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Holy shit. That looks so good. And so fast, well it seemed fast, ha. - - - Updated - - - I'm a shitty forum user. I find I only lurk the backpiece thread(s) with any kind of regularity. I should work on that. Anyways, latest sit after 2 months off for traveling and enjoying summer adventures. Started colour! Super pumped about that. Also, any sit above the waist is a good one. Have an appointment every month from now until December. Hoping to have it done then which would mean it took a year for everything shoulders to knees. Fingers crossed. Sorta off topic, but a guy was at the shop near the end of my sit. Heavily covered (only a patch bare on torso) and kinda shooting the shit. He asked if I was going to do my front. I replied with a fuck no (keep in mind, this is at the end of my sit, ha). He said finishing your back is kind of bittersweet and said he'd put money on it I do my front, ha. We shall see. I can't imagine being sad to be done. But I do plan to finish off my arms, legs, and front of thighs eventually.

Alright folks, here ya go

Final healed pics. Amazed and still hard to believe that I get to wear this art. I now travel with over a dozen of my underwater photographs designed into this awesome scene by Sean Zee Instagram

Here's mine! One more session to go. By Freddy "Mr. Nice Guy" Corbin.

Got my wife this tattoo from Thad Ritchey @ California Electric. We just had a baby a month ago and she really wanted this tattoo to symbolize that. Really happy with how it came out.

"I've been kind of interested in a foo dog.". Stewart Robson. Done! "Maybe a really excellent lady head?". Valerie Vargas. Done! the one-two punch! Aside from the convention they've both guested at Blackheart while in town the last couple years. You never know, you could win the golden ticket. Ha ha! But yes, you're right there's always an amazing roster of artists at this convention @sophistre. And any number of these people can and would do an excellent job. I am always happy to play the devil on someone's shoulder if they're debating a tattoo, so please don't mind me. Then, with this list of attendees I don't really need too. You'll just find yourself in a chair in a happy tattoo overloaded daze.Ha!

@idyllsend WOW! that is really beautiful. I can't wait to see that finished. Here are a few pics from my last session with Chad K. We are essentially finished but he does want to do one more session in November for some touch ups and stuff. For all intensive purposes though, here is my finished back! I am so stoked!!! It is so vibrant and bold and I think you can read the image from a few miles away :) Chad put in some really neat little details in this last session. Not sure they will be visible in these "just finished" pics, but I will try to remember to post a healed pic. He did some really cool things with the tongue and the teeth that I am pretty pumped with.. LOVE the eyes as well. I am super grateful. rob attaching pics from gallery as that seems to be the only way for me to edit them from being sideways. If they look sideways at first, just click the pic and it should right itself.

@Cork I will once I figure out how to upload a photo! http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/gallery/uncategorized/18703-almost-finished-back.html - - - Updated - - -

@hellamuch Yeah, keep it to yourself. I think it's clear that no one would be interested in an freaking back piece by Freddy Corbin are you crazy post pictures now!

I guess I'll join in on the sharing fun (even though most of you have already seen this on Mike's instagram). Progress from my session at Pagoda City Tattoo Fest: About 31 hours total so far. So maybe we are about 1/2 done?

So here is the remainder. Kongo Yasha Myo-o in his full glory from Dana Helmuth. This was pretty much the home stretch at this point. Once all the shading was done, the color was only about 1/3 of the remaining time I spent with Dana. I love Dana's snakes. Once mine got colored in, I couldn't stop staring at it, I still can't. Also everyone loves the blue, and so do I. It's bold, and it'll be awesome for a long time. I spent a lot of time at Read Street Tattoo in Baltimore and it was a great shop. The final session was in Dana's tattoo lair at his home in Maryland and it's a true honor to be a member of his back piece club. And the final obligatory baby picture, because I want to be as cool as @hogg.

Sorry - I gotta double post - this is over in http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/15-latest-tattoo-lowdown-page810.html#post119681 Final healed pics! Finished a photo shoot last month so I FINALLY have great shots. Ready to enter the contest! Many of my underwater photographs designed into this awesome scene by Sean Zee Instagram

Maybe not *cooler* buuuuut ya gotta admit, definitely more bad ass. Dr. Seuss was a genius.

