Genie of the West

I am a firm believer in the philosophy of "do what you want, 99.9% of the time it's the right decision"

Yeah its me nice job on remembering my name spelled it right and everything haha. Since we ran into each other online it looks like ill have to swing by the shop just to shoot the breeze if not to get tattooed.

Hey Nick! Welcome to the board. You did the Ark of the Covenant on my chest last year and filled in some stuff on my arm remember? If you search your name using the search function I mentioned you and 3rd Street one time on here. Hope you've been good!

I've seen, heard and experienced nothing but bad things about white ink tattoos. They're just not practical and always fade quickly. I don't understand the point of getting a faint tattoo that not only is not visible from a distance, but will inevitably fade into crap at a fast rate. Get it covered in black ink in my opinion. A job really shouldn't be a factor in choosing ink color. If you're not willing to fully cover it I think it would be a huge mistake to try and get it in a color that just doesn't work out well, just so it's less noticeable. Because now you have a bad looking tattoo and it might still be noticeable enough to have to cover anyways. Might as well get a good tattoo and just cover it without being told. Like the above poster said, wear a long sleeve shirt. No rocket science required here.

I used to be the same way and my very first tattoo was a half-sleeve a week after I turned 18. I never imagined getting more tattoos after that but sure enough I now have a full-sleeve and my entire chest done as well with more ink on the way. I can say that for the arms especially, you will feel incomplete eventually with just half-sleeves. Once you start on the arms, I believe it's hard not to go all the way to the wrist.

Yeah... I would put money on that.

You work at Ft. Irwin? I would not want to be stuck in that place all year round in a shirt and tie. Yikes!

I want a Dusty Neale tattoo so bad. I discovered him when I saw a drawing online of some African-American lady heads and I saw his name on it. I knew I had to get one or something like it the instant I saw it. I'm definitely getting one of them on me. His Egyptian flash looks incredible too.

Fair enough. My sincere and humble apologies ladies!

I complimented a guy on his leg sleeve yesterday in the gym. It was really nice vibrant Japanese style work so I just walked up to him and said I liked it. I have a full sleeve and my chest done and I was in a tank top and he kinda half-heartedly told me I had a clean looking sleeve as well. We chatted for a second about where we got them done and found out we both got some work done at the same local shop then I walked away. I'm not sure if he actually liked my sleeve or not to be honest and don't really care. I don't think my sleeve is bad but it's so dark against my skin that you can't see what it actually is in detail without a good close look at it so I have a slight feeling he didn't actually like my sleeve that much and was just being polite. Only thing I would criticize about my ink is the artist's failure to utilize the negative space on my dark skin to make the work pop out more. My arm does look pretty damn clean even when you can't see the details in it though so who knows. When I compliment someone on their ink I'm not looking for a compliment in return. I'm just letting them know I think they have quality work. Simple as that. I could really give two shits if they like my work or think it's cool. I mean it's nice if someone compliments me back but it won't ruin or make my day if they feel one or way the other.

And please tell me when did I ever say that only women's bodies decline? That goes for all skin and genders. My muscular tattooed arms at 22 probably won't look so sexy in 20 years. That's simply an objective fact that the human body deteriorates with age. It has nothing to do with men vs women if you're a human your body will age. My statement was a blanket one though I did comment on the fact that I love how ink looks on women's bodies. Funny how I had a couple people get a bit snappy with me when I made a comment about how much I love ink on women. I mean why in the world would I say that I love all ink on women and then suggest that women shouldn't get tattooed? Does that even make sense? I feel like a comment like that comes from personal insecurity to be honest. I wasn't even suggesting anything close to what you perceived. I apologize if my post was unclear but I think a couple people got something from my post that wasn't implicit nor intended. When did I ever say it would be epic-ly crumbly? I simply said that the body would probably not be as shapely and attractive at an older age. My exact words. Sex appeal definitely adds to the overall look/effect of a tattoo. A great tattoo is great of course, but a great tattoo on a fit young body that flows with the muscles and curves of the body is always more impressive. Not sure why people are getting offended over the fact that I said the body tends to deteriorate in shape and attractiveness with age.

