SeeSea

This is a hard question I just tried to answer about 4 different ways, and realize I don't have an answer yet. I hope that I would, because it's turning out awesome! But I'm truly glad I didn't decide to make an informed decision. (Got that?) I originally wanted something in the middle of my back, maybe football sized, based on some underwater pictures I'd taken. Then the tattooer I'd contacted "educated" me that a sea scene needs real estate! It took some real time on his part to explain why my thinking wouldn't work. Then he took it upon himself to design the entire piece from my references, for free, illustrating how awesome going large would be. He emailed me the design superimposed on a picture of my bare back. My brain threw a short, and I committed to a full back about an hour later. After two sessions when reality set in, I found LST. :rolleyes:

Well, this could go in a couple threads, but since we talked about UV clothing here I'll post here. I just had a session last night on the upper part of my back. I have to go out on the water today with family and need sun protection. Obviously, I can't put sunscreen on the raw skin, so I brought along some of my UV shirts from vacation. But all of them are white or very light-colored because who wants to wear black in the sun!?! Now I realize that I need a darker colored one so the morning after goop doesn't show through. Yet another tattoo lesson learned.

@Graeme - holy shit man, that is amazing! You got a ton of work done in one session - I am just blown away with this! It must feel great to finally start, and then immediately see how awesome this is going to be! Congrats!

@Shaggy - pretty much agree with everything you've said. I've had many WTF's. This has certainly been eye-opening for me. I had no idea what a back piece entailed, and I think I'm happy I didn't know when I started. But, it is truly an awesome thing and will be so worth it!

Too much to ask. The degree of dickage sometimes grows over time and circumstance.

I agree sometimes the pain is random, although love handles and near the arm pit get a special stars for consistency. I'm finding that the pain goes up significantly any time he's working away on a spot that's directly over a knot in my back - generally the knots between my shoulder blades. Then the pain becomes exquisite. I lightly pulled a muscle in my back yesterday trail running, and I'm praying that's not where he decides to work tomorrow. Sigh.

Yeah, there was a good discussion a while back. I was just commenting on the "wheel" post. I think I wouldn't have a problem with the tattooer owning the copyright as long as there was a creative commons license or some sort of a permanent license of some sort to allow display of the work, even in a public setting where the wearer was making money in a way that was unrelated to the tattoo. But, not trying to restart the discussion here. A whole thread is here for those so interested. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/4151-artists-who-copy-tattoos-styles.html

LOL - I'm with you on that. I have an awesome diver's tan. Tan face and hands and feet. Gotta love the SPF 2 million wetsuit.

I found it. 90 minutes into a long trail run this morning. Hope to use it on Friday for session 9.

I agree and good point. I dove a week in the tropics last month and wore a rash guard all day on the boat. After every dive the rash guard kept me cool when it was wet in the hot sun. I alternated both a long sleeve and a short sleeve one - both were UV50. Granted, I spent $50 on each one, but I figure for the investment, of which I am into for 40 hours at this point, it's worth it.

A patent expires after 17 or 20 years depending on the type, and copyrighted art becomes public domain 70 years after the artist is dead. So the wheel dude has been screwed for a while. So, from a tattooing perspective, the deal is still pretty good and better than the wheel. If you felt like trying to enforce it.

My concern with the hotel towels is not the cleanliness, but the fuzz factor. (Although who knows the cleanliness factor of the hands folding, storing and hanging the towels.) I'll use them to dry/clean everything EXCEPT the area that was tattooed. Then I use paper towels. Yeah, they have a fuzz factor, but a smaller one than towels I think. Could just be my own assumptions, and that I'm working on my back, which I can't see to inspect more closely. I don't remember if I said it here, but I recently discovered the awesomeness of doggy pee-pads. They are absorbent with a fluid barrier on the bottom. I tape them to the bed and toss them in the morning. They also take up less room when I travel, 'cause I still feel bad about black stains on the hotel sheets, even though I know they come out. :-( - - - Updated - - - Ah yes, and that particular biohazard as well.

Getting a shirt wet reduces the SPF. And if your shirt is mesh, it's less effective than a shirt you can't see through. You would do well to protect your investment and do the sunscreen too.

I just went to google swimming pools and contaminants to post a link here on why you shouldn't jump in, but I am eating my breakfast and I started to get nauseous at what I was reading.

I think a lot more accomplishments would be made and goals achieved and fun had if people would stop saying, I'll do XYZ but I want to lose 20 pounds first.

SWEET!!! You're a lucky guy.

Ok, so if I get you correctly, said coloring activities are fine regardless of the level of intoxication of all participants, but sharing said activities is strictly forbidden :-) Good thing I didn't post the pictures :-) Good thing it all wore off before my the next session :O

Is it inappropriate to let your drunken friends color in the outline of your unfinished tattoo with sharpies? And how inappropriate would it be to show said pictures of said activities to one's tattooer? ;-)

Sometimes I think it's the opposite - that they frown on people with tattoos, but YOUR tattoo is okay in their book so you are somehow the exception to their negative opinion.

MACROPHAGE - "Me Again!" Cracks me up every time :-)

@bongsau - I'm sorry to hear of your loss. Prayers and healing to your family.

I got this the other day, but the "excuse" was pretty funny. He's older now (>50) and he'd wanted a tattoo as a late teen and came home with a cross on his arm that he'd drawn on with a permanent marker. His father, as expected, assumed it was real and hit the roof. As he described the scene and the layout of the dinner table area where his father discovered the travesty, he was clearly boxed in by the radiator and the wall and the rest of the family. His father then proceeded to grab steel wool and scrubbed it off his arm, along with a layer of skin before he realized he'd been had. The teller of the tale said he didn't want to get a tattoo after that. All-in-all, not a bad excuse and completely forgivable because he told the story with such vigor and humor!

That's one thing I don't worry about. I just ball it up and shove in the mess and cover it with whatever paper towels and tissues I use. They are so used to dealing with whatever is in the trash can in the bathroom as biohazard anyway - there are much worse and much more commonly discarded tissue-covered balls of biohazard in bathrooms.

How did I miss these mantas?!? Love them!

Laying on the floor on my stomach 2 days after a back session. So why must the cat insist on tearing around the corner and leaping, repeatedly, right on to the center of my back?!?