marley mission

@SStu saw this on the IG - cool man!

i have so many cool books that i want to read - but i cant get off instagram damnit!

well its been done to death - but only thing to do the job would be the ol classic angry corn on tractor

its gonna come down to your persoanl preference as for style - i would say that on these boards there is a general preference towards bold traditional styles of tattooing - that said - you are the wearer of the tattoo - so if you are drawn to a particular style then go for it - your tastes may change - my collection has examples of both bold traditional style and also some portrait style tattoos that dont have bold outlines - some examples: the bold: and not so bold :) : the general rule is that the more bold traditional styles age better - but life is a pretty uncertain affair so go with what floats your boat right now - sometimes putting in the research, etc is a great idea because you get a good feel for what to expect on the skin - in the immediate and in the future - but tattoos are so much more than this - anyway - enjoy the process and go get tattooed - and then show us of course :)

love this hey when you guys get down to Electric again - the slices (and beers) are on me...eh - you gotta pay for your own tattoos though :)

awesome - seeing Rob @ the end of the month for another piece from him - such a cool guy

yeah I think whatever you do dont stress too much about it - as others have said - its YOUR tattoo - my collection has become pretty eclectic over time and I kinda like that - probably no one on this board would have told me to fill my upper arms with an angry corn on a tractor or a self loathing pizza monster - but hey I love those tattoos - now with time my tastes have changed and I go with the flow of what I'm into - that said - there is a alot of good advice on this board - and I've learned alot about what makes a good tattoo (to me) from this board and site in general (the interview section alone is filled with awesomeness) - anyway - just my 2 cent ramble

ribs hurt...but they're worth it threeheaded peacock sounds crazy cool and i dig the espresso pot tattoo - i have one myself :)

bring back the contest!

my pieces from Jamie:

i've seen his work up close on a friend of mine - amazing stuff - i've also been to that shop in clinton several times (Jamie Sawyer) - very nice shop too

chris adamek in north jersey - immortal he is on IG b and g realism is pretty nice

Tattoo Paradise is a great choice - I plan to hit that shop in the future - as for just picking a shop over a particular artist a good example where it would work out well would be Smith St. - was kind of what I did going there - ended up with a Steve Boltz piece that I love

@jayking welcome! check out the interviews - you will dig good luck with your career pursuits and stay free!

@Walker012 hey man I enjoyed the background - you know I'm sure you're gonna end up with a cool tattoo - just make sure you throw up some pics on LST :) and getting tattooed is something that you learn more about as you get more tattoos (and you can learn alot here as well imo) but beware...its addicting...and not so cheap - especially if you want good tattoos

sounds like you didnt really get to choose the artist so much and the that the trip is not just about the tattoo which begs the question why does the tattoo need to be a part of the trip i mean the whole experience could yield you an enjoyable piece and i hope it does let us know

coffee tattoos...awesome... peanut butter tattoos...awesomer :p

hell yeah thats a great list for sure man

OP you're anxious about this tattoo which is normal - especially since its your first but... you're asking the wrong questions the money is simple either you have it or you dont but the real focus should be have I done research on my chosen artist what I have seen in the portfolio (IG, in person, etc) that tells me 'this is gonna go well' thats the vibe i need to have when i set up a tattoo appointment there are plenty of good artists to choose from especially in the area you are heading to and with current technologies there's no excuse for failing check out your artist's recent work anyway - who you getting work from?

glad you liked it - your piece looks cool - dont be too hard on yourself either for obsessing about it - we look forward to getting tattooed and its normal to want the application and end result to go well - we'd all be looking at the blowout too - but that changes - and you move on and if you happen to have plans to keep getting tattooed - it really won't matter to you in the long (and short) run - look forward to seeing your tattoo updates - be interested to see it 6 months out - see how that spot settles in - bet it wont be an issue

@AuntTudie definetly think time will give you some better perspective on the piece i mean i have little blowout spots on tattoos i really love i saw rob ryan talk in an interview online (vimeo) and i really like what he said about the imperfections of a tattoo check out the video though

not hard to imagine the armpit being ultra painful - wonder if i'll get to the pits one day though right now that area is not on the list - still lots of space to fill :) funny i'll have days where i'l look and say 'damn you got alot of tattoos' the next day i'm all focused on the empty spaces - anyone else feel me on that?

planning to get both knees done at some point - i'm guessing they are tough spots - and probably even tougher to heal

4 fish 2 octopus 2 frogs 2 roses 2 lamps (lava and leg) ;)

not in favor of thickening the outline i think that all tattoos have imperfections if you look closely enough at any tattoo you might see hiccups like a little ink migration or drop out, etc but - i think once the dust settles on this one you'll be happy