David Flores

I will have to try it. It sounds awesome.

Like it's a number 4 combo you have ready in the back. Sleeves? what happened to just getting tattooed?

Yeah hindsight is always 20/20. The guy is not the best tattooer but certainly not the worst, but I doubt you will find many people at these shops suggested who want to take on a huge almost outlined leg tattoo and the tattooer who does may not be any better and then what. But I would have to agree there are plenty of good tattooers in New York and if you have some money to spend I would try to seek some of them out in the future.

Yeah it seems like there is something you did or said that must have rubbed him the wrong way, for whatever reason. It happens not necessarily your fault but now you have to deal with the aftermath. Hopefully one of the shops suggested can make it look as good as possible.

I think the first sitting sounds a little rough but it sounds like you feel comfortable with this guy and trust his vision to finish this piece so that's good. Looking at his portfolio his style is a little different than someone I would get tattooed by but most of his stuff looks clean. If the rest of this piece goes smoothly and you are happy with it then go ahead with the rest of your leg. If your future appointments continue to be like your first I might look elsewhere to finish up your leg, but honestly sounds like his guy is just busy and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Which tattooer is working on you from this shop? I took a quick look at portfolios and seems as though there are at least a few people there that can put on a clean tattoo. I think it depends on what you want out of your tattoo experience whether you should have two people working on you at the same time. If you want to have a comprehensive sleeve that flows together and has a consistent look you might have only have one tattooer work on one limb but feel free to get tattooed by as many people as you want. Personally I get tattooed by as many people as I can all the people who work on me have no problem with it because they like to get tattooed as well. But I really am not going for a sleeve look I just want to have fun and get tattooed.

That sounds much better than the original statement, it made it sound like you paid for six hours worth of work and that's what you left with. So when do you go back for second sitting? Does he think he can make a bit more progress on the next sitting now that its all arranged and outlined?

The tattooers I work for seem to prefer people come in to the shop and talk with them if they want to get tattooed. While a person might have to wait a few minutes if the tattooer is in the middle of a tattoo but we are never to busy to take a few minutes to discuss a tattoo with a client. If someone calls on the phone I tell them to come in and the general rule is no appointments over the phone unless someone is traveling from out of town and email might as well be a four letter word. I guess the general feeling on our end is a lot of people are just price shopping every shop in the area and its really hard to price a tattoo that someone is describing to you over the phone and usually I end up quoting it too low so I don't do it. I will give people a general ball park figure of price but tell them that final price depends on what the final drawing looks like and whether it requires multiple sittings. I booked an appointment out of town recently and didn't get a response from phone call but found an email address on the tattooers website and he responded to me within five minutes and got the appointment booked and all went well so I think you really just have to feel each person out and be persistent but not pushy.

Agreed and I think guys like Higgs and Sailor Jerry make just about everyone's list. But there are a good number of people on anyone's list that are their not only because they are great tattooers but they influenced you personally or a the particular region in which they tattoo. Some may not get as much national recognition but top notch tattooers nonetheless.

Also I think that a list made by me in Portland Oregon is going to be a lot different than someone living in England, Germany, or even New York for that matter.

I would say I am way too biased towards the people I know to make an objective list. Certainly everyone that has been mentioned in this topic deserves to be on some kind of list. I guess the only thing I can say is where is Rollo? I guess he was mentioned on one persons list but still.

When I walk into a shop I usually just ask any questions I have to the first heavily tattooed person I see behind the rail. Even if they aren't the person to ask they can usually lead you to the person who is.

I only got halfway thru before being interrupted but excellent stuff. Just the way he operates and general attitude and disposition about tattooing are fascinating to me can't wait to finish this up.

One thing that is weird that seems to bother me and some may find it a little strange is when people say they want to incorporate something into their tattoo. I don't think there a heard single good idea after the word incorporate as far as a tattoo is concerned. I find most people use this word because they want some lettering hidden in something or some other weird thing that doesn't make a very good tattoo. But I also hate when people use the word awesome, well i would say overuse it. Because think about what actually is awe inspiring vs what people refer to as awesome but that my weirdness on the matter.

Really my only goal is to take any opportunity I can to get tattooed by people I enjoy to be around and do phenomenal work. There are always people I would jump at the opportunity to get tattooed by but in the meantime I have managed to get a pretty good list going just going about my business getting tattooed and just paying attention to who is around what week and dropping into shops when I am visiting a city.

What's next Time clocks, name tags, 30 pieces of flair. I guess if you wear the uniform you have a better chance of winning employee of the month but honestly its a tattoo shop give me a break. Everyone is an adult and can figure out what they want to wear without having it dictated to them. Plus it seems a little weird to tell someone who has chosen to cover their body with tattoos that their wardrobe is inappropriate

Misfits tattoo done a few years ago.