Fala

Was great meeting you too @Rob I!!! Love that panther and snake!!! Was thrilled to finally meet @BrianH, @Shaun1105 and @polliwog too!!! It's always a pleasure seeing @Graeme and @Pugilist. I love how this place brings us all together. Polliwog - you got some lovely tattoos at the convention. That skunk is totally cute.

Yes @Graeme!!! We definitely plan on heading back to Montréal. Jason liked one of the tattooers that was there and has been scoping out their work online after spending time looking through their portfolio a few times. Who knows, maybe he'll get tattooed at next year's convention?

@BrianH Not that you asked for advice about how to feel better or anything but.... Get four bottles of echinacea tincture (preferably the root and aerial portions), take 1-2tsp every 2-3 hours for the next two days, then reduce to 1tsp every 6 hours for as many days as needed until you feel better plus an extra couple of days thereafter (you may need more than 4 bottles!). If you feel warm and icky (ie you are hating on anything that makes you feel warmer), drink strong peppermint (hot, like 3-4 teabags per cup - steep for 20 mins covered before drinking) then get into warm covers to sweat it out. If you feel cold/cool and icky (ie you can't stay warm enough), drink strong ginger (fresh grated, 1-2TB/mug, steeped for 20 mins covered) and also get into warm covers to sweat it out. You can also use scallions for this purpose, same method of prep and sweating it out! Once you are done sweating, have a bowl of soup (chicken, bone broth, miso, etc.) to help replenish your body. Between the echinacea and the tea, you should be feeling a lot better soon!!! In any event, I hope you feel better soon!!!! Thanks @Graeme for brunch arrangements!

Agree with @Lance - I really love what Chris Brand is doing with the Japanese/Chinese / LA crossover. If I wanted to get a tattoo like what you want Gareth98, I'd go to Chris. He travels enough, so you might be able to make it work.

@ligatortat Why don't you get a tattoo of a star exploding???? That would pretty well cover everything you want with it... You could get it elsewhere on your body - other arm, further up your arm, on your leg, etc.

Digging the wetsuit names for where people are at @mtlsam. I am going for a short john, so I'll stop posting here.

I don't have an image in mind, just asking if you can stretch from a tattooed phrase into something else.

Wouldn't it be more effective to create an image that calls to mind "we are all star stuff" vs an upside down phrase? Doesn't the atom imply that we are "star stuff"? Lettering in tattoos does not necessarily age well... I'm talking aging 10-20-30 years down the line not 3-5 years down.

You can ask what the tattoo artist's hourly rate is, and how long you should book the appointment for - then run the math (and factor in a tip to leave).

J and I are in @Graeme Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Hasn't this question already been asked several times in the past, with lots of advice already given???

Always happy to host LST folks coming into town. I'm in Brooklyn - Greenpoint/W'burg area.

So you are one of the lucky few who got in with Jondix! JEALOUS! If I had seen this sooner, you could have crashed on our couch. Sorry about that...

Hi @SStu!!!! Hope you are well!

Been a while since I have been on the forum... If anyone is in Brooklyn between now and August 1, check out the Jondix/David D'Andrea show at the Three Kings Gallery on Manhattan Avenue (Greenpoint). They did a great job pairing those two up, and I got to meet Jondix (I did not manage to play it cool, c'est la vie). The opening last night was fun. They have t-shirts, prints and (of course) the art all available. Everything is very reasonably priced.

I'm going, so is my husband. Not going to get tattooed though - I filled my quota for the year back in January, and I'm trying to save $ to go back to school, so there's that too... It's a great excuse to finally get up to Montreal, and to hang with some great people.

@Mabel Nice! I have a couple of tattoos from Yoni. He's fantastic.

What about something uber traditional like a ship on the sea, or an anchor, if you identify personally with the sea? What sorts of images do you identify with? As far as script - you must go to someone who can do lettering/script well, and you must let them draw the script. Do not go in saying that you want x statement with "this font". It isn't a font, it is script (or lettering) wherein it is drawn/tattooed by hand and not a machine. It is meant to flow a certain way. There are threads here that discuss lettering and script tattoos, you might want to do a search and dig around.

Sounds great @Cork!

I concur @Hogrider.

Miss you too!!! Will you be able to come up for the Warriors Fund event in March?!

Nothing wrong with multiples!

@AuntTudie - wait until you are fully healed, and then a few months down the line reassess what you want to do. I have a couple spots on two different tattoos (two different artists) that had little blowouts due to the nature of the location, and within a few months the blowouts were gone.

I don't have a lot of tattoos compared to a lot of people here, but I still maintain that the soft ab/lat area between the rib and hip is the worst place I've yet encountered. I'll take ribs over that area any day... In the end, that pain is super temporary, and really makes a difference getting through a tough session like that. This said, I don't have experience with lower back, inner thigh, elbow, knee, etc... I'm still super new to getting tattooed!

Thanks @hogg! Nothing like being told by your tattooer that you sat great at the end of a session like that.