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Awesome guys thanks for that! Some great suggestions, apparently I'm difficult to buy for because hey I'm an adult if I want something I'll buy it myself. At least I can point to something now.

Hi guys, I know a lot of you have some killer japanese tattoos so I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for good japanese reference books. Woodblock or straight up tattoos been nagged for what I want for Christmas (my family celebrate in January so it's not super short notice).

I've been to London to get tattooed from Cardiff and I'm cheap when it comes to transport so k went on the bus. 6 hours I think it was door to door plus an hour hanging around waiting for the shop to open it was pretty rough on the way back especially sitting for all that time. Trousers were stuck down with leg juices. Yum

I don't mind hugely to be honest. It sounds wierd but I quite like the slightly shitty looking colours in old traditional bodysuits

Hi guys does anyone know how feasible it is to tattoo red or orange over blue? That artist who started my sleeve went rogue with the colour originally and I'm getting the whole thing finished/reworked in the UK I asked for orange to get a bit more of a traditional vibe going but this is what I've ended with so advice appreciated.

Has anyone tattooed straight over the nipple? Mine are a bit of a wierd colour (tmi I know) so where I'm going to get wind bars I'm thinking of blacking them out. I might do it a tiny bit every session though if it's sore.

@scottyg I did a massive F***ing search just to make sure I wasn't crazy. Turns out it was goldfish. No idea of significance or anything.

That's awesome man my Google fu was obviously lacking. I'm guessing as the foxes have a story behind them for the skull the koi I've seen with the same thing is just a mashup?

Hi guys I'm trying to find some reference for something I've seen a few times. Basically koi and foxes with skulls tied to their heads with hannya style rope. If anyone knows what it's called that would be awesome.

hi guys, I broke my foot on an obstacle course pretty badly a little while back and today I've been told it's possible I'd be medically discharged as it's not great on the long marches they love in the legion; that would mean I'd have to return to the UK. I'm aware that it's slightly taboo but I'll be stuck with two unfinished sleeves, what are my chances of finding an artist that would be willing to work on another artist's stuff?

Haha my Ukrainian buddy said to put a cartridge outline around it, I'd like to keep it nice at least until it's finished.

Awesome, I'll leave it alone until the next session. I just feel luckier than my Columbian mate who caught a collar-full on his neck tattoo. I was only stressing slightly because the brass burns on my face show a bit.

Hi there all I recently added colour to the sleeve I'm working on but during a training exercise a guy was out of alignment and I caught a hot casing to the arm (photo attached it doesn't show too well but it's pretty raised) is it simple enough to touch up? Some of the black has healed a bit splotchy as well so I need a touch up session any way.

Added some colour today the black isn't perfect in a couple of areas so might need a touch up. Also I've got to pick colours for the other koi and the peonies suggestions welcome. I'm thinking possibly yellow for the koi kind of like the old school colour schemes.

It depends on if I get any time off for my caporal stage if not it'll be two months before I can work on it again I think that we're going to line the back and the other arm before we coleur though.

Double post

Started my new sleeve yesterday at la cour des miracles in Toulouse

Update: Had a bit of progress and I have a consultation with Alex Reinke tomorrow, have nearly everything planned out. One quick question, has anyone had a bodysuit lined out before any shading or colour? Thank you for the support guys/ladies.

Thank you for all your replies, @HaydenRose what is the acceptable amount of reference material you usually bring I started planning this roughly three years ago and lost the actual planning process so now I have thousands of pictures e.g in my folder on waves that I like I have 231 pictures etc. (examples deleted for length) I live in Wales but am anticipating going to London, I was looking at Alex Reinke, Stuart Robson, Ian Flower and Matti Sedholm I narrowed it down to Mr Reinke and Stuart Robson mainly because I don't drive so should be easier to get to by public transport + because Mr Sodholm doesn't visit the UK often. Out of the two I like both their work although Mr Reinke might be less happy with me adjusting designs. @gougetheeyes No this is the first and last tattoo so I have nothing to base the experience on. I have another year to wait until I'm 21 which is the minimum age Alex Reinke will tattoo someone so I still have time to contact them both and see that they think about the project. @jayessebee It's good to hear from somebody else with Asperger's that's had so many tattoo's, The main issue I can see is that I feel nauseous if I stay still for too long it's worse when I'm upright (standing or sitting) but still noticeable when I'm lying down I suppose the only thing to do is get tattooed in bursts and spin in circles every fifteen minuets or to as well as bringing some serious occupying fiddles (hanayama puzzles, minesweeper on the phone, and a few packets of blu tack). on a related note do you find you tend to sweat unreasonably high amounts when nervous? I think in some ways there will be some scope for the artist to be creative I'm much more concerned that the waves, wind bars and general background look exactly as I want them than what the main subjects are. I think that Japanese tattoos I don't tend to look at the individual subject as much as a) the whole thing and when I get closer how the entire piece interconnects to form one and in the styles I like a lot of the background shows through between pieces.

Hello, I haven't posted much been busy working and saving, but I was reading a few bad customer/ tattoo etiquette threads and thought I would post this. I have autism (Asperger's syndrome specifically) and I'm just wondering how best to negate the effects in a tattooing session. Asperger's for those that aren't aware is a lifelong condition where the brain is wired differently to normal people, people with Asperger's have trouble communicating, making eye contact, understanding what other people are thinking, empathy as well as non social things like being obsessive with details, having supernormal interests and physical things like rocking, flapping hands and ticks. for reference think Sheldon Cooper, Temple Grandin, Gary McKinnon (the man who hacked the US) Because of Asperger's I know that I come off like an arsehole to people I don't know well and I'm even more odd and twitchy when nervous. Any thoughts on the best way to: a) explain why I'm 'off' without scaring the artist away and b) controlling or working around my ticks and stimms when being tattooed. bonus question would a tattoo artist be offended if you said you liked his work and a lot of his pieces but would like a tattoo (Japanese bodysuit is what I'm aiming for) in a slightly different style then give example of pieces of his that are good and pieces by other artists who's style you like.

@Stewart Robson I was ogling your blog the other day and I noticed that you don't sign your back pieces, is there any reason in particular? - - - Updated - - - Some interesting stuff on signatures in Japan http://www.digi-joho.com/en/living-japan/106-hanko-inkan.html http://luvniku.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/official-seal-inkanhanko-%E3%81%AF%E3%82%93%E3%81%93%E5%8D%B0%E9%91%91-in-japan/ and a cool article on Shunga (erotica): http://eroticadujour.com/women-of-pleasure-the-floating-world-of-desire/

Apparently as long as you take an image from an old school Ukiyo-e print it should fly. Horitaka one of Horiyoshi 3's ex apprentices wrote a book on it. Here's a link to a massive load of them Kuniyoshi Project Link to a good site ????????????? -???TATTOO-??????

Congrats!! That's a beautiful razor. If you want a kit list give me a shout :)

I have a bunch of Straights and a Shavette is perfectly passable to use it's just a lot more unforgiving. Cheap Straights on the other hand are downright dangerous. At least the blade on a Shavette is basically just a DE blade and the quality is pretty good. Cheap straights are a whole different thing.

Yea a couple of hints: firstly do the full face prep (heat a flannel in the shower/under the bath taps until it's steaming hot then press to the face and repeat a couple of times, then make up your lather with proper soap and only lube up one cheek/section at a time (sections being cheek, cheek, sideburn, sideburn, neck, underside of chin, chin, top lip) if you do it in sections you a) can get away with cheaper soap and b) don't have to lather on 2 inches deep of soap) Then if you're new to using a shavette nice trick is to cut into the cardboard inside of a loo roll to blunt it just a little around three cuts does it for me. You HAVE TO and I can't emphasise this enough stretch the skin when shaving otherwise that's it its a splatter orgy. http://www.dovorazors.com/page49.html my DOVO is the non gold version of this