bongsau

The tattoo is yours now...own it! and feel good about it, feel like the bad ass you did a few days ago. Looks like your tattoo still has some unfinished spots to fill in but overall looks ok. Once you fill in that hot fire it can change the contrast, change the way the tattoo looks overall and change the way you feel about it. What I'm trying to say...Don't stress! You're experiencing some post-tattoo anxiety. It's normal in the days after, after you crash from the excitement, endorphins, the rush of finally getting that tattoo you've been wanting to make happen. Right now you are so focused on that new tattoo. Get your head out of the details and let the tattoo just be, there is no such thing as the perfect tattoo, the imperfections is what makes a tattoo ours. If you really like tattoos and want to get into it, get a few more. You may be surprised how it changes your perception. Start a piece to balance out on the other arm or put a few small ones elsewhere. You are a blank canvas! Or if this experience really didn't do it for ya, maybe tattoos are not for you. And that's ok too. - - - Updated - - - You want to talk about post-tattoo anxiety!...check out the hot stuff tattoo in my gallery. It was spontaneous and was hilarious in the moment. Until I got home and took off the bandage and had that omg what have i done moment. My heart sank, I just felt awful about it, about how careless I was. My wife still hates it (lol). It is pretty ridiculous and kind of looks like a ding-dong...but after i let the tattoo "just be" for a few weeks a few months, I embraced it. It's just so silly and ugly and I just love it for that. It makes people cringe, like what the hell maan! It makes me laugh and reminds me that sometimes you need to embrace spontaneity and not give a shit! Embrace the imperfect. It wasn't a bad decision. It was just a decision that left a mark. And the essence of that makes Hot Stuff more important than some of my more carefully planned out works. In the end, a tattoo is just a tattoo. And that's what I love about this whole mess we've all gotten ourselves into ;)

@Tornado6 sending some positive vibes, from this internet stranger. My little brother has been going through the exact same thing for a couple years. It hurts to watch a young man not get to enjoy being a young man because of bullshit health issues and runarounds from specialists. But he has a good attitude about a "shitty" thing. And myself with a mild/med case of the Crohns. Drinking hot water religiously and meditation has helped both of us deal with our conditions. So important to keep the body relax as the stress has a big impact on the condition. We've learned to identify our stress triggers and biofeedback. In fact, I've found tattooing, although painful, has helped me deal. I got my stomach tattooed around the same time my condition was at it's worst. Stomach is nasty to tattoo, but the pain is trivial compared to what you are going through. The tattooing helps me focus, helps me breathe, helps me learn to relax under the stress. And there is something quite profound about watching/feeling your body heal afterwards, internally and externally. It gives me hope and confidence that my body can heal itself. Best wishes - - - Updated - - - ------- Shitty things I've being doing recently...watching the final season of Sons of Anarchy (lol). THE BRO FLIES STRAIGHT A PERFECT LINE (all the lolz)

I was very fortunate, my first tattoo was made very well and started me out on the right track. It is a black/grey St.Christopher with a colourful background of clouds and water to cap the top of my shoulder, which is now tied in to adjoining pieces. I had a couple of pals with a few nice tattoos who told me not to screw around. Just book an appointment with this dude named Steve (TheGangOfOne). Appointment was scheduled months in advance for the week in between finishing university and my 23rd birthday. I remember nervously asking Steve to redraw a couple times which he obliged ("look kid, I'm not drawing the Last Supper. You want a tattoo today or not?"). It was a very positive experience, except for the car accident on the way home aftewards (ironic for a St.Christopher tattoo perhaps)! When I asked how the tattoo would fade over time he told me tattoos look better as they age. I was puzzled. He said to come visit him in ten years and tell him otherwise. Eleven years later...he started my backpiece for me last week, the last puzzle piece! And i still get a lot of compliments on the blue ink, holding strong, really rich colour. I just smile and say the tattoo is a decade old.

