MrToby

What a great topic. So what has tattooing taught me... Where do I start with that one. I have really gotten into tattooing over a period in my life where I have transitioned from education into the working world and both things have taught me a lot about myself and tattooing has definitely been a big part of what I have learned. The first thing that I think it has taught me is a great appreciation for anything that is made with a bit of heart and soul to it. This for me has revolved around things that are hand made and require time and effort. So everything from a good books, decent music, art and any sort of traditional craft. Art particularly has been something that my parents are quite interested in and I have never found an aspect of it that I really connected with. Tattooing has however taught me a huge amount about different types of visual imagery and as a result I have learned to read the images I see a lot more. It's gone deeper than the simple aesthetic though as I now know a huge amount about the history of where certain images come from and the cultural history that they stem from. This has then been something that I have been able to give back to my friends and family even in a small way. I have also started collecting original paintings and prints myself which just brings me a lot of joy to see them every day. Tattooing has also inspired me to start drawing and painting more myself. Now I would never claim that what I produce is great art, or even particularly worth spending a lot of time examining, however it gives me an opportunity to focus on something outside of myself and it inspires and frustrates me in equal measure. It has also given me the opportunity to give something back to my friends and family in a very honest and simple way. Especially over the last three years as I have steadily drawn more and more for other people. As other people have mentioned it has also given me the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. I have had some great conversations with friends and strangers alike and learned a huge amount as a result. There was one tattoo artist particularly who introduced me to sacred geometry and the patterns of nature which is another form of visual imagery that I now see everywhere. The variety of music that tattoo artists particularly have introduced me to as well is great. For example who knew that the verses in Lateralus by Tool follow a Fibonacci sequence. Youtube it... I found it fascinating. As a general statement to summarise tattooing has changed the way I live my life from the things that I am interested in, to the conversations I have with people and what I choose to do with my spare time. And I couldn't be happier about it. Here's to continued adventures within this world we call tattoo...

Isn't it just the greatest thing in the world. I think if everyone remembered exactly how much certain parts of the process suck then a lot of people would have a lot less tattoos, and people can debate the virtues of that as much as they want. I just know I am thankful that my memory of the experience is not perfect. The joy of getting to watch a big piece, or in fact any piece, developing from idea to finished article is great.

@Kinglambert @DeathB4Decaf I am very thankful that the lines are almost done. The fact that it is just 3 hours once a month has made it much more manageable. If the sessions had been closer together or significantly longer than they have been then it would have made the whole process a lot worse. As it is with the 3 hour sessions I have been able to zone out pretty well for large parts of it and the month between sessions is just long enough that I can forget how it feels.

@Shaggy @Iwar thanks very much for the kind comments. All of those lines together weren't actually all that bad. I prefer it when it's just one area that is worked on since it all seems to just go numb and I can zone out from it. There was one moment when Ian asked me whether I had fallen asleep because he thought I was snoring. I could only respond by saying that it wasn't quite that relaxing. But it honestly wasn't all that bad. Except the bits around the tail bone that he did right at the end. Those bits feel like being scratched with massive thorns. Not so pleasant all in all at that point.

OK so I tried to put this post up about three days ago but whilst I was doing it a power line nearby got struck by lightning and we lost power for a while. So that was the end of that. Now that we have power again and I have a bit of time I will try again. I had the fourth session on my back last Monday. I was hoping it would be the last session of outlining but that went straight out the window when Ian started the session by asking me "How do you feel about Tibetan skulls?" Luckily enough I think they are cool and the design that Ian had drawn up was pretty killer so we went for it. The result is that I now have a Tibetan skull on my my ass cheek and the back of my leg. I love it and am very happy to have it on there and we definitely have only one session of outline left. So after 12 hours of work so far my back looks like this. I have included a close up of the skull as well.

