joakim urma

Considering the relatively small size, I will have to say the armpit is my least favorite spot so far. Worse than back of the heel, back of the knee, ribs, lower belly, top of the foot and on par with the worst parts of a back piece painwise. The thing that really does it is how the skin is not really meant for tattooing (as opposed to the skin on the rest of the human body that evolved over millenia with the specific goal of getting tattooed...) All the hair follicles, how spongy the skin gets there, and the fact that the artist has to work in a hole that you are trying to strech flat to the best of your ability , makes the process take so much more time than you would have thought. The guy who did the tattoo said he could have made something three times as big in any other spot during the same amount of time. You get _really_ sore while the machine just keeps grinding the same spots. On top of that you are bending and lying in the most uncomfortable position for extended periods of time. Don't do it unless you are stupid. Now I will have to get my other pit done too... (Bonus: I didn't consider it at the time but when talking to my "regular artist" he told me that the armpit is one of those scary places to get tattooed where you have a lot of nerve endings and pretty sensitive biomechanisms lying right under the skin. Basically, if you are not careful, you are jacking ink straight into that and it could cause some problems. The guy who did his foot way back messed up and now he still gets small electric sensations whenever he puts on his socks.)

@polliwog Yeah it's Guy. They started that with tattooing the lines and some of the black over the course of three consecutive days. Guy tattoos smaller pieces with opened 8 liner needles, and I think the lines on her back might be even wider. To get it in properly he goes really slow. You can see in the pictures the piece I have on my lower abdomen. I was surprised by how long it took to get all that ink in. I can only imagine the brutality of having the spine, ribs and ass tattooed over the course of a week end. Hats off to Céline for being mentally strong and braving that!

Dark clouds and lightning bolts complements eachother so well! I would love to see a simple theme like that being given to tattooers with really energetic styles and see what they come up with. Of the top of my head I think Daniele Hoang, El Monga, Troy Denning, Javi Castano and Michael Aul would make very cool and distinct tattoos based on the idea.

I think it's really good, as some people all ready have said, to always write your budget in the e-mail you send to set up appointments (or if you do it over phone/irl) It helps everyone to be clear from the begining. Usually I give a range, for example 300-450 euro and then the tattooer knows he/she can make the tattoo in different sizes or levels of detail depending what they think is best. If you give a set amount, maybe some people will want to size up or over-fancyfy your tattoo in order to do as much work, while a smaller, more simple tattoo could have been better.

Some very interesting tips in this thread. Thanks for sharing! The ones in English that I listen to regularly: - Entheogen: three guys talking about subjects such as psychoactive drugs, spirituality, meditation, philosophy, mental health. Sometimes with guests, most often themed episodes around differenct concepts. - The Joe Rogan Experience: first I was allergic to him and his voice but now I can't stop listening. He gets some really cool guests and makes long episodes discussing different subjects. - Dan Carlins Hardcore History: Long episodes about historical events or periods of history. Brings a lot of sociology and politics into it too. Sometimes he makes multi episode stories. 12 hours about Djingis Khan or the Luteran reformation, great stuff. - Why are poeple into that?: podcast on sexuality in all it's different forms. Interesting discussions with guests. The host Tina Horn is an actor and producer of queer erotica.

Just landed a "normal" position at my work! I've never had a stable job in my life (except for a 5 week career as a co-chef last year). For the past three years I've had the type of contract where I'd work anywhere from 0 - 150% of full time, depending on how much staff is needed and how much they would call me. After summer I'll finally have a fixed schedule for 67%, about 100 hours a month. So very, very nice to be able to plan my life the way I want it (around my working hours) instead of being at their mercy and let sudden phone calls reschedule whatever else is at hand. I had a meeting with my boss about two hours ago and now it's begining to sink in how this will change my day to day life. (Bonus: most probably I'll be able to switch up to a full time position and a better schedule too, in october)

Who needs the sun anyway? Just stay away from it *trololololololll*

@exume So envious! Due to changes in my work situation it seems like I will HAVE to go to the states in august and get some tattoos. Fuck yeah

Healing my right arm pit, third day today. It's difficult to sleep and to lift the arm more than shoulder high. I try really hard to not start sweating. The spot is certainly rough to tattoo. Pain wise not worse than say top of foot or back of knee. But because of how the skin is (hair follicles) it takes about three times as long to do both shading and lines. You get really sore. ----------- @leggon Looks perfectly fine to me, don't worry about it. Basically the first 3 to 4 days you should think of it as an open wound so don't mess around with it, keep covered when you go outside, always have clean hands when you clean and apply cream. Rule of thumb is: it's better to use too little cream than too much! I put cream after the first time I clean the tattoo in the morning (just water) and then clean 1-2 times more during the day but without cream, clean once more before going to bed and apply thin layer of cream.

