Hands On

welcome!

sounds like a pretty tough situation to be in. NOT! (in borat voice). I'm sure you'll come up with something amazing. might even be worth letting Garver run a few backpiece ideas that he wants to do and see if you dig any of 'em. sounds like it's definitely a good problem to have.

yeah... I definitely caught that and can guestimate Mike's actual range. budgeting is smart as shit.

I think an overall tattoo journal would be damn cool... even for little fillers! "I went in and got a walk in filler today because I had this going on. I got it from this person at this shop. they were playing this music and we talked about this." some of this information could be life changing and we don't even realize it... it just makes its way directly to our subconscious and starts to float throughout us. exactly! I would lean toward mine being just for myself and perhaps a select few others, but I definitely enjoy reading those who choose to share. I just went thru your blog and I'm looking forward to following. the "days away" column in the spreadsheet is awesome. the budgeting column is scary and I don't want to think about! I vote that you keep writing more than "see picture" because I think the related thoughts and memories are key to you reading and reliving later.

I've got my fingers crossed for a full bodysuit slideshow.

these blogs are kind of inspiring me to journal or blog my tattoo experiences, just for my own memories, enjoyment, and posterity. a lot of it is engrained in my head and I've taken a few notes after a few sessions here and there, but it'd be cool to keep it all in one spot. does anyone here keep a tattoo journal? I think I might start, before my memory starts fading. catching up will be a fun little project!

wow... we're slackin. strange that this shit got bumped and I replied blind without lookin at dates. never again!

you could fit two small sparrows in the bottom quadrants of the cross. or rays could be emanating from the cross. depending on what the portraits mean, a few things could fit there. I immediately see an hourglass. thin tattoo icons like a snake, dagger, rose on a stem, praying hands. maybe an elephant on the top of your shoulder and the trunk could go in between and curl around. a giraffe. an exploding volcano. or you could go to Jeff Rassier and ask him do his thing!

you're asking LSTers here! ;) which makes it a quick and definitive "no." I'm pretty sure the majority of us would condone tattooing almost all parts of your body, except the hands and above the collar, unless you earn it. if you're worried about what "plainskins" think, that's a whole other question. there's probably a decent % of folks in the world who think it's too masculine... so i guess it depends on if I you give a shit what those folks think.

Welcome! Long Island immediately makes me think of King's Avenue, where I'm sure plenty of folks think tattoos are cool AND get 'em themselves!

^this basically sums it up.^ there is a lot of energy being transferred in tattooing, which plenty of us who have been tattooed in different settings can attest. tattooers can get energy from the rest of the shop, convention, music, overall environment, definitely from the client and it transfers in all directions. good artists know how to get into the zen motions of tattooing and put on quality work no matter the situation. however, their emotional state obviously impacts their energy, which can dictate the energy of the entire session, if no other forces alter it. a great part of tattooing is that, as the client, you can be the positive force to alter the energy! a shitty part is, you can also be the negative force, knowingly or unknowingly! hahahhahaa. shitty clients can definitely put a tattooer in a bummer mood if they let it. tattooing is a collaboration and there's definitely chemistry to it. although a good artist might not let the work suffer from bad energy, the experience could definitely suffer... and the experience is a huge part of tattooing. it stays with you as much as the art! I think the best tattooers understand that and strive to ensure that the client has a good experience to go along with their highest quality of work.

if the artist is good enough that their name alone could sway the judges, then their work most likely deserves the sway as well.

i guess it depends on if it's hardwood or softwood.

best back will likely be one of the last categories. go watch the earlier categories first to see what it's like. basically, they call your name, you go on stage and show your work to the judges. they look as closely as they need to, might ask you some questions, and they take notes. when they're done with you, you show your work to the crowd, walk off stage and wait for the decision. some folks may want to take photos off stage. as mentioned before, it's really up to what the judges like. good luck!

I've actually put some thought to Wolverine getting tattooed... imagine healing while the tattooer is dipping for ink. As I put some more thought to it, the ink probably dissipates before he has a chance to fully enjoy the work. But hey... he could probably get a new body suit bi-weekly!!

i haven't seen it before. thanks for sharing!

welcome! sounds like you're on the right track on your own and you're in right place if you happen to have questions or seek advice. where are you from and what kind of tattoos do you have already?

welcome!

let's see some pics.

although the first thing you want to do is cover up your old tattoos, you also mentioned that you want to get more tattoos. (just what we LSTers love to hear!) how much coverage are you planning to go for?! if you're thinking sleeves, you might want to think of the bigger picture and how these cover ups will work with the rest of your arm. if you go big from the get go, it could potentially open up a world of options for your artist to cover the existing pieces.

The answer is also fairly simple. what you thought was a custom tattoo just for you actually came from a piece of flash. Bert did modify it and make it different and so did the other artist who made his in black and gray. if you want to see your eagle in print, check out the Smith Street Tattoo Parlour book of tattoo flash online. it looks like the image painted by Eli Quinters. don't be bummed... that's what flash is for. anyone can walk in to Smith Street or get that book as a reference and get the same eagle. if you ever run into the dude with the black and gray version, give him a high five and say "hey! nice eagle! i got the same one!!.." then share stories.

I wouldn't go poppin' a can of spinach right now... who knows what might happen!?!!

welcome! I might switch those last two around and save the money THEN book the appointment... unless your artist has a long wait and you know you have a steady income with enough to set aside and have enough in time. either way, I'm sure you'll figure that part out. As for the other part of letting your family know, here's a couple good threads you can peruse for some thoughts and ideas... http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/549-dropping-bomb-how-your-parents-found-out-about-your-first-tattoo.html http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/6158-cant-shake-insecurity-over-loved-ones-perceptions-%5Bmy%5D-tattoos.html good luck!

you just need a few more posts to start a thread... say hi to some folks or join a conversation. ;) this link will help you for your future local needs... http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/3532-shops-pacific-northwest.html listen to @Avery Taylor go hawks!

saw this on my IG feed and it immediately reminded me of this thread. Jimmy gets respect.