Synesthesia

Maybe the Higgs mention wasn't the best idea. The Higgs flash in particular was just what inspired me (it was the first time I thought "I'd get that with zero alterations"), and after doing some more looking around, I found some other pieces of flash that I got the same gut reaction from. Most of them were from the Sailor Jerry era, which is kind of what I was primarily referring to. Designs that are really timeless and classic and popular that I would want as true to the original art as possible. With something like that, I'd assume most reputable shops would have Sailor Jerry stuff on the walls. But maybe they don't have the exact ship I want, for example. Is it okay to bring in that particular piece in case they don't have it on the walls? I would have to travel over an hour to get to the shop I had in mind that specializes in traditional, and it would suck to get all the way there and they say they can't do it because they don't have that particular flash. And I didn't know if it was discouraged to bring in your own (print out, I don't own any flash). And I had no idea if the same standards that applied to classic flash applied to modern flash, hence the mention of modern stuff. I'm glad I got some discussion going though, I was afraid everyone would be like "No, DUH" and the thread would instantly die. :D

I had the idea recently to devote part of my body to a few really classic flash pieces (inspired by some Dan Higgs flash I fell in love with!), but am unsure of how exactly the process works. If I were to bring in a classic piece of flash to a shop and say I wanted that done, is that frowned upon if they don't have the flash sheet in the shop? I don't want to seem disrespectful to anyone by asking them to just copy a picture of flash they don't have, that almost seems like cheating in my mind I guess! But I would think these kind of classic images are almost like public domain at this point. And what about modern flash? :confused:

I wore those sleeves one year for Halloween when I had to come up with a super last minute costume for work. Bought those at a dollar store, threw on a metal band shirt, put some safety pins through my pants, and I was some kind of metal/emo/goth whatever (too lazy to make any kind of distinction through more detailed accessories). Some people at work thought the sleeves were real. Yeah, I got 2 full sleeves done and healed within a day. :confused:

Ok, I DARE ANYBODY to find a worse show about tattooing than this

Oh god, I forgot about that. It's scary that these people really thought they were good to go after just a couple weeks.

About Hannah and Kim on LA Ink, I know they're good tattoo artists, but I don't think they were ever really at their best during this show. Probably the types of clients they got in and the prioritizing of good stories over good art.

And I might have found a worse show than LA Ink (I don't remember much from Inked, it could have possibly been worse). Black Ink Crew on VH1. Not only are the tattoos literally the worst ones I've ever seen on TV (very poorly done, ghetto-ish work) but it's probably about 90% drama. I've seen 2 episodes and in that time, I saw maybe 3 tattoos done. The rest of it is about who's dating who, who's opening a shop, and thug attitudes. It's absolutely about tattooing as a business and status symbol, and art isn't a priority at all. Some of their work: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/68116_439366719464671_1315922978_n.jpg

Haha! I think it was La ink? Bald bloke was the main man .... I ended up watching some of that Kat Sheila .... What's with her hat fetish? I also watched an episode of what ever it was called.... Has Carey hart in it. That wa pretty bad too..... Like you said - it was loving to hate it :) I don't have pay tv at home so had never watched any of these shows. Can't say I feel like I'm missing out !

Bald guy...sounds like Ami James, he was on Miami Ink and NY Ink. I have fond memories of Miami Ink because I watched it a lot when I was younger and more impressionable, I caught an episode recently and was like "Shit, I thought these were good?" Chris Garver usually did good stuff on Miami Ink though, and I think Tim Hendricks made appearances on both shows, that was cool. And the other one you're talking about is Inked, or something like that. I hated that one too. I don't really remember much about it, other than this one guy had bird tattoos all over him, and the tattooer made a comment to him about getting some hunters shooting at the birds and the guy was really offended because he liked to bird watch. Tons of examples of bad customer service on that show...

Which show? I like to "hate watch" LA Ink, which is just about the lowest of the low in terms of tattoo shows (the only saving graces were Corey Miller and Dan Smith making appearances). I just watched the episode where Kat rips out all of the seating for clients to build a giant skate ramp that goes right in front of the door, and she was so excited about it because no other shop in the world would have it. There's probably a reason for that. Sigh.

I used to think thigh tattoos looked kind of awkward and had no interest in ever getting mine done, these days I've grown to love a big bold thigh piece and am pondering ideas of my own. I especially love your pieces, @Dumpleton. :D

They could easily treat the industry with a little more respect though, I think that's the point we're trying to make. It doesn't have to be side show circus all about ratings (but it will be).

Thank you. :p I think the next addition will be a moth done in a similar style, Jason is super into it. Just a matter of saving up again now.

