Synesthesia

I'd really like to make trip to New York at some point to get tattooed by Richard Smith, he just might be my favorite on the entire list. At this point in my life, going to California or out of the country is totally out of the question, but maybe someday...

Some of my dream artists... Tim Lehi Richard Smith Grez Steve Byrne Dan Smith Grime Chelsea Shoneck Valerie Vargas

I've noticed this on 2 of my 3 tattoos. The only one that doesn't ever feel itchy is the one on my foot. Not sure if it's due to locations of the tattoos, or the fact that different guys did them, or maybe different ink, or what...

@Dbeatdano: Anaal Nathrakh are maybe my favorite black/death metal band that's still active. Although I prefer their older, more grind/industrial type stuff. They have a new album coming out this year that I'm excited for, even though I didn't really like Vanitas all that much.

This show is AWFUL. At least half of it is clearly staged. I saw a couple episodes, one where a random naked guy shows up in front of the shop asking to use their phone because his friends stole his clothes, and another where a guy clearly doesn't speak English and can't draw what he wants...oh, the hilarity. The tattoos are pretty much garbage too. The whole thing makes tattoos seem like something only crazy people can get to show the world how crazy they are, like a desperate grab for attention.

So far, nearly everything about my newest tattoo is smooth sailing. Maybe it's because it's the inner part of my lower leg so it's kind of tucked away more than any of my others, but I actually keep forgetting it's there. Just a really faint stinging sensation all last night and this morning, no swelling, and not nearly as much of the horrible "rush of blood" feeling that I got with the previous lower leg tattoo. Here's hoping it remains uneventful. :p

Excuse the awful picture, I'm out of town visiting my boyfriend and had to use his phone to try to get a pic. I'll have to try to get a better one when I get home. Had this done yesterday by Jason Reeder. This is my second piece from him, it's on the inside of my right leg (he did an owl and mouse for me on the outside of the same leg). The ears KILLED and that was by far my most painful tattoo experience thus far; it might be hard to tell from the pic, but they creep up to the side of my knee and the back one almost goes into my knee ditch. I thought this would finish off my leg, but I have a patch of open skin on my shin and the back of my calf is still open, so it looks like I have some more work to get done before the project is finished. Probably throw some moths in some of that space, and Jason is trying to talk me into getting a bat, we'll see. :D

Can I bump this thread? Strongly considering an eagle tattoo for my dad and was maybe hoping for some new inspiration. :)

I assume you mean me. I don't care how much money you spend on tattoos, but to treat $5000 and 10 hours of sitting like it's no big deal makes you sound like a dick who just wants to brag. I always thought part of the reason why price isn't brought up is because it's an industry secret of sorts. Believe me, I'm not jealous. You can have all the Jun Cha tattoos you want, his style (and apparently rates) are not my thing.

I think you should get that EXACTLY. Tell your artist no changes to the original design, coloring outside the lines and all! But no, I guess it would work as a tattoo. Not sure about the blue and black alternating shading around the edges. I personally wouldn't get the design as a tattoo just because I think it's kind of visually boring, and I would probably find an image that better represents what you're trying to say (an animal, flower, portrait, etc). But it's your tattoo, get whatever you want.

That still works out to $500/hr, which is still pretty ridiculous. And as if just nonchalantly mentioning "regularly" spending $5000 a session (plus travel fees) didn't seem enough like trying too hard, you also imply someone is a pussy if they can't sit 10 hours. Wow.

That woman is like your typical egotistical, know-it-all tattooer. She thinks she's an expert and prattles on about how everyone should respect her, but all I've seen her do is those cluttered Hindu designs with mandalas shoved everywhere in them. I tend to watch the show in the background of doing something else, so I might have missed it, but did Mohawk Guy do his peacock backwards? If so, it went unnoticed by the judges. And the phoenix was decently done, although the coloring made it look more like a parrot. I thought that samurai chest piece was fucking awful (she obviously doesn't understand wind bars, and his wrist looked broken) and should have went home over the crane. But then again, really the only one I thought was all that good was the snake, although I prefer red or black snakes.

Getting more tattoos somehow manages to be both the cause and solution of all our problems. But yeah, I can totally see that Conn lady I posted on me someday, I'll have to brainstorm more about the other ideas and see what sticks.

Still trying to find a routine that works for me. My first tattoo, it didn't really matter what I did, it was over within 30 minutes. That was primarily about getting over my nerves. The first session with my second one, I felt like I totally botched the preparation (under ate, social anxiety from a crowded shop, pre-occupied with concerns about how my boyfriend and family would react, skin irritation on the area to be tattooed, etc) and it affected how I was sitting. Pretty much worst case scenario as far as concentration and blood sugar levels. My second session I made sure to eat more, the shop was a little less busy, I was more comfortable with my artist, I told my boyfriend to stay the fuck out and not stop by to check up on me like he did the first time, brought a pillow to get more comfy, and I sipped some soda and brought some candy in case my sugar dropped too much. Still felt a little shaky afterwards but I guess that could be the adrenalin from finishing the piece haha. Going back to the same guy in a little over a week...this time I'm making sure to lotion the area for weeks before the appointment, definitely eating a lot, continuing the soda/candy usage, and my artist promised he'd play some death metal for me to get me comfortable. :D And there's a Roy Rogers and Popeye's right down the road from the shop (my two favorite fast food places) so I like to stop and get a little something from one of the two places to help me recover afterwards.

I've flip flopped on getting a classic lady head, a bearded lady head, or just a man head with an epic beard (what can I say, I love beards). I love the soft vintage look of Tom of Finland's men, but would obviously prefer something less homoerotic. :o I'll probably end up going the safer route and getting something along these lines, I really love this Chris Conn lady: (Sorry the pic is kind of huge, but I think it's worth it :D)

I'm having the opposite problem. As others have mentioned, it's manly as fuck to have pretty girls on your arm. They remind me of classier pin-ups, which are just about as manly a tattoo as you can get. As a girl, I almost feel like it's too manly for me haha.

^ I wish that was true. I could use some toughness.

Off topic, but I recently discovered my Chinese zodiac animal is a goat, and my element is metal. That gives me one more reason to get a demonic goat design some day...

You guys think this show is bad? Try watching the new Oxygen show "Tattoos After Dark." I watched it the other night because there was nothing on, and was horrified. It turns pretty much all types of body modification into a spectacle and is nothing but a bunch of crazy idiots getting various piercings and tattoos just to show the world how crazy they are. In the first two episodes, a woman got 26 microdermals on her butt, a guy got his balls pierced, a guy got a face tattoo, and a crazy cat lady got (what else) a mediocre cat tattoo while meowing the entire time. A fine example of art taking a distant backseat to crazy personalities...the only thing this show has going for it is it might help people realize how not to act/what not to get when they walk into a shop. Or it could give stupid people bad ideas. Not to mention at least half the show is obviously scripted and filled with bad actors.

I'm not even sure I want to pursue a bachelor's degree, I can't decide if I even want to have a career or if I'll switch after a couple years or what. If only being a shop girl paid as much as I make now. :D

Thought I would get in on this... @ChrisvK, that's awesome, I could really relate to your story. I'm 22. I too am a metalhead (I guess if you want to call it that, I kind of cringe at the term). I've always suspected I'm somewhere on the autism spectrum, very awkward and shy and find it tough to interpret social cues and all that. I was fortunate enough not to get picked on at least, just ignored by everyone in my school. It wasn't unusual for me to go days at a time without speaking to anyone. I went to Penn State for a year to major in English (always my best subject) and decided I hated the environment and the major. I dropped out and went on to get a degree in human services (basically, social work). Honestly, I've never found a profession that I feel like I could commit to for life, and will probably change professions in a couple years. People think it's weird that I'm so antisocial and yet am a social worker, but I can fake being social for 8 hours a day...then I need to go home and spend time by myself to recharge. My dream job would be just working part time at a music store or tattoo shop or being a stay at home wife, haha. I've been interested in tattoos and piercings since I was about 13. All the bands I listened to were heavily modded in one way or another, and that was my first exposure to it. I got my first tattoo soon after turning 18 (the Minor Threat sheep), and just recently finished my second, with an appointment for the 3rd later this month. I finally have the time and money to pursue these things and am feeling confident enough to do them, so that's a cool feeling.

Update: New piece is happening. Put down a deposit today, appointment is January 20th. :) It's going to be a hare, with possibly a moth, foliage, and whatever else to help fill space and make it purty. After this is finished, my lower leg will be more or less complete and I get to move on to other projects.

Thanks guys, I wasn't sure how much anatomy should be factored in with these kind of designs (especially being a fairly dainty girl...some spots are harder to pull off, haha). @cltattooing, that makes a lot of sense and definitely helps me visualize what type of shapes should go where. The shop I've been going to recently put a ton of traditional flash on the wall and I consider this a sign that I need to proceed with these plans ASAP. :D

This is probably the dumbest question ever...but I have tons of ideas about traditional style tattoos I like and I have no idea where to begin. I think I'm finally ready to start getting things on my arms and am open to the idea of getting a full sleeve someday, but I'm not necessarily actively pursuing it. I'm looking at more one shot type pieces, small to medium sized, and just having them assembled over the years into something that vaguely resembles a sleeve. At this point, I like traditional tattoos without filler, but maybe that will change once it's completed. Where does someone start with these type of projects? Do I start at my shoulder and just work my way down? Should I hit up the big areas (shoulder, inner bicep, inner forearm, etc) and leave awkward small areas for filler (elbow, ditch, etc)? I don't want to end up wasting valuable space and having tons of weird spaces I can't fill in. I'm a girl, if that makes any difference whatsoever.

In the works of getting something else from Jason Reeder on the inside of my calf, probably a hare. I'm shooting for the end of January.