Leaderboard

There seem to be a lot of weird posts from the o.p. of late, many of them plugging his business interest. I have called him out before and I guess I'm doing so again.

Seems weird for someone who isn't a moderator to ask us to take a survey.

we had a great time as always there.we both got good tattoos.

My homie Teddy Kardos reworked this leapin' lizard he put on me in 2013

/\ this

Ugh, you gotta wash your tattoos. Looks just like filthy scabbing to me. You're lucky you didn't get an infection. My first inclination is that either the tattoo artist has poor technique, but if you never washed it and developed thick scabbing, it's likely a lot of ink was drawn out.

Oh. I see. Bummer. @oboogie

@Amanda Don't feel bad! Most people will need a touch up on their feet, it's hard skin to deal with and having to wear shoes or socks makes it more complicated. I have a foot tattoo I've had for like 8 years now and it needs a touch up but I haven't gotten around to it. Worst case scenario, parts of it will have to be redone, no big deal. That doesn't sound like the worst aftercare, maybe a little antiquated. I think the most "progressive" recommended aftercare methods are to either wrap it in Tegaderm/Saniderm/etc (it's like breathable saran wrap) or to heal completely dry or mostly dry (little to no ointments or lotion, only a tiny little bit when it gets unbearably itchy just to keep yourself comfortable). In the future, your aftercare doesn't have to be so extensive, your body can take care of itself and sometimes doing too much can cause a whole new set of problems. It's been so liberating since I started doing more dry healing!

First step is to let it heal completely allowing it to peel fully and for the scabs to fall off. That will take at least two weeks. Once that occurs, I'd consult with your artist to assess your options. Some people's bodies just don't take certain colors well - my last tattoo had to be touched up for both blue and red. It seems that yours had light saturation and muted colors to begin with so that might combine with absorption to be part of the issue. In any case, don't sweat it now - let it get to the point where your artists can make a good assessment.

I've been a member of the forum for years but post sporadically based on how sick I am of being tattooed haha. I take breaks from the forum after some particularly rough sits where I get burnt out even thinking about tattoos. Here's my thoughts on these questions: 1) It's more newbies posting a few questions, starting arguments, or spamming ("go to this website that has the same name as me for more tattoos that look like this!") than it is meaningful discussion or lively debates. I think a lot of the veterans barely post anymore, probably they're in the same boat as me where they just need breaks from the hobby sometimes. Some of the newer members are great additions, but others just are a drain on the place. 2) I love tattoos! I love getting them, having them, and hearing about other people's experiences. I lurk on some other tattoo forums but this is the only one I actively use because I like the format the best and it's just the one I'm the most familiar with. 3) A sense of humility. Sometimes you get to feeling a little too big for your britches when you live in an area where people are covered with shitty tattoos and yours are way better. This forum has put me in my place in that aspect and also just in seeing what other people have gone through and how I still have so much to learn. Obviously, I've also gained a lot of knowledge. 4) I don't really have a lot of concrete suggestions. I know I'd like a better filtration system for newbs (as far as blocking spam, moderators stepping up to address new members causing issues, etc). As far as actually creating great discussion among us...not sure.

@Rob I, sleeve goals! Your arm looks so nice. Plan to do the same with the other arm? Since starting this thread, I still don't really have much to contribute. Sometime within the next few months once my finances get in better shape (working part time and filling in a few shifts at my old job here and there) I'd like to start working on more traditional one shots and filling some gaps, since my arms are going to be all traditional.

@sophistre I am really looking forward to seeing it after you heal!!

Brand new today! Traditional anchor with flowers by Chris Collins at Fronter Tattoo, Cardiff

From everything I've seen and read, definitely can't go wrong with Tattoo Paradise. Depending on where in Maryland, Todd Noble and Right Coast in Fenwick Island (when he's there and not up in Mass) is also killer. I also get a huge kick out of @marley mission's punctuation. Sometimes it's dashes, sometimes it's ellipses, sometimes it's whole new lines. You're like the ee cummings of Last Sparrow!

Jason's shop Artwork Rebels in Portland, OR literally exploded this morning. A construction company working nearby hit a gas line which resulted in an explosion that leveled the building. Luckily no one was in the shop at the time and there were only a few injuries and no deaths. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Jason and rest of the crew get back on their feet. Any of you that have met him know he's a great guy. Help him out if you can. https://www.gofundme.com/help-artwork-rebels-tattoo-rebuild-2v2knyk

Here are crappy pics of my left arm. Through a mirror no less. Jason Scott did all the background work and left the perfect amount of negative space in my opinion. All the little blue flowers and vine swirl stuff was done by him. I love what he did.

Since I've only been getting tattooed since 2014, I think everybody has seen most of these recently, so it feels a little bit weird to submit them again so soon, haha. But I do have some pieces taken from very classic flash! I'm not sure that I ever posted all of them, anyway. All but the last one were done by Greg Whitehead, but I'm looking forward to getting more one-offs like this soon from other people! The shoulder-area bird was my first tattoo, and it's a Percy Waters design. The snake in a flower pot is based on Dietzel flash, the diving girl is a Jensen piece and was actually sort of a filler, the elbow butterfly/rose is...uhh, actually, I'm not 100% sure. Someone said it was Jensen, but I don't remember if that's true. I remember Greg saying that it came from a whole lot of flash from the early 1900s that used to be attributed to a mystery artist, but was later identified as belonging to someone specific...I just can't for the life of me remember who it was. The lady with a snake is a Cap Coleman design, and I love her to bits. The last one was Christopher Ayalin at Liberty, and I got it when I went on a fun tattoo day trip with @beez. A lot of people do flower/snake/dagger stuff, so I dunno...Jensen-ish? I guess? Aside from the color I guess it's still pretty classic traditional subject matter. And now you have seen like half of my tattoos all at once!

My tattoo and a story: I got the Minor Threat sheep when I was 18. I was straight edge from 14 - 24, when I broke edge for alcohol (the only substance I use, and even then I'm pretty much just a beer snob ). I still have a lot of the same beliefs and thought processes I used to have about substance use and abuse, so I don't regret getting it and I'm not one of those embarrassing people that gets wasted every weekend with a straight edge tattoo on full display. I might have one (craft) beer after a tough day at work, but that's about the extent of it. For me personally, I just started to have more of an "in moderation" type viewpoint with everything as I got older and trying to remain straight edge felt forced and like it wasn't right for me anymore. I was having a lot of problems with depression and anxiety and it was one of the contributing factors; I was trying to be be something I didn't necessarily believe in anymore and the very idea of having all these limitations was stressful. Now I choose to abstain more often than not, but it's on my terms so it's almost more empowering in a way. Still love the people involved in the scene and the music, but yeah, trying to label myself straight edge when I didn't have my heart in it anymore was just doing me more harm than good.

Dunno if this has been mentioned anywhere yet, but Greggletron/Greg Whitehead relocated to Atlas (also in Portland). Tim Lehi is apparently also there now. I guess anyone watching those instagrams would already know, but anywho, there ya go.

I got my first tattoo 6 days ago. A traditional sailor jerry bald eagle with American flag. I plan to add a lot more around it though. I never understood what drove someone to get full sleeves...now I do . Edit: The first picture is fresh, the second is 6 days into healing.