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Good times this weekend and even if we couldn't manage a formal LST get together I feel there was some good hanging out and getting together and talking in person is always so much better than doing it on here. Until next year!

And, finally, in the daylight. I am really stoked. This says exactly what I want it to say...without stating it blatantly. For me, it is awesome.

Sometimes you just have to let it go. It's a tattoo and you well know that makes it permanent, so don't insult your girlfriend. Nobody wants to hang around the person who criticizes their tattoos. It's equivalent to pointing out someone's physical flaws, only you're calling them stupid at the same time, because they chose to do this. Say something like that looks solid, or nice linework and move on, for your own sake :)

eh fuck it leave it

Started this in January (i posted the lines here before)... this is 5 sessions in w/ 2 hrs each time. Again, I want to thank the LST community for leading me to Jason Brooks -- I could not be happier w/ the results :D

I've had similar. It looks worse now than it will when the red calms down and heals. The more time it has to heal the more "normal" it will look.

just get more tattoos - its all good - probably nobody would even notice - if they do - meh people who get tattooed should have a good sense of humor anyhow

This thread was cool before I began my back but now I so deeply feel everything that has been said. It's nice going through and empathizing with everyones journey. Just finished my third session with Horitomo and have the majority of it outlined. I learned to breathe for the sake of survival and sometimes I can convince myself that he's simply using a sharpie to draw more lines, and that eases the intensity (sometimesss). It's such a diverse world of pain sensation! Not sure how to get my buns to quit twitching. Hoping shading is slightly less painful but I find it hard to imagine the localized and constant digging in specific areas like the fumunderbuns and spine. Anyway, just wanted to thank everyone for what they have shared.

so we need a pic of your tattoo !

So I will post this pic here as my start point - about 24 hours post finish. I slept in an old t-shirt last night and had no plasma or ink leak that I noticed. Showered this morning using antibacterial soap and am using a light Aquaphor application in place of the A&D my artist gave me (I used Aquaphor on my first tattoo also). This one seems much more sensitive than my first - perhaps because of the amount of shading on this one versus my first?). It is tender - like a brush burn. Most of the redness is gone, it just is uncomfortable to have a shirt sleeve rubbing it. I was out this afternoon and as I got in the car Lynn mentioned that it looked like I had some plasma leak - never had that with my first. When I got home I washed it again and reapplied a very light cover of Aquaphor. I noticed when I pat it dry with a clean paper towel, I am getting a small amount of ink but that seems to lessen with each washing. So, we'll see how this one goes. My guess is that it's not going to be as easy as my first.

Got this today - crappy picture so it's hard to see the colors. I'll post a better pic tomorrow after it is a bit less irritated and in better light. This is my 9/11 Pentagon survivor nod. I had the artist perch the eagle on a pentagonal-shaped piece of rubble. Had originally wanted to have the date 9-11-01 in the center but, after getting feedback here, decided against it. I'm glad I left it out. I asked him to create some clouds and show the sun beginning to peak out - really based on my desire to speak to the focus on the future and not just the event itself. I was very, very lucky to survive that day - this piece has much meaning.

dont stress (easy to say when its not your tattoo) - you know in the end it wont matter - it'll heal and be just a small part of some tattoo awesomeness but i know how you feel - when i have healed forearm pieces those are the hardest because you see them constantly and analyzing every detail becomes a part of the healing ritual it'll be all good

Just tell everyone to turn their head to look at the W and the E. Then they are correct.

I was going to make a new topic but then i remembered this one exists... So, the strangest thing just happened. My girlfriend sent me a picture of her brand new tattoo and I was dumbfounded. Its upside down! Now, I'm a fairly tattooed guy and I never even considered she could make this mistake because her other work is quality stuff and we have talked about tattoos a bunch since its important to both of us. But there it is, and its upside down. I didnt even know what to say so I didn't mention the upside downedness of it immediately. I just wanted to let her be happy about her new tattoo, but to be honest now i dont know how to bring it up without insulting her. Luckily its a small thing near her wrist and easily covered if she want to do that, but I'm pretty sure just mentioning it is going to be a big fight and i cant hold my tongue either....

