Colored Guy

Shoot.. I work for a Fortune 100 company and I have 17 tattoos to date. I cover them at work, some people know I have them, some don't and it doesn't matter to anyone it seems. I would just go full speed ahead and book those appointments, life gets short by the time 60 comes around.

I've seen some ugly husband-and-wife dynamics at tattoo appointments, but this was decades ago. Take separate cars in case one of you wants to leave before the other. Craziest thing so far... wife sat in the car blowing the horn outside, she was out of patience I suppose... what a poop mist it spread over the shop vibe....

I had gone from late 1982 to 2005 with no new work. I was even considering having my old work lasered off. I only had 5 tattoos. I got one in 2005, had 2 freshened up in 2008. 2 new ones in 2010. Some old work fixed up in 2011 to 2012 and some new work and I really haven't looked back. Some major work in 2015 and 2 new ones this past December. I'd like 2 or 3 more before May rolls around.

This is what I had to do with both of mine. It got slow towards the end and I was working in 3 and 4 hour blocks of time. Each tattoo with other related work was about 10 hours. 2 to 3 hours is all I'll do these days, unless the area is not sensitive like the armpit or ribs. Drink lots of water before, take an Aleve or two, it does help.

I have a bunch of oriental work, but outside of the traditional rules. I like it but those who know... they know the difference. I'm going to try to be truer to the art form from here on.

Red does weird things to me too. Usually it is okay after the tattoo does a 2nd peel, which most of mine do. The red eyes on my latest dragon are raised from a month ago, so I just wait it out.

I had my 1st rib cage tattoo almost 2 weeks ago... almost as bad as the armpit area. I thought about tapping out but the artist told me we were almost done. Some people get the pain once and never go back. There are people walking around with 1/2 finished tattoos as well. I was in the shop one night, there was an ex Marine getting a USMC tattoo on his bicep, he left 1/2 way through and never went back, unless someone else finished it. The pain does separate the truly dedicated from the not.

I usually tune in the last 20 minutes, but forget what time and day the show is on.

I take a prescription pain medication every day and I would have had to triple up on it the other night. But I do have to be able to drive home. More frequent short breaks help, but the clock is always ticking and you're paying.

Every style has a cycle and eventually pops up again as popular. Look at the old Sailor Jerry artwork, it was hot at the time and has made a good resurgence. Old school tattoos are now popular. I just saw a book my artist has at her shop. Traditional American eagles, old designs but crisp new artwork... now I want something out of the book.

I had my first rib area tattoo done last night, only 2 hours with a total of about 5 minutes of breaks. I came close to tapping out and this is my 17th tattoo. I would work in smaller increments up to 2 hours to see if that helps. From my experience, the outline is usually the worst part. Although late into the tattoo the final shading on the border was tough over the ribs.

Who did the rose? If they are local, I'd talk to them first, it looks awesome.

I find that it takes a while to adjust to having a new tattoo and size can cause anxiety. I tell everyone bigger is better with a tattoo and you'll be okay with it. What you feel is normal.

This was done last night by Gina at Studio 69 tattoo... on my ribs. Came close to tapping out. The mark on the upper left is a drain from my heart surgery.

Way too young at 35... nothing worse than cancer.

I have a friend, she's 63 and has a small tattoo on her ankle, still hides it from her mom who is around 90.

Getting a "gone too soon" tattoo tomorrow night in honor of my late wife Barbara. I'll post a picture of it after my appointment.

I use at least a SPF 40 when I'm outside in the sun especially at the beach all day. Someone gave me a SPF 100 to try, it was like something used on baby diaper rash. Obliterated the tattoo for sure and was next to impossible to wash off later. I like going outside in the summer and my older tattoos took a beating, they all have been recolored and look good now. I have a SPF 50 and 70 I use and it holds up in the water, made by Neutrogena.

There is a lot of debate on artists not working on styles that they are not comfortable with. Most have a certain style that certain clients look for. Why risk a poor execution of a style you are not familiar with? This is what bothers me about the show.. or one of the many things.

During my last tattoo session I was discussing how bad the artwork was with older traditional tattoos. She had a book about the Bowery tattooing in NYC. That had pictures of the old flash shops had on their wall. Sailor Jerry style and a lot more. His was actually among the better examples. But there was no reason to be putting out bad artwork by 1920 or 1930. I believe that true artists were few at the time and most work was copied from existing flash. I find it nice to see traditional flash cleaned up and redrawn.

Me and red do not get along, also the same with yellow. Older work, the red would stay raised for months especially if I was in the sun. More recent red and yellow (from 2008) had faded out quickly. All the rest of the colors are pretty good. I had some of it touched up in 2015 and seems to be holding up. I do use a sunscreen if I'm outside.

My first was 2 hearts and a banner with my wife (at the time) and my name in a banner. Actually pretty well done. This was in 1977. By 1979 her name was inked over. In 1980 the whole tattoo was covered with a snake and rose. In 2011 that tattoo was covered up with a big peony. I think it is now covered up enough.

I'd hope that the 'pit is better than the white meat under the upper arm. I had 2 tattoos done last year, bouncing back and forth between the 2 arms. If the 'pit is anything like the under arm, I'll pass on it. I had the top of my right foot done last night, not at all painful. I was expecting it to be worse.

I had this done last night on my foot. Surprised the pain was quite tolerable. I was medicated but not that much. We breezed right through it in 2 hours flat. I went to bed that night and then it was painful and took something for pain. Today only surface swelling and it feels pretty good. I'm staying in for the next few days to give it time to heal.

I had wanted chest tattoos for a long time, which got me into the gym again. Can't slap a tattoo on a weak chest can we? I had to wait a while but it was worth it. My chest tattoos were done in 2010. In 2004 I was at the point where I had 5 tattoos that were old and I would hide them from others. Then I learned that old work could be freshened up and new work could be added around it... or covered up! So I'm sort of reborn in a colorful way. I'm also reconnected to the art itself. I have a new appreciation for oriental art as well as other styles of tattooing. And I've met some great artists along the way.