Bubbleberry

really loving the Nico Acosta piece. Glenn Arthur paints a lot of tattooed ladies but as yet I have not seen to many tattoos of his work...A local guy Terry Bradley also does this type of stuff.

You can pat each other on the back all you want, congratulate yourselves on a shared opinion, it does not change the point that when I start a thread, it interests some people enough to positively contribute, and others not. While you are all snuggling up under the warmth of your egos, you fail to see, that had you simply ignored that which you do not agree with, we may not be having this argument. I have read through the various threads that I started, and usually people engage in polite, if somewhat passionate debate. THEN, the same people come along, again and again and act like they have a right to talk down or be rude, and the topic goes off course. Try some rigorus self honesty and see what part you have played in these arguments instead of blaming me for asking questions you do not like.

Welcome Gregor - loving that dragon ! You guys have some cool artists over there! Enjoy the forum!!

Not sure I would call anyone that - its a pretty disgusting word, and I am quite astonished that you would eve use in on an open forum, but if the cap fits...

I believe Perez, that the point of this thread, was aiding newcomers succinctly and positively. I believe it was about being helpful and welcoming. Lets not drag down a very positive thread. I know it was mentioned in respect to my previous adventure some time ago, put perhaps a bit of information about the ignore option would be helpful, ie "While we strive to make LST a welcoming, informative environment for all, at times other members will post questions or statements that cause offence. In the interest of all members we ask that you ignore those posts rather than involve yourself in an argument. You can ignore a member who writes posts that you are sensitive to by..."

I think , as has been posted before, and as I have been reminded more than once, its important that everyone, no matter what their experience,understand that this is not the place to put people down or inflate our own egos - that we should treat other members with respect. I would also suggest someone like Scott write a piece about how the industry is suffering because of scratchers, and that this website discourages technical questions because of that. Perhaps that could be a pm from the moderators/scott?

Exactly

I like that idea Capt, and no doubt there are things that have been discussed. The major problem, as has already become apparent in this thread, is that some people just enjoy being annoyed ! LST welcome page states... "Last Sparrow Tattoo is an eZine, picture gallery, and community for tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts created by iconic tattoo artist Scott Sylvia, and Lochlan McHale. Whether you are completely covered in tattoos or looking to get your first one, this is the best place to check out tattoo pictures, design ideas, find the best tattoo artists, or just hang out and chat in our Tattoo Forum." It does not say anything about being an artist only forum, it does not indicate that you have to have industry knowledge or anything of the sort. It would be nice to see artists and those who line their pockets chatting to each other about all aspects of the industry, and there is no reason why this should not happen. For me, the problem comes when people start thinking they are better than each other, that their opinions are more important, that because of their experience they have the right to talk down or insult people. For me the problem comes when one person try s to change another. Its hard to ignore people who annoy us, on-line or in the real world, but the same courtesy's should apply, no matter where you hang out. People will ask questions,we have no control over that, but we can control how we react.

Well if its any help, speaking as someone who asked the troublesome questions, but who has no interest in learning how to tattoo, I can totally understand your frustration. And I do read lots and lots of posts regarding the history and the works of tattooers. I just do not comment because I feel my opinion will be slammed, and perhaps with good reason. I would offer a solution...now bear with me on this... If the forum had a section titled something like " How To Tattoo - Technical Questions and Answers", those who wanted to post questions that annoy the artists would have somewhere to do so, and the artists would know to ignore that section completely. Every time someone posted a technical question elsewhere the moderators could move it, and every time the question was ignored the asker would learn that this was not the place to ask. It seems like work, but it may stop people getting annoyed, although no doubt this suggestion will do just that? Bottom line, if Scott and co wanted this a tattooers only forum, that's what it would be.

When I say artist, I am not referring to tattooing, but yes she feels she is a good artist, and she gauges that based on comments from other artists,based on comments by her teachers and lecturers over the past 20 years. She does not like forums because she feels people spend to much time putting each other down and trying to be better, trying to be right. But she is a pretty quiet person, and she does keep herself to herself, so perhaps she would rather not expose herself on-line to hostile people. Which is her right.

I actually agree with that, those artists who dislike the "normal" folk hanging around could hang out there, which would hopefully help them to ignore posts they do not want to read. But some people will always be unhappy, and while knowledge was power in the dark ages, the answer to most questions can be found somewhere on the internet, even if it is just a distributors website or a scratchers forum. If I wanted to know how to tattoo (as a scratcher) I would not be hanging out here, and could find many sources of information, but I come here to discuss tattooing in general, to learn, to grow, because I have a interest. If that makes people unhappy or angry, perhaps the should not hang out in "discussion"forums ?

I thought about putting up the "good" artists website address, but no doubt someone would come along and start laying into his work, which would be unfair, given that he may not be a member of the forum. It may ruin any chances of my wife getting a position, and it would cause unnecessary ill feelings. As for my wife joining the forum, it has been suggested, but perhaps she has more sense than me, she feels that forums are a waste of time, for various reasons. She spends her spare time drawing (among other things) and is not particularly interested in the opinions of people she does not know and will never meet, no matter how inflated their own sense of importance is. Its not so much as I am in the middle feeding her info, she could really care less what people think, she knows she is a good artist, who wants to be better, she knows she could be a great tattooist, given time and guidance. She would rather go to one person who offers that guidance, than wade through a thousand opinions in the hope of finding a gem. Sorry if my post annoyed Mario and his mates, such is life.

Thanks Perez, great idea. As you are a TLC alumni do you think you could organise a discount for her?

Jaycel, take it on the chin and let it go. Speaking from experience, both on-line and more recently in the real world - tattooing is a serious business and the guys on here treat it as such. You will learn a lot hanging out here, but its probably best just not returning to this thread. Everything that need's to be said has been and a whole lot more. I know, believe me, I know, that the quest to be right can be addictive, but I guarantee that letting it go will make you much happier.

Hi Ursula. I think the whole experience just shows me how varied an industry this is. The guy is successful with many happy, repeat customers. And as I said, he is a good guy - I believe. But you can only teach what you know, and even then knowledge does not give you the right to instruct. She left on good terms, and she refused to take any money - so she can hold her head high and chalk it down to experience. And she hopes to get tattooed by an artist she admires - which is a step in the right direction!

Welcome Hogg

That's the crazy thing. The first guy who got a tattoo loved it, I actually met him today and he wants another. The second one, well he just turned 18, his parents paid for it, and he loves it, I think because he feels so much more grown up and cool -as I did when I got my first. They both knew that she was learning, and they both were happy to take the risk. Being honest, had I not have joined this forum, I would probably have shrugged it off and told her to keep going, I have seen worse tattoos, I have worse tattoos, but my wife knew it was bad, and she knew it could be fixed. It just seemed right to make sure it was as good as was possible given the situation. But again being honest, she was learning nothing about safety and hygiene, and she wants to start at the beginning, and take it one step at a time. I do not want to say to much, he was a good guy, he tried to help her in his own way, she just feels another approach is best. I do have to add that I showed one of the tattoos she did on me to a guy who runs another shop, and he thinks she could be an amazing artist, but that it would be a long time before he would let her near a machine - he wants to meet her so the balls in her court ! I should add that she cried after being told, in no uncertain terms, how much of a fu#c up she made, even though he offered no guidance or help while she was doing the actual tattoo..., so perhaps he could have showed her and not told her - after the fact?

Of course it seems fishy - if there was not something wrong she would be there and there would be no problem. I guess we knew from the start there was a problem, but thought that it may be ok, or he would not be telling her to tattoo people, right? Wrong ! Brian, I would be interested in what your thoughts are? I spoke to another artist today, in another well known studio, who stated that it was not how they apprentice people, but, like you indicated, she would have to tough up, get used to making mistakes, and learn how to fix them. I think if it had been fixed she would have been OK with it. As Kore Flatmo said in his interview - " I can beat my niece in arm wrestling - it does not mean I am strong - you have to compare yourself with the best, not the worst." So what would those who consider themselves good tattooists have done ?

