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Not this forum's cup o' tea, but here is my foot tattoo done by Matt Jordan from New Zealand. This tattoo was done while filming for an upcoming episode of SullenTV's "Tattoo Collector" I also got some more work on my back by Jess Yen at Ink n Iron but we didn't get pictures so I'll take some in a few days

Finished up my arm with Grez last month. Here are some healed shots (that I also just put in the contest thread).

Check out this short video on one of my favorite tattooers (featuring another favorite, Bob Roberts): I've said before that Matt has a bit of a Big Liebowski vibe, but now I realize that that comes across as a bit unkind (or at the very least, sells him short). He's both passionate and compassionate, and that comes through in this piece.

Got this little one a couple weeks ago from Paul Dobleman at Spider Murphy's:

Already some tough stuff this month, but I'll give it a shot. Here's my arm from Grez at Kings Avenue. All healed up.

Girl head and rose from Paul Dobleman:

Shao Lin Monk backpiece made by Steve Batt in his private studio in Edmonton, Alberta 32 hours, Dec 2014-Jun 2015

Should really have thrown this in over the last couple of months but i'm a lazy fucker, so here it is now. By Marius Meyer, completed in May of this year (started in December of last).

For me its simple, tattoos are not a necessity. I do however derive personal fulfillment from being tattooed and sharing/discussing tattoos. I have always liked/had the desire to be tattooed. I share more personally when in a setting talking or getting tattooed substantially more than I do in other settings. On occassion my personal situations actually help others. Not long ago I was talking tattoos and the talk of loosing a loved one came up and I shared my losses and my outlook on them. He let me know some weeks later that what I said really helped him along. Tattooing is a positive thing for me, maybe some people feel better with a TAG watch and it helps them with self esteem or worth. For me I appreciate tattooing and art done by them and in a very small way I feel I help them continue their craft all the while allowing me to look way cooler than I am and actually interact with people in an unguarded way. For me that's more than a luxury .

I think it's more like a medical procedure -- particularly cosmetic surgery, which is why I quoted both of you. Cosmetic surgery isn't often viewed as 'necessary' (though in some heinous cases of disfigurement, that point is certainly arguable), but it has the potential to add immeasurable quality of life to someone's existence. Sure, there are cosmetic procedures that the majority of the population would consider 'frivolous,' but at the end of the day, the only person who can put a value on it is the person wearing the results. People spend GOBS of money of veneers, facelifts, breast implants, etc., but those also have no exchange rate (and few people these days consider that outré, barring extreme examples). Both cosmetic procedures and tattoos are tied to our self-ideation heavily. Tattoos differ -- quite possibly from any other comparable material purchase -- because there's a whole amazing culture, with a history that feels rich, full of fascinating characters, and the time we spend actually being tattooed is as much a part of the process as anything. I know fuck-all about the history of plastic surgery, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't consider any pre-op time with the doc to be an integral and cherished part of the experience, lol. In that sense, there's probably just no comparison!

This is my latest tattoo. Done by my girlfriend, on me, after I tattooed her. The technical application obviously needs some work, but I think she did ok for the first time running a machine. Haha.

Thanks for sharing Ross. I credit you for putting me on to Matt. He's on my short list of tattooers I need to visit.

Chad Koeplinger is doing a panther coming out of a rose for me, I gave him the go ahead to do whatever crazy stuff he might want to do in addition to that. I'm almost more excited just to see the drawing, the tattoo is secondary. :rolleyes:

Nice! Even runs ok on my crappy android. :) Should be awesome for travelling. The address for Sacred Tattoo in Auckland NZ is an old address, they moved to a new studio a while ago. A submit corrections feature might be helpful to manage the data.

newest addition(s), by kim anh nguyen from holland. two classics ...

Jeff Rassier flying Cobra. Done at Blackheart in January. Pics taken Yesterday. Tough to photo...wraps around the arm a lot.

Chaps & Chapesses The app (The Brag Art List) is now live and started to mass market it :) I fixed all the conventions now so they are all the future ones. I will be adding traditional, blackwork etc artists in future updates as I have been concentrating on trying to research those and have loads to add but it all takes so much time :) Please share the apps and would be much appreciated if you could ask people you know to leave 5 star rating and some positive feedback on the apps market place page, this helps with it to climb in searches :) All Links Below, Link to app on iOS (Apple) – https://appsto.re/gb/zj_J1.i Link to app on Android – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details… Landing Page - The Bragartlist Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thebragartlist Instagram - https://instagram.com/thebragartlist/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheBragArtList Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/1/114656711873552857243/about Hope you like my efforts, for starters :) Thanks a lot :)

I was cracking up in the first 5 minutes about bashing the term "Ink" when the damn segment is named "Ink". I bet the host was pretty embarrassed. Great video though, some fun factoids and info that I never knew before.

^ true, there's a reason I'm getting (the majority of) my tattoos in my forties. I couldn't afford this stuff when I was younger. I did have a desire for them, but I'm glad I waited as opposed to going cheap. It's for sure a want, not a need... like so many other things we buy in life. Clothing may be a need, but do I need 20 pairs of jeans? I seemed to think so at the times of purchase. If art is a luxury product so be it. Nothing to defend. We like art. We like a certain type of art, many types of art. Art rules!

But there IS a correlation between income and ability to actually get tattoos. Demand isn't just wanting something, it's that 'want' being acted upon by offering something (money) in exchange for it. When talking about tattoos, I think we do have to distinguish between different types: Scratcher/DIY/"free" tattoos are an inferior good - That is, people will want less of them as their income increases. Professionally done tattoos are a luxury good - as our income increases we (meaning people who purchase tattoos) will spend proportionally more of our income on tattoos. For example, if at a given yearly salary we may purchase 1 tattoo per year at a cost of $x. Given a $10,000 raise/bonus, we will now purchase a larger tattoo worth $2x, or two perhaps two or more tattoos. So we've at least doubled our spending on tattoos despite our income not doubling. Tattoos run into problems that other luxury goods do not though. If one's income increases high enough, there's really no limit to demand on something like boats or shoes or watches. Even if you have bought the most expensive/luxurious one available, you can always buy another one. No matter how much we like tattoos, we really only get one chance to buy a full back piece or body suit (smaller areas can be covered up or blasted over, but you know what I mean). Looking into this area gave me the chance to learn about Veblen goods too - items whereby the demand increases because the price is higher. I think that this is possible with tattoos - this one being the one that comes to mind. Would Ms. Johansson have chosen that tattoo if it were done for $60 by somebody's friend's bro? Probably not.

I hope all is well for you and your family & friends, have a great day !

I went to a Dave Matthews concert in Saratoga, NY. Absolutely incredible

I took a nap on the Fourth. Almost everything is clean and back in its place now after vacation.

@mmikaoj I have got to say that you start some killer discussions man. This, alongside the conversation you opened up about big names in the industry (contentious as it was!) is what this forum is all about. It seems to me that taking refuge in the false safety of consensus is always a dangerous thing- and its through these kinds of lively debates between passionate people that we are able to better understand our relationship with tattooing. I remember reading when I first came to this forum someone say that tattoos are like currency here, and I think you are in a really good position to open up these conversations as someone who has made the effort to get a lot of rad tattoos. So I guess I'm just saying thanks, really. I think the topic of whether tattoos should be seen as a luxury product akin to buying a car or a watch is really interesting, I have to admit to myself that I come at this from a very biased perspective. I'm not into cars or watches, so for me there is far more intrinsic value to a tattoo, as others have mentioned, the craftsmanship and and history of tattooing gives it a rootsy charm that I just don't see in other mass produced 'luxury' items. However I'm sure there are people who are super into all kinds of things that seem dumb to me but are beautiful and significant to them. I have a friend who is crazy about raw denim, spends thousands of pounds a year importing different weaves from Japan and charting the way the denim ages with wear. Now to me that is bordering on the autistic but for him its got all this significance and it makes up a large part of his identity- he sees another bloke on the bus who is wearing a pair of jeans by FullCount and they start talking about fades and all kinds of stuff! But even as I type I can't help feeling that there is some kind of extra significance involved. I had booked in to get tattooed by Steve Byrne at the London Convention last year, but was forced to cancel my booking at the last minute due to a family tragedy. For a long time afterwards I felt intensely guilty about not just getting tattooed but having tattoos, as if in the midst of what was going on I was just this walking monument to my own narcissism! As time has gone by that feeling has faded and I'm actually on the brink in the process on confirming some large scale work with Paul Dobleman which will require a lot of travel and expense. But its a consideration that is always somewhere in the back of my mind, because unlike jeans which eventually will wear out, tattoos are a permanent reminder of something you decided on purely for your own benefit and sense of self. And its been a good lesson to learn for me that there is nothing wrong with that- as Virginia Elwood says 'its for me'. I don't know if that makes any kind of sense but i'm really enjoying everyones ruminations.

@polliwog I'm not sure if this helps clarify but I feel like what you guys are trying to get at on "the other side of the coin" is usually represented by the culture of poverty. One aspect of this is often filling your life with small trinkets that when you look at them make you feel like you have "a lot" Of something. The snippet you quoted above is almost the first thing that came to mind when reading that and your response about it being encouraged to spend when you may not have on cars, watches, clothes, tattoos, etc. falls in line with that thinking. It's how the people in the neighborhood I work in are on all kinds of government support with a brand new Range Rover/ bmw/ Mercedes. However I also define ALL cars as a luxury good because public transportation is available at a much more reasonable cost, and they way many (even go as far as saying most) people truly can't afford to maintain and repair a car speaks to the luxury aspect for me even if it's an old beat up Honda. The bald tires and bad breaks not being replaced says something I liked the point made about cell phones, and I heard a very similar one made on Gavin Mcinnes' podcast. Even still I see a deep line between want and need with cell phones that people are not able to part with. I could probably still make due with that old Nokia that only had snake and sucked to text on. (Side note: got nostalgic for my old Nextel 2 way the other day. I liked that much more than texting and it was much more fun) In my heart I feel like tattoos are a luxury and that the logic and reasoning we put behind them justifying our purchases only reinforces that for me. Reading that they emotionally support is like The women that treat shoes as therapy, it's silly just say you really want it. (Not being sexist because I will totally blow money on vintage video games, skateboards, and most geek stuff) I constantly contemplate taking a break from being tattooed because I feel selfish spending what I do on it. I just make sure all my bills and family get first priority and my small fund left over is put to good use Just thoughts who knows I may be very wrong.

How is luxury defined? I'm not sure. It seems like even people who are barely getting by are expected to be familiar with and covet things associated with status and luxury, hence things like Target collaborations with big-name fashion houses and so forth. If we're defining luxury simply as "a nice thing that a person could easily do without," then would it fall under the category of self-actualization re: Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Like you, I'm also struggling to figure out how to say what I think about this question!

wow... this month is brutal @bongsau I didn't see your back finished I love the monk's robes, and the background is awesome. I never thought @CultExciter would promote scratchers!!!! lol that is really cool of you, I bet she must have been excited/ nervous as hell Love that lady head, love the arm suburban, and love most things Marius Meyer. I'm glad I don't have anything to submit this month because I'd lose

My best friend is moving to LA in a few weeks and is already building a little list of shit he wants. Conn is obviously high on the list, but I'm trying to think about emailing him and coordinating a little visit out west...

My tattoo itched. i must be allergic!

went to a party and pretended to like people

Psychedelic Road Kill Falcon :cool: Third Eye Russian Criminal tattoo inspired :cool:

Very good idea for a thread, @mmikaoj and there's so much great discussion here. My wife is as into tattoos as I am so what I spend on tattoos isn't a contentious point in our relationship. For all the things my parents have said about my tattoos, they've never really brought up money. I recall my mom once made a comment once about how they must be expensive, but when I confirmed that without offering any specifics she didn't make any judgmental comments or say that I could be spending my money on better things or anything like that. They have all kinds of feelings about my tattoos and particularly the extent to which I'm getting covered, and surprisingly not all of them are negative anymore, but they've never tried to make me feel guilty about spending money on them. My inlaws would be super judgmental, but that's why they don't know either of us have tattoos. So basically I don't feel any guilt or have any bad feelings about spending my disposable income on tattoos, and when I think of things that I spent money on before I started getting tattooed (booze and records!), tattoos are a much better use of my time and money. Tattoos given me experiences, growth, stories, and friendships that I wouldn't have had otherwise and they've enriched my life in countless ways. I agree that tattoos are a luxury in that they don't shelter or feed you--tattooers will rightly disagree with me here--but I like what @cltattooing is getting at above about them meeting a psychological and spiritual need. I don't think they're entirely frivolous in the way that I think that, say, buying the latest electronic gadget is. It's fascinating how tattooing is something that has been around probably as long as humans have been around and yet still persists. We all have our reasons for getting tattooed but I think there must be some deeper, primal drive down there at the root of it and that getting tattooed and being tattooed is a fundamental part of what it means to be human. I am not so sure about tattoos being a "product" though. Yes, there's an exchange of money for a service rendered, but it's not the same as going to a car dealer and driving off the lot with a new car, or buying a TV. Obviously the process is entirely different but there's something more happening there and tattoos have a different economic character than most goods. Economics isn't my strongest subject, so somebody here who does understand economics is probably going to bust my balls here and say that I am totally wrong because I am applying economic analysis of commodities to something that isn't a commodity because I'm a fool, but it seems to me that tattoos don't have exchange value and that sets them apart from most goods we spend money on. I can't trade in my old dated tattoos for the latest most fashionable ones. It's not like art collecting in that there's no speculating on the future value of my tattoos. If we want to compare tattoos to other things we spend money on, I think tattooing shares more characteristics with spending money on education than it does with spending money on things. Or maybe it's more like spending money on a vacation or something like that? I don't know. I'm thinking out loud here and poorly articulating half-baked ideas.

Man, this is a good discussion! So from the standpoint of a tattooer, tattoos are far more necessity than luxury, if not even investment. Because not only do I need to be heavily tattooed to be taken seriously by both clients and colleagues, but also so that I can relate to people as I am working on them and assure them that I know what they're going through. And even additionally, you learn so much on a technical level from getting tattooed. So the way I see it, I need to keep getting tattooed so that I can be a better tattooer and continue the success of my livelihood. Even at this point, I have so much open space yet I'm in the process of getting one of the largest tattoos a person can get, but even then the need will remain afterward! I think the term luxury is very relative to the individual circumstances. Also, in general, people do not consider the psychological and spiritual merit of goods and services. Does anyone publicly discuss necessity and luxury in terms of what the soul needs? Because we all know how transformative getting tattooed is, and I think many of us on this journey can say that, without a doubt, getting tattooed has improved the overall quality of our lives. Did we not need that, did it not help us learn how to be who we need to be? Perhaps it did, and perhaps it didn't, but the answer to that question will tell you whether your tattoos are a necessity or not.

Tattoos are a luxury good, but they are also in a way the anti-luxury good. I hate having a lot of possessions, and I hate how society encourages us to buy new, not reduce the amount of things being put into production. Tattoos are anti-production because they are a luxury we can have, that go with us to die, and leave no additional lasting fingerprint afterwards (anyone who's had to deal with what to do with a loved one's possessions after they have passed will understand the struggle!). I like the idea of them being a statement against physical goods and against wastefulness.

Also doing a collab with Matt Lambdin and Erin Chance sometime this year or early next year.

RAWR!!!

Here's my how to list @sophistre according to how my first convention in Bristol went. 1. Drive around the train station looking for the correct parking lot. Make at least 4 laps to get a good idea of the layout. 2. Buy ticket, walk in, feel brain explode. 3. Forget to look at the scantily clad women, because you're too busy watching some dude get his ass tattooed. 4. Promise yourself you're limited to small purchases, like shirts. 5. Immediately fail at that promise, and get a tattoo. 6. Go home poorer than you expected, but very happy!

@bongsau @ItsNewport I'm not worthy! Really nice, guys.

The real question should be "is it still a panther if it was made with vegan inks"?

I'm a moron! You are of course right. The winner of Tattoo of the month June 2015 is @Kinglambert with this amazing back piece by Fil Wood. Congrats man!!

I felt the need for a solar plexus tattoo too, but I do hope to be skipping about naked at 80, well, if I fancy it. The standard underboob placement was never going to be optimal on me, I've never had the right sort of breasts. So, my tattoo comes up and onto to solar plexus, rather than being placed around it, if you see what I mean. It ends just, just under the band of my bra/bikini. But, I'd say, with breasts like you describe @TrixieFaux, it's not boob saggage that's a potential issue with this placement, that's never going to mess things up too much. Rather, it's the way the underboob placement tends increases the visibility of the natural asymmetry of the breasts (that all women have). That asymmetry does become more apparent as the breast softens with age and reproduction even if there isn't significant sagging. Even on the very young, pert, instagram chests I've more than often seen the placement emphasise the asymmetry, making the tattoo look slightly wonky even though, technically speaking it is perfectly centered etc. which is a shame. With mine being designed and placed as it is my breasts (when roaming free) actually look more symetrical than they did before, rather than less. Which is nice. I've posted it on latest tattoo lowdown already but here it is again. - - - Updated - - - With asymetry, I mean the often subtle differences in roots of the breasts, rather than the slight differences in size and shape between the breasts (which we are usually aware of). The differences in height of the base of the breast and the precise distance from the from the center of the breast bone to the root of the breast can be pretty much imperceptible on a lot of women, until you place something that is utterly symmetrical in between and under them...

Muthafuckin' Rose of No Man's Land