joakim urma

@AvrageJer To each his own :) I also like to treat myself on tattoo days, but with other things. I just figured that getting tattooed is such traumatic event to your body, the last thing I would want is to give it more heavy things to digest and cope with.

Can't believe how much sugar and fat some people gulp down before/during/after sessions, not only from here but often what I see when visiting studios too. That ain't good for you, no matter if you're getting tattooed or not. I eat natural nuts and seeds and a banana during session if it's long enough to snack. I drink water or perhaps a 100% fruit juice. Often a light meal after the session, and a lot of water, no alcohol.

Have a look at Lowbrow Tattoo Parlour: Adrian Edek, Sebastian Domaschke, Adde Ramstedt. Also: Blut & Eisen, if you are into blackwork and geometric I think it could be worthwhile. Just remember reading about it at Xed Le Head's webpage.

@chrisnoluck Fuck yeah! Here is what I got from my friend Adde Ramstedt the other day. Felt so good to get the other foot done, never more (still need to do sides and toes...) Adde just moved down to Berlin and will be working at Lowbrow Tattoo Parlour for about 6 months. I encourage anyone to visit Berlin, hugely inspirational city with many things to experience and explore. While you're there, get tattooed by Adde too ;)

@sighthound Thank you! Really looking forward to seeing this all done and healed up. Its true that Iain is really good with black and gray. The piece on my elbow is also by him, the first he did on me and its beautiful. Some inside info, he's working on a fancy sketchbook project now with shaded pieces and it looks so god damn good. @keepcalm ah I didn't show you? Next time! Thanks :) @hogg Aint that true :D Thank you and everybody else showing interest! This thread has been great lately, people are getting the best stuff! @Orangutango That tengu is the bomb! Love it!

Getting the top of my right foot tattooed by my friend Adde Ramstedt, @addetattooing on instagram, on monday. He just moved to Berlin to work at Lowbrow Tattoo.

Since I often travel for tattoos and rarely has a say in which day or time of the day the session is going take place, I don't really have any rituals. I try to get sleep, have a shower, eat something reasonably stable before the session. I like to go to the shop alone, I want to have a private experience so no friends can come. I like to be able to come there a bit early to look at the shop, in portfolios and talk to the people there. I absolutely have to pee before the tattoo, even if physically don't need to. I try not to do anything in particular after the session, maybe get something to eat or go home directly. Often I find that I need this relaxation time after the tattoo. But I have also gone straight to my job so there is no rule really. I leave the plastic on during the night and clean in the morning, trying to have enough time to do it proper and let it air dry before applying cream, then air dry again a bit. But I have also woken up at 5 to clean the tattoo and catch a train or flight. TL, DR No rituals really. Except I need to pee even if I don't need to pee.

@keepcalm I do not know how to take care of this issue either, my mom is acting the same way. Everytime I come with a new tattoo she says something, to the effect that she is disapproving but the only thing I have to say is that she needs to get used to it because i will get more. She has this opinion that tattoos are ugly. Her problem is with the art being on the body, she can not get past that for her thats a bad thing, design or look does not matter. I don't have the best relationship with my parents so Im probably not doing the right thing but... I usually try to make them, mostly her, understand that its an art form of its own. That her negative attitude is to compare to someone who is presented with a piece of music, and is of the opinion that its bad because there is sounds in it, before even trying to listen to the music.

You have all probably seen this all ready but here is the session on my back piece from a week ago when I was visiting Rudy Fritsch at his shop Original Classic in Trieste, Italy. Had a super good stay in the city and the shop is truly amazing, I could be there for hours just looking at all of the originals on the walls from some of the best in the culture and also from Rudy himself. We had lunch the day after the session and he sure is a very interesting and inspiring person too. Beyond happy with how this is progressing! Next session with Iain Mullen, who is the other part of this collaboration, will be in Stockholm quite soon and then the three of us converge during the Scottish Tattoo Convention in Edinburgh early next year to put the finishing touches on this project. I am a lucky guy :)

Thanks for the suggestions @hogg! Unmon tattooed a friend of mine when he worked at Stockholm Classic a few weeks ago. While I like their stuff I think I am looking for something a bit less "simplistic" for lack of better word. More details and angular style, more dynamic. Also background is something I am considering this time, windbars and rocks. But thanks, didn't know about Jun Chihara, interesting to see!

Ok, I'm really quite new to japanese tattoos, only started appriciating it two years ago. But I have a strange idea that I think would be cool do in a japanese style all though the image is not typically from that culture. I'm still toying around with this idea and would like to see what's out there just so I can pre-visualize a bit better. Looking for tattooers with INTERESTING and STRONG + BOLD japanse styles. My idea is side of ribs-size and only black and gray. I like fat lines and generous amounts of black, limited use of gray color. Right now I am really digging the work of Jarno Kantanen: But my vague ideal would be somewhere inbetween Walter McDonald and Koji Ichimaru if that makes any sense. Teach me

I'm going to Berlin early next month. Will probably swing by Conspiracy Inc just to see the place. AKA Berlin is worth looking into also, I don't think they have so interesting permanent residents now but they get some cool guest tattooers every now and then

I created a new public one: @joakim_rma_art That's mostly going to be my own art pieces and some related posts. I have some 80 drawings and paintings, scanned and ready, waiting to be uploaded a few at the time.

I'm really scared of tattooing my belly now. Did the hip a few weeks back and it was kind of coming on to the side of the stomach and it hurt like crazy. It was a different kind of pain though, not just the surface but from inside my body came this hurt that I was surprised to feel. It was like my body told me to not go forward with this idiotic "art" that I was exposing it to. Also about 10-15 minutes after he stopped in that area I still had this pain, pulsating from inside my entrails. Fuckkk… That day when I do start my belly piece is going to be one special (horrible) day

Actually I think it's interesting that Berlin seems do be such a bad city for tattoos. None of the tattooers that I care about works there permanently. For me this is kind of surprising since Berlin is one of the most interesting big cities in Europe and there is a lot of things going on there constantly with art and culture. For example, look at the Berlin Tattoo Convention. I am very far from impressed by the the list of artists coming there. On the other hand you have Paris, which in my impression is not as interesting of a city and their convention has a great lineup and there are some cool shops too. Maybe it has to do with the history, Germany perhaps does not have the same tradition of tattoos? Just some reflections of mine..

I think the pain in a tattoo session is not always easy to predict. Got my hip smashed by El Monga a few weeks ago and it was after a night of 5 hours of (bad) sleep, weed and wine and also I barely had breakfast. And this guy is relentless, no pauses and went hard. And it was totally fine, considering. Other times I've bed the best preparations possible and the spot was easier, still it was twice as hard for me to sit through. The mind works in mysterious ways, and I think so much is in the mind and mindset. When I got the back of my right knee redone (didn't heal black, too gray) I knew what to expect and it was a walk in the park compared to the first session. Even got two more tattoos (done at the same time) that day, to top it off. All in the mind. I tried some kind of painkiller once, because I really wanted to sit for the last of 6 or 7 hours with Peter Lagergren on my thigh and I was a bit interested to see if it worked. It was interesting and helped us finish but I wouldn't do it again if not cause of trying to finish a tattoo I travelled for in one sitting and the tattooer urged me to. I think it has a lot to do with what people have brought up all ready. For me it's a sort of pride to know that even the 2 horrible hours of two machines lining my whole back was something I didn't cheat. And it is an experience on it's own, and interesting to live through the sensations and mind games. As @Pugilist was saying, it's really not that horrible if you compare it to other types of sickness and injuries that people suffer through. Embrace it and if you can't take it, don't do it. (Small "but": BUT people have been telling me it gets much worse once your body is older than 30 years old, for some reason. So maybe 2 years from now I will have a different opinion. Hope to be done with feet, armpits and ribs by then haha..)

