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That seems like such a hypothetical situation, but I (as a client only, not a tattooer) imagine the same "rules" stand - if you really aren't digging it, give the artist a little more insight into what you want and ask for it to be re-drawn without being a dick. I've never been clear on whether or not drawing time is part of the hourly rate or not, so just go with what they charge you at the end. When I got my Rose of No Man's Land, I came to the appointment with a whole mess of references that I liked bits and pieces of, but the artist didn't even ask to look at them. He drew up his version of it (and I've loved most all of his similar work any way), and while it wasn't necessarily what I had imagined for my tattoo, I realized that it was a great piece of art and I didn't really have anything to say against it. I fucking love the tattoo, and even though it probably wouldn't have been my first pick of designs it fits the spot perfectly and I have no complaints.

Whoa, anyone know where to find a pic of that?

Who's gonna be the first to get a monmon cat backpiece?

Wowowowow.

Damn @CABS, what are you getting?

Wow @Eilin, nice work!!

Man, this thing is scabbing up like crazy! Can't wait for the itch...

Got this Rose of No Man's Land from Josh Stephens the other day while he was guesting at Atlas Tattoo here in Portland. Couldn't be happier with it, and Josh is great!

Super cool thread, thanks for sharing everyone!

Got an appointment with Josh Stephens while he's at Atlas in Portland next month. Gonna get some kind of Rose of No Man's Land, pretty excited...

Holy shit, these are awesome! Thanks for sharing, the shaking hands and snake/skull are incredible...

@smiling.politely that's the best story I've heard in some time - congrats to you and your folks, that fucking rules! Oh, and killer tattoos.

That panther...

Man, killer tattoo and excellent use of space there @RoryQ !

Everyone working at Rock of Ages is good, but they also each have their own styles. After flipping through some portfolios and Instagrams you should be able to narrow down what you do and don't like about any artist. Make your decision from there.

^^^Loved seeing some of those landscapes in the VICE series and online. And that's awesome about the double-sided pieces, the man is a creative machine!

Super jealous (two years in a row) of everyone who made it to the DeVita show. Thanks for the photos @irezumi, I'm still waiting to find a spare roll of cash to buy a piece of his from the blog...

Talk to your doctor, generally anything that thins your blood (ie alcohol) is frowned upon by artists because of the increased bleeding. Your artist seems willing to accommodate, but a second professional opinion can't hurt things and moving your appointment might be better for the both of you. Welcome to LST, what are you getting done and who is your artist?

That Katerine Burke photo is just begging to be turned into a tattoo!

^^^I think this really comes down to the wearer. There's the great old-school image of a tough sailor with a pretty woman on him as some sort of token, but several of my female friends have lady heads and/or pin-ups and they look fantastic on them (without being "too manly"). I guess this applies to most tattoo imagery as well. Roses (and flowers in general) are often considered to be "girly" in our society, but I (a man) can't get enough of 'em in tattoos!

Really dig that panther crawling through the grass - super cool angle on a classic design. Welcome aboard!

Seriously. I couldn't stop staring at that on IG the other day!

He should just cover it up with a giant wrecking ball. :rolleyes:

I grew up in Santa Cruz, one of these days when I'm visiting I need to get a hometown tattoo. Welcome!

Oh, there's no way I'm going to read a book online. I downloaded the .pdf of Three Stories so I could print them out, still has nothing on a real book but it's better than my shitty laptop screen. And I understand the reluctance to read something that Salinger didn't want published, but I love seeing some of the "behind the scenes" works of favorite artists, whether it be bootleg demos from musicians, sketches from fine artists, or these short stories. For those of you who don't wish to/can't read these stories, there's supposed to be a line-up of new material in the coming couple of years that Salinger and his estate wish to be published.