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My warrior of a wife got a wolf tattooed by Jessie Beans yesterday at Classic Tattoo in Red Deer AB. And holy chit mang...right before she left in the morning I gave her a pair of warm wool socks, wished her good luck and reminded her don't be scared to go bigger. She came home with one hell of a one-shot tattoo on her thigh. Thoroughly impressed by the tattoo and my wife's spirit !

I am pretty new around here, by comparison with some other people. So, take my opinion with a grain of salt. But: A lot of the subforums are dead because a lot of the people who came here and made this place what it was don't come here anymore. A lot of them were tattooers, even. Good ones. Great ones! There are some threads on this forum that I imagine could literally be considered valuable parts of tattoo history because they have stories that came from people who got those stories from other people who tattooed back when the internet wasn't even a thing. There are threads with tattooers in them who are, nowadays, kinda leading the charge with contemporary tattooing, too. And it's kind of hard to improve on that. I guess most people don't wanna shitpost over it. I once knew a quote about some similar situation, about the wisdom of not bothering to say what someone else has already said if they said it better than you can, but I couldn't find it. I did find a Twain quote that is reminiscent, though: "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. 'tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning." I mean...don't get me wrong, there's a lot of awesome talk here about tattoos that crops up, and now and again there's a thread that takes off, and it's always fun to read. And I think fresh content is good, so I'm not saying that there should never be any. But it's sort of a quality over quantity thing, you know? If you've spent any time lurking at all and checking the older pages...there's just so much there already, and a lot of it is important. There's a lot of wariness here too, because a lot of people do show up who don't lurk, don't learn anything from what's already here (and it's a LOT of stuff to learn). They shitpost constantly and give bad advice, they get mad when people tell them the advice is bad, and then everybody gets tired of trying. Yesterday I caught myself quoting/starting to respond to something in the 'What makes a good tattoo' thread and then I realized it probably wasn't worth it. That kind of thing is what chased off a lot of the people who used to post here...and that was before I got here 3 years ago, even. I lurked for quite a while before I finally posted, just before my first tattoo. I learned so much here that helped me to make a good decision, and in the process I kinda figured out what this place is like. ...-ish. It, like tattooing, seems to have its own culture. It is not like other forums I am on. But since it's about tattooing, that really seems pretty fitting, eh? People like good content. They value substance over the level of activity. We all like to ogle tattoos in the Latest Tattoo Lowdown -- as @marley mission said not long ago, we could probably have just that thread alone, because I think that's what keeps most people coming back, haha. And it's nice to be amongst people who love something that you love. It's pretty low-key, especially now, but I think people like that. They don't want to reinvent the wheel, they just wanna hang out, and look at/talk about great tattoos.

Hey Darren ... just leave it alone and let your body do its thang to heal. Hands are stressful to heal. When I got my hand done it looked like I had the flesh eating disease for a couple weeks and was really stressed out about the ink drop outs and scarring. And then once the rough healing period was over it was fine. So relax, baby your paws for a few weeks and let the tattoo be a tattoo. Cheers bud

I had a fair number of snarky replies drafted, but figured I'd bite my tongue. To tie into that "state of the union" thread or whatever, I will say that this is exactly the type of reply that is pushing me away from this board the way I used to. You have three people discussing tattoos/their significance and a topic that apparently in no way involves you, then you feel the need for a passive aggressive comment because you don't like that OP's posts. As you said in that thread, "So damn weird."

So, I used to drink a lot and use tons of drugs. I one heard someone say "my drug of choice was more" and that pretty much sums me up from about 16 to my early 30s. Clean and sober for something like 15 years now but not sure I could call myself straight edge because of my history. I have a few friends who have been dedicated straight edge their whole lives and are in their 40s and 50s now. I think if I call myself straight edge that kinda takes away from what they have done. They allow all ages into shows in bars down here and many places will mark the under age patrons hands with an X. I was thinking there was a really strong straight edge scene down here until I figured that out.

I've never heard of "edge day" or " straight edge ", LOL I guess that dates me ? just look at my avatar !