I am giggling a little at this post because this forum has done anything but help me narrow down the list of people I would get tattoos from, haha! I know what you meant, though. Truth is, I don't actually have any specific tattoo ideas, and I'd probably change what I wanted depending on who it was, so that makes it hard for well-meaning internet friends to help me choose! I've been kind of interested in a foo dog, lately. Maybe a really excellent lady head? ...or anything. That's always the hardest part for me -- not that there's nothing I want or only something very specific, but that there's SO MUCH I would get, it's hard to narrow it down!

Long shot but I want to see if Rubendall will do a small filler on my foot. He was really impressed with my collection so fingers crossed he will consider it, especially since I don't have any appointments this year... :(

Awesome thread! I would post mine but it's unfinished ....done (almost) by Freddy Corbin.

Just got this badboy on my shin from Daryl Hart. Super stoked on it! https://instagram.com/dhart_fbc/

Pretty sure the correct answer is HAIL SATAN - - - Updated - - - Finished up a leg with Lehi. First two sessions at Blackheart, final session at Temple. Last year I got tattooed by Stewart Robson at Blackheart and I was saying I wanted to get some big work from Tim. Stewart told me flatly that I had to get a tiger. Turned out Ok I guess, if you're into that sorta thing... This is about 3 weeks healed (photo taken today). From his IG

Original ideas are overrated and more often than not lead to goofy tattoos.

As above: if you're worried about getting something because you think it's trendy, it's probably trendy. But if you really like it, just get it.

Just a note, if I were wanting to score some cash I would watch atms then pilfer. I would guess 99.99 % of the time no one would ever guess someone else had 1000 in their pocket and you would make safely to your appointment.

Thank you!! @Piha. Your back piece is looking sick!!!!

i think this depends on what you're trying to accomplish. if you're just trying to see the sights and take in the vibe, i think saturday is good. definitely the busiest and more likely to run into more LSTers. if you're trying to get tattooed, it could definitely vary... Friday - if you can get there right when the doors open, you can make a mad dash to folks taking walk ups and be the first to book, hopefully for Friday! Saturday - same as Friday, if you can get there early. but i think some artists book for the weekend on Friday night, so Saturday could be tougher to find someone available. Sunday - i think it's generally a lil slower, so there's a chance folks'll be open.

FUCK YEAH! I BACK THIS DUDE FULLY. Welcome to LST, Martin! - - - Updated - - - I met this guy at one of Black Heart's few Walk In Sundays. Me and him along with two other dudes were the only nerds camping out in line before the shop opened. I managed to keep in touch with him ever since. I fucks with this dude!

Getting "Otis" on my ribs tomorrow.

This is true. @pidjones. One of the things that I like about this site is that generally people are so helpful and encouraging. Here I feel like I have some "tattoo buddies," people that "get it" - something I don't have in everyday life. I love talking about my tattoos and tattooing, and here I can do that. Feels nice! @iowagirl - I love that statement! And after I read it, I thought, "Hmmmm...Dr. Suess?" I googled it - yes! Thanks for putting that in my mind. But it is true. When I'm brave enough to be out there showing my ink, and have a good interaction with a person, I just feel so alive, as if there is more oxygen in the air than usual. I can't explain it. It's a super feeling - almost a high. The phrase I use is "I feel more like me!" My tattoo journey has been unusual, like peeling back layers of me. I got my first tattoo because my husband asked, even though I had no interest. I agreed because I thought that it would be fun to step out of the box, and also make him happy. But it was always intended to be "just one" and to be private. Then I realized I liked - no - loved having a tattoo, and got another, and then realized that I wanted more, and more. Eventually the "public me/private me" split reared it's head as I ventured onto my arms and upper back, and I realized that I was more uptight than I ever imagined because I was so afraid of showing my tattoos. This forum has helped me start to sort it out. I'm glad I'm different, and I'm glad that I did something to my body to permanently express that. I love, love, LOVE my tattoos. I'm not a person that thinks my tattoos make me "cooler than you," but for me personally, tattoos make me feel cool, they make me feel confident, special, pretty. I'm starting to feel like I'm ready be more public with my ink. Its going to be a little awkward sometimes, but now I have a mantra that I will repeat to myself when I feel uncomfortable: "you're you, it's truer than true, there's no one youer than you!"

