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Sorry it's been a while since I've been here. Looking at other people's tattoos makes me want more, and my wallet can't afford it. I recently changed jobs, and to celebrate I got this. This was done by the same tattooer that did my other pieces (Papa Joe in Boise, ID). My back is nearly complete. This is a pic of the fresh tattoo.

classic dietzel snake head by Todd Tattoer (at Merci-Bonsoir in Lyon - France) You can't see the tongue, but there's one! :)

When my feet were fresh....

First session on this ROA tattoo done by Grez at King's Ave in NYC, still red and swollen. More pics next month after it's finished.

7th of next month I take the wife to an antique tractor and engine show plus strawberry festival (same place), then I go to Vivid Tattoo and Sarah will do the final touch-up on all that she has done on my left arm. Then I'm finished. Really. No, I mean it, no more ink! Nada. Don't you believe me?

If it's a one shot tattoo, I figure the cost is the cost--might be loosely related to an hourly rate, but it might not. I think of hourly rates as being applicable more to multi-session tattoos. If you love the tattoo but didn't love the experience, you still came out ahead.

There you go, fixed your post for you. Got pictures of the new tattoo? We'd love to see them.

Just finished Jack and i couldn't be happier with it! So excited! Done by Zaed from Radical Ink in Bucharest.

Gunner likes donuts. We have a local donut shop that makes doggie donuts which are a basic cake donut drizzled with peanut butter and topped with a Milk Bone.

Well done, @Dan Sometimes, I bring chocolates (wrapped, of course) for the crew. You are right about it making a difference. Enjoy your vacation!

we are leaving for Maui for 2 weeks on Monday May 2nd, we fly Alaska Air on a 737-800 which has a crew of 4 plus the 2 pilots,Alaska has great onboard service IMO btw, the crew is always so good, we always fly first class and they treat us like royalty there. we always like to tip them and acknowledge their hard work somehow,this trip we got the crew all Subway gift cards and the pilots Starbucks cards,enough for the return flight too. they always are so surprised and appreciative of these thank you things we love to do.that's the real payoff for us,we have a lot of fun doing this. everybody seems to forget this part of the service industry.so we try and do this little stuff that means a lot to them.

I was at a college party one night, hanging out with friends. Suddenly some dude walked up to me and said "you look stupid" and walked off. Later that night the same guy started telling me about how tattoos now a days are looked at the same as being black in the 1920's, After that, I told him to get lost and walked away. He then proceeded to tell me (almost yelling BTW) that "my parents didn't raise me like that, blah, blah, blah." at this point I was ready to leave. The last thing I said to the guy before leaving was that "my parents taught me to treat everyone with respect, I guess we were raised different." Plainskins Say The Darndest Things.....

I got this on Saturday by JF Bourbon (Bait and Schlang in Montreal) at the Vancouver convention. Sorry for the shitty photo..

Had my next appointment with Dan at the Pearl. More outlining - this time elbow and ditch. Honestly once he hit the elbow I think my nerves went on vacation and the rest of the sitting felt like licking kittens! Dragon section was drawn on with no stencils. Next session scales and shading.

UPDATE: Well, today was the day! What a long, but great day! It began a little before 11:00am. I was the first one in the shop with Scott (most of the day, there were 10-15 people there, and at one point six artists were tattooing simultaneously). He had been working on a few designs based on the sleeve length I wanted. Over the week between today and our consultation, I had decided to ask him to put the dragon's head somewhere on my arm instead of with the head in the more traditional chest area. I was a little worried to be asking for this, as Scott has a relatively new sleeve with the head in the center, and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was trying to copy his own tattoo. Luckily, when I got there, he informed me that the last several dragons he had done had the head on the chest, and he was dying to do something new. Perfect! His sketches had just what I wanted. It was a really good sign. However, getting it right took some time. Using thin paint brushes, he created the design over four separate layers. The dragon's head had to be moved several times, and the unique swirl of the dragon we decided on what difficult to get right without looking like the head was plopped onto the center of the body... but Scott is a perfectionist, and after a lot of erasing and revising, and then relining, and revising, etc... we were finally done with a design ready to be inked at 2:40. With only a few short breaks, it took a lot longer than I expected. But the result is something that works specifically with my body as opposed to just slapping a template onto my arm. I love it. Here is a quick snap of Scott somewhere between layer 2 and 3 of sketching on me: I haven't had a tattoo in nearly 20 years, so I had no idea what to expect from the pain, especially over so many areas. Tattooing in the ditch was no treat, but not as bad as I had come to expect from reading. The outside of the elbow lived up to expectations. But the worst was around my collarbone, where any wincing or tightening of my face would risk pulling the skin under his needle. And there was one spot on my chest where I could clearly feel the vibration on my pec, but the pain was in my neck. I could have sworn at the time he was tattooing my upper-middle neck. Long story short (yeah, right), we finished up the linework a little after 5:00pm. I am absolutely thrilled with the result... and was getting tons of compliments on it by the many artists and clients in the shop throughout the day. Here is a front shot: It is a little difficult to see from this angle and with only linework, but the dragon's body actually goes out the back of the head and swirls up and around the shoulders through the clouds and comes out belly showing under his head before turning again towards the end of the sleeve. It makes a little more sense visually if you can see the back. I also have the dragon clutching a pearl with his talons on the back on the sleeve and will actually be filling the pearl with a significant flower logo in the next session. Overall, a fantastic day. I couldn't be happier that Scott got all the elements I wanted into the design, was able to keep it very traditional, but also with a great deal of uniqueness built just for me. If any readers are in Austin, Triple Crown Tattoo on Chicon Street (right around the corner from Franklin's BBQ!) is a must-visit.

"What's one more?" is something Mrs. T says when it comes to taking care of another kid or rescue animal, so we'll test that out with our new adoption, "Finn". He was rescued 10 weeks ago from being euthanized by a new group called Houston Pets Alive. Most dogs get adopted pretty quick, but not this one. He's not exactly the most handsome little guy, but he is super sweet and we knew no one else was likely to give him a forever home. We think he looks pretty cool. He has warmed up and loves his new dog and people family. It is obvious to us that he was abused in the past, but we will be patient in returning him to a more secure and happy dog. Mowhawk? Check 1920's raccoon coat for the full Wayne Coyne effect? Check Finn was warmly welcomed to the pack by Andy (right).

This is sort of how I look at it. Additionally, like @bongsau said, if you go back and repeat, you may get a "rounded down" rate. Of course, you may not and that's something you have to be prepared for. If you're happy with the tattoo and enjoy it, then I wouldn't lose sleep over it. It may seem like a lot now, but $200 is nothing compared to loving a tattoo forever.

So nice to have Tapatalk function's on my favorite tattoo board! Thanks for the hard work!

No, I don't have hair all over me, and they always itch. Slap it. It helps. :-)

Thank you sir, I had some expert help.

Impeccable as always, @Lance. That makes three Monmon cats now, yes? Hard to tell where the pieces are on your body from the pics. Where did you still have room?

got this sacred heart from joe nickley almost 2 weeks ago and this from chris kline at the scranton convention this past weekend andddd yesterday i made an appointment with bert krak for next month while he's at old soul!

Just got published for the second time. This time a 70 page chapter on Fluid Power in this http://www.amazon.com/Machinerys-Handbook-30th-Large-Print/dp/083113092X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1461191643&sr=1-2&keywords=machinery%27s+handbook

i love this thread! this is our boy ninja, 7 year old purebred Siamese. he has heart disease and chronic heart failure but he is stable and doing really well! he's a beauty :)

What about hipster girls that have one word or a tiny circle tattooed on them? That would be some creative torture.

My punk rock pin-up and geisha girl can torture me any day; I'd avoid the cobra & dagger and Edgar Allan Poe, though (who knows what horrors Poe could come up with?!)

