DJDeepFried

The '90s was the Golden Age of rap for sure. As far as newish hip-hop, I like Death Grips - The Money Store and P.O.S. – We Don't Even Live Here (though I like his previous one better) -- both of which are mixing in rock sounds but not in a Rage/Limp Bizkit/Korn way. Tyler the Creator – Goblin from 2011 is one of the best hip-hop records I've heard in a long time, and the whole Odd Future clan is doing interesting stuff (including Frank Ocean, who doesn't really qualify as rap, but arguably made the best album of 2012.) Check this. I also really dig Das Racist, but I like the two free mixtapes more than their "real" debut Relax, IMO. MUSIC – DAS RACIST If you like Fugazi and Wu Tang, this will blow your mind. WUGAZI: 13 CHAMBERS (FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD) | Doomtree

@Brock Varty wrote: This is an interesting subject IMO -- i.e., "what constitutes traditional Japanese?" -- and I figured it belongs here instead of the contest thread. I don't claim to be an expert; all I know is what I've found dicking around on the internet for the last few months and checking out a few books from the library. If I can back up for a second... There are plenty of artists out there (some on this very board!) who are pushing the limits of what we call "traditional American style." I don't think anyone would say, for example, that a Scott Sylvia rose isn't a "traditional" tattoo because he didn't draw it exactly like Sailor Jerry or whomever. But when it comes to Japanese, the "rules" are far more rigid, it seems to me, for a variety of reasons I won't get into right now. Yet a lot of people -- myself included – can get hung up on what's traditional Japanese and what isn't. In my own case, it probably would have been more traditional or "authentic" (whatever that means) if I had put the koi on my leg instead of my arm -- you know, the "clouds and waves" rule. But I wanted it on my arm so there it is. Judging from the bazillions of other koi tattoos I've seen, it seems like this is a rule that's "okay" to be broken. But maybe not. When it comes to flowers and what-goes-with-what, I think the "rules" are essentially based on what can be observed in nature, which is why you're not supposed to mix up the seasons in one tattoo. That's just common sense, but in the end it really comes down to what's pleasing to the eye (and the wearer), right? Meanwhile, there are plenty of awesome tattoo artists out there who are pushing the boundaries of traditional Japanese style -- Shige comes to mind -- and doing things a bit differently in terms of technique and subject matter -- e.g. color blending, sick giant skull back-pieces, etc. Hell, some people might think that using a machine instead of stick-and-poke isn't truly authentic. But then it's not as if there's an actual body of judges out there saying yea or nay on what's traditional and what isn't -- just a bunch of tattoo nerds on the internet (again, myself included). Then there's the idea that a traditional Japanese tattoo should look exactly the same as one from fifty or a hundred or a thousand years ago -- and it's not about the artist's individual style as much as staying committed to various rules, techniques, and philosophies. An idea, I think, that is very cool and certainly valid, and one of the things that appeals to me about Japanese-style tattoos in the first place. Anyway, the point I kind of want to make is that what is called "Japanese traditional" is, in a way, quintessentially American (or Western, if you'd like) in that Japanese images (and styles and techniques) can be found in the roots of early modern American tattooing. By which I mean: a lot of dudes have been drawing dragons for a f*ck of a long time. The art of tattooing has evolved over time, and everything is a bastardization of what's come before and blah-blah-blah. And even then Japanese tattoos are based on interpretations of all these ancient Chinese folktales. Which is why some Japanese tigers don't look like real tigers but the way they were imagined by certain woodcut artists who had never actually seen one, etc. I also think it's interesting how so many white guys and gals (i.e. not Japanese) are super into Japanese tattooing when there's all these Japanese rockabilly guys and gals in Japan who are getting traditional American one-shot tattoos and wearing three-hundred-dollar selvedge denim that's an exact replica of a pair of Levi's from 1950-whatever. But that's a whole 'nother can o' worms. Anyway, I'm rambling. Not trying to make an argument or disagree with anything else that's been said already. Just writing down some thoughts I've had recently. I'd love to hear what other people (ahem, @Stewart Robson) have to say on the subject.

To answer your question: it evolved from an outer arm tattoo which looked incomplete until we made it a half-sleeve over about five sessions in total. My understanding is that it's okay to mix maple and mums because they both bloom in autumn months -- unlike, say, mixing cherry blossoms with peonies. What I wanted was a "traditional" Japanese tattoo filtered through Kim's unique style -- and that's exactly what I got, so I'm super stoked on it. Next up, I'm hoping for a dragon by Seth Wood on my other arm -- but I've got to start saving my pennies!

