briankelly

when i lived in ireland, i used to get a lot of hagglers. one of the best things i had heard was to use the question, "how much did those shoes cost? and you're going to wear them for 4 months?" the shoes usually cost more than they were willing to spend on a tattoo for a lifetime.

i just watched ink master episodes 1 and 4 (i guess that's all i can watch). tommy comes to berlin sometimes and gets tattooed at the shop. he's a cool guy.

i put this on a guy when i first came to berlin and was doing a guest spot at fuer immer. the appointment was booked before i arrived, and i was a little unsure if i should do, because, believe it or not, the drawing he had brought in was of even lower quality. after some contemplation and discussing it with one of the owners who said he would probably do it, i decided to do it. when the customer came in, i asked him about his design. in poor english he explained that his old roommate had painted it on his shower curtain years ago and he loved the image. he didn't seem retarded, so i went for it. he came back to me a few months ago for another tattoo, which was also weird, but maybe not as weird, and says he still loves the penis. also, his english seems to have improved.

interesting article. i was just saying the other day to a customer who i've done a few custom pieces on, but who was getting a piece of my flash this time, that i wish people would get more flash. generally it seems that customers do not have good ideas. i also think there is a beauty in sharing a design with other people, though that means that it is not original.

when i was a teen-age punker, drinking too much and traveling by hitchhiking, i was told that if you had a facial tattoo you would be classified as legally insane and could then collect money from the US government. that sounded like a dream come true. don't think it is actually true, and am sure happy i didn't do it!

yeah, i saw some old guy stuff during a guest spot in sweden a while ago and it did not look good. of course making "organic" shapes lends itself to looking like a mushy mess.

it's probably the machine operator and not the machine.

hm, that is interesting. but i think as a german or anyone tattooing in germany, it would be hard to not associate the hooked cross with nazis.

yeah, i've noticed a lot of swastikas in work too. in germany, where i live, it is illegal to display the hooked cross. my own theory on why it is so popular, especially among the dirty hippy hand poking crowd, is that it has become a reverse symbol of rebellion, since it is illegal. and i know at least one guy who does it because he thinks he's so clever and wants to be confrontational. outside of germany, i don't know why anyone would get it. even the indians know it is a nazi symbol now.

i'm going to agree with kevin in this debate. it's not the drake tattoo on this woman's forehead that is going to ruin her life, it's her decision making ability.

iban sanchez. love the shocker jesus. IBAN

the amusing thing is that spelt is the past form of spell used by british people. some say that they even started the english language.

yes, she was really hot. i'm not going to name him in an open forum, but if anyone want's to send me a pm i'll share with you and then show you his terrible work.

i'll finish people's work if they come into the studio and they do not want to go back to the person who started it or can't find the tattooer or something. though i usually suggest they have the original person finish it. when tattooers try to convince someone to let them finish someone else's work, i think that is wrong. i was at a party with a customer of mine and it was filled with other tattooers. when i went to the toilet, another guy approached the girl and gave her his card and said if she wanted more tattoos, he'd do it cheaper. behaviour like that is the lowest of the low to me.

i met a girl who had some white tattoos, little stars on her feet and they looked pretty cool. she said they were "discovery" tattoos, which i liked the idea of, meaning that you really had to discover them after knowing her and being intimate with her body. but i think the problem with people who get white tattoos are that they are never happy, or it never turns out exactly how they want them. i thought her little stars looked fine, but she thought they needed to be done again, and when they got done again, (by an apprentice) they greyed a little. i generally won't do white tattoos.

it's usually people i know, or customers of mine that i've tattooed a few times i used to try to convince people to get one all the time, but i mostly let it take care of itself now.

i met scott harrison at an art opening he had in berlin a while ago. we were talking about neck tattoos, and he said, "neck tattoos are for posers, don't do it", though he has his own neck tattooed. i think a lot of people are in a rush to look tough and cool and get those spots done to prove it. in general, i think people with the neck, face, and hands tattooed are retarded.

oh, and i do this thing where i tattoo an image of my face on people for 20 euro/dollars. and one customer seemed to want to spend a little more, so i also put the brian kelly army around the image and charged him the shop minimum of 80 euro. he was quite happy. i didn't think how i had put my name on him until someone else pointed it out to me.

i'd noticed a long time ago that uncle allan often signs his work. which i thought was a little weird, but i think it's also been going on forever.

in germany we do not expect tips, though it is becoming a little more common lately. but usually quite small tips of 5 to 20 euros, which is great and i do appreciate it because i don't expect it and i don't have to split it with the studio. but tipping isn't about supplementing a low wage. it shows appreciation. i tip the lady who cuts my hair, and she knows me by first name and i get good service from her.

as a tattooer, my own approach to who i have tattoo me would mean that i myself would never have any work. i only get tattooed by friends and people i like. when i decide i want something, i think of who i know personally that can do it. sometimes i don't like getting tattooed from my more booked up friends, because then i have to wait too long.

i was riding the tram the other day with a guy who had two full sleeves of this sort of thing. i think it looks good if the style is adhered to for the whole body, while it is not my thing and i did sit there being very critical of it in my own head. i was thinking things like, that red will never hold up, but he did have a portrait of a womans face in the work that did look quite nice in a technically well done way, and i am of the belief that all tattoos are going to look like complete shit in the future anyway. i try not to bash the work of other's who styles i dislike, because opinions are like assholes. i really don't like noon's work, but i shared an apartment with him and his son in new york for a few days, years ago, and he is a nice guy.