella for the shitstorm that is this thread :rolleyes:

That was quite a storm. Good thing I'm in LA. :cool:

Chris Conn, done yesterday. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Pugilist please ban @Graeme i heard him say he actually prefers tattoos with no outline and no black

Ok DUDE. Here is the thing. When you post in a public place, just like when you have a public conversation in real life, people are allowed to criticize you. They are allowed to disagree with you, find you annoying, whatever. That is how freedom of speech works. This board does not allow for abusive language, but that doesn't mean everyone has to like everything you say. THAT IS NOT "GOING AFTER YOU". It is people reacting to the words you write. You are also allowed to not like them and to criticize the words they say, so it's hardly unfair. I just find it baffling how on a tattoo board where dudes like to talk about how tough or whatever they are, they so easily complain if people call them out for anything, like the fact that yes, on a message board that literally has posters from around the world, maybe people find it kind of strange to post your local weather forecast and wonder what that contributes to the board. No one is obligated to like your posts or think you are a good poster. That is just not how the world works. Toughen up, people.

I think there needs to be more than two entrants in a given month - even though one of the above two will end up the winner. I'll throw my chest in and hope to have a chance at the 'best one-shot tattoo of the month' ;) edit: Done by Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages in Austin.

The other day I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant (I'm kind of a regular, the workers usually make small talk with me). I was wearing a dress, and the lady at the front counter approached me and touched on her arm where my butterfly tattoo is and said "Beautifur! Butterfry?" We had a broken English conversation where she asked where it was done and implied a lot of the tattoos she's seen come into the restaurant are pretty bad. Tattoos transcend all languages. :)

Wayward Pines anyone?

Just had a great weekend at the Bristol Tattoo Convention. Thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in quality tattoos next year. Awesome list of great artists, well organised and everything focused on tattooing without the extra stuff that comes along with some conventions these days. The result of the weekend for me was not only did Ian Flower do another few hours on my back piece, but I also got a cool little gap filler from Duncan X on my shin. Gotta love an Ichthyosaur. We will finish the colour in the Tibetan skull during my next session in July. It's exciting to see more and more colour going in.

@PackMan - looks awesome! We must have been in there around the same time, cause Will finished this one off over the weekend. Back of calf Kyosai/monmon frog mashup: edit: apologies for pics being rotated all funny, no idea how to change it

Foo dog sleeve progress by Will Lollie. Peonies colored.

Chippin' away at the ol' front. https://instagram.com/p/3pzXp1MVGD/

I LOVE this back piece. It is so insane!!! It's coming out so great and I look forward to following the progress on it.

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/

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.

Got my "MOM" tattoo yesterday.

Session 3 done, backpiece done (although we have already talked about adding background - my bank account and body both screamed in unison). Such a cool experience, i've met some awesome people, had some great times and i've come out of it with a tattoo that i have to keep reminding myself is actually mine. To think that 6 months ago there was nothing, it's crazy! Already posted in the latest tattoo thread but i had to bring it to my chums in the backpiece thread! I now looking forward to sitting back and seeing what the rest of you guys are getting, bring em on!

oh yeah, noon is the perfect start time. then you can put in 5 hours (which is pretty well my limit of sitting really nicely) and go home, eat something and just sleep!

I thought we had done all this , move on , theres nothing to see here !

I read through quite a bit of this thread. I'll just respond to how I have behaved my 3 times in the chair, to which I believe I exhibited good client behavior. In all my three sessions, I 100% concentrated and always gave my canvas (arm) exactly as the artist wanted it. I kept it loose, and when the pain was real bad, every other part of my body contorted and tensed up to absorb pain, except for my working arm. I didn't break the position until he told me too. I didn't want to break his concentration because of my movement. I've tipped well each time. Gunnar got extras on top of cash. I adjusted my conversation to let the artist control it, kind of like speak when spoken to. I felt going in that some artists may like to talk while doing their work, and others don't. Again, I just wanted to make sure the artist was in his zone, not mine. In all instances, the atmosphere was relaxed and conversation flowed freely, and in heavy concentration all was quiet. I came in to each of my tattoo sessions with the knowledge that they were transactions with multiple levels. For one it was business - a service with a fee. It's also art - me being the canvas for the artist. It's also a connection - although I'm a client, I also felt like a friend because I was having this artist (person) permanently putting their mark/art on me. I am to carry somebody's art on me for life, so I wanted the artist to feel how important the whole process was for me.

Sell everything!