So as many of you know my wife was studying under a local tattoo artist. Actually, to be exact, she was travelling 100 miles round trip to tattoo people unsupervised, but I will get to that... A family friend has been tattooing for 20 years. Nice guy, easy to get along with, lots of awards, very busy studio,booked out a couple of months in advance. He seemed like the perfect person for her to learn with. She approached him and stated that she simply wanted to do the donkey work, cleaning toilets, making coffee, going to the store etc, that she was in no rush and for now simply wanted to spend as much time as possible getting to know the ins and outs of a tattoo shop. After seeing some of her art, he tells her that its pointless wasting here time cleaning, and that as soon as she has people to tattoo, he will teach her - stating that practice skins and pig skins are completely different from human skin and that the only way to learn is to start. At this point both myself and more importantly my wife are concerned, but we guess he knows what he is doing, we trust his experience and I suppose, speaking for myself, I allowed my love for my wife to influence my instinct... I wanted to believe she had some type of superhuman artistic tattoo ability and that she was going to be a natural. I wanted to encourage her. She spends a day watching him, and she is let loose on me, doing two tattoos on my leg. Both of which were "ok" but he spends no time watching or guiding her, stating that she will learn as she goes. So then he tells her that she should bring any customers she can find and he will offer her a split of the cash.Which again seems strange, but we guess he knows best. We bring along two friends, and the first tattoo is great. But the second one is not so good, she makes a simple mistake at the start, which she points out to him. He tells her "that she knows what she is doing and to fix it". She tries, it gets worse, he tries to fix it, it gets no better, he tells her to bandage the tattoo and charges the guy half price. When the customer leaves he states "what does he want for £40.00" Then he says that he sends clients out all the time with bad tattoos, but he does not have the time to fix all his mistakes. He then tells her that it was time she bought her own tattoo equipment and that she needed to tattoo faster because it was a business. Needless to say my wife spent the journey home and the rest of the day in tears because she messed up the guys tattoo, but also because she realised that she could not stay there and would have to give up her "apprenticeship". She called the guy the next day and said she would not be coming back, and he genuinely seemed shocked? She said she would clean toilets for a lifetime before picking up a tattoo machine, rather than mess up someone skin, but I know she is hurt and deflated. I think she did the right thing. Did she?

Wow, its strange to read this post, having been absent from the forum. As someone who has been sober for a while, regularly attending AA and NA meetings etc. I have seen this deadly destruction, and walked behind the coffins far to often. For the past few weeks we had an active alcoholic stay with us. He was homeless and coming to meetings twice a day trying to get sober. He has a history of alcoholic seizures so we got him into the local hospital to detox, and he stayed with us for a while until he got into a rehab program. Its a deadly disease, and Amy's death carries a strong message. I just wish the world would pay more attention to the nameless thousands who die with nothing.

Remember that the sad days make those happy ones so much brighter.

Great Idea !

This is too cool...what would you call your religion and what head gear would you wear? BBC News - Austrian driver's religious headgear strains credulity

Brian, 40 years old, ex teacher/scuba diving instructor/night club manager. From Belfast in Ireland, lived in England, Holland, Spain, Cambodia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Florida, Oregon, California. Went to New Orleans after the hurricane with an organisation called The Art of Living, involved in a youth leadership program, working with addicts and the homeless - rebuilding houses in the 9th. Met my wife there and after a year living in Ventura we moved back to Ireland, where we live with our two dogs, in what is known as The Kingdom of Mourne - which was C.S. Lewis's inspiration for the The Chronicles of Narnia. Our house is right at the foot of the mountains and we walk there every day. Dream of moving back to the usa, and moving into an intentional community. Would die for my wife - seriously.

Yeah, Richie Clarke is AMAZING, I love his work, and I would love to be tattooed by him. VV did what has to be my favourite tattoo of all time, as seen below. I just love the image, its so romantic, yet bold and colourful. Is there a name for the guy in the tattoo...something dandy comes to mind?