Fucked Up - Glass Boys (slow version!) Long Knife - Meditations on Self Destruction https://soundcloud.com/noisey/sets/long-knife-meditations-on-self-destruction No Problem - We're Already Dead We're Already Dead | deranged records SLATES - Taiga Taiga | SLATES Ben Disaster - See You Next Spring SEE YOU NEXT SPRING | Ben Disaster Sleaford Mods - Divide and Exit http://sleafordmods.bandcamp.com/ Chronixx - Dread N Terrible "...and Guardians of the Galaxy - Awesome Mixtape #1 Soundtrack

You could call it a rule, or you could call it a design principle - so the tattoo flow looks right. If the head faces backwards, the tattoo will always be in conflict with the wearer, moving opposite to the body. Rules are meant to be broken! But if you are breaking more rules (or principles) than you are following you lose a lot of the focus on the piece. That being said, I have a tattoo where the head of a dive bombing eagle faces backwards, but the momentum and body of the eagle fits with the flow of the body with the placement. I think it works in the context of my surrounding tattoo works and also on its own.) To the OP, if you put the beak on the shoulder, the body of the crow will remain static and the beak may twist awkwardly with the arm. It may look distorted if the design and placement isn't correct. But if you find a legit artist, they can tell what they can make work and (hopefully) will make your crow design look like it was always meant to be there on your body. The tattoo becomes part of you. Tattoos need to look good on their own, but more importantly tattoos (and placement) need to look good on the wearer, to flow with the body and move through life. ---- ps...and trust me, after you get a bunch of rad tattoos on your chest/back/torso, you'll be going shirtless more often than you'll care to admit! haha

I can relate, I feel ya My parents reaction to my first tattoo was OMG why why why...it's so big...why did you do that to your body... Then I got some bigger hidden pieces. I never disclosed because they clearly were not interested in acknowledging the big pink (well, purple, blue, battleship grey, etc) elephant in the room Then I got both arms done. And some legs. I wore long sleeves and pants to family dinners for years after the fact...then eventually my parents said, look, we don't really like or understand tattoos but we know they are obviously important to you. And we don't want you to feel uncomfortable when you come visit the family, you are loved and accepted. So please know you can wear a short sleeve shirt and shorts when it is summertime and be comfortable with us. You are our son and we love you, regardless. What I'm trying to say...your parents love you. And hopefully they come around. Change in perception can take time. And mom and dad did come around...after 10 years. I came home from a trip with a screaming eagle on my neck. They weren't that shocked which actually was super-weird! But then we finally had a conversation where they gave me an opportunity to open up briefly...about why and what tattoos give to my life, what it means in my heart, the confidence in my body Why your neck?! Well, easy mom n dad! because there is no space anywhere else! But until they do...remember your tattoos they are about YOU and they are to worn with your CONFIDENCE. Own it! So don't waste your energy trying to convince your parents, family, whichever people that aren't genuinely interested. That's their friggin' problem, not yours. Good luck :) about your Mom...Moms don't like seeing their kids in pain, which is all my mom could see in my tattoos. Pain. Until I talked to her. Open from the heart. Then my mom saw them as colourful and beautiful. The pictures on our skin are a reflection of what's inside us and where we have been. So talk to your Mom openly. Tell her all the positive things the tattoos have given you. And in time, let's hope your mom/family can drop the negativity and have an open-mind, to accept you and accept the things that are important to you. In the meantime, remember - your tattooed skin is thick and colourful now. don't let the negative vibes stick to you. Tattoos are temporary...and so is life :)

I saw a Mike Roper backpiece yesterday, a golden dragon, in the flesh. WOW just WOW

Ah, happy to announce I've joined the dedicated crew here...started by backpiece yesterday! Lined in from shoulders to back of knee. Some long line pulls and wow the bottom of the ass cheek wow that is advanced level tattoo. Thank you to the LST crew here for sharing your backpiece experiences, I felt it helped me be prepared for this important session. Sat for 3~4 hours and it was one of the most comfortable tattoo sessions I've ever had. My feet were totally relaxed the whole time. Very cool to reconnect with my tattooer. He did my first in 2003, a rib dragon in 2005 and my crane arm in 2007. Full circle, especially when this back tattoo connects to his older work. Tattoo is being made by Steve Batt (TheGangOfOne) in Edmonton, AB. We are doing a Shaolin kung fu monk with rocks, waterfall, cloud swirls. (You'll have to forgive me, I'm not quite ready to post up pics for the general public, and i don't want my tattooed ass to "break the internet".) This tattoo is the missing puzzle piece...all my tattoos neck to ankle are now connected! :) Feels great, my back is tie-ing everything together, and I've reached the bodysuit zone after 11 years, like I'm walking around wearing armour. But really this is just the start...gonna get going on black and colour in the new year and see what kind of rapid progress we can make.

Amazing! Thanks for posting this video, I've been trying to find info on Jimmy Ho for several years now and this filled in the gaps. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/5823-jimmy-ho-tattoo.html

finally got the word, i'm starting my turtleback next week. pretty excited, been trying to align this tattoo for 2 years. the best part is that the back is really the last major piece of real estate i have open, so it will be cool to see everything start blending together as i enter the bodysuit club booya!

First tattoo... - commits to wait until he has his life pointed in the right direction - gets a massive black panther, simple bold classic design - bonus points for a TEAROUT! - does a heavyweight sit to pop his tattoo cherry - great idea to expand down the leg in the future Someone get this dude a trophy! well done and welcome

I get tattooed...and while getting tattoo I have conversations with my tattooer about stuff like this. The more you get into it, the more some of your tattooers will open up to you. Word of mouth, that's how! It keeps tattooing mysterious :cool: I was getting tattooed once...and this gentleman in his sixties, and older local tattooer came into the shop to shoot the breeze with the boys. He always has a briefcase with him with old classic money-maker flash from the 70s, 80s, 90s...old tattoo memorabilia ...I got to see this old heavy sailor tattoo machine the size of handgun. Stories about Lyle Tuttle, Sailor Jerry Swallow...You hang out, you hang around and sometimes life will surprise you with some stories, lessons and more mystery. Welcome bud!

You can't compare a medical procedure with getting a tattoo. ...and I will add...I had my tonsils taken out (as an adult). And I would re-tattoo my stomach w/ no painkillers over the 2 week post-tonsillectomy healing period with painkillers, any day of the week !!! Now I've tried a bunch of things to take the edge...somebody called me the Hunter S Thompson of tattoo clients (LOL) for my investigative work earlier in this thread (in the name of science!). But shit that's just bactine, nyquil, pot cookies and booze. I've never tried the numbing cream that makes you feel like your wearing a leather jacket. Maybe I will try that when I finally get going on (the ass section of) my backpiece. Or maybe I won't because I want to feel every second of that fiery fury that I've heard about (thank you LST). But I haven't even heard of half the pill cocktails people are talking about here. I can understand if people want to medicate/numb to push through long or back-to-back sessions, party on your ribs or knee ditch. More power to you. But if you need to default to numbing cream and a handful of pills to get a 2 hour banger on the side of your neck, c'mon. This is tattoo! My point is if you are that scared about the pain or can't take it, maybe reconsider why you want to go through with that tattoo in the first place...tattooing isn't for everyone, but holy shit this new age is using every trick in the book to make it accessible for everyone. You don't need to be a hero...but you also don't need to be a pussy ! To each their own. Maybe I'm being a bit brash. My $0.02 /flameon - - - Updated - - - I may have got into this tattoo mess much later than you Mick, but I couldn't agree more! - - - Updated - - - 7 hour session is NOTHING to feel shame about, that's a mega-sit :) You are bang on @Swifty - we the people, we love tattoos. And people will do whatever it takes to get what they love. peace

^THIS

yikes dude it looks like you got carved up pretty badly. looks like buddy went deep (scarring/scabs) on the darker bits and not deep enough on the lighter reds. just my observation from the scabbing and where you can see ink has fallen out. but what do i know, i'm just a guy on the internet. i would let it heal dry and not use anymore moisturizer on it. definately followup with your tattooer and/or your doctor. allergy meds like benadryl or claritin might offer some immediate relief IF it is some sort of reaction. at this point there's not much you can do aside from being patient for several months while your body heals this mess completely and assess how deep the scarring is. you can likely get it covered up with a proper rose tattoo...next time get a bold outline.

god damn right that is a proper tattoo !

We're Already Dead | deranged records NO PROBLEM are my best buds, the only band I truly care about these days Xp ...that being said I'm picking up what the lot of ya are putting down in this thread, cheers!

don't lean on your elbow! if you are going to dry heal, just be aware of your elbow throughout the day. if your elbow gets super dry and you are moving your arm a lot it is going to crack. Crack will scab. Scab might pull some colour out. your arm looks like you've healed a bunch of other tattoos just fine...so what are you worried about? don't overthink it, that tattoo ink isn't going anywhere ;p nice tattoos btw

welcome a tattoo can be of anything and still mean something, whatever you want it to symbolise. or it doesn't have to mean anything at all. doesn't have to be literal. my tattoos mean something different to me everyday. the meaning may be the same or different from when i first got them. but the context of the meaning can transform over time, just like we do, as we go through life. suggestions? get a fierce tiger on your chest, that tiger can easily represent "hostility often stem from yourself" when you look at the tattoo and yourself everyday in the mirror...but to the rest of the world, it's just a tiger tattoo.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-oom-oom-oom Oom-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-a-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow Papa-oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow Well, don't you know about the bird Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word surfin' bird made by King Len kinglentattoos.com

^ was just going to mention this. this is a medical tattoo consisting of a couple of dot-marks. Versus tattoo-work that could cover a bigger surface area of skin. I joked with my Mom about hers, suggesting she get a panther coverup after the treatment. She rolled her eyes and said the tattoo hurt! And couldn't understand why/how I could have gone through so much. <3 Really, talk to a doctor to understand the implications on the immune system and complications that a tattoo (i.e. putting stress on a compromised immune system) may create.

Tattoo experiences have got me into some cool music: Mastadon, The Dickies, Three 6 Mafia, American Me (soundtrack). But most importantly tattoos are teaching me how to own it, how to be confident being my own god damn self !

There is a time and place for both. I've had experiences with stencil, sharpie-on-the-skin and various combinations. But regardless, a tattoo will always look a little different once in the skin. I have a polka dot dragon by a fellow named Scott Rusnak. He stencilled the overall layout of the dragon but did all the polka dot scale circles direct on with the machine. It was nuts. The sharpie-on approach works well with for another one of my tattooers. We have a good tattoo-trust built where we both feel comfortable with him using the sharpie-on method on me. It makes for a different type of tattoo-experience and excitement. I still have the stencil for my L arm, it's 1 complete, huge, wrapping stencil. Blows my mind how perfect I feel all the elements of the tattoo land on the skin and body contours. This tattooer in particular is a stencil monster and everytime I smell speedstick original I think of that particular perfect stencil experience. Stencil placement...that is a fine art on it's own!

The "Modern Rock" radio station that did this "contest" is exactly what you would expect. I think a few years previous somebody got a Edmonton Oilers stanley cup champions backpiece for a similar "tough guy" contest. EH Let's Go Edmonton haha The tattooer is Miles Kanne in his younger days! He now works at Steveston Tattoo on the west coast (Canada) and is one hell of a dude! Lucky Strike is still around in Edmonton and a really fun shop to get work from/in.

who said they were only for the gals? "