oboogie

Snake sleeve in progress by Yoni Zilber @ NY Adorned

Got this panther from Steve Byrne when he was guesting at invictus in Oslo.
 

Hi all! My name is Matt and I've been lurking on here for a while. Reading this forum has really helped me figure out what makes a good tattoo. I love seeing the variety of work everyone has and it's great to connect with such a like-minded community, especially when you're one of the only tattooed people amongst your friends! I'm excited to finally contribute!
I got my first tattoo in 2014 and became hooked as soon as the first line was put on my skin. All of my tattoos with the exception of a few small handmade ones have been done by Yoni Zilber at New York Adorned. We started with a shoulder piece on my left arm, then did a 3/4 sleeve on my right arm, and are currently in the process of extending my left arm into a full sleeve. The addiction is strong!
 
My first tattoo - Tibetan Skull by Yoni Zilber @ NY Adorned 

Bodhisattva style Virgin Mary, done @ Diamond Club Tattoo and True Nature Tattoo

Snake full-sleeve extension in progress, done yesterday @ NY Adorned

Filipino tribal snake scales and tongue design, hand-tapped by the legendary Kalinga tattooer Whang-od in Buscalan, Philippines

off topic ... a bodysuit of tattoos isn't about whether you can afford it or not.  You either choose to go the all-in route or you don't (which is totally fine too!).
If you truly want something, you find a way to achieve your goal. Tattooing isn't any different.

@JBluewind hey didn't mean to pick on you, I was making more generalized comments about the state of tattooing in the mainstream these days. Nothing is sacred anymore so some of us get a little protective. You are right, to each there own. And I've always 100% supported this aspect of tattooing that you can get whatever you want (provided you find an agreeable tattooist), whatever makes you happy, whatever wild idea you dream up - and you don't need to answer shit to anybody. Good or bad. LST leans heavy on making sure you find the way to the good stuff...
So with that in mind, I don't think tattooing inside/on the ear is wise idea. The skin is is really weird there and the first thing that comes to mind is high potential for blowouts. Intricate and colourful designs will not hold up and the ones you see in google searches look gimmicky. But hey that's my unsolicited opinion.
Stick behind the ear if that's what is speaking to you. It is a good spot.
When/if I eventually get mine I'll recall this thread...but technically it's a head tat ;)
(ps sorry to hear about your mum. Mother's Day was difficult for me as well - the dragonfly in my avatar is my memorial tattoo so I get to see my mom tattoo all the time. So I feel ya. Cry as much and as often as you need. I still do.)
But remember - no cry babies in tattooing :) cheers 
 

I don't believe you !

It doesn't hurt at all to get behind your ear tattooed.
There's no need to cry. Just don't spout off about things and try to sound like an expert when you are so new to tattooing. OK? OK.

@JBluewind Are these tattoos you've seen in real life or in pictures on the Internet?  I did a google image search on "ear tattoos" and nothing that came up is what I would consider good tattooing.  From what I've seen in real life, if you're going to tattoo the inside of the ear you're best sticking with bold and heavy blackwork/tribal.  And if you're going to do that you have to be pretty much fully covered unless you want to look completely ridiculous.  All those delicate flowers and other complicated and intricate designs are not going to hold up to the kind of sun exposure that your ears will get.  Don't get me started on how many obvious photoshop jobs show up when you do that search either.  
 
if you want something to memorialize somebody who you loved and who meant a lot to you, you owe it to her memory to get something nice that is going to last a lifetime.

You infect tattoos for a living? ;-)
It won't scar, @Gear_Head. Try not to worry!

@oboogie thanks buddy :) Keep ya posted

You infect tattoos for a living? ;-)
It won't scar, @Gear_Head. Try not to worry!

@Faust I did 2 days ago and I am doing a Rx of antibiotics, x2 dosages a day. I'm on my second day of antibiotics and I've started to see an improvement. As you can tell I have just 2 locations that the plasma had a hard time clearing up and some of it got trapped under the scabs as they formed. Before I went to the Dr.'s I cut back on the number of times washing and the amount of after care product and let the tattoo air dry. I have seen a large improvement in just 2 days. Keep me posted on how you're outcome is going for you.

My full ass is tattooed and it definately ain't a secret anymore. Since my 7yo nephew saw the 'great wave' splashing out of my plumber's crack all he does is ask "Uncle Eric why do you have a butt tattoo?" and then all the kids laugh because he said "butt" haha.

I do like the idea of a future behind the ear tattoo though for myself, like silver dollar sized.
Tattooing in/on the ear though makes as much sense as writing "serenity" or some shit on the sides of your finger. Why? To be edgy? It will look silly unless you have a lot of other tattoos going on. That's where the put ID tattoos on animals.
A tattoo on the head will still show through when the hair grows in. You may not be able to fully make out the tattoo once the hair grows in, but there will be something fuzzy showing which will draw more attention to it and people will be curious and ask you.
If you want a secret tattoo, make a proper tattoo on the torso or the thighs and keep it concealed by wearing clothes. If you are worried about going to the beach or pool and people seeing your tattoo...well, maybe tattoo is not for you. It's not for everyone. 
Don't be a tat-tourist.

Hey it's not like it's life-threatening. And I've heard of plenty of tattoos that ended up just fine even after they were infected.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Again, I've had to have a script of antibiotics and an antibiotics shot when my tattoo was infected.  It looks sore, but it isn't infected (in my opinion).
My infected tattoo didn't scar, but I did lose a lot of color and had to get it touched up. Just hang in there, and don't pick or scratch! The fact that it is in your ditch means it will take a much longer time to heal.

It was the bottom one. The blue one. Looks fine now. But that was after three touch-ups.

I sent you a message. It's no big deal. :-)

@oboogie it looks great! Thanks for sharing that with me. I appreciate it much. I'll keep you posted how I'm coming along with mine.
Thanks Tattoo Nation!

Instagram the hell out of your research.

Uh oh.

@oboogie Bummer it got infected but I'm really happy to know the outcome turned out great for you. Sadly I have a small infection on mine but I'm currently on a Rx. I was just curious on how you're journey was with the problem and how you're tattoo finished up. It seems to me the folks I talk to say the inner forearm and the calf can be pretty tough spots to heal from.
Thanks for informing me and I'm stoked for the finial outcome on my latest tattoo.

@Gear_Head, it was on my right calf. The improvement wasn't immediate, although he was concerned enough to give me an antibiotic shot as well as a script. Things started turning around after four or five days. I had a severe reaction to particular brand and color of ink. My friend/tattoo artist said he lost sleep over it because he was so worried (he asked me to send him photos so he could check on it regularly). It was very bad. He actually stopped using that ink because of it. He used another color and brand, and it was totally fine.

@oboogie
I'm ready for anyone is what I meant.  Look forward to getting block from anyone.
 
 
 
 

I don't think I've posted this here--Todd Noble made this lady in a rose a couple months ago.  I really enjoyed getting this tattoo; he has a good bedside manner and just seems like an all-around good human.  I can't get an un-distorted photo of this but you get the idea.