jetwash

just stick a panther head on it.

I've never understood putting a small tattoo on a big part of your body like shoulder blades. To me, that sort of thing looks like an inner bicep or back of the neck (and the nape, where the neck meets the back?) type thing, but of the options you've given, the ribs sounds best. I'm not an artist, just giving an opinion :) Good luck, and enjoy your new tattoo, whatever you decide!

In my experience, a tattoo artist has always made my ideas (or that of friends I know getting tattoos) WAY better. If I'd input my ideas into a machine then had them put on me it would look a mess. There is no substitute for an artist's eye (although this doesn't mean you couldn't have a tattooer operate the machine :p). I have to agree with previous posts, there is so much to think about while the tattoo is happening I can't see this taking off any time in the near future. Who knows, is there a possibility of it being applied in medical tattooing, where artistry and training is perhaps less important?

Negative yelp reviews aside, I do agree that a little bit of charm goes a long way, especially with someone clearly getting their first tattoo. I've been really lucky to have all my ones done in a great shop by great artists, the first time I was getting work done I told the artist (Lee Knight) that I was nervous, and he said I was doing it right. That small comment really put my mind at ease and made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. The same with Oliver Macintosh, some of my friends had been tattooed by him and found him quite quiet and scary, but to me he was really warm, quiet yes, but just concentrating on putting down good work. We talked about colours, and he was firm, but very tactful in explaining why certain things would or wouldn't work. I learnt a lot from all of those sessions. tl;dr - a little bit of reassurance goes a long way :)

Bahaha this thread is great. Wish I was carrying a little extra, could get so much more work, and some padding really wouldn't hurt in the delicate spots!

New guy started at work recently, saw I was browsing LST and said "yeah, I saw your ink..." and I just died.

^that sounds totally adorable.

^Couldn't agree more with that sentiment. Sometimes friends will mention that I don't get my tattoos out that much, or show them off, it's hard to explain that I didn't get them for other people to look at. By the same token it's an odd feeling to have artwork on my own body that I'm aware of, but not focused on most of the time. It does make me feel good, I know that :)

I haven't travelled at all since getting my first tattoos. Can't imagine I'll have any trouble cos I'm not exactly covered and I dress like a conservative hipster anyway!

I did it, but the qualitative questions were so shallow I doubt they will provide any true value to her research. I think to post like this on an issue as personal as tattoos is pretty callous. Hopefully she can draw something out of this research other than "people think tattoos are bad", which is what it seems to be biased towards. Maybe I'm just taking it too personally.

That is brilliant! Love the negative space leaves.

I got more attention from girls as soon as I grew a beard and got some tats, it was quite funny actually. And they say it's men who are shallow ;)

I've finally, albeit tentatively, uploaded a bunch of photos of my half sleeve to my profile! I only say tentatively because they really don't do it justice. I'm fantastically pleased with it, was my first tattoo and had no idea they could even look like this back then. Hope you guys enjoy :)

they never do! :)

Listen to Graeme^

5 grand a session?? Jesus Christ! Well, if you're happy with paying it I guess I can't argue...

Got my walk in at Frith Street yesterday. Happened to get Oliver, he was an absolute gentleman, was a really nice experience overall. If any of you guys know the shop, Dante, Jordan and everyone else were hanging out joking, was so chilled. And I came out with a perfect tat :)

Wow, some of you guys have such specific requirements! I just shower, eat and make sure I have plenty of cash. Afterwards I grab a snack from the train station and head home. Then it's just waiting time till I can unwrap and clean it. Oh, and there's no cash now...

Was eating at a restaurant in Greenwich a couple of years ago and saw a woman with a full sleeve of lady heads and roses. Was clearly a few years old but had aged brilliantly. More importantly she wore them fantastically, I think a lot of subject matter in tattoos can really be gender neutral, as long as it suits the wearer. A gentleman with a ladyhead will still be a gentleman, a sleezeball will still be a sleezeball.