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I would suggest changing how the voting works, if possible. There was always an advantage to the people who posted their tattoos first. If you posted a tattoo towards the middle or end of the month you basically didn't have much of a chance regardless of the tattoo. If it wouldn't be a complete pain in the ass to implement and administrate, what about something like a ranked ballot where, at the end of the month, people can choose their first, second, third favorite tattoos and assign, say 5 points to first, 3 to second, and 1 to third and tabulate that to decide a winner. Could also be fun to run contests around themes like skulls, birds, flowers, or whatever. Healed up and settled in stuff would be cool too.

I've been talking to @steve recently, and we want to revive the Tattoo of the month contest (no shirt prize this time around though). We thought it would be nice to get some input from the LST community as to what the new contest rules and structure should look like. Discuss!

Be careful not to "over goop". You don't want to keep your skin from breathing, healing and clog yer pores.

Here are all of my furry monkeys:

Me and my two girls a few days ago after a walk.

Ah, yes. Nothing like hot and humid. #boobsweat @oboogie

here's my concealed weapon, a 12cm dagger

There are 42 tattoos on the link in the above post and maybe like 2 of them made me stop scrolling for a second. that is a comparative metaphor to the state of present day tattooing. If you want a tiger...get a tiger If you want a butterfly...get a butterfly If you like Japanese culture...research Japanese tattoo motifs. My advice is know what you want and keep it simple.

c'mon it doesn't it itch that bad ! meh i wouldn't put sunscreen on a fresh tattoo for 2 reasons: 1. sunscreen has a lot of extra chemicals in it that you probably don't want penetrating a healing tattoo. it may fade it out prematurely. 2. wearing sunscreen only encourages putting that fresh tattoo out on display in the summer sun. protect it and keep it covered for at least a couple weeks. get tattooed in winter and you won't have this problem.

This is how we beat the heat. Pool temp yesterday was 90 F without the heater turned on - all heated by the sun.

Yes, it's horrendous here. People do die every summer. It's awful. I want fall and winter, please and thank you.

Have I mentioned how much I hate summer and how much I love AC? No? :-)

NO PARENTS NO RULES JUST LOTS OF TATTOOOOOOOOOOOOS But seriously, I like @Graeme's suggestion for scoring. Other than that, keep it wide open! If the turn out is huge, then maybe some broad categories like: Arms / legs / front (torso) / back. Stoked on this!

Graeme has a good point, I think one way to make the post timing fair could be a contest submission thread and a separate thread for voting. It could be a little bit more work posting all the pictures and tallying the votes vs just looking at how many likes but I think it would work. Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

my first trip to NYC is finally coming this weekend! Jondix on Sunday and Garver on Monday!! I need to figure out what to do on Saturday, Monday morning, and Tuesday... food, galleries, museums, i think... and maybe a stop by smith street. i'll be staying with a buddy in huntington, but if anyone has a couch closer to the city, i'd be willing to fork over a fee! ;) i might have to dig thru old threads on couch surfing.

great feedback - i guess thinking about it i do have some specific feedback first i like @Graeme line of thinking with the poll i think once the month ends - you put up the poll and allowing a voting to occur - makes the whole process much more like a contest - i know myself there were probably plenty of months when I 'liked' all the tattoos posted - which kinda made it like i didnt vote at all i guess second - i wouldnt worry about themes and categories - when the contest was stopped one of the main issues was lack of posting particpation i do think it should be opened up to all tattoos though - clean slate - of course from that point a tattoo should only be allowed to be entered one time also i think that each member should be limited to one post / entry per month i do think its ok to post the tattooer - hey - we are gonna know who did it anyway as most people also post in the lowdown where it is customary to post the artist name now - are large pieces gonna have an advantage - maybe are pieces from favored tattooers gonna have an advantage - maybe but who cares - its all in good fun let the games begin :)

Awesome, I always enjoy those threads. I'm not sure what the goal of the rules here is, and I realize my suggestion would likely create more complication and work, but it would be kind of cool if there were a separate contest in some way for large scale and one off tattoos. It just seems that the large sleeves and back pieces win so easily. Conversely, the big pieces win because they are super awesome and probably I'm just jealous. Thanks regardless, I'm looking forward to the next contest thread.

You don't need to incorporate anything else about your kid, his name is more than enough of a connection to the subject matter. Don't clutter up an awesome tattoo with words or dates! I think your kid will be proud when he grows up and sees his dad got a badass beast as a tribute to him. You could do something statuesque, new school, traditional...the list goes on. There's tons of options for a griffin since it's a mythical beast and there's no "wrong" way to draw one. It just depends on what style you want. Who is your intended artist? Any links to a portfolio?

pain wise my hand tattoo IMO was not too bad actually, my hand swelled up after the tattoo,but as far as pain goes,I have definitely had places on my body that were way worse on the pain scale.

You just reminded me of one of my favorite images from a set of Spider Murphy flash. Love that griffin/lady at the bottom right. Of course, you won't be getting a lady face on yours, but griffins are cool. I was at Spider Murphy's only once and the person before me got a griffin from Paul Dobelman. It was awesome. If I were to get a griffin, I would have to go back there.

...keep in mind some lotions (i.e. Lubriderm) contain lanolin (sheep byproduct) which can irritate some skin and vegan mindsets. Now I used Lubriderm to heal my first few years of tattoos. Then I couldn't anymore because it would just itch and burn. So I switched to other lotions like vaseline intensive care and glysomed over the years. Same thing, after a few successfull tattoo heals it would just itch and burn. So now I just dry heal and only spot-use A&D only if I feel it is necessary to lubricate the skin to prevent too much cracking. Healing methods work in different ways for different people and for . It's a bit of a trial by fire in my opinion. But yeah, don't use sunscreen on a healing tattoo!

the itch is most likely from your hair growing back in doesnt last forever just part of the process

Wow guys, and I've been complaining about the heat here over the past couple of weeks (no beach/swimming either 'cause I got tattooed a month ago and the husband is going in next week - kids are not very pleased with us at the moment). I don't "do" over 35 c (95 f) and that's pretty much what we are likely to see till the end of August at least. Now I'm kind of happy I'm not where you live though! We do get some days each year at 105ish but happily not that many, it's certainly bad enough for me (it's humid here as well so not a nice feeling at all).

Where are you located? @oboogie

What? I had no idea! I have to say, though, where you live it is effing HARD CORE summer. Not for pussies. My complaints about humidity and oppressive, cloying, blah blah here in VA can compare, actually. When we went to visit my husband's family in Phoenix in August thought it was an eye opener for me. People can frickin die. Actually, I had to keep my eyes closed, because my body does not make moisture, because all my life the environment provides more than enough in the air, and my mucous membranes don't actually know how to produce it on their own. I went out there and got schooled.

I am in the camp of no AC and no forced air heating, but that's what we've got now. I spent my early adulthood in S. Florida and I had no AC in my house or car for 10 years, and didn't find I needed it, but I lived a few blocks from the ocean and the breeze was always there. I didn't have AC growing up in Virginia and DID want it, lol. If I could get my husband on board I'd ditch the AC/heat pump, but he grew up in Phoenix and feels like he has never "dried out" since living in the humid swamp that is Virginia with me, and is addicted to AC. The summers are WAY worse up here than they ever were in S. Florida. Hint: S. Florida is a ghost town in the summer and the weather is much better than it is up north, so take your vacations there, folks. Humidity about 60%, temps around 90 during the day, a good storm blows through late afternoon and cools things right down, no mosquitoes - AHHHHHHH. Plus it is cheap and no tourists getting in your way. Sign me up.

sweet! great points regarding the tattoos that are entered early and large scale work winning more often that small scale work. a couple ideas along with themes, perhaps by: - location... best knee, sleeve, squidpants, neck, etc - style... best americana, black and gray, realism, portrait, etc. - size... best back piece, one shot, filler, etc - random... best walk-in, story/meaning (<-- sounded better in my head). as far as points go, is it possible to set up the point system/code based on when votes/likes are submitted? that also sounds better in my head, but maybe someone reading this gets what i'm thinking. however this all turns out, i'm sure it'll be done right and not errbody will be happy, but i'm stoked to see it returning!

Thanks. I was just kinda weirded out when only one side of it started peeling. I still have a long way to go healing wise, but it hasn't caused me any trouble.

I have one as well but it's rather abstract (and awful) based on Frank Turner's Poetry of the Deed album artwork. I'm looking forward to a pair of proper swallows. @oboogie

My best dagger story... We were at semi-swanky bar last year. The bartender was, um, hipster'ish. He had a dagger on his forearm so I was like "hey, nice dagger." He gave me a shitty, smirky smile and barely acknowledged me. I was wearing a shirt that was open in the back so I gave him the "that's not a dagger, THIS is a dagger" in my best Crocodile Dundee impression. He didn't see that coming.

Got to love daggers. I've got a couple too, if we're having photos. The honeycomb one isn't settled yet, just a couple of weeks old. They wrap quit a bit.

If you are looking to lose major productivity, check out the live streaming of the brown bears in Alaska setup by the National Park Service. http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls You're welcome.

Would love to go but it'll be a few years until I'm back in Montreal I'm afraid. If anyone needs a recommendation, I've just spent a couple of days at a super nice and pretty affordable AirBnb apartment over there. It wasn't quite central (Maybe that's why it was kinda cheap, but the place was quite new and rather posh) but 2 minutes walking distance to the metro station 'Du College'. 30 mins to central Montreal. Happy to sent info via PM.

I got a little Richard Stell pink elephant when I was at Pair-O-Dice on the 4th. Had fun shooting the shit with Richard and Jen while Jen tattooed me. Elephant is very mangy currently. I shall post a photo when he has healed! Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of me with Richard. :-)

Love that, @Gingerninja. I have a dagger, too. I love a good dagger and flower/dagger and moth/dagger and skull. This post makes me want another one!

Nah, just get the griffin by itself and consider the manticore for a separate one.

MANGY (unhappy) PANTHER by Theo Mindell.

I think too many people here are too invested in the tattoos other people get. Could the OP have gotten a much better tattoo than the one she got given all the solid information that's here on this forum? Absolutely. I don't feel good about somebody coming here, posting about how much she loves her tattoo then people piling on her and shitting all over her. She still has to live with that tattoo. People are going to get better tattoos if they come here and are treated with kindness. And I know that given my posting history I'm full of shit for saying this, but this thread bums me out.

My mother taught me: if you don't have something nice to say don't say it at all. On the other hand if you post your tattoo on a public forum it's fair game. For me it's a toss up between tough love and it's not my problem. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Coming through airport security yesterday one of the security guards had a long (favourable) chat about my tattoos. He said he had a couple but was too afraid of the pain to get more. Then he explained that he got the tattoos after he got paralysed in a car accident and then beat the doctor's diagnosis that he probably would never walk again (!!!). I was like "dude, I think you could handle it" (He laughed). Sent from my G7-L01 using Tapatalk

I posted these in the new tattoos thread but here are my hands by Guen Douglas. They hurt like a bitch and I had a shitty heal (they need a few touch ups but neither of us are in a hurry!) really happy I have them done. I've got full coverage on arms and most of legs but not torso - partly because this is where I want my biggest pieces - but to get my hands done was very symbolic of committing myself to tattooing. No going back to teaching for me! Plus I just feel more 'me'. Hard to explain but I reckon someone gets it.

I adore summer. I grew up in Texas and for a large part of my career worked outside. For a ginger, I do the heat very well. Now that I live in Pittsburgh, I cherish every day over 80 degrees! I'd so rather be hot than cold. I guess that I should add that even during the summer I hit the steam room three times a week.

You're approaching this the wrong way. Don't look for people who do a lot of food tattoos, look for people who do excellent tattoos, and approach one of them with your idea. I would suggest Dynamic in Melbourne.

Just a quick follow-up, in the end I had no swelling at all and I just took off the tegaderm since the tattoo was feeling great and I wanted to be able to see it again. Seems like it's ready to peel, no scabbing and no tenderness whatsoever. This has been my easiest heal ever (including two tiny ones with just really thin linework). Definitely not what I expected, but I don't mind lol. Sorry for the crap pic, and the 'derm wrinkles! Tattoo is just under three days old.

Lynn and I both hate AC - even when we lived in Northern VA we rarely used it. Generally, we turned it on for visitors. The only Heat Pump we have is for the pool. The house is heated using a radiant heat system that uses a boiler to heat water and then push it through lines in the floor. It is a nice steady heat source without drafts or dust. The only downside is that you can't adjust the temp upward quickly if you are cold.

These are our two girls, taken a few months ago. Duffy, our female Black Lab is 6 years old. Sunny, our female Yellow will be 1 year old tomorrow.

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.

"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).

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 :)