I am a massive fan of a good book. Over the years I have bought many of them. There is something about the aesthetic appeal of a well made book that I just prefer to looking at things on a computer screen. It's the same with music as well. I love vinyl. Anyway my list of books is as follows: Dentowaza - Kofuu-Senju Publications Mick - Kofuu-Senju Publications (Just got it yesterday - Such a good book) Ryushin - Kofuu-Senju Publications Osen - Kofuu-Senju Publications Osen II - Kofuu-Senju Publications Tattoo Time (Hardback Reissue) - Ed Hardy Tattoo Time Issue 1 (Original) - Ed Hardy JBxH3 Monmon Cats - Horitomo Bushido - Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura Studying Horiyoshi III - Jill "Horiyuki" Mandelbaum Tattoos of the Floating World - Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura Tattooing from Japan to the West - Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura I Love Tattoos - Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura Pushing Ink - Spider Webb Modern Primitives - 20th Anniversary Addition The Mammoth Book of Tattoos - Edited by Lal Hardy The Mammoth Book of Tattoo Art - Edited by Lal Hardy The Mammoth Book of New Tattoo Art - Edited by Lal Hardy Lost Art - Incognito Press Japanese Tattoo Designs - Ichibay Tattoo Showcase - Edited by Lal Hardy Vintage Tattoos - Carol Clerk Perseverance - Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World Horichiyo The Rose Book Myths, Gods and Legends - Adam Kitamoto Ade Volume 1 - Gomineko Press Wabori - Traditional Japanese Tattoo Time: Tattoo Art Today Horimasa Black Work Tattoo Art - Edition Reuss Tattoo in Japan - Edition Reuss Color Tattoo Art - Edition Reuss The Fingerwave Book - Grime/Toth Art by Tattooists: Beyond Flash Science Ink - Carl Zimmer I'm pretty sure that there are a couple more desides these but off the top of my head I cannot remember them for the life of me, and of course there are still more that I would like to buy one day.

Well this has been a very interesting read so far. What I can say on the topic is that when I hear a lot of hype about someone I want to check out their work and form my own opinion. I know what styles of tattoo I prefer so when it comes to getting tattooed by big names then I know there are certain people I will never get tattooed by just because the style doesn't match what I want. For the big names that do work in a style that I would get tattooed then the thing I look for is that gut feeling that this is an exciting body work or a particularly impressive artist. It could be just seeing one piece up close and personal puts into context what they are capable of or actually meeting them gives me an insight into their philosophies and the way they work. Normally it comes down to that wide eyed moment that leaves me slightly breathless when I see a powerful tattoo for the first time. And at the end of the day it doesn't have to be a big name. If I get that feeling from the work their doing then I'm on board. When it comes to other people getting tattooed by the big name tattooers my feeling is that I really have no place to comment. At the end of the day everyone has their own motivations for getting a tattoo. Some of them I may view as a good idea or a bad idea, but really that is neither here nor there as long as the person getting the tattoo is happy with the end result and remains so, then I don't feel I have much of a place to comment. At the end of the day if you have a good honest reason for getting a tattoo at all, whether it be by a big name or relatively unkown, and you are happy with the style and quality then all power to you.

@mmikaoj Yeah tebori seems pretty good for packing in the white. He had to go over a couple of spots more than once but most of it seems to be pretty good, though right now you can see the redness coming through quite well as well. Once it's all settled I'm sure it will be fine.

@RoryQ Yeah the rabbit has turned up on instagram I believe. I'm very happy with it. I know what you mean about it being better hot than cold but a bit of air in some of the rooms would have been great.

Well... That was a pretty great weekend. I will summarise it briefly though. Saw a whole heap of great tattoos and tattoo artists. I now really want to get a Filip Leu tattoo but that will have to go on some sort of wish list I reckon. Got tattooed by Hori Shin on Saturday first thing. He did a cool little rabbit for me. It was great to get some tebori done again. Been a few years since I've had any Japanese hand poked work and this piece went pretty well. Basically all of the white in the fur is tebori. There were a couple of bits he had to go over a couple of times but they should heal up just fine I reckon. Oh and it was insanely hot in Tobacco Dock this year. Anyone else think that it felt like a glass house at times? Also @RoryQ I was looking at my photos this afternoon and wondered is this you getting your front tattooed by Tomo and looking very relaxed about the whole thing?

@abees do you know if Freddy is taking walk ups at all or if he is just booking appointments? I looked for an email to get in contact with him some time a couple of months ago but could find no address at all which made it a lot trickier.

Thanks a lot @ironchef. @hogg it is indeed Ian's work. It's turning out to be so much more than I imagined at the start. He reckons that we've got just one more session on the outline which is great news. I can't wait to see it fully formed and start making it come to life.

