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Hey folks, Okay, so it took a while, but I'm going to try to get this off the ground come November 1. I'm thinking themes, like several of you suggested (Examples: Japanese back piece, daggers, girl heads, fine line b&g etc). How about "fillers" for our first contest. That sound cool? The following is my suggestion for new rules. Please speak up if you have any suggestions for changes. The tattoo picture that gets posted in this thread for "Month/Year" will be submitted for polling of Last Sparrow's Best "(INSERT THEME)" tattoo. This is all in good spirit and fun of course. The submission process opens on the first of the month and ends on the 20th of the month. After that there will be an open poll for one week, which will close on the 27th, and the tattoo with the most votes wins. Your tattoo picture must be posted in this thread (both tattooers and tattoo customers can win) in order to qualify. Include with your photo/post...tattoo artist name & tattoo shop. You MUST be the one who has the tattoo or did the tattoo. It MUST be a finished tattoo It must fit the theme of the contest (obviously)

Got this burnin' hot chick from Willem Jansen today. What a nice guy, and a great tattooer! Done at the always fantastic The Sailors Grave in Copenhagen. Picture via Willem's Instagram (@willem666).

Tiger, Chris O'Donnell December 2!

Hello again thread. Here's my latest tattoo done yesterday at a convention by Radu Rusu. I really love the look of b&g tattoos and can't wait for this one to heal. I really like it :)

Had this done yesterday at 454 tattoo in Encinitas by Dave Kruseman. There's a little warble in the line at the top, that was 100% on my twitchy leg, not Dave. I'm super stoked about this tattoo though. Probably my last of 2016 and my last American Traditional for awhile. Hope ya'll like it! If anyone is curious, Dave is a super nice guy, and happy to talk about winning the show/shooting the show, but also about just about anything else. Everyone at 454 was super friendly and helpful. Great little shop.

Noted. Lets try to start with a broader category, and see how submissions turn out.

I landed an apprenticeship! I will be working under Jeff Wilson and John Dohe at Infinite Expressions in Charlottetown PEI, Canada. Realy stoked, but just trying to figure out money/moving stuff. Herecare a coupke pieces by them. Super low key, but awesome artists/tattooers. Im hoping to start practicing tebori early as well, as its something Ive always wanted to do. We'll see.

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

Get a dragon. A big one.

Sure if she's willing to go up to the elbow. I don't know why I keep replying. Ask your tattooer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Man, with the start of the school year, coaching xc, training for a marathon, and a million other things, I've been MIA for a bit. So many awesome tattoos in here. From the Noble frog and the Nava spider, to the awesome Japanese work from Brooks and a few others, I'm loving so much awesome stuff. That Chris Stuart chest eagle. That Koeplinger underarm blast. That firey girl head. Good lord. People are killing it. I haven't posted much in this thread in forever. In the last 15 months or so, I've gotten my knees done (well, the left is started) by Grez, as well as a few pieces on my thighs. Once I get that knee finished, I'm going to update the squidpants thread and throw some of them in here.

Where is that on the body? A coverup has to be at least 2x the size. Not sure if the phoenix can be reworked. All good questions for her tattooer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Depends on the tattoo, I guess. A skirt would not have worked for me at any of my sessions. When we're working the upper body (waist up) it's alright to wear pants and then roll them down, but anything below that means ditching the pants and undies. And the day we lined my back (neck to knees), I had to be completely naked ALL DAY. Eventually I stopped being able to have feelings about it because I was having too many feelings about the lining going on (mostly 'ow ow ow ow, okay that's better, that's actually not so b--OH MY GOD WHAT FRESH HELL' etc.) for there to be room for anything else. Hahaha. Most shops have screens as far as I can tell, anyway.

I should really remember to check in more often. There are so many good things in this thread. The fudo meow cat KILLS ME. And the bamboo tiger is also fantastic. Every time I come back after getting busy with RL there are pages of awesomeness for me to look at. I love it.

"Starting my rib sleeve. #girlswithtattoos #inkedgirls #judgeme #suicidegirl #ink"

Got a call from a recruiter a couple of weeks ago, didn't really think anything would come of it. Now, two phone interviews later they are flying me out to New Hampshire next week for a F2F and likely an offer. Would anyone in their right mind move from Dallas to New Hampshire at the beginning of winter? Oh my, I'm going to have a decision to make soon. Crazy times.

The only time I have ever felt like tapping out was the first shading session on my ribs. After having it lined out for the first session and being complimented on how well I was sitting by the artist and the shop manager I think my ego got inflated a tad bit. My next session was scheduled for three hours and it was time for shading! Going in I didn't have a good night sleep and due to traffic I wasn't able to get a solid meal in beforehand but still fetl pretty confident I'd be okay. The majority of the work was along the bottom part of the ribs and lower part of the stomach/oblique. The first 2.5 hours sucked but I was able to get thru it and then I hit that proverbial wall. Once that I happened it didn't feel like I was getting tattooed anymore but rather carved with a knife very slowly. I was so close to saying "fuck it" and cutting the session short but I was able to pull through and finish. Somehow hearing that I had only "ten minutes left" when I had about three times that had helped me out greatly.

