Gnawa

I'm on my way to Rising Dragon, NYC to add some much-needed shading to my geisha back piece, and maybe add a little color, depending on my pain threshold. I'll post pics later on. It's been six months since I had work done on that one, so I'm really excited to continue the process.

Mina Aoki gave me this gorgeous Asian-themed/geisha lady head today at Fun City Tattoo, NYC. This is the second of a projected three lovelies she is doing on my upper right arm (my southwestern/Mexican lady has already been posted here). I feel incredibly lucky to be able to wear her work and I cannot recommend her highly enough. A phenomenal artist and a lovely woman. Looking forward to next time!

Ashley Love at New York Adorned gave me this badass mermaid and anchor this afternoon at New York Adorned. I would see her again in a second for any traditional work I was looking for. Love her line work and her tattoo demeanor. Seek her out if you're in NYC and want quality traditional work, or phenomenal chubby girls - her chubby girls rock the house!! - - - Updated - - - Ashley Love at New York Adorned gave me this badass mermaid and anchor this afternoon at New York Adorned. I would see her again in a second for any traditional work I was looking for. Love her line work and her tattoo demeanor. Seek her out if you're in NYC and want quality traditional work, or phenomenal chubby girls - her chubby girls rock the house!!

D'oh!! Postponed again!! Gotta wait til Saturday!! That itch is gonna irritate for a few more days!

Finally, after two postponements in the last couple of months, I'm getting a mermaid from Ashley Love at New York Adorned tonight. I haven't been tattooed since mid-August, and I've been getting that itch recently. This is coming at just the right time! Posted pics forthcoming...

My punk rock pin-up and geisha girl can torture me any day; I'd avoid the cobra & dagger and Edgar Allan Poe, though (who knows what horrors Poe could come up with?!)

I found this sign hanging on a telephone pole in the Bronx, around the corner from the high school where I teach. I figured it'd make the average LSTer laugh or cry.

My advice re: sun protection is long sleeves/pants. You can't be a show off, but at least your tattoos won't age too rapidly (tho they will, of course, age). And I agree with @Killercook76 about Henning, though I realize I often agree with the Killercook on many of these forums. I have a good friend with a piece of Henning's and it is killer, and though it is mainly black & grey, he added some vibrant red and yellow that help set the black apart from standard b&g and it is gorgeous. However, if Denmark isn't easy for you, if American traditional/old school is your goal, and the UK is in your ambit, then please check Frith Street.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate the kind words.

@CercleRouge, that Hooper piece is amazing. Love the others as well, but that's just a badass rib piece. Be proud. Be very, very proud!! - - - Updated - - - @Dog Soldier, awesome first-n-only!

I'm with @deadsp0t on this one, but am likewise no expert. Altering color shouldn't be too big an issue. If the piece is fairly recent, then maybe wait until fully healed to see how the colors settle on your skin, but if it's been there a while and you're not happy with the result, then the artist should hopefully be willing to work with you to (a) satisfy you as a customer and (b) get repeat business from a satisfied customer. But, again, I'm just a tattooed guy, not an expert of any stripe. Hope you do get what you're looking for!

There are a handful of films & TV shows that deserve permanent memorials on skin, and Breaking Bad may well be one. But regardless of what I (or any other LSTer) believe, do what makes you happy. I've long considered a text tattoo from my all time favorite show (The Wire), but can't decide on just one line. I've also considered a Wild Bunch tribute of some sort, but can't nail,that one down either. As the saying (kinda) goes, If you love something, set it free or get it inked on yourself permanently. Incidentally, what are you thinking of?

I got this one today from Steve Boltz at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour. I had too much black & grey on my left leg so felt the need to get some color.

I was really blown away as to how bad it was. The idea that a supposed tattoo show consisted of 20 minutes of insulting folks for their bad art and about a minute-thirty of actual tattooing was a real surprise. It's a complete train wreck of a show. And how many cover-up shows do we need? At least the one on TLC focuses on the tattoo process, but it's getting ridiculous.

I think your clover looks good there, and I'd never cover my first piece, which is about the same size as yours, though in a less valuable place, real estate-wise. I think you should keep it or, at most, rework it into the overall sleeve. I tend to not care what folks have to say about my tattoos, but that's me. My two cents, though, is keep it where it is, just like it is.

I've never used anything to get me through a tattoo, other than an Advil once or twice. Even when my back is getting worked, I deal with it. I've always been comfortable with the notion that the pain is part of the experience and handling it is part of deserving the piece, and I've been good with that. Now, I haven't sat longer than 5 hours, so beyond that I can't say I have an opinion, but up to that point, I've dealt with it and done just fine without a numbing agent. Breathe and go with it.

I haven't found a thread that deals with this as such (though I may have missed it), but I thought I'd start my first thread by giving props to the shops with the best tattooing soundtracks. Where do you hear the best tunes to get tattooed to? In my (limited) experience, Brooklyn Tattoo has had the best background music to get tattooed to. When my man Willie is given control of the music, I know I'm in for a great experience. There is something about the jump from Bad Brains to Slayer to Funkadelic to The Misfits to Tomohawk to The Police and beyond that totally appeals to me and takes me to a very happy place while the needle hums in my ears, the smell of green soap fills my nostrils and the ink sinks into my skin. I'll always think of that shop when I hear certain songs, no matter where I am. While it was a true pleasure and surprise to hear live Stiff Little Fingers last time I got work done at Fun City, a shock to have Hooverphonic playing as Darren Rosa works on my back at Rising Dragon and a blast from my past to hear Pharcyde at Invisible, Brooklyn Tattoo will always get the medal for best music to get tattooed to.

That's so badass. I love Tim Hendricks' black & red work and am 100% envious of your cobra. Badass badass badass!

I wish all the bastards scratching up my 14-16 year old students asked themselves this question. I know it's a totally different issue than you raise here, but I'm so glad your ethics are in the right place.

I've had 2 minor and 1 slightly-more-major touch up. The first, I noticed a tiny spot where the artist missed shading that helped create a sense of depth, which was definitely missing. He fixed it in about 3 minutes (he would not accept a tip, although I did buy his shop t-shirt design so at least he got a percentage of that). The second was a missing a tiny line that, again, took moments and was taken care of at the same time as the third, which was at the artist's request. This entailed re-shading parts of a black and grey piece that he was not satisfied with after the first session, which I completely appreciated. This time, the tip was accepted. So, I guess what I'm saying is I approve of the touch-up if you (and/or the artist) feel the piece is missing something or is lacking in some way.

Great work! I really dig the locomotive.