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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 from alex knierer: https://instagram.com/alexknierer/

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.

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.

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

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

Luxury or not there is a particular stigma about money and tattoos that doesn't seem to apply to other goods and services. I had a friend (who has tattoos and knows what they cost) say to me when I started my sleeve something like, "You guys must be doing pretty well," which kinda stuck in my craw. I mean would anybody say that to someone if they pulled up in a Lexus instead of a sh*tbox car? Both take you from point A to B. Why go out to dinner when you can just eat rice & beans from the bulk bin for every meal? For me the experience of getting tattooed is definitely worth something -- like going to a spa or something. But when you get a massage you don't walk away with anything except a good feeling and that fades. There are also few things in life that are truly one-of-a-kind other than a painting or a sculpture, but with tattoos you carry the art with you all the time. As far as the money goes, I do feel guilty about it sometimes for reasons I can't quite explain. Then again since I quit drinking and smoking weed, tattoos are pretty much my only vice, and if I added up the $$$ spent on booze and certain illicit substances, I can say with some certainty I'm well ahead of the game!

^ 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!

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

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

Finished the majority of my sleeve with Gre Hale at Rain City, Manchester, UK. Extremely happy with it, Gre is an awesome bloke, and the shop is great; packed to the brim with talented artists and character. What do you guys think? Just the 'pinchy' inner bicep to go.

Huh. I have bigger boobs, and if I dare analyze them in the mirror, I suspect the left one is a tad bigger. This will not stop me from the under bust tattoo, even considering future sagging. I'm kind of surprised about the concern over drooping, the natural condition of the human body being asymmetrical and the inevitability of aging. I wonder if guys think about their chest pieces and maybe one day getting man boobs that could warp it out (my guess is unlikely). I do think proportion is important, because my girls are bigger, so I'm not going to get a dainty little piece tucked under there. Regarding chest pieces, I've given that one a lot of thought, because I don't want a tiny little "v" there. I also want it connected to my underboob piece. I really like the chest pieces Guy Le Tattooer does on women - they are large and bold (I included an example of his). I like how some of the tattoo goes on to the boob. I've also seen women who have two large flowers, which I think looks beautiful (the example I included is by Thomas Cardiff).

This guy.

I hear ya!

To me they are a luxury in the sense that ... let's be clear ... paying the mortgage or paying for my son's needs (yes, his wants as well as his needs) are ahead. I have a few paintings that have accrued in value since I bought em- enough that I guess they count as an investment. I hesitate to say tattoos could be an investment in that sense ... for obvious reasons. No re-sale value. But... I would prioritise spending my truly disposable income on them because, as Graeme said, they're gonna be there till death. You get "use" out of your tattoos daily. So much enjoyment and good memories. In terms of their perceived value: It's interesting to me that most people here (Ireland) don't consciously recognise the cost. When I see someone with big work then - if they aren't obviously patronising scratchers - then I know they are *probably* either someone with a good enough income that they can afford it out of disposable income OR someone who can budget and exercise restraint to save up. Either way, I admire / approve of that.

The LLLBooks are all very nice and full of amazing tattooers. And don't even hesitate on the Tattootime Series.

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:

Girl head and rose from Paul Dobleman:

forget the touch up tattoos arent perfect not supposed to be move on and get more :)

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).

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 think you should be in the clear. I was pretty physical while healing my foot tattoos only a few days after. They did take forever to finally settle, but they came out just fine.

whats your primary concern are you concerned with the tattoo getting messed up my gut would be that its on ya now and the full healing could still be awhile to go i'd say go play ball and see how it goes i'm currently healing my shin - coming up on 4 weeks and its taking its sweet time but its summer and i love to bodysurf - so fuck it thing is since the art lives on your body anything can happen to it gotta live though and enjoy curious to see some other feedback

I can also attest to the LLLBooks' quality. They're coming out with the Girl Book at SFO Hyatt Convention in October, which should be pretty killer as well

@bedoktime - that roadkill is crazy!

Nice! He's come to AllStar in Limerick twice... Maybe next time I'll try and catch him.

I'm only going to Spotlight when I have a pretty lady to tag along. I know Mr Bob Roberts loves the pretty ladies, as do I. And when I do go to Spotlight, the goal is to walk out with two tattoos. One from Matt and one from Bob.

ahh... i know the pain of plans. as i think of it, i would vote to brave the 5 and have the Spotlight experience.

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.

Wikipedia says that a luxury good is "a good for which demand increases more than proportionally as income rises, and is a contrast to a "necessity good", for which demand increases proportionally less than income." So in an economic sense we've been mostly using "luxury" wrong because there isn't a correlation between income and desire for tattoos.

That is some tasty B&G work! Sent from my LePanII using Tapatalk 2

@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.

^ Damn, that's a beauty. Can Paul Dobleman do no wrong? Every piece I've seen by him is flawless. Thanks for posting awesome stuff on the last couple pages so I can live vicariously through you guys. :D My next tattoo is scheduled for July 31st and it can't get here soon enough.

my favorites list is ( I have been tattooed by Valerie and stewart and would jump on a chance when it comes up) Valerie Vargas Stewart Robson Bradley tompkins Jimmie Tatts Jordan tear Oliver Mcintosh

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 .

Well it's criminal that Alex Binnie isn't here ! Alex Binnie | Heartbeatink Tattoo Magazine There's so many great artists in this country check out some of my favourites Ian Flower https://instagram.com/ianflowernst/?hl=en Duncan X https://instagram.com/duncanxtattoos/ Tomas Tomas https://instagram.com/tomastomas108/?hl=en Valerie Vargas https://instagram.com/valeriemodernclassic/ Stewart Robson https://instagram.com/stewart_modernclassic/?hl=en Bradley Tompkins https://instagram.com/bradleytompkins/?hl=en Curly Moore https://instagram.com/curlytattoo/ Alex Reinke https://instagram.com/horikitsune/?hl=en Jimmie Tatts https://instagram.com/jimmiebss/?hl=en Lee Knight https://instagram.com/lmknight/?hl=en I'm also a fan of Claudia De Sabe's , Richie Clark and Jordan Teear but they have been mentioned already .

My new record was just released today! I worked pretty hard on it, so I hope you guys like it! https://withwolves.bandcamp.com/

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

I saw a 15 yr old zuck tiger and panther that looked sooo good. THe lucky dude said he didnt even use lotion or sunscreen. I was taken aback I always liked most of his stuff, but seeing some large pieces in person helped me appreciate what he does even more

Congrats, @beez. That is truly awesome. Here's an awesome thing I did last week: held this guy for the first time. He's pretty chill, and his big sister is already infatuated with him--for now. :)

@PizzaSteve Ugh! So envious of you! Jeff Zuck is on the top of my list. The kind of tattoo artist I could get a whole body full of if I were to start again and not collect from different people. So glad that that tattoo is at somebody from this forum (does that make sense?), it amazed me when it popped up on instagram. Congratulations!

Woo I can contribute to this one! I too want a baphomet devil goat tattoo at some point... Meet my Bicep Devil, done by Gre Hale, Rain City, Manchester, UK:

i just want to look like Walt Disney threw up all over me :cool: