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This happened Saturday: Went to see Delphine and Laurent in London, it was intense but completely amazing at the same time, those guys are the best! 12h in the shop, around 7h of actual tattooing simultaneously on both knees, ill admit it was rough. It was such a great experience though so we decided im just going to let them have the rest of my lower legs at least. Pic is from Laurent's instagram (https://www.instagram.com/darkbabamaina/) and theres a bunch more on Delphine's https://www.instagram.com/delphinenoiztoy/

@Mr Purple You may hear hand and neck tattoos referred to as "job stoppers". Think carefully about that. There can be social, professional, personal consequences to being tattooed, and especially so when those tattoos are difficult to cover with clothing. Going on personal experience alone, I have seen people with hand and neck tattoos come into my work for job interviews. I have never seen one of them get hired. The tattoos may be an issue when going up for a promotion at work (I know there was one former (?) poster here wrote once about how she was deemed "not management material" despite being otherwise qualified for the position because of her tattoos) , they may be an issue when talking to a bank manager for a home or business loan. They may draw police attention. I don't think there's a single tattooed person who hasn't had any family tensions because of his or her tattoos. For these sorts of reasons, a lot of tattooers will refuse to tattoo these spots unless the person has already committed him or herself to living as a tattooed person.

My appointment with Hoyer was moved to this Sunday. It's my first piece from him, most likely won't be my last. Have some big ideas to shoot at the homie on Sunday. Sidenote:: Thanks to everyone who got back to me in Private Messages. Your opinions and advice are a huge help.

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.

Sorry for the late reply @rocketqueen, I stopped getting email notifications from this thread a while ago and can't figure out why. I will never, as a professional, quote 100% tattoo removal. My idea of 100% is different from yours, and it's not a tangible thing to fight over. Even in my "best case" scenarios, I can still find trace amounts of pigment if I look hard enough. A casual stranger who didn't know the history, wouldn't know though. Also bear in mind, "dedicated to treatment course" isn't always a factor in how successful any given removal will be. How the tattoo was done (scarring, over worked area, dragging or barbed needles, etc.), pigment used, pigment saturation, liner vs. shader, location on the body, immune system, age, age of tattoo and quality of life will all play roles in how much any given tattoo will be functionally able to be removed. There is no black and white answer with tattoo removal. Not some lasers, all lasers used for tattoo removal have the possibility of white ink turning black. In fact, many colors shift during removal. Black ink will often fade to brown or sometimes if it's got a deep indigo blue, that starts to show after a few sessions. There is no MSDS for tattoo ink, without knowing the ingredients there's always a possibility of color shift. Moreover, even if we do know the ingredients, there likely hasn't been any long term studies done on the effects caused from exposure to lasers. To directly answer the question, it doesn't disqualify someone but it does cause for a very serious conversation about realistic expectations in my office. Please understand that my job is to create very realistic expectations about what can and cannot be accomplished. The ol, "well my friend went here and they had the best and it's now gone after X treatments" simply holds no weight. Every tattoo done on every person is unique.

Robert Ryan!

part of me wants a wedding band tattoo because i don't really want to deal with the responsibility of owning an actual ring. it would just be a single black line. but i imagine there will be situations (like at work maybe) where people see it and they might use it as a jumping off point to share their opinions about tattoos that i don't really care about.

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.

do your friends a favor do not design the ring. Tell us where they live or will travel and we can get some names of tattooers they should talk to.

My $0.02...encourage your friend to get actual wedding rings. They will last longer than a finger tattoo. If they really want to get wedding tattoos...use simple rings for the ceremony, get some matchy-matchy tattoos on the last day of their honeymoon. That's what my wife and I did. They are different tattoos but they still match, his-hers (barf!). Some comments about your design sketches...too much detail, way too intricate for a finger tattoo. Also, they are upside down. Equivalent of getting knuckle rockers, so you can read it, because yknow it is for you. It's still upside down. If your un-tattooed buds insist on "tattoo wedding bands", keep it simple. Like a diamond, hearts, each other's initials or both initials. Or really, a simple fat black line around the finger. A skull on the finger for a wedding is pretty cheesy. A finger sleeve on an untattooed person is a gimmick IMO.

What a thoughtful, informative reply, @Mike Panic. Thanks for answering our questions so thoroughly!

Haha! I think that highly motivated might be a better discription. When the man is in town you got to take the chance you get. Glad the side ribs are over though. Now starting to dread the eventual back piece. Oh what we put ourselves through for art's sake!

Agreed! I remember you telling me about it. My side hurts just imagining it.

I saw the lining happening on that gorilla and rose and the answer is that @mtlsam is one tough dude.

Woot! First tattoo had been got! Very satisfied with how it turned out, though I forgot to take pics before bandaging it up. I still kinda feel like I was overcharged $300, and I tipped $40) but I liked the artist and think he did a good job. Though there were a couple awkward moments, like when I was asking if it was possible to get an idea of how it would be shaded ahead of time. I mean, I felt super-awkward in general, as a first-timer, but it was a good experience. He also seemed surprised that I tipped. Edit: here it is! Http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/gallery/member/19144-first-tattoo.html&imageuser=59622

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 :)

Thanks for all the great advice everyone. I think I'm going to go with a black and gray flag background vs. color.

Very rad. Wish Jess traveled and tattooed.

LOL so where do we meet ? at the gates ?

Trying to score a ROA guest spot session with Robert Ryan tomorrow . . .

Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right.

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

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

Mine don't heal any slower than the one I got in 1976. I got a couple of large ones last summer and 2 new ones this summer and am scheduled for another large one this Feb. (I'm 69).

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!

That's weird..

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

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.

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/

Photo bomb by Ziggy dog. One day old:

reactivating this thread with my Thomas Hooper piece:

Alright folks, here ya go