AlannaCA

I downloaded the app about a week ago and at first i didnt like it. i would have just preferred to wait to go on my computer to access the forum. i have since spent a little bit more time checking it out and its kinda cool. its very simple and plainly set up with no graphics so that it runs very fast. it shows you with different coloured bubbles where someone has posted to so you can go straight there. sadly there is no option to "like" a post, or if there is i havent found it yet even though i think ive checked it out pretty throughly! overall yes its a great app and worth the $1.99.

I did end up buying the book! It's amazing and well worth the money I spent on it. At the time when I wrote that post I was trying to be a responsible adult and pay off my debts first. After months of not buying myself anything I treated myself to a new book! I am really really looking forward to that second volume!!

hi all, I just thought of asking now but i recomended Chrismoniz to join and he did and he introduced himself and has posted a total of 9 times so far. i wasnt intending on participating in the contest but i guess since chris did end up joining, i was wondering if i could be added into the contest. is it too late because he didnt use my refernece link/#?

Pat, thank you so much for writing that comment, it was such a surprise and so nice to read! haha you wrote that comment about the sentence i started with and i knew, i just knew it would cause some people to think that or to skip over my little story but it still plays a part in my little history, so it has to be said, lol!! the little tattoo that i got is only my third and one that has no meaning what so ever, i got it because i liked it and it was so refreshing! Robin thats a good idea, im really enjoying the book so far and it would be really cool to meet Jon!

hi andrea and welcome! what an impresive list! i really hope that you post some pictures(if your comfortable), im sure Dari and i are not the only ones wanting to see!

Now, i dont know a wide variety of artists but im learning! I know he was mentioned already at the top of this page but i really really like the panthers that Nick Colella does. the way he does the facial features and the body(the way the back curves), its all amazing! i dont have pictures but while he was in Toronto at the beginning of May he did a couple on the a few members of the Speakeasy team. i got to see one of them in person and it was B-E-A-U-tiful!! lol after getting my little A. Dietzel piece i alomst wanted to stay to get my own panther!

I only discovered post secret about a year ago and i have to say that every time i get the chance to read one of the books( i dont own any) i find i feel really comforted, at peace and when i finally put the book down feeling kind of illuminated. Robin thank you so much for writing that! i think you are so brave and couragous for sharing! it doesnt matter that you've written it on here in this place, you never know whose going to stumble upon it just when they need that pick me up. i wish i possesed the fulidity with which you and some other members on here have!

Up until this point i didnt have a prefered method of tattoo care but this third time around i did the same thing i did after my second tattoo. i left the bandage on over night and washed it was warm/hot water and unscented soap. made sure it was nice and clean. i was using an Olay unscented lotion but found that the peeling, dryness just wasnt getting better. then i remembered what unlikeyourown and kevincampbell said about the Aveeno cream and ran over to my drug store to pick some up. Bam! fixed it right up like magic!

thanks for the response Robin! im pretty sure i do/did pretty close to what you described (counting/tipping wise) above. i feel your embarasment but lizzie seems like a forgiving person and as long as you laughed about it after, thats all that matters. as for what i got from Nick it was a piece of flash from the Amund Dietzel book These old Blue Arms. its a sparrow and horseshoe design and as soon as its fully healed i'll put up a picture, im so very very please with it!! hahaha i was really blown away by how fast he powered through it. that hour and a bit passed by in a snap!

Hi Chris, i hope you enjoy the forum, there are really interesting subjects and conversations on here. not to mention the long list of amazing artists on here from all over the world! so happy to see you joined!

this also reminds me of something that my co-worker said. she mentioned that when it comes time to pay it gets weird, like its a "sore subject" were her words. people try to haggle and not pay for the service they just recieved. i would never haggle, its just plain rude! after my most recent appointment with Nick he finished up told me how much i owed and naturally i gathered my stuff and went downstairs to the front desk to pay. he walked down after me and told me the finally amount again and so i paid him directly, then tipped him. I was thinking after that i hope he wasnt thinking i was going to walk out on him and not pay him, cause id never think it at that moment! this was me first appointment with a guest at lizzies shop and so i did what i did the last 2 times i was there for a tattoo which was walk to the front desk. i counted my money out in the open and then tipped him after. Was i too open? should i have kept my payment / tip on the D.L.? i tend to be a little nonchalant when it comes to paying for different services. should i have put it in a little envelope, would that have been better? clearly the gears in my brain are working overtime and i might be overthinking this.

