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I love this thread. Thank you everyone here for sharing your journey so far. So much incredible work. This truly is a crucible, and it has really been sinking in more and more just how special it still is.

Leave it alone, it looks great as is. Efforts to "enhance" tattoos in the way you are describing usually end up taking away from the original tattoo subject. An eagle is already pretty "U S of EH" do you really need to make your patriotism more obvious by dressing your arm like an american flag? Get other tattoos and fill out the rest of the arm. Or incorporate the eagle into a wrap-around wilderness half sleeve with a colourful background. My $0.02

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

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.

A good tattooer might be reluctant to just put something/anything on you for obvious reasons. You might not be happy with the decision 6 months from now. Find at least an idea or image that rings true with you.

yeah I think whatever you do dont stress too much about it - as others have said - its YOUR tattoo - my collection has become pretty eclectic over time and I kinda like that - probably no one on this board would have told me to fill my upper arms with an angry corn on a tractor or a self loathing pizza monster - but hey I love those tattoos - now with time my tastes have changed and I go with the flow of what I'm into - that said - there is a alot of good advice on this board - and I've learned alot about what makes a good tattoo (to me) from this board and site in general (the interview section alone is filled with awesomeness) - anyway - just my 2 cent ramble

two thoughts - do you have any tattoos on the other side of your arm? if you add background now, you may not have ample space to add. - do you have any other color tattoos or plans for the rest of the tattoos on your body? there are lots of folks who are advocates of staying black and gray.

Just a thought here. It is yours and only what you think counts. Looking at your eagle, I'd keep any flag background below it's head so that it doesn't get lost in any way. By keeping the head (most of the white part) above/without a background, it remains visually prominent.

Extremely important and necessary' date=' of the utmost importance.[/i'] How would you define it? Tattoos are not a fashion accessory to be changed with your outfit, or a "statement" (although they may certainly make a statement).

@Isotope - Wow!

First post, I come from Stockholm, I like tattoos and I find it quite difficult to navigate in this forum:) Ex lurker, never took the time to register an account until now. Closer to 40 than 30, first tattoo I got was in 97. Got it covered last year. Peace!

I think "not the worst" is a bit too harsh. I would say "not the best", but I think still good. I also would not go to her, but this is totally not my style of tattoo. If one my friends said they were going to this artist, I would not try to dissuade them.

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

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

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.

Here is a diary I kept when I got my back piece. I'm not taking out the $ amounts. I'm too lazy to do that. Geisha Tattoo Diary 2014 1. 8/22/14 My appointment was at 3pm. Todd met me at the shop to help me decide if I liked what Matt D. had drawn up for me. I had my consultation about three months before. I told him I wanted a Geisha with a dragon tattoo on her shoulder or arm. I also wanted a temple in the back ground. He showed us what he had drawn up and I was very happy with it. It was exactly like I had envisioned. Todd stayed while Matt placed the stencil on my back. Then he left because he needed to pick up Logan and walker from the babysitters. Matt had me sit sideways in a chair and lean way over so he could start on my lower back. It was very uncomfortable and was very difficult to try and relax. (NOTE- next time bring a pillow). It was very painful and I even felt like telling him a few times I could not go on. But I wanted this tattoo so bad that I worked my way through the pain. Matt was great and made me feel very comfortable. We finished the outlining of the geisha, the fan, and some flowers by 8pm. He charged me $460 for four hours of work and I tipped him $80. 2. 9/12/14 My appointment was at 4 pm. I arrived and Matt said he thought it was at 5pm. No problem, I told him, go ahead and eat. I don’t want you shaking from hunger while you are tattooing me. I sat upright in the chair the three hours he worked on me. He hand drew some flowers on the sides of my back to fill in space. He did some outline. I can tell the sides of my back are going to be very tender when filling in color. Something I am not looking forward to. He also outlined the castle and started some color on it. He said he wanted the castle (Osaka Castle in Japan) to be perfect because when he returned to Japan he would be showing my back piece to those who lived there. He charged me $260. I tipped $60 3. 9/23/14Today he worked on the hair. Todd ad Emma came to visit me. I told them they could not stay because it is difficult for me to focus when I am in pain. It seems when I can’t focus the pain is more difficult to handle. I sat for 3 hours and was charged $240 .$60 tip. 4. 10/15/14 1:00 pm Today I got tattooed by Mel J. I have to say she has a very delicate touch and creates such a friendly atmosphere. She did the butterfly on my left foot. It did not hurt near as much as I thought it would. She charged me $100 and I tipped $40 My good friend Leigh Poast Nightser also got a butterfly tattoo. . 5:00 pm. Matt D. worked on my back. He finished the castle. and the trees around it. He also worked on the flowers directly under the castle. I tapped out about 7:30. It was very painful. Not sure if it was because of the earlier tattoo or not. I have to add that I had a horrible headache from having my hair pulled at work (I was attacked by a client) and also I was under a lot of work stress. I wonder if you handle pain better when you are in a “good place”. He charged me $200 for 2 hours and I tipped him $60 5. 11/9/14 Today we worked on her face neck and shoulder area. It was the most painful session yet. My vision blurred and I felt light headed . I can honestly say I asked if maybe we should use some numbing soap. Needless to say we did not. I don’t ever want to use numbing products. ( I had a weak moment today) It is a personal decision. I guess I believe it is cheating. But today was really painful because we did large area and the needle was on the skin at longer intervals. I don’t think I could have handled the pain if I did not want it so bad. We officially started around 3:20 and ended at 5:30 so about 2 hours. He charged me $200 and I tipped $60. I have to add that I just love how this is coming along. I think this is the most beautiful geisha tattoo I have come across. Matt Dinovo is a genius when it comes to art. 6. 11/25/14 Today we worked on the flowers along the Geisha’s back and the blue background. The pain was not as bad this time. I paid $250 and tipped $60. It was a 3 hour session. 7. 12/15/14- I got to lie down for the first time today. We put the tattoo on the geisha’s shoulder, and also touched up the skin. The hands were also done today. Not a bad session. I can relax better when lying down, but I am sure it is more difficult to stretch the skin. I am very happy with the tattoo on her shoulder. I am also thrilled with her hands. I was worried about the hands because I personally have never really seen a good set of tattooed hands. We worked for almost 3 hours and I was charged $250 and tipped $60. 8. 1/6/15 Today we worked on the kimono. There were times when it was pretty painful. But overall it was a pretty good session. The red is gorgeous but I know I will have issues with healing the red ink. It will take longer to heal and it will itch really bad. I had issues with the ribbon and flowers in the hair. I ended up using a VERY light layer of cortisone cream on it. ONLY after the peeling process was over. TI olny used this as a last resort. Benadryl is also suggested. That is usually 4-5 days. It was a 3 hour session. He charged $240. I tipped $60 as usual. 9. 1/27/15 Today we worked on the back ground. I have not even thought of the background. But Matt said if we did not do some type of background, it would look like the castle was just floating in the air. This is one reason I think you need to go to an artist you trust. I am not an artist and would not even think about that kind of thing. I have let Matt take the reins on a lot of the decisions of this tattoo. I just required that certain element be in it. I basically wanted a geisha with a beautiful face. I wanted her to have a tattoo of a dragon. I also wanted some type of Japanese architecture in the back ground. I was thinking a temple. Matt chose to do Osaka Castle. It is a beautiful place with a lot of history. Also, Matt has visited that place. I believe that is the only stipulations I gave him. He knows my favorite color is red. He spent some time drawing the background. He gave me a beautiful waterfall. (I now catch myself singing that song “Don’t go chasing waterfalls”) I am just amazed at the vision he had for the background. VERY impressed with Matts talent. Overall this was a great session. Not a lot of pain so we were able to have some good conversation. It was a 3 hour session.He charged me $240 and I tipped $60, as usual. 10. 2/17/15 Today we started the fan (YAAY!) I have been up in arms about the fan. I have no idea what I wanted on it. So I just compiled a few examples of fans and Matt took the reins. We decided to go with a red fan( My body is not going to be happy) I forgot my pillow today. I usually sit upright and hug my pillow. It is just a lot more comfortable for me andI can relax more. I sat up for a while and then Matt wanted me to lay down with I like a lot more because I can relax. There were parts of this session that were extremely painful. But they were just short periods. When I have to go through that kind of pain, I just think about how beautiful this will be when it is done. We finished the red in the fan. He think he also did some shading over parts he had already done. I think that was the painful part. The fan is stunning. Matt is a master at shading. It was a 2 hour session He charged me $200 and I tipped $60. 11. 3/10/15 We worked on the flowers on the Kimono. I was bent over with my head almost on my lap because the Flower on the kimono is on the extreme lower part of my back. It was a pretty painful session and I forgot my pillow, which sucked. When I have my pillow I can clutch on to that. It helps me work through the pain. It was a little over a 2 hour session. He charged me $200, I tipped $60. 12. 3/31/15This is my last session. I feel different about this one than I did my other tattoos. I guess it is because I feel pretty complete at what I wanted to accomplish as far as tattooing goes. He filled in the flowers on the fan and the yellow lining on the Kimono. He also did the flowers on the lower bottom side, OUCH. The worst this time by far was the yellow lining. Not sure why, probably because it was such a random area. We did that part last. It was like a final reminder of the pain I endured through this back piece. When we worked on the fan today it felt numb. I wonder if that is because of my injury from the motorcycle accident I had 4 years ago? I’ll go back in a few weeks and have Matt take pictures of it. It was about a 2.5 hour session and he charged me $250. I tipped $60. m

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.

Finally started my sleeve based off Gustave Dore's Crowned Virgin. Got most of the outline done, still have to add the dragon with the rocks/water. Can't wait to go back in two weeks!

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

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!

Thanks for mentioning that, @bongsau, and here's another pic of the person with the tattoo. This is a person who just sat for 6 hours or so in constant pain, hour after hour, but looking pretty dang fresh in the end, and you know why? A FUCKIN GOOD TATTOO! That puts a smile on one's face, no? Good tattoos are worth it, and you know it when you've got it! @CultExciter, speaking of Rodney Raines, this is his photo below, from his IG. He and Darcy have been collaborating on pieces lately and he was next to us the whole time working on an EPIC foo dog that would have been a major contender for the prize that night if he'd have been finished in time. He's a great guy and does awesome work himself. I was certainly in the presence of greatness that day. He threw in a suggestion or two here and there, so I'd like to say he has a little bit to do with this tattoo as well. Oh, and I think I need to march right out and get myself #1) more tank tops and #2) Platform shoes or stilts or something.

(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/

pretty excited to have booked appointments for my GF and myself to have quite a bit of chair time with Freddy Corbin. This dude is such a standup guy. He answers my email, calls, etc... within hours. I have messaged many of the harder to schedule artist and have never heard from them in 2 years. Living in Portland, I am hoping to make one trip from Portland to Oakland, then going to my hometown and having Tim Hendricks due a piece all in the same weekend. But for now, Freddy is a lock.

My right leg is starting to look like something, with two semi-big tattoos by Rudy Fritsch and Iain Mullen. Now let's pray to the internet gods I will manage to post the two pictures I want this time... edit: the juzu around my ankle by Bunshin Horimatsu too! #tebori

One I did. The wearer has one sleeve already. Started this one from the bottom up.

@ThatGuy - I love when I gawk at awesome shit on IG and then find out it's on a poster! Totally worth the nausea. :) I am not sure if I ever posted my completed back on here. Done by Stephanie Tamez at Saved in Brooklyn, from summer 2012 to summer 2013. I loved the journey and love the tattoo(s?) and it feels like it's been on my back forever. The map was my first ever tattoo from a long long time ago that we worked around, although she pumped it up a bit to integrate it into the larger composition.