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Percy Waters crane/lady by Tony Nilsson at Blue Arms Tattoo

I recently got this incredible peacock from Luke Jinks at Cloak and Dagger. The picture I pinched from his instagram page also shows a glimpse of a Bert Grimm sun I got from Nick Mayes when he guested at Frith Street back in March.

Lets go with a few more what the heck: Becca Gene Bacon at The End is Near in Brooklyn with the fish rose morph. Becca is really nice and hit homeruns daily. Rob Ryan with the Hand of Glory and Mandala Big Cat at Electric in Asbury NJ. Rob is a super fast and as nice as they come. Steve Boltz with a flying fish at Smith St. in Brooklyn. What a great shop and Steve was filled with great conversation. I thought it was the coolest thing sitting down and having lunch with Steve after the tattoo. Gotta get back to Smith. Sheila Marcello with this flying lady head on my collarbone. Sheila rocks. Electric in Asbury. Rob Ryan again at Electric with some fish mandala knee magic. Lastly I traveled to Maryland to the Wheaton Tattoo Paradise shop to get this fiery eyed lady from Chad Koeplinger on his 50 state tour. Got to meet a lovely LST member as well. A blast of a day (though way too much of it was spent in a car lol). Anyway - love these picture heavy threads with cool tattoos so...lets keep going.

Dragon by Nick Coella, guitar by Mario Desa- both at Great Lakes in Chicago.

Rose of No Man's Land by Chris Ayalin- Liberty Tattoo, Seattle Parrot, Panther head/Rose by Dan Pryor- Seven Seas Tattoo, San Diego Eagle by Phil Hatchet Yao- Master Tattoo, San Diego, Snake by Alfy Iglesias- Seven Seas Tattoo, San Diego

I haven't been getting tattooed much lately because I've been focused on one big piece for the past several months. I expect more traditional one shots in my near future! But here's what I've got so far when it comes to traditional style tattoos, and a little background on each: Eagle and rose by Brian Via at Golden Ages in Lancaster, PA. I wanted something to represent my parents (still alive, not a memorial!). Brian is super laid back and the whole shop is really talented. Also done by Brian, picked off his wall of things he wanted to tattoo. My first skull and not the last. Butterfly done by Antonio Roque in Frederick, MD. Really cool guy especially considering he's kind of "Instagram famous" with over 50k followers...easy to book with, charged me actually way less than he should have (and got a big tip as a result), and no ego at all. Panther and rose by Chad Koeplinger when he came through DC. He's one of my artistic idols and I was kind of star struck to meet him. Fun guy to talk to and I was amazed at his speed (this took less than 2 hours, including all the time we spent talking about movies). But wow does he hurt like no one's business! I wanted him to do this spot (inner bicep) to get it over with as quick as possible, but he's pretty brutal! Anyway, I asked him for a panther and rose and said he could do whatever he wanted with those subjects, so I got my whole inner arm blasted with this.

so how about these four to start us off the first two classics were done by Shannon Pagliarini at Crown and Anchor in Pt. Pleasant NJ. Great tattooer and super cool person. Pharoah's Horses was done by Sheila Marcello at Electric Tattoo in Asbury Park NJ. Sheila is an amazing tattooer and also a real nice person too. Rock of Ages is my most recent tattoo (until Friday hahaha). Anyway this was done by Robert Ryan at Electric as well. Rob is the man - it's not lost on me how awesome it is that Electric is so close to me. I'm lucky. Anyway - lets see what y'all got.

I'd go to immaculate in Mesa, you might not see a lot of this type of stuff in their portfolio but everyone at that shop is a solid tattooer and should be able to give you something you would be happy with. Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

I'm glad I love this little puppy. Because she's a nightmare to potty train, and she is growing at an insane rate.

Re-reading some of this thread and it's cool to see the pieces come together. I personally have no plans to start my back anytime soon, but if I ever did, I'm thinking I'll probably go the route of a more piecemeal approach, like this (but in color): https://www.tattoodo.com/images/0/3148.webp I love seeing all that negative space and seeing how several small tattoos can come together to make one cohesive piece. Plus it looks so old school and tough.

I had a consultation with Yutaro at Seven Doors Tattoo today and put down the deposit for Japanese cranes on my arm! He wants to do another consultation, which includes drawing on me, about 10 days before we start tattooing in two months. I love that he's taking the time to check how the idea works on my body before he draws up the actual stencil. Very excited now!

@omeletta get those cranes on your arm and then we will be tattoo twins on the reggae keys haha

I'm holding out for a trip to Liberty Tattoo (Seattle) in July. Probably get something small. A friend has picked up a bunch of pieces from Jake that turned out really strong. Also like Trevor Taylors stuff. So will see what strikes me for a walk-in. Other than that I'm holding out until the fall ... want to do a bunch of swimming and sunburnin', it's tattoo off-season right now !

lets see if this worked this time!

Love that Octopus!

@jdberetta, dude, you're being a dick. Just stop. You feel very strongly about this product (for some weird reason) and other people feel very strongly in the other direction. Such is the nature of forums. No need for sarcasm or petulance. I agree with the majority that this product is stupid. Tattoos have always been permanent. If you can't handle the idea of it being permanent, maybe you shouldn't even be entertaining the notion of tattoos. This idea just exudes entitlement. You want to be able to say you're tattooed without living with it. It's spitting in the face of everyone who suffered for their tattoos (being judged, ostracized, etc) and everyone who grew old with their tattoos and lived in them. It's disrespecting the entire history of tattooing. I firmly believe that everyone who gets tattooed should suffer in some way throughout their lives because of it. You suffer to get it, and you deal with the negative consequences that come with being tattooed. I'm not saying non-tattooed people should be spitting on us everyday or anything, I like how the population has warmed up to them some and made it at least a little more acceptable. But you SHOULD encounter at least a handful of people in your life that negatively judge you for being tattooed or hate you for how you look: those are learning opportunities everyone in life should know how to deal with, it teaches you about the concept of sacrifice, and they give you a chance to learn to love yourself in spite of what others might say. There's absolutely nothing to be gained from this Ephemeral crap on that nearly spiritual level because there are no consequences. And jdberetta mentioned people getting tattoos lasered off as being similar to this: it really isn't. That costs time and money and is (allegedly) more painful than getting the tattoo done. Most of the time, the best you can get with lasering is just getting it light enough to get covered. It's not an easy way out like temporary tattoos are. I hope most artists (and people getting tattooed) laugh people out of the building coming to get this done. It's just so wimpy, WAY more wimpy than just saying "Hey, tattoos aren't my thing, I don't ever want to get one."

Here's the lowdown: this weekend my wife and I are heading to Denver to see The Cure, a band I haven't seen since 1987, and then we are each getting tattoos from Destroy Troy at Til Death. Any advice on how to survive the next three work days is appreciated.

Did some shading with Greggles today. Not even in the same league as lining, though anytime he gets close to that one area on either scapula I have to bite leather. That will probably always suck. But hey - since we focused on the upper body this time, I didn't have to be completely naked in public for a whole day! Bonus. I am finding that 4 hours is about the time that I consistently have my pain response start to fail. Tattoo flu every time.

It's been awhile since we've started a new thread that goes on for pages and pages. Let's see your American Traditional-style tattoos. From Sailor Jerry to Steve Byrne and beyond... let's see those bold classics!

@bongsau Ooohh, have you got cranes on your arm?? Would you mind posting a photo? Can't seem to find a pic showing your arms properly in your gallery, or maybe I'm too stupid using this new forum...anyway, I'd have quite a bit of catching up to do to become your tattoo twin, you're too far ahead I'm afraid ;-) But if you ever end up in London, let's get together for a keyboard duo reggae session! Keep on keepin' on

Great story! Love Vic Ruggiero as well as the red wurlitzer! As it happens, I play keys in a ska/rocksteady/early reggae band, too. It's the most laid back a.k.a laziest band in the world though, so not much going on at the moment unfortunately...

This is not the way a "purely educational" thread is started. To echo the sentiments above: lets focus on the good tattoos happening out there instead of shitting on others.

Paul Jeffries

@Throw Bones ribs hurt but definitely go for it rodney took 6 hours - one sit, bill took 3 and yeah - ouch

His / Hers eagle tattoos by Chris David - Government Street Tattoo (Victoria, BC) hers: "could you make my eagle more feminine please" his: "just make mine a good ol U S of Eh screamin' eagle"

@omeletta One of my big regrets was not asking for a walk up from Yutaro while he was sort of just chilling and not tattooing at the Pagoda City convention last year. I was strapped on cash and had just gotten tattooed for about four hours, but still debated it...

@marley mission I've said it before, but I freakin love that Boltz fish.

@oboogie Our Yellow Lab, Sunny, just turned a year old in May. She was also a challenge to potty train and has a stubborn streak. But you truly just have to love them when they give you that look and a snuggle.

I love that traditional work! My next will be some version of a traditional eagle.

nah those stick ons that come with gum might be more to their liking.

Thanks. I appreciate it.