wow i havent been on this thread in a while!! im really glad to hear you found the information really helpful! I was hoping people would answer with out of the box responses and there is great feedback!

i try to never show up empty handed!!

i def start at 20% and if i have extra cash i will give more especially if i had a good time. hahaha i was just thinking about the time i found out about tipping your artist. i was talking to our bar girl and she has ome symbols on her arms and i asked how much she paid (hourly or set price) she said $80 plus tip......i was like what!!! you tip your artist thats so nice! then i double checked with my chef friend and she said always tip at least $20+ per hour. DONT FORGET!! lol flash back of how nieve i was/am!!!

welcome Sleevetd! there are really great people on this forum and all the best with your soon to be first tattoo. what are you getting?

KEV- best thing ive read toady! Ive been watching the tattoo shows on tv probably since i was seventeen and just was in awe of what was being done. i loved the finished piece and the bright colors or bold black on beautiful skin. fast forward to my current job where i started working with my now friend who has some beautiful pieces on her arms by some great Toronto artists. i had to stop myself from staring. i was mesmerized! i wanted a change in my life and i wanted to do something that seemed "dangerous" and i decided that getting a tattoo was the right thing to do. my co-worker told me about lizzie and i heard about LST from her. i have learned so much from this site and seen mind blowing stuff. i've recently fallen in love with Amund Dietzel's work and life. just last week Nick Collela was in Toronto at Speakeasy and i got my third piece from him. a sparrow and horseshoe design from the book about Amund by Jon Reiter. i love it! *smiling from ear to ear*

I wonder if Frankie D knew what he was getting himself into when he asked that question on this site? hahaha lol

This is an awesome article written this week on the best tattoo shops in Toronto. Just in case some of you LSTers wanted to come visit us up north!! :) The Best Tattoo Parlours in Toronto pay special attention to #8!! ;) Below is just a little bit to tease you! (click the link to read more and see pictures!) The Best Tattoo Parlours in Toronto Posted by Ryan Bolton / May 12, 2011 33 Comments The best tattoo parlours in Toronto are varied. Different clienteles, histories, techniques et al. But they all have one thing in common -- they're well revered by Toronto's tattooed community, which is to say, well, just about everyone, including the suits. I have tattoos, you have tattoos, we all have tattoos. And with a glut of shops popping up just about everywhere in the city -- every two steps along Queen St. for damned sure -- it's a good idea to make sure you're getting ink from a shop that has a bit of a reputation for, say, quality. Let's stay away from that guy's basement apartment (read: scratcher shop). Like everyone says, it's going to be on you for a long time (read: life). And although sometimes it's fun to strike when the inspiration is hot, most people (read: those that aren't inebriated) like to put some thought into their pieces. Reasonable enough. Here's a list of Toronto's best tattoo parlours in Toronto. Pearl Harbor Gift Shop These guys do it right. They hold onto the traditions of tattooing, are respectful, have a drop-dead gorgeous shop in Kensington, and, what do you know, do really freakin’ good tattoos. They take pride in working directly with the client on each piece. It also helps that Toronto’s legendary Bill Baker runs the place with Daniel Innes. In summation - it’s a solid shop. More » Passage Tattoo Parlour One of the city’s best (and most hidden) tattoo shops. Built over the years on a solid word-of-mouth reputation, Passage simply does brilliant custom work. As custom tattoos are beginning to become the norm for a lot of customers, these guys will take what you want and give you the best possible version. And they’re all nice as hell. More » Archive Tattoo Studio Having only officially been around since 2008, David Glantz’s shop has built up quite the hype. Doing 100% original tattoos, Archive strives to have a connection with the client. They want to feel you out and what you’re into before putting tattoo machine to skin. And for a lot of people, that’s good peace of mind. No matter, the tattoos that come out of this place are pretty damn impressive. More » Imperial Tattoo With a handful of artists, Imperial Tattoo has someone for just about every style – realism, illustration, Japanese, traditional, colour, Celtic. Holed up in a clean, open-concept loft space at Ossington and Queen, Imperial also houses Ronan Gibney, considered to be one of the city’s top tattoo artists. That never hurts your reputation. More » Seven Crowns Tattoo Most people, me included, just straight up like co-owners Matthew Ellis and George Brown. They’re nice dudes with antiquated style when it comes to decor. Carving out their own terrain all alone up at Yonge and Eg, Seven Crowns is known for their custom work. And like most of the city’s top tattoo shops, they are pretty much hidden. They are sought out because of their work, like a good shop should be. More » Tat-A-Rama Tattoo Shop Here’s Toronto’s classic street shop with all the history. Found in Etobicoke (yeah, seriously, far west end), this little shop in a mini-mall has had some of the city’s most acclaimed tattoo artist put in at least a stint at Tat-A-Rama. Most got their start here. That says a lot about the shop’s owner, Eugene, who has been at the helm for the past 18 years. More » TCB Tattoos Here’s a street shop that gets it right. With people constantly coming and going and an open atmosphere between tattoo stations, TCB is built on community. Splashed with art and colours everywhere you look, these guys service everyone from businessmen to college kids to day labourers. And with six artists and an apprentice, TCB has a lot of capacity. More » Speakeasy Tattoo Albeit a relatively new shop, Speakeasy is drenched in tradition. It’s a classic-styled tattoo shop that holds onto the respect that comes with tattoo culture. Lizzie Renaud, the shop’s owner, has tattooed around the world, which translates into bringing what she’s learned and seen overseas to the shop. They also have a fluffly Pomeranian named Wilma if that counts for anything. More » New Tribe Tattoo With a prime location downtown (across from MuchMusic), New Tribe has a steady passerby clientele always popping in. Doing it all – tattoos, piercings and even haircuts – New Tribe is known for always putting out a solid tattoo. This monster of a shop (it rings in at 4,000 sq. ft.) is built for the masses. You want to get a solid piercing or tat after seeing Katy Perry at Much? No problem. More »

thats so awesome! congrats on the one year anniversary!!

i love this thread becasue i really learned something! i was thinking you had to fill in every negative space or else it was almost llike it would be incomplete. i was not thinking about how it would age and what it would look like. the legs are pretty amazing and what everyone has said totally changed how i was thinking.

DO IT!!! LOL come on Robin!! come to Toronto and get a Deno tattoo! if it means anything to you, when you come(even if its not for deno) i will treat you to dinner! sorry i just got really excited at the thought of someone from LST coming to Toronto! hahaha let us know if you ever come our way!!

so it was one evening and i was sitting watching a new show that i PVR'd called Oddities on the Discovery Channel. anyone heard of it or watched it?? well its about 20 minutes into the episode and this guy shows up in the shop to sell his wax anatomy figure and right away i recognize the guy and im 90% sure that its Bailey Hunter Robinson. so i looked online and found ablog that did indeed confirm that it was him on the show. i was very surprised at myself for recognizing him because i usually do not catch those things. they go right over my head! i've only ever seen him on the True Love videos. well before i was set to write this entry i wanted to find the episode online and include a link but i checked all of my sources and i couldn't even find one clip! so just in case someone else is interested in watching this clip look for Oddities: episode 4 Skull Envy maybe if you live in the states it might be easier to find a playable clip!

thats sounds pretty cool! i think the artists should have the choice of having a personalized watermark. when there is a large watermark in the middle of the photo it really does take away from the picture and i almost loose interest in the image because it makes it more difficult to make out whats in the picture. maybe i have ADD and i get distrated easily.

hes going to be in Toronto in september at Lizzies shop Speakeasy! his artwork is pretty sweeeeet!!