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New tattoo, new post. After much research I chose Chris to do my new piece, which he was happy to do for me. I waited a few months of course then finally the time came. Got it done yesterday, 5 1/2 hours straight. Fucking legit piece of art.

Love all the pieces here!! Finished this up back in 2012 while I was living in Beijing... Done by Tang Ping (ziyou tattoos). The top right part is a cover-up. He also did a monkey king on my front but i guess that belongs on a front piece thread :D. www.instagram.com/ziyoutattoo He also did this tibetan skull (it won 1st at the london tat convention in 2010)... which was the piece that sold me on getting mine from him.

Hey guys, I'm new here. Just want to share my back piece in progress with you. done by Vincent Houquet

IMO neo - traditional has a lot more detail to it than just traditional which very much relies on simple, strong design and often limited colours. New school is much more cartoon like with smooth colour gradients. But really it doesn't matter, if you're into it you're into it. The lines are becoming much more blurred as artists experiment with different techniques.

I've never understood the whole "cultural appropriation" thing. I think it just smacks of whinging for the sake of it. "oh x demographic is taking away our culture by having that hairdo/tattoo/whatever" Just seems a little childish to me. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so if I like the style or imagery of a given culture/religion/whatever I don't understand how it can be seen as offensive to have that tattooed on me. I wouldn't however have a tribal tattoo, as I don't belong to a tribe and I don't think I have the right to wear those markings, in the same way as I wouldn't wear an army uniform. I won't judge others who have tribal e.t.c though as that's their choice not mine. In short, I think whatever you want is fine unless it's something blatantly intended to be offensive (swastikas e.t.c) but even then, that's their choice, not mine.

No sleeve is complete without one!

(sorry for the bad photos) got this today from Simon Erl so many details in it that i love, he also probably had the lightest hand of anyone ive been tattooed by, would love to get more work from him and got this lil sentimental thorn with rose from my mentor curtis pettigrove on friday. he's returning to the other side of the world in a month so im getting them in whilst i can, that and he's got mad style and is such a chill dude to get tattooed by aswell as a great friend, so if youre in the london area you should catch him before he returns to aus

Latest tattoos from Guen Douglas done at Magnum Opus in Brighton. Really pleased with them but damn the heal is so tough. Usually heal very quickly with minimum issues. First time using vasocaine so don't know if this is affecting the heal? Anyway can't wait for them to be settled in. Got an appointment with Sneaky Mitch on Wednesday, way to soon but you just don't say no, not even when you've been waiting as long as I have to be tattooed by him!

Finished today the skull and some minor details. I love it, it really makes the Tofi eye part that was bland and I didnt like pop more now :) He also gave me an original painting of his which is sick (pic below) The Japanese artist at the shop was doing a sleeve, super clean work and he ended giving me an original of one of his paintings(pic below), so had a great day :) Sorry for the glare from my phone. Video of completed leg by Mrdist! The original picture Henry gave me :) The original picture Enzo gave me :)

Finished it up in Detroit few weeks ago. 3 days total. 15 hours hip to knee. Matt is a good artist a lot to learn but solid I recommend him. image hosting

I don't have a one and I don't think I'll get one either, our relationship is rather, erm, complex. I do really like them though, this one from Bob Geerts (@bobeus on instagram) is rather nice, I thought.

Unbelievable. I wonder how many more copies there are out there? I have seen a lot of large hannya mask backpieces recently that take obvious reference from the original, but they change it up, they are completely redrawn and redesigned, they use different elements and ideas. There are people who would say it is wrong to even use someone else's idea (In this case, a large hannya mask), but I disagree, you can always take a concept and try and change and improve it, that's how tattooing grows, artists who just trace aren't helping anything!

This is an interesting topic with a lot of grey area. As a tattooer, it's pretty disheartening and insulting when someone blatantly rips off your work. As a client, well.. I was talking to Mr. Campise about not putting my piece online as to skate around the biters and he laid it out pretty simply. Nobody is ever going to do the original justice, and it's pretty much just free(albeit really obnoxious) advertising. Nothing can ever outshine true authenticity, and whoever ends up with the copy ends up walking around with a permanent bummer. So that's kind of where I sit on that matter... It sucks, it's inevitably going to happen, don't do it if you tattoo, and don't get down on it as a client.

Hello fellow tattooed lawyer! Hey at least you had 2 other people in law school! Back to relationships - I don't think it matters w/r my partner has tattoos or wants them, so long as she gets why I do and doesn't say or think dumb things about them. Basically, a tattoo-educated person. My girlfriend had a large tattoo before we got together and she wants to keep going large, but our basic disagreements now are about colour or black/grey. I'm trying to move away from too much colour and she loves the stuff!

Chad Koeplinger, last night at Frith Street.

Interesting. Well, just on a positive note. My parents were born and raised in the bible belt, however, they moved to California as soon as they had me because they weren't happy there. My mom was raised Southern Baptist, and never wanted to force any beliefs on me, therefore, as soon as I felt alienated in church, I stopped going, which was quite young. My mom took me to get my first piercings in high school because she said "At least a hole can heal, better than a tattoo!" Hah, so she actually went with me to hold my hand through my first tattoo a little while later. She thought it was so beautiful that she considered getting one done herself by the same artist. She has one tattoo. She was a very sheltered and goody-goody I like to call her, all her life, especially before she hit 30. However, in one rebellious moment, her girlfriends convinced her to get my dad's initials on her chest. She drank 3 beers through a straw and let someone do it right there in the bar with a needle and ink. Most of my life she told me they were my initials (my dad and I have the same ones). My mom makes me show my tattoo (on my ribs) EVERYWHERE I go, it's pretty annoying at this point. Meawhile my dad was as wild as they came growing up. He tried to get a tattoo once on his bicep, it was too painful for him. He has a DOT tattooed there, I think I must have made fun of it since I was 10 or so. When I showed him my first tattoo, he was blown away by it, and ashamed at the story of his dot tattoo, haha...he kept asking if I was ok, since I showed him when the tattoo was still fresh. I'm blessed to have great parents.