Leaderboard

I agree with @Dan 99%..I do ask for a ballpark on time since I have to travel for my tattoos. I need to have an idea of what kind of time we think it's going to take. I also ask the hourly rate (way in advance) so I can bring a pile of cash. :)

Nothing you can do but hang in there. My current piece just had my 15th session with two or three more to go, so I feel your pain. I don't think I've ever had a piece done in less than a year, but I've had two sleeves with chest panels, my back, and this new piece from my ankle on up, connecting to the chest panel and back. People ask how many tattoos I have, I just say one.

I'm in the same boat as @Gingerninja I ask for rate, ballpark time, and bring the amount of money expected of me plus some.

Wanted to get one more tattoo before the year ended :) Happy New Year, everyone!

seems like this ship has sailed, but i tend to agree with @Synesthesia on his feedback. I've also been tattooed by Chad K a few times, who is known to work hella fast and I've never been disappointed in his work. He and Jondix finished my entire back in probably around 12hrs. Walter McDonald did a palm-sized piece on my chest and he just ripped right thru it. It hurts like hell while the needle's on skin, but the pain is fleeting. not to mention, slow tattoos hurt too! when you're past 3hrs into a session and working an already sensitive area, each touch of the needle is hell. Oh and btw, I've never been tattooed by THE Ed motherfuckin Hardy, but all accounts i've heard says he works fast as F***. I'm sure a buncha LSTers would take anything he could put out in 20-30mins. Advantages - you get done faster, pain doesn't last as long, more instant gratification Disadvantages - hurts more, probably less detailed

If you are happy, that's all that counts. It's not very detailed and there isn't much contrast. Also, I wouldn't call it inspired by the piece you posted, it's pretty much a copy.

I would just like to add a thought about tattoo time and money. knowing I have done my research on the artist and have discussed the art with that person, I put my trust in them, since I already am there and I am good with the artist and art, I know their skills and style, and I am prepared for long time or short, I never ask how much time it will take or how much it's going to be,(that's just me) when they are done I ask how much then and pay for it and tip. simple enough, it works for me.

Thanks for the links. I think I'll stay local for my first tattoo (I don't have a HUGE budget for this, so I'd rather spend most of it on the tattoo than on travelling), I have reasearched and found a few good studios and artists whose tattoos I liked. Regarding the tattoo artists you told me about, they are very hard to come across in India and even when they do visit, it isn't well known where or when they come. Hence, my decision to get a well reputed local artist to do it. :)

Been chatting to the local tattooist who did my sternum (heart and daggers). Am after a crows/skulls/roses piece on my outer right thigh. He is keen to make a start, probably looking at Feb. He does a lot of American traditional and neo traditional, I told him I'm happy for him to just have at it and do what he likes with it. Really keen to see what he comes up with!

Just booked my second Tattoo at Dead Presidents Lounge in Albany. Will be getting a modified Sailor Jerry as a memorial to my grandfather who recently passed away. The banners will be changed and he’s going to move the ship up and try to get the full ship in. It will be on the back side of my forearm. I attached the reference picture and a picture of the 1st piece my artist did for me.

^ I'm going to take a wild guess and say that wasn't done in a shop. The overwhelming majority of tattoo infections come from the person administering it, especially in the case of tattoos given outside of a clean shop, or within the first couple days of having it when the skin hasn't scabbed yet. By this point, your skin has probably made enough of a protective barrier to ward off infections. I would just give it a good rinse after you're done so any sweat doesn't pile up on it and make the scabs slosh off. You want to leave the scabs alone until they fall off on their own. I would suggest, as I do with everyone, decreasing your lotion. I only use tiny dabs of lotion maybe once every few days to make myself more comfortable as the tattoo gets dry and peels. That's really all the lotion does: it moisturizes to reduce itchiness and cracked skin. Your body can heal itself just fine and sometimes too much lotion can delay the healing process.

The fastest guy I've been tattooed by is Chad Koeplinger. He did basically my whole inner bicep in under 2 hours, and a good chunk of that time was bullshitting about movies and stuff. If he had just hunkered down and done it without talking to me and everyone else in the shop, he could have banged out the whole thing in like 30 minutes. Personally, Chad is one of my all time favorite tattooers and I was thrilled to get anything by him, so the time really wasn't a factor to me. I will say he was also the single-handedly most painful guy to tattoo me, and he does have that heavy handed reputation. The very first line he pulled was basically an entire leaf to my rose in one go and I thought to myself "Holy hell, I don't know if I can take this for very long." His lines are loooong and he goes hard. I'm not sure if that's due to his speed or just the way he does things though. In your case, I would be skeptical about anyone getting that black packed in that well and all those details in 4 hours. I think he could lay the ground work in that time, but I imagine you'd have to do another session to get in the kind of details you want. Especially since chest tattoos are notoriously painful and you might have trouble sitting well. That said, some guys with a lot of experience and confidence are just quicker. Whatever they're comfortable doing to get me a good piece is fine by me. Ultimately I don't think speed matters, it's just about the work itself. Any links to their portfolios?

Day 1 of 2 down with Chris Crooks in Belfast. We did the lower left leg, tomorrow upper leg to tie into the backpiece. Will keep you posted.

If you have been satisfied in the past why would you worry about not being satisfied this time? You've got someone who you've worked with, you trust and are satisfied with; what is the big hurry that you can't wait until he is available? I don't get the whole speed thing; either he is good or he isn't. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here.

I'm not from Baltimore and I don't know tonnes about Japanese - but this guy looks good https://www.instagram.com/franmassino/

I can see the progress but it’s on my back so don’t see it every day.