Graeme

You might have to wait for an admin to approve it, but if you click "go advanced" when you're writing your reply, you should be able to attach a picture to your post by the paperclip icon. Minor Threat stick n poke sounds pretty cool though...I think a lot of us here have a soft spot for punk tattoos. And yeah you can get tattooed at a convention. Different artists approach conventions differently...some you have to book with in advance, some offer walk-ups, some will draw up designs specifically for the convention, and so on...but they're great places to see what people are doing and to talk to people. They're a great opportunity to get tattooed by people you'd otherwise maybe have to travel pretty far to see. Anyway, I think a bison tattoo is a great idea and I hope you get a good one.

Awesome, man. Working nights is so rough...for the past couple of years I worked five months out of the year on night shifts (the last year was a 7pm-7am shift) and it wasn't until I quit that job and am now on a normal person schedule that I realised how utterly miserable I was and how much of my pessimism came from that job. Not that I'm in a dream job now or anything like that, but being able to go home and have dinner every night with my wife, being able to see friends and do things really makes so much of a difference.

PLEASE let it be something from the legendary Hatchet Man sheet.

To quote in a reply, you can just use the "Reply With Quote" button at the bottom of the post, but either way works. I don't have any good pictures of the sleeve-in-progress at the moment and I'll hold off on taking some until it's finished but here's one of the raven's head that Thomas posted on his instagram: I would love to see your Chad Koeplinger raven head if you have any pictures.

Hey Jack, welcome to LST. Have you looked into Cathedral Tattoo in Salt Lake City? They put on some nice looking traditional tattoos, and they seem to get some good guests. I know that Marina Inoue guests there fairly often and she's a great tattooer. It may be too short notice for you, but there's also a tattoo convention in SLC this weekend and the list of artists is pretty ridiculously impressive: Salt Lake City International Tattoo Convention - March 22nd, 23rd & 24th, 2013

I really dig your art, welcome to LST and best of luck with your apprenticeship.

@davelang Great post, man. I came across something really interesting when reading up about Bill Reid and formline drawing, which is that a lot of what we see in terms of carvings, jewellery, and paintings originated from Reid's study of traditional Haida tattoos: So, in a sense, tattooing these designs is really taking it full-circle. There are a few really cool things online about Haida tattoos as well, like this: Haida Tattoo - The Bill Reid Centre - Simon Fraser University I grew up on the West Coast of Canada, and I love this style of art, but as a whitey I have a hard time getting it as-is on me so I've been trying to find ways to take some of what I find powerful about Haida art, as well as myth and legend, and interpret it in a way that doesn't feel so appropriative. My (in-progress) sleeve is an interpretation of the Raven myths, and because it's being done by Thomas Hooper it's interpreted through a sort of hermetic lens with some sacred geometry, Ernst Hackel references, and so on. The eye of the raven is referenced directly from Bill Reid's drawing on the cover of the book The Raven Steals the Light. I'm thrilled with it. I've been also thinking of one day getting a gagiid mask, maybe done sort of in the style of a hannya. I'm still figuring that one out though. - - - Updated - - - And just because I love to geek out on this stuff, here's a picture of a print I bought last summer by an artist named Jonathan Erickson. From what I understand, he's mostly working in jewellery right now, but the guy at the gallery said that he's also done tattoo designs...kind of figures that I'd be drawn to art done by a guy who also designs tattoos. Anyway, I think it's super cool. I need to get it properly framed still.

I'm not sure what you mean by "ethics" here and I'm not sure that it's even my place to be commenting on this thread partly because I don't tattoo, partly because I'm not sure that my contribution to this board, on the whole, has been a positive one, but one of the things that I've found frustrating lately as a "collector" is the number of people coming here wanting quick and easy answers. I think this forum is in a tricky position because on the one hand, it's great that people are finding it and are learning things and getting really great tattoos as a result, but at the same time, I would really like to see this place offer something a little deeper than just how to get a good tattoo. I really like what Stewart wrote about "explorers" and about how learning and discovery are worthwhile pursuits in themselves. Getting tattooed has enriched my life immeasurably because through tattoos I've learned a lot about art and culture, I've met some truly inspiring and amazing people, and I've had what I feel are really profound human experiences and this is all worth the time, effort, and money I've put into it, and I'd like this to be more of a community that fundamentally understands that, rather than just a place for people to come and ask about what to get for their first tattoo and then never return or give anything back to this community.

Hey, intro threads are the perfect place for answers and advice. You gotta give us a little bit to work with though, otherwise we're going to suggest that you get some combination of snakes and panthers.

I've been really digging Easy Sacha from Mystery Tattoo Club's work lately. Seems like there are some good tattooers working there: EASY SACHA Instagram

Yep, that's the one! I responded before you posted that picture. And yes, so amazing and the pictures really don't even come close.

@ironchef Henning was doing a huge (ie armpit to thigh) rib tiger on a guy at the Montreal convention last year and I will totally back you on Henning's tigers being amazing. Seeing that tattoo was one of those moments that happen embarassingly often with me where I am like "oh fuck, looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet or in books or in magazines is cool, but I really need to see more tattoos in real life because it's not the same thing". I need to get tattooed by Henning.

Hey, welcome to the forum. Mr. Flatmo has a pretty large fanclub on this forum, but really, I envy you having to choose between him and Rubendall. You'll get amazing tattoos either way, and from what I understand, you'll have a great experience with either as well. Check out Kore Flatmo's instagram feed for more pictures of his current work and I wish you luck with whoever you end up getting tattooed by. Instagram

Nice intro, I think you'll get along just fine around here. Welcome to LST!

Welcome and I hope you find this place interesting.

I took a new job that doesn't give me any time off in the first year so no big ass cats for me this year. :( At least not from Stell. I think Mike Wilson will be at my local convention this year.

They just started to announce the lineup for this year's Messe Des Morts festival, which will be in Montreal from November 28-30. Looks like this year's theme is Finnish black metal. That gives you plenty of time to make travel plans if you are so inclined: SARGEIST: HORNA: BAPTISM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn8mA5HJL6Q

Ollie XXX is in Edmonton and he's a great traditional tattooer.

My mom...whatever, she doesn't like them, she doesn't understand them, but that's fine and she lives on the other side of the country from me so at least she doesn't have to see them. My mother-in-law, on the other hand...I am goddamned terrified of her finding out I have tattoos, plus she lives in the same city as me and has a habit of dropping by unannounced.

A dude here has a bunch of his work: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/2648-my-dmitriy-samohin-full-sleeve-thigh-piece.html

Buckfast.

@David Flores Thank you for providing context there.

Welcome! You should get tattooed by Henning when you move back and make us all jealous.

I quit cold turkey about six or seven years ago...second attempt at it...after smoking about a pack a day for around the same. It was rough...I was crawling up walls waiting for the stores around me to close so I couldn't run out and buy smokes when I first quit. As hard as it was, it was totally worth it, I felt a lot better, I had a lot more money. Keep it up!

Hey Stephany, welcome to the forum and it's awesome that you're getting tattooed by Paul Dobleman. Can't wait to see what you get. Since you're in the middle of nowhere in Massachusetts, I would also highly recommend into looking into getting tattooed by Ron Henry Wells who guests frequently at Congress St Tattoo in Portsmouth NH and Broad Street Tattoo in Bridgewater, Mass. There's an interview with him that just went up here and he's tattooed a lot of people on the board because he's one hell of a tattooer and an all-around great dude.