Charles.M

Did not see this topic anywhere else, so here it goes. The wall, to me is that phycological line you can cross where it is best to tap out of the Tattoo session, because you are out of the stuff it takes to continue, (out of gas so to speak) your endorphins are gone, your exhausted, hungry, tired, cranky, wondering what it is all about...that point is what I am talking about. Once crossed... you cannot get back to your happy place... If you keep going, you need to stop every 10 seconds, everyone is annoying everyone else and it becomes unproductive for everybody. No matter how tough you are, everyone hits the wall at some point, if you are getting big work, some even with small work. As I said in another thread "If tattooing becomes painless someday, you will see a divide where it will be a qualifier if you had a painless tattoo or not because at this time and in conceivable history, pain has been part of the deal. Looking at a 10,000-year-old mummy's tattoo, you can think to yourself, shit that had to hurt... you get tattoo creds based upon the size and placement of the art, whether consciously or not by other tattooed people, it is part and parcel in the experience." I had a 9 hour long session on my arm and hit 'the wall'. First, 5 hours fine, stopped for lunch, got back at it, went another 3 hours, then I had to stop and throw up in the bathroom, lunch gone, kept going for 30 minutes stopped (arghhh..), going again then stopped after 5 minutes, then another 5 minutes and called it. At this point, you could have touched my non-tattooed arm and my mind would have thought it hurt and I can't take it anymore, ...or my toe for that matter. That's it, out of gas....till next time. I think we all can have this genuine experience, I have seen it countless times in others and it is nothing to be embarrassed about, though it is embarrassing anyway, it just happens. Tough as nails for hours, then all of a sudden not. Dang!. Then there are the obvious fakers who think they get bonus points for making a big deal about everything, that is not the topic. Please share your 'The Wall' stories, if you have had long sessions, you know what I mean.

Best non-drug advice I can give is a relaxation breathing technique I use, which is to breath slowly and deeply, while starting with your toes, concentrate on relaxing your toes, then when that is done, relax your feet, then your ankles, then calves and so on till the top of your head, then reverse from top of head to toes, in a wave-like pattern, up and down, repeat, repeat. Your endorphins get released quicker and get to that happy place faster. I have used this technique while receiving some monster sessions and it works because it gives you something productive to focus on while relaxing your body so you are not clenching up and twitching like your having a seizure. Then there is 'the wall', which is the phycological line you can cross where it is best to tap out because you are out of the stuff it takes to continue, different topic though... If tattooing becomes painless someday, you will see a divide where it will be a qualifier if you had a painless tattoo or not because at this time and in conceivable history pain has been part of the deal. Looking at a 10,000-year-old mummy's tattoo, you can think to yourself, shit that had to hurt... you get tattoo creds based upon the size and placement of the art, whether consciously or not by other tattooed people, it is part and parcel in the experience.

Grime stated in an interview that you should pick the artist not the tattoo and it was great advice. So if you are already trying to find the right artist you are off to a good start. Once you find an artist you like, then the next step is to get something from them (obviously) . This is where common problem number 2 comes into play, micro-managing your tattoo project. you can actually mess-up your own tattoo if you insist on getting art the way you think it should be done, instead of letting someone (the artist) who is likely trained (by education or experience) in art composition and technique to create the perfect design, in their personal style, custom done for you. If you like the Artist's work then you really probably like what the artist likes. An artist's personal style is often an amalgamation of the Artist's personal taste filter, basically not picking up elements that are disliked and picking up elements the artist is interested in. The next thing is to get something current from the artist. Ask them what they are hot to do right now and you will get the best work possible. Asking them to do a theme they were hammering away on two years ago, is something they probably do not want to do. Visual artists are creating a record of their development (into their past), so what they were drawing when they were 5 years old (let alone 5 years ago) is not what they are doing today. That being said, ask if they have a fresh sketch they want to do, and if you like it... get it, otherwise give em a loose concept and let them develop it to the best of their abilities. you will be amazed when you give em room to do their current magic. I got an oldschool snake through a skull, done by DAX (when he was at TCB in Toronto) on my arm that was random enough, following the above sketch book view request and I love it,... just saying. I think this is an angle no-one else addressed and hope it helps avoid a newbie blooper / future cover-up.

As you may or may no know, Edge Day is celebrated annually on October 17 since 1999. The inaugural event, originally called Edge Fest, was held in Boston, Massachusetts. I would like to shake the lastsparrowtattoo tree and see who falls out... lol. Lets share our XXX, Straight Edge and or Edge Day related tattoos...unless I am alone in this, then dang!

I loaded three images to the gallery, more will come in time.

I also think your expectations of what tattoos are might be a bit distorted. Also wait a while before getting more, until you settle a bit. My first 7 tattoos are all covered up because they were too small for what eventually became my ambitions. One constant thing with small tattoos is that, since it is so small, little deviations seem to be magnified in our minds, if the tattoo is larger, you would not sweat small issues, because they would not be issues at all. tattooers are human, not printers, so there is always a human element to the application (both applicator error and client wiggling), you just may not have noticed it yet in other tattoos (the artist knows probably lol). Until they invent a tattoo printer, (which would suck in my opinion), there will always be artistic deviances, that are unique to that tattooer at that time and place,... point is, even if you get the same tattoo design by the same tattooer 3 years later it would look different because the artist is different, always evolving and changing. that is one of the wonderfully human parts of tattoo art.

Art critique aside.. If getting your own art design tattooed 'as is' on your body is what you want, then finding an Artist who can and will actually reproduce your art stroke for pencil stroke will be the hard part. Remember you are going to be the most critical of the application because it is your art. then be prepared to live out your days having the art criticized for being badly done. A pencil drawing is just that and tattoo art designed for body application is something else. I have reproduced pencil art (from people who are now dead), onto their living friends as a memorial to their RIP friend and most people just see a bad tattoo, no matter how meaningful and sincere the original intent. Even a perfectly reproduced historically accurate cave drawing will just look like a bad tattoo to most people. I won't reproduce people's drawings anymore, for the very reasons just explained... If you are still a go, then finding the right applicator for your project is critical, you will have no problem finding 10 guys who will say they can do it... but really cannot do it properly, so ask to see if the have direct reproduction of pencil stroke tattoos, if you see pictures of their tattoos and it looks good enough for you then you found your guy/gal, if not then you are the test subject... and let me tell you it is time-consuming trying to accurately reproduce quickly drawn graphite lines or ink drawings on paper, I mean 2 to 3 times longer than reproducing a similar image actually designed to be a tattoo, tattooed onto somebody.. Hope this helps...

Blackwork to me is Black on negative space / or negative space on Black images without color/hue or gradient shading. I am working on some circular blackwork patterns, challenging but interesting and unlimited in possibilities.

thank you for your mercy

Do not know where your coming from by that comment... if purely humor or something else, but the information is sound, google, tattoo ink laser removal side effects and start reading the horror stories... my caution warning is sincere. If you were being light all is good and I have just read too much on the subject.

Hand pokers have the advantage, that when the power goes out, they light a candle and do not stop. lol If we ever go back to the stone age they are our boys and girls... I have done a bit of hand poke and it is slow... even when designed to be efficient .... There are some great artist in that style

Getting a tattooer to design your tattoo is the first step, non-tattooers have the wrong skill set in laying out a design that is meant to fit on a three-dimensional human body, wrapping around it, in a purposeful way. Also, a tattooer will know what detail and lack thereof will look best on the skin (now and later) at the size you want it, the tattooer filter, is step number one! If you skip that step you end up going back anyway so why waste time?

When laser removing a tattoo always start a heavy metal detox, because otherwise stable tattoo ink, is broken down by the laser and become super toxic small particles that are released into your blood. Our bodies basic process for removing the unwanted particles from our body, expose you to harmful toxins, the way around it, if you are set on the laser treatment is to start a heavy metal detox cycle and clean that stuff out before it hurts you. Methods which cause the ink to come straight out of the skin the reverse of the path the ink went in is safer, in my view. Cover-up is the best possible situation though because everything is relatively stable under the skin.

this is a concept design I was working on, Full-back Biomech Skull them - not on skin obviously, but seemed the right place to post... feedback?

Hello my name is Charles Murray, been Tattoo Artist since 1997, started at a biker shop in an apprentice situation, where I was the human photocopier, run errands boy, cleaner, phone answer and drawer. I would call this and Oldschool American Apprenticeship. The owner did not know much but I got my foot in the door and have been committed ever since. I work hard, study hard and try to get better every day. Looking to connect with others in the tattoo Scene.