ChrisvK

Fuck it, I'M SIGNING UP!

I imagine it looking something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N70NkE4FmZA

I wish I had something intelligent to say, or at least a witty comment or observation... but all I can say is - F@#k Me. By Mike Rubendall kingsavetattoo | Just another WordPress.com site

only just found out Lina Stigsson works in Amsterdam, only 30 minutes away from where i live:O i've been looking for an artist here in The Netherland that does killer Old-school style work and i think i just found her! Let the saving begin

@JAllen Thanks a bunch for that! This is what i love about this forum, people from all over the world know of shops that are within my reach that i never heard of. If it wasn't for forums like this where people actually take time to talk youngsters like me out of going to the first shop they can find, i'd probably have horrible tattoos on my now, instead of one decent one that cost me a few months savings but i'm very happy with. Thank you all for educating me on the fine art that is tattooing:)

As far as tattooing goes, most Japanese, traditional style work is based on folk tales or religious/devotional stories or artwork.
So Japanese stuff is a mix of Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto being Japan's 'Old religion'.
Buddhism grew from a sect of Hinduism, in India. Many of the Buddhist tales involve long arduous journeys to spread the new religion to the people of the world, starting with Tibet, through China and it's surrounding countries, eventually to Japan. In India, Buddhism was mostly a small sect or cult but in China it took it's own flavour and was adapted to suit the climate, existing folk tales and myths. That version of Buddhism travelled to Japan and mixed with Shinto to evolve into it's own flavour of Japanese Buddhism. That's what we see in traditional Japanese tattoos. Many of the Japanese gods and mythical beasts have equivalent Chinese names, sometimes tattooers use the Chinese names.
There are very few people working in a strict Japanese traditional style. Most tattooers, especially outside of Japan tend to work in a more broad 'Asian' style (although they focus on the japanese style). Taking elements and stylistic touches from traditional devotional artwork from across Asia. As @Kev already mentioned most of the decorated skull tattoos are based on real decorated skulls from Tibet, like the example above. There are also smaller, more cartoon-looking skulls that could be mistaken for sugar skulls. They are often used as decoration around ritual instruments or artwork. You may have seen Filip use them as decoration on a larger skull's decorated cap.
Because other Asian countries don't have much history of decorative tattooing, it's not really possible to follow their example directly within tattooing. But the religious designs are awesome and people want large tattoos. That's why you find a mish-mash of broadly Asian influence wrapped in a mostly Japanese frame or background.
The interesting this is, the more you delve into the histories and myths of various distant and unconnected cultures, you notice many of the same elements. Swastikas, winged spirits and pyramids are good basic examples. (As a side note: it was cool to stand in a temple in Japan and notice Borneo style tribal patterns on the panel frames).
Jung called these 'Archetypes' (although this refers more to conceptual ideas and relationships, not graphic shapes) I call them 'fair game' for including in tattoos. It's my opinion that it's one of our jobs, as tattooers, to understand these elements to better apply them to tattoos and to guide the style and subject of our work more in line with historical or human tradition. Wether we admit our understanding or explain these archetypes to our clients is of no consequence.
This is one of the many reasons I'd rather tattoo a witch/crone holding a twig instead of a gent holding a pipe.
But that's another story. I don't want hippy clients asking me to channel their mystic history into their Celtic, Navaho, Saxon, Russian armband/finger tattoo. Nor do I want to stick an eye in a triangle on anything and everything.
I tried to shed light on this, but I think I just muddied the water more...

If Santa is workin' my block I'll have to cut a bitch.

Gah! You and your man need to stop being so awesome.

That is one beautiful goddamn photo.

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Here are two of the tattoos I got in my absence....both by Dave Kruseman
My "thumb sleeves" are my pride and joy right now....he he he
The black and grey is fully healed in (nothing fell out) and the Lighthouse was a fresher photo (maybe later that night after it was done) but there really hasn't been much fallout but I am sure he will want to hit it with a second pass!

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Heres my entry for Feb. My Lady Head tattoo. Tattooed by Todd Noble at Frith Street Tattoos

By Rodney Raines
Charlotte NC
Working in the lower half now, going down to my knee....

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

Well it's been freezing in the Netherlands for some time now and a local cafe/diner did what can be seen in the attached picture. It's awesome! nothing like having a cold beer while sitting comfortably with people ice skating around you.

@JAllen Thanks a bunch for that! This is what i love about this forum, people from all over the world know of shops that are within my reach that i never heard of. If it wasn't for forums like this where people actually take time to talk youngsters like me out of going to the first shop they can find, i'd probably have horrible tattoos on my now, instead of one decent one that cost me a few months savings but i'm very happy with. Thank you all for educating me on the fine art that is tattooing:)

Life is expensive for a collegestudent so saving enough for a new piece of ink will probably take a while:( but damn her portfolio is amazing. I love the girlhead with dagger on one of her flashsheets, that might be my next leg piece

only just found out Lina Stigsson works in Amsterdam, only 30 minutes away from where i live:O i've been looking for an artist here in The Netherland that does killer Old-school style work and i think i just found her! Let the saving begin

@ChrisvK - You lucky... ;) seriously though, make sure you get that piggy bank loaded and get down to Admiraal Tattoo asap... and then share photos lol.
ADMIRAAL TATTOO AMSTERDAM and Linas' personal site Lina Stigsson

only just found out Lina Stigsson works in Amsterdam, only 30 minutes away from where i live:O i've been looking for an artist here in The Netherland that does killer Old-school style work and i think i just found her! Let the saving begin

well he kept yelling how awesome his Black n Grey work was, then he rushed a backpiece in 4 hours with horrible shading and oliver called him out on it. Every new episode i watch i feel disgusted that i watched it start to finish but it's like a carcrash where you can't look away. This is just a carcrash with Oliver Peck being awesome at the side