Colored Guy

Thick outlines are a departure from what was popular 25-30 years ago. Thin single-needle outlines were the flavor of the day (I had some on me...) and they don't stand up over time. Rob

Both artists in the shop I go to use Facebook to post sudden openings. If they have a day's notice, they usually can fill the spot. Rob

Well, you do have some idea of what you want so that's very safe. I do the same thing, have a general idea of what I want and where and I work with the artist to make it happen. I do my big tattoos like that and it evolves as the session rolls on. Rob

I saw a list of the contests, I'll have to see if I can get into one myself. Rob

The *original* NYC Tattoo Convention - NYC Tattoo - Home Its on for 3/7 to 3/9 in NYC at the Roseland Ballroom. My artist, Studio 69 Tattoo, will be working and I have plans to take a couple of hours of chair time one of the 3 days. It would be nice to see some people from here show up too. Rob

Lol... I'm at the 2 week mark with my latest ink. Heading for the 2nd light peel but it does itch. I keep using lotion on it and it helps. Rob

I like to see you young guns pumping out traditional work. And they are killin' it. Someone has got to keep it going. Rob

All of my old work has been either covered up or freshened up/expanded upon. But the basic designs were always good. I too blew tons of money on partying, exotic vacations, race cars, boats, etc. I put $250k (at least..) into my house over the years so my tattoo funds until recently have been sparse. I salt away $20 here and there and it adds up quick. Rob

I thought the same thing. Its a big life-changing event when you can't work any longer. I was close with my back injury for a while. I will be celebrating my retirement with a hand tattoo for sure. Rob

There are no secrets on the internets... Rob

I do machine shop work and will wear a long-sleeved shirt for the first 2 weeks. Some of the coolants on the CNC machinery carry bacteria so I take no chances. Rob

I see it as being like landscaping. Start out choosing some anchor plants and fill in with smaller ones. I'm embarking on a forearm sleeve next month and already have 2 big tattoos completed and some small filler ones outlined. Rob

Yikes... you guys are rough... lol.... Rob

You will be fine. In my next session, I'm having some darker background put around a colored portion of a tattoo. If you have any access to tattoo picture books, you'll see it all the time. Rob

Looked like it should be a Bounty commercial.... way gnarly. Beats my biggest zit story by a mile. Looks like the doc was fishing for something as well... I'm sure it had nothing at all to do with the tattoo. Looked it up on Snopes... nada. Rob

Gotta love morons (.. bigger morons than ME..) in bars. I don't mind ladies touching me though, some on the beach just have to handle my art... heck, let 'em have some fun. Rob

I give all my ink some real thought... as long as 6 months or more if I'm working on a bigger piece or having old and new ink connected. Cars... I'll give it a month to pick one out. Those I can trade in at any time. Rob

Lately I've seen the $13 on the 13th tattoos being offered in those shops that spring up in shopping malls. Personally, anyone with tattoo smarts would pass up the deal as most shops have a $75-100 minimum, period. Like I said in an earlier post, it gives an apprentice some experience on something relatively small and thus harder to screw up. Rob

I posted this elsewhere.... have you ever gotten the couple where the wife sits outside in the car and honks the horn and comes in a few times demanding when he's going to be done? Rob

I just sat for my longest and it was only 4 hours with 1 bathroom break only. I could have gone for another hour, but I was chewing on painkillers anyway and we agreed to wrap it up at the shop's regular closing time. Rob

I'm not going to mention any names, but there were infamous NYC area artists that used to sell their used needles out the back door (and via mail order) for $1 each. Rob

I stopped drinking for 3 days before my appointment last week. I also drank lots of water. My session was 4 hours and my artist said I didn't flinch once. Total breaks taken added up to less than 10 minutes. Rob

When you really get off the beaten-path in the US, you either see people with bad tattoos or no tattoos. So anyone with good artwork on them stands out. My son went to an upstate NY school for a while. There were 2 tattoo shops in the town and we stopped in. Man... they were turning out some awful work, but they were busy all the time. Rob

Yup... someone always says they know where it can be done for virtually nothing. These idiots have no knowledge of shop minimums and hourly rates... at least in a real shop and not a corner of someone's kitchen. Rob

Incense and green soap take me way back. Now they don't use the same type of green soap and the smell isn't nearly as strong. - - - Updated - - - My a-hole brother and his dipshit wife are in town and popped in on short notice earlier today. I have a very fresh tattoo on my forearm and the outline has some red around it in a few places. It happened seconds after the lines were done and the artist said it is bruising. It has gotten much better since Wednesday. So the dipshit sister in law is (was.. currently disabled) a nurse and starts telling me my tattoo is infected. I say no, she says yes. We go back and forth and I question her knowledge of nursing and tell her I do not normally discuss tattoos with those who are without them. This shuts her up somewhat and I ask her how long it takes for an infection to be visible. She goes into some clinical rant and I get her to agree it would take at least 12 hours to a full day. Then I tell her how they showed up. She had very little to say and her and my brother made an exit shortly after that. Rob