sighthound

Oh, for sure. Chad's back pieces are always so freaking big that line weight thickness is not that big an issue. Everything has enough room to breathe.

I totally agree @bongsau. Assuming the application and execution of the tattoo was good, the rest is just a reflection of the health of your skin, which is built upon a healthy body. Obviously, the sun is the #1 killer of tattoos - but eating, drinking, and living right go a long way as well

Yea, most of mine have a pretty thick outline too. It'll be interesting to see how they age - talking in 30-40 years. I wonder what some of the old timers would consider a "small" tattoo when referring to thick outlines.

Interesting comments on thick outlines in this video (starting at the 5:20 mark). Some pretty cool history, too

Looks like you're taking the southern cross country route (since you're going to Rock of Ages). On your way up to Hold It Down in Richmond, VA you could stop by Hot Stuff Tattoo or Empire Tattoo both in Asheville, NC - you'd be passing it anyways :P It'd be cool to meet a fellow LSTer

@Orangutango if that's a Simpsons reference then you might be my new favorite person haha. Love that Moth tattoo

Whaaaat, I didn't know that. That's so cool - learn something new everyday.

Haha, quite the statement, I know. I just really like what he does with them; very similar to Ron Henry Well's ships (which are some of my favorites too) but with his own spin.

Zack's style is so clean and his Japanese work is super solid, too. Dean Denney also works at Anonymous and is amazing as well. Best clipper ships in the industry, imo.

Hi, and welcome. You'll find many like-minded people here. My favorite pieces are my more sentimental ones. I enjoy the artwork of some of my more elaborate pieces, but when I look at the ones that are more personal (to me) it's always the memories that I enjoy the most.

I work in government (not federal), so as you would imagine I was a bit apprehensive about my tattoos showing when I first started. The boss-men around here are from the old south, too - good old boys. Needless to say, I didn't breathe a word about tattoos for a while. Luckily, I was hired in the winter where I could wear long sleeves without a problem. I read and re-read the company policies, and then read them again. Didn't see anything about tattoos. So, when the weather warmed up and my probational period ended - the short sleeves/polos came out to play. Everyone loves them. And even nudged a few of my co-workers into getting their own - in visible places too. My bosses and their bosses don't seem to mind, they haven't said anything negative about them so I can only assume that everything's good! Now, I only have half sleeves (down to my elbows), so I think that if I had full sleeves it would be a different story haha.

I love this, fits the foot very nicely.

I had my feet done at different times and tried 2 different healing methods. One i went barefoot and just lounged around the house. Lots of swelling, scabbing, and took over a month for some scabs to fall off. Had to stay off he foot for the first few days. Second foot i couldn't take time off work and had to wear shoes. So i put some gauze over it and wrapped it up with those sports injury tape stuff, just enough to hold the gauze in place. Socks and shoes over it. Fastest heal ever, no scabbing or swelling. I think the trick for me was the reduction to swelling with the tight socks and tape. It was still able to breathe and i could walk around the day after whereas when i healed it the other way the pain from swelling kept me off my feet. The wrap just kept all the blood and pressure from building up in my foot allowing for a faster heal. I would also advise against flipflops because the straps rub right on the scabs, healing portion. Also drink lots of water lol

Damn, that is so good. Good to have you

Maybe something mafia related? Or if you wanted to go a less criminal route - something transportation related. Chicago was a huge railroad hub and controlled the Great Lakes/Mississippi waterways in its historic past.

Any respectable artist will give you a solid tattoo regardless of the subject matter. The application of the tattoos is wjat determines longevity and they should be things your artist knows how to do; not because you ask for it but because thats what makes a good tattoo. I think the only things you need to worry about is picking an artist and telling him/her your ideas. Leave the artistic and technical sides to them cause that's their job. No decent artist would give you a tattoo that didnt last on purpose, unless they didn't know what they were doing. As far as portrait tattoos, i think they can last well enough just keep it out of the sun.

Guess I'll throw in with my dragon head by Will Lollie at Empire Tattoo. One is my pic, the other was taken from his IG.

Awesome tattoos. Welcome, from one newb to another.

Nice, I did a short stint in Raleigh (~6 months) but never got tattooed there. In fact, I wasn't even in to tattoos when I lived there. In NC, I've only been tattooed in Charlotte and Asheville so far.

I've tried all types of methods and I've found that what works best for me is largely determined within the first 24-48 hours of the new tattoo. By that I mean if I can prevent my tattoos from scabbing then I know they'll heal beautifully. I've used both the dry heal method and the aquaphor re-wrap that @Old Rose Tattoo described above. They both produced excellent results. And I don't think there is one method that fits all situations. For example, in cases where I know I've got the time off work and can baby my tattoo, I've used the dry heal method - washing it 2-3x a day and keeping those weeping fluids from forming scabs. In cases where I didn't have time to baby it I've put a thin layer of aquaphor on and wrapped it in breathable gauze. That usually keeps the weeping fluids from forming scabs, too. Then once it dries out and starts peeling like a sunburn I know I'm golden, just gotta make sure it doesn't get scratched, sunburnt, etc. And by scabbing I mean big plate like scabs. The small, really thin scabs always heal fine as long as they don't get prematurely ripped off. I also think how the artist applies it plays a big role in how well it heals. My foot swelled up like a tick ready to pop after getting tattooed. It scabbed quite a bit - not thick scabs but large areas of it. Still healed fine, just took much longer and I had to be more careful with the scabs. Second foot, the artist zipped through it much faster. The two tattoos are the same size and same amount of detail but he was able to adjust his application and work the skin less (the feet being very sensitive). Which resulted in my foot not swelling at all, very minimal scabbing, and it started peeling in 3-4 days. Just my experiences, and what I've found works for my skin.

Thanks everyone. @Avery Taylor haha we might be! It's a small world and I do have a big family. Wish I had gotten more at Liberty though. @NBMgreg yea, i was really excited when i saw it finished. Came out so much better than I could have asked for. @Graeme I have a little hound mix (not sure what) who has beagle features but acts and is built more like a sight hound. Quick little guy and stubborn as all hell. I have a soft spot for them too. That, and I am terrible with picking user names lol.

Hi. This is probably my favorite thread on the internet. New here, and have got a thread up in initiation but thought I'd post a few of my recent pieces here. Feet done by Danny Reed. Dragon by Will Lollie. Both work in Asheville, NC.

Thanks! And what part are you in @deadsp0t?

What's up, everyone? Been lurking a little here and there for a while. Recently got much more interested in tattoos, so thought I'd create an account. Lived on both coasts in the last few years. Grew up in VA, tried to make it work in Seattle, messed around in pretty much every part of the country (Alaska included), now in NC. Collected a few tattoos along the way ;). Anyways enough talk, picture time!! Hope this works: Dragon by Will Lollie in Asheville; swallow rose by Mario Desa; feet by Danny Reed also in Asheville. I have a lot more including some older pieces from Koeplinger, Jason Scott, and a couple peeps from Liberty tattoo. But I have a thing about posting my tattoos online. I'm just posting these because they've already been IGed by the artists, except for the Reed feet - I just wanted to show those off :p. Enjoy - - - Updated - - - Better shots, too big for one post :cool: