jacoboxsi

I have a quick question and couldn't find anything about this on LST but I had a friend of a friend come to me about post-chemotherapy tattoos. He went through chemo about 3 years ago and now suffers from multiple immune deficiencies but wants to get some work done. Now, I have experience tattooing diabetics and the whole healing process, dealing with recent A1C % levels needing to be on point pre and post-tattoo but this is a whole new ball game. My only idea at the moment is to try a small tattoo, maybe something on the wrist or foot but even that seems a little sketch because who knows how the body will react? If any other artists or tattooed folk out there have experience with clients that have immune system complications or post-chemo experiences with tattooing, please chime in. Help is definitely appreciated. -Jacobo

oh definitely. that's one thing i've always been really closed mouth about. thanks to everyone for the insight. haha

Didn't think about it that way at all. I know if I'm eating some spaghetti with a fellow artist it's a lot different. thanks for the insight. I can be pretty ignorant to the fact that there are folks out there that may not know what they're doing and try and emulate what others do. Wouldn't want someone out there to get fucked up by using a method that may be particular to that artist. thanks guys!

i'm speaking of what I use personally. like when i'm tattooing not when im getting worked on.

had someone tell me that i shouldn't post about what equipment I use personally. I totally get that you don't spill other's beans, that's not really cool. but if it's my own, that should be fine right? read the rules and it seemed to apply to exposing other's set-ups. confused...

i think im understanding what you're unhappy with. the trees do kind of look like they were just placed there but maybe try and add on to it. it looks a little bare but it's a well done tattoo and i really dig how heavy some of the shading is. really hard to pull that off while still keeping it legible. i'd recommend adding on to it. more trees maybe? maybe even sharper edged on them? user pref. but i think it's pretty dope.

Totally get where you're coming from, this girl is hella tattooed though and has only had problems with her hand. Her interests are the same as mine in that of pure curiosity and work place functions. this is more for those out there who might have people coming to them about questions. *shrugs* you're right about aftercare being a bit over talked about. it gets annoying. i guess i'm just curious.

This dingleberry I went to high school with came to me for a lion. Told him I don't do realistic but I can stylize it with heavy linework and dot work (this was about two years ago) said he was all in. Tight. Then asked how much. When I told him 150, which is a fucking steal, he got upset and said his cousin said he'll tattoo it for a 12 pack of beer. Nothing good can come after this. A few days later this is whats up on facebook with the caption, "Can't tame the beast in me." Let the laughs begin.

I find that I keep talking about my blackwork as of lately but it's been so relevent as of late (even two years into process). But I decided to add to this little politically correct anarchy symbol on my knee cap with what's derivative of mursi tribe's scarification, mostly dots and lines that resemble the skin of the crocodile. It shows your strength as a warrior and spiritual dedication, around that we've begun to blackout from there down to my ankle. I've got a LONG way to go but at one point, I let two people (who sadly no longer tattoo) work on me at once and man, what a spiritual journey that was. I found myself at peace in ways I've only had during a cool down in yoga. My entire body was relaxed and felt my face melting right off my skull. Most surreal shit ever. Following this, I found myself obsessed with blackwork, swastikas, pagan spirituality, lots of introspection. Always questioning what is the peaceful way of thinking. How can I handle this situation in a way that will bring love to myself and those around me. It's really odd but I used to cover my legs and arms at all times. Now, the more blackout work I get, the more I want to wear hot pants and cut up my band shirts to show the world my confidence. I always have people ask me about them as well and the answers I give feel to me like I'm spreading that love. It's def some hippie shit but I was going through some emotional struggle with my wife, sat down with my machine, and began blacking out my arm with a frosty beer. right when I called it a night, I just wanted to hold her and tell her how special she was to me. It's things like this that inspire me to become a better artist and to continue to get tattooed. Granted, I've got inverted crosses and pentagrams everywhere so I guess I can additionally show people that just because I look like I'd sacrifice your cat, I'm more likely to hug you and tell you how beautiful your smile is today. Sorry for the fucking new age bullshit. I get carried away on this topic.

Alright guys and gals, I know there has been a bit of talk about Saniderm and I've posted about this in another thread but I decided to start a little experiment. A few days ago a regular client/friend of mine sent me a text asking about Saniderm and just had a friend who got a decent sized full-colour piece done and healed it completely with the said product. I've asked a few friends of mine in the tattoo industry their thoughts and most of them reacted the same way I did, "Never heard of it but why would you cover a tattoo for three days?". Then things got a little interesting. I asked friends in the medical field (EMT, Paramedic, And Vet Tech). My EMT friend said it was really similar to other products that are used in Emergency Response for burns and that it's great but shouldn't be used solely. That often it's just for later stages of healing or first response to isolate the injury and so on. My Paramedic had the same exact answer. Now my vet tech said they don't use any product like that but rather one that is a liquid. It helps animals stop bleeding on a laceration or isolate the injured area if they we're hit by a car and suffered road rash. My client came in yesterday and brought the Saniderm product with her so we played around with a couple pieces, understanding how it works and sticking it on shit around the room. But what is the interesting part is she asked if she could experiment with it on her palm touch up that she was very sketch about getting touched up in the first place since she works retail. Handling money is probs the worst thing you can do with a palm tattoo. haha. Not to mention, the last two guys she went to kind of did a number on it and it has never healed right. It's difficult to EVER tattoo in someone else's hand writing (because that's what the tattoo is) and I know hand tattoos aren't the easiest spot to heal but that's why what made it a perfect candidate but these guys did NOT know wtf they were doing. And I'm fairly new to tattooing so that says a lot. So we did the tattoo, applied the saniderm just as the box directs and said that immediately, all of the post-procedure ache alleviated. She had no discomfort and even at lunch, she was using her hand, WASHED her hands after the meal, and said she was fine. So today (once I finish my coffee and maybe eat a banana), I'm going to begin my OWN experiment. I am currently in the process of blacking out my leg and find the healing process to be extremely annoying. It's the itchiest shit and in my opinion takes the longest so why not take a shot at it. There will be two spots each about 25mm by 25mm and about 35mm apart, one to be healed dry and one with Saniderm. So once this goes down I will post images and how the tattoo was performed (machine, needle grouping, ink, and voltage) just to get a 100% accurate idea of what's going on and follow the healing process daily for about the next two weeks. If anyone else has done this or healed tattoos side by side with saniderm and typical healing methods, please chime in. I'm super interested in this product. Like I said earlier, I have friends in the medical field and animal care field and it would be nice to give them something that they can work with and have no issues. Here's the link to the Saniderm website. Personally, I think the interviews look like an infomercial. Not to shame on the artist or person getting tattooed but even my wife left the room going, "Hi, Billy Mays here..." SOOOO yeah, it's a bit cheeseball. Photos of Saniderm in Use - SanidermSaniderm | Keep it Clean. Keep it Simple. Let me know what you guys think and feel free to chime in.

