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Finished all of the linework today. 4 hours on the ass and ribs was super cool. u______u But on the plus side it is the most gorgeous tattoo ever and I could not be more thrilled about having gone through with this. Also I met Ed Hardy today and I was pretty much naked except for a drape sheet and my socks so that was awesome haha :rolleyes:

Looks like it's a girl, and looks like she doesn't have any tattoos, so I'd stay the fuck away and go find a real tattooer. Also what the fuck is this? https://instagram.com/p/3USZz8v9es/?taken-by=machinaelectrica

I had my second to last back session yesterday. I'm not going to post pictures because it was mostly ass and back of thigh shading, and as a nice bonus we hit my love handles, touched up some of the background and darkened up my ribs a bit. It was all grey wash so it's angry and red at the moment. Like @cltattooing said above, super cool. I go back next month to do the final bells and whistles: the tiger's claws and paws, his eyes, the inside of the snake's mouth, but we're almost done. I'll try to get some good pictures when it's all done and settled in.

Last time I got tattooed my artist was discussing a similar situation with some other tattooers in the shop. This wasn't him it happened to, but someone he knew/knew of: So a tattooer opens up a shop like almost across the street from the existing shop. Starts trash talking, causing problems, etc., much like you're experiencing. One notable lie that the new tattooer tells about the old is that the older guy has Hep C so people shouldn't get tattooed there. Obviously, old tattooer isn't too pleased about this. His remedy, apparently, was to grab a handful of used needles, walk into new guys shop and stab him with them while he was tattooing a client - "I've got Hep C, do I? Well, now you do too". The good old days. I'm not saying you should do this, not at all. You should just keep doing solid work and wait for people to realize the other guy sucks.

@Cork I'll have pictures for you guys soon! @Graeme ugh yours looks so good though! Been rad to see it all come together so fast, big ups to everyone in this thread for their dedication.

Second session today...3 hours background shading on one side. Thats 8 hours all up so far. Good times !

Hi All! Been absent of late working on a number of other projects. The next few months are filled with tattoo appointments for my husband and I (yahoo!) and there has been a bit of a question revolving around traveling for tattoos. Namely: how do folks handle traveling (flight, etc) with all the cash necessary for an all day appointment in an unfamiliar city? Do you wire as much as you can to your tattoo artist and bring the remainder with you in cash, or do you bring it with you on the plane then go directly to the shop to drop it off, or visit the ATM/bank branch several times, or ???? Advice would be greatly appreciated!

Booked in with Jason Phillips to continue my front. Not looking forward to it, but I sorta am?

George Campise!! When I hear Berkeley, I think of Campeesee.. But Carolyn's list is pretty legit. *Jill Bonny is at Tuesday Tattoo in the Outer Sunset at the moment. - - - Updated - - - I've seen a Japanese sleeve from Dan Santoro, and it was mind blowing.

man.. too bad kirk wilken JUST moved to colorado, he was tattooing at old soul in canonsburg and kills it with japanese.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, the best action is to "be the better man" and simply continue your good work and don't get drawn in. It is like a playground bully, who wants to engage, and when you ignore them and don't engage, they quit, because there's nothing in it for them. If you don't respond to anything then he doesn't get anything out of it at all - no adrenalin rush, no response, no anticipation of what your reaction might be (or whatever it is that this person gets out of it!). Imagine how excited he gets when the cops show up to his shop, but there's nothing they can do! He can boast to everyone, hopefully (to him) there are people in the shop that see this happen, and he is vindicated, and it is excitement and brings energy to his life that he'd otherwise not have. He's lovin' it. Sadly, as a business owner and a citizen you have rights and it isn't fair that this guy can do this kind of crap without being stopped, but, without a particular crime being committed, he can. If you can simply hold on, ignore him, wait him out, your work will speak for itself, as will his, and your silence will speak louder than his shouts.

People get the tattoos they deserve. If you come here, and can watch an interview with Mike Wilson (among others!) and think this person is worth your business, maybe you deserve a shitty tattoo.

welcome! if you're meeting with artists in Vietnam, then it sounds like you're willing to travel. If that's the case, then this list could grow out of control! this sounds like a "vote for an artist to do an LSTer's bodysuit" thread, which is pretty damn awesome. you've just gotta take all the suggestions, scroll IG til your fingers get numb, and find the artists whose work speaks to you. a few thoughts... - i'm not sure i've seen a full japanese body suit from Chris Garver, but i'm positive it would blow minds (if anyone has pictures of any, i'd love to see 'em). - it would be cool to see a few artists who don't specialize in japanese get the chance to do a full body suit... a chad koeplinger, jeff rassier, or jondix buddha/mahakhala bodysuit would be unique and amazing. - on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are artists who've been banging out japanese body suits for a while like Chris Treviño, Filip Leu, Shige, Mike Roper, Mike Rubendall, Henning Jorgensen, etc. - if you're going japanese and you're willing to travel, how about japan? - for practicality's sake, staying in the bay would save you $ on travel and you'd be able to work on it more often (see @cltattooing list above). happy researching!!

Oh I can sympathize with ass and ribs. And lining too. You had a fun day, I'm sure.

IMO the best japanese-style tattooers in the bay are in no order: Dave Moore - True Love, Berkeley Luke Stewart - Seventh Son, San Francisco Jason Phillips - FTW, Oakland Tim Lehi - Temple, Oakland Horitomo/Colin Baker/Jill Bonny - State of Grace, San Jose Colin Stevens - Body Manipulations, San Francisco Everyone who works at - Diamond Club, San Francisco Kahlil Rintye - Tattoo City, San Francisco Ben Cheese - Everlasting, San Francisco Andre Malcolm - Skull & Sword, San Francisco I'm probably forgetting some folks, but thems the best of the best. Also I have seen some wonderful Japanese from Paul Dobleman for what it's worth.

so I will have to post some of my tattoos from the early 80's,back when tattoo shops were tattoo shops, no 2 or 4 year waiting list,(give me a break LOL) no "I only do full back pieces", no " I don't do color", no "I don't do cover-ups", no "my hourly rate is $250", today tattooes cost 2 or 5 or 8 thousand dollars !?!?!?!?? WOW ! no "this or that", if you want to talk to a tattoo artist,YOU CAN'T ! you get their "assistant" ! LOL really ?!?!?! they're untouchable,people act like they are gods or the something,their shit stinks just like the rest of us. sailor Jerry would roll over in his grave if he knew what the tattoo world has evolved into. IMO the state of the tattoo world is a little over the top now,sorry,but that's how I feel. (let the flames come) LOL

Not the latest, but I finally got some decent pictures of my wings and eyes from Erik Von Bartholomaus. Wraps almost all the way around, making it pretty tough to take pictures of. Sorry the first picture is sideways.

I found an awesome little bra that's working out well for when you can't wear a bra strap!!https://www.victoriassecret.com//bras/strapless-and-multi-way/backless-lace-push-up-bra-style-secrets?ProductID=112733&CatalogueType=OLS&origin=search Not perfect but getting me through not being able to wear anything on my back!

A little something by Grez on Friday. https://instagram.com/p/6G4fMVHKjZ/?taken-by=gingahninja_

Just got this Jesus Daruma from Walter McDonald. Stoked to get tattoos from two people on my list (Walter and Charlie Roberts) in one summer at my friend's studio right here in Tokyo!

Just got this from Daniel Albrigo at Port City Tattoo in the LBC. https://instagram.com/p/6BfO5NH513/?taken-by=danielalbrigo

got my hand tattooed by mike wilson yesterday @ the pagoda city tattoo convention. soooo stoked on life right now even though my hands the size of a catchers mitt.

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fuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkk, i quit.

So after a few weeks of digging for info on the print I believe I just found an explanation. The short version is: Gorozo is a samurai that needs to pay a debt for his ex-lord and has no idea how to get the money. He needs to support his former lord because it is dishonorable not to help him. The Lord racked up the debt paying for the company of a courtesan, whom he falls in love with. Gorozo's wife is later confronted by Hoshikage Doemon, another samurai who is Gorozo's enemy and has long been in love with her. Doemon offers to completely pay off the debt, but forces her to divorce Gorozo to be with him before he does so. When she tells Gorozo she has to divorce him(she is sacrificing herself so her husband can maintain his honor. she plans to kill herself once the debt is paid, but does not tell Gorozo this) he is furious. Gorozo later hides and waits for Doemon and his wife walking together and he attacks them with his sword. Doemon disappears by magic but he cuts the head of the woman off. Gorozo then finds out the woman was not his wife, but was in fact his former lord's lover. Later, when Gorozo realizes his wife's intention to kill herself for his honor, the two of them commit suicide together while tearing up the letter confirming their divorce. So, the print is depicting the scene where Gorozo attacks Doemon and his ex-lord's lover. You see the woman's severed head on Gorozo's waist and the shadow figure is Doemon, magically dissolving into a shadow so he can escape.