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Yesterday I was lucky enough to take advantage of a cancelled appointment and get this butterfly from Matthew Houston at Seven Doors. He's a really nice guy and I love the combination of colours he chose.

Sandor Jordan finished my Shoki today! It was going to be on my calf, but i decided i wanted to go big and put it on my thigh. He's a kickass dude and an awesome tattooer! Jordanist on Instagram

Artist is https://www.instagram.com/woodzart/ Thank you!

Hey Dylan every tattoo you get doesn't have to be meaningful.Sometimes you just get tattooed because you like tattoos,regardless if there's a meaning or story behind the tattoo. I think a koi,dragon,eagle,Panther,roses,would cover that up.I would make an appointment with an artist whose style you like and take it from there.

here is the finished tattoo. Still looks swollen. [/img]

Hey I just booked with Eddy Deutsche he is coming to Tacoma Washington in January 2016. The exact dates aren't ironed out yet but he is going to be at Old Tacoma Tattoo. Beyond excited and was asked to spread the word by Aron Fredriksson! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A little MCA tribute tattoo from Ethan Franklin at James River Tattoo. Forgive the crappy picture; it isn't in easiest location to take a picture of myself.

I also don't have set date yet, but I'm in with Johan Svahn for his guest trip to NYC in April. I am beyond excited. Would love to get dinner/drinks with you NYC folks whoever you all are. @ironchef @BrianH

Progress! Here's a couple shots from the trenches. I didn't get many cleaned up photos due to catching my flight home. More to come...

Chad Koeplinger, Rose in the elbow ditch, done at Smith Street mid Aug '15, done in an hr and half (I couldn't believe how fast it was), Why? Why not. Getting some work by Eddy Deutsche next month. Thanks for looking!

Hey guys, My name is Dylan, I'm 21 and stationed in VA. I actually came across this thread when I was looking for ways to do a cover up for a tattoo I am highly disappointed of getting...I figured why not join in with others who may of had the same experience as me and maybe get advice for future tattoos? I am a tattoo fanatic, but I like to tattoo things that symbolize a significant change in my life or maybe a mile stone. It helps me remember my feelings for that moment. Along with the event altogether, since I have a horrible memory. The picture is actually the one I want to get fixed...its been lasered three times (painful!), so its been lightened some. I have went to four tattoo shops and they all have said the same thing or saying they can, but needed an idea. Which is what I am completely stumped on. In reference to my comment about it being significant event to my life that still remains, but maybe if any of the participants of this forum has any idea of what can even cover it, I can find something for it to symbolize in my life. Again I'm glad to be on the forum and hope to stay and communicate ideas or talk about past encounters with tattooing. Thanks! D Dub

Sorry to spam guys... but I am so stoked with how the scales are turning out (Eastern diamondback, Crotalus adamanteus).

looks manageable to me - but ultimately you'll need to discuss the details with your artist. Learning how to pick an artist is a more important question. there are loads of threads in this forum with that objective in mind.

Ok, here's the condensed version of your answer (similar questions of which have been answered on this forum many times before): a/ continue to come up with creative and drawings, but start calling them "references". b/ find a professional tattooer who already is proficient in the type of art you would wear, and who can actually tattoo (that's a whole new subject, by the way) c/ discuss your vision with that artist and bring the references for guidance d/ let that artist come up with the final idea(s) Don't expect a true artist to be interested in trying to reproduce your idea(s). Don't expect a novice artist to be able to reproduce your idea(s). Avoiding the above = you might be lucky. you might not. you'll still wear it forever.

Hi Dylan,welcome to the forums,this above is great advice.

NYS has successfully postponed the law that would force tattooers to use single-use "ink-shots." https://www.change.org/p/andrew-cuomo-david-carlucci-kenneth-zebrowski-new-york-state-department-of-health-change-nys-bill-s1421-2015-to-allow-the-use-of-disposable-ink-caps-in-tattooing/u/14481534?tk=BgSlyLPy2fyPrm01Hv1IPN4iDS5bpUU16wKuwP91sHA&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email Not sure if that link works for others, as it was a hotlink in an email that I got from change.org Basically, it got postponed, but there is a new bill being written that may be very similar to the one that was postponed.

I'm booked for the end of the month to polish out my backpiece and cap my wrist with a good luck dragon before the end of the year. Hooray. Great timing actually - I can focus on work, enjoy Xmas with my family, slam dance and stage dive with my bros on Boxing Day, hit the waterpark on my week off work and then blam spend a holi-day in Steve's secret battcave. Wash the tattoo the next morning and get drunk on New Year's Eve. boosh

Finally I got my first tattoo, (sorry for posting similar content in my initiation thread). The tattoo is a moka Bialetti, a pomegranate and a number one made by Luca Font in Milano. At the beginning I had the idea of putting a skull at the base of the moka too. We discussed with the artist and decided that another element such as as skull which is round would overcharge the image and putting two round element at the base of an object resembling a column would create the form of a penis. So he put a little number 1 at the base of the moka. I like this tattoo because it's simple, clean, well-placed, has the power of an advertisement being well balanced and reminds of Russian poster-avantgarde for the geometric aspect. I also like the fact that is not overcharged with colour but colour is placed only when it's needed, to emphasize the shape of an object: the metal glimpse of the light on the Moka and the shade of the pomegranate.