Alright guys and gals, I know there has been a bit of talk about Saniderm and I've posted about this in another thread but I decided to start a little experiment. A few days ago a regular client/friend of mine sent me a text asking about Saniderm and just had a friend who got a decent sized full-colour piece done and healed it completely with the said product. I've asked a few friends of mine in the tattoo industry their thoughts and most of them reacted the same way I did, "Never heard of it but why would you cover a tattoo for three days?". Then things got a little interesting. I asked friends in the medical field (EMT, Paramedic, And Vet Tech). My EMT friend said it was really similar to other products that are used in Emergency Response for burns and that it's great but shouldn't be used solely. That often it's just for later stages of healing or first response to isolate the injury and so on. My Paramedic had the same exact answer. Now my vet tech said they don't use any product like that but rather one that is a liquid. It helps animals stop bleeding on a laceration or isolate the injured area if they we're hit by a car and suffered road rash. My client came in yesterday and brought the Saniderm product with her so we played around with a couple pieces, understanding how it works and sticking it on shit around the room. But what is the interesting part is she asked if she could experiment with it on her palm touch up that she was very sketch about getting touched up in the first place since she works retail. Handling money is probs the worst thing you can do with a palm tattoo. haha. Not to mention, the last two guys she went to kind of did a number on it and it has never healed right. It's difficult to EVER tattoo in someone else's hand writing (because that's what the tattoo is) and I know hand tattoos aren't the easiest spot to heal but that's why what made it a perfect candidate but these guys did NOT know wtf they were doing. And I'm fairly new to tattooing so that says a lot. So we did the tattoo, applied the saniderm just as the box directs and said that immediately, all of the post-procedure ache alleviated. She had no discomfort and even at lunch, she was using her hand, WASHED her hands after the meal, and said she was fine. So today (once I finish my coffee and maybe eat a banana), I'm going to begin my OWN experiment. I am currently in the process of blacking out my leg and find the healing process to be extremely annoying. It's the itchiest shit and in my opinion takes the longest so why not take a shot at it. There will be two spots each about 25mm by 25mm and about 35mm apart, one to be healed dry and one with Saniderm. So once this goes down I will post images and how the tattoo was performed (machine, needle grouping, ink, and voltage) just to get a 100% accurate idea of what's going on and follow the healing process daily for about the next two weeks. If anyone else has done this or healed tattoos side by side with saniderm and typical healing methods, please chime in. I'm super interested in this product. Like I said earlier, I have friends in the medical field and animal care field and it would be nice to give them something that they can work with and have no issues. Here's the link to the Saniderm website. Personally, I think the interviews look like an infomercial. Not to shame on the artist or person getting tattooed but even my wife left the room going, "Hi, Billy Mays here..." SOOOO yeah, it's a bit cheeseball. Photos of Saniderm in Use - SanidermSaniderm | Keep it Clean. Keep it Simple. Let me know what you guys think and feel free to chime in.

i see a huge number of "nope". i'm all for it. really want my face done. if anyone is into xmen, I really want the mutant M that was made popular during dofp and x-cutioners song. feel such a strong connection to being labeled "different" or "mutie" that it just feels natural to one day bare that for the rest of my life. i get the social stigma of facial tattoos but sometimes people should open their minds to other's choices. such a cliche ass post but it all depends on that person and whether or not they mind the stares. i do hate all these young kids wanting to be hard with a face tattoo and no body ink. seems weird. just like the gauging phase, they'll get them removed. already know about 6 people who've had their ears sewn shut. let's just say i see them a lot differently. still rocking plugs 6 years and 2 inches later. still working on them too.

Kneecap. Always the kneecap. I fell asleep during my feet. Actually instructed a friend on tattooing my toes. She was an ex piercer a Needle Pushers. Was totally eating a snow cone through that one but i trusted her big time since she know basically how the epidermis functions. My fingers (3rd metacarpal just before the nail. could be using the wrong anatomical description) were a bitch but it's gotta be the kneecap for me. Not looking forward to touching that up. Not at all.

I get asked about my blackout all the damn time. "But why would you want to just get the colour black? I mean, did you just run out of ideas?" "Are you just trying to look dirty?" My favorite one: "But what happens when you get old? You're just going to have a black leg." The second I tell them that you can tattoo over it, that spawns a whole new era and stupid questions. Don't even get me started on my ears....

Sorry if im reopening an old thread, my apologies. I actually had a client today tell me about it and brought some in. I had heard about it and talking to my buddies at Element Tattoo Supply in Garden Grove, I basically came to the conclusion that if it ain't broke, don't fix it since I heal everything pretty much dry except for the first 4 hours or so. When I get work and what I advise my clients to do is after my layer of aquaphor immediately following the tattoo, rinse with water and no soap when they're all settled down in their homes for the day/night after removing the wrapping (so like in the shower or something) and when they get out after PATTING dry, apply a thin layer of aquaphor, then leave it alone there on out unless there is irritation like itching or fear of getting anything in it to apply either a SMALL amount of aquaphor or unscented lotion. Now, my client had touch up work on the palm of her hand of a letter her father wrote her (mind you it was painful for her and difficult for me) and since she works retail and doesn't want to touch dirty money while a hand tattoo is healing, she thought the saniderm was the perfect experiment. The packing DOES say to not use unless you have allergies to latex or adhesives. Not sure what is even in it though. Post-procedure she had said that all of the lingering pain like soreness or sensitive to touch had completely dissipated within a few minutes of applying the Saniderm. So I'm taking it upon myself to try it out on some blackwork I've been doing on myself, along side of a equal size piece about 2 inches apart from eachother so see the difference. I will def keep tabs on it daily and see how I like it, personally. Hope this might help at all with some questions. I'm personally cautious.

I ended up developing a concept recently. My first tattoo was a colouring book rendition of The Scream on my right forearm. I had wanted to do more fine art pieces from a colouring book is had the idea from in the first place. Then just talking to my wife's artist Ray of Blackletter Tattoo about a traditional style Wednesday Addams, it escalated to wanting a whole sleeve of women from horror. I yet to start but the more I think about it, the more I get that itch.

Great point. I've done work that I personally was like, "eh, could've been better." and the client is so ecstatic about it that I find myself chasing my tail for answers. Everything is subjective. Obviously, the said tattoo in this thread isn't horrible. The majority is very clean, easy to read, and all around a nice tattoo. No need to worry about anything other than pleasing the client.

To be honest, I'm just working from home at the moment. I had the lot of my equipment stolen by some shady roomies I had up in Portland last year and when I came back I had nothing. My wife (who i just married a few months ago) saw that I had been struggling to get back into what I loved, helped me out and I guess now I'm just working on friends and friends of friends. lol. I'm not sure if I want to look for a shop just yet. I sort of am a perfectionist and feel like if I bring a portfolio to a shop, it's gotta be all my BEST work done in ONLY my style. I'm not saying I hate on typical stuff (script, traditional, print outs from the internet) because every tattooer begins with that stuff, I just get bored very easily with what a lot of people have to bring to the table. It's honestly my biggest weakness and biggest strength, if that makes sense. I'll attach today's piece if you're interested. It was probably the second most exciting and fun filled tattoos I've done since I started out. P.s. Thanks for the warm welcome. It really feels nice to not get all the internet hate that's out there these days. - - - Updated - - - HAHAHAHA!!! Dude, it's a weird weird thing. Trust me. I listen to the music and go to the shows and have HELLA friends in the scene here in East La and there are times when I'm like, "what the fuck is this?". Thank you for the welcome. :)

Alright, bare with me on this one. I'm about 16/17 years old and attend my first tattoo convention in Orange County, CA with my step-dad and I'm amazed. There's booths selling band t-shirts I couldn't find at the mall, bands playing, suspension, pretty much every "weird kid's" candy store because face it, that's what I was. So I begged my dad for a tattoo machine and he tells me, "You need an apprenticeship." So I schedule and appointment to go and get my labret pierced at a local shop and figured while I was down there, I might as well bring some drawings and ask for an apprenticeship. Mind you, this is right before every kid with cable tv wanted to become a tattoo-artist (pretty much two years or so before LA Ink aired). I show my art work and the old guy who owned the shop was impressed, or so he said. He asks me to come in the following monday and I'm stoked. I start my apprenticeship the same way anyone else. Taking out the trash, keeping everything clean, working on machines, all that mess. I start doing oranges and pig skins and it seems like everyone else in the shop is encouraging me except my instructor for some weird reason. He had me do 30 min of line work on a client at times, never once reviews and never once actually instructed me beyond, "It's a pen thats heavy and shakes a lot." Alright... I've done some shading, some colour, typical stuff. Nothing too crazy. I'm content. I tattoo him one day. Just some simple colour touch up on his leg. He pulls out a burger and begins to eat, unresponsive. I honestly think he forgot I was even working on him. I go to him for advice and questions and always get told to ask someone else or look it up. 9 months come around and everyone in the shop is telling me I'm probably decent enough to start taking small clients with my instructor watching over me. I decide the best thing to do is wait until my instructor even mentions it before I start to get that thought in my head. Not even two weeks later, he comes up to me and says, "Alright. You're done. I think I've taught you all you need to know." YES! I'M THERE! I CAN DO THIS NOW! I'm getting so excited to start doing some work on people and build a portfolio. Sike. He tells me some shops are hiring in the area and I should tattoo some friends for a portfolio and Good luck. So I never actually did a tattoo from start to finish, most of the time I picked up his lunch from McDonalds and pressed buttons on the autoclave. I had maybe 4 hours of actual time tattooing something that wasn't dead or a fruit. A few of the dudes I had worked with were outraged. We went out for lunch and I hear nothing but complaints about how they wanna leave the shop so bad but when other shops see where they worked, they're denied. This experience was so awful, I sold my machine and went on to work as a barista for several years. I have recently started working again but I had the most sour taste in my mouth about tattooing for years. Now the shop has been sold and renamed and it's just an average shop in a little plaza but before it closed down I went to get something pierced by an old friend. 120 bucks for a nostril. NO JOKE. And the shop minimum was 100. That meant those cute little behind the ear tattoos that are a heart .5x.5 inches girls had in this area were throwing 100 dollars down for. As I expected, over the years the shops reputation declined and they were forced to raise their prices to stay in business. Luckily, some of those artist now work privately in home studios and are doing great for themselves. But that's my little horror story of my apprenticeship that wasn't an apprenticeship. hahaha. - - - Updated - - - I see that so much. Like photos of Farrah Flawless or Maria Jose Cristerna and it being labelled a "bad work". Hell, Farrah gets work done by some of the best artists in America. Ever seen her skull cap. Beautiful. It's just a shame that the internet has given every judgmental prick an opinion and more than half of the time, they're just offensive and bad mouthing others way of life. *shrugs* sucks but unfortunately, we can't do much. This is where I sigh.

Personally, being that I'm trying to mix dotwork shading and linework in one, I tend to rely on stencil. I feel like keeping the geometry is so important that I never want to risk wiping away any ink from a pen or marker. If I need to make adjustments and really don't want to clean the area again and relay the stencil, I'll take a tattoo pen from saltwater supply and just add it in. Only problem is two wipes and the ink is gone if you don't give it time to dry with the rest of the stencil. To all the talk about free-hand, I had a buddy get some japanese stuff. Just your run of the mil stuff and said it was all done free-hand and that the artist went on a rant about it. Saying basically what you'd hear on any Nat Geo program, but used pens. Not sure that's freehand. I mean, here in LBC we still have pioneers from back in the day literally tattooing you with no markers, no pens, and no stencil. Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that be the correct term for a "Free-hand" tattoo? I don't think it has any adverse effects on the tattoo (if that's what we're still talking about) unless they're using a speed stick straight from the tube on 50+ people in a row. Then it's just germs you're messing around with.. When I took by pathogen class through DMS in I asked about the actual carbon in stencil paper and if it could be harmful and create irritation, I got a swift no and a explanation that the only way this could be an issue is if you're just being messy. (going back and forth on carbon paper after it's already touched a client, speed stick issues, not being sterile with stencil solution, using the same pen on multiple clients, so on and so forth). Which I would assume saltwater tattoo released their pens in the first place. Disposable, single use pens, yatta yatta yatta, and all you've gotta do I know what you're doing and keep it clean. Maybe I went a little off the rails with this. Sorry. xD

My name is Jacob Camello but most call me Jacobo. I'm a 23 year-old "artist" for lack of better words, from the Long Beach/East LA area. I've been getting tattooed for about four years and tattooing for about two years after quitting because my apprenticeship was NO BUENO. Heavily into blackwork and dotwork after picking up European tattoo mags when I worked at a shop in Artesia, CA. Currently in the process of blacking out 3/4th of my left leg while trying to basically cover every inch of my body with other stuff. Big into bodymod, metal head, crust kid, all that weird bohemian satanica stuff the weird kids are into these days. The sound of a machine while I'm under it has ALWAYS made me fall asleep. hahaha. It's always freaked people out but when I was a kid, I remember my step-dad had a buddy who worked at Norwalk Tattoo and he'd come over and work on him in the kitchen at night while I watched tv. I guess it brings me back to a simpler time but my love for it all is surreal to even me at times. Also, I have ONE tattoo. My whole body. Every piece i get is part of a whole and until I say 'no mas', I guess it's just never complete. Lastly, I thought I'd share a really rad piece I did about a year ago on a good friend. Note: I did NOT tattoo this over carpet. I took a photo AFTER we had gotten back to said friends house. I was working out of a hardwood floor studio apartment I rented and worked out of in Echo Park. I always catch heat for this but this is one of those tattoos that you just don't forget. Excited to say hello. Have a great day.