There's a wealth of information on these sites: Prints of Japan irebokuro GODS of Japan, A-to-Z Photo Dictionary of Japanese Buddhism (Buddhist & Shinto Deities) And this article is well worth reading: ANCIENT ART OF THE JAPANESE TEBORI TATTOO MASTERS | INK IN HARMONY « The Selvedge Yard

By the lovely and talented Kim Saigh at world-famous Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles, California.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/29/sports/basketball/covering-j-r-smith-a-knick-talks-about-his-tattoos.html

Skratchers Alley Kitchen Slingerz Cheep Needlez Hep C's Garage

I don't even think his graffiti is that good.

Anyone get tattoo zits? Not worried about it -- as I figure the ink is under a deeper layer of skin. But it is kinda gross. Too much information?

Even his graffiti is shite.

Interesting to see the "tattooers with no tattoos" debate revived on the show last night. Forrest really read that guy the riot act. Definitely see his point tho.

Sweet. Love your stuff, Mike. Welcome!

More tattoo hate: Colin Kaepernick ushers in an inked-up NFL quarterbacking era - NFL - Sporting News If athletes can't get tattoos, I don't know who can. He's an NFL quarterback, not the President of the United States. Do they even show that much?

Personally, I'm not down with the "but it's supposed to look sh*tty" aesthetic.

I guess we have the same taste because I just finished a HALF sleeve by Kim Saigh of Memoir Tattoo in L.A. Black koi with gold fins, two chrysanthemums, falling maple leaves, finger waves, water bars, and a large rock -- so I say you can fit all of it, maybe minus the tree branch. Will post pics soon (when it's fully healed). Don't know that it's strictly traditional Japanese -- not tebori or anything -- as it's filtered through Kim's style, which I like and is the reason I chose her. Japanese and American/Euro style are so intertwined anyway -- going all the way back to Sailor Jerry if not before -- it's hard to say what's traditional and what's not. (Not that I'm an expert.) Shige's stuff, for example, is really amazing and different than a lot of the older tattoos I've seen. Sounds like you're in good hands, though. Mo's portfolio looks killer.

Kate Moss gets £1million tattoo! Kate Moss and the £1million Lucian Freud tattoo - Telegraph She got it free -- but I still think she got ripped off.

If you want to barf check out: Tattoo - Fuzi UVTPK Apparently she went to France and likely paid a lot of money to this dude who has done a ton of these sh*tty kitchen scratcher tattoos. I am baffled, but maybe some people dig the whole "seventh-grade-burnout-notebook-art" aesthetic. You can get better ink in prison. - - - Updated - - - This kinda sh*t only looks good if you're this guy: http://www.dieantwoord.com/images/wallpaper/WALLPAPER_LARGE/16.jpg

I had my doubts, but now I'm convinced it's the same tattoo. Here are the links to the artist's portfolio: Máté Miklós's Photos | Facebook Máté Miklós's Photos | Facebook

She claims to have "proof" -- uncropped photos that show the guy's other tattoos. She also posted this gif: http://news.bmezine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/animated-tattoo.gif @slayer9019: I agree that "fraud" is a strong word, but that's what she titled the article.

Saw this article in BME: BME: Tattoo, Piercing and Body Modification News » ModBlog » Fraud in Tattooing I know the whole "color tattoos with no outline" thing has been discussed on the board elsewhere, but I had no idea a healed tattoo could look this bad -- after only four months! Wondering if you guys had any thoughts on the matter.

You're a braver man than I, @ian. I agree -- that one dude's arm didn't look bad, and it looked recent too. Also: when you get laser, is it common bleed like that?

Anyone else see this on Tattoo Snob today? D’inked – A Tattoo Removal Documentary : TattooSnob: The High End of Low-Brow I can see getting some small, bad tattoos removed (at least to make room for good new ones) -- but an entire half-sleeve? Crazy.

Any professional artist worth his or her salt -- be it writer, painter, actor, or tattooer -- will tell you that you wake up every morning and you do the work. There's a word for those who sit around and wait for inspiration to strike: amateurs.

Congrats, @Dan S!

I would also like to point out that these are tattoos that he chose to put in his online portfolio as representative of his work -- in other words, the tattoos he is most proud of. The fact that he is Russian is irrelevant as far as I'm concerned. And I'm not talking about World War II. Neo-Nazism is alive and well in the U.S. and Europe -- as is racism, antisemitism, and homophobia. Not trying to assassinate anyone's character here, but in my mind these are hate symbols. Feel free to interpret them however you will.