Leaderboard

from yesterday by Valerie Vargas @ Modern Classic https://www.instagram.com/p/BB52NQ7kHbh/?taken-by=valeriemodernclassic

Alix Ge finished my pharaoh's horses yesterday https://www.instagram.com/p/BBnT4LcQCmd/?taken-by=alixge

My advice is to stick around here searching threads and let it all soak in. I came here 5 years ago with similar story, I wanted B&G large scale intricate tattoos. Well turns out I was just searching for a reason to be tattooed (something that meant something to me) when all along I just really liked tattoos and 95% of what I get will have no meaning at allother than being badass, cool or beautiful to me

This is beautiful, and I love how these horses were done. And that's coming from somebody who isn't usually into this particular iconic image. It doesn't often appeal to me personally, just because of the crazy-exaggerated shading commonly used in the horse's faces (a weird hangup that comes from a childhood spent around horses, I guess). These are really lovely, though.

I got this incredible panther and snake by Valerie Vargas earlier this week https://www.instagram.com/p/BBn6dIQkHUa/?taken-by=valeriemodernclassic

Got this Dietzel lady head by Morten Transeth

I haven't found being in the shower to help a whole lot, though that's what I usually wind up doing. They way this stuff comes off, like when it is used in a medical setting, is to grasp each side of it and pull your hands apart, like stretching it across the skin (not upwards), very similar to how you remove those Command hook adhesive strips from 3M. You're breaking the surface tension. If you try to pull it or peel it, it doesn't often work so great, and will pull on the skin uncomfortably, depending on where you have it. If it is on your arm, though, and you're alone, you can't exactly grasp each side of the film to pull it so it lifts off, so I generally have to improvise unless I get my husband or kids to help out. After that, though, it would be good to have a good clean water source to bathe it.

I try to leave it on a good solid 4 days straight, so removal on the 5th day if possible. It is very hard to make it that last day, but I like to if I can, since then it peels all at once, very easily (for me) when I wash and apply lotion, and the whole thing is good to go right away. Otherwise, it is no big deal at all to remove it a bit early. The peeling might take a little longer. I mention this only because I tend to want to "help along" the peeling when I shouldn't, and if it happens big all at once then I spend less time fussing over it and don't have to force myself not to mess with it. Everyone's skin is different, though, so this is just how it goes for me. Can't wait to see how it looks healed!

No trip to Toronto. My past has caught up with me and I can't get into Canada. Oh well. Elm Street Tattoo and Music Fest is in May and so is Friday the 13th. I think I will survive.

I'm an Australian in Australia. My artists charge $180 an hour. I make $35 an hour. I don't tip.

Thanks Marley Mission. I am somewhat comfortable with the imperfections. I think they could become less noticeable when the half sleeve is done.

My girlfriend surprised me this morning with a birthday appointment with Morten Transeth! Great gift

If it were my back I would wait until you can see the artist you wanted originally. Enjoy your trip to Bali, save up and go back another time. Odds are you wouldn't be finished a serious back tattoo in one trip anyway. You only get one...

Hey everyone, it's been a while. It's been 2+ years since I've gotten tattooed, but I'm happy to report that I have an appointment with David Parker at Black Heart Tattoo in San Francisco at the end of the month. The current plan is a (white) tiger head with some fire around it. I love everything he does and am super excited.

I might be biased since I have two but I love Danielle Rose's ladyheads. I actually have a proper emotional reaction to her work that I rarely get from the visual arts. The one on the left is from her earlier work, the second one about a year later, I think it's interesting to see the difference. I also love Claudia de Sabe's ladies and Xam.

(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

"What's the toughest thing I could possibly get, so everyone can see how nails I am?" "I know, A Panther" "Wait, with a fucking dagger through it" Haha, my conversation with my girlfriend before getting my panther was almost verbatim. Tattoo (and photo) by Erik Gillespie, done at Great Lakes Tattoo

I got a dagger through a skull and a snake because, really unless I added a panther how much better can that get?

For what it's worth I feel no animosity towards panthers. My thought process when thusly: "What's the toughest thing I could possibly get, so everyone can see how nails I am?" "I know, A Panther" "Wait, with a fucking dagger through it" and then that turned out to be too much tough for me to handle, so there's a butterfly as well: Seriously though, it looks cool. What more reason would you like?

what i do wonder if its women's nurturing and caring nature that pushes us to try and be nice to people enquiring about our tattoos even when they are being pushy? im leaning towards the thought that more women would take time to speak to these people than men in the same situation....

For me, the thing that is the most frustrating is the notion that when a woman chooses to become heavily tattooed the majority of the public seems to think it is no longer necessary to approach heavily tattooed women with proper manners. I actually had a man tell me I had lost my right to privacy because of my tattoos. Honestly, if you're a stranger, what's going on underneath my clothes is none of your business and you're being rude. If you don't know me, why on earth would it be proper to grab, stroke or touch my tattoos? Again, you are a stranger and this is sheer rudeness, and inappropriate. What if someone approached your daughter/sister/wife in this way? Would that be okay? Highly unlikely. When approached in this manner, it is challenging to be nice to people. Although I do believe it's incredibly important to be as kind and patient with folks when asked about the tattoos. I truly believe anytime you can undermine someone's preconceived notions of what tattooed people are about it's a win.