Hi Cork No body suit, I started with a traditionnal sleeve ('till the middle of the forearm), with half chest panel ("Kantobori") style. I'll do the other sleeve after that, and if possible, a full back piece ("Kame-no-koh") later, hopfully from Horitoshi's hand, maybe from one of his disciples. I started on arms because, unless you live in Japan, a full back is a looong way to go. A friend of mine had one, lasted 8 years and so to complete, he travelled from France twice a year for two weeks each time... Gives you an idea. That's tebori. If you check Horitoshi 1 instagram, you will see a pic (4th right now) of a sitting guy, with a Brown-orange dragoon back piece, this is him. The two first pics are my arm, getting background completed these days.

@soraya, so glad you are "coming out of your shell". I word a prayer for our congregation in Sunday morning worship about 50% of the time. I'm usually the oldest male present. I have worn short sleeves exposing my forearm tattoo since the weather became warm enough for them. Doesn't bother me at all. What is the difference between makeup, clothing with designs, and tattoos? Just because the first two can be removed or changed they are approved? Tattoos (at least for me) represent much more thought. But then, most of our praise team have tattoos, some more than me. The preacher has none but his wife has told me that she has one on her hip that she would like to have enlarged down her thigh. I guess we aren't very traditional, but in today's church we are fairly main stream. I try to live by my tag line (Love 'em all.... Let God sort 'em out.), and don't assume that others are judging me, either.

There are very light-weight nylon pants made for hikers that have zip-off legs so they can turn into shorts. Plenty of pockets and they will rinse out in a hotel sink or a stream and be dry by morning. I have about a half-dozen pair that I wear under my armored mesh gear on the motorcycle in hot summer weather. Still good looking enough to wear while teaching. Best prices I've found is at Academy sporting goods, but Bass Pro has them on sale sometimes.

Damn, @MoistTowelette. Is this cosmic let down bad juju for getting tattooed by EVERYONE last year? Ha ha! Bummer though. I was hoping Shige would be there and bringing some of his limited "Barekijin (sp?)" prints. Well, there goes that plan. Yakitori place for sure! If you're not inspired to pre-book with someone @sophistre, once you step in you'll definitely get an urge to get a little something. It's a hard thing to resist. I've only been able to withstand it by spending way too much on prints and books. Ha!

I am definitely going to try to make it happen! It's my birthday weekend, and that would be a pretty great gift. TBH I would love to be tattooed there but I have no specific 'must-have' artists sorted and no idea how I would try to get in with them, anyway, so who knows! It'll be fun just to have the experience. Buy some prints, ogle other people's tattoos, add to my mental list of people I'd like to tattoo me someday. :)

Pictures from my second and third sittings. My tattooist thinks we'll have it done in 7. Thank dog. The itchiness is killing me! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I've always been of the mindset to give the people what they want. It looks like I can only bundle 20 pictures per post, so here you have the first half. Of note in this set of pictures; My back is really only my third tattoo, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew I always had an interest in this type of stuff, and it was something I had to do. The very first lining session reminded me of the pain of my previous tattoos, but the worst part was the hair. I distinctly remember clutching the table as the 5th hour rolled around and it was time to start the hair. 30 minutes later, soaked in sweat, I can say I did what needed to be done. After that session, Dana says that he is notorious for pushing his clients, and that if I really needed to take a break, to just let him know. The guy is a machine and just rolls on forever once he gets started. Once that love handle got hit, I knew I had to turn to chemical relief. The average session was 4-5 hours and I didn't want to let Dana down by tapping out early. That may be frowned upon by those who never turned to relief, but anyone who has turned to pain killers will tell you that it hardly does anything. It just takes the edge off and lets you breath a little. Make no mistake, you definitely still feel it. Kudos to anyone who goes through the ass without any assistance. I don't think I could have managed sessions any longer than 2 hours if so. We did a ton of lines and shading. We both got a little bored with it and decided to color in some fire before finishing the shading. We were both itching to see color and it was a great change of pace. One major thing to note, and I want everyone to take notice about how a tattoo changes and you just roll with what works. At first, Kongo Yasha was going to have a nice yellow aura, and the lines were down to lay the path, but that changed once the fire got started. Since Kongo Yasha is an angry ass dude, we decided a full fire aura would look the best. Dana put some lines down and I think it was a change for the better. You can hardly even tell what was originally intended.

