JeffK

Saw that on IG, so awesome!

I dislike these because I think they'll look stupid and shitty in 40 years and also because I'm a crank.

I've had both here in the US. The "gauze" I had wasn't REALLY gauze, it was more of an ABD pad with a plastic outer side. Anyway, whatever they put I leave it on while I sleep and don't open the bastard till the morning to clean and toss the old dressing. Here's how I look at it: Either way is fine. I don't think the absorbant pad is going to suck out any ink. It's just soaking up sweat and plasma and blood, ANY ink would be oozing out anyway with the plasma and other fluids. The plastic wrap, same, it's uncomfortable maybe but it'll keep your sheets clean and be a barrier for the giant open wound you just paid for. When the plastic wrap was used, the dudes always taped a folded paper towel to the bottom rim to catch any dripping ooze. Taking either off right after exposes the tattoo to a world of bacteria, even if you're cleaning the thing. SO I say leave it on, let what's there be there, in the morning toss the crap and never re-wrap. I know some people re-wrap for sleep. I don't like creating a moist/body temp environment on my giant open wound for bacteria to have an orgy in. THAT'S ME. I've done the re-wrap and it's never done anything one way or the other but cost me plastic wrap. So blah blah blah, I don't think it REALLY matters and it's a personal thing.

If I see a tattoo of a genital/s on someone it's a way for me to know they're automatically cool as shit. I have some boobs, but they're on my upper arm. I do work with other's kids sometimes. My kid and her close friends/their parents, don't care though. The state of IL and the school MIGHT. But when she's older and out of pre-school, who knows!? Boobs, balls, wangs, va-jay-jays, go nuts!

I'm a fan of just slapping stuff in weird old thrift store frames. Takes work to find them and make a matte, but whatever. Works fine enough for me. I don't get going to a framer, but honestly all I have are prints, nothing original, so I don't need to worry about screwing them up physically in the long term.

Who said those people with dicks on their arms DON'T take into consideration placement?

I think a big issue is people trying hard to be unique. So instead of considering if something will last or look good on skin, they just want something "artistic" and "one of a kind" and get all hung up on that and it ends up being stupid. I hate HATE HATE the new fad of tattoos that look like screen prints or stamps, like big ones that look like they've been stamped on someone at an askewed angle. I'll try to find an example. Yes, I give credit to the tattooer, it takes some serious skill, but ugh. It looks dumb to me. Just my opinion though. I always wonder "how will that thing look when you're 70?" and realize I sound like people who ask me that shit. But mine will look cool as fuck when I'm 70 because they're well designed. SNOB ALERT WHOOP!

"Destroy" Troy in Kansas City, MO Aldo Rodriguez at Carmel Tattoo in IN Of course all the dudes at Great Lakes Tattoo in Chicago who've been mentioned Jason Hoodrich and Jef Whitehed at Taylor Street (mostly anyone at TS are cool) Zak Stuka at Deluxe (pretty much everyone at Deluxe too) Trying to toss some names out there of people I haven't seen mentioned as much. I guess Whitehed and the GLT crew have been dropped though. There's a few other rad tattooers in Chicago of course, but so many to name. I'll try later to mention some others who haven't been mentioned yet.

Here's my rib tiger Ross Nagle did while he's here in Chicago.

I went in yesterday since their "Fleet Week" is going on and got a rib tattoo from Ross Nagle visiting from Ireland. This shop is the most gorgeous tattoo shop I've been in. Such a nice design, huge without feeling vacant or cold, tons of amazing tattoo history covering the walls and cases. Seriously, stop in even if you're NOT getting anything done. It's worth looking it. Eye candy. Plus they played Iron Maiden live the whole session.

I like having tattoos so some people automatically assume shit about me. This way I can weed out the stupid assholes from the people who are, seemingly, worth dealing with. They don't need tattoos to be worth dealing with, just not assume stupid shit.