I've wanted tattoos forever and my parents have always tried their best to dissuade me from getting any, to the point of threatening to kick me out. The summer after I turned 18, I decided I wanted a tattoo to memorialize that I was going away for college and to try to remind me to stick to my values (I've been straight edge since I was 14 and wanted something to kind of rebel against the traditional college lifestyle). I told my parents I wanted to get one and told them what I wanted (the Minor Threat sheep) and they were actually okay with it, a lot more okay with it than I expected. My dad has 4 tattoos, so he kind of gave me the whole "It's going to hurt soooo much, it's your funeral" speech to discourage me, but ended up saying it was my choice. My mom has always been into art, but not tattoos, so she was a little more hesitant. She ended up being okay with it because she said it was "cute" enough. :D My mom actually went with me because she was worried about me passing out on the drive home, and she did better than your average mom. The place I went to was 2 levels, the first floor was like the lobby and the tattooing happened upstairs; she waited downstairs and wasn't your typical mom hovering over the artist. They both were happy with my second one I recently got. I'm not sure what's caused them to change their minds, but it seems like they've slowly come around in the past few years.

I dont know if Navarro thought up the idea for this show, and ran with it. But he, or they, should have had someone of tat knowledge do his judging, cause he is a moron. Hey, on guitar, he knows his stuff, but tattoo critique?

I think only tattoo artists should be judges on the show. I hate when they bring in some football player with scratcher level work or something, as though he would know anything about what makes a tattoo good. Same thing with Navarro, he's covered in shit, why would I care what he thinks?

Just finished my Jason Reeder owl. :D My picture is awful because it's still shiny/swollen/red, plus I'm bent over upside down trying to get a good angle, it looks slightly distorted here but looks better in person. It's on the side of my leg and the wings wrap onto my shin slightly, so it's tough to get a pic of it all. Jason is awesome to work with and we've already discussed expanding on this piece and having a nocturnal theme around my lower leg. 2 sessions, about 5 hours.

This is either fake or the artist has no integrity. She should have been turned away as soon as she started getting obnoxious.

A coworker once asked me: "aren't you afraid of what will happen in hell?" I asked for some clarification on this and he said " I was taught that what you have tattooed on you will be what you're tortured by in hell".

What about hipster girls that have one word or a tiny circle tattooed on them? That would be some creative torture.

As of now: hands, neck, face, any place that will fade quickly (palms, bottom of feet, etc), stomach, inner thighs, butt

Some of that is for job reasons, some of it is because those are areas I plan on losing weight in. I'm not huge, but bigger than I would like to be. When I lose the weight, those last 3 places will become possibilities.

Thanks guys, I didn't know if it would be considered rude somehow. It's not exactly realistic to expect someone to get ALL their tattoos from just one guy, but didn't know if it was thought of as someone "stealing" someone else's business or anything like that. I've been looking into local-ish shops lately and there's some places where I love what everyone is doing, and would consider getting pieces from each of them.

Just out of curiosity...what's the general consensus on getting ink from different guys in one shop? Is it better to stick with one guy per shop?

I thought there was a thread for worst shops, I guess not because I can't find it. But I was looking around for other good shops near me and found some real winners.

First of all is a little place called Bob's Body Art. The pics on their site looked okay, but then I looked them up on facebook and turns out they had blatantly lied about their portfolio...their ACTUAL work is scratcher level. What a scumbag. After asking around, some friends said "Bob" is the only guy working there, he smokes while tattooing, the shop is gross, and he only uses liner needles for everything. Here's some of his "body art": https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bobs-Body-Art/154316701292676?id=154316701292676&sk=photos_stream

Another winner is Criminal Tattooing. Their logo is "Tattoos so good, it must be a crime." These tattoos certainly are a crime. Terrible designs, execution, and placement. Really not a single good piece in this entire gallery. Also notice the kids in the shop and questionable hygiene practices. I also really liked their "Spend $100, get 25% off your next tattoo" coupon, that just sounds so legit. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Criminal-Tattooing/155223037905622?id=155223037905622&sk=photos_stream

Last is Skin Ticket Tattoo. First issue is the name...I really want to go to a place that reminds me of skin tags. Bad hygiene all around (there's pics of them working without barriers of any sort), and lots of bad decisions. Check out the one of the guy crouched down trying to tattoo the guy's calf while he's sitting. Some of the worst line work I've ever seen at a "professional" shop. And they included some of their "artwork," which seriously looks like something I did in 5th grade. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skin-Ticket-Tattoo/542259669140066?id=542259669140066&sk=photos_stream

^ I feel like my last post came out wrong. We have a kind of sarcastic way of communicating a lot of the time, the "dumb shit" remark was said laughingly. By "dumb shit" he means whatever "unladylike" things I want, and that was clarified at the time. He really is incredibly nice, to a fault almost. With everything else, he's a pushover, this is one of the only things he feels strongly about. I only mention our limits matching up to show that maybe we were actually on the same page all along, and just not understanding each other because we assumed something different about each other (alas, communication). Once he heard from me that there were things I would never do and get, I think that put him much more at ease. I would love to get to the point where we're both excited about things I want to get (and maybe even both getting tattooed, haha), and maybe that will never happen, but I think he will at the very least be tolerant of it. He came to my last appointment right after he got off work and was there to support me, but as soon as I mentioned getting another I got the whole "You already have 2, do you need more?" lecture, and have been getting it ever since from him. Him actually participating in my brainstorming (and not just moping and trying to convince me not to do it) was a big step for him. And so far, it does seem like once I actually get something, he's fine with it...it's the planning stage that seems to get to him the most.

We're having a tough time right now in general because of a lot of changes in both of our lives, and I think the tattoo disagreements have just pushed everything over the edge and got us both kind of riled up. He did very clearly say during our talk that it's my body and I can do what I want, and he won't love me any less.

I have the Minor Threat black sheep (like many others) on my foot. It was my first tattoo. Now I'm thinking about getting an AFI one, possibly on the other foot. They've been my favorite band for 10 years, and I think it's about time to memorialize that. I don't want to go too obvious with it, I don't think album art or lyrics text is really my style. Thinking about getting a traditional style candle/rose or something, not sure what exactly yet.

Thanks for the replies guys, sorry this thread kinda got derailed into an episode of Dr. Phil, haha. We had a talk about it and I think we've been able to reach a compromise based on his standards of beauty (he almost literally said, "put as much dumb shit as you want on your limbs, but just be a little more careful about what goes on your torso," which was kind of my line of thinking anyway). His "off limits" areas corresponded with my own "off limits" areas, proving yet again that communication is key. He was afraid I would start getting my face tattooed or something crazy, I think it had somehow never occurred to him that I had self control. I think with some more exposure to the whole culture of it, he will probably grow more tolerant of it. I've managed to get him into Ink Master, that's a small step in the right direction. :p I've caught him admiring my newest one on a couple occasions, and I had my first one before I met him and he doesn't even seem to notice it. I think he accepts them both as just part of me now, and will probably adapt to any newer pieces in the same way...if not, I'll deal with that when it happens.

I was actually able to bounce ideas off him last night for a future piece without him acting like I said I was getting a body part amputated, that was nice. And I mentioned wanting to get a traditional style bearded lady at some point, and he started out appalled but then actually dared me to find someone to make her pretty, haha.

I was stunned at how mediocre the 35 hour pieces were. Jime's could have been cool if it actually looked like the eagle, snake, and dragon were fighting (how hard could that have been?). My hatred for Tatu Baby grew even more after the finale. Her canvas walks out, so she re-uses the drawing, and slaps it on another guy. So now two guys are walking around with the same wolf on them. Laziness.

@Lotus, I agree, loved Chris's piece. I really liked some of what he did, I was kind of bummed that he was never consistent enough to make it further in the show.

Take it from an old salt: This is an insult on your body. RUN! This is like a boyfriend that tells you you're too fat, thin, breasts are too small, that YOU are not good enough, and that YOU need to conform to his standards.

Let's rephrase this: "You're getting kind of fat. Would you stop eating so much if I put on a few?" See the change in language? Reconsider if this guy is a real champ.

Delayed response...I think its slightly different because this is a permanent alteration. It's more like if I had a limb amputated and he had to adapt to that. I think he'll be able to accept it to some degree and we'll see how he feels about any future work when I get to that point; he's either going to learn to like it, or end up hating it and that's his issue. I'm working hard on overcoming how other people will judge me for tattoos I might want, and I have to admit, he's making things more difficult when he should be making them easier for me. I don't want to derail this thread any more than I already have and turn it into a big sob story, but I am having some doubts about us lately for reasons along those lines. I used to feel like he was supportive of me, but lately it seems like we just can't understand each other. I'm finally able to pursue my interests in tattoos, and I feel like he's not really in my corner.

Haha, I always make my characters as heavily tattooed as the game allows. Some of the old Tony Hawk games had a sleeve option for tattoos, I would use the sleeve as filler and then layer a couple more individual tattoos on top of that. And for the games that didn't have that option, I would take a tattoo and rotate it and distort it until it would cover the entire arm and look vaguely like a sleeve.

Saints Row 3 had some good options, haven't played the newest one yet.

I work in the social work field. Depending on your exact clientele and position, they can be pretty lenient in this field. I used to work with kids with mental illness, now I work with adults with mental illness. Both jobs were fine with visible tattoos. There's a woman at my current job with a neck tattoo, and a few of the workers have moderate coverage and it's fine if they're visible. If you're going to court or something, obviously you would have to cover up, but for everyday work, it's not an issue.