Booking the last tickets for my next trip right now. First: Budapest - Trieste (back piece session with Rudy Fritsch) - Milan - my friends grandparents place close by - Berlin. 15 day trip and it's going to be funnnn! Will be visiting people that I know, so good company and free housing during the trip. New adventures on the horizon

I had the pleasure of hosting @keepcalm and it was really nice. I hope more people of this forum will tune in to couchsurfing.org and start travelling and meeting people this way. So far it has been nothing but positive for me, allowed me to see great things, have good experiences, make some (now very dear) friends and develop a new attitude towards life and other people. </preaching> Seriously, you wont regret joining and getting active :)

I only started getting tattooed five and a half years ago. These years has been very turbulent and challenging and, in the later years, also filled with positive learning experience on so many levels. I feel better than ever about myself and I now live a life where I am happy in the moment and also with where I am heading. The experience of getting tattooed more and more and learning about the art and culture has been like a companion through the struggles and personal development. Tattoos has often been a big part of my life so it's hard to separate what comes from what. One way for me to handle rough emotions has been to keep busy all the time, working for money. This money in turn needed to be channeled somewhere and I turned a lot of it into tattoos and travelling. So that was a delayed very positive side effect of negative emotions, new positive experiences. Tattoos have absolutely taught me to appriciate art more, different kinds of art. This has also been inspirational when it comes to drawing and painting my own stuff. Art of course ties into history, structures of society, religion, symbolism and culture: all things I that interest me now more then ever. The more I learn in these subjects, the more I get associations when looking at tattoos, which is also interesting. Tattoos and travelling to get tattoos has given me some very interesting meetings with people, and sent me to places I might not have visited otherwise. I've had many good conversations in tattoo shops and also made a few friends. Most of my friends that I met in other circumstances are not into tattoos, so I tend to not talk so much about tattoos with them. But to know some people that are as neerdy as me is a great joy. Some of these people have told me things that spiralled into new interestest and knowledge that I want to pursue. The experience of getting tattooed also gave some valuable lessons about pain and the body. I am more interested in sensations now than before, I used to be really inside my head and logical in my thinking. This was sometimes acting as a wall when it came to having good experiences so it was something I wanted to change. It's hard to say what's the egg and whats the chicken in this struggle but tattooing has been part of solving this problem and being more mindful and physical in many aspects. I am now more aware of my bodily sensations and I tend to enjoy them more. The tattoo process and the people I've met has also tied well into my interest in health care and nutrition. I also took a course in yoga recently, after friends and tattooers told me about the benefits. Getting tattooed quite heavily also did something to my body image. I am still not happy with the shape of some parts of my body but now at least they have very pretty wrappings. Also in relation to other people, who may view you differently when they see your tattoos, being a tattooed person has made me think new thoughts in social situations. Sometimes in makes me uncomfortable but not as much anymore, despite more and more coverage. It's funny because in many ways tattoos are more then something that I care deeply about and want to imerse myself in. At the same time it is "just tattoos". I think sometimes that other people, without tattoos, make it a bigger deal than it actually is. Like it's being fetishized and or stigmatized in many contexts. Some years ago I would still feel a bit uneasy when someone would ask me "what if you'll regret all this later on?". But now it is "just tattoos", there is so much more to me as a person than what I choose to make my skin look like. On the other hand I feel that I would take quicker showers if I wasn't admiring how damn cool/tough/pretty and sexy I look now. I could probably go on for a bit but I'll stop now. Tattoos has enriched my life a lot and I love it.

@keepcalm Thank you! Nothing but fun hosting you :) Hope to make my way to San Francisco if that's where you plan to stay put for a while!

Three things: 1. Went on a week long trip to Spain, visiting and making new friends in Barcelona and Granada. Had such a good time! 2. Decided to work less (finally!) so I have time and energy for doing fun stuff/art and taking care of relationships 3. I'm in love with someone who's in love with me. It's the best!

Probably the last tattoo session this year: some time in later half of november, some hours on my backpiece with Rudy Fritsch @ Original Classic in Trieste, Italy. Will be a fun trip!

This thread is amazing. Will write a long answer during the coming week.

@Mark Bee @sighthound Thanks people! Guy with hammer is by Simon Erl, patterned half sun is by John Sultana and Anarchist A is by two local tattooers from Stockholm Mary and Sebbe (first tattoo)

Got this Chrysanthemum from Alvaro Llorar at Barcelona Electric yesterday. Had a great time, very cool studio and such a gentle and funny guy. Very pleased with the result. Also very amazed that he drew this on my shoulder in like 20 minutes, masterful artist.