So not been on here for a while but I have finally had the 3rd session on my back after a short break... I went on holiday. It definitely felt like we hit quite a lot this time round but it might just be that we were moving a little bit all over. So to add to the conversation going on above I definitely prefer to gradually work from one area to another rather than jumping all around. Suddenly moving to a new spot really sucks. Anyway this is how the progress is looking.

@Graeme that is such a powerful start to you back my friend. Are you going to add a full background to it in the end or is it going to be the stand alone image?

Yeah New Skool is definitely worth checking out. Ian owns the place and as I've said previously does what I reckon is some of the best Japanese work in the country. If you want to see more of it then this is his Webstagram page: Ian Flower @ianflowernst Instagram photos | Websta

Hi there @Kinglambert and welcome. I am indeed getting my back piece done by Ian Flower. He is seriously talented and quite understated. In my opinion one of the absolute best Japanese style artists in the country. A lot of his larger work is predominantly drawn straight on with only the major elements stenciled. I've included a picture of my back below that I also posted in the Full Back Piece thread. We are only about 5 or 6 hours in now and the only bit that was stenciled was the major features of the head. If you have a look at my gallery as well I've got a couple of thigh pieces by Ade at Nine Tattoo in Brighton. He is a super friendly and talented guy. Though Brighton would be a long way for you to travel. None the less check out his work here: ade tatu | ade tatu Good luck in your search my friend.

@Graeme I totally agree with that it is a good thing that a person only has two inner biceps to get tattooed. Tiger fighting a snake... that is an epic subject matter my friend. Who's going to be doing it?

@Graeme Don't get me wrong those small pieces really do suck some times. I decided that the right way to go for my first tattoo was a piece on the inside of the bicep. That was certainly no fun especially when it got up there near the armpit. As you say it is all about the endorfins. If I could convince my body to send them quicker and last longer then I sure as hell would. I really do sympathise with the girl that was getting that piece it just made me chuckle for some reason. Definitely let us know how round one on your back goes. What are you getting by the way?

So I am now two sessions into my back piece. See the pictures on the other Full Back Piece Thread. Before we started the first one my artist said to me "Hold on to your hat." I thought he meant just for that start. Turns out that statement definitely applies to the whole process. In general it has been pretty good so far with 3 hour session once a month but certain moments my metaphorical hat has certainly been lost. That spot on the love handles... dear lord!!! Who decided that was a good part of the body to get tattooed? There have been some quite funny moments throughout the first couple of sessions. I was slightly amused by one of the other clients in the studio during my first session who was fretting over a 20 minute piece on the bottom of her neck between the shoulders. Now I know every tattoo hurts and I never want to put anyone down for being worried about it because I have had those worries and totally sympathise, but I was just lining up for the start of a back piece... the difference in the situations just made me chuckle. There was also the awkward moment when I was standing with a towel held over the key area and my artist was doing some drawing and the primary school over the road emptied out for the end of the day. I felt like there was something slightly awkward about parents picking up there 10 year old kids whilst I was standing in plain view with my ass on show. Again it made me chuckle because what else can you do.

@Shaggy that is a great piece my friend. I love Kian's work and have always been slightly gutted that Australia is so far away from the UK.

@Cork You are correct there are definitely a lot of lines. Some of them were less than fun, especially around the base of the spine. The appointments are booked for 3 hours at a time but I reckon with drawing time we end up with about two and a half hours of tattooing so we're maybe 5 hours in at this point.

So Monday was the second session on my dragon back piece. There were definitely some interesting moments in it that were less than fun, but I am very happy with the progress and can't wait for the next session at the start of September.

@Wilhell @DevilMan both of your pieces look incredible. Shines a light at the end of the tunnel for mine. 2nd session on Monday.

I've been keeping an eye on the artist announcements as they come out and there are some fantastic names in there. I got tattooed by Bert Krak just on a walk up last year and would love to add another piece next to it this year but I will just have to see who is announced as we go through the year and then consider how far my money is gonna stretch. I will definitely be coming away with a piece of art/print from Ed Hardy though no matter what happens.

I like just how off the map this style of tattooing is. It takes a decent amount of artistic vision to do something like this well and I feel that it definitely has to match the personality of the client. I know for sure that it would never suite me but I can understand the appeal of it.