irezumi

Awesome book, agreed. - - - Updated - - - I'm glad my masculinity isn't judged by what tattoos I have. If jellyfish are out, I shudder to think what might be thought of a man with a butterfly tattoo.

Only just now watched this and I'm glad I did. Cool stories aside, what he said about line weight vs size of tattoo is something I would echo any day of the week. Not everything needs to be done with a sharpie. Or even a 8 or 9. Right size for the job is the key. One thing that I see a trend of is that some tattooers have become so isolated on one style that they have come to rely on thicker lines; names respectfully not mentioning. I can watch someone nail a tradish tattoo with a baggy 8 or 9 but completely blow it with a 5. Thick lines hide shaky or less-than-awesome linework and I see what some people are doing as turning into a crutch. There is a difference between 'this is my style' and 'this is all I can do' and that is what makes a more skilled craftsman than the next guy. In my opinion. Of course there are always exceptions; sometimes an artist unintentionally gets pigeon holed. It can't be helped if you just wanna do a smooth b&g tattoo with a 3 once in a while but everyone walking through the door wants to get a Japanese sleeve because that's the only stuff people see you do.

I'm sure it will happen again next year

If we're talking about tattoos without outlines then yeah they will break down (relatively) quickly; even Gogue says that his work doesn't really last longer than 10 years under the scrutiny of how we expect them to age.

There were multiple portfolios of rubbings and paintings to flip through as well that can't be shown here. Heart-stoppers, seriously. Same with some of the (quite unexpected & a real treat!) landscapes. I picked one up of his view of the Huddon River valley and mountains beyond, but it was a tough choice. There were others that had such powerful bold strokes it made me have to stop for minutes. Sometimes the simple things can be the strongest. Not sure if the other people attending knew that almost everything had paintings and drawings on the backs. You have to lift the boxes to look at the back of them, and the wooden flash as well. Hands-on interaction. Also not shown is the fruit crate box full of the wooden flash (not for sale unfortunately) to flip through. Anyone that didnt see those really slept on some gems. Maybe next time I'll have enough to make an offer on something that isn't for sale. For now I can be thrilled with the landscape and an eagle that I picked up.

In all honesty I think it makes a better t-shirt than a tattoo. No offense intended, merely professional advice.

Try posting that in this thread Tattoo Shop Openings and/or Guest Spots | Tattoo Artists and Tattoo Collectors | Last Sparrow Tattoo

You will see him doing that often, yes. Show was great, saw old friends and made new ones. Such a good time. Highly recommend going to this; go support a living legend and get some priceless artwork.

I have work that was done with a standard 5 over 20 years ago; it's been holding up just fine. To assume that tattoos done with middle line weight won't hold up would be incorrect. More relevant is type of skin, location of the tattoo, exposure over the years, what black the tattooer used, etc. plenty of other factors besides line weight.

I'm at the shop right now; who do you know here?

is it my imagination or is it that almost everyone talking about how this is a great idea, nothing wrong with it, etched etc are not tattooers? Can we get more working professional craftsmen to add to this?

Beware of deals in brain surgery, parachutes and tattoos.

Yes, a focus on a subject for a certain day is the best way to play it. Never go under the shop minimum. Last shop I was at did a Jerry special for his birthday and picked a few classics. People got some nice designs but not below the minimum. Whether or not it's Elm Street or any other shack doesn't have any bearing on the subject; if they still did $13 tattoos my opinion would still be the same.

^agreed

Oh I'm aware of it. It's sad and not such an antiquated form of communication. At this rate 2 generations from now will barely be able to read a damn font if its not Helvetia or Times Roman. Pathetic. I give value to the fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination that this provides way over texting and video games, besides all the other benefits like BEING ABLE TO READ.

^ I will repeat, LIBRARY. It's free and you don't need to keep it like yet another rock in a box. We need to become less absorbed by the digital age. Next thing you know schools will be doing things like phasing out cursive handwriting in favor of texting..... Had a good laugh at the nose picking book reader haha

Dave is a good friend and a talented artist. Make a point to meet him if he's in the Bay Area at some point.

The best advice for any thread on this forum but this subject especially. And greetings welcome to the spot.

AGREED!! I can't read books on a screen, it just doesn't work for me. Does anyone remember this place called the library? It's this building that has lots of books and will even order books from other libraries for you. And the best part is that they let you borrow them for free!! Whoa. I know that the post is about some 'unpublished stories only available online' but it applies to everyone that downloads books instead of holding a book in your hands. Nothing is like the smell of aged paper.

Ok this is beyond bizarre; I've been reading 9 stories on a whim the last two days. My plane just landed as I was reading For Esme, turned on my phone and saw this thread. #nothingiscoincidence

Different opinions I guess. Being a tattooer myself I see it as cheapening the craft. Any other professional tattooers are free to agree or disagree with me. Sorry if I don't count customers as having as valid an opinion as a career tattooer does. No disrespect intented man, I'm not trying to insult anyone.

Makes me pretty bummed out when I see good friends promoting $13 tattoos. Have more respect for your community.