I think the skin on your elbow tends to be much dryer and coarser, maybe that's why those tattoos age more. I had heard of ankle tattoos being effected by constant rubbing from socks, that's why I was worried initially. Kate, thanks for your input. It's good to hear from someone who has lived with their tattoo a while. Hope you love your new tattoo!

Looking a little less irritated today - and now on to the commiserating about healing thread!!

Yep, aesthetics is the name of the game. I don't think any other reason is needed when it comes to getting tattoos. As for the old Japanese traditions, I think they exist for the purpose of aesthetics as well. That's why they've worked for so long and why people are so drawn to them. Rules for keeping clean images, not overcrowding, black backgrounds for longevity and contrast, etc. These body suits were designed for the long haul, maximum impact and readability.

If you give us a general idea of where you live maybe someone can give you some good shop/artist recommendations. Many of the regulars on this board really know their stuff. Identifying a particular style will help as artists do have their specialties. I'd start my research there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When I get my hair cut I have a general idea of what I want but I don't cut it myself because I'm not a barber. Your drawing is perfectly fine as a piece of reference to take to a tattoo artist who will then draw you up a nice design based on your idea and give you a great tattoo. That's if you choose your artist wisely and let him/her do their thing. Your 30 year old self will thank you for being smart. Or you can be stubborn in which case you'll have a date with a laser instead. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

so I went to a tattoo/bike show in Dixon Ca today and met Anthony Michaels,pretty cool mellow dude,and I won 3rd place for my B&G tiger side piece. .

Same way you do research on anything else. Time and exposure. Knowledge is experience. Best way to learn is to get tattooed. You'd be surprised what you can pick up from just talking to your artist (and the artists working next to you) for hours on end. But I get that that may be too far for a lot of people at first. No one starts out knowing it all. This forum is as central a repository of tattoo knowledge as you can get, (apart from actual artists) so peruse the topics here. Pick up some magazines, use instagram, check out yelp reviews, look at pictures. Lots of pictures. What Graeme said is true, a picture doesn't really give you in depth understanding of a tattoo or an artist's capabilities, but it does increase your exposure. And something is better than nothing. In time you'll start to develop a sense for what you like, and also what a good drawing/design looks like vs. a bad one. What good shading, color, linework looks like and all that.

You're better off just going directly to the tattooer and asking them. Theres no need to create a middleman between you and the tattooer. Even If there were tattooers on this forum (which there arent many) you still dont need anyone else's advice besides the person who is going to do the tattoo. Find one tattooer, commit to being tattooed by them, and discuss your idea with them. Dont shop hop and hope for design ideas/critiques from other artists because they probably wont give it to you. There's allot of ways the design could be improved. Much too many for anyone to write down in a post. Improvements on balacing, tangent points, major and minor hirarchy, trasition through the composition. Stuff that takes years to learn and understand. The tattooer has already figured this stuff out. You dont need to worry about it being self expression. It will still be your idea, but just inturpreted through the eyes of someone who knows how it will work. The concept and "meaning" should never take a backseat to the design, because in the end of the day thats what a tattoo is, a design. Its meant to look good on your body. As for saying you're "bad", take it as a gift. I wish more people told me my stuff was no good in the past. Through out the years of art making, I, and many other artists will tell you, that your art starts improving once you start hating it. The cycle to improving your artist ability is "Make something until you love it, and then stare at it until you hate it. And repeat". If you dislike a piece, it means you are concious that something is wrong, and that you need to improve. This cycle will go on until you die, and by the end if it you willmake amazing things. Youre at the beginning stages, and I assume you dont recieve much critisism of your art, just like I didnt when I was your age. If you desire to be better, fight for it. This is what I have learned.

