smiling.politely

Just ordered the catalog, the Horitomo tenugui, and the sticker set... If there's any way to get out there by the time this is over, I definitely will. Also, thanks to everyone for posting photos and anecdotes. Also, glad to see that Beau Brady is having a grand old time with @Stewart Robson while he's stateside.

It's clear you don't want any advice or input from anyone on anything, unless it's reinforcing what you already think or believe... your other posts in other threads also make that plainly clear. So, don't listen to the great advice you were given in other threads, don't listen to any give to you here. If you care about tattoos and quality, you should learn terms to imply that you do. Otherwise, it seems like you don't. And from everything I've read, it seems that you don't really, although you sure think you do. I do hope you listen to people and let it sink in. That being said, I don't have much hope. It's like trying to kick water uphill. There's no point in it.

I don't think anyone is offended by particular words being used to describe anything, rather the disrespect it shows to the history and seriousness of the craft of tattooing. Certain words are a habit, and make you sound like you're either trying too hard to sound cool or are ignorant to the correct terms? Sounds like an easy habit to break, to me. How many people call spaghetti "pa-sketti" after they're 7? Unless they have an actual impediment, not many, because someone teaches them the correct words. Also, any responsible tattooer will tell people what tattoos not to get all the time, and try to guide people out of other ones if they're open to suggestion. EDIT: Can we start a new slang term to supplant "ink" or "getting inked"? Like, "pigmented" or something along those lines? I think adding a few syllables will make people realize how silly it sounds. "How long you been slinging pigment?" "Pigment my whole body up." I think it can work.

Hyottoko from Civ at the West Texas Tattoo Convention...

Not related to anything upcoming, but I just remembered the photo @Graeme posted of Civ and the booklight on the guy's shirt sleeve. He had a Hobby Lobby lamp that was a bit too far away from my leg when he set up, so he just rested it on the edge of the table beside my other leg. When we were all done, he thanked me for not knocking it over. I have one of Steve tattooing my hand as well, with a miner-style headlamp hanging from his regular lamp, since the bulb burned out the night before. I must have had a pre-emptive curse on lighting scenarios...

I can answer the question by saying that it's actually far worse around the nipple than on them. Even when one is pretty much solid black. Which wasn't as bad as collarbone, honestly.

The difference between Bill Brasky and Mike Roper is that Mike actually does drive an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

@RoryQ I prefer to let him remain the mythical figure that he is... I say that, of course, because part of me hopes he wasn't real, and was just a figment of my imagination.

He's in Arizona. And if you want to see a few of his tattoos, as well of plenty of others that are beyond amazing, buy the Bloodworks: Bodies book set. Two full bodysuits of his in there.

None of these trolls will ever match the sheer idiocy and frustration of Bubbleberry... not sure why they even try.

There may be one or two backpieces floating around on the internet other than those, but other than that, you won't find much, if anything. And that's for a very particular reason.

Thanks, everybody.I wish I could take more credit for how rad the hand is, but all credit goes to Steve. I have one more to share, from today. Hyottoko from Civ, followed by one last pass to get rid of the money in my wallet, then about 10 hours or so back to Kansas. My coworker Jimmy also got tattooed by Paul Dobleman and Stefano (the flower/chain that he posted earlier) to finish his lower arm, and we brought along my parents and got them tattooed. Neither had been to a convention in about 20 years. My mom got a big Texas tribute from Oliver Peck (after I told her an idea she should get while we were in a Whattaburger), and my dad got a really nice rose on his neck from Bobby Padron from ROA. He also won best small B&G with his 30 year old Charlie Cartwright hand tattoos. I doubt we'll ever hear the end of it... in a good way. Also picked up tons of prints, a small Beppe Strambini original, and some stories. Learned through keeping my eyes open as well. Looking forward to next year.

Everlasting jobstopper/liferuiner/diploma burner from Steve Byrne today. Photo taken from his Instagram. Can't express how much I like it in words.

This has solidified how much Jordan Teear is my hero... His chair spin self intro and the staple bit alone did that, but also to hear his more serious discussions about life. Already anxiously awaiting the next video, and I can't wait to go back and get tattooed again.

It's easy to do a cover up of Sharpie with body paint. Or remove a temporary tattoo and put another temporary tattoo that looks better in it's place. Seemed to be most of what Bad Ink was.

That's a strange looking chest/torso.

Booking my dad in for a neck tattoo with Freddy Negrete in San Angelo, hopefully. All of his Charlie Cartwright work is from about 30 years ago, so it'll be a good continuation of that. He also doesn't know that we're getting him booked yet, although I think he suspects I'm up to something.

Ordered some Tegaderm to try for my elbow... Will definitely reference this thread heavily in using it!

Perhaps not the right place for this, but as a follow up to the no drawing rose painting/video I posted last week, here's a no stencil/no drawing rose I convinced a friend to let me put on him tonight. Sorry if this could have gone in a better place, since it's not painting-related... (the anchor and lily barely visible on his calf was my 14th tattoo, 13th if you don't count the one on myself to start things off)

The first two have always been top of the list, since they were my first two favorite tattooers. After that, it's been a slow addition. Chris O'Donnell Steve Byrne Stewart Robson Mike Rubendall Frank Carter Smith Street crew Frith Street crew (already got two down) waaaaaaaaay too many to list here...

The tattoos on the episode and a half I saw were all awful, and a fair few of the "before" ones were downright fake. A few of the cover ups were as well. Someone, either here or on Facebook, had found a casting call aimed at members of the Screen Actors' Guild that outright said you didn't need to have a tattoo, and specifically asked for someone with space in which to draw a fake tattoo. I think this was covered in another thread at some point as well... perhaps in the depths of the Inkmasters thread?

I took the survey, out of consideration of what @deadsp0t said. That said, the survey was far lacking in it's ability to gather information from anyone who isn't getting tattooed for the Google/Pinterest flash reasons. I left a comment in the final page informing Charlotte as such, in what I felt were blunt, yet polite terms. I mainly did this so she would see it, because there's a good chance she won't be part of the discourse here beyond one or two posts. "Try to go out into the world of tattoos. Go to tattoo shops and learn a bit. Perhaps, even get tattooed a few times as part of your research. Anthropologists should immerse themselves in a culture to learn about it, right? I encourage you to do the same." (not all of what I said, but a short selection that summed it up)

Far easier to placate a customer doing some quick touch up work or even re-working the whole tattoo, in my opinion. Is that tattooer still in town? Is he still alive? Did that client have a horrible experience with the original tattooer and not want to go back to that person? All three of those issues have popped up several times in the very short span I've been tattooing, by the way. But they usually come back for the other stuff that they wanted you to do as well, even if it takes awhile. They don't go in the portfolio, and, depending on the level of work needed, some are just a quick five second touch up as part of another tattoo, some are complete reworks at full price. Also, rather than send e-mail or send texts of images, especially if it's not a super close person you trust, I'd recommend having them come to the shop where you work to see the designs, just in case they find a reason not to get tattooed, then take them to someone else. Just a few thoughts.

Some progress on my frontpiece with my boss, Josh Cruse. Did about three hours of color in the snake all around my chest and belly. I have another sitting in two weeks, but I'll probably hold off on posting anything until we get it all done... after it's healed and settled, we'll touch up anything that needs it and add some pattern work in that minty green stripe on the snake.

Going to order two copies when the US version is available... One to watch, and one to tuck away in case anything happens to the first. Hoarder style.