Hands On

this dude's committed.

it's either run by... a) the devil's spawn, determined to keep me burning my precious time scrolling thru my phone whilst getting carpal tunnel, neck pain and ruining my eyesight b) an angel who knows exactly what kind of pretty pictures i like to look at c) some genius programmer mixture of a) and b).

don't get me wrong, we have the privilege of the interwebs and hindsight to know who the worldwide standards were back then and currently. this is why i specified circumstance, era, and area... i'm pretty sure hong kong tattoo clients didn't have tattoo mags to peruse or an internet to surf and they likely weren't flying to japan or hawaii to get tattooed. the koi back piece you showed was probably the dopest thing on the block! looking at it, the peony and finger waves aren't all that bad... plenty of artists these days would do worse with a shit ton of reference at their fingertips. the design of the koi could definitely use help, but he says himself in the video that he never learned to draw. even if that client was a "westerner" and he took that tattoo back to the midwestern US, it would probably STILL be the dopest thing on the block and the local tattooers wouldn't know where to start.

that shit happens right on TV and the tattooers think they actually have a chance at $100K and the chance to be called Inkmaster! ;) i think every tattooer has to struggle with that conscience right from beginning, because no one starts off good at tattooing. i'm sure most actually start off fucking up a lot of tattoos before the learning curve starts to be a little more vertical. during that learning period, people with high morals, standards, and goals might think "holy shit.. I'm fucking this up. I need to get better!" and they work at it. others, with perhaps less morals, standards, and goals, might not find the need to improve since their ends are meeting and that IS their goal. on the other hand, in that day and age and all circumstance, he probably WAS the motherfuckin standard! if you want to get a koi tattoo and you're living in that era and area, you're getting a sardine penis tattoo... no ifs, ands, or buts about it. if you don't want it, you can get the fuck out. it might sound immoral, but like the Canada Bill Jones' quote from Rounders, "It's immoral to let a sucker keep his money." like you said, there's plenty of that shit happening to this day and there's no real reason for it. plenty of bad tattoos going into skin, but no shortage of good tattooers. the client gets what they ask for and what they pay for. in the case of Inkmaster, I don't think the "human canvasses" are paying for shit and some of them walk out wearing exactly what they paid for. no matter what, this dude Jimmy Ho is a G... still holding it down with one glove. I hope he's saved and invested enough to live well once he's done tattooing.

when I think about a mom and their kid getting tattooed, i think of Marcellus Wallace during The Bonnie Situation sayin, "Oh, no fuckin shit she'll freak." I did the same thing as @sophistre but after I got my first tattoo... sent a long ass heartfelt email with a photo of the tattoo with some explanation about it and she called me soon after saying she understands. that broke her in easy, but she had no idea the coverage that would later ensue. ;) I think what a letter (or email) does as compared to a conversation is allows you to clearly get all of your thoughts and points out to the reader rather than having the listener rebut, interrupt, or shut off altogether. it can't turn into an argument and you don't have to deal with emotions. you can get all your emotions in writing and the reader can let their emotions flow as they read, soak it all in, and reply when they're ready (if at all). either way, it found it to be a bit safer and more effective for my mom. just another option, depending on your situation. good luck!!

I think the word you're looking for is "dreading." that is me almost every time and especially at the thought of eventually getting work on the chest, ribs, back of the knee, and finishing up my back. of course, when the machine stops buzzing and you get the cool wipe down*, the final product is always more than worth the pain and sacrifice! *some people hate the wipe down, but I'm in the group that loves it. can't wait for pics!!

I love this piece! solid, bold, and dynamic from across the room. do you remember which month you entered the back of it? I have the urge to track it down!

dude... my IG is @hands_on_lanzon !! andre malcom was working on a leg opposite a roper leg at the SFO convention and doing a damn good job. that client must have neck problems from looking down too much.

welcome to LST! do you mean you bit the bullet of joining LST or bit the bullet of getting tattooed?

i saw the shark by Valerie*, but mind if I ask what you got from Rubendall? *btw, i noticed that in one of the pics i took where she's workin on a ladyhead, you can see the outline of your shark hanging in the background, in case you're interested.

i pulled way too many triggers! my wallet hurts, but my eyes, brain, and soul are happy!

my pleasure! here's the last few...

Shige practicing Zen in the Art of Tattoo... so good he can do chest pieces with his eyes shut. The knee tattoo brings back bad memories of pain and swelling.

As I upload these photos, I realize how spoiled I am to live in the Bay area and get to see all these heavy hitters creating amazing work every year. On Monday, I was bummed that I have to wait another ~362 days until the next one!!

Nice meeting you too @Pete tattoo freak. Your new shark is super clean! I think I saw you walking around on Saturday, but I have a shit memory especially after the visual and mental overload that is walking the floor of the SFO convention. Your countenance is now captured in the electronic realm of my external hard drive and LST. Speaking of which, here's a few more shots. One of the clients instantly reminded me of the last illustration.

Here's a few photos I shot at the convention. I've got a bunch more to edit and upload. My favorite of this group is Anderson Luna analyzing his handiwork.

Got this photo realistic elephant I once saw... spot on by Eli Quinters yesterday, at the Bay Area Convention.

i'm planning to get there before 5 tomorrow so i can search out the limited edition items. might be a tough race! i'll be the short filipino holding a nikon camera with an old school strap and a black and orange bud leaf hat. ;) i don't have any appointments (yet) and don't have anything in mind... just kinda playing it by ear. I'll be around Saturday too. gonna be so broke!

I'm down to meet up, but I'm in Fremont. Perhaps we can hook up in the South Bay after your Monmon cat. Otherwise, if there's a larger LST group meeting up, I can see if I can make it work. - I don't know if there's a current exhibit, but ATAK SF might be worth checking out. - The Exploratorium is fun for kids. - I haven't checked it out yet, but all tattoo heads love skulls! There's an exhibit at California Academy of Sciences. - Before or after Blackheart, you should check out Clarion Alley for a free exhibit of some badass graffiti. You should also grab a burrito while you're over there!! - If you're into views, I like Twin Peaks, Treasure Island, and Bakers Beach. - Mitchell's ice cream is pretty close to Skull and Sword... nice reward after suffering some bodily harm. - Bars are all over the place. I'd probably ask your tattooers or just wander around and find one that meets your preferences. Enjoy!

perhaps Flash from the Bowery: Classic American Tattoos, 1900-1950: Cliff White: 9780764339288: Amazon.com: Books ? - - - Updated - - - perhaps Flash from the Bowery: Classic American Tattoos, 1900-1950: Cliff White: 9780764339288: Amazon.com: Books ?

agreed. i never came across this thread before and started from the beginning without even looking at the dates. in all honesty, i was thinking, "here we go again with another over-thinker" yadda yadda. then i got rewarded with the completed work with admission of shame, which is a strong move!! i would have to say, if most of us were honest with ourselves, we might realize that we were all the over-thinking, overexcited, fresh to tattoos/tattooing, "virgin canvasses" at one point. we get savvy to how things are over time and experience and get to look back at how much we've grown! we can look back at our first tattoos and remember the story of what an idiot i was or how young and i dumb i was! @HettyKet i'm not saying that you're any of these, but this thread is a good reminder anyways. one thing i love about conventions is the gathered energy and excitement... especially the feeling of those who are seeing and receiving great tattoos for the first time.

he comes to the SOG convention probably every other year, in case you wanna save the bullet bite and use the plane ticket money for more tattoos! then again, a trip to NY is a whole different experience.

i came across this amazing video today, unlike anything i've ever seen. it led me to this thread and i found that the video documents some of what was described in the link from the initial post. i can't imagine many of us had the slightest clue that this is how it goes down... vice does it again! enjoy!

i saw the title of this thread and was hoping for something more like this.

join date: sept 2013. first and only post on sept 2014 and it's this. i'm sure you can find some tips and the gist of LST opinion on such matters with another year or lurking. start here: Last Sparrow Tattoo - Forum Rules