Synesthesia

I have a lot of things in progress now and I'm finally starting to see some improvements. I've never been more proud of my work. Here's the most recent paintings I've finished, both in acrylic. ^ My first ever attempt at a dragon and second ever Japanese inspired piece. It's soooo much harder than it looks. ^ My biggest painting yet, done on 18"x24" paper.

My longest was 7 hours of lining from the side of my butt to almost the side of my knee. I think I saw God. I had the shakes really bad after and by the time I got home, I had a fever. I called my mom when I was done like I usually do to let her know the damage had been done, and I distinctly remember telling her I was never getting another one...that was a couple tattoos ago, of course.

My first two picks actually work together in a local-ish shop. Dave Wah is a little more famous than when I first met him, but still not where he should be, imo. He makes buttery smooth stuff, his style reminds me of a more neotrad Myke Chambers almost. Big, bold lines and saturated color, simple and clean designs...good stuff. https://www.instagram.com/davewahtattoos/ Another guy I really enjoy is Troy Clements. His work is balls to the wall as far as size and placement, lots of huge gnarly backs and fronts, vicious animals, bloody daggers...I'm rarely bored by what he comes up with and the execution is top notch, imo. https://www.instagram.com/tattoosbytroyclements/ One last one comes to mind for me...I recently stumbled upon Danny Potter on Instagram, and almost every time one of his pieces comes up in my feed, it makes me smile. Obscenely bold lines and ungodly amounts of black, his stuff is just so charming and he deserves way more attention. https://www.instagram.com/blakstuff/

I was going to try to go to the Baltimore convention this April, but the artist I most wanted to get a piece by never got back to me so not sure if that's happening. Oh well, more money for other tattoos. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Definitely will be trying to make it to the Pagoda City convention this August and reached out to an artist already to confirm they would be there. I might try to get two pieces while I'm there, I'll have to wait until it gets closer to schedule anything. I'd kind of like to get something before then too but no idea who or what. I definitely have the itch though.

It's awful in any profession, but especially awful in a position like tattooing because your client is so vulnerable and exposed. It takes a lot of trust on a client's part, especially a female client getting tattooed by a male. While I'm not opposed to things like politically incorrect humor or the more vulgar aspects of a tattoo shop, there's a line that shouldn't be crossed and I'm glad it's being addressed.

You're fixing it or a professional is fixing it? I'm not sure when you had it done but it's generally recommended to wait until the skin is fully healed so you don't traumatize the area too much and your artist has the best skin to work with. This is usually at least 2 months after getting it done.

What I said was in my opinion, those two artists were better. Not necessarily for their detail, I just like their composition and contrast in their work better. I'm covered in traditional style tattoos, so I don't necessarily factor detail into what I think is good. What I said was highly detailed tattoos generally take longer, which is why they say it's impossible to do in 4 hours and your less detail oriented guy can do it in that time frame. But I'm not the one wearing the tattoo, so what I think is better doesn't really matter to you. Your tattoo came out solid. Once again, in my opinion, it would have benefited from a little more detail to achieve more realism...but if it's what you want and you're happy with it, who cares what an internet stranger thinks.

I'm pretty sure hair growing back thicker is a myth...? I've certainly never noticed a difference, but then again, I hardly ever shave my arms unless I'm getting tattooed.

I think you need to have a certain number of posts/likes on other people's posts before you can make threads anywhere else on the board...I don't remember exactly though. I'm not super familiar with India specifically but there is seriously a ton of world class artists on the Asian and European continents. It depends on how far you're willing to go. Asia: https://www.instagram.com/perunov_dmitry/ , https://www.instagram.com/rochone1/ , https://www.instagram.com/newassasin_tattoo/, https://www.instagram.com/elvintattoo/ , https://www.instagram.com/zartattoo/ Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Poland, etc): https://www.instagram.com/dmitriysamohin/ , https://www.instagram.com/natasha_tattoo/ , https://www.instagram.com/tema_arty/, https://www.instagram.com/victorportugal/ , https://www.instagram.com/domantasparvainis/ , https://www.instagram.com/grindesign_tattoo/ , https://www.instagram.com/david.jorquera/ Sorry I don't know of anyone closer to you, but maybe some of these are doable for you, and if not, they at least let you see what's possible with some of the best black and gray artists in the world.

It sounds like he only was asking 3k because you were impatient and wanted him to work on a Sunday, unless I misunderstood? That said, the price is the price. It's up to you if that's worth it or not. "Too much" is an opinion. If you want someone more expensive to do the tattoo, it's worth waiting and saving up money to have it done the way you want it, imo. A different artist can always touch up something later, but I would just embrace what you have, which is solid. You risk ruining it by having someone else get their hands in it.

Hello, where are you based and what style are you looking to get (so we can recommend artists to look into)? We're generally biased towards traditional, but we're pretty knowledgeable in all areas.

Your guy's work is alright but it isn't as detailed as some of the other portfolios you linked to, which is probably why he can do it in 4 hours and they can't. If you don't want tons of detail, that's fine, it just depends on what you're looking for. In my opinion, those last two you linked were the best artists out of the bunch for what you want, but it's all up to you and what you find aesthetically pleasing. I also personally think it's kind of silly to look elsewhere or pay extra just to have it done by someone as soon as possible. If you like your guy, stick with him and wait until he can do it. It's only a few months of waiting out of your life, don't go with someone you don't like as much or pay double just because you're in a rush.

Whoaaaa, how did I miss this last year?! The lineup was crazy and it's super close. Will definitely be on my radar for this year, thanks!

That's between artists. Some things non-tattooers don't need to know, we just trust and respect the artist and the craft. We don't talk about trade secrets on this forum for that reason.

^ I'm going to take a wild guess and say that wasn't done in a shop. The overwhelming majority of tattoo infections come from the person administering it, especially in the case of tattoos given outside of a clean shop, or within the first couple days of having it when the skin hasn't scabbed yet. By this point, your skin has probably made enough of a protective barrier to ward off infections. I would just give it a good rinse after you're done so any sweat doesn't pile up on it and make the scabs slosh off. You want to leave the scabs alone until they fall off on their own. I would suggest, as I do with everyone, decreasing your lotion. I only use tiny dabs of lotion maybe once every few days to make myself more comfortable as the tattoo gets dry and peels. That's really all the lotion does: it moisturizes to reduce itchiness and cracked skin. Your body can heal itself just fine and sometimes too much lotion can delay the healing process.

The fastest guy I've been tattooed by is Chad Koeplinger. He did basically my whole inner bicep in under 2 hours, and a good chunk of that time was bullshitting about movies and stuff. If he had just hunkered down and done it without talking to me and everyone else in the shop, he could have banged out the whole thing in like 30 minutes. Personally, Chad is one of my all time favorite tattooers and I was thrilled to get anything by him, so the time really wasn't a factor to me. I will say he was also the single-handedly most painful guy to tattoo me, and he does have that heavy handed reputation. The very first line he pulled was basically an entire leaf to my rose in one go and I thought to myself "Holy hell, I don't know if I can take this for very long." His lines are loooong and he goes hard. I'm not sure if that's due to his speed or just the way he does things though. In your case, I would be skeptical about anyone getting that black packed in that well and all those details in 4 hours. I think he could lay the ground work in that time, but I imagine you'd have to do another session to get in the kind of details you want. Especially since chest tattoos are notoriously painful and you might have trouble sitting well. That said, some guys with a lot of experience and confidence are just quicker. Whatever they're comfortable doing to get me a good piece is fine by me. Ultimately I don't think speed matters, it's just about the work itself. Any links to their portfolios?

Rubendall and Garver are both like unattainable dreams for me. Imagine getting one to do each knee, I think I'd die right there on the spot. I might see if I can make NYC work for my budget. Anybody else with any suggestions since my travel net has been broadened?

I'd consider it. It would just be a little more of a trek and might take me longer to save up for. I'm a little more familiar with Baltimore and have friends down there, so that made sense to me. But I've been to NYC a couple times and would make the trip again if I found an artist I loved.

My general routine: 1) Come home, take bandage/wrap off 2) Wash with very warm water and the cheap ass hand soap I buy (I don't even think it's Dial, I think it's generic Dial lol) 3) Pat dry with a clean towel 4) Keep the area elevated to minimize swelling and oozing. The first night I might jerry rig up a loose bandage using paper towels so I don't stick to my sheets and clothes in the morning. To remove, hop in the shower, soak the paper towel, and peel away gently. 5) Continue to wash and dry like this a couple times a day for the first couple days until it dries out and stops oozing. No Aquaphor or anything during this time period, just washing. 6) Pretty much nothing after that. Maybe a tiny dab of Lubriderm when it gets so dry and itchy I can't stand it. Less is more.

@Gingerninja Considering it's stick and poke and the overall quality of the picture he posted, I'd be surprised if he had it done in a shop at all...

Shit, I've been away for a while and I come back to all kinds of bad news. Sorry for everyone's losses and struggles, stay strong. Earlier this month we found out my dog had a type of cancer in her mouth. She needed surgery to remove the lump and while they were in there, they found some teeth that needed to be pulled. It ended up being a lot more than we thought it would be and it really set us back this Christmas. So it's been a stressful (and broke) month, but we're getting back on our feet and my dog is doing so much better. The cancer hadn't spread and they were able to remove the entire mass, so that's good. They just need to keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn't come back. I'm just glad Christmas is over with and we can start getting back to normal.

Last month I got engaged. It only took him 7 years to ask.

Back from a long hiatus, thirsty for more tattoos. I'm considering getting color peonies and/or chrysanthemums on my knees in a fairly traditional Japanese style (I'm not opposed to a more modern style though). I live in south-central PA and wouldn't mind traveling a few hours. I know there's a few really great Japanese artists in the Baltimore area and I could also easily make it into a short vacation while I'm down there, so that's kind of what I'm leaning towards. Who do you guys recommend in Baltimore, or maybe elsewhere?

^ Aaron's going to kill that. Give him your ideas and he can definitely come up with something to work for the space you want.

It's up to you where it goes ultimately and how much you're prepared for touching up. Some people don't care and get whatever wherever, some people really want to factor in aging and make sure the tattoo looks good in years to come. I'm just saying to be prepared for that spot to not hold ink. I would ask the artist you're planning on going to where he thinks a viable location would be if you're trying to avoid fading.