Dumb shit? If Mr. Muscles called my tattoos "dumb shit," or "almost did," he'd be on the next thing smoking out of my life. Do you see where he's twisting his opinions into yours? It doesn't matter if they match up. He doesn't get to push you around. He's not going to change, and if he doesn't have the communication skills to talk to you or the trust to assume you wouldn't make major body changes without talking to him, he's not a nice person. You deserve someone who accepts what you want to do with your body in the future. It shouldn't be a "hoping and praying he'll still accept me" deal. You're better than that. When he can say, "It's your body, and I love you and respect your decisions no matter what," then you'll know he's the right man. Until then, you need to reconsider. Sounds like he's toying with your feelings and wants to control you. If you were selfishly tattooing without considering his feelings and discussion, then I'd be jumping on you. He sounds immature and mean-spirited.

Thanks for the replies guys, sorry this thread kinda got derailed into an episode of Dr. Phil, haha. We had a talk about it and I think we've been able to reach a compromise based on his standards of beauty (he almost literally said, "put as much dumb shit as you want on your limbs, but just be a little more careful about what goes on your torso," which was kind of my line of thinking anyway). His "off limits" areas corresponded with my own "off limits" areas, proving yet again that communication is key. He was afraid I would start getting my face tattooed or something crazy, I think it had somehow never occurred to him that I had self control. I think with some more exposure to the whole culture of it, he will probably grow more tolerant of it. I've managed to get him into Ink Master, that's a small step in the right direction. :p I've caught him admiring my newest one on a couple occasions, and I had my first one before I met him and he doesn't even seem to notice it. I think he accepts them both as just part of me now, and will probably adapt to any newer pieces in the same way...if not, I'll deal with that when it happens. I was actually able to bounce ideas off him last night for a future piece without him acting like I said I was getting a body part amputated, that was nice. And I mentioned wanting to get a traditional style bearded lady at some point, and he started out appalled but then actually dared me to find someone to make her pretty, haha.

As far as support and the things Synesthesia is talking about...if he's not really in your corner, then you might want to think Why. Does he feel he's more important? His wants/needs/feelings/ideas/opinions are superior or more important than yours? I know there are times when SO's don't agree w/everything, JD and I don't, but it's BIG stuff that hurts a relationship, if there isn't agreement, or compromise of some sort. Body modification, in my eyes, is right up there with politics and religion, in the emotions it can bring to the surface. Some people, for whatever reason, just have such strong reactions/objections to the idea of tattoos. To me, it's like if I was a huge PETA fanatic, and JD a hunter. You can have someone who doesn't care for tattoos be w/someone who does and has several, if the non-caring partner doesn't have such a guttural reaction to them. I'm not trying to be like dumb him, he doesn't like tattoos, he's the devil. Just, to think about things, talk w/him.

He's not. And let me tell you, life is too short to be with someone who doesn't love every bit of you.

I have a family wedding coming up later in the month, it will be a tattoo show as well. All of my nieces & nephews, a couple of my cousins, brothers are inked. So sleeves and pants will be rolled up, shirts opened at some point. There will also be a tattoo artist there. It should be interesting. My cousin, she's 60, just had a lot of recent work done. We had compared ink at my step mother's wake a couple of years back. Rob

Haha! I love it!

You might cringe at what I'm about to say, but I found that after getting tattooed, I've become less inhibited. If people ask, I have no problems dropping trow to show them the work I have. Of course it wouldn't be in the middle of the aisle at the local Walmart or Best Buy. But if its at the tattoo shop, at my home or someone else's home, full monty is no problem, hahaha

True that part, but I especially hate it when people actually try to pull up my shirt to see my back or pull it up to show someone else my tattoos. Sometimes, I'm not even part of the group conversation when someone's tried to lift up my shirt. Then they get pissed off at me when I whirl around glaring. WTF!

I don't think the main intention there was to show you his tattoos...

