scubaron

Yelp, like many online review sights, are useful if you read the reviews and don't just look at the ratings. A star rating is only valid if the written review backs up the rating. If I read a review and the person is unreasonable, then I ignore it. Same goes for positive reviews. An over the top review about standard service or without a picture, also gets ignored.

I lightly scratch the derm. Satisfies the itch but is not direct contact so no damage. A lot better than scratching clothing and having non sterile colored cloth rubbing a healing tattoo.

Nice post Graeme. Applies to many things. I'm too old to care what is currently considered "cool". I just go with what I like.

It will be interesting to see what happens with watercolor tattoos. If they do go out of style will it be due to style or not holding up over time ? Same thing with photo realism ? I think it's kinda cool new styles and options are coming out. Seems like tattoos are evolving as artists push the envelop and people who previously would never get a tattoo are getting them now because because they like the new styles.

I am kind of new to tattoos, but I totally agree and it's why I want to have some kind of connection or meaning when deciding what to get. For example, my tribal manta rays. Yeah, tribal is kind of out of style, but the subject and style mean something to me.

Given the shape of your scar, something long with pattern/texture would probably work well. A snake, dragon, octopus, etc..

You could go 6 if the wrap is still holding up well. I usually wear mine 5 days. I've done 3 and 4 because I was anxious to see my new tattoo, but it was still a little sensitive to touch, so now I stick with 5.

Just finished. Mask by Anderson Luna. Hopefully the detailing will hold and not turn into a blurry blob down the road.

How about a Henna Artist ?

For me, 4 hours. The 1st 2 hours is not a problem. The 3rd hour is not fun. The 4th hour really sucks. I seem to tolerate outlining better than shading. Could be because shading is hitting the same spot over and over, or it could be shading is usually later in the session.

Yeah, don't know why tattoos with meaning gets so much heat. Maybe I am too new. In addition to quality, I want to have some kind of connection.

Thanks. I'm very lucky there are so many great tattooers in my area. I follow several local artists and tattoo shops on Instagram. Almost everyday I see something awesome that makes me want to schedule new work with another artist. Also a big thanks to this board and it's members for sharing knowledge and suggestions on designs, artists, styles, etc..

5. This will be the last one for a while. My wife asked what does "a while" mean ?:)

Here ya go. Just finished 1st session. 2nd session in 2 weeks.

Just got this Indonesian mask by Anderson Luna, in progress. 2nd session in 2 weeks.

Thanks for the info. It makes the criticisms on certain tattoo styles more understandable. All my tattoos are black & gray. My shoulders are always covered up, but I do wear shorts a lot in the summer. Hopefully my tattoos hold up well. It will be interesting to compare my shoulder tattoo to my calf tattoo as the years go by.

Thanks. A very informative post and picture. I wonder, has ink gotten better from 17 years ago ? Is it possible ink today will last longer and is this something ink manufacturers are working on ? I am new to tattoos. Got 4 tattoos in the last 6 months. In 17 yrs., I'll be 66. Not a bad age to have some old faded tattoos. Maybe being older has an advantage for a change.

Yeah, that was really weird. Almost like one of them heard what the other was going to do and wanted to do something similar as a head to head challenge.

Have you seen the recent tattoos in progress from Anderson ? This was posted on Saved's instagram this week. Not a raven, but should give you an idea. BTW, I am scheduled with Anderson on Monday for his take on an wooden mask I got in Indonesia.

Taste in tattoos, like taste in art is individual preference. Will there be a day when any tattoo, regardless of style, will hold up better over time ? I hope so. Is it possible for ink to get better and more resilient ? I like the wheel analogy, but I don't consider different styles of art, wheels. I think ink is the wheel or better yet, the tire. A tire will wear out. Take a standard low priced tire. Constantly drive over rough terrain, don't maintain proper tire pressure and the tire will wear out quickly. Sounds similar to tattoo ink.

True. This season, more than others, had a lot of weaker artists. Even the judges got tired of it. I think in one episode Nunez said there was a big divide in ability between the top and bottom artists.