I'll chime in but we would need to see pics of you. Your wife looks light enough to take color though. Just would have to work with the artist and discuss what options would be best. I see plenty of light skin to medium tone black people with nice color ink. I'm on the other side of the spectrum. I'm dark as hell, about 3-4 shades darker than your wife. Gotta love that West African blood. I've never even considered anything but black/gray for that very reason. I just can't fathom putting a considerable amount of color in any of my tattoos because my skin is so dark. Think Akon's skin tone. My mom is black but most hispanic people have a similar or darker skin tone than her. My dad is the opposite he's extremely dark skinned. Even though they're both "black" they would have WAY different options. Also there's a difference between getting a tattoo with color highlights or getting a tattoo that is mainly color. There's a lot of factors that come into play really. You'll just have to trust the artist you're dealing with and be patient. Be aware that you may have to compromise on what you want your design to look like. Your options are definitely limited. You may have to accept that your ink will be more 'subtle' than someone who has fairer skin but unless you're super duper black you should still have a range of colors you can work with. IMO your wife should be fine for incorporating color just judging from that pic.

I definitely think about it but for me it's simple for two reasons. One is that I'm getting all black and gray work so even if I get slightly or even drastically different styles, it will all flow together fairly well simply because it's all black and gray. Two is that I plan on getting a full body suit from neck to feet so it doesn't really matter how it "flows" because there will be no negative space. Also I'm a male so that makes it easier. Right now I have two chest plates, a piece above them that comes onto the front of my neck, and a sleeve on my right arm. I have a lot of options on how I want to complete my body. Eventually it will all be filled anyways so I can go wherever I want at this point though I'll most likely finish my stomach/lower torso and then do my thighs or a leg sleeve before finishing my left sleeve and the rest of my legs. I'm thinking my back will be one of the last things I do simply because of how big, time consuming, and expensive it will be in comparison to my other pieces. I love women with ink whether it's some small pieces, full body coverage, and everything in between. I will agree that it's nice to see well placed tattoos that flow and form fit with the body though. A well placed tattoo on the thigh, rib, or even the ass can really accentuate a girl who already has some nice shape to her. Only thing is those tattoos that work with the body in the early twenties may start to fade away with the body as someone ages. 35 year old body may not look as attractive and shapely as the 22 year old one.

I suggest you complete the sleeve. I just did something similar. My first tattoo was a half-sleeve on my right arm 4 years ago. Two phoenixes. I extended it below the elbow with a snake wrapped around an apple next to a coffin. Also there's a clock in there. Just finished it 2 weeks ago. Two different artists with slightly different styles but it looks great. When I was 18 I did not plan on getting full sleeves but I'm loving my new arm. I'm partial to the sleeved look instead of tattoos standing by themselves though. Just do what you want to be honest.

I think my longest session was 6 hours as well and boy did that get painful toward the end. And the day before I had been worked on for 2.5 hours. My first tattoo as well. Half-sleeve after I turned 18. Go big or go home.

I really don't understand it either. I guess some guys think tattoos make women seem too macho or manly. I guess their brain sees it like muscles. Good on a guy but not a woman. I think it's daft. Oh well. More tattooed women for me!

I thought of a new one to add on top of the face which is the armpit. Way too painful and I would have to shave my armpits often just to sport them anyway. I'll most likely NEVER tattoo my armpits. I'm open to neck and hands after I retire though.

Wow this is just sick. This guy is tattooing his name on several young women's bodies... With several of them on the face. Disgusting.

Jesus fucking Christ... 54th and Crenshaw? That's not too far from me. Compton/Inglewood if I recall. So sad.... This is mutilation. I'm speechless... Whoever did this to this girl should never tattoo anyone again. I'm really speechless.

