smiling.politely

@irezumi I need to get my hands on that Richie book... focused on finding Irezumi during my initial searching last year. Future plans.

There's a great book by Gomineko Press with a lot of information in terms of explaining things called JBxH3. Should be first... Japanese Tattoo Art Design Book Magazine Gomineko Japan They'll frequently post it for $60 on their Instagram as well... Instagram

Probably not, at least not in a way that would like the red in the rest of it. Red and green are complimentary colors, which if mixed, will most likely turn a muddled brown color, most likely.

@Graeme Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Let me rephrase, then. Perhaps my early morning reading comprehension is poor. Also, isn't one of the main points of robotic surgery that it's still directly, 100% controlled by a human being, often times one who, due to their location, wouldn't be able to perform the surgery, and who may be one of only a few people on the planet who can do it? Because that's way, way different than sticking someone on a table, pressing B-7 (the appendectomy button, of course), then going back to reading the Sports section.

@Graeme Perhaps my late night rambling was poorly worded, but that's basically what I was meaning. If people not caring about how seriously their tattooer takes their job is the status quo, then by showing how much you do care, you may be able to change people's attitudes one at a time (or three, depending on if they bring their cheering section. I believe it was Stewart Robson in his LST interview who said Steve Byrne changed how he saw tattooers to an extent, because he approached a large solid checkerboard piece with the same seriousness and level of care as he would have something he would have been more stoked to do. From personal experience, I can say it's not a large percentage of people, but I do notice that the more some of the Pinterest-y clients come into the shop where I work, the more they gain a level of trust, and the more they're willing to listen to our ideas on altering things to be a bit different. Without a good attitude towards them, even when they want the Walk With Faith on the foot, or the "sisters" infinity symbol, or the Google dove, etc, etc., that wouldn't happen. As far as making tattooing out to be more than it is... well, I frequently refer to it as a blood ritual, only semi-jokingly. I don't have much room to talk on that front.

I hate to admit it, guys, but I definitely bought one of these new fangled tattoo machines they're making these days over the weekend. It even has some crazy hinge mechanism in part of it. Hope you guys can forgive me... http://saltwatertattoosupply.3dcartstores.com/assets/images/wlkr-rssa-1.jpg Also, what percentage of good tattooers know how to use the equivalent of CAD? Because that seems like what you'd effectively need to do. Whether it became a plan to supplant tattooers, or something just for the sake of art, it's a bad idea. If integrity, heart, and someone who cares about what they're doing for a living doesn't matter to the average client, that doesn't mean that status quo is good. It means people need to show that they care and do their best to do a good job, whether it's a skull/rose or five birds on the wrist. There's no guarantee of anything being perfect, ever. Which is better, a crap tattoo (inevitably, based on craft aspects of tattooing) done by a robot, or an at least competent tattoo by someone who is nice?

@idyllsend While not a lady, I can say that most shops have some sort of barriers they can place to block the view of the shop, and if you address things in advance, it'll be taken care of. Even with walls in place, we often suggest to women that, if it helps them feel more comfortable, they can head to the bathroom and put on a hoodie backwards as covering (and to keep their arms warm). We also have a very large mirrored window in our backroom that is right next to a station where one of our tattooers was going to be doing a tattoo in a very, very intimate location. To make sure she knew we were going to make her feel at ease, before we put up our walls, our counter person and I made a big sheet out of dental bibs and blocked it off. Not saying they have huge sheets to block off the window, but if they can't do something to help you out, then there's some sort of issue. Definitely say something when you get there, though. Even if it's initially just a question to the counter person.

Exactly. As I said, I'm glad I had first hand experience with some of the people around this world in the early '90s. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was shattering any possible rose-colored glasses that might get stuck on my face, like so many people that didn't experience it seem to have. It wasn't 100% across the board, of course, but knowing of arson getting called in after a convention faux pas and drywall work/bribes to keep neighboring businesses from reporting bullet holes snaps reality back into place.

@Colored Guy Growing up with my parents getting tattooed a lot, I feel fortunate as a younger person in this world that can remember that time a bit. I remember mostly white supremacists and bikers, cops showing up to pick up clients and tattooers mid-tattoo, and of course tattooers yelling racial slurs at black cops. Drugs and guns hidden in the back, violating several individuals' paroles, etc. Rattlesnakes in cages in the front, boa constrictors in the lobby, and people making bets on how long it would take them to eat the various animals they were fed. It was a different time, of course... but I'm glad for a decent amount of the changes that have happened in tattooing.

Off color jokes and discussions are one thing, harassment is another. Personally, I've finished a girl's half sleeve that was started by another guy in town, because he kept making very obvious references to trading his services for intimacy, while trying to pass it off as a joke. And I've heard a lot of people say they quit going various places for similar reasons.

Creativity only goes as far as what you can make work in the skin, which is all craft. AKA- creativity means nothing without a foundation, which is what is protected in tattooing. I usually try to think of all of the art side ending on paper, while trying to think of actually tattoo as craft. There are parallels and connections between both mindsets, of course, but it helps my mindset in both to think that way. Another silly statement, when explaining how to improve a design recently... upon explaining why something being too small would cause issues down the line as it aged in the skin, I was told by the client "Well, it doesn't have to be good or anything..." I was flabbergasted.

Painting I'm doing for a charity auction next month, and a close up on a 22" mandala painting I'm working on.

In reference to those aforementioned legendary vending machines... Japan's Panty Vending Machines: The Unreal Hyperbole (and Honest Truth)

Not my favorites, but this is a great place to get ink. Welcome to Higgins Inks! Tattoos are a completely different story.

I got my hand and my knuckles tattooed way too young. Still in college. I also have been around tattooing my entire life, and remember big intimidating white supremacist bikers being the main clients in the shop my parents went to when I was a little boy. I also know about people pulling away little kids, and getting stared at like you're garbage most days when you go out. Were it not for knowing that history, and truly what I was getting myself into, I wouldn't have gotten them done. I know that because my tattooer at the time told me that outright. I had backup tattoos in case he said no, one of which I got a month after my knuckles, and another three months after my hand. He knew I was willing to be a janitor, unlike most people who are 20 and think a hand tattoo won't stop them from being whatever it is they want to be when they move on from their hardcore phase, break edge, and start listening to Americana exclusively. Fortunately, tattooing chose me without too much time spent as a minimum wage slave at the mall. That said, I turn them down left and right. I don't want to ruin anyone's lives, and I don't know that I have the technical capability, nor have I earned the right, to do too many thing in areas like that yet. Some day, maybe. But for now, I'll say no, and hope that more people in my town will learn to turn away a few dollars in exchange for professional responsibility. And that clients will really hear my advice, not just see something they think is cute on Pinterest or Tumblr, and think hand tattoos will be accepted in the business world.

Flipping through a week ago, it occurred to me that this one is also in Tattoo Time, from when it was fresh. Probably spent 45 minutes poring over both images in concurrence with one another...

Some of those kids with the pacifiers may have had them to prevent grinding teeth while having a whale of a time with some of their favorite illicit drugs. Kids these days. And SpongeBob rules!

Generally, if something has a trendy sounding name, especially if it's trying to be funny sounding or tattoo related, I suggest avoiding it.

Lil' guy I worked on off an on at night last week. Finished it on Friday. Not too sure about the banners on the reaper, but... eh.

Perused the catalog today between appointments, and already have my Horitomo tenugui framed and ready to hang tomorrow. Entirely too excited about it all.

Stoney used to put some Come Back in his... that's all you can find readily as a non-tattooer.

The prevailing opinion, which is correct in my view, is that said knowledge must be earned the hard way. I know I appreciate what little I do know and thirst to know more because that info wasn't just given to me.

Twenty might be slight hyperbole. But, a list of some pertinent things related to the craft side of tattooing that you need to be aware of. Mind you, I did nothing to clarify the correct answers to what they are, just told him of things that you have to think about to make it obvious that it's not as easy as tracing on a lightbox.

Good one while tattooing a girl's arm today, from one of her friends. "I mean, I know you have to have a steady hand, but tattooing doesn't look that hard." Told him it was the hardest thing I've ever done, with each day being both easier and harder than the day before, a really quick list of about twenty things you have to think about the whole time, and ended it after 10 seconds of awkward silence with "If tattooing were easy, there wouldn't be so many bad tattoos out there," followed by a laugh to make it obvious I wasn't mad at him or anything. He just didn't know. Still... wow.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I've had to tattoo over too many long-healed upper thigh scars on girls in my generation to gloss over body image issues so easily. Or heard girls that can't weigh more than 125 pounds talk about how they want to lose weight before they tattoo their ribs or belly. Or been asked about covering stretch marks from when they had kids, despite that being a completely normal and natural thing. Etc., etc., etc. So, rather than think you're entirely the victim and getting attacked here (which I would say has gone a bit overboard, based on misunderstanding of some of your original points due to poor phrasing and explanation), realize that you do have a warped understanding of how deeply body image can affect women who have been conditioned by society to hate their bodies. Also, you should worry far more about poorly done tattoos than tattoos that don't fit the body.