Finished my lower leg with Grez at King's Ave NYC. He added the (bloody and swollen) lighthouse and ROA piece to go along with the clipper ship from Russ Abbott. I couldn't be happier with how he was able to tie it all together. Sorry for the giant pic, I'll post healed shots in a couple of weeks, there's a video on my IG: wedge45.

Finding the balance between work, fun, and musical tastes. Thursday night was Reagan Youth. Friday morning in a shirt and tie working in a client office, Friday night a house show with Austin Lucas and Adam Faucett. And today I'm cleaning the apartment listening to rockabilly radio. 16 year old me would be so confused.

so these are some cool salt & pepper shakers my wife bought for me when we were on Maui. We travel a lot and always stop by the tattoo shops and check them out,one in Lahaina had these for sale. http://midpacifictattoo.com/

That may very well be, but I would much rather try to contribute to a culture here that educates people about good tattoos and gives them the knowledge and resources to get those tattoos than I would just dismiss people because they have shitty tattoos and don't deserve better. If I have nice tattoos it's because people were kind and generous to me when I didn't know a thing, on this forum and in the shops I've been tattooed in, and I would like to pay that forward.

I've been busy recently! First up I got this really cute cat and umbrella from Wendy Pham at Brighton Tattoo convention. I've been after this piece of flash for years so happy he's now mine! Next up (and also at Brighton), I got the side of my knee done by Jody Dawber. This was the most painful tattoo I have ever got. I was whimpering like a baby (and I usually never make a fuss). I had to dig deep to get through it! Thank god she's fast. And last but not least, my latest addition (again on the side of the knee) from my super talented co-worker Lucy O Connell. Had my eye on this babe for well over a year, so happy to finally give her a home.

@Gingerninja My old reggae band opened for The Slackers in 2002. We were young and inspired, the Slackers gave us some good praise and feedback and told us to keep going, don't quit. Well we gave it a good run, played with them a few other times around the country and then moved on with life. Still a big Slackers fan, they played in Edmonton a few years ago we ended up having an after party at my house and Vic Ruggiero came to hang, he's a real down to earth cat. He remembered who I was from 10 years previous and I fanboy'd out that here is a musical icon of mine thumbing through my reggae and ska record collection and talking to me like I was an old bud. He crashed on my couch, we tucked him in and my dog and cat snuggled him to sleep, we almost carbon monoxide poisoned him from the fireplace lol. And then I'm cooking him breakfast in the morning, we're talking about our different everyday lives and music. We now keep in touch, I send him pics of my pug dog every couple of months to say what's up and have a laugh. Didn't think I was going to make this house show last weekend some acquaintances had set up. But after working the weekend on 4 hours of sleep I roll into the house party. Vic and all my buds all smile at me, invited me onto the red wurli and the rest is magic memories. Vic and I played Mellow Mood by Bob Marley and then a bunch of the other musicians at the house show took turns jamming along and singing songs. Vic is one hell of singer/songwriter/musician and one of the most geniune human beings I've been blessed to meet.

Vic Ruggiero (from the Slackers NYC) played a solo show last nite in a living room in east Edmonton. It was super dope, we love Vic here. That's me on the left playing the red wurlitzer, the show turned into an amazing ska/rocksteady jam sesh with some cool cats (and close friends) from the Canadian ska scene. Pretty awesome to get to play alongside one of your musical icons. Pretty jazzed. Life is full circle.

I lost my black lab to a stroke a couple of months ago. I finally felt up to adopting a new rescue. Meet Brontë. She's a St. Bernard/possible Blue Tuck Coon Hound mix. She's going to be a big girl!

A while ago (in 'upcoming tattoos', I think) I posted about how I was going to take my dad for his first tattoo - something that he had wanted for a long time but had never done. The first time we planned to go, he backed out because he looked online at the risks of getting tattooed as a diabetic (which for someone with well controlled diabetes are negligible, but he still didn't do it. Cold feet.) Then last summer at our family reunion our cousin Amy, who has several tattoos, basically called him out because she got her most recent one while she was on chemo for her stage 4 cancer - making his arguments clearly invalid. Unfortunately, Amy lost her battle with cancer late last year. A few weeks ago my dad and I finally went to get his tattoo. The simple anchor reflects his 40+ years of working on Great Lakes ships, but I believe it serves as a reminder of his cousin also. We went to Hand of Doom Tattoo in Buffalo, NY and he got his tattoo from Chris Lombardi. Same shop and artist where I got my first tattoo (also an anchor!) in 2012. Overall amazing experience, Chris is a great guy and an excellent tattooer.

