WideOcean

I think good work is costly mostly because the artist can "afford" to be pricy. He has gone beyond the need to compete for customers through low prices. If you're not gonna pay a high price, someone else is already trying to get a spot, and will, gladly. A high cost is usually a good sign and is very often in proportion with quality. People are aware of the internet and forums like these. Stay the hell away from making a convenience-based choice, man! A backpiece cover up is pretty hard to cover up again.

Please don't get this the wrong way, but there seems to be some asymmetry going on in that tattoo. I'm only saying this because I think there is still plenty of options on how to proceed from there. Maybe have another artist take a look at it? Good luck!

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

Hahaha, same here. About being the worst I don't know though, the one with Hart in it is pretty challenging/challenged as well. You have to look really hard to see an actual tattoo in that show.

At the risk of sounding like a savvy turd, I've been living here for enough years to know that this is not a "cultural thing" that I have to understand. Chinese are, in principle, much more worried about keeping up a standard of formalities and a strict customer-service provider relationship. This also goes for tattooing (and I had this experience the first time) where the collector respects the artist for his craft, and the artist respects the customer for the flattery of his trust. And, absolutely, for his money, that he wants and deserves. Despite accomplished tattoo artists actually being called "master", by employees as well as customers, they are fully aware that they're selling a service and that a forthcoming and polite service attitude is of the utmost importance. If you're selling something in this country, you need to be convincing people that it's amazing, always, or potential income is out of your door before you know it. In principle. For example, my first tattoo artist gave his apprentice a massive amount of shit for not answering the phone politely enough, when I was there. This is not Japan or Korea, but relationships and formalities still can have a very artificial look to the Western eye. My grasp of the Chinese language is far from terrible, but the fact that I was speaking Chinese with him actually made it worse, because it's not common for an expat to speak it. I should have actually stuck to English, but then again his English wasn't competent enough to understand something like "I don't like water splashes too pointy and transparent." Me speaking Chinese made everyone more curious about the words coming out of my mouth. You know, screw it, maybe he was having a bad day, maybe I was having a bad day. It just didn't work. He's a fine artist and I'm sure he's going to make a lot of people look better. Someone earlier said I don't have to like someone to get tattooed by them. I couldn't disagree more. He's not my nurse, he's not my doctor. It works both ways: I don't need his tattoo. I just don't feel like making someone richer with my money, if I don't like them. That story with the roses... speechless. Thanks for sharing.

Ok, I'd love to get some feedback from tattoo artists and collectors alike on this, after seeing a lot of threads on how customers should behave. I'll try to keep it short and simple. I'm white guy living in Beijing, China. I started getting tattooed this summer (still in progress). I had a very positive experience with my first artist. I'd like a second piece now and was looking into another guy's work. I went to see him some time ago. Boy were we not hitting it off. It went like this: I arrive and his assistant tells me I have to take my shoes off. I do that and sit on the couch, as invited. Another Chinese couple is there. The assistant, as per common Chinese custom, brings me a glass of water and the guy's portfolio, which I go through again. For the trillionth time. He's excellent at his style and I already know that. He's not there yet. Two other employees are sitting at tables and drawing. There is no music, it's total silence and neon lights. Cozy as fuck. About five minutes into my wait, the couple orders a plum juice and pays for it. Now, I don't have any social disorders, but I am a person that can obsess over a single sentence or detail and construct an elaborate idea on it. The plum juice thing did that for me and it all went downhill from here: Shouldn't you worry about inking people and leave the soft drink business to others? I mean, I get having sugary stuff for people who faint etc., I get offering a free soft drink, considering that you charge like a motherfucker, but this was something off a freaking menu... Is that normal in other places? I'm OK with merchandise and stuff that has an inhouse-creative process behind it. I have nothing but love and respect for plum juice.. but selling it at a tattoo place? Anyway, I keep waiting. After twenty or-so minutes the boss finally arrives. He says hi to the couple and something like "just a minute". He turns to where I'm sitting and we shake hands. He's smiling and stuff, but I don't know, he comes off as pretty smug. I start remembering his Instagram pics about him smoking Cuban cigars and a table with 10 bottles of Dom Perignon. He asks me "What do you want?" in English. The rough wording of his question is due to the language barrier, but well, if anything, it certainly didn't exactly help. The couple and all his employees gather around me to hear what I'm saying. My Chinese is OK, but all the attention towards what the white guy can say and what Asian stuff he wants on his skin makes it very uncomfortable for me to explain in their language how I want my dragon done, to basically everybody there, with him not even sitting down to listen. It's basically the monkey-at-a-zoo feeling that foreigners in China often experience when drawing the locals' attention. You can get stopped on the road for a pic of you here, just because you're Caucasian. Some people are OK with it. I'm not really. Also, I won't jerk off here on how tattooing is a private, intimate experience, but well, I think taking a fucking second to sit down with me and maybe not have everyone gathering around is written somewhere in the "stuff you do to make a customer feel at ease"-manual. I start explaining that I'd like design X on part of body Y with background Z. He says "Ok, cool." At this point, he was basically done and ready for the couple. I get that his life won't revolve around my tattoo, but again, as other top-tier artists in Beijing, he charges considerable sums, and we're talking about a rather large project, so I was expecting some feedback, some criticism, some options, some "no"s. With this in mind, I ask him if he thinks my idea and some of its details will work. He goes "I can draw whatever you want." Ok, but to my humble knowledge, this one element is not very common, do you think it will work? "It's your tattoo, your call.". Fuck, ok. How much do you charge per hour? "I don't charge per hour, I charge per project." That's ok with me, but now the whole meeting had exactly cleared 0 doubts. By now I was really bummed and disappointed. Out of pure small talk I asked how long it would take him to tattoo that. I was asking for a rough hour estimate. He must have understood it for "How many sessions". He snickered, and said "How do I know, that depends on you." At this, the girl from the couple laughed with a knowing grin. I'm pretty sure she was there for her first tattoo. I hope he'll tattoo an elbow inside her knee ditch. In China it's not uncommon for well respected tattoo artists to operate out of rented apartments, with close to no advertisement. There are shops in bar streets and amusement areas, but the main business there is alcohol-fueled souvenir flash. The really big guys are custom-only and don't have shops. It's more like a gallery, where they keep their paintings and drawings and have their tattoo equipment and tattoo all day, and live from it. You just won't find them by accident. My first sessions took place in such an environment by a guy that I have massive respect and admiration for, be it for his style, be it for his incredibly humble attitude. He recently had an expo with Ed Hardy here and had Ed at his place for visits multiple times. When you meet him, he has the attitude of a polite and serious plumber who came to fix your sink so that you're fucking happy again. He's expensive as shit and has people running his door in. This is just to say that he has all you need to start losing touch with the ground. He doesn't, though. When I went to him with my first idea, he listened, told me right away what would work, what would not, he encouraged me to be bolder with some things and made me turn it down a notch with others. That was what I was expecting from the other guy. I have a girlfriend to tell me that my ideas are awesome. I don't know shit about doing tattoos. I can say precisely why I like something when I see it, but I'm very bad at the creative part. He didn't give me any personal artistic opinion, even after being presented with options, after I asked for it (politely). It was like asking a high-class hooker is she prefers me to wear a blue or a red condom: It was all up to me and the faster the better. So. Am I being a little bitch here? He doesn't need me, he's very popular and enough people are getting tattooed by him. And that's exactly the vibe I got today. Ok, I'm done, I just felt like writing this. I guess it pissed me off to some extent, and I really can't see any blame on my part. I'm going to buy a pack of tampons and cry myself to sleep now. - - - Updated - - - That "short and simple" thing worked out great.

Besides the health issues, I feel that the main problem with this thing is that the UV light necessary to see that part of a tattoo is a highly artificial, technological element, that pulls tattooing too far away from its prehistoric, tribal, ritual, spiritual core. On a more modern and social level, I just can't imagine how to pull off having a blacklight tattoo without looking like a complete douchebag, I just can't.

Not saying it's bad, it's just an incredibly idiotic, slutty, soulless gimmick.

2011 : 2501 Some of it reminds me a lot or Rorschach, while being a little less abstract. Might give you inspiration. Good luck.

I don't know you and you might be completely different from me, but generally, I'd wait a little longer before deciding: the itch on your first tattoo isn't gone yet and you've already decided on the next one :) I think you might want to curb the enthusiasm, or you could regret this. I had a similar impulse after my first sessions. I think it's quite common but also risky. It sounds a bit like just holding on to the first half-decent sounding idea just for the sake of getting another tattoo. Something nice could come out of it. Something real crap could, too. And don't get more words tattooed.

Do you mean the words "A Beautiful Chaos"?

I think this show is amazing, wonderful trash (and this has nothing to do with the artwork shown in it). I hope next seasons they kick it up a notch, making it about pornstars, on meth, getting tattooed, in prison.

Just curious: Did you explicitly instruct your tattooer to lengthen the horizontal line of the "t" over the first "l" as well?

i accidentally all over my tattoo is it danegrous

I'm actually so narcissistic and passionate about tattoos, that I take every stare for envy, admiration or blatant sexual desire.

I have just two, from Chinese colleagues: - Did you remember to consult a fortune-teller before deciding on the motive? - Why isn't it a dragon?

I live and work in China and got my first tattoo here this summer. Although more popular with younger generations, in China tattoos carry a much stronger stigma than in the west and are associated with prisons, crime and lack of education, in a much more narrow view than in other countries/cultures. I started a full sleeve and and the general response of my Chinese colleagues in the office (I'm Caucasian) was one of total silence, except for two younger girls, who asked if it hurt and said it was cool. Old ladies in the bus are scared of me now. Man I'm such a badass.

The effort of your muscles is not the problem as much as the sweating resulting from intense physical activity, following the days immediately after getting tattooed.

I think this wish for advice is more of a wish for approval :) But hey, who doesn't want to hear their latest idea is awesome?

Started on a shoulder/arm piece which is turning into a full sleeve. I'm already thinking about the next possible project. DEFINITELY going through an obsessive moment here, so I'm trying to pace. I think it's important to see if my current wish for the next tattoo lasts for a while.

Thank you! Yes, I will extend it on the forearm. Dong Dong has a very unique, "mysterious" and flowing style, that I like a lot, right now. These pics are other works of his. And yes, I know YZ, too. I'm still considering whether to let YZ or Dong Dong do my next project, after this arm is done! - - - Updated - - - Oh thanks, I had not found these yet. Unfortunately these guys are a little inexperienced when it comes to marketing their businesses to the expat crowd.

Hey there, this is James. I'm a European guy living in Beijing, China. I got into tattoos a few months ago and started a shoulder piece (which is turning into a sleeve) after being blown away by this Chinese artist. His name is Dong Dong. :) You can see my piece in the attachment, it's inspired by traditional Beijing Opera. Smoke, skulls and colored flowers will go on the forearm. Like apparently a lot of people, I got "addicted" to tattoos and tattoo culture. If I follow my current impulse, I'll be covered in tattoos in a few years, so I'm trying to pace it here, although the urge to get the next one is very strong. I joined mostly for exchange and inspiration. And because I have an office job. Cheers J