I am up to about 13 tattoos now and I still get the brilliant comment from un-tattooed people of "I didn't expect you to have tattoos" or "You don't look like a tattooed person." Which makes me beg the question is there a specific combination of piercings, ripped jeans, and t-shirt from an obscure 80's rock band that I need so that people aren't surprised I have tattoos. It just baffles me as a comment. Also I work with kids and quite often have entertaining conversations that simply start with them stating "You have a tattoo." This opens up a world of fun and mildly sarcastic responses from shock that I have two half sleeves and pretending I didn't know they were there to convincing them that I wake up early every morning and draw them on with Sharpies. I probably shouldn't, it's a bit cheeky of me, but it is great fun. Another thing that confuses me though is when people seem to think that they can demand to see my tattoos in full. This has on occassion resulted in some un-tattooed people requesting, quite politely, that I take various items of clothing off. Most recently this happened at a wedding when the mother of the groom demanded I take off my shirt so she could see my half sleeves. Very awkward in the middle of the reception and it was probably a good thing I hadn't had more to drink at that point or who knows what would have happened. There are always the normal questions though of "Did it hurt?", "How much did it cost?", "Don't you think you will regret it?" etc. They are always fun to answer sarcastically as well otherwise it just gets repetative.

Take it from an old salt: This is an insult on your body. RUN! This is like a boyfriend that tells you you're too fat, thin, breasts are too small, that YOU are not good enough, and that YOU need to conform to his standards. Let's rephrase this: "You're getting kind of fat. Would you stop eating so much if I put on a few?" See the change in language? Reconsider if this guy is a real champ.

Bless my mum though the things she says are golden, every te I return home with a new tattoo even a tiny one like the Fly I got last week... "Oh no another one, when're you guna stop?" Perhaps I'll stop when I stop working in a tattoo shop <3 Mumas rule

My boyfriend hates my interest in tattoos and once volunteered to get some tattoos on himself so I wouldn't have to get any more on me. He seems to think I just like looking at them on someone, anyone, not even necessarily myself. I told him I would be thrilled if he got some, but it won't make any difference as far as what I get. :D

My mother, who believes I only have one tattoo from undergrad, was openly rude to a young girl at a book store, asked her how she intended to get a real job, this store would be gone in five years, etc. I said nothing at the moment, but when we got in the car, I went in, apologized, told her my career and showed her my tattoos under the guise of getting something from the bookstore bakery. I hadn't eaten in 24+ hours which is common with my shift/food choices. When I went to the next store,l with her, some girl had a sparrow on her arm. And Mom just has to look at her and say, "Jesus Christ! Isn't that cute?" At this point, I lose my temper and say, "You were Queen Mormon until one of your kids comes out as gay. You said yourself.times are changing. Maybe you need to change on this, too." Then I had to hear how I act like a ten year old. Yeah. I'm the one pointing and going, "Ewww, gross!" and I'm immature. Okay.

Had some really odd ball comments when I went to the Electric Zoo festival. Favorite one was...... "Bro, seriously sick friggin tatt dude. Like I just want to drop acid and stare at it all day. By the way ya got any?"

Wow. Just.... wow. So i'll be tortured by a cat, a fox, disembodied wings, two birds and a baby devil in diapers. Interesting. So alot of peeps are going to get tortured by Jesus!

A coworker once asked me: "aren't you afraid of what will happen in hell?" I asked for some clarification on this and he said " I was taught that what you have tattooed on you will be what you're tortured by in hell". At the time I had only an anchor and a flaming lantern, which I guess you could come up with some pretty inventive torture ideas with. I know some Christians are quite against tattoos, but that's some superstitious craziness right there (and I'm a christian!).

"Does your mother know you have those?" (I'm 47 years old btw) Answer: "My mother's dead ma'am. Her skull is on my back." (not really, but i felt like messing with her) :D

"So you must watch Ink Master/ Miami Ink/ or other tattoo TV show, right?!" "You have tattoos by more than one artist?! How does that make the artists feel? Are they angry?"

You guys helped me find Kore Flatmo, I owe LST big time.