Rob I

I had an absolutely AMAZING time in Montreal this past weekend, as did my wife! Thank you so much to @Graeme, @Pugilist, @Shaun1105, @BrianH (and Taylor) and @mitslam for a great brunch and great conversations. I was on zero sleep due to a bit of insomnia and some hard partying neighbors in our hotel. Going into a back session with Chad was terrifying under these circumstances, but Graeme, Anna, and Shaun kept me calm and relaxed! Thank you so much!!! I CANNOT wait till next year and plan on staying a few extra days next time. Thanks again guys. Great memories and talking with you all felt like hanging with old friends. It truly did. @Graeme, @Pugilist, @Shaun1105, and @BrianH scored some amazing work, which i believe has been posted in the latest tattoo thread. GREAT TIMES!!! Rob btw- @Graeme, @Pugilist, and

absolutely outstanding! Both the tiger and the snake are just fantastic. Love it man. Congratulations!

I think the tattoo looks great. I would have never noticed the problem

it doesn't look like a stamp. It looks like a tattoo, and a fine one at that. The only thing that should go around it is more tattoos.

go to a reputable artist, and stay out of the sun.

good recommendations. also- Jason Minauro at Monique's body art in Clearwater and don't forget inksmith and rogers in Jax. (mike bruce, mike wilson, etc........)

Everytime I see this, I am blown away by how amazingly clean it is. It really is an amazing tattoo.

@caingoza I see the wrinkly skin! It is NORMAL!!!!!!!!! Breathe and relax!!!!! Stop looking at it every five minutes and just understand that tattoos don't magically heal in 2 weeks. Sure, there is the initial peel that usually occurs within 2 weeks, then the second peel, then the settling in. YOURS IS SETTLING IN. NICELY. Relax. It is fine. I am yelling only because I see a reflection of my own OCD in your worries, and wish that someone would yell at me when I am obsessing over details that are normal parts of the healing process. by the way- go get more tattoos. That one looks lonely.

@Corey Steverson - really nice work. Love the panther dagger. Super clean.

my guess is that it is fine to use once the tattoo is healed. I have never heard that you can't use benzoyl peroxide on a healed tattoo. I could be wrong, but I rarely am ;)

@beez - super cool and also a bit nauseating!! Glad I wasn't eating when I saw that post!

I think it looks great. Also, the op mentioned that it was a few weeks old. That's exactly what tattoos look like at a few weeks old. Give it a few more weeks and watch all that ink settle in, then enjoy it!!! And then get more tattoos!!! Don't over analyze your tattoos!! (oh, we all do at some points, but we shouldn't!). I really think this looks great as is. Just needs about 25 more surrounding it :) In my opinion, all that new tattoo needs is a few more weeks of healing and more tattoos. Colors look great! Don't add more!! rob

@TheLance just breath taking man! Fabulous work!! Such an awesome dragon.

@MLNYC that gorilla rules! @TrixieFaux - your sleeve is gorgeous.

i've had that wrinkled look as well. Yours looks par for the course in my opinion. I would bet in a few weeks it'll look completely fine. healing, as i've experienced- 1-2 weeks for first peel 3-4 weeks for second peel (light flakey white skin) 4-6 weeks, odd looking skin (wrinkled, shiny) 7 weeks fully healed. not all have healed by this timeline, but understand that your tattoo isn't FULLY healed for about 45 days.

OH they've got bigger problems than her. Even if they won the lawsuit, they're still Nickelback.......and no lasering can erase that...

Def consider congress st tattoo / Hobo's in Portsmouth. Love those shops

@eisen777, thanks so much man. I'm really pumped with it. Cannot wait to see it progress. Chad can work within any type of style it seems. I've seen realism that he's done, and it's like "wow, really?!". Your eagle is bad ass. It's massive and awesome and the shield is amazing. @Graeme i'm really hoping to do it man. It sounds like it's a blast. DEFINITELY on the restaurants. One of my favorite things to do is to go out to dinner. expensive though.

@eisen777, I know it's a bummer. We have been spoiled by his frequent visits. I am HOPING to make the Montreal Convention this year, and also plan on going to visit him next year as well.. I have no idea how long my back is going to take. I'm assuming a while, but I don't have plans on extending it, so not nearly as long as yours.

@eisen777, I think that's the best way to get tattooed by Chad. Short but semi frequent sessions. He is so brutal, it's hard to sit for very long with him (at least it is for me). I think the longest I have sat, so far, with him was during the second session of my chest. He did all of the shading and coloring that night, and I think that was close to (but definitely not over) 3 hrs.

There will be other times I'm sure!! I know how you feel. I am just a wreck after getting tattooed by Chad!!! - - - Updated - - - Hot damn! Awesome. I saw this earlier on Instagram and was blown away!

@BrianH it looks so damn amazing!!!!! Was awesome watching him tattoo it and talking with you guys. I was so nervous, the banter really helped keep me chill. Thanks for the compliments. Tremendously appreciated. I definitely hope to make the Montreal convention this year!! September?? What a great night!!!!!

thanks @RoryQ!! The lines are super thick. I thought they were bold on my eagle, but these are like twice the thickness. It was intense. and thanks @MadeIndelible!! His speed comes with a price! - - - Updated - - - can't see your pic!

Big night for me last night, having Chad Koeplinger start my back piece. I am so insanely in love with it and so grateful to Chad for tattooing this on me. I'm sure some of you saw his instagram with the pics below. If you can believe it, he did this in 2 hrs, with about 30 minutes of breaks for me scattered throughout the session. So, he did this in an hour and a half. No joke. He still has some more lines to add in the hair, and some more tiger stripes, but this, to me, was one hell of a start!!! Also, it was great to meet @BrianH. He was the appt before me, and got an AMAZING tattoo from Chad. AND to add to this wonderful evening, Jason Scott handed me a gift that Martin Lacasse sent for me. He gave me the ORIGINAL sketch, that was sent to the publisher, of MY dragon from the 365 Book!!!! OMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?!?!? I AM SO INSANELY PSYCHED!!! That was so super nice I can't even believe it. WOW! Oh, and in closing, This was EXCRUCIATING. The lines are so insanely thick, and it wraps some onto my ribs, up on my traps, and flirts like hell with the top of my ass. There was no easy part of this tattoo, just varying levels of hell. Explains why i needed 30 minutes of breaks in a 2 hr session. Got back to my hotel at 2:30 in the morning, and with all the adrenaline, and the fact that I thought I should sleep on my stomach (just can't seem to do it), i didn't sleep a wink. Hopefully tonight i'll get a good night's sleep. Anyway- I can't seem to get these pics to display correctly and I forget how to fix them. rob