beez

@DeathB4Decaf holy SHIT that looks great! can't wait to see how it comes along! The butt is NO JOKE when it comes to lining and getting tattooed. Ouch but worth it. @SeeSea i think i saw somewhere else that you are done with your backpiece! (except for finishing touches and whatever) WOW! you must be feel great! is there any sadness associated with it being done, though? Or are you already planning a companion piece somewhere else? ;p Ladies, I must say - we are killing it lately. Props to all!

Oops pocket posted. Nothin to see here folks.

Thanks so much @Rawok!

Remember how we were talking about Eagles earlier? BAM! I got an eagle fighting a dragon the other day. If y'all didn't see it in the latest tattoo lowdown thread, here it is! From flash originally drawn by Tom Berg. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yesterday, by Trevor @ Liberty Tattoo Seattle.

It ain't just a river in Egypt. ;)

I want ALL the eagles! I say go for it, and also I wanna see pics of existing eagles. Let's see 'em!

@Fala that sounds horrible, I hope you aren't still having to wear latex gloves all day! Holy balls that would be uncomfortable. Re food issues - I am going through an elimination diet as we speak to sort out a number of issues that have flared up that I believe are food-based. I had noticed reactions to avocado and mango before, and just sort of came across the latex cross reaction thing when reading about different allergies and food reactions. I think mangos are actually relatively low on the list of cross reactive foods, but they certainly get me! Don't know if it's the latex thing or a fruit sugar thing or something entirely different. I'm hoping that I figure it soon though!

@ironchef that sounds terrible, i'm so sorry!! super uncomfortable!!! Maybe an issue with the detergent used in the dress shirts? In terms of eating something different, I also react to avocado and mangos, which are sometimes cross reactive with latex. I don't understand it fully, just enough to say maybe take a look at that IF there is a latex issue, which doesn't necessarily seem to be what's going on here. @Fala if you also have the latex issue and have some food allergies, check that out!

Did someone already ask if you are latex sensitive? I get contact dermatitis from latex gloves/tape/fabric that has latex. I can't use latex in anything at all! I guess this only applies if your artist used latex gloves instead of nitrile! Also I am sensitive to the adhesive that is used on many tapes used to stick something to your skin, maybe something like that? Also I recently accidentally rubbed cinnamon all over my face, which also irritates the skin...did you happen to bathe in cinnamon post-tattoo? ;p Good luck with it!!!

I load up on ibuprofen and take it every 6 hours while i'm getting tattooed and after for a day or two. Icing I think would feel really good and probably help quite a bit! I also read somewhere on the forum about taking benadryl or another antihistamine after long sessions; firstly to help get a good night's sleep, and second to stave off inflammation and any possible allergic reaction to the ink. Good luck and let us know how it goes! Also go to the newbie thread and introduce yourself, since you're new here! Let's see those ribs and forearm!

Yes, I agree. WTF but also cool but also WTF?! Not sure which side I've landed on yet, but THANKS MOM FOR THE WRITING MATERIAL!

I feel like this is an "US" problem. We KNOW we like our tattoos. We got them on purpose. PAID for someone to do it to us, in fact. So why let disapproval from flyover states or other-minded parents get to us so strongly?! While I was dealing with the horrible "i'm so trashy and disgusting" feeling, I also recognized that I didn't feel like that all of the time, and knew that I wouldn't likely feel like that in a few days...so even though it sucked, that is what I held on to - the impermanence of the situation. You know how you feel, and you know that it isn't all the time. Remember that! Best of luck! It sucks. But you're an adult and you like your tattoos - that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!!!

@Dominiccjs eat nourishing foods, stay away from booze, and bring loose, comfortable clothes to sleep and travel in. It's very important to take care of your body when you're putting it under that much stress - long distance travel, the tattooing, etc. Planes are very dry and dehydrating, so do make sure to drink LOTS of water! I got tattooed 3 times in 3 days recently: not doing it again anytime soon. It was just a lot to take, and I'm pretty tough. Good luck!

