hogg

@Cork why, cause lol ass? :rolleyes:
also @Graeme, thank you! That is my favorite part about it, I have no idea how he put this together and will forever remain a wizard in my mind.

Sorry for not responding to everyone earlier, I posted that right before sitting down for dinner but oh man, thank you for the overwhelming positive response!
@Cork so insanely cool to see all of that as a process!! Must have been neat to put those photos together and take a trip down memory lane with all of it. I also have taken pain killers for getting the linework done, and you are absolutely right about it not doing a whole lot as far as actually dulling the pain. You definitely still feel everything and it is pretty intense, it just isn't quite so brutal and immediate.
@pidjones thank you! I figured instagram wouldn't be the right place for this one, the format is so irregular for photo sharing.
@Pugilist thanks, Anna! Also very impressed with that as well, can't fathom actually trying to draw that.
@MrToby Thank you! The artist is Kahlil Rintye at Tattoo City in SF.
@Diehardonvhs @Lance @sophistre @mmikaoj @Rob I @hogg @suburbanxcore
Thank you guys very much! Means a lot!
@BrianH WOW WOW WOW SO SICK! Damn!!

That is the phrase I was looking for. Wow.
And @BrianH, I love how dark the background is. I can't wait to see the finished product; the contrast is going to be incredible.

That is the phrase I was looking for. Wow.
And @BrianH, I love how dark the background is. I can't wait to see the finished product; the contrast is going to be incredible.

@idyllsend WOW! that is really beautiful. I can't wait to see that finished.
Here are a few pics from my last session with Chad K. We are essentially finished but he does want to do one more session in November for some touch ups and stuff. For all intensive purposes though, here is my finished back! I am so stoked!!! It is so vibrant and bold and I think you can read the image from a few miles away :)
Chad put in some really neat little details in this last session. Not sure they will be visible in these "just finished" pics, but I will try to remember to post a healed pic. He did some really cool things with the tongue and the teeth that I am pretty pumped with.. LOVE the eyes as well. I am super grateful.
rob
attaching pics from gallery as that seems to be the only way for me to edit them from being sideways. If they look sideways at first, just click the pic and it should right itself.

I guess I'll join in on the sharing fun (even though most of you have already seen this on Mike's instagram). Progress from my session at Pagoda City Tattoo Fest:

About 31 hours total so far. So maybe we are about 1/2 done?

Alright folks, here ya go

Pretty sure the correct answer is HAIL SATAN
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Finished up a leg with Lehi. First two sessions at Blackheart, final session at Temple. Last year I got tattooed by Stewart Robson at Blackheart and I was saying I wanted to get some big work from Tim. Stewart told me flatly that I had to get a tiger.
Turned out Ok I guess, if you're into that sorta thing...
This is about 3 weeks healed (photo taken today). From his IG

This is comforting to hear. Thanks guys.
And I'm down to work out my abs too.
I gave Phillips a bunch of ideas and am looking forward to see what he comes up with.

Something tough as fuck from Lehi.
A spider from Arriola.
A pin-up from Boltz.
Don't steal my ideas, guys.

I have a weird rule imposed on myself. I won't get anything that a friend has, design and/or placement wise. Unless it's a common theme. Or if I have work in progress already started on.
For example, if I were to ever get my hands tattooed, and I see that my friend just got a pair of hannyas on his hands, then I couldn't get hannyas on my hands. So it's kind of a race for me to get the tattoo designs I want before all my friends get them.
Also, I used to want a praying hands tattoo, but Drake ruined that for me.

Okay, fine. Here's the latest progress.

I will at some point, but not this session. Front of stomach/sternum this time. I'm going to cry then die.
Matching upside down girl head soon though! I'm just on a mission to get front done ASAP.

Hellloooo everybody!!
It's that time of year again...where we all start oohing and aahing over the lineup for the Bay Area convention and some of us start talkin' travel.
@sophistre and I met up yesterday and decided that it would probably be fun as hell to go, so the PNW will be representing for sure.
Who else is in? Any plans?
I'm just hoping to get the conversation going!!

PEOPLE JUMP ON THIS. I BACK EDDY FULLY.
*Thanks Taro for showing me the way.

George Campise!! When I hear Berkeley, I think of Campeesee..
But Carolyn's list is pretty legit.
*Jill Bonny is at Tuesday Tattoo in the Outer Sunset at the moment.
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I've seen a Japanese sleeve from Dan Santoro, and it was mind blowing.

IMO the best japanese-style tattooers in the bay are in no order:
Dave Moore - True Love, Berkeley
Luke Stewart - Seventh Son, San Francisco
Jason Phillips - FTW, Oakland
Tim Lehi - Temple, Oakland
Horitomo/Colin Baker/Jill Bonny - State of Grace, San Jose
Colin Stevens - Body Manipulations, San Francisco
Everyone who works at - Diamond Club, San Francisco
Kahlil Rintye - Tattoo City, San Francisco
Ben Cheese - Everlasting, San Francisco
Andre Malcolm - Skull & Sword, San Francisco
I'm probably forgetting some folks, but thems the best of the best. Also I have seen some wonderful Japanese from Paul Dobleman for what it's worth.

welcome!
if you're meeting with artists in Vietnam, then it sounds like you're willing to travel. If that's the case, then this list could grow out of control! this sounds like a "vote for an artist to do an LSTer's bodysuit" thread, which is pretty damn awesome. you've just gotta take all the suggestions, scroll IG til your fingers get numb, and find the artists whose work speaks to you.
a few thoughts...
- i'm not sure i've seen a full japanese body suit from Chris Garver, but i'm positive it would blow minds (if anyone has pictures of any, i'd love to see 'em).
- it would be cool to see a few artists who don't specialize in japanese get the chance to do a full body suit... a chad koeplinger, jeff rassier, or jondix buddha/mahakhala bodysuit would be unique and amazing.
- on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are artists who've been banging out japanese body suits for a while like Chris Treviño, Filip Leu, Shige, Mike Roper, Mike Rubendall, Henning Jorgensen, etc.
- if you're going japanese and you're willing to travel, how about japan?
- for practicality's sake, staying in the bay would save you $ on travel and you'd be able to work on it more often (see @cltattooing list above).
happy researching!!

Hey all! I have been a long time lurker here and have enjoyed reading and checking out all the cool tattoos and the stories related to getting them. I currently have my back tattooed along with my lower right leg. I need some advice on getting a new tattoo, since at this point I am contemplating a full body suit old school japanese style. Would this be a proper place to ask a few questions or should I wait until I am able to start new threads?

I had my second to last back session yesterday. I'm not going to post pictures because it was mostly ass and back of thigh shading, and as a nice bonus we hit my love handles, touched up some of the background and darkened up my ribs a bit. It was all grey wash so it's angry and red at the moment. Like @cltattooing said above, super cool. I go back next month to do the final bells and whistles: the tiger's claws and paws, his eyes, the inside of the snake's mouth, but we're almost done. I'll try to get some good pictures when it's all done and settled in.

Finished all of the linework today. 4 hours on the ass and ribs was super cool. u______u
But on the plus side it is the most gorgeous tattoo ever and I could not be more thrilled about having gone through with this. Also I met Ed Hardy today and I was pretty much naked except for a drape sheet and my socks so that was awesome haha :rolleyes:

Welcome, and ask away!

Hi everyone! I'm in Honolulu and just got my first (and likely only) tattoo yesterday. I'd been thinking about getting a tattoo for a really long time and decided that 35 is fine age to get a one. It helps that I'm getting a masters degree in library and information science and libraries are very tattoo-friendly spaces.
I've been lurking on your lovely forum for awhile now, trying to soak up as much advice and wisdom I could, before I made an account. I particularly enjoyed reading about one user's experience with Jimmy Ho and the silly thread where someone coined the term "squid pants".
Getting tattooed hurt a LOT (I'm a wimp when it comes to pain). Honestly, the only thing that made me sit through the session was my desire NOT to go through life with a random squiggly line tattooed on my arm. But my artist was incredible and the tattoo is more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Anyhow, that's a little about me. Even though I don't plan to get another tattoo, I love reading the threads here and will continue to do so. Thanks for being so great, everybody!

intro post and already knowin' about squid pants... that's some thorough lurking! =) seems like you'll do just fine here. welcome!

Unsurprisingly perfect panther, @chrisnoluck. Might have to change that username now.