cltattooing

The reason you don't see tattoos like that often is because they look like complete dog shit when they heal. I will attach some examples. https://www.tattoodo.com/a/2016/03/the-test-of-time-tattoo-styles-that-won-t-stand-it-watercolor/

Duuuude I love that! His tattoos are so great. Definitely on my list!

Yeah, don't put color in the cat because it's already somewhat on the dark side, and any color you add will only layer over it and make it darker. And Dubai, oh man that's kinda tricky. I don't really know of any artists working over there and the preliminary searches I've done on the web and through instagram haven't really brought up much that's any good. Maybe post the artists you find here and I can help you figure out who is worth seeing.

Ok well I definitely wouldn't put any color in the actual cat, but you could definitely frame out the bottom with some nice bold flowers and the juxtaposing styles would look really nice together. Overall, not a bad tattoo, but I do think it could have been applied by someone with more skill. Unfortunately, there is not really a middle ground between lackluster photo-realism and outstanding photo-realism. It's just one of those styles that tends to fall short if you're not at the very top of your game. I think if you go to a seasoned artist who works in several styles and has 20+ years under their belt with a solid portfolio, that person could probably do a lot to make that tattoo more crisp and visually legible. Just my .02 edit: and just to be clear, I don't think it's a bad tattoo, but I can see where your dissatisfaction comes from. It's definitely an easy fix with the right artist. If you let me know where you live, I can help point you in the direction of someone who can do it.

Thanks for the nod Also I'll be there through the 19th and still have some available appointments if any of you lovely new yorkers are reading this

geometric shape/sun/moon above the moth, rays coming off of it and behind the insect, framing out the space

Hard to say without seeing a photo, do you have one?

Haha I think I just like all of the same stuff cause I have a ton of repeat tattoos. 8 roses, 7 snakes, 2 dragons, 6 skulls (5 on one arm), 4 birds, 5 ladies, and 4 moons.

Man that's so cool!! I've always wondered.

So about the bun-twitching.. honestly, my best bet has to been to just keep it clenched. Sounds dumb and hilarious, but that's all I've been able to do to keep it from jumping up into the needle. Kahlil and I have had many laughs about the rogue jumping asscheeks, and he said he basically had to keep the muscle contracted the entire time to keep it steady as well. Hope that helps

Please tell me you're going to Jason Kundell!

I edited the quote intentionally so that the info didn't remain in my post. It's not really a big deal. Also nothing wrong with talking about tattoo experiences at all, in my opinion. It was just the brand of rotary that was mentioned, which falls under the technical equipment umbrella.

Looks good to me! And I don't think there's anything wrong with sharing saniderm healing methods, there are a few threads here with that info too. Thanks for being receptive to feedback, that is super cool of you. It's a bummer that your artist is sharing that info on Instagram, but what can ya do I guess...

I would say the "tattoo community" is a very real thing and has been around for as long as people have been getting tattooed :) I've been lucky enough to meet a good handful of people from the forum and have tattooed a good number of them and I am totally happy and proud to call them my friends. LST has played a pretty big role in my career, although discreetly. The interviews are pure gold and have a lot of soul and much to learn from. I'm not as active here as I once was, but it has always been that oasis you speak of. ?

Hey man.. I gotta say something real quick and I hope you can understand where I'm coming from. It ain't ok to post the type of tattoo machine your tattooer used on you, on the forum. It may not seem like much more than cool info to have from the customer's point of view, and I would agree that it's rad of your tattooer to share that with you. But at the same time, this is still the public domain where everything you post is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, and you can be sure that people who have their eyes on learning to tattoo will be reading through the forum. Basically tattooing is a complicated and difficult trade requiring a specialized skill set where training is necessary, and it's just not safe or responsible to be sharing technical info about it. Not sharing technical info is one of the rules of the forum and it's there for a reason. Hopefully this didn't come off as a lecture cause that's not where I'm coming from, just hoping to spread a little accountability/awareness. Cheers :)

Everyone has pretty much said everything that I was going to say. I like the idea of submission being separate from the voting process, I like the point/poll recommendation, and I definitely think it would be great if there were separate categories for one shots, and "the big stuff" -- sleeves, pants, torsos, & backs. Just cause I feel like a lot of really incredible small/medium sized pieces don't get proper clout with the magnitude of a large-scale tattoo competing for attention. edit: Also I'm super stoked that the contest is coming back! The video was cute haha

@sophistre that's rad!! thanks a bunch!

@Dan thanks man!

@Benji @kitti @BrianH @bongsau thank you all very much! cheers :) @exume It was such a good time! Lifetime is such a sick shop, I can't wait to go back!! Man, Walt makes such cool tattoos and is such a rad dude. What are you getting?

The black harpy

@BrianH Hats off to you, bud. That looks amazing, you earned it (: @sophistre I love it! So sick! Can't wait to see more And I don't have any recent photos of how mine is coming, unfortunately. I think the closest I can post is this one below. Anyway, did a chunk on the ass on Tuesday and it was pretty crappy. Seems like we're starting to close in on this thing though, just the sides and bottom of the ass, and the thighs left. About 66 hours and 1 year in.

@sophistre Ohhh wow that healed and settled in so well! So stoked you posted that, thank you! I think that is still one of my favorite tattoos I have done to date, I'm really glad you got that one. Do you mind if I post that one to my IG? and yeah, do agree with the pain being totally individual. I had one of my thighs done for many years, had tattooed it myself in my first year over the course of 7 hours, and found it pretty easy pain-wise. Got the other top of my thigh started by Matt Arriola a couple of weeks ago and it took everything I had to not totally lose it, it hurt really fuckin badly.

Welcome, great tattoos! Particularly diggin the kitsune fugu and your back :)

Dude I hear you. I will definitely be bummed to not be going into Tattoo City every two weeks by the end of this, cause that part definitely doesn't suck, but goddamn. Does the entire back have to hurt this bad? Also I dunno what I was thinking, we have at least 4 more sessions in the waist area, I somehow managed to forget about the deity herself :rolleyes: