McAstronaut

Jeez you guys! These tattoos are all seriously awesome, wow! It's going to be a tough contest this month. I just love how a lot of these tattoos have similar subject matter but have such unique takes. You all have rad tattoos!

@Kinglambert I can't believe this is your first tattoo! Congrats on a fantastic piece and winning June! Everything else should be a cake walk in comparison now. Congrats on the nuptials too!

Thank you! I couldn't be happier with it!

Thank you! So glad the coverups are done and I now have something cool there instead of silly stuff from my adolescence. ;) There were three coverups on this one by the way, one on each shoulder and an early 2000 style tramp stamp.

Oh what the hell. Might as well post my finished back piece. A year long process has come to an end and I can't wait to start another piece! Done by Stacey Martin-Smith at Golden Age in Austin, TX.

Seriously, off to a great start this month!

What artist/shop did you get this from?

Saw this on Instagram a few days ago; this is truly a thing of beauty!

Killer submissions this month! I dig it!

Might as well add my recent tattoo to this thread. ;) Done by Steve Byrne at Rock of Ages in Austin.

Drawn on and in one shot? This is gorgeous!

I saw Chad Koeplinger while he was in town the other day for rose #4. Done at Rock of Ages in Austin.

I just can't believe it only took 31 hours to make that masterpiece. Congrats on winning, that is seriously one stellar piece!

This is a fun idea!

I also saw Steve Byrne for the first time last week at Rock of Ages in Austin, TX and I doubt it'll be the last. Rose #2.

Might as well post this one up. Got this last week from David Mushaney from RebelMuse Tattoo in Lewisville, TX, just outside of Dallas. I couldn't be happier!

I'll be there on Sunday most likely. I'm excited, looks like it's going to be a fun convention.

That episode was really painful to watch. I just don't get how some of these people on this show keep saying, "Well, you're not seeing my best" when clearly they're incapable of listening and taking in criticism and putting that feedback into their work. Poor Rubendall, I bet he still has nightmares from this experience. Wtf at that dragon!

If you haven't read this article from Cracked about the 5 Secrets of Making Reality TV it's a pretty interesting read and you can see a lot of those plot devices used very frequently in this show, like those terrible mish-mashed soundbites. One thing I haven't seen posted here (and please forgive me if I missed it), but I'm curious what people think about this whole voting for your favorite tattoo thing they do after each episode. Do you think the typical Spike TV viewer would be able to accurately judge a piece based strictly on the information presented to them in each episode? Just curious what y'alls opinion is.

It really depends on the mood I'm in that day, but usually I'll just make something up on the spot. A lot of times it's a straight up BS story but they buy it every time. I think I get more annoyed with people asking about the price of my work because it leads to a lot more questions. Usually I'll just tell them my artist's hourly rate and if they keep pushing it I'll tell them sitting times and sessions. They can do the math on their own. Honestly, the thing that bugs me the most is when people touch my tattoos. I've had two people already touch fresh tattoos without thinking and that is quite possibly the most irritating thing anyone can do. Other times, people will point while touching some of my tattoos and then ask questions. Hey bro, I don't grope your crotch and ask if this is all nature gave you, so please back off and don't touch.

Maybe it's the fact that I wasn't brought up by helicopter parents, but I just think it's dumb to exclude someone who is willingly educating young people about his job, sterilization, and the general practice of tattooing. Chances are, kids are going to look for knowledge where ever they can get it, and when a parent tells them it's a seedy lifestyle they aren't going to understand the difference between a kitchen wizard and a professional artist. I mean, it's worked so well preaching abstinence, right? Teen pregnancies are down by an alarming rate! Oh, wait.