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Yeah, I was totally bummed that the month I was going to enter it was cancelled. :(

@ironchef - wow. Just wow. Wow. It's hard to believe the last time you had work done was a year ago. It doesn't seem that long ago that I saw the gorgeous orange of the feathers and drooled over the composition. Seeing it finished like this is mind-blowing! The colors are amazing - over the top but not a mess. I appreciate that the design is not as busy as some backpieces which IMO sometimes has a stronger impact. Boy, the more I hang around here, the more back-crushes I have, and this is one of them. Congratulations on an amazing piece, and for finally being finished!

Thanks! Nope, I haven't. I don't want to attempt a marathon unless I could do it in less than 5ish hours. My "first" marathon on Saturday took about 7.5 hours, then a break, and I split the second marathon distance into an 18 and an 8 with a break in the middle. Funny how an ultra can be easier than a marathon in some regards ;) Yes, the race was very well organized. I'm signing up for May - hope to see you there!

Ran my first ultramarathon - 53 miles! I was pretty surprised I made 50 miles without major trouble, and pushed out a couple more to make it an even double marathon. It was an awesome experience and I'm already planning to do it again in the spring. I think something is wrong with my head ;)

Thanks for the link, @Fala. I'm going to see if I can get it from work.

No, this is One Day at the Fair - same exact setup as Three Day. If I survive, maybe I'll see you in May!

I'm not sure if I should post this here or in Shitting Things. Looking at winter races and having this weekend open, I succumbed to a free registration and an encouraging welcome from a bunch of friendly runners I've never met and signed up for a 24 hour ultra. As in, running for 24 hours on a 1 mile loop with 136 other folks. It's this Saturday/Sunday and I'm questioning the idiocy of this decision.

@soraya Yeah, I know what you mean. I was confused at the previous comment about skin breaks versus wall-to-wall color. Mine is wall-to-wall with no skin breaks and it makes no sense to me why a skin break would make things "hold up" better. I think the example you showed is beautiful, but I haven't seen examples like that that have aged. I'd be curious to see that.

You said skin breaks. You didn't say hard outline. That's a different story.

I don't understand - what you do mean by this - "hold up better"?

@Marwin3000 - neat variation on the panther - love the eyes! Really striking how they flow up the spine. Congrats!

Welcome! If she doesn't want you to bring in pictures of other people's tattoos because she wants you to know she doesn't copy, then that's one thing. If she doesn't want you to bring in one to share elements that you like and what you don't, then that seems kind of stifling. What's the difference between showing a tattoo that has elements you like and showing a picture that has elements that you like? I dunno. IMO, if you have pictures of tattoos that illustrate some aspect of what you are looking for, then bring them and explain that. But you'd probably better bring in other references too. The bit about not riffing or those who do aren't good artists is a little black and white. A lot of great flash is variations on a theme. Copying an obvious custom piece is a no-no.

No problem, I didn't take it that way.

Ha - there is a "parody" site: https://www.facebook.com/Christianity-against-tattoos-413025322192930/ Kinda makes me embarrassed to be a Christian.

PM me your contact info and I will forward it along to someone I know.

Cool @Piha, great to see it done! Wow - full back in 23 hours. I am retrospectively jealous! The Octo is great and I like how you can see part of the tentacle through the wind bar at the bottom. Sea life rules!

@Lochli - if you put on enough lotion that you can "blot of the excess with a paper towel" then that's too much lotion and not enough rubbing it on. I've had many little scabs - generally in places where skin folds or is near the belt line. You just need to take great care in not letting them get caught on clothing or cracking from extreme dryness. But sometimes no matter what you do, color can come out - I was pretty much anal about my healing but still had a couple small spots that needed a touch-up. Oh, and welcome, @XileBlue!

Absolutely. My first thought was: who wouldn't love this? Shop minimum multiplied by 500 tattoos a day ...

So cute :-) Mini Tattoo Machine https://www.etsy.com/listing/221675690/mini-tattoo-machine-kids-handmade-tattoo For the child curious about mommy or daddy's tattoos, or for the grown up that loves funny little accessories-the handmade wooden Mini Tattoo Machine! Handmade and hand painted by North Carolina based tattoo artist Emily Rose, she originally designed one for her own daughter to use. Seeing mommy tattooing at work had made the young child want to copy mom so this is what she came up with! Here is the story and video on the woman who makes them: Triad couple creates toy tattoo machine for children | myfox8.com I found this product after I saw this Very Important Public Safety Announcement and started searching around:

All tuxedos seem to be mischief-makers!

@21stNow - I can't answer that question - I have never tried it.

... I was so distracted following the design around and recognizing parts I'd seen before (yay little spider!) that I didn't even realize!

http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-after-care/4795-tegaderm-saniderm-tatuderm-healing-process.html

Beautiful @iowagirl - I love the color of the mum that is there - this is going to be pretty! Ah hell, you have a good design that could easily be extended down your back...

#Eevee - good luck with your decision. I certainly understand. The tattoo I got last month was the same deal - waited over a year and was told from the outset that what he designs is what I get. That made me pretty nervous, but I like his art and I shared a LOT about what I was looking for, and then I just took the leap of faith. I didn't know what to expect and what he came up with is probably not what I would have drawn. But I am not an artist, and what he did was amazing. I'm pretty type a on some things, so it was a big leap for me to relinquish this control. But I liked putting that control on someone else because I wanted HIS interpretation. I suppose if I hated it then we would have to have a conversation, but luckily that did not happen. It's also on my thigh, so it is easy to cover. That probably made it a lot easier, too. Fox - that is cool. I like foxes. Sometimes they run in the backyard but screech like banshees when the boys start territory battles.