polliwog

aaaarrrrggghhh I really want to get tattooed by him. That's amazing.

Cosign. I think it might be my first multiple-session thing.

Just wondering...how do both the tattooer and the tattooee fight the urge to fall asleep during a 19-hour session? Also, @SeeSea, could you bring an electric blanket in and cover the part of your back that isn't being worked on, or just your legs? Is that sort of thing allowed? I've only been tattooed twice now, but I brought ginger candy with me the first time -- the chewy kind usually made in Indonesia, you can get it at health food stores or Asian groceries -- and that helped settle my nerves and stomach immensely. It made a huge difference, if you like the taste of ginger.

I feel like my intro thread was pretty terrible (nervous questions about first tattoo etc) and I've been wanting a do-over, so here goes: I'm Rebecca and I live with my SO outside of Boston, MA. I've worked at a bookstore for almost 8 years and am a college dropout, though I might go back full-time someday. (I've only done a handful of night classes since leaving.) I'm not really an artist - not a good one, anyway - but I do like to write. Almost anything can and will pique my curiosity, especially if there's some tricky technical element to it, i.e. fixing up old stereo equipment. I've always been fascinated by tattoos but didn't really do anything about it until last year. I have a lot to learn. I love beer and funny English novelists and bands with large, convoluted back catalogues. I am pretty shy and socially awkward but would be interested in seeing some of your work in person, if there's ever a northeast US get-together. ...and here's a picture of me in footie pyjamas surrounded by books, because every picture of me is as terrible as this one.

Do it! I've completely negated whatever purpose my vote serves by liking everything this month. :rolleyes:

Sweet! Is that based on one of these animals?

Per Graeme's suggestion, my entry into the Ron Henry Wells Tattoo of the Month contest: This is all your fault, by the way. The collective you.

My new rose from Mr. Wells. Totally over-the-moon happy with it. Still too much of a numpty to figure out how to post an image from Instagram on here.

My inner bicep is so swollen today that it looks like I have a bingo wing on one side only. When I took the wrap off everything just sagged... ...and it hurts when I brush my teeth with that arm. wah wah wah

Oh, me too. At least you're not watching makeup tutorials yet. <nerd>That scrub is amazing but the lotion that goes with it doesn't seem to do much besides moisturize well. I still haven't found the *perfect* lotion for KP (most are alpha hydroxy acid lotions - it's hard to find a good beta hydroxy lotion at the right PH), but the coconut body butter from Trader Joe's is good if you're OK with smelling like a pina colada.</nerd> Or you can just blast over the KP and then ignore it forever :)

Go here Radio Thrift Shop with Laura Cantrell and browse away. Her own music's pretty great, too. I'm happy to see Comus mentioned here - that's one of my top albums. Been listening to Trees a lot this week.

OK, not a ship (and possibly deserving of its own thread?) but it's time to resurrect this thread because I love this lighthouse tattoo and it's convinced me that I need a lighthouse of my own someday. I've always loved lighthouses but hadn't really seen a lighthouse tattoo that I'd loved before this one. Finger waves + purple = great

I hate those stupid things. Big part of the motivation for choosing my upper arms as a first tattoo area.

I was going to suggest calming down and thinking on it (do you REALLY want a rose or a panther or whatever, or are you panicking and going to get a cover up you don't love later on) but he's not going to read this anyway. Rushing seems like a very bad idea.

I'm guessing that the reason why people on here might not tell you what kind of cover-up to get is that it smacks of asking for artistic input for free/it's hard to tell from a picture only. I haven't been around here for a super long time, but it seems like "what should I get" posts are sort of frowned on. There was someone else asking for cover-up advice where the exchange got a little testy. I am happy to be proven wrong, though.

I would feel weird asking for a coverup of a coverup from the same person. The fact that it didn't turn out right the first time would make me wary. This is a completely nonexpert opinion.

If you want to use that deposit for other tattoos, go ahead, but maybe see someone else for a coverup? I don't think people on here would tell you what to get - that's for the artist to figure out in person, I'd imagine.

Ha, I was looking through Chris Dingwell's page a while ago, and this bears pointing out as one of the more amusing reworkings I've seen: Wife devil coverup | Chris Dingwell Tattoo

On the flip side, I'm impressed with how patient you all have been with newbies such as myself. I've been heavily involved in a few band forums in the past, and it's unusual to have both the obsessives and the people creating the art we obsess over together on one forum. It would be like Mark E Smith posting on the Fall message board or something. This is a terrible analogy. Anyway, it's not surprising if tensions arise sometimes.

Hearing Mumford and Sons generally makes me upset. ...which reminds me that I know someone with a Mumford and Sons tattoo...

Also, though I have no experience getting tattooed by him, Cory Kruger does amazing work: Kruger Tattoos My only tattoo (not for much longer) was done by Rus Laich at Fat Ram's, and, while Rus is no longer there, I have a soft spot for that shop, it being my first and all. Paging @Joe Shit, who gave me great recommendations a while back.

Hey there. I'm from just outside of Boston, too. Have you checked out the shops in Portsmouth, NH yet? Lots of folks here rate Redemption in Cambridge highly, too.

Turning a trolling thread into something funny/worthwhile...well done, everyone.

I'm no expert, but I would be wary of the beeswax and the rosemary extract. I'm sort of a skincare nerd, so I try to avoid anything with fragrant plant oils in my daily, non-tattoo skincare because of the potential for irritation. Non-fragrant oils like avocado, borage and jojoba (which is close in composition to the oil your skin naturally produces) should be fine in a post-tattoo lotion. I definitely wouldn't put oil on an open wound, but I found jojoba oil mixed with a bit of lotion helpful during the itchy, onionskin phase between peels. I have no experience with coconut oil for healing, but it's excellent at getting rid of those little bumps people sometimes get on their arms pre-getting tattooed.

You can tell them that tattoos have a very low cost-per-use. And then be a smartass on top of everything else. More seriously, I feel for everyone on here who has difficult parents. My grandpa (loudly) thinks tattoos are for disreputable sailors and prostitutes, but it's not like there's anything he can do about it. My folks are wary but are now basically accepting. I always grew up with the message that tattoos were for idiots. Part of getting tattooed had to do with pushing past a tendency to pick at my skin (it's an impulsive-control disorder in the vicinity of OCD), so I think they accept that this represents my partial victory over self-harming.