@Graeme Could relate so much to your story! Not for the inner biceps (don't remember in detail what that was like) but for other bad spots, all those unlucky factors making it way worse. And also the memory and fear of going back to the same spot, making the touch up session a breeze. When I got my armpit done just a few days ago that initial feeling of "Oh hell!! Why am I doing this again?" never left me. That was for sure my hardest tattoo considering the small size. Jonas Nyberg said we could have made a tattoo three times as big during the same time, if I had chosen a different area. He also said my armpit look like minced meat after a while. I'd call it a spiritual experience, for sure.

Thanks people, glad you enjoyed it!

So... which subcultures and special interests did you enjoy as a kid/growing up? Do you believe that it paved the way for the passion you now have for tattooing? - If so, how? - Can you see similarities in the attitude, themes and aesthetics of those subcultures in the type of tattoos you like now? --- The reason I thought of this is because over the past couple days I had a major trip down memory lane and revisited some of my favorite stories and art pieces tied to the Warhammer 40k table top game. I used to be obsessed with the game and the whole universe, lore and backstory from about when I was 11 to probably 15. Short but intense. I didn't really play all that much since only one of my friends cared enough to start collecting and painting with me. Ah, those days. A lot of time spent in our boy rooms, listening to the radio, talking shit and having our eyes transfixed on various pieces of plastic. I actually think that Warhammer 40k was why I learned English so well early on. I read those thick books through and through. I also had a brief romance with the Warhammer Fantasty spin off game Mordheim which was super cool in my world. From the art of the game, I remember specifically laying on the floor while my parents watched television, drawing copies of the art in the rulebooks. That art was really captivating, wish I could see it again and also my probably not as fantastic copies. That's when I started to learn how to draw, and to have the patience for it. It was also the first sci-fi and fantasty themed stories I became interested in. Along with the world of Tolkien it's the only fictional universes that I cared about, and still have fond feelings for. I can easily see how the themes of the WH40k universe with all the grim dark, death, war, aliens, crazy demons and space stuff, religion and different ideologies sparked my imagination and interest for the same themes in other artwork AND in the history, religions and sociologial stuff in our own world. For those who can relate and want to do some reminiscing I can recommend these two starting points: Vaults of Terra on Youtube - Lots of listening material compiled about the lore of WH40k WH40k first generation art work gallery, 113 pieces When I came into the hobby it was second generation so I had never seen these until today, really cool When I came out of the Warhammer 40k craze I discovered music, especially punk and rap. So that shaped me a lot. Both when it comes to style and themes of the lyrics, and political ideas. I also started skateboarding around that same time. I started sketching graffiti pieces in all my school books, but didn't take it to the streets. Some years later I started to read comic books and going to hardcore punk shows. I don't really know when I started to notice tattoos, it kind of snuck up on me around the time I was 21 and suddenly I had my first tattoo. I didn't know anything about it until then and hadn't been longing to get tattooed either. That came later. I do believe however that the visual styles of these subcultures, and the themes usually explored in them, has shaped me a lot when it comes to what I enjoy to look at and what moves me. I got into tattooing sort of by accident and I am really happy that I did. I love it now and it has also opened up the doors to many other things that I now enjoy and take interest in. To me it's really fascinating to think of all the lucky accidents and random contexts you find yourself in through life and how some of them sows seeds for who you become and what you care about much later. End of another long winded, somewhat coherent, original post. Talk about your experience or nerd out totally in some obscure interests I've never heard about before, it's your thread now.