I'm an old fart too. I'm all about "cash is king." However, I'll use PayPal to send a deposit to someone that isn't local. I've done this a couple of times. I've also received a Visa Gift Card for Christmas a couple times. So the first idea that came to mind was to put down a deposit somewhere that takes Visa. Safe to say that my parents never gave me a Visa Gift Card for Christmas ever again.

I've never asked a man for ass pics before, but you know what they say.... ya never know till ya try it :D

I went around between Instagram, my phone, and the back piece thread and pulled together as many shots of my back progress as I could. Anyone interested in seeing the process? The only reason I ask is it is a lot of gratuitous ass. Like, a lot. Obviously it's all already on the internet, but just seeing it one folder on my hard drive seems excessive as it is so I figure I'd gauge interest here before posting.

Oh, so it's like a workout?! We should all try it!!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello all! Not been on for a little while so thought I better jump on and give a bit of an update. Firstly @Graeme your back is looking great. I'll be that far along soon. Ian reckon's we could be done in 3 or 4 more sessions. In the mean time this is the progress from the last couple of sessions. Reposted from Ian's instsgram.

I will at some point, but not this session. Front of stomach/sternum this time. I'm going to cry then die. Matching upside down girl head soon though! I'm just on a mission to get front done ASAP.

I just look for the closest bank to the shop I'm going to. I make that my absolute last stop before getting tattooed. I try not to travel with the actual tattoo cash in hand. Also, you could PayPal the tattooer as much you can before hand. Wiring money can be expensive. As of right now PayPal is a cheaper option if your tattooer accepts it. Healing with Tegaderm while traveling is the best! Note to self: Mug Graeme before his tattoo appointment(s). =) Note to self: Mug Lance before his tattoo appointment(s). =)

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

Sorry for the huge pic, I don't think I posted this but anyway I got this done a few months ago by Jesse Rix in Keene, N.H.

Pin up & black rose last week by Tim Hendricks, photo from his Instagram :D

This was the most painful by far (inside of upper arm in that nice, soft, tender white meat). But, I found my "happy place" and made it through with only interruptions for potty breaks (for both of us) and once for me to work out a bad leg/foot cramp that I was afraid was going to make me move under her. In the long run, it only took about 2.5 hours under the machine. This is the first I have had to lay down for, and that was different. She was able to get a cameo of the youngest daughter added, and will add one of the oldest when I get a better photo for her. I'll post a pic when its healed better. Right now, it's still very touchy when the shirt brushes it but still good enough that I could ride the motorcycle to work today. The most important thing - the youngest daughter saw it when I got home, and even with it still bloody she liked it!

Hardly anyone is naturally good at anything. Someone who's observant or has a lot of manual dexterity might be more INCLINED to be a good artist, but it still takes tons of work. You don't see all the time someone puts into improving their art, so you assume it comes easy to them. I've been making art for fun since I was about 11 and decided I wanted to be able to draw pretty pictures, and I'm FINALLY, 13 years later, getting to the point where I look at something I made and think "Hey, that's not too bad." And I'm not even doing it as a career, imagine how much more work it takes for a professional artist with higher standards. In my opinion, being able to draw well is the foundation for a good tattoo artist so you can never excel without mastering that first step. Practice, practice, practice...

lol my 13 yr old dtr taught me how to "screenshot" my DM pic that Sheila Marcello sent me after she did this cool amazing Pharaohs Horses piece - even though I have a few pics of this posted already in the lowdown - please allow me to give you the best of the bunch :)

#breaktheinternet lol haha thx G-man - - - Updated - - - And we loved reading about them! Too often we just see the tattoo and don't often get the chance to hear/share the intimate details behind each tattoo experience. Really appreciated the stories, they put your tattoos in context and makes those tattoos even more powerful!

here is a better pic - one that Sheila took - along with some others she did yesterday

Pharaoh's Horses by Sheila Marcello @ Electric Tattoo in Asbury Park they had a traditional flash weekend event @ the shop as I was getting tattooed by Sheila I was a few feet away from Bert Krak and Robert Ryan doing pieces there was many other big names there as well - place was packed seeing Bert up close I couldnt believe how big the guy is - he looks like he could suit up for the NY Giants if he wanted very cool vibe at this shop though I would say I prefer less of a crowd pic is shiny - meh