Iwar

I know that certain artists refuse customers hands and/or neck tattoos unless they're heavily tattooed or are tattooers themselves. If you're a tattoo artist, what's your personal preferences to tattooing these placements? And to the collectors; are you planning on getting these spots tattooed before "filling up"? Those of you who already have had your hands and necks tattooed before running out of space; what was your motivation? I know several artists say they do it to show their dedication to the craft, and as Mario mentioned in another thread that he wanted to look like a tattooer, so I guess this question is directed at the enthusiasts. I'm personally planning to save those spots untill I've got no other space left (if I get them done at all).

Are you happy with this tattoo? Did you flip through any of the galleries, threads, interviews or blogs on this website, or did you just start a new thread? I know this sounds mean, and you'll probably ignore it, but my advise is to not let this artist get near your skin again and start a new thread here that reads "Who in my area can fix this?". Sorry dude, I'm not trying to starte a flame war or offend you, just trying to point you in the right direction.

Second Roper. I have also heard that Lars Uwe is damn near impossible to get an appointment with. Guessing Filip Leu, Shige, Horiyoshi III and Mike Rubendall has quite the waitlist too.

I asked him if he would do a skull wearing a gladiator helmet on my leg. Haven't received a final confirmation yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I have poured through IRON WILL countless times, so I'm extremely stoked that he seemed willing to grant me an appointment. Seriously? That's so nice of you! When my departure gets closer I'll send you a pm, and we can take it from there :) Thanks!

Great idea! It would be a highlight of my trip for sure. I'm travelling alone, with no other specific plans than getting tattooed, so basically any evening between September 20th and 26th works for me. We should all get Shawn's squid-pants design tattooed!

What the fuck?? Haha! Please elaborate Robin. Thanks for all the other tips though.

Wow! You guys are awesome!! I am predicting it will be a busy stay. Wish I had two weeks instead of one, but I don't think my wallet agrees. Nicky; Getting around on a bike sounds like great idea. Is is possible to rent one you think? I might swing by your museum Ms.Rad. I'll have at least one trip to Oakland as an old friend of mine moved there with his wife a few years back. Hogg; It looks like I'm getting an appointment with Grime. I sent Scott a request today, and I'm also hoping to get in touch with Lehi. I have been in contact with Cris Cleen, but he said he wasn't going to be in SF during my stay. I might also drop by Temple when I'm in Oakland to see if Corbin has time for a minor piece, but I'm not getting my hopes up on that one. I'm guessing he has a waitlist like everybody else. A trip to Santa Cruz is also extremely tempting, but I have to bear in mind that I only have one week. Would love to check out the O'Reilly's and Lovedog shops though, and also see if anyone had time for smaller pieces. They probably wouldn't, but it would be fun to just go out and see the shops. If I can afford renting a car for a day it might be executable. If not I'll just have to save that trip for next time around. If I get to do close to half of all this it will surely be my best vacation ever. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Awesome! Thanks Jeff. Walking across the bridge is definitely on my "to do" list along with visiting the Alcatraz prison. Other than that I'm hoping to catch some of the essence of San Francisco by visiting areas, bars and music venues that you don't necessarily find in the tourist guide. Hoping to catch a show or two with some local bands. I'm also a big fan of just hanging out in a park on a nice day. I'm guessing dolores park is my best bet for this. Your post was right on. Thanks! How is the teperature and weather mostly at that time of year by the way?

I have booked the flight and I am currently booking appointments with the artists who I want to get tattooed by in the bay area. So, is there anything I should try to see or do while visiting? I know there are many SF residents on this board, so I'm hoping you guys can give me some tips. I'm visiting the third week of September by the way.

Yeah, I'd love to get something from Barton or Cerro. Fortunately the guys at O'Reilly's visit Norway from time to time, so I might just get something when they're doing a guestspot here instead. I sent Grime an email a couple days ago regarding appointment in September. If all goes well and he's able to squeeze me into his schedule I'm booking the flight. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for replying guys! I'm hoping to get appointments with Grime, Cris Cleen, Scott and maybe (if I have time, stamina and money left) hop on a bus to Santa Cruz and get something from Stefan.

I am sitting here trying to figure out the best way to arrange a trip to SF later this year (hopefully) solely to get tattooed. It's just that while visiting I want to make the most of it and hopefully get tattooed by a few artists during my stay. What concerns me is that probably most of the artists that I would like to get tattooed by have long waiting lists. If I'm going to pull through financially I have to book a fairly reasonable flight a few months in advance, and maybe stay for a week or so. So, to the artists here; How do you prefer to make arrangements with clients travelling from abroad to get tattooed by you? I'm assuming that you require a deposit, but do you usually find room in your schedule if you're approached by travelling clients with a few months notice, or do they just have to get on the waitinglist and get the date they're given like everyone else? I guess this is a very broad question that probably varies from artist to artist. I'm just having kind of a hard time figuring how to go about planning a trip like this. Any enthusiasts here have any input and/or experience on travelling somewhere to get tattooed by several artists in the same area? I'm a newbie when it comes to this so any tips/pointers/help is greatly appreciated!

I thought we could use a thread that shined a little light on some of the artists we love, but aren't necessarily very renowned or getting the recognition we feel they deserve. Lets get the ball rolling.... I've been a fan of the work of James Tex of Deadly Tattoos inc, located in Calgary, Canada, for a few years now. I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with his work, and some members here might even know him personally and/or have tattoos from him. Anyways, I stumbled across him a while back in another tattoo forum where a member showed off the progress of a Samurai sleeve he was getting done from Tex. I was blown away by his work, and to my great viewing pleasure he had a fairly large online portfolio on his shops website: Deadly Tattoos inc. I'm not sure if everyone agrees with me in that he's "low key", but I can't say that I have read an article about him or seen any pictures of his tattoo except on his website (and obviously the forum I mentioned). Here's a few samples of his work from his online portfolio:

Tattoo Artist Magazine posted this recently on their blog:

Didn't see your post before I posted. Think I got my answer right there, thanks.

I can see what Mario is saying about tattoo snobs with an attitude towards other clients, but I don't quite get why the term "collector" is so annoying. I refer to my tattoos as my collection, so doesn't that make me a collector? Is "enthusiast" a better term? I would never put myself above anyone, especially if they're getting work done from a respectable artist, regardless of the design they may choose. To each his own. Can the term "work" also be perceived as offensive? If so I might already have offended a few members here with my picture comments. Hopefully I'll be travelling to the US soon to get some work (see, I did it again) by some of the amazingly talented artists that you have over there. I would hate to make a bad first impression by blurting out something that an artist would interpret as ignorant or offensive. I'm certainly not going to say "whatup tat-wizard, fire up yo gun and shoot that ink on my squid slacks", but "love your work" is something that I imagine that I could have said without thinking twice.

Both pronounciations are equally common (and equally inappropriate in my opinion)

Anyone witnessed this little gem? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcYj6bHrwsM "I got tats on my arms, on my chest and in my mouth" :D haha Maybe they'll do a followup single when he gets his squid pants on!

I want it! PM me with your paypal info :)