rdinak

WOW. That's impressive commitment and work.

I made my next appointment for Jan 11th for the next session on the dragon. If real life were like the TV shows...I would be wearing a full Japanese scene on my back right now. So I just keeping booking five hour appointments every 30 days. Waiting is hard for these projects.

I am a big fan of hustle butter. One time I had zero scanning after wearing tegadem for six days. The next time I had very light scabbing after heavy line work. I apply hustle butter twice a day for a week after removing the tegaderm.

I am spending the holidays with my parents who are in their 80’s. Always nice to visit family. Met a new girl friend a few weeks ago and we having fun. After a trying summer, life is good again. The most interesting thing I did lately was visiting a glass factory with the new girl friend and blowing Christmas ornaments.

I understand that the difference between line work and shading. My skin can feel the difference. While in for my last session, my artist and the shop owner got into a complex discussion on the choice of needles when working on large areas. It went a little over my head. I am trying to read and learn as much as possible. My artist mentioned he had never gone over 13 needles for shading on my current piece. Shop owner was talking about using a “34” when working in large areas. Please share what you know about choices of needle set ups for shading work. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

That's an awesome image. sounds like a great project.

WOW! I wait 30 days in between sessions. Post lots of pics

latest session on the dragon project tonight. Tried some wonderful cream for those longer projects.

Bummed out. Have had a five hour session booked for over a month. It snowed today. Not a big deal in most places. But if you live Alabama, life stops and everyone stays home. Hoping my artist can get me rescheduled soon. What is a couple weeks compared to how long I will wear this thing?

Impressive work. How many hours did that work of art take to complete.

Went to my favorite shop tonight to follow up on a previous session and plan my next session with my Artist. The greatest compliment I can offer is referrals. One of my friends wanted a very specific tattoo of a design developed by another lady to cover brands of those who had been in human trafficking. A world most of us will ,hopefully , never understand.... OMG. The response from my artist and shop owner were incredible. The shop owner wanted to meet the lady. He offered free ink to anyone who had brands and wanted to cover marks that caused that caused pain in a former life. My Artist wanted to study the design and make sure they got it perfect. This is a side of the industry most non ink people will never see or understand. My next appointment is December 8th. I am going to cater in a couple Sweet Potato pies and double my artist tip. Life is good! Never underestimate your power to do good and help others! Meanwhile I signed up for five more hours on the next chapter of the dragon half sleeve.

Donating to site is always a nice thought. Lots of very good experience here. I look at it like tipping my artist

Nice work

My artist always deducts all prep time, his lunch break and throws in some time for free. I have an established relationship and tip well. I need to stretch once an hour or so and dont mind when he needs a break. I understand his need for margin. He delivers an outstanding customer experience. Quality of work is very important. The customer experience is also important. It works both ways. Simple communication helps both expectations. If your artist is not delivering the same type service...I would look else where.

Allow me to share a story that might help. I had not had new ink in about 20 years. I am 56. Was a little nervous going into the local shop near my home after lots of research. Met a great, young artist with about 8 years experience. Guy is very talented and prefers to work by appointment. He is very down to earth and will quickly tell you what he can and cannot do. I booked an appointment and had a great experience. 4 sessions later I really appreciate his talent and the way he prefers to work on one large piece per day instead of high volume walk ins. Quality is always worth the wait. I usually book 30 days in advance because that's the only way I can get the exact times and dates I prefer. If I were to China or Japan again knowing what I know now, would I get new ink from a different artist. Yes...it would be part of the experience.

Agreed on not starting on a sensitive area. Think of something with padding. Bicep under your shirt sleeve, shoulder blade ect. The larger the area, the better it will stand the test of time. Anything the sun hits will age quickly. My ink is very personal. It is for me and no one else unless I choose to share it. Read as much as you can. Study lots of pictures and take the time to find a very good artist. You deserve the artist who works by appointment and not the guy who processes walk ins at a volume rate. Hope this helps. Just one old guys .02

You guys rock. I used to be careful to keep my ink covered. The dragon claws and whiskers peek out of some short sleeve shirts. One of the young guys at work said hey dude what's that peeking out from your sleeve? I laughed and showed him. Yes I can clearly see there is always one more idea in the works...

GingaNinja you cant be over 29....LOL Russell

Welcome aboard. I too am 56 and having a revival of ink after having nothing new for 20 years! I am already working with my artist on a third tattoo once my dragon is done. Its going to be along wait until my next appointment on December 8th.

Ginganinja that is some very nice work. Blend of colors worked out very well.

My artist cleans the area, .... Allows it to breathe after an application of Bactine and then applies Saniderm. I wear the saniderm at least five days. After that I clean the area with an antibacterial soap, and apply Hustle Butter for the next two weeks twice a day. Griffin's tattoo salve works great in the morning because it does not cling to my work shirts. Very nice work. Hope this helps.

My artist and I looked at several comparable scenes online. He gave me his honest opinion on what would and would not work. That's one thing I appreciate about him. Once my dragon is done, I think i know the direction I am going next. The scene will be a blend of color with some cool black and white highlights. Moon is going to be a pale blue, blue reflections on a black and white background. I enjoy asking what my artist can deliver and turning him loose to figure out the details. Dude goes mad scientist on the smallest details.

My experience went well. About half way through the session my friend shows up to meet my artist and say hello. We all laughed and chatted. Talk about a small world. My artist knew the guy who did her last work. Dude ran out of Bactine and she ran out to get some. Needless to say my Artist has a future customer. The perfect balance of all parties being flexible and cool.

My son is a Captain in the Army, and a nurse. He is the guy who goes the extra mile to help heal America's finest. As a father I am very proud of my son! He wears this ink with pride. God Bless all who have or do serve!

Went back for session 2 on the dragon yesterday. Got all of the black shading done, and just started on color. After five hours I was wore out. Cant wait for my next session.