Gah, @keepcalm and all others, I certainly feel you in regards to parental disapproval! (although my mom did get a tattoo on her hip in an ill-advised attempt to bond and understand me and recently got it removed...and it was waiting for me in a tupperware container full of salt when I got home. She had a tummy tuck but asked the surgeon to save the skin for her. Creepy? Yes. Sweet? Yes. Fucking weird as hell? Don't even get me started)(ah, family). (y'all want pics?) (also this is my least fav tattoo, i am soooo glad to get it covered now! never would have done it unless she had agreed to also do the same tho) My parents have never liked tattoos. My dad didn't speak to me for months after he found out about the (little teeny tiny) flower on my back, and my mom just looked at me with sad, disappointed eyes. I really wanted more tattoos, and when I decided to go for a highly visible tattoo on my forearm at 23, I knew I was doing something that might cause my parents to literally never speak to me again. It was fucking tough!!! And then all the guilt for why I would do something that I knew would basically divorce me from my parents, what a bad kid, blah blah blah. Lots of guilt. But I still loved my tattoos. At some point before I got that first, highly visible tattoo, I showed my mom a picture of some cherry blossoms that stretched across a woman's entire body. I thought they were beautiful and I was sure my mom would feel the same way, even though they were tattoos --- NOPE!! And it was at that point that I realized that just because my mom didn't like something didn't mean it was not cool/right/good-looking/whatever - and that I could like something independent of her and that my opinion is still a valid one. As I collected more tattoos over the years, my parents began speaking more about what i would do at work, and what was I supposed to do at black tie events? At the time I was on the film festival circuit and attending opening galas pretty regularly, so it wasn't an out of nowhere question...but nowhere did I feel comfortable saying "I LIKE the way my tattoos look in dresses!". In fact I just felt humiliated and ashamed. Again, this feeling of guilt - how could I be so shortsighted and do this to myself? Do I not care about my future? Why would I have wasted all this education and this good job etc etc etc ad nauseam - it's really hard to get your parents' disapproving voices out of your head, even when you think they've been banished! Anyway - guess what - they can be covered up if you really want them to be. I attended a black tie event two weeks ago with my What Tattoos? look in full force. Long sleeves. Long gown or pants. NOT HARD TO DO. I did attend a few events this summer with tattoos out in full force. Surprisingly difficult for me to do because of those nasty voices in my head, but I got over it. (I'm 31 now) I personally gauge the event, the hosts, where I am (seattle is fine to show tattoos, oklahoma is decidedly UNWELCOMING). I make a point of looking spectacular to the normies so that not only are they embarrassed if they've trash talked tattooed people to me (more common than one might think) and later see my tattoos, but that maybe it gives 'em something to think about. In Oklahoma, when I am home visiting family, I keep mostly covered up. This keeps me from dealing with the huffs and puffs, stupid thick tension, and any assaults on my character or future. I used to feel very comfortable with this, because I'm not rebelling or trying to piss my parents off with tattoos (though they have certainly leveled those accusations before), so why poke the bear if it's not necessary? But now I feel kinda bummed that I can't be myself around them. Or like walk downstairs in a tank top. And I was just in OK for thanksgiving and I felt totally trashy and hated myself for getting tattoos. ?!?!! I LOVE TATTOOS so that was a weird feeling for me - I was just basically sucking up the disapproval in the air, I think! bc i adore my tattoos. I was just home recently and my mom had to use a fabric glue to stick the collar of my dress in a certain place - not to cover a tattoo, but so that the dress would fall right - and she moved the collar and saw some tattoo and made the worst noise...it made me feel bad, but whatever. It's okay if we all like different things! My mom gets hella plastic surgery, I'm not into that kind of body mod, so that's what I relate the tattoo thing to at the moment. I stopped expecting my parents to treat me nicely many years ago, @keepcalm. Eventually I ported it all into a "them" problem and have minimized my contact with them. I keep my tattoos covered up, though they are aware of them, and I choose to interact with them about different topics, and I refuse to be baited into an argument regarding tattoos. I guess what I'm trying to say is what many have said before me in this thread - wishing/hoping/waiting for parental approval that's never gonna happen is a dumb game that will make you feel bad. It's okay if they don't like tattoos - they don't have to - but they don't have to be jerks about it. If they are gonna be jerks about it, minimize your exposure and choose only to interact with them in neutral territory. If you're comfortable with it, cover up and just show your tattoos off to your friends who think they're cool as hell!

Random for a tattoo forum, but there are a lot of us who do other things besides slaver over tattoos, so I figured I might as well throw it out there: Anyone have any music licensing knowledge? I'm working on a self-everythinged web-series, and I've found the perfect song for the intro. I found most every other song by the band in the BMI database, but can't find the publisher or any other info about said song. Don't want to bore people with details, but am happy to over-inform anyone who has an idea of what my next steps could be. For clarifying details, reply to this thread or DM me. Thanks LSTers!

Aww, have fun guys!!!! Pics or it didn't happen.

It's a thing. Your body is like "what What WHAT?!" and sick sometimes happens. I get a cold or something like it. Sometimes a migraine. My last tattoo session was painful for so many different reasons, and a mosquito ate my face the night before. Got sick after, of course. Treat yourself kindly and take it easy!

Gah, @ian, so good!!! Can't wait to see the Grime peonies. :)

@Lance I am so bummed, but I am not making it this year. Couldn't make it up for Shad this time, either. I am SOOOO BUMMMMED. I had hoped for some 11th hour magic that didn't happen, and I just couldn't swing the trip this time. I will be in SF in Jan/Feb for more tattooing though!! @CABS @cltattooing will miss seeing you guys this time around, but I'll catch up with you in 2015! Good luck on that Koji walkup. Also can't wait to see who gets what! @hogg that is a beautiful new Kaneko peony, btw! (sorry crossing threads here :p)

This came across my newsfeed today. Poked around and didn't immediately find it, so posting here! Pic captions are taken directly from the article. THE VISUAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RUSSIAN PRISON TATTOOS A snake around the neck is a sign of drug addiction. This inmate is not an authoritative thief, but has tried to imitate them with his tattoos to increase his standing within the prison. The lighthouse on his right arm denotes a pursuit of freedom. Each wrist manacle indicates a sentence of more than five years. The eight-pointed stars on this inmate’s shoulders indicate that he's a criminal. This prisoner is one of many who contracted syphilis, AIDS, or tetanus while being tattooed in unsanitary conditions. (GNARLY!) The devils on this inmate's shoulders symbolize a hatred of authority and the prison structure. This type of tattoo is known as an oskal (grin), a baring of teeth towards the system. A dagger through the neck indicates that a criminal has murdered someone in prison and is available to hire for further hits. The drops of blood can signify the number of murders committed. The skull and crossbones on the prisoner's shoulders indicate that he's serving a life sentence, and the girl "catching" her dress with a fishing line on his left forearm is a tattoo commonly linked to rapists.

You GUYS: watch to the end. :o:o:o

I want a little shunga tattoo anyway. Done by Horiyoshi III? I would not hesitate a second. <will be stuck with neck dicks my whole life>

@Knitrocks I am valgray on ravelry, let's be friends!! Just checked out your notebook and patterns: damn!!! We should nerd out about knitting (and crochet, which I also do). Are you familiar with the "Dominknitrix" book? She's got some cool tattooey looking pillowcase patterns in there. Been thinking it would be nice to have some sort of crossover.