Well I guess if that's the case I would consider myself a collector. I've got a constant itch and I plan on having a full body suit before I stop. I love my ink. Yeah I would definitely be ready in a second. And I do plan on flying out to the east coast when I have the funds and having Mike Adams do my left sleeve. I also have a couple other names in mind for my back. Considering Kim Saigh (I believe a couple other LSTers see her too) for my stomach. Only thing stopping me right now is cash. The hard part is my current tattoo artist I have now does such great work I almost don't want to get tattooed by anyone else. If I didn't want a couple different styles I would probably just stick with him. But for the most part, I've gotten my tattoos from different artists every time. My sleeve is really just two connected half sleeves from different artists, and my chest which is also covered, has been worked on by 4 different artists.

I've got work from a few different artists in So. Cal but I wouldn't call myself a "collector" because I haven't really been done by any renowned shops or artists. Is collector more in tune with people who collect classic traditional images? I have all custom work in only black/gray. When we use the word collector do we typically think of someone who has a number of recognizable American traditional pieces?

To be quite honest, amongst my peers my feedback on my tattoos has been almost all positive. Anyone amongst my age group (18-23) typically likes my tattoos. But EVERYONE who is older has been nothing but negative feedback. My parents, employers, family friends, etc have all had nothing but negative things to say about my tattoos. Especially since one of them slightly peeks onto the front of my neck so it is often visible if my t-shirt sags a little. I remember one time my mom's friend came over and asked me about my tattoo and her tone of voice was so droll and the look in her eye was so put off I could tell she instantly thought I was an absolute fucking moron the instant she saw me. In fact I would say that a majority of people over 40 instantly think anyone with heavy tattoos is an absolute moron and a waste of life. Even my cousin and her husband who are about 5-7 years older than me at around 27/28 were very judgmental about how heavily tattooed I've decided to be, despite my cousin saying she wants a small one on her back, and her husband having 2 pretty conservative ones on his upper arm. The good thing however though is it has helped me not to care or live solely based on the opinions of others. It has really helped me realize that I should not live my life looking for the validation of others. Whether the decision is about my body, my significant other, or my career, I've learned that I should live for myself. I can never be free or true if I go through life wondering what will make other people happy or sad. Furthermore, I've found that a lot of people are ignorant, close minded, and unwilling to go against the status quo. Why should I want so hard to fit neatly into society's little box for me, if society is so fucked up in the first place? If I do something that I desire, and someone else doesn't approve that's their problem. I've got one life to live and I'm going to live it how I want to, with or without anyone else's approval or support.

Lol I was talking about that the other day in conversation with a few people. I was like "Why the hell do people get their last names tattooed on themselves?" Then someone in the group said they had their lastname on their back. Whoops!

When I first started getting tattooed I sacrificed aesthetics for meaning. I mean I picked my designs based on certain beliefs I had instead of going for what looked coolest. The only one I really regret is the text tattoo on my neck/chest. I'll probably cover it up with something else one day. Up until now, every single tattoo on my body has a religious theme or undertone to it. My stomach will be the first piece I'm getting purely for the looks and I'm quite excited. My other tattoos look cool but I could have gone bigger and more badass if I focused on aesthetics. But hey I may have never gotten into tattooing so much if I didn't want to express myself first so it is what it is.

I just got this issue real bad on my sleeve. It happened before when I got my chest done as well. I had let my tattoo artist shave my arm for my sleeve because that's my standard operating procedure. About a week after the tattoo, my hair started growing back and now I've got these unsightly ass ingrown hairs all over my arm. I can identify with the other African dude. I'm west African and get ingrown hairs extremely easily. I've got some tea tree oil I use for my face but I'm not sure if I can put it on my arm. Also should I stop using lotion or apply far less? My peeling is almost done but I've still been moisturizing as usual. I've got like 3 clusters of bumps on my arm right now it looks so gross... And it's f**king hot outside too.