Lance

Been ages since I was last here, but I signed in just to give you my blessings @Scott R. Between @Hands On and I, I think you're good. It'd be cool to meet up again too. I'll be there. Not sure if I'm doing the whole weekend again this time, but I'll likely be there all Saturday, unless I can get an appointment w/ my artist setup in the city, then I'll be there from evening.

Yeah, I'm traveling, so I'll be there the whole weekend. An LST meet up would be cool!

Yup, I'll be there. No tattoos planned at the Convention, but I have an appointment with Jill Bonny the Friday afternoon before it begins. That should scratch an itch. I'm hoping to pick up a print or two while I'm there though.

@66pens87, it's hard to say how long a sleeve would take to complete. There are many factors. How fast is the artist? How well do you sit? How well do you heal? How many breaks do you and your artist take during sessions? How large are you? The larger the arm, the longer it will take as there's more coverage to fill. A lot of artist don't like quoting time because of all the varying factors. As long as you show up for your appointments, you should be good. After your first session or two, you'll probably get a gauge on some of the above and you'll probably be able to figure a ball park time. Have fun starting a new tattoo!

15 hours in a chair? Good luck! You would be a far stronger person than I. Ha ha!

@Gareth98 With regards to the design, I'm kind of meh. It's not bad, but not very exciting either. Seen much better. With regards to the concept of mixing styles, why not? A similar post was made in the past and I noted I'd seen images on IG in the past that have mixed Japanese backgrounds with another culture's myths. Someone else posted a sleeve a bit back that had traditional motifs with a Japanese cloud background. It was cool to me. So saying that I don't see a big issue with the idea that an artist can make it work proper. Will it be traditional? Maybe not. Do you want it to be? Maybe. Maybe not. The key thing is finding an artist that can make it work though. Valerie Vargas seemed to make it work on I think it was an Athena sleeve and same goes with Chris Brand's Suikoden pieces. That's essentially Japanese (and Chinese) meets East LA culture and he's rocking it. Those people had skill to make it work. Many do not so hopefully you have found someone who can. The artist seemed to go a different route than you originally wanted though. If you're not a fan, skip the idea and the middle man. I agree with others that you should work with a tattoo artist. And perhaps run with your original thoughts if that was what you wanted.

Nice @MoistTowelette! Is he guesting there after the Convention in October? They've got a great line up of guest artists coming up. Can't remember though, what is he tattooing on you?

The artist will likely stencil it on as mentioned. Tip for you though, check to make sure it's reading properly before they start. They likely won't know Amharic so they won't recognize something missing or backwards or any number of things. They're not translators so don't expect them to catch inconsistencies. That will be your job before they start. Enjoy getting your first tattoo!

@bongasu, they're monmon cats. I posted a link in the latest tattoo thread a couple weeks ago. Both times I wasn't in the best shape health wise so I know that was a bit of an issue for me. Still worth doing for sure after seeing the results.

Got my other armpit done a couple weeks ago. Last time I was a little sick and had an all day tattoo session the day before. This time as coincidence would have it, I got sick again (co-workers have it out for me I'm sure of it) but had no tattoo sessions prior. It still sucked but I did better this time around, I think. I didn't need to ask for a break this time around. Also, last time I mentioned the awkward body positioning had caused me problems, but I realized it was likely the artist hitting nerves or something. I was fine this time around until he hit a certain spot. Just like before, my arm developed a weird pain that shot from armpit down to my bottom 2 fingers. This may be worse than getting the base of your butt/thigh worked on. I'm definitely getting old though and getting my armpits done, for the first time ever, has got me second guessing future plans. I'm sure that'll pass and besides the tattoo is awesome and healed quick.

No remedy but the same thing is happening to me. I was tattooed 2-3 weeks ago. It was a rough session so the artist used tegaderm I think. I usually dry heal so I'm not familiar with tegaderm or sanaderm and the differences between them but the same thing has happened. It peeled back a bit after a day and the adhesive seemed to leave a red line on my chest. Didn't think much of it till the line blistered and I had a thin puss filled streak on my chest. Puss popped and tattoo appears 90% healed but I still have the red line on my chest. Not sure if it will fade. edit: just read @Dan's post so that's good to hear it goes away.

I forgot to mention the version translated by Gustav Heldt. A thinner book than others so it's probably missing many nuances but it's a much much easier read. Also I mentioned the Taheiki previously, but I also meant the Nihon Shoki or Nihongi. Also esoteric buddhism as your friend mentioned would be good too. Good luck on that one. I've never been very good at figuring the Dieties out and understanding all the various gestures and such.

Retailer wise, Gomineko is a book seller that focusses on tattoo references. She's an excellent resource for purchasing books but depending on where you are at, it can take several months for books to arrive and there are no notifications of shipping/tracking. Also she is more expensive than other resources. Some people love her due to her inventory, while others not so much due to the price, lag or non-delivery. If you are fortunate enough live near a Kinokuniya book store, their books in their tattoo/woodblock section can range from decent to pretty good. They're a Japanese book retailer and have a few shops across the US. They sell the same books as Gomineko but are cheaper. They can also order books for you if you know exactly what you are looking for. That said, actual material wise, for general symbolism,"Bushido" and "Tattoos of the Floating World" by Takahiro Kitamura are excellent resources. I don't know the name of it but it looks like Horibenny just came out with a new book that at glance appears to be decent for introductory info on motifs too. Check out Amazon for all. For myths, study the source material. Read books on Japanese mythology and books on Woodblock print artists. There will often be descriptions about the scenes in woodblock prints. That can often give you enough information to research further about a subject on your own. Regarding mythology, read the "Kojiki" and the "Taiheiki". Both are translated in english and chronicle stories of the origin of/early Japan and medieval Japan. Another book I've found is called "Japanese Mythology" by Michael Ashkenazi. These books tell stories about deities and ancient heroes that are often subjects in Japanese motifs. I wish I had read the "Kojiki" sooner. Not regretting what I have but I feel I may have chosen different subjects if I had. Things I had written off earlier, I gained new appreciation for after reading more about them. There are tons of information out there. I feel it's much easier to learn about now, than it was even a few years ago. Hope this helps.

I lived in SF for 3 years but now live in LA. For sessions I typically take the 1st flight to SF and take the last flight out. Although this time I spent the night figuring I'd be exhausted afterwards. 2 1/2 years may sound long but since you're getting tattooed by the likes of Rubendall and Henning in the meantime, time may pass pretty quickly. BTW, keep an eye out. "Bayareatattooconvention" IG page just announced someone can win a monmoncat tattoo. They will be announcing details soon.

Mike? I should have known. In fact I probably asked you that previously. The man is just too good. Thanks too! It's a black and gray piece and I'm totally loving it. I've been going to SOG for a while and Horitomo did my feet so I guess I'm kind of in his rotation? This was done a day shy of a year since I had my consult with him. There was a mix up in my initial scheduling though so It was a re-schedule. Totally worth the wait.