@ThatGuy @RoryQ @Mark Bee Thanks for the nice comments! I'm happy you enjoyed the story too :)

My friend Céline Aieta interviewed me about collecting tattoos and my photography project tied to that, when we both got tattooed by Guy Le Tatooer in Toulouse this March. She is running the new, all year 'round-blog for the Paris convention, Mondial Du Tatouage. Have a look: Joakim Mathiasson – Le tatouage intégral | Le Blog du Mondial du Tatouage It's all in french, but try google translate and it converts it to english pretty well. Was fun to be a part of this!

This thread is packed with a lot of good stories, ideas and shared experiences. People who consider getting any type of coverage should spend some time reading it before making the decision. A lot of this stuff you don't notice or know about until you are one of the freaks yourself. (Too late for most of us on here anyway.. haha) Thank you @UglyButProud for sharing your stories and struggles. Was a good read, gave both toughts and inspiration!

@Cicada But at least some of the Yakuza people most enjoy a good swim from time to time. Maybe you just need to find a new circle of friends ? ;)

The first face tattoo that @Rad Kelham posted above.. Seriously.. I don't know if it is JUST me, who have been hanging out on this forum too much and drank my dosage of BoldWillHold-drink every morning but that shit is going to look like shit in just a couple of years! How can I get so provoked by seeing stuff like this, when it's really only about other peoples bad judgement and in the end it hurts themselves only? (Not only... apparently my eyes get butt hurt by it too!) I think for facial tattoos: very simple stuff, lines mostly, spaced out so it is and stays readable. I've seen a few people with serious facial work done who could wear it in a way so it looks good and not only looks like a stupid idea. I admire those in the same way I admire people who throw themselves out of jet planes on a regular basis. Example: By Curly Even though it looks shockingly amazing it's a bit too much Mad Max, I have a hard time relating to it. Not for me and my face. But then again, as a photographer I love the look of anyone with an interesting face and face tattoos can add to that. (For myself: a small, simple, strong and mystical symbol that nobody recognizes at the temple though.. that's some addition of mysterious (sex) appeal. ("Oh that symbol is so alluring, I've got to get inside her/his pants!"))

Last week I read Anarchy by the WW1-era Italian anarchist revolutionary Errico Malatesta. It's been published by Freedom Press in a 60 page book but you should also be able to find it online for free, providing you can work the internet. If you are curious about anarchism as a political ideology, or just want to know how these fucking utopian-, rock throwing-, president murdering-, lunatics imagine our society could be different, this is a very good starting point. Despite being about a century old the author manages to explain an anarchist view of the world that is still very much relevant. He does so in a short and comprehensive way without being overly simplistic. Other texts that I've read on the subject often run five times as long to explain the same ideas. Very effective and thought provoking text. Give it a read if you are ready for it. 5 out of 5 black stars

The styles of Matt Bivetto or Jeff Zuck would fit great for this I think

So tiny!

Going to bump this thread because I find it interesting. How's the yoga coming along ya'll? I did a short hatha yoga course this fall but didn't devote myself enough to it to practice alone in between lessons. That was a eye opener for me, I could not find that 30 calm minutes I needed during the weeks. So I quit one of my jobs and now I feel much better. From my short brush with yoga I really enjoyed trying out the poses. I've been skating for something like 12 years, so for me the poses became "tricks" that I wanted to master. Much like skating I don't care to show of or put too much effort into learning "better" tricks, but I want to make my tricks (in this case: poses) feel as good as possible and push them until I do it right. However, since the course ended I have not been doing any yoga. I plan to get back into it slowly when my life gets a bit more calm. I really liked the teacher I had, his way of explaining and his attitude towards the whole thing. So since three weeks back I am doing a yogic meditation course with the same teacher. This time I am more committed and try to spend 30 minutes, 5-6 times a week. It is so amazing and interesting to me, and so different from my normal day to day life. It's crazy the things you will notice and discover while trying to "do nothing". I feel like I am learning a lot from this experience and I am only half way through the course. I am beginning to notice very subtle changes in my life and personality and I believe the meditation practice plays a part in this. I look forward to keep practicing on my own and I think re-starting with the yoga will help me a lot in this challenge too.

Sounds like you are coming along fine @bongsau! I look forward to seeing it finished

@Tornado6 Pictures, _please_!? :)

Welcome to the forum! I'm also interested in seeing pictures of your tattoos :)