What tremendous strength and courage you have - thank you for sharing the meaning behind your design. My wife and I have worked with our local Childrens' Advocacy Center for years so we've witnessed the devastation caused by abuse. I have no doubt we will see that koi design some day.

Nice one! I am also going for the outer calf. I would like a skull and some maple leaves. We are going to see what we can accomplish in one day so it may not turn into a sleeve unless I make another trip. I have been working with this artist on my back tattoo for a couple of years now but this was my last planned trip (8 hour drive). I leave in the morning! I decided on a barn owl because they are nocturnal and symbolize secrets. As a survivor of significant child abuse those two concepts have a lot of meaning for me. This is a tattoo of ownership of my past. I plan an upward facing koi sleeve for when I have progressed enough in therapy that my flashbacks stop. That will be a triumphant tattoo.

I have a barn owl on my outer calf. Here was my thought process: I knew I wanted a barn owl with a mouse in its beak or talons, partially to symbolize overcoming some personal fears, and partially just because it was cool and would differentiate me from the other girls getting cutesy owl tattoos. As far as style, I had no idea. As far as background, I was kind of thinking cherry blossoms just because they're my favorite flower. I met an artist who had done some awesome owls and I fell in love with his style and personality. We talked and he steered me away from cherry blossoms, because he said they weren't native to this owl's environment, and suggested we do a more woodsy type theme. I loved his concept. As he was laying the stencil, he suggested we could expand this idea into a leg sleeve, which I also loved. I had him add a hare ("I want a big, ugly hare, not a cute little bunny") on the other side of my leg. Still had a couple spots I wanted him to fill on my shin and back of my calf, but he unfortunately passed away before we could. Suicide is a hell of a thing. So that's my story of my barn owl tattoo. I guess what I'm hoping you take out of that is that there are tons of directions a tattoo can go, and if you find someone you work well with, they'll come up with something cool you'll love. Maybe even something you could never imagine. Sometimes we worry about getting the "perfect" tattoo, but honestly, we'll never know what might have been if we went a different direction. So just find an artist you like and enjoy the ride. Life is short, get tattooed. :) Here's a pic of my owl:

I vote for a Jesus head with a dagger through it.

Petri, great topic with a lot to think about. That's a really good Cliff Raven quote, too! It's strange, too, because I've been thinking a little bit about blackwork tattooing lately as I've been reading up on plains Indians (this is a really fantastic book on the Blackfeet, by the way if anyone has any interest) and learning about some basic things, especially how artwork reflected their beliefs and what was important in their lives.. seeing some old photos of the men and women, and gathering little tidbits about the importance of tattoos across different groups. Which also ties in to the sun dance that the Blackfeet participated in, incorporating some serious piercing… Anyway. I think this topic is pretty huge but I'll try keep it short. In my opinion, with tattoos, we're all struggling to apply ten million things to our bodies, most of which we’ll never fully understand. Aside from our struggle to reconcile our own mind and spirit with our physical world, we obviously latch on to art that we can identify with, be it music, tattoos, or the argument could even be made for clothing. And so much of it is ingrained in our culture and subconscious, it's tough to step outside those parameters, tattoo or otherwise. I do love blackwork tattoos and I do appreciate what those (growing) few have done and are doing by exploring different styles of the artwork. I do think it suits a lot of people but I think there's a certain... not problem, but maybe an uncertainty, when it comes to co-opting various styles and designs from other cultures. It's powerful and striking and instantly more "meaningful" or "exotic" than traditional western tattoos, but sometimes what happens is just a bunch of borrowing from other cultures. Now -- there's not necessarily anything wrong with it and, in fact, there's something very American -- and very human -- about that. We consume and incorporate and for the most part it's to understand and gain knowledge. And in that way, we create a new tattoo language, which is really exciting and maybe even necessary. All of this is to say, I’ve had a real, growing interest in blackwork/native tattooing as I’ve gotten older. And I think it’s because I’ve made myself think about things a bit more, try to understand the whys of tattooing and expression; whys that probably won’t ever be fully answered. I think folks that exploded the possibilities for our modern times, like Leo Zulueta, and those that are building on that foundation, like Thomas Hooper, have the right idea. When I mentioned “co-opting” and “borrowing” I didn’t mean it in the negative, I think that’s just our nature because we’re all trying to understand something we can’t put our finger on. Who knows – maybe as I get older I’ll get really into black-only tattoos. I identify a lot with both Celtic and American Indian designs but maybe that’s my own subconscious connecting slivers of my ancestry to my geography to my own search for meaning. I’m glad for the renewed interest in tribal tattoos, I just keep my fingers crossed people will treat it with respect.