Finished this one up Saturday! (I hope the Instagram linky thing works...first time I've tried it this way)

So about the bun-twitching.. honestly, my best bet has to been to just keep it clenched. Sounds dumb and hilarious, but that's all I've been able to do to keep it from jumping up into the needle. Kahlil and I have had many laughs about the rogue jumping asscheeks, and he said he basically had to keep the muscle contracted the entire time to keep it steady as well. Hope that helps

My big piece was finished last night. Sooo now becomes the deliberation of what I want to do next, where I want to do it. I'm stumped. Was going to talk to my artist last night but I was so focused on pretending it didn't hurt.. Husband has put his leather armor on hold and went w/a new artist, starting this tiger. He loves the new artist so that's great. A dragon is going on the back of the calf there and everything will be in color.

Had a blast at the convention! Was great to meet @polliwog @Fala and was also great seeing @Graeme and @Pugilist. Briefly saw @Shaun1105 which was cool but missed @BrianH due to walking past every booth except the one he was being tattooed at. Feel pretty dumb about that since it was directly behind the one I was hanging out at. Also bummed to have missed seeing Sam whose handle name eludes me at the moment. (Mitslam??) Got this by Nick Colella on Saturday in the same booth and at the same time as @Graeme was getting an awesome tattoo by Robert Ryan. Absolutley love it and had a great time talking to Nick. Such a great dude and awesome tattooer. This is my first leg tattoo. On the side of my left calf.

Here are my yokai made by Dave Cummings. Love them so much. @a_beukeveld your hannya is gorgeous but that's no surprise! I bet it's already healing super well! I also got a great little skunk from Nick Colella!

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.

As you may or may no know, Edge Day is celebrated annually on October 17 since 1999. The inaugural event, originally called Edge Fest, was held in Boston, Massachusetts. I would like to shake the lastsparrowtattoo tree and see who falls out... lol. Lets share our XXX, Straight Edge and or Edge Day related tattoos...unless I am alone in this, then dang!

With Oliver, I imagine it's a little different. Running two successful shops in the Southwest, years on Kat Von D's shows, and then judging every season of Ink Master, I imagine he's pretty burned out on it in general. I know at his True Tattoo they have varied input on the show itself. (I've never seen him in the shop, just have a few from his staff.) In this case, Kruseman brought the show up first, saying he was always excited when he got new clients who had seen the show. I mentioned that Duffy had the classiest episode of Redemption to date and he lit right up. He got so animated talking about even little details that I don't think I was bothering him at all. I do some press work in and around reality TV in the L.A. area, and I'm pretty good at knowing when I'm bugging a celebrity. Like you, I tend to be chatty through the painful parts. It was a two-hour piece, and he talks while he works, so we hit a number of topics. Did I see you say somewhere that you were getting tattooed by Oliver at Bay Area? I'll have to live vicariously through you. I blew my budget at Desert Trip and can't swing it, or I'd be trying to get a small piece by Oliver as well. Side note, while you're there, Ian "Jonezy" Jones is in the True Booth with Oliver, he's one of my favorite LA True Tattooers and a hell of a guy. His work is definitely worth a look, especially if you're right there. I don't think anything here is technical information or even info that isn't out there in his(and other artists) post-show features/interviews. I would feel a little different if it wasn't a conversation about publically available media. I certainly don't share shop banter or casual conversation that I've had with my artists, things get a little too Rock&Roll for general consumption. From my own experience in press writing, I can say pretty conclusively that I left a ton of awesome inside info and a lot of banter/stuff that no one needs/wants to hear. I cherry picked Ink Master safe stuff to share here. Thanks! Hoping it heals as well as my last jammer.

I believe that there is always room for a new company to emerge if it can capture a market share with a different or better product. And, I try to support US owned companies and products made here when possible. in terms of my opinion, remember that I am a newbie to the world of tattoos - just have two, both done in the last 7 months. And, I'm at the upper end of your age demographic at 61. That said, here are my thoughts. Someone needs to begin the process of driving the continued cultural acceptance of tattooing and its recognition as an art form. It seems that most shirts I see, with few acceptances are black and most designs depict the "darker" images - skulls, zombies, villains, etc. Trying to eek out a new market for similar designs on black shirts with US costs would be tough - not impossible, but tough. Personally, I'm looking for that new trendsetter. Colors, different and artistic designs and even classics that show the depth and breath of the art form. That is something I would buy. I've got enough black t-shirts...my wife will tell you I have too many. ? As a retired Army office and now president of a small college, I take every opportunity to show off my tattoos and to break the perceptions of tattoos and people who have them. I wear t-shirts often outside of work so having designs that show the art and artistry of tattooing would be both helpful and refreshing. Just my very limited and personal $.02.

I'll be there Saturday getting tattooed by Ron Wells starting at around noon.

Classic and colorful. Love it.

your ribs tattoo came out great. when i see a tattoo like that, my first thought is "that could easily heal into a big black blob". props to your artist for having the technical skill to pull this off. also: first tattoo on ribs? respect.

Just started collecting and reading the new Lone Wolf and Cub series by Kazuo Koike and Hideki Mori. Collected and read the first series (Lone Wolf and Cub) and it was awesome, the first series was awarded lots of honors for historical accuracy in depicting life in Edo period japan. Original had lots of tattoos. Very worth a read

Congratulations!, they are both accomplished artists if they are taking you under wing that means something about you...best of luck in the journey

oboogie, its a guild mark from an anime called fairy tail! It is a silhouette of a fairy with a tail, which is meant to symbolize eternal adventure and mystery since no one knows if fairies have tails or if they even exist.

The winters may be rough, but New Hampshire is the most free state in the country and one of the most beautiful. I love it here but admit I'd like to spend my summers in Florida. Best of luck!!! @Boiled Dove

"If Trump and Hillary were stranded on a cannibal infested desert island who would survive?" AMERICA America will survive

From 19:th of september, by TomasTomas at Into You. That was a beautiful and special day. Maybe 2 hours of tattooing and in total 8 hours with all the talking, planning design, preparing, listening to music, watching videos, sharing stories and experience. Tomas is fantastic.

Good thing you listen to all the advice you solicit... Looks good though.

Hey everyone just got back from the shop a little while ago. Went in for a touch-up, left with some old school sailor jerry dice. This'll be my last tattoo for a while though, taking a little break.

My wife and I got "matching" heart tattoos from Aaron Is (during a guest spot at Precisely Veiled Tattoo in Killeen, TX).

Good for them that you can now zoom in on Instagram or I wouldn't be able to tell what half of them even are

Finally ! I have a reason to post haha ! So stoked about this ! I mean........SO stoked ! Bandage and endorphins still on lol And the freakin' pics will likely be side ways ;) I finally got my crawling panther, like everybody should ;) By Franz Stefanik at Okey Doke in Toronto, ON. Awesome personable guy, awesome chat, awesome tunes. Just a cool chilled out hang and I got to go home with a wicked tattoo at the end haha. ..................................................................................................................... Wow ! Upside right ! Who knew haha !

Nikko finishing my demon samurai piece at the SF convention

Heather Bailey did this one for me a few months ago. Inside the upper arm is a fun area.

My Dad went into the Marines at the end of WWII - this is him in July 1946, just scored as high shooter in his training platoon at Parris Island. His tattoo was a killer skull with a snake intertwined in the eyes and mouth. I wish I could show him mine now - he died in 1997 while I was commanding a battalion in Bosnia - but he was my incentive to finally do it. I'm still looking for that rifle - serial number 2860035. I've come close to it and have several M1 Garands in my collection. I know that he would have never considered putting something on him that reflected an image of Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, North Korea or China. Still, he loved the oriental and German cultures and visited Asia and Europe many times over the years before he died.

I got tattooed by Chad on an "easy" spot (outer thigh) and didn't have bruising even though I'm a big wuss and bruise easily. If you really want to get tattooed by him, you should!

Picked this one up from Marc Nava at the London tattoo convention yesterday. Such a nice guy and i had a great time being tattooed by him. Really wish i was at the convention today/tomorrow as there seemed to be a LOT of artists taking walk ups that had time (Frankie Carracioli, for example, was in the booth with Marc and didn't do a single tattoo on Friday, at least not by the time i left around 8pm). Bumped in to a few LSTers too, wish i knew their names here but it was a pleasure seeing you all, even managed to stumble across my main man @Iwar when i was literally on my way out of the convention.

Recieved this from Dave Cummings at the Montreal convention. He did an amazing job.

Well, my 2nd session with Garver went down this past Friday. This pic was taken right when it was done. Best part is, he asked if I was interested in sleeving out my arm. I obviously agreed and more sessions are to come. Going to connect my Back to the Future portraits with some other elements.

Session two with Horitomo! Almost done with the lining and am looking forward to the shading.

Appointment for early Feb made with Paul Dobleman. *squee*

Maybe it's just because the back is the back, or that you're tougher than me, but a lot of my backpiece from Dave didn't feel very gentle. Not that it really matters, because Dave is an incredible tattooer and a great guy, and whatever you get from him is going to turn out fantastic.