Just as a thought, my little sister passed away when we were both kids and the last movie we watched together was Peter Pan, so I'm planning on getting a ship sailing into the stars to represent the golden ship from the movie. Super cool but also not super obvious to everyone who will see it.

not black friday...colour saturday...finished up today... scott's the best..i'm sooo happy :)

OP you're anxious about this tattoo which is normal - especially since its your first but... you're asking the wrong questions the money is simple either you have it or you dont but the real focus should be have I done research on my chosen artist what I have seen in the portfolio (IG, in person, etc) that tells me 'this is gonna go well' thats the vibe i need to have when i set up a tattoo appointment there are plenty of good artists to choose from especially in the area you are heading to and with current technologies there's no excuse for failing check out your artist's recent work anyway - who you getting work from?

Here's one that's all ready healed, hairy, a bit dry and shiny: Chad Koeplinger made this at the Stockholm Inkbash in august this year. I wanted a meditating figure but not in buddhist or hindu style and send him a bunch of different ideas of present and historical cultures/religions to get him started. I was very happy when I arrived for the appointment and he decided to not draw one of my suggestions, and instead made this hopi indian in a thunderstorm. Also this is the first tattoo with tattoos that I have my body, and the first swastika. Happy about that

Somewhere between 5 or 6 hours of outlining today with Sam Warren. He ended up going just the tiniest bit bigger than I thought he would, but I am so stoked to get this started. Oh, and this goes into the dreaded butt crease, which had me seeing stars.

(Pardon my overly enthusiastic post but I've just recently started getting tattooed, and I've never been tattooed at a convention - this is all pretty new to me so I'm gushing a bit!) Not great pics, and no good clear ones of the tat yet, but am SO STOKED (and still a bit wonky) from my epic day yesterday with Darcy Nutt at the Richmond VA Tattoo Arts Convention. We emailed about ideas beforehand, but she decided not to draw anything up, wanting to meet me first and collaborate on something after we spoke in person. She had no other appointments, so my simple Japanese koi idea turned into my own freshwater angel fish from pics off my phone, and my beloved peonies. She freehanded it onto my arm, and including that part of it and one potty break, it was 6 hours in the chair. That is why I look a bit cross-eyed strung out by the last pic! I ate an omelet at 9 am and hubby tried to get me to eat along the way, but I could not do it - endorphins from pain suppress the appetite, I guess. I tried to stay hydrated, though, and found my happy place. It is all about breathing. I knew I'd be leaving with something wonderful that I'd enjoy forever, and it would be worth it. She won Tattoo of the Day (I guess I won too, but I didn't do anything but sit there), and that was pretty sweet! She finished at 9:25, the contest was at 9:30, and the pic was taken at about 10, at which point I didn't know my own name, lol. That is definitely a long session, I don't care who you are, but I had an opportunity that was not to be passed up, and Darcy is a genius. When I went up to the judges, they looked at each other, shaking their heads and grinning as they all exclaimed, "Fuckin' Darcy..." cuz they KNEW this tattoo was going to win, lol. Anybody who has the chance to get some work done by this sweet, wonderful, brilliant lady you should definitely do it. She made this design up on the fly, without ever having done this type of fish before. I'll post pics when I get the ones done by the photographer at the show, or the ones she'll post on her IG, showing the fish better towards the back of my arm. From Darcy's IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/-ZQEJVMdTl/

I realized that besides for instagram photos in the Latest Tattoo Lowdown-thread, I haven't uploaded any proper hi-res healed pictures of any one the tattoos I've gotten since I first registered here 3 years ago. I'll make sure to get to that. Anyway, here's my twiggy pale legs at their current state: Left leg, top to bottom: Rose - Eli Quinters Judas wearing devil mask - Iain Mullen Heart factory-thing - Rudy Fritsch Dietzel masked girl - Joel Albertsson ACE-script - design by my friend, tattoo by Iain Mullen Swampy horned skull - my friend Isabel Crocodile bird - Joel Madberg SOOS Man with birdcage head - my friend Isabel Ancient aliens UFO with wings and bird claw - Iain Mullen Gorilla in tower holding skull - Deno Crossed bones RMA - my friend Isabel Återkomst - some scratcher named Jens (traded for a small photo) Badly healed heel tattoo - Iain Mullen Upside down skull - my design, tattoo by Iain Mullen Right leg, top to bottom: Shaman and hyena - James McKenna Rock of ages, upside down cross - Peter Lagergren Girl sleeping in moon - Jaclyn Réhe Human cuddled in egg shape - my friend Isabel Whispering devil + indian symbol and three moons - Iain Mullen Baboon head - Matty D'Arienzo Saraswati/indian looking head - Adde Ramstedt Behive - Knibbe Pallius Upside down eye of providence and snake - Ville Prinsen Big angry snake head - Deno Cat reaper - Joel Madberg SOOS Funky tiger coming out of flower - Cezilia Hjelt Equaly badly healed heel tattoo - Iain Mullen (both to be redone in a few months) Bum dreaming "C.R.E.A.M." - Frej Lind Hårda Tider-band logo on toe - my friend Isabel Edit: Oh wow, long post. Thought they were thin enough to go side by side in pairs. Well.. enjoy