I plan on hitting them up this month when they have a parade of insane guests. Not that I DON'T want stuff from all the awesome dude's there, but since I'm local and work like 10 min. away I can wait and get some things down the road from each. Cool shop though, if you don't you should follow their Instagram.

Those are BOTH awesome, good stuff man!

When will we have snakes replaced by eels? Regardless of animal, a cool tattoo is a cool tattoo.

So true. Don't hate styles you dislike. Just laugh at them with your friends and be an asshole, like I do. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I recently saw a group of people clamouring for a tattoo from this dude they knew. I saw his work and it was bad. Inconsistent lines, shading that looked like it was done with a crayon. Ugh. In the end I found out he was just a kitchen scracther and did them cheap. They wanted them from him because he was cheap. They were EXCITED because he was cheap. They had 0 concern of how unsafe and bad these damn things were. Meh. I didn't say a word. Maybe I'm a dick, but I figured let them get all scratched up. Either they'll learn or just not care. It's not my place to save anyone. I'll help friends and family, but a random group of people too stupid too stupid to see quality, blah, fuck em.

Yeah I did too, she thought about this flash of a dude's head up his ass. I think we both realized we'd both pick stuff like that independently so the point was lost and we just picked fun stuff.

My wife picked this out for me last night. Done by Jason at Taylor Street. Good times were had.

Wouldn't it be me more accurate to refer to yourself as "their skin canvas" since (in this case) you only go to 1 artist, but they clearly tattoo more than 1 person? So, honestly, they have ownership over you.

Oh yeah, no disrespect to the big piece people. I plan on getting 1 big ass back tattoo, but the rest of me I like patched. I think her dad wants me to get stuff like WWE wrestlers or David Beckham or something. The big, slick, coherent piece type thing. He thinks anything OTHER than that is just trashy or something. But it's just not me or my wife's style. So, behind my back of course, I get a lot of shit about it. All my wife wants are whim tattoos haha. I think she has 2 planned, the rest are no doubt going to be random. This week we're going to go pick each other's without knowing what, as I've mentioned we've planned on doing for a while. Should be fun. She's a jerk so I'm sure I'll end up with something awesome but also pretty funny.

Ah, gocha. Yeah for me getting stuff from different artists just makes sense. There's so much talent, so many awesome styles, why be shackled down to just one?! I guess there is a stigma on us who go around seeking out particular and multiple artists though. I embrace it though. I'm also a collector of OTHER things (toys, comics, records) so to be labeled as such never really hits me.

My wife's dad hates my tattoo's because instead of 1 big "nice" sleeve he'd feel is "cool" or even "classy" (pardon my quotes) I have a bunch of random ass kinda trashy tattoos patched all over. She digs it that way though, me too. I'll always like that trashy kinda punk-tattoos-all-over look. I'm glad she finally started getting some. It make me think the person is more of a fun spontaneous thinker vs. an over-thinking planner, which I actually am so I guess my way of venting some spontaneity is via tattoos.

Haha yeah this too. I used to date a girl who was like that. If she met someone once, tattoo artist, c-level celeb, whoever, she acted like she was buds with them all of a sudden. It's always kind of funny.

As long as you're getting the tattoo's because you're into them, what's it matter? It's like "hipster" no one wants to be called one and there's a million different definitions. I know plenty of people who'd be called "hipster" by others but they're nice, genuine and awesome people. So fuck what words others use. If someone called me a tattoo collector, I couldn't ARGUE, I guess it all depends on their tone though whether or not I'd be upset at them for it. If they mean it in an asshole/snotty way, meh, fuck them right? It'd be upsetting if it was an artist, to get some attitude like that, but I haven't run across that. Most people who tattoo me just ask who's done mine because they just really wanna know who's work it is. Do they know them? Shit like that. Anyway, yeah, words are words, being a dick is being a dick no matter what word is used and if your'e a genuine and honest person, whatever. Let people say what they will. You're in it for you right? I'm gonna go write a self help book now, brb.