bongsau

^ very cool design!

Just got this croakin' hypercolour lizard yesterday: by Teddy Kardos IG: teddytattoos Teddy is doing a guest spot at Shades of Grey in Edmonton, AB. He works in Newcombes Ink in Halifax, NS under King Len Langille. He is also the lucky(?) bastard that wears the infamous full torso reaper made by OllieXXX. We had a great time doing this technicolour bearded drago! Stay tuned for next week...I have a 9am hallowe'en appointment to get a pretty epic neck/collarbone piece hehe (!!!). Saw the sketch this morning and WOW I am pumped. Very exciting month tattoo-wise for me.

Let's see some posts of your lil bug tattoos! by Bryan Turnbull IG is "bryanjturnbull" I walked in with the intent to get a mini sailor jerry-esque fly but on a whim switched it to a preying mantis when i walked through the door of the shop (re: good decision making lol). My smallest tattoo to date. Makes me laugh everytime I see it because everything around it is so big lol...it's on my rib cage, right in that brutal spot a couple inches down from the armpit. This lil filler fella is pretty crunchy right now...one of the hardest heals I've had so far. . The tattoo was completed entirely with a liner and was completed in half the time it took to setup the damn machine lol. I think I'm going to get a couple more bugs to fill in some gaps because this one makes me laugh everytime I see his big ass bug eyes. - - - Updated - - - beware...of the dreaded miniature karate mantis !!!

My smallest tattoo to date. This lil kung fu mantis is about the size of a loonie (that is a dollar coin in canaduh eh). Tattoo by Bryan Turnbull (from Gov Street Tattoo, Victoria BC) and was made at Shades of Grey Tattoo in Edmonton, AB during his recent guest spot visit. God damn this tiny zapper makes me laugh DON'T BUG ME EH

I'm 2 hours away from getting my smallest tattoo to date. I've never got a tattoo in the past 10 years that I will be charged the shop minimum. This will be hilarious...stay tuned ;)

so, the beauracrats want to impose legislation to shield people from regret. good grief. ~slow round of applause~

Just got back from honeymoonin' on Vancouver Island. :cool: We wanted to get some honeymoon tattoos and a we were thinking of getting cute little hummingbirds although we did have a running joke of getting "spirit eagle" tattoos on the drive out to the island. Then one night my wife says "YEAH let's get eagle tattoos, that would be more bad ass than a cute little hummingbird!" RIGHT?!? Can I get a HELL YEEEAH! As fate would have it, we passed a Birds of Prey sanctuary on the way in to Victoria and met this bad ass dude named Manwe who solidified the plan: We got some super-legit tattoo work at Government Street Tattoos in Victoria, BC. We called the shop they said come on down and let's chat, BOOM how does tomorrow at 10AM sound. Seriously such an awesome experience getting a tattoo from Chris David in this shop. So stoked on the results: Hers: Mine: I'm super stoked on the placement and design of my latest and greatest tattoo. THUMBS UP On deck for this winter (tattoo season)...getting a piece on the opposite shoulder/neck and starting the back piece. BOOSH

Getting psyched! As fate may have it, I may be getting started on my turtle shell next month...looking forward to it (not looking forward to it) and making a contribution to this epic thread!

Like Three 6 Mafia or Trinity Garden Cartel...slow and low, havin laughs while getting bruised up on the table

American Me movie soundtrack was one of the best things I've ever listened to while getting work done. I tend to dislike when they are blaring new school metal/hardcore in a shop. How the hell am I supposed to relax with this angry music screachin in the background eh! Getting my thigh tattooed I think they listened to a Madball album 4 times in a row this one time. I mean I love Madball as much as the next coolguy but c'mon! Put on some cool jazz or party rap maaaaan

If I were able to reset and do it all over again...it wouldn't be a tattoo to me ;) A tattoo is permanent and that is one of the most appealing aspects to me.

On the topic of semantics Is it "tattoo artiste" or "tattooer" or "tattooist" or "my buddy who does tatts"?

Just ordered myself a copy. My tattooer told me a story about a convention he was at where the power tripped out in the last hours. Many people left with unfinished tattoos...except Mr. Stell's client. Apparently Mr. Stell spliced a USB cable and ran his machine off of a laptop battery to get the piece done. Super cool story :) Get well soon Mr. Stell!

