RoryQ

Yep, could be a Cthulu-type design .... Guess that's a religious tattoo in a way, albeit a fictional one!

I was at the Scottish Tattoo Convention the weekend before last, and took the opportunity to have a chat with the people there from King Carlos Tattoo in Sweden. Calle in King Carlos is pretty well-known for his Japanese style stuff in Europe and he does a lot of large-scale stuff. I have been e-mailing back and forth a little bit about booking in to begin a backpiece, but nothing finalised yet. I think his stuff is really refined and he seems to have that knack for making the backgrounds of japanese style tattoos look like they're flowing and curling like real water or smoke. .:: King Carlos Tattoo ::.

I was trying to find a picture of a recent backpiece that Lars Uwe did, a sort of neo-traditional big samurai helmet with facemask (mempo?). Doesn't appear to be online though ... I was going to stick it up in the backpieces thread because, yes, his work is totally amazing. Just looked at your site, Brian, interesting to see that you're an NUI grad.... Galway is absolutely beautiful, I love sneaking off there for the odd weekend. (Sorry for the off-topic post, folks)

The only two places I have direct experience of are- 1. The Family Business Tattoo Shop, Exmouth Market, London. Specially the owner Mo Coppoletta. IMO this is a good shop for western style, japanese style and notably it is also home to Xam, possibly the best-known tattooist in the shop. The Family Business Tattoo Shop 2. Deluxe Tattoo Chicago, specifically Chris Smith. Maybe Chris is better known as a maker of tattoo machines than as a tattooer, I'm not sure - but anyway I like his old school work and am halfway through a 'homeward bound' piece by him on my right thigh. I found Deluxe to be a very friendly, professional studio. Big open plan and a lot of good tattooists working away together - interesting place to be tattooed if nothing else. Deluxe Tattoo Chris' blog being dead looks retarded Chris' site Chris Smith Tattooer

This isn't just a problem that tattoo shop owners experience- any small to medium business trying to grow can find itself facing the same problem. A guy I know opened a small industrial type gym (aimed at old-school training methods, straightforward working out with barbells, dumbells etc) in a location in Dublin two years ago with about 1000 square feet of space. Four months later two guys opened up literally five minutes walk from him with a bigger facility offering exactly the same sort of service. I think if you provide the better service the market will reward you.

Hi Bigjoe- I've been keeping an eye on Ross Nagle's blog and what's going on at All-Stars in Limerick.... Looks like a good shop. I think I've spent my tattoo quota for the year at this point, though, I'm running out of skin as it is. For my Japanese style I've always travelled over to London, but the standard in Dublin is definitely improving too. Another good Japanese style artist working in Ireland is Chris Crooks of White Dragon Tattoo in Belfast.

White Dragon Tattoo in Belfast, Ireland are also selling 'Japan Aid' t-shirts with a custom design, all proceeds to help those affected by the tsunami. They'll ship 'em for those outside Northern Ireland... WHITE DRAGON TATTOO | Facebook

I haven't heard about this promotion before, but to be honest I am not sure I am that keen on the idea. I remember seeing a few bouts from 'Felony Fights' and it left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. To me one of the good things about MMA is that, barring the odd incident (Diaz brothers and Mayhem Miller for example ... Or recent nonsense with Michael Bisping) fighters tend to exhibit a lot of mutual respect. The sport is filled with really honorable, top class guys like George St. Pierre and Rich Franklin who make great role models for kids. I think the future for MMA as a combat sport is for it to gradually gain even more mainstream acceptance. I'd like to see MMA fighters be recognised as dedicated sportspeople who are pursuing a dynamic sporting profession .... Not as Tank Abbot style brawlers who have 'stepped off the bar-stool and into the Octagon' (which is still how some newspapers and commentators seem to regard "cage fighters"). So when I read that 'Cage vs Cons' is hoping to have "ready made" storylines pitting "nothing to lose" ex-cons against cops etc. And talk of 'heroes' and 'villains' etc. I worry that this is straying into the realm of bad taste and cartoon good guys and bad guys. They're all athletes, it's a sport, IMO it's exciting enough as is. I also wonder if this type of event could potentially lead to image problems for MMA lobbyists trying to gain permission to hold events in various states / countries and so on... Just my take on it though - your mileage may vary.

Been making 'old fashioned' (the drink) a lot lately... Well, not 'a lot' as in 'like an alcoholic' ... But I've made a few (err... I'll stop digging). Anyway, this is the recipe I've been using, from a hotel bar I like- 1. Place napkin with sugar cube over glass. 2. Add 4 drops of angostura bitters to sugar cube and allow it to fall into glass. 3. Add a maraschino cherry and syrup (or just a teaspoon of cherry syrup), and muddle. 4. Add 3 cubes of ice and stir until melted. Repeat this three times (yep, 9 cubes), each time adding bourbon to taste. I usually add a double in total. 5. Add another cherry and a slice of orange and that's it... Tonnes of different ways to make this drink but the above works for me. The ice cubes don't have to be totally melted, obviously - in fact if only half of them melt that's fine. Bourbon wise I've been using Maker's Mark, but that's a base-line I wanted to try out. In future I'd like to try Knob Creek, Buffallo Trace etc.

That Bert Grimm 'Duel in the sun' backpiece from earlier is very cool - love the double eagles and 'rising sun' motif. I like the Valerie Vargas back piece attached a lot. I think she could do an amazing take on the 'rock of ages'....? Another piece that has always stood out to me is this back piece by Shige (also attached). In his book it mentions that it is a tribute to the vanishing tradition of falconry in Japan. There's something very 'airy' about it.

Chucked a few pics up, more to come...

I'll check it out, thanks. I'll upload some pictures over the weekend.

Hello all- 30 year old tattoo collector here. I really like the forum - very friendly vibe, it doesn't feel like there's a 'clique'. I've been collecting tattoos for the past ten years. I began with a small and ill-considered piece of tribal which I got done in Rising Dragon, NYC. After that the bulk of my work has been japanese style - half-sleeves and chest by Mo Coppoletta (The Family Business) in London, and my left leg by him too. Last year I started getting really interested in old school tattoos and when I was in Chicago last summer I picked up a piece from Chris Smith (Deluxe Tattoo) in Chicago. I've kind of said to myself that my right leg will be my 'old school' leg, and I've been salivating over work by the likes of Valerie Vargas and Tutti Serra who work across the sea in the UK. I am starting to research and engage more with online forums, magazines and blogs because I'm on the hunt for ideas for a backpiece. Best wishes to all.

Having slept properly the night before is a massive factor for me. I got the left side of my chest done when I was already tired/frazzled and it sucked from the moment I sat down in the chair. Doing the other side, a few weeks later, was a totally different experience ... Felt absolutely fine, and I would put it down to my being properly rested the second time around. As I get older I also find I am less keen on doing back-to-back sittings or marathon sittings. I used to travel and end up getting two full day sessions done to finish something rather than spreading it out over a few trips. Now I probably wouldn't like to have to do that - I'd be more inclined to do one full day, or even just break it up and to hell with it. I wonder is age a factor with pain thresholds? Starting on my back late this year or early next year, and I feel like it is going to be a sensitive area for me - I'm slightly apprehensive about it. No pain no gain though :p

I got my first tattoo when I was 21, and my parents first noticed it when I was opening a car door and my t-shirt sleeve rode up a little bit. My mother was slightly shocked and starting to babble about how I was the first person in the family to ever get a tattoo, and that this was an unheralded and dramatic event. My dad jumped in and kind of slipped in that actually one of his uncles had joined the merchant navy as a kid ... and had some tattoos from that time. She'd forgotten about eccentric Uncle Billy - that took the wind out of her sails. A few years on I have half-sleeves, chest plates, one leg done and none of them really bat an eyelid anymore. Periodically my mother tries to make me promise not to get any more tattoos. I never do. To be honest it helped that my folks were always kind of liberal and although she might initially comment over something like a tattoo, my mother usually ends up supportive. My girlfriend has none but has a consultation for a fairly large piece to go on her ribs. I know her plan is to never ever tell her parents (and she's 29). They're much more conservative than mine.