Graeme

Best wishes to you and your wife.

I rewrap, but once I'm done with that, I don't put anything on it. I've had great results. I'm not sure it heals any faster though. Me and my wife get tattooed together and she does the Aquaphor/lotion thing and our tattoos seem to heal at about the same rate, but it's with different tattooers, different spots, etc., so who knows. I intend to stick with the rewrap/dry heal though.

I saw this one last night on the Tattooland instagram. Chris Brand, 108 Heroes of Los Angeles. SO GOOD.

I'm not sure if this link will work but here's a link to a short instagram video of my completed sleeve. It's still healing so some bits are a little bit pink still but it gives a decent idea of what it looks like until I can get some good pictures of it. This was done in five sessions between October and June by Thomas Hooper. Video by graemedwilliams • Instagram

I know this stuff happens all the time, but it's such a bummer to see it happen here since there is so much good information here...though only if you're willing to take it and learn from it. And I'd also guess this is one of the reasons why fewer and fewer tattooers post here.

It's too late for you this time but I've been taking arnica tablets to reduce the swelling. You need to start taking them before you get tattooed though...like starting a day before, then throughout the day you get tattooed, and then after depending on the swelling. I still get swelling with it, but the last session hit my ditch, inner arm, and kind of into my armpit and it wasn't too bad. When I got my other inner arm done, without arnica, it basically doubled in size. I know there are a million variables as to why people handle tattoos differently, but I think it's at the very least worth trying.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I've been doing the compulsive email checking thing waiting to hear if I'm able to get tattooed by somebody who is guesting at a local shop. Don't want to say too much lest I curse myself (I am superstitious about these things), but if this works out I'll hopefully be finishing off my right arm sooner than I was expecting to and to say I'm excited about it is an understatement.

One of my favourite things about this place is moments like this where people realise that they've met before because they've been getting tattooed in the same shops by the same people.

What @Delicious and @Joe Shit said there. I'm looking at the portfolio on the Cry Baby website and the first tattoo there is a fallen soldier memorial and it's such a mess. There's no depth or contrast there at all so the design isn't readable, the lines and shading are weak, the geometry of the rifle makes no sense, I don't even know what he was attempting with the boots, there's blue lines instead of stars in the flag...I'm not going to go on. It's a bad tattoo. Take a look through the links Joe posted, see who does tattoos you really respond to and take it from there.

Your cat is a cat, but yes. One of my cats always craves attention when we leave her alone for a couple of days and while she left my fresh tattoo alone she decided that it was a good idea to wake me up in the middle of the night by pawing me in the eye. The time before she tried pawing me in the mouth but I guess she didn't think that was effective enough.

Great tattoos and I hope you share your future tattoos with us as well. Welcome.

Welcome! At this point I'd look for a tattoo artist to work out the rough bits of the sketch. Even if you brought a more refined drawing to a tattooer they would almost certainly have to rework it to make it work as a tattoo. If you let us know where you live I'm sure we could suggest some excellent artists in your area.

@Takeaway Absolutely stunning backpiece, thank you for sharing it with us.

The only justification you need for getting tattooed is that you like tattoos and want one. You said in another thread that you live really close to Good Point Tattoo, right? They do some great work, I'd suggest stopping by there, taking a look at the artists' books, and chatting with them in person to get a feel for them. If you have some reference to bring in of things that you like with the understanding that the artist will take that and interpret that, then all the better. Anyway, you seem like you're going into this with a great attitude so I hope you get something awesome. Welcome to LST.

Cory Ferguson's tattoos are so awesome. He doesn't seem to be what you're going for stylistically, but a quick look through the shop's website that you linked to there shows some really good work. I'd get tattooed there.

None of this relates to tattooing.

Great tattoos, welcome!

Sucks that I was in NYC a week early, I would love to go to this.

Some nice looking tattoos you have there, welcome!

If that's the case I'll own up to be a total jumping-to-conclusions ass.

What are you playing? In related news, I may have found a drummer to play with!

I genuinely love that your "more or less sane pace" involves flying to NYC every few weeks, because I can relate. And I love that tattoo.

The Family Business posted this tattoo by Chisaki on instagram today: I thought it looked familiar because I've seen nearly the same tattoo done by Tomas Tomas. I found this picture of it on the internet, but it was also published in Marisa Kakoulas's book Tattoo World: Pretty messed up, in my opinion.

I am 100% in agreement with this. My wife says that she can't wait to Aquaphor my back when I start it so that I know how it feels when I do hers, but fuck that shit, I am dry healing.