Got my belly filled up inna wild style by OllieXXX @ Lucky Strike Tattoo in Edmonton, AB Canada. En joy :)

Saint Christopher is considered the patron saint of travellers. My grandfather had a Saint Christopher medallion which he wore throughout WWII (including getting shot down and parachuting out of a flaming lancaster and evading the gestapo with the help of the Danish underground, but that is another story.). The medallion got passed down to me which I wore instinctively at all times and felt safe or protected by it. My other grandfather and my parents always had a Saint Christopher statuette on the dash of their vehicles. They all believed that it protected them from the dangers of the road because the one time the statuette was not in the car was the one and only time each of them ended up in severe car accidents. My first tattoo was of Saint Christopher. May 6, 2003 to be exact. Hours later I am leaving the tattoo shop all bandaged up. A friend of a friend picks us up. 2 blocks from the tattoo shop, some dude runs a stop sign and T-bones the car on the passenger side. Nobody was injured thankfully but the car was a write-off. To this day I can't settle on whether that post-first-tattoo car accident was either a) God punishing me for getting the tattoo of a religious icon OR b) Saint Christopher protecting me from serious injury. It still haunts me. But at least I got some fodder for the story of my first tattoo :)

My belly tiger looks like battlecat took a hit of rainbow coloured acid and stuck his tongue in the electrical socket...i love it!

SWET LEAF

Back of the knee is still THE worst. Below the belt, framing the jock...runnerup for THE worst. Glad that's done!

I shave (or at least buzz down) the area to be tattooed. My tattooers seem to appreciate it. I didn't have time once before a belly session. My homeboy just shrugged his shoulders and handed me the razor and he manned the spray lol. We had a good laugh. Suggestion: if you are getting the area between your belly button and diack worked on, tame your pubes and wear clean underwear.

Three 6 Mafia, exclusively, when getting work done by my main dude. Nothing like ignorant party rap to get you in the fun zone lol. True story (cool story bro) Most notable albums I've listened to during sessions have been Mastadon "Leviathan", American Me soundtrack and the Dickies "Killer Klowns EP". Those sounds really stuck with me and the connection between those albums and those tattoo experiences are still very vivid in my memory. I recall a classic metal radio station blaring when I had my chest done. Finished the tattoo and rang in my 100th hour of tattoo with Damage Inc by Metallica. That was a religious experience to say the least. I'd be really into listening to Coltrane or Dvorak while getting tattooed, but I have yet to find that in a tattoo shop. What's up with metalcore blaring from the majority of tattoo shops I go into. I mean I love madball too but hearing the same album 4 times in a row while getting a sensitive area tattooed is annoying.

Well, I'm on track now for Phase I of my upcoming backpiece. Reconnected with a local tattooer who did my first tattoo 10 years ago (as well as a rib piece and a sleeve). He was enthusiastic about taking on a backpiece project for me next winter and we've planted the seed. Will be getting traced out soon. Saved up money for the first 2 sessions. Starting laser hair removal next week. I know - gross - but I figure I gotta get the back bush whacked if I'm going to commit to a backpiece. Is this a normal thing? Give me a break, I'm half Sicilian! Updates in 2014 haha!

Ah tattoo anxiety! At this point any anxiety I experience comes from avoiding using up valuable real estate prematurely. Example, I had some anxiety about before a recent session. I overestimated the amount of space in my lower torso and thought I could sneak in a weird illustration tattoo (from a different artist, very different than all my other work) above my crotch. I ended up just filling the whole lower torso area with 2 giant traditional roses and cancelling the weird crotch tattoo. I feel a lot better about the area now that it is filled in and am relieved that I kept it really simple. Any blues or anxiety usually stems from trying to be clever or too detailed instead of just going simple and bold. The in-progress unfinished tattoo can be deceptive. Don't let your anxiety get ahead of you.

i agree...9 hours? I'm laughing at the headline...elaborate? More like complicated hodgepodge. But sick bear claw brah

LOL can't wait until my appointment at the end of the month. Right across the pubes and down the sides, getting my jackhammer framed with a really bizarre illustration. My lady already hates the idea /LOL - - - Updated - - - ...and yes I will post pics with sock on the cock

mermaids? where are the mermen? ~cue posting of giant merman backpiece with the dicks~