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Where did the latest tattoo lowdown thread go? Anyway, this past weekend was Ocktoberfest at Old Soul in Canonsburg, PA. It's a cool event where the shop invites a whole bunch of artists (like 60'ish) for the weekend. Some by appointment, some by walk-in. The trick is that everyone is queued up for a table/space to work since the shop has maybe 12 stations. The Old Souls guys have it running like clockwork...superiorly organized. You still have to wait but with the festival outside in the street and karaoke going on inside, the time flies by in no time. Nate Hudak made this for me on Saturday. He has a super light hand and is fast. Back of the left thigh.

Spent this weekend at Riot Fest in Chicago, spending next weekend at The New England Shake Up in MA. I am not going to want to go back to an office job after this.

Hey, Bucharest tattoo convention is next month and I booked two consecutive days, one with https://www.instagram.com/goranmicic_mg/ and the other with https://www.instagram.com/fantattooflo/ . Can’t wait! :)

David Bowie`s Black Star album cover.

Any reputable artist will do this. If you aren't sure about her, I wouldn't go back.

super clean, @Gingerninja!! too back you're never gonna see it :)

Craig can do american traditional. Check out the owl here: http://heartofgoldtattoo.com/craig-secrist/ Austin Jones is another of my favorites, but he's more neo-traditional https://www.instagram.com/austinxjones/?hl=en

finished down the left side, shoulder, neck area, and started down the right side. fun times!

Hey there! Welcome to the forum. Quick question - do you plan on staying with one artist or collecting pieces from a bunch of people? Both traditional and Japanese have a ton of common imagery (re: daggers, panthers, roses, tigers, shishsi, peonies, demons). I suggest finding a few artists from each style then start looking at what they are doing. Look at the people that THEY are following. Go to tattoo conventions. If you see pieces that resonate with you, ask who did the piece. You'll need to decide for yourself if you like negative space between the different pieces. The cool thing with Japanese style is that fingerwaves, clouds and rocks always are the perfect fillers. Where do you live?

Yup. A crappy outline is something to worry about. Color not being solid, not so much. Did you know this tattooer before the expo? The last three or four expos I went to, I wouldn't let 90% of the 'artists' near me. I finally just stopped going. It's all about filling booths and getting the shitty Ink Master rejects to show up and mug for the camera. Expos stopped being about quality tattoos a while back.

Well, I abandoned that idea. Pretty much all together, after more thought. Ended up going get one yesterday on my lower leg. I think it came out well. Photo is a little bit of a bloody mess, but ya get the picture

Hey @tjb...welcome to the forum. On the flip side, you are now part of a great community that's generally incredibly compassionate, open minded, and less judgmental than most people. The freakout will pass and you'll be planning your next one soon. :)