So had my consult today. It is going to be awesome. Saw his other Japanese sleeves and was amazed. So we are going with the koi and dragon themed sleeve. He was Mentioning something about the koi collected a pearl and on his way up changed to a dragon or something like that. Anyways, his waves are some of the best I have seen. Seems like such a simply thing like water would be easy, but his just stands out. Also some windbars and cherry blossoms. He said in about 3 weeks he will have it drawn and ready for outlining. Put the deposit down and just waiting for the call. It's happening y'all. A bit nervous, but it's more excitement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Going to Hong Kong next week...so once I get back it's open season on tattoo time (re: winter) haha. I've got a bunch of fun ideas (in painful spots, not fun!) percolating in the brain so will see how things develop and how crazy/creative I'm feeling once I get through my trip. Hmmm maybe I'll postpone my return flight a few days and see what kind of mischief I can get up to in HK...my bud did get a bare-hand Jimmy Ho tattoo last year but damn it looked gnarly and took him months to heal. My wife is also getting tattooed by Jessie Beans in a month. I'm really excited, probably more excited about her getting tattooed than she is! cheers

Going to be discussing my back/ribs with Dave on Sunday while he tattoos me. With just my own input as of now, Im thinking full "turtle" backpiece extending down the thighs, just before the knees, and wrapping around the torso with 2 opposite images on either rib, with the "river" down the front. I already have a traditional chest piece so we will have to work around it. Im stuck between the goddess Benzaiten with her bowa and a white dragon, the pearl diver and dragon, or just a dragon. As for the ribs Im thinking a Nue on one side and a Kirin on the other. I enjoy the contrast between the two. As for the back of the thighs Im not sure. It depends what goes on my back. Im thinking Tennyo would be nice. I look forward to his input.

@Intomyskin You will be fine. I am a brewer which is a physically demanding job (on my feet all day, lifting 55lb malt bags, climbing in and out of brewing vessels, many many flights of stairs, etc) and I was working the day after many sessions without issue. It was nice if I could get tattooed on a Friday or Saturday to have that weekend off but it's not necessary. The day after one session I took a five or six hour train ride and, again, it was fine. Same thing with aftercare. The day after my final back session my wife went into labour and my child ended up in the NICU for a couple of weeks so I healed my back sleeping on hospital couches and maybe taking one shower a day. No problems with healing. You're overthinking things.

I posted an update in the Initiation forum, but realized it isn't as widely seen. Here is a condensed version: Session 3 on the dragon sleeve is done. I went in thinking we would color it in and I'd be done or nearly done. Nope! 5.25 hours of green and red. In the ditch. Ouch. April: May: Last week: I'm very happy with it so far, but dying to get the final touches of detail into the dragon. I count 120 cherry blossom pedals all the way around. Given that 2 min each average is four hours, I'm doubting we will even finish next time.

I'll probably be hanging around most of the day Saturday so am game for meeting whenever. Is it worth checking out on Friday when things are a little quieter, too?

Let's wing it. I'm getting tattooed at 11 and A. is getting tattooed at 3 so there will be a baby handoff happening sometime there and a lot depends on his mood/napping. It's not his first convention though so hopefully he'll be okay. I'm sure we can make some kind of hanging out and sharing tattoos and stories happen at some point.

@fala @marley mission feeling normal today. probably just needed to catch up on sleep and hydration after flying to a wedding last week

Got the lining done on tuesday with Uffe Berenth. Looking foward for the handpoking on friday evening ! :) (Poor photo i know but i can't really get a picture of something all around my calf in one shot haha :p )

I was approaching middle age when my mom saw my first visible tattoo (I already had one that she didn’t know about). She just sort of exaggeratedly rolled her eyes and shook her head, but had a smile on her face and wasn't judgmental. But I started getting more and more she just couldn’t comprehend it, and there was a period when she wondered if I had gone wacko. She kept saying “Why?” and “I just don’t understand.” But she was never rude or judgmental. She truly just didn’t understand why. It was just beyond her ability to process. I think we who are tattooed (especially if we have a lot of coverage) can easily forget how different we look, or how extreme it may seem to others to go through the pain of a large tattoo. But even as she struggled with accepting my tattoos, Mom always complimented the artistry of my pieces, and never criticized. She eventually got accustomed to the “changed me,” and accepted it. What is interesting is that she is now at a point where she makes an effort to point out people with interesting tattoos to me, and even has made an effort to learn a little bit about the subject. And quite honestly she has developed a pretty good eye for quality work. And her reactions demonstrate that you can be uncomfortable with tattoos, or not understand the motivation, yet still be polite and respectful.

@BrianH Hats off to you, bud. That looks amazing, you earned it (: @sophistre I love it! So sick! Can't wait to see more And I don't have any recent photos of how mine is coming, unfortunately. I think the closest I can post is this one below. Anyway, did a chunk on the ass on Tuesday and it was pretty crappy. Seems like we're starting to close in on this thing though, just the sides and bottom of the ass, and the thighs left. About 66 hours and 1 year in.

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.

AWESOME!!! Greg kills it. One of my favorite tattooers right now, and on the proverbial "bucket list". I also had a small spot on each shoulder blade that was exactly like that. The machine would hit them and I would groan like a dying toad. You are a champion for making it through that much linework in one sitting! Especially from a heavy handed artist! - - - Updated - - - HOLY BALLS! Congrats dude!!!!!! - - - Updated - - - Kelly asked me for one last finishing session to polish off some details he wanted. It turned out to be MORE LINE WORK. :p

Today I learned that the posterior of my body is home to multiple portals to hell! Seriously, I kept expecting cenobites to show up and drag me off with hook chains. Whoever said the butt crease is magical sure knew what they were talking about. But the most surprising thing for me (and for Greg, actually) is that there were a couple of spots near my shoulder blades that actually made me burst into tears instantly! It was the strangest thing...it wasn't like I just bottomed out and couldn't take it anymore, it was a huge surge of adrenaline and emotion that felt completely involuntary. And just in those spots! We tattooed well into armpit territory and it was honestly a relief after those other spots. So strange. I would post the Instagram but I'm on my phone. :( it's on his page, though, butt crack towel and everything.

BAM

If I can offer some more advice, depending on how often you're planning on working on your back, invest in a good pair of boots or shoes before you start, because you might find money getting pretty tight at some point during the process and things like replacing worn out shoes or clothes become far less of a priority.

After doing a couple 5.5-6.5 hour sessions on my back and front this year I 100% agree that 4 hours is the perfect session length. Those longer session become a mental struggle. The pain doesn't necessarily get worse in hour 5, 6, or 7 it just gets really boring and difficult to let my mind drift off into a happy place. @sophistre my advice is to never go into a session too confident. Tell yourself the pain is going to be 11 out of 10 so when it ends up being 8.5 out of 10 it ends up being much more manageable than the horrors you were imagining. And on the flip side, when you end up having an easy session delete it from your memory because it will set your pain expectations too low for the next session.

I couldn't agree more with this and will say that every session is different than the last. Sometimes I would find it helpful to chat and other times I would just listen to music trying to zone out. One of the most challenging aspects of getting your back done, besides the pain, is just how long it takes for it to come together. Your dedication to getting tattooed will be tested especially in the beginning. I remember early on I did two days back to back for a total of 7 hours and while a lot was accomplished I remember seeing what was done and thinking "Oh shit.... only another 40+ hours left." Any where else on the body you'd be on your way to either finishing a tattoo or having a really good portion of it completed but not your back. There is no instant gratification with a back piece. It is a slow, long, and painful process that you must endure. In the end though you will have an incredible tattoo and will say it was all worth it. Just remember that it isn't a sprint but a marathon. Go at a pace that is comfortable for you and a session length that you know you can handle. In my honest opinion, the extreme session length times are not needed unless you are traveling far to get tattooed or the artist is doing guest spots. Long sessions are not only taxing on you but the tattoo artist as well! 4 hours is a good session length especially for the back. Also... forget about the hours or the money spent. I don't keep track of it because it serves no purpose to you in the long run. Once it is done, it's done and you will not have to worry about it ever again. Just keep chipping away and eventually it will all come together. If you ever find yourself tired and needing a break, please do so.

i was bored at work and found this gem on youtube. freddy corbin doing some work on odb. i couldn't find a thread for videos, so i will leave this here. it is rad!

I didn't get in for Washington state. :( But, he emailed back to say that he'll keep my number in case there's a cancellation, and he's going to be back later in this year and we can definitely do something then, soooo, ultimately a win. :)

I guess I'll join in on the sharing fun (even though most of you have already seen this on Mike's instagram). Progress from my session at Pagoda City Tattoo Fest: About 31 hours total so far. So maybe we are about 1/2 done?