chrismoniz

to the hyena... i must say your post was just so perfectly written. wow i loved it dude! i just would like to add... there is a legitimate reason why shops despise those who decide to learn on thier own. aside from putting the local population in a health risk due to lack of knowledge in bloodborne pathogens and cross-contimination, there is also the fact that government and health departments across the board all pool-in tattoo shops with people tattooing from thier homes. they see no difference between the professional and those experimenting on thier own. laws are then created as well as uninformed rules on professionals to follow due to public scares created by people tattooing in thier homes.(ie. health dept thought rubbing alchohol was an effective way to wipe a tattoo machine... duh). learning from home will give you a reputation in your area which could leave a black mark on you should you persue tattooing as a career.

numbing creams.. many tattooers dont mind tattooing an area thats had the cream applied. personally, im not a fan of tattooing an area of skin that has been numbed with cream. an example of a numbing cream would be a product such as EMLA. i find that the treated area of skin seems to have changed when it has numbing cream on it. it seems more 'spongy' and feels off. i find it difficult to get a good saturation of ink in that area and find that linework doesnt appear as clean. perhaps my issues are due to lack of experience with the product? i dunno... feedback from clients tell me that the area does get a little numb and that the cream does take the edge off pain. traditional die-hards might argue that the pain is part of the whole process... the right of passage so to say... its my own preference as a tattooer not to work with numbing creams. i feel it hinders more than helps when it comes to my job of getting the artwork in.

wow! i just registered for this forum and this thread is my first read and overall impression of the place. this thread really caught my eye and i thought it was amazing just how in-depth it became and also how incredibly well hostility was handled. i dont really have anything to contribute to this thread in particular because it was already so well done before i got here! i did want to share just how impressed i already am with the forum and the people involved. Thanks for having me here folks. ... mo

hello everyone! i found out about this forum by recieving a message from @cake_mistress on twitter. i havent participated in forums quite some time so this will probably be the only forum that i will utilise. otherwise i'm active on facebook and twitter. I've been tattooing for 17 years. i got into tattooing by taking an apprenticeship. i hope to make some decent contributions to this forum and am looking forward to meeting you folks! So.... HI THERE!!!!