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From an artists perspective, i'd say go in at least with an idea of the tattoos the artist youve chosen has done that you like and explain why you like them (colours, layout,subject etc) and at best say youd like something along those lines. dont go in saying 'do what you want', no one ever really means that and if they explain something they'd be stoked to do and you say, yeah but not that. well, then you will have a deflated and slightly annoyed artist in your hands, vague guidance is great. the artist puts out there work theyve enjoyed or that shows their ability, all within the realm of what that customer asked for, however, so just cos you like what you see them posting doesnt mean it's what they want to do, it might be something entirely different that they simply havent gotten a chance to tattoo ever before.

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

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.

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

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.

@Sick, I think it's okay to ask an artist if there's something they'd like to tattoo. Some will go for it but others will want something more concrete to work from to start with. Ask them and they'll let you know. If an artist agrees to do this though and draws something up but you don't like it at all, then you've wasted his/her time. You may end up with a panther, an exploding feather, or a tanuki w/ giant testicles (minus the tanuki) but you asked for it because they felt like tattooing it. You may get a watercolor artist draw a traditional eagle because you're giving them an opportunity to switch things up. Worse case, you then feel pressured to get a tattoo on you that you dislike and the artist tattoos you none the wiser. Which you shouldn't get obviously. Or everything could turn out absolutely amazing and you get a tattoo that makes you do a happy dance. Personally I have never started completely blank. I have always given an artist something to start with cuz that's just me. It doesn't limit their creativity though. In the case with my back piece Jill Bonny completely changed what we had discussed at my consult. The subject was the same but after some thought she felt the idea we discussed was stronger carried out in a different composition. I was so blown away by the new image, I couldn't even begin to fuck with her head by making some wise ass comment. And I love me my wise ass-isms.

I finally got my fans!

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

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

I just like giving a really vague direction. All it takes is a word or two and that should be enough. "A weird lady head" or "a B&G snake." I would rather not have to give a long winded explanation of what I want. I also like picking out of line books. Because typically this is what the tattooer is stoked to do. - - - Updated - - - Nothing is original in tattooing. Nothing is original in life. Even though I have my own self-imposed rules that if a friend of mine gets a certain tattoo, then it's off limits for me. I'm such a hypocrite.

Welcome! My recommendation is to find an artist who you want to do the tattoo, preferably somebody with a lot of experience doing cover ups, and ask him or her what's possible. I've seen really varying results with cover ups, so individual expertise is really crucial here. If you let us know where you live I'm sure that somebody can recommend quality shops and artists in your area.

Brian Kaneko in less than a month, then in November Yoni Zilber. Husband is starting a chestpiece (his first tattoo) with Roxx this week. Going to be a busy fall getting tattooed, I usually get one a year.

Get a skull.

It really depends on the particular tattooer. In my experience, most want some direction, but it comes down to how individual tattooers prefer to work. With that said, I do believe in the idea that people more or less get the tattoos they deserve. Nobody begins knowing anything about tattoos and knowledge is gained through getting tattooed, though spending time learning about tattoos, looking at them and so on. So if you feel that you don't have much of an imagination when it comes to tattoos but aren't actively trying to improve that imagination, then just wanting a cool tattoo probably isn't going to hack it.

Tattooers that definitely caught my eye this year at SFO: Grez, Arriola, Benevides, Kiku (Invisible), Chris Trevino. Prob wouldn't get anything from Trevino, but I respect his work so much. Grez is one of my favorite tattooers in NY and he's not in California that often. Arriola can do anything and I thank a handful of LST'ers for putting me on. I've always been a fan of Benevides style, and Kiku is doing a really tough Japanese style that I can dig. Kiku's also rarely out in California.

Getting "Otis" on my ribs tomorrow.

@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.

Just get a Pharaoh's Raptors instead.

Bout 5-6 hours. @Dan thanks for your contribution to the tegaderm thread. It really helped me alot on do's and dont's. This stuff is better than a duck shitting golden eggs. It made my flight so easy. Pain was so much worse than i thought. My respect has grown deep for you guys.

Thanks man! I think it's only been 4 sessions so far. One more and done unless I want to add more stuff around it which I'm thinking I might. Some cherubs or something!

Tiger or dragon? The obvious answer is both.

I guess the right answer is, "whatever makes you feel the least nervous" ;)

i've done this a few times and always end up happy but it's usually with someone i've been tattooed by before and someone that i know for sure i will like whatever they feel like doing.

I was thinking of like a pharaohs predatory cats type of situation for my thigh once but I'll probably stick with ponies. Leopard, mountain lion, panther or something along those lines.

@Scott R Definitely very possible, but I was always just as nervous of pulling my phone or wallet out and a wad falling out on the subway or a bus or something. I always felt that a one block walk was safer than a few days of public transit and possibly losing my bookbag or something if I had it in there. I don't know that there's really one right or wrong answer, I guess.

I wouldn't hate anything about this arrangement! I will be astonished if I can make that happen, but I'd do it in a heartbeat. You're right about the other stuff, though. It'll probably be hard to lose, wherever I end up. Can't wait to find out. :cool:

Pharaoh's tigers?

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

I CANNOT believe I am missing another year!! Oh well 2016 it is! You guys will have a blast and hopefully will end up with some great tattoos....

@Cork - cool - thanks for posting all those pictures in one place. I have all that somewhere, and will put it together sometime. It's pretty amazing to look at the progression, and at least for me, realize what your thinking was between each session. Like not knowing where the next session would go, and thinking you had a clue but then he'd go off in a different direction. And seeing those really horrible sessions just after and wondering how you made it through, and the ones that moved you emotionally. Having all those pics together can be an emotional overload. Thanks for doing that - it is such a personal thing. And, of course, the last picture is the bestest! Congrats to you both (well, all three of you!) @cltattooing - wow, wow wow!!! The linework is amazing. So intricate and the design flows so nicely over your body. Hella butt cheeks! I can't wait to see this one with color - I've never seen anything like it before. I can't really even put the words together - just can't wait to see this progress. Congrats! @BrianH - You are moving right along - I think I've missed your last blog entry. All that shading is crazy - gonna make the dragon really pop. Wow. Holy cow - I get pulled away from LST for a couple weeks and all this crazy shit goes down!

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.

I must confess that my tattoos do make me feel pretty bad ass sometimes!:)

FUCK! WOW!

Hey guys, third session down, now sitting at 11 hours...second pics a bit blurry sorry...

@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!

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

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?

Of course that tiger that I was just raving about was someone on here. Hahaha. Well done @9Years.

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

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

Ichibay next month at the London tattoo convention, Tim Lehi in November and Chris Trevino in May next year. So stoked! - - - Updated - - - Nice! What are you getting from him? and tebori? And Mike Rubendall too? ..

In the process of booking with Chris O'Donnell for 2016...can't wait!

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.

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).

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

Something tough as fuck from Lehi. A spider from Arriola. A pin-up from Boltz. Don't steal my ideas, guys.

Something big on my leg, ankle to waist. Snake vs. dragon? Snake vs eagle? Snake vs. two eagles? So many possibilities. Tattoos are hard. Also need a tiger in my life. Big fuck off one. Blue and white bengal would do. A black cat would be nice, too. I already have one. But, like, another one. Really looking to break the mould in so far as designs are concerned. Really push the medium forward into uncharted territory, you know? - - - Updated - - - Whoa. Who did that panther?

Guilty as charged:tigers 1 of 3 Tattoo Picture | Last Sparrow Tattoo

I think @hogg has tigers under/around his boobs.