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Hi there, this forum is going through a bit of a shakeup at the moment, so instead of giving you a smart ass remark, I will try to steer you in the right direction. My first suggestion would be to tell us where in the world you are. That way people can recomend good shops and artists near you. That is your next step, go talk to an artist whose portfolio you like. Have them create a design for you. What you draw is rarely going to be a good tattoo. Let them help you make a good decision.

Hey there, the beauty of traditional tattoos is that you can put anything next to anything else. That rose looks awesome, get something like that for sure! As for your existing tattoos, don't sweat them. The lettering is nice, and it's on you, so just enjoy it and add to you collection.

I just got my first tattoo yesterday (23rd of September 2016) and I am really proud of it.

Hi there, you've already posted a thread about your forearm roses which are quite nice. As was suggested there and here, go back to that artist and ask them. Or look at the many great tattoos that come up on instragram and get inspired. Then use words to tell your artist about what you saw. Let them do their thing with your idea. Also, a compass tattoo becomes feminine when you put it on a female body. Perhaps mention that you like a lighter line weight instead of a bold line.

The lines in the swing ALONE should have been enough! Compound that with "watercolor" that looks like some kind of skin disease and some of the worst celtic knotwork ever on the show, and I can't believe he squeaked by again.

I couldn't believe they kept him around.

Oh. That IS bad!

Spoilers I guess, even though anyone who wanted to see the episode probably did by now. This last episode was laughably bad. That drawing with electricity challenge pushed everyone to impossible standards, and the results were embarrassing. I wish they'd do more tattooing or drawing (with conventional materials!) flash challenges because no one was ever going to make anything decent here. Disagreed with the judge's decision and thought Tito needed to go. It was badly done and didn't even meet the challenge (watercolor = scratchy sunset?). He's long overdue to leave, I can't think of a single good tattoo he's done, and giving that poor girl a tombstone shaped tattoo with some of the shakiest lines I've ever seen on the show...oof.

or USE THE EFFEN SEARCH FEATURE! That drives me crazy when someone wants to be spoon fed information that has already been discussed to death. Go do your research and then come back and ask some intelligent questions.

the heart with the key and banner was my first tattoo,I got it in 1985,(I was 26)it was for an ex-wife with her name in the banner.it was flash off the wall,that's the way it was back then. and a couple other stupid choices from a while ago. .but now it's all nicely covered up ! :)

so maybe that's why it's deserted here lately ,why shouldn't we welcome all these newbies ? won't they eventually hopefully turn into regular smarter about tattooing members ? as they learn when we tactfully and in a friendly manner try and answer their questions instead of being snarky,rude,or ignoring them ? so we can pass on our vast veteran knowledge to these people that will like I said,come here and learn,we have all asked stupid questions at one time or another and I'll guess you did too when you first started getting tattooed. anyway,for me,I don't believe there are stupid questions,there are just questions. so that's my .02

Im not sure what sort of tree you should get. Its really up to you, as it seems like this is a pretty personal thing for you. As far as your experience goes, Im aware of a traditional symbol that might reflect what has happened to you. In Japanese iconography, the cherry blossom (sakura) is an image used to symbolize a life lost too early. Cherry blossoms are very beautiful, but also fragile. They only bloom for a few weeks before they are gone. They symbolize somethong that is very beautiful, but that only lasts so long; Life. They are often paired with images of samurai who give their life in battle and have their life snatched away from them too early. Cherry blossoms have been tattoo motifs for hundreds of years, and make beautiful tattoos. Something to consider. Do some research, tho, as this is only my interpretation of Japanese motif.

Greetings fellow longtime site users. I have been noticing an unfortunate trend in topics posted to the site of late. Everyone and their brother and sister too, want to know; Is this is a good design that I found on google image search? Is my brand new tattoo as messed up as I fear it is after staring at it all day? Can you help me decide what goes with this, but I don't plan to like any of your suggestions? I got a bad tattoo and then a worse coverup and now I want it gone, but can't afford laser, and I have no intention of talking to an actual tattooer about a better coverup, what should I do? In light of this influx of close minded advice seekers, I have decided to begin responding more often, but with an increased snark factor. I will encourage posters to persue their pre-determined courses of action with great vigour! Most make it easy by stating their decision in their opening paragraph. I have noticed that some of you seasoned veterans of internet tattoo discussion, appear to be behaving likewise. For this I salute you. Let us make LST great again! A place where new users are cautious about telling us how it is, but where those who show a true interest can find a wealth of information. To the surly few, carry on fine friends. You know who you are, and may you respond well knowing that your wit and sarcasm are appreciated! P.s. Here is a picture of a tattoo I got, from Greg Christian, at the Art Tattoo show in Montreal this past weekend. I learned about him and many other greats through this site :)

Stock up on your Dial Gold now. FDA has banned most anti-bacterial agents, saying they are no more effective than regular soap and water. They want clinical trials, which of course will drive up the cost, to prove any of them. Hand sanitizers next. I like Walmart foaming soap which has triclosan, one of the banned agents in it. Think I'll buy a few gallons. May be no more effective than bar soap, but is easier to use and makes less mess at the sink.

Exfoliation.

Better - let the cat lick it off!

I just went off lotions and stuff and I am letting it shed off. Man, I thought it was itchy before but this is really taking the cake!

Checked in with my artist today - he agrees that I need a little touch up on the blue and red of the flag. Decided to wait for another two weeks of healing - the spots where I had scabs is still peeling as the tattoo settles in. No big rush - but I want to be fully healed before we head off to our vacation in November. So, I'm set for October 6th - just a 30 minute appointment to finish up.

Hi Dan, this was meant to be a somewhat tongue in check post. Got a bunch of attention for a bit and gave me more laughs than I've had here in quite some time. This is the age of the internet, where people ask questions without caring about the answers. In the past few weeks many new users of this forum have posted some really novel questions. I'll agree that there are no stupid questions, but there certainly are stupid people! People are welcome to ask if applying butter and dog licks to a new tattoo is a good idea, but they had better not get offended or keep defending their position of ignorance when everyone who replies tells them why they're wrong. That is called learning, and a lot of new posters don't seem interested in experiencing it. We the chosen ones on LST know that good tattoos may only be had in one or the other of the "two styles". So when we see anything else we are inclined to be down on it. People get easily offended when talking about art, which if we look at it, tattooing in essence is. So let's try to be nice to each other, but sometimes you just have to feed the troll. Cheers.

It might discourage the trend of users signing up to ask one question and then disappearing. True, this is activity, but does it create a sense of community here? Maybe a small fee might encourage people to browse a bit before signing up? (Plus, hosting this site isn't free.) My first post was a stupid question about tattoo healing, for the record. I stayed because of the community (uh, sorry guys).

Artwork from Frank Turner's Poetry of the Deed. In the process of lasering it off, so I can get a coverup done!

Brian I totally understand, I have several other tattoos but for some reason the tree is "speaking" to me

@deleplank I am very, very sorry to hear of your loss. I cannot imagine, so sending you massive amounts of light and hugs. So, do you mind if I ask some questions? I think the idea of a tree is cool. Do you have other tattoos? Where would you want it? In my opinion, the type of tree is a personal choice. I don't think that there's any one answer. What resonates with you?

My Grandfathers' WWII service serial numbers on each tricep after my first grandfather passed. They each pretty much raised me.

my first ever tattoo I got about 7-8 years ago - its covered now - basically i went to a local shop - got a small tattoo of plankton (yes from spongebob) which promptly became infected - skin fell off - scars were established - it was then covered by this Bob Marley tattoo - which was later chewed on by a pitbull (whole nother thread there) - anyway - my tattoo selection process has changed since then - and I dont think i'd ever get another coverup - anyway...

My first tattoo was a little broken heart with a small rose I got straight from a flashbook when I was 14. I was shopping for clothes in the city with my mom and mentioned I wanted a tattoo. We walked straight from the mall to a tattooshop and picked something out. The original was a normal heart, but I asked for a broken one because I was "emo". Later I had some more rose added around it when I was 16. And then a (really, really badly done) girl shooting herself through the head with crows flying out, behind it when I was 17. At 20 I finally got some sense and had the whole thing covered and started getting good tattoos. :')

Oh boy isn't that such an awesome feeling? When you can finally look at your piece and just be like ahhhh yeah this is fucking awesome! I want to wear strapless tops all the time and walk around w/my arms out so the undersides are visible. I feel complete now w/the underside done there. I like to look down and not see bare skin there.

I didn't mention what my tattoo is, so I'll add it here. It's a drawing by the artist Keith Haring called "Barking Dog." He was a pop/graffiti artist from the 80s. He died of AIDS in 1990. I studied 20th century art in college and grad school, and I've been a fan of Keith's since I was a kid. I have two other drawings by him tattooed on me, too: a dancing man behind my left ear (from one of his larger drawings) and Funny Bunny on my right ankle. I also have a crown from graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was a contemporary of Haring.

Try getting some Dial Gold - fragrance free antibacterial. That is all I use for the first 10 days to 2 weeks. It is mild, doesn't make me itch.

I got my first tattoo about 5 years ago when my wife decided it was time for her to get a new tattoo after a long break. We decided to get matching tattoos of a terrible drawing I had done on a Mother's Day card of the two of us and our daughter all holding hands. Think of those stickers people put on their mini vans except drawn by someone who can't even print his own name legible most of the time. It is by far my worst tattoo and one of my favorites. I never thought that it would lead to all these other tattoos.

What's most annoying to me is people who only take. They come here (as well as a bunch of other tattoo themed web forums) ask questions/seek validation, and when they recieve their info, they f*ck off. What's even worse is when they come here to get their d*ck sucked about their totally sick /rad/unique tattoo idea, and recieve answers they dont like, they insult the members who respond to them, and either never come back or start multiple topics hoping to get the answer they want. How about you contribute something first before you leech off this community? You could pretty much respond to any of these people's questions with "Talk to your tattooer", but that seems to be too difficult for them.