Leaderboard

Me and my girlfriend got tattooed yesterday by Marcus Kuhn while he's guesting in Paris at Laura Satana's shop!

Freddy Corbin put my son's name on me last night. Simple, tasteful, and just right. I'm so happy with it.

Got this from Greg Christian at Tattoo Faction about a month ago and these from Tomas Garcia at Old Soul last weekend. all stolen from their IGs @Gregchristian4130 and @tomas_garcia I used to complain about not being in a great tattoo city like NYC, but being a 2 hour drive from cleveland and pittsburgh isn't really too bad.

Started mine yesterday evening with Kelly Edwards. It was amazing... and much more painful than I anticipated, and he tattooed for something like 5 hours with only a short break. I was actually genuinely surprised at how hard it was. Took my breath away more than once. He tattoos fast and hard, and I am humbled and proud to even be wearing this line work, sat like a rock. Next appointment will be in August for scales on the rattlesnake and starting to shade. - - - Updated - - - Oh yeah, and did the left side, or one preferential side, hurt a LOT more than the other?

Basically this. At 20, I would definitely have hesitated, and probably stayed above the elbow. I'm turning 34 this year, I'm financially secure and settled into a profession that allows me to work at home, I live in an area of the country that's pretty liberal, and I've been waiting for over 15 years to get tattooed -- I really didn't think twice, to be honest. It was still nice to have a tattooer ask me if tattooing down to my wrists was okay, though. It felt nice to know it mattered to him. It was also kind of nice to know he was okay with tattooing them, because I felt like I had maybe officially crossed the line between being a plainskin noob and being A Tattooed Person. (It was Gilsdorf, if anybody's curious.) Here's a funny tidbit, though: During that appointment we were talking about the experience of getting tattooed generally, and I was laughing about how, even though I'm not very tattooed, I still find myself wringing my hands about running out of space. And Dan goes, 'I don't think you're 'not very tattooed' anymore, by civilian standards,' and I had to tell him that I think my perspective is now permanently warped by all the time I spend lurking around here, hahaha. Compared to LST's crew, I've barely even gotten started.

Ha that's why the ivarro tag didn't hit you with a notification. Anyhow, kudos on the Instagram. I really enjoy the Sunday take overs.

Going to get some professional pictures of my back tomorrow. You know, with drapey fabric and all - the whole statue fine art thing. To capture it before I fry my tattoo in the sun. ;)

So this got started today. Kelly Edwards. Three words for getting all that line work in one sitting: Fuck. That. Shit. Worth every second of pain though!

Since we're sharing progress, here's what we did on mine last week. We have to put the greys in some of the water and then do the details in the faces and the tiger's paws and things like that but we're getting super close to wrapping this up.

Thankyou for the Advice! My artist always let me look at the mirror before the execution. Good ideas on wearing a loose collar shirt. Last thing I need is an accidental neck tattoo. hahaha - - - Updated - - - I agree, with tattoos on upper arms areas peeking out of short sleeve. You are perceived as a tattooed person and to go into "conceal" mode, the only option is long sleeve anyway! That was my rationale as well. haha. It's kinda summer here in the area I am living in so I am walking around with t-shirt. Experimenting with long sleeve conceal mode at my part time job at the bar. But I couldn't be bothered. Most customers don't really care if the guy who is pulling them a pint is tattooed or not. But decision has been made, clock has already ticked, there is no going back ! :cool:

Thanks, @Cork, @Iwar, and @RoryQ. Freddy said he decided to go all black (as opposed to black and gray) to make it stronger next to the tiger. Great decision. By the way, I was getting tattooed by Freddy years ago and mentioned to him that I wanted to get a tiger and a baku or maybe a tiger and rooster from Lehi. Freddy said, "Just get two tigers. Two tigers would be bad ass." He was right (of course). It's only fitting that he wedged my son's name above one of those tigers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ all of those are GREAT....I've been thinking about getting a bleeding ear ever since my wife told me "if I come see your band, my ears will bleed" ha ha ha

I asked myself if I wanted sleeves badly enough that I was willing to wear long sleeve shirts during the hottest days of summer. (I was / am, so that was fine.) I don't have to depend on anyone else "accepting" anything as long as I'm willing to do that. Now, neck and hands, that would be rolling the dice.

I was nervous when I started below t-shirt line. Being a professional, I wasn't sure how it would go over. I wore long sleeves while at work for about a month. I finally realized I just didn't care. If I'm good enough at what I do or the service I provide, it shouldn't matter. So I stopped. I've come to find, even when meeting with millionaire developers or "old money" powerful people, the majority are mainly curious. In fact, even at big meetings, it seems lately that the first 5 or 10 minutes is questions about my tattoos. Of course the first one is always, "did it hurt?". The only time I wear long sleeves now is for protection from the sun, if I'm going to be working in the field all day.

if you're purchasing art, think of how to transport it. a large tube could work, depending on how much art you plan to get. with all all the shops in the Bay, you can easily go broke on this trip! Tattoo City! You might even be able to connect with Trevor for the good stuff, if you're so inclined. (IG trevor_lee_ewald) keep an eye out for what Analog has up in the gallery here. between The City and Santa Cruz, you'll likely pass San Jose. drop by State of Grace for some moichandizing. Monmon Cats, dude. i'm not even a cat person and i have half a dozen prints.

Blackheart always has prints, shirts stickers etc. Defintley worth a visit. Some of the guys at Spider Murphy's have prints etc but they're not usually displayed. If you go, ask to see if anyone has anything available. If you are in Santa Cruz, go to California Electric (Thad Ritchey, Herb Auerbach and Stefan Johnsson). Beautiful shop and great tattooers. O'Reillys should be on your list down there too. See if Dan Wysuph has any of his "Oh California" prints. Also, go to the mystery spot. It's great. And cheezy. But great. Finally: SF FRISCO THE CITY Enjoy!

yeah man, definately! when i dropped below t-shirt line, I remember saying to my tattooer how i was ready to "jump in to the big stuff". he laughed at me because I already had a big piece on my ribs and a leg sleeved in. but having the forearms tattooed definately changed my perception of myself as a tattooed individual. i felt different and echo the excitement. i wore long sleeves for 2 years in the workplace before i hit the lower arms, as a test run to see if i could handle it. no problemo! and still to this day i fairly exclusively wear long sleeves to work and out-n-about if it's hot and sunny.

... no feet as well (ugh)...have one decent sized space on my inner thigh for a last 2-session hurrah, wrist cuffs have a little space and a small filler space on my hip. some background to connect the upper legs in. then it's tattoos over tattoos (i've got some plans for various bug tattoos) hehe slow and steady progress has been my approach since day one! got enjoy the scenery, seen?

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

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.

For this reason, whenever a friend or stranger ask me about advice surrounding their idea for a first tattoo, I tell them not to get it on their forearm. I think that for many people it's really good to kind of ease into the experience of being a tattooed person and being able choose when to show it. I was quite hesitant to get my forearms done. I was studying journalism and had the idea that in that field of work it was important to be able to give of a good impression, and visible tattoos might offend people and prevent me from doing a good job. What made me change my mind was two things a) I had a half sleeve and I realized that even if I wore a t-shirt that tattoo was peeking out quite a bit. So I would have to wear like a long sleeve shirt anyway, at best I could roll it up to the elbows. b) I really love to look of tattoos on the forearms. So I went for it. That was three years ago and I still have quite a lot of space left on my arms, besides getting three more tattoos there. Just recently I had a similar chain of thoughts that made me decide to tattoo the top of my shoulders and a bit on the base of the neck. Without really planning it, my backpiece had extended enough to peek out above the rim of my t-shirt, so as long as I am not wearing a button up shirt strangers on the metro will know I am tattooed, even when I can't see them. So I might as well go for it. I guess I will start wearing button up shirts a lot more, which is fine too. I'm 28 and an adult.

When you say gap between the base do you mean having the dagger further towards the outside of you shoulders? Because if you're worried about it being visible outside of a collared shirt, don't even fret. It's only visible if I'm wearing a casual shirt that has an extremely wide collar, other than that you don't even see it. Let your artist know beforehand as well, I'm sure most won't just assume you want a neck tattoo, they'll be courteous enough to work with the placement that you want and what you're comfortable with. I'd suggest wearing a loose or wide collared shirt the day you get it tattooed that way when your artist is setting up the placement - if you're really that worried about it being visible you can make sure even with a loose fitted shirt it's still not seen before you take your shirt off and get it permanent. (Given, your artist doesn't let you look in a mirror before starting, which wont happen lol)

Yeah, it was life-changing. I feel like I'm more... ME! Although I wore long sleeves for the first few months, it wasn't to hide a tattoo - it was to hide what I considered to be a BAD tattoo. After I had it re-worked some, I could accept it and show it. The execution is a little darker and a bit crooked with orphan bits, but maybe that depicts me better. My next will be upper arm half-sleeve, but I've already told the artist to try and extend it down a bit below the elbow, at least in part.

Not tattoos but......

As a very close friend once told me "wise people appreciate feedback". Tattooing teaches you about growth, whichever side of the needle you are on. Sounds like your little fox is already quite a teacher.

Nice @Flo Ania! Saw those on Instagram and got jealous. @hogg Man, script is not my thing, but that... well I don't have the words. Nice tattoo.

I wear a lot more long sleeve shirts now. Just to work though!

My first tattoo was a panther smack dab on the middle of my forearm a year ago. I loved the design of panther the minute I saw it but being my first tattoo, I wanted to be sure if I really wanted to go with it on my forearm. I knew I wanted it to be seen but if I was really ready, that was the next question. Well after 3-4 months of thinking about it and plenty of talks with siblings and friends, some trying to convince me not to get it and others reminding me what I would be doing - I finally got it. It was a pretty bold testament to expressing myself without the care of what others think along with a lifetime decision for long sleeves if I pursue a line of work that requires no visible tattoos. Regardless, I couldn't be happier, and the placement I believe adds to the power and strength the design possesses and a year later I'm still as happy as ever with my decision every time I look down to see it. What did you have in mind? Were you thinking about a dagger or weapon of some sort?

timely topic - 18 tattoos in and i'm finally going forearm in august - working in a primary school i have definitely given it alot of thought but i too am at the stage where i dont care if it compromises me or changes peoples opinions of me - i wear short sleeves at work and intend to continue this year - other staff show their tattoos but only one other person has a small forearm tatt - other than that its leg pieces or back of neck, etc anyway - i am looking forward to it

If there is one thing I learned in this 8 page thread that I created; you shouldn't have just called it San Fran!!! Had I known more about tattooing back when I made my trip to SF, I would have gone to Oakland to visit Temple and FTW.

Well, most collectors don't hang around tattoo forums or even have good tattoos for that matter. I honestly see more bad tattoos than I see good ones. The people on here clearly have opinions on what makes a good tattoo or there wouldn't be a humongous thread about it. That being said, there is a heavy bias with preference leaning toward traditional styles on this forum. I personally am the type that cares about how my tattoo will hold up long term. I don't expose them to the sun and take good care of them. Most photos I see of tattoos are posted right after they were done and hardly look the same not too long after healing. While I am not a fan of American Traditional for me, I respect some of the principles behind longevity of the tattoos. I guess you can say that there are different design approaches in non-traditional new school tattoos that may use old school approaches. Does that make sense?

I let the artist worry about those things. That's why I only go to people I know I can trust as an artist.

Welcome, again! How big do you plan to get it? I'd say avoid wasting good real estate making letters very big. But make it big enough it doesn't turn into a blob because it's not recognizable as an actual word, and find a good tattooer who does solid clean lettering. There are many roman letter/numeral tattoos that look a little sad because the letters weren't spot on. It's also really easy for roman letters to look like they are stamped onto the skin rather than flowing, or looking like they are part of the person. If you want that look, that's fine, but personally I don't like the look that it might have come from a rubber stamp. Ugh - the roman numerals and roman lettering running along the length of forearms and biceps and across the ribs. Please, world, stop doing that!

@CultExciter @ApprenticeLife @beez thanks all for the kind words. much appreciated! here's one more from a set im currently doing

Really interesting to see all these lists, thanks for sharing. Some of these shops I don't know the story of, or don't even recognize the name, so I'm definitely trying to find out some more about those. That @Graeme would kick off with a time machine list was also fun. I don't feel like I know too much about tattoo history to really make a initiated list but here's a short Time Machine List: Thom deVita private studio The Leu Familys Family Iron Ed Hardys first custom only shop Sailor Jerrys shop at Hawaii of course Heavy places where I've been tattooed (Theo Jaks) Infamous Tattoo Smith Street (Rudy Fritsch) Original Classic Maudit Caillou (not legendary yet but it was their first week and the shop has great ambiance) (Mongas) Aloha Tattoo Shops where I would like to get tattooed Into You Tin-Tin Tatouages Horikitsunes private studio Invisible Spiral Tattoo Lifetime Tatuata Three Tides

He said a couple of sessions ago that he didn't think it needed to be reoutlined, so here's hoping.

Picked up this cool little fella from Tomas Garcia while he was working a guest spot at Acme Tattoo in Staunton, VA. Tomas is a really cool, humble guy. Do yourself a favor and get tattooed by him if you ever get the opportunity.

i can relate i'm a social worker who works in a school but also have done private practice for about 15 years people are assholes is the answer you are looking for ah the stories i could tell and while you do deposits alot changed when i started charging cancelation fees i myself think no call no show is about the rudest thing you can do to a professional but its part of the game i guess anyway good luck with your tattooing career i forget if i follow you on IG?

I think you're safe. Feet take extra long to heal because they are farthest away from the heart and blood oxygenation isn't the best by the time your circulation gets to those parts. I think if you don't have any major scabs, you'll be fine.

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

It does! Plus, you know, I can't stand the thought of looking like a baby-I need to look like a bad ass and pretend I'm fine when inside I'm saying some really good bad swears.

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. :)

The City, SF, San Francisco. That's it! - - - Updated - - - When you say vintage, I immediately think of Paul Dobleman, Stu Cripwell, Theo Mindell at Spider Murphy's. Heath Preheim at Temple would be your guy too. Juan Puente at Blackheart can do anything and everything. Jason Phillips at FTW in Oakland, too. Shit, too many options! This is why I don't really want to travel for a tattoo anymore (with the exceptions of Regino, Santoro, Boltz, etc.) Jason McAfee at Temple kills it with the California tattoos. I would like to get one myself from him.

I was born and raised out here, and all that it comes down to is the fact that the sound of the word Frisco offends my ears.

and if you call it "Frisco," we'll punch you in the dick.

Temple is about a 45 second walk eastward from the 19th Street BART station in downtown Oakland, and you can take a bus that goes along Van Ness in SF that will drop you off roughly 5 or 6 blocks from Spider Murphy's. Incidentally, Diamond Club is on the aforementioned Van Ness and you will absolutely get quality work there. Blackheart is roughly four blocks from the 16th & Mission BART station in SF and everything else is easily accessible by almost any MUNI line. I miss the City, sometimes. :(

I'm gonna try to get my appointment in with Dan hopefully by January. Gotta save up some extra cash before I book that. I seriously lucked out with my Freddy appointment. I went in early June just to get on the list because I heard he was booked out till the end of the year. I pull up to Temple and there's Freddy just hanging out on the curb. He tells me he had a cancellation in July so I could take that spot. I say still keep trying to get tattooed by him. It'll be worth it. Such a great experience. So many good shops down here. The amount of talent in this area is ridiculous.

It's amazing how available Dan is for tattoos in Oakland/SF. Trying to book him in Portland in virtually impossible, hence why I flew down there, even though I live less than a mile away from Atlas. I tried to get an appointment with Freddy Corbin and at the time I called he was booked for the rest of 2012, would still like to get tattooed by him, but not sure if its going to happen. Part of me just wants to go down to the bay area and see what shops I can walk into and get tattooed, I have figured out a new area I can squeeze some tattoos into, my stomach/torso area. I need to stop getting on this forum, because now I have ideas in my head about getting tattooed.

One more thing: don't call it "San Fran." Say "SF" or just "The City." ;)