Lala Blackheart

I have one name tattooed on me, Astraea is my (our) beautiful 2 year old husky shepherd mix. She is my best friend and like my bebe (until a real one shows up!) and we love her very much. I am hoping to have Baba tattoo her portrait on me next year at the SF convention. I'll post a pic of her name in my gallery. :) Dog is Love! I have an entire upper back piece planned as a memorial to 4 of my pets, all of whom had "astro" names - Luna, Orion, Comet, & Astraea. BoJangles the dog of my youth will have to get memorialized in another way... and he will, at some point. ;)

I seem to get stopped more in airports too, not so much SF-NY, but when I go other places I find that I get either cool people who ask about them or total jerks who give me a hard time and make rude comments about girls being tattooed. I'll get stopped at every security check in these places, fersure. While traveling in Australia a few years ago, the folks working at the various hostels were always really cool, the people staying could go either way.

Ditto! What they said. Great resources - Hope it grows and gets better with every year! Thank you.

beautiful tattoos! I'd love to make it down to State of Grace or their convention soon. Hi!

Like most, I hate tat or tatts or any usage of it like that, and I really dislike tramp stamp.

I'd love to come to the next one! When is it? Where? thanks! :)

Not counting the three little dots on my right big toe (that I darkened when I first picked up a machine last year), my first real tattoo was done the day before Thanksgiving of the year I turned 18 at the Sunset Strip tattoo parlor. Shock was the artist. We went there because that is Nikki Sixx got tattooed in 'Motley Crue Uncensored' and that was where I had decided I would get my first tattoo. It's a small (palm size) Celtic knot piece with a Pisces symbol in the center at the base of my spine. I went with my best friend, she got the same tattoo, same place but with a Gemini symbol instead of Pisces. She has since covered her back with tons of crazy work, but I have a big idea for my back and have not added much to it since then. Lots of tattoos in other places, tho! Looking for a pic of it. :)

AWE.SOME. I can't wait to catch this somewhere. I like the emphasis on learning and how long it takes to really get good, which is, to me, not discouraging, it just makes me realize I have to keep working hard and not give and just try to do the best work I can do. This stuff is inspiring! Thank you.

I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that a tattooer with no tattoos cannot really adequately represent what he/she has never felt themselves, nor can they give you specific information about so many other aspects of the experience. I was at a convention recently and the apprentice at the booth next to ours had no tattoos (her family wouldn't allow them) and said she might not ever get any. It confused me a little as to why she even wanted to be a tattooer; during our conversation (we talked a bit, as the two female apprentices on our side of the event) it was obvious that she didn't know about what styles of tattoos she liked or would want to do, what kind her shop specialized in, or the names of any tattooers other than those on the tv shows. I can't take seriously a tattooer with no tattoos; just can't.

Hi! I'm Lala (Lauri), and I'm Apprenticing at Internal Instincts Tattoo Studio in El Sobrante, CA. I've been there just over a year and started tattooing (friends and a few walk-in's) in the shop about 6 months ago. I am lucky enough to be learning from two amazing artists with a huge & diverse amount of experience & knowledge to share. I first joined LST Forum in July, 2011, just before plans for my September 10th wedding picked up. I found myself having to focus only on wedding stuff when I was not at the shop, until tonite, when I was looking at some reviews of machines and saw the "Spaulding-Rogers" posts here. I forgot that I really liked this site, the philosophy/mission and the vibe of it. Good stuff! I live on the quaint island of Alameda, just outside of SF, an area rich in amazing tattooers and tattoo history; a continual reminder of my small place in this industry and how hard I have to work to make any sort of a mