Cork

Am I color blind or something? I'm missing the color. Looks great though.

I've heard it referred to as a broke back girl. If that helps broaden your search. All the google image search results turn up pictures from threads off this forum, ha.

@ironchef really happy for you man. I hope I have the pleasure of seeing it in person some day.

According to a post on Instagram, yes. Tattooing at Studio 1 Tattoo.

Dave Fox is coming back back to Philly Philly.

Every now and then I run my hands down my back and feel the scar tissue. Ah, the memories.

You aren't allowed to post anymore. You've hit exactly 1,000.

@MrToby The finish line is in sight!!

A lot of variables. Very location and size dependent. Go with what feels right. If it doesn't hurt, go lift! If you're getting your back done, I wouldn't recommend heavy bench at all. Or even light bench.

Welcome. Go to Read Street Tattoo in Baltimore! The crew there is great.

Ha, that was a lucky guess on my part.

I am in no way the authority on this... at all. But for the sake of conversation and mutual learning on a topic I also enjoy, I'll chime in. For clarity, when you say Traditional Japanese, it can mean a few things. There are a few flavors, for example, tebori is the traditional method of Japanese tattooing, but you can get something not so traditionally themed from someone who does tebori (Jess Yen). Another example, is the Horitoshi family, I always fall back to them since they are the most well known traditionalists. They do tebori, mostly, and stick to mostly traditional themes, but even they are flexible and give the customer what they want. If you are dead set in getting the most traditional Japanese work, then you would probably want someone who does tebori and has an intimate knowledge of Japanese culture. That person would know that cherry blossoms bloom in the spring and koi only jump up to the Dragon Gate in the winter, so you would never combine the 2. I just made that up by the way, I don't know if that's true. In this case, I would not pick 3 separate ideas and make them fit. I would pursue 1 artist, 1 piece, beauty. I'm sure you could find a traditional who can blend the seasons. I think I remember seeing something like that from Horimitsu. I would rely on the artist you pick to be the one to design it. As far as pigments go...only certain ones were available in the old days, so that was why certain colors were used, ha. I am not aware of the significance of color if there is one. Some colors could be construed as more masculine or feminine based on the observer, but cherry blossoms are pink. I would not consider anyone less manly for having pink cherry blossoms.

Took a stab at the Star Wars Battlefront open beta. I'm not sold. It's okay, but needs more work IMO.

In business and in life.

Not a bad idea for a thread. I could see this getting out of hand, in a good way. My jaw hits the floor with every single Jondix backpiece. And I've only seen pictures of them on the internet. I'm sure my eyes would explode if I saw one in person.

Yes you can and should tattoo yourself directly after tattooing pig skin. Don't worry about cleaning the needles. Little known fun fact, pig skin is one of the best anti-microbials around!

That's what happens when you speed read! Woops. It's funny though, someone did have a similar experience to you, but with Horimitsu.

@smulmaskinen Horimitsu is of the Horitoshi family, and very well known here. I want to say I remember seeing your sleeve progression over Instagram. A lot of wind, water, rocks, and peonies? I'd love to see some updated pictures of it.

http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-designs-books-flash/2069-chest-torso-tattoos.html Pointers will probably be in line with other general tattoo advice. Deep breaths, eat/rest well beforehand. Don't try anything new that you aren't sure how you'll respond to.

"Chest piece" lol. Damn man, you've got a hell of a front there. Looks great.

Some people aren't in the right job and sometimes you have to do something about it.

Looks fantastic @Graeme. Congrats on wrapping it up and thanks for sharing all the progress.

Last tattoo was November of last year and that was finishing up my back. I'm getting the itch. Next step is going to be to fill the gap between my back and chest. Too many ideas to choose from.

@Mush Damn that looks so good.

This is so crazy. At first I thought it was one of those rumors that exploded and you could snopes it and find out it's really bullshit. Oh boy, it's true. Thank you , Internet, for community exposure. Shit like this would actually land without it.