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haven't been on here in a while. I enjoyed seeing all the great work everyone has gotten recently! Had an appt with Chad Koeplinger on 11/14. I thought I was in for one more painful, albeit short, back appt for some touch ups in case he felt they were needed. After taking a look at my healed back, he said some very wonderful words "rob, I think we are done". I emphatically replied back, "thank GOD!" So, I had him do some filler on my wrist. He tattooed a flail and a fly and I am absolutely loving them both. I really enjoyed getting these, but I will admit, the ball of the flail, on the inside of my wrist was a bit more painful than I would have thought. Felt like it was sending electric shocks into my hand! Still, easier than the back for sure! Included a pic of my healed back, and a photo off of Chad's instagram of myself and a seemingly GIANT Andrew Stortz . Andrew's back piece is insanely good.

Just got this bad boy from Shaun Martinson. https://www.instagram.com/pantherreaper/ 6 hour sit. so painful.

This is a bit of a joint effort. The Dagger, Collar, Angel and Reaper (2-6 weeks old) are by Fergus Simms - Melbourne Tattoo Company, and the Eagle Snake fight (2.5 months old) is by Jess Swaffer - Chapel Tattoo. Wanted to wait until the whole spot was done before i posted them up! Super happy with them, and two of the nicest tattoo experiences (bar the pain!) I've ever had.

no,IMO don't add any words.it looks cool like it is.leave alone for now,take some time to think about it. :)

Robert Ryan!

yknow, it doesn't matter what tattoo you get, how simple or detailed it is, or how you think you need to add to it people are going to confuse it, infer meaning, and make fun of it ;) plainskins will always ask "like, what?" or "like, why?" My first tattoo...it didn't matter what it was, my friends called me Eminem for like 2 weeks (which was really funny). A recent example ... from a weekend of bullshitting at Christmas parties... i've had several people ask me what the tattoo is on the back of my neck...i'm like it's a butterfly, can it get anymore obvious? and they are like "like why a butterfly, like what does it mean maaaan" and I'm like "uh change, obviously" because telling them my homeboy kept the shop open late to slam a butterfly on me that i randomly picked out his sketch book...yeah people will not get that, unless of course they are tattoo people, like here on LST ! On the flip side, this random older lady comes up to me at the restaurant, tells me how beautiful and colourful the tattoo is and we have a lovely conversation about butterflies and meaning they carry for each of us. So for the dozen assholes that laugh/question a nice gal for getting a buck hunter tattoo, there is going to be 1 person that loves Larry Potter as much as you and you'll have a friendly random magical conversation and I hope that happens frequently for you. you love it, you love harry potter, it's a nice tattoo, it's your tattoo ... own it ! - - - Updated - - - "Larry Potter" lol inside joke that I can't let go of

i agree with @marley mission . no matter what you add, you'll likely still have to explain it. the only thing i can think of is a little lightning bolt. still... it wont' be self explanatory at all.

why add to it? i like it - who cares what people assume it to represent - thats the story of most tattoos - I have a Pharoahs Horses tattoo and once had a coworker start to lecture me about the horrors of horse racing - shes a nutjob tho :)

Once my thigh heals up I should probably update my progress in this thread. Edit: I saw someone else describe a "pesky knee gap." That term seems very fitting right now. I've got a few ideas for my knees, but I'm sort of struggling a bit.

@Dan That rules and you're lucky! I'm fairly covered from my ankles to just above the knee, and both shins and thighs swelled like crazy! Calves not so much. I haven't gotten my actual knees done yet, but I'm a little nervous. Haha.

I love your peonies, might have to add some to my collection soon. Hope my legs can look that nice when they're done!

Woman Agrees To 11 Tattoos In A Week All In The Name Of Art | So Bad So Good

Thanks so much Sam!! @mtlsam Your comments are much appreciated! And honestly, your rose and gorilla rib piece from Chad is one of my very favorites as well!! I still wonder how in the world someone could actually sit through that!! I've been very clear with him that he won't be the dude who tattoos my ribs. I can't even imagine.

I have read that a lot about leg tattoos,I have many tattoos from my ankles to above my knees,and I guess I have been lucky,I have never had any swelling on my legs.

@Rob I I love Chad's work in general, but in my humble opinion you have one of his best ever backs! I enjoyed it through the in progress photos, but was eager to see the eyes finished. They set it off! Just too good man, I'm stoked to be able to say I know it's wearer.

its gonna come down to your persoanl preference as for style - i would say that on these boards there is a general preference towards bold traditional styles of tattooing - that said - you are the wearer of the tattoo - so if you are drawn to a particular style then go for it - your tastes may change - my collection has examples of both bold traditional style and also some portrait style tattoos that dont have bold outlines - some examples: the bold: and not so bold :) : the general rule is that the more bold traditional styles age better - but life is a pretty uncertain affair so go with what floats your boat right now - sometimes putting in the research, etc is a great idea because you get a good feel for what to expect on the skin - in the immediate and in the future - but tattoos are so much more than this - anyway - enjoy the process and go get tattooed - and then show us of course :)

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

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

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!

Photo bomb by Ziggy dog. One day old:

In a couple of years, he can get that covered up with "PANTHER".

My latest addition to my leg sleeve (on the works). By Jon West @ Imperial Tattoo Company. Knee is next with a sacred heart and than to tie it all together.

just got this handsome dude from Phil Tworavens (@lustandconsume on instagram) to kick off the leg stuff

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

I had two tattoos recently not heal well in some areas, both looked close to being infected. One was towards my elbow ditch and the other on the opposite arm low on the inner bicep. The skin was actually cracked. I did follow the after-care instructions as I always do. No pus or anything, just took a long time to heal completely. Now after a couple of weeks, both areas look perfect, line work and color are fine. - - - Updated - - - More than likely, what you see is normal. And don't be surprised if it goes for a 2nd peel, but much lighter.