David Flores

I guess right now, I am getting it I think , but it seems like the benefit is more the money you could make on this currency and not the convenience of payment, but again I just learned what this thing was an hour ago, so I would like to hear more about this stuff for sure.

I am new to this idea, @beez so if the funds are not linked to any institution, how do you get your money, is the value still tied to the US Dollar. Personally it sounds to me like a headache to accept it as currency, but the idea intrigues me.

I just want to say this here, that Matt Arriola rules. I had a great time getting tattooed, and I think the experience itself was very pleasant and easy going. In my opinion he is doing some of the best traditional work out there, his stuff is not wonky nor is it overdone, he really strikes that perfect balance of being able to do so much with a relatively limited color palette. My tattoo has five colors in it, Black, Red, Yellow, Gold and a little bit of white, that's it and it's perfect no more or no less needed. Also for a guy that has been tattooing in like 5 different countries in two months, I basically only had to wait a week and a half to get tattooed, He didn't want to do a consultation and I didn't want one either, I didn't have to stand in any line, wait three years, win some sort of lottery, bid on anything on ebay, I just emailed him that I wanted one of his spiders. When I walked into the shop, he said, hey" i'm going to draw this on is that cool?" and "I'm going to get kind weird with this" That was the only discussion of design. Everyone has their own thing, but for me I appreciate this kind of experience, and it really is my ideal situation to get tattooed. When the tattoo goes this easy, you don't mind a little bit of a drive and staying in a hotel for a night. Also much thanks to Ernie Gosnell at Lucky Devil South and Mr Wrath and the whole staff at Bulldog Tattoo Parlour in Lacey for the hospitality. If you don't know who these guys are you are missing out.

Haven't been on in a few days, just finding this thread as an outside observer, I just think this was a communication breakdown. I don't disagree with Delicious about the idea in general, as we have had issues in the past with people starting threads. I think if the idea was approached more from a positive aspect if might have been received better. If instead of being critical about the amount of threads started, someone just said, hey you have so many cool, weird, or interesting stories, you should have a blog so people can find them all and subscribe, that could have been received better. That and we really just have to choose our battles if we don't want to be like other forums, promote a civil environment, pretend like we are all roommates or something . That being said, the interenet has become a sea of negativity and this place remains relatively positive.

Belly Rocker by Chris Conn, Panther by Higgs, looks tough as fuck.

Sending positive energy and thoughts your guys way Dan.

I don't know about ever, but in his case anyone he brought in was his client since he hadn't graduated to doing walk ins, so every week he brought in a new machine, and didn't tattoo someone, he essentially had more machines than clients. He still has a drawer with a bunch of supplies at the shop, but nothing worth borrowing even in a pinch (except maybe the case of nitrile gloves in there), that was the other thing none of his machines were even that nice and he bought cheap pigment

Is this something that goes on every year? lineup looks pretty solid.

There are some good shops in the LA area worth checking out. Bob Roberts Spotlight tattoo, Darkhorse Tattoo, Gold Rush Tattoo, a lot more, but I know time is limited. Who are you getting tattooed by in San Diego? @kimkong - - - Updated - - - Can't wait for my little road trip on Monday. I am going to Seattle to get tattooed by Matt Arriola but appt is not till late in the day so going to visit some other shops and hang out in Seattle, probably come back Tuesday evening. After that I probably will slow down until my appt with Matt Howse in August.

About a month or so ago, I was shopping for beer, I picked up a cascade sour and a six pack of Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown Ale, when I went to pay, the rep stocking the beer ended up buying the six pack for me. I was so caught up in the moment i forgot to show him my Lagunitas tattoo, in fact I forgot I had it until my friend asked if that is how I got the free beer. I am guessing he just knew.

with the level of tattoos on here hard to see a half done tattoo winning, but still fun to see progress, but I guess there is other threads to do that.

Go to the Tattoo Emporium, and Lucky Devil South. Funny I will be doing the same tour next monday before getting tattooed at Liberty. I am not going to these other shops to get tattooed, but not ruling it out either, they just are the most interesting shops in terms of history and personality to me.

If you have more tattoo machines than clients, that is too much. Guy who tried to be a tattooer I know, worked one day a week had to bring his own clientele, always had a new machine to show off, never had anyone to tattoo.

Funny you mention short, for the longest time I used to think Chris Conn was really short because I always saw this picture of him hanging up in the drawing room. Until one day someone said he is sitting down dumbass.

A number of years ago a tattooer here in Portland did a tattoo on one of the trailblazers. That player had a contract with a local company called Nike. Pretty soon the players tattoo was being used for shirts, and even window decals. Tattooer sued, settled out of court, for years I was behind this guy getting his money for Nike ripping him off. That is until recently when I was shown the design in a Dover Clip art book you can buy at any bookstore for $9. It just showed me that a lot of the times I don't really know the origin of design, and people don't really create everything they tattoo. There are definitely a few examples on this thread of people shamelessly ripping off tattoos, or at least to the best of my knowledge that is what I perceive it to be. I just think iin general I see people getting called out for stuff neither person created and people claiming stuff they didn't do. Do we owe the guy who did the flower exploding birds the first time royalites, what about the first script carpe diem? Even the best shops do dumb stuff that people bring off the internet, I have seen it with my two eyes. I just wonder where we stop giving credit and start. If it's a dumb tattoo or insignificant tattoo is okay? If it's not done by someone with recognition it's okay? If you can do it better it's okay? Is it okay as long as they aren't a tattooer. I don't know? But saying theft is theft is quite an understatement.

I don't condone copying people's tattoos, but I am not really digging this thread. One it's not really any of my business to call out people for this kind of thing. Second, I would be hesistant to do so, because there is so much reference material outside of tattoo realm, that I couldn't be sure that two people weren't copying a piece of art from another genre as a tattoo. Third I have never gotten a tattoo that I expected to be or thought in any shape or form would be custom. I like running into people that have the same tattoos I do, I like the look of traditional tattoos and I am under no delusion that I am somehow "special" despite what my mother told me. I don't worry when someone tells me they are going to draw something for me, and they really just go trace it from the Ed hardy flash book and pass it off as their own, because I know most people aren't familiar with the design. Even is someone does copy the tattoo you have, it doesn't change the fact that you have a badass tattoo that most people would be jealous of and want to wear and you will get no sympathy from me, in fact i might make fun of you for complaining about it.

that stiple shading stuff looks good if you use it in moderation, but I don't see why you wouldn't want a whole tattoo comprised of it, and why a wonky badly drawn design somehow becomes bad ass when it is shaded in that manner. Also I would agree that you have to try sometimes to get tattooed. Even a simple email may not always cut it. Call the shop, be polite to the help and just ask what the situation is, since getting tattooed by him means you are going to travel anyway, maybe their is a convention or something that you could book into, or if you can squeeze your way on the cancellation list that could work too.

Daniel Albrigo what about this guy? Everyone and their mother in trying to dotwork or mandalas or whatever you want to call them, but I think the thing that most people miss is that Thomas Hoopers work is a lot more than a bunch of dots, lots of strong imagery, with the gemotric stuff in the background, I think it's that imagination and creativity and knack for layout and flow that set him, and the few others that do that style well , apart from people who are just doing a bunch of geometric shapes on people That being said it is very frustrating when someone you want to get tattooed by is virtually unavailable. There are hundreds of people who do good traditional, Japanese, portrait work, not so much in this realm, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there that are flying under the radar. I would keep trying to book with hooper, but keep your eye out as well.

I think it was just the first issue that was free to spark people's interest.Contact | Tattoo Culture Magazine You can always email them if you have a question, they are busy people, but not too busy to talk to someone who wants to subscribe to their magazine.

I think it' in the high 70's today, but I wouldn't know cause I am in an air conditioned 68 degree house. I think I am too used to being in an air conditioned tattoo shop, also my house always seems about ten degrees hotter than outside, new construction, all the insulation and vinyl windows, house doesn't breath as well, but sure stays warm in the winter.

What is your username @Delicious ?

Love those guys at Family Tattoo, good people, good tattoos.

The price is the price, whatever it is. It all depends on how bad you want to get tattooed by someone. Just for the record, Chris Garver over Gogue all day every day in my world. I can respect what Gogue does and his artistic ability, but not the kind of tattoos I would want to wear, but again just personal taste. I think the best Gogue tattoos I have seen are on Nikki Kasper from TAM. she wears them well. What can I say I am a sucker for tattoos that look like tattoos.

Damons is fucking rad, I love watching him paint. There is still talk this year of us getting a booth, but it seems like everyone is always on vacation. Germany, Alaska, Amsterdam, Zimbabwe and it always conflicts with these types of things.

Last year I was thinking about getting a booth for the shop and he was still running it, but who knows, yeah I didn't see Jack Rudy the first time. He would be a guy I would get tattooed by for sure.