Grew up in ny in the 80's and had a cousin that was super into New York hard core. He explained to me back then that straight edge skin heads (as they were known back then) were the opposite of nazi skin heads. I took that to mean they weren't racist. He also said they abstained from booze and drugs. A noble course for sure. But they were also super into their lifestyle and weren't always nice to those who chose a different path. But still I appreciated them way more than the nazi skin heads. Ive met a lot of straight edge folks through the tattoo world. Funny story... I follow a guy on Instagram who happens to be straight edge. I didn't know this at the time. He was always posting pics of himself in front of strip joints. I remember thinking, "wow, this dude really loves strip clubs" until I realized it was the XXX from the strip club that he was really showcasing. The whole "edge is everywhere" bit. I laughed pretty hard cause for the longest time I thought he was just a bit of a perv. Not that there is anything wrong with that. As for myself, I am more of a wiggly edge dude.

my thoughts on hands - though mine arent done - are that its an area on your body that has been exposed to the elements probably as much as any other body part you have and that over the years that skin has been through alot - i relate this to how my lower arm tattoos are some of my toughest healing spots - i grew up at the beach and i think at 45 years old the skin on my lower arms is just 'beat' - definetly some of my hardest areas to heal - not to mention you are looking at these spots all day - you know the saying - 'can a watched tattoo heal'

funny you should mention that,this was last night LOL

By the way? Only been coming here a few months. Sorry, but you can't blame me for how dead this forum is. This place was dead when I arrived, but Iike a lot of the people here, so I keep coming back. Take care. :-)

Looks like there is about a 95% chance of me moving to NH

My original post wasn't meant as a personal jab. If you hang around here for a little while, it seems to me that a user's body of posts answers all of these questions without a need to ask them explicitly--that is, I have a sense of how any given poster feels about these issues simply from having followed their contributions for a while. (But maybe I'm wrong.) So the survey format from a relative newcomer is a bit of a head-scratcher--like, why not tell us how you feel first? That's all.

my wife and myself got some work from Oliver Peck on Saturday (10/22) at the SFO show. my wife got this octopus it was put next to this mermaid Oliver did last February ,she is working on a traditional underwater leg and I got this on my right upper thigh,it's about 9"x8" . . .

I had to go look it up. I guess I AM getting old! ?

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

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.

Each of us has the opportunity to make posts that encourage more dialogue and add to the conversation, which originally grows on this forum, I never know what I will find, one day to the next, that is what is amazing about his forum, always opportunity to direct things in a positive, informational, educational way, without accusing anyone, we just make an effort, course correct, and proceed. For those not in the know, sobriety is a current state for many, until the next drink, while Straight Edge is a commitment to one's self to be sober into the foreseeable future, for various reasons, as diverse as the people who choose this path, in a way 'against the current', in our hedonistic self-destructive, society. If you choose drugs and alcohol, I do not judge, you, I respect your choice, it is just not my path a this time... Also Straight Edge and tattoos are joined at the hip usually lol.... they can afford them.

and then you also have the application process to factor in - healing tattoos is no fun

Toronto is quote close, right? https://www.instagram.com/davidglantz/ You might want to elaborate on why Evan may not take on such a project. Sounds like it would be right up his alley . . .

DUDE. One person. ONE. That is crazy.

I've had dropout on tattoos and it usually had to do with location - my knee for instance - i'm not a huge fan of the touch up thing so my advice would be to accept the dropout as a part of this particular tattoos 'personality' of course you could also visit the artist and see what they advise - they might want to touch it up but like i said i wouldnt sweat it - particularly if the rest of the piece is to your liking - most often we look at our tattoos much closer than anyone else would ever care to

@Deepayso i dont think the lightness or darkness is what is effecting the readability of your tattoo - i was zooming in on it and i still have a tough time getting a sense for what it is - part of that is the placement but also design and application are factors - i'm not saying its a bad tattoo - not every tattoo needs to be readable from across the room - anyway - the idea of intentionally trying to lighten the tattoo is a crazy one - just live with it - enjoy it - and if you want future tattoos more readable go with bold traditional styles instead of black and grey

Thanks! I love him as well as the tattoo of him. Anchor twins, @Dan! Love your new work!

am I missing something here ? because I don't see any "personal attacks", I just see opinions.

(1) What is your perception of what last sparrow tattoo Forum is today? I still believe LST is one of the few pockets of the internet where the community really takes the tattoos and tattoo experience seriously - despite the wave of dumbed-down posts. LST reminds me of what BMEzine was back 15+ years ago when I discovered a curiousity for the taboo counterculture. It is a good archive of quality tattoos and information on the subculture but also a good forum for a community of knowledgeable and passionate tattoo enthusiasts around the world. That's why I've stuck around. People that get tattooed because they love/hate it! Not just because they want a tattoo as a fashion accessory. (2) why do you participate? LST gives me a space to discuss tattoos (my own and see others) and discuss the tattooing process and the concept of being an illustrated person. I don't really get an opportunity to do that in person outside of a tattoo shop. No one cares haha! Like oh yeah budd got another tattoo...um ok so what...LST people share your excitement, share your pain haha. LST gives me a chance to promote the good tattooing local to my area but also I get to see/read what else is going on around the world in terms of what the community is getting made on them and what makes for good solid tattooing. Also gives an opportunity to share our collective experience with folks that are new to the tattoo counterculture and approaching tattoo with sincerity. And a dose of real-talk when the bullshit starts watering down the forum. (3) what have you gained from it? A better understanding of why I got tattoo in the first place and continue on my path with my tattoos. LST has given me a forum to express and explore my tattoo journey - for myself and to share with the community here. Tattoo has always had this "too-cool" vibe to it. Maybe that's what drew most of us in in the first place? I feel this forum helps break down those barriers and just get to what's what - tattoo. I try and take that away from LST and apply that to the in-person real world. I've gained some friendly internet stranger acquaintances. Supportive and enthusiastic tattoo kin-folk ! Even if it is just a "like" on the 'gram, I know the LSTer on the other side of the country knows whats up! so thx. (4) what do you think will make it better? More passionate tattoo collectors, less tattoo-tourism. More honest discussion. More sharing, less jabs - this isn't reddit !

@oboogie nice one, unique style for a doggie tattoo. dog tattoos are the best !

Thank you @suburbanxcore !!! Jebb Riley did the rose in the ditch along with the Panther. And yes, Ron Wells did the reaper. Good eye! I would LOVE to get tattooed by Martin again. Such a great tattooer and a super solid human. Really enjoyed getting tattooed by him and love the dragon he did for me. Thanks!!!

^ agree^

(1) What is your perception of what last sparrow tattoo Forum is today? The forum? Too many garbage topics (2) why do you participate? well I still enjoy it to a degree (3) what have you gained from it? so much - cant put a price on the things i've learned here (4) what do you think will make it better? Well we could use some awesome folks returning and for the active folks - resist the urge to start shit topics - quality over quantity as for the criticism of @Charles.M well he probably deserves it to a degree - he has made quite a few missteps here - and I'm not quite sure where I stand on some of his activity on here but whatever - LST is not life and life is not LST

So, I had my interview up in New Hampshire this week. Interview went really well and I would be surprised if they don't offer me the job. Manchester is a small city and it didn't seem like there was much of a scene there. I did find a shop that looks like they put out some solid work though. http://bulletprooftigertattoo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/bulletprooftigertattoo/ I have no people in Manchester though so if I do take the job looking for an apartment and moving my crap in might be rather difficult. But I could get a solid tattoo once I settle in. So there is that.

Ooh that's starting to peel perfectly. Not a scab to be seen! Such an amazing back piece @sophistre

Mystique maybe? I am not as cool as Mystique though. I think this pic says it all. Good times. Good......times......... :( so itchy send help

@Dan i wish this place was more than it is but it aint - lets be honest - now - if you remember the last month of the contest - there were only 4 tattoos entered - no categories mind you - and that was the reason that it was cancelled - because even then - when we had way more solid contributions and participation than we do now - even then - there wasnt enough interest in the contest to actually warrant continuing it - jus sayin

nice to see such a positive attitude towards this ! way to go !

I'm suprised that the contest is coming back at this point as it seems like activity is down quite a bit and the thread activity that is attended to has some real dumbass content - anyway - i'd say no on a theme like fillers - too hard to decide what filler is - to me filler is when really heavily tattooed folks get small tattoos to 'fill' the gaps - how many heavily tattooed people are still on this board - just my two cents

The body will heal things like tattoos the same way it heals any other minor ailment (cuts/bruise/burn/abrasion etc): areas with poor circulation will heal slower than more vascular or central areas.

It all goes back to that 'tattooers with no tattoos' thread.... if you make a living off of tattoos you should give back to what has sustained you... and it's less about putting the money back in as it is about putting yourself back into the thing that has given you your life.. supporting your peers who have supported you.. and if no one has ever helped you in your tattoo or art career you're probably either a fucking total asshole or you're really really bad at what you do.... this all goes back to the tattooers with no tattoos thread... for example the mitch o'connel thing mario mentioned... why should he get to make money off an industry that he's contributed nothing to? i've met the guy and asked him, and no he doesn't even have one tattoo.. in fact he was more interested in getting in the pants of my friend and i then talking about art or tattoos.. he's made a ton of cash off the tattoo flash he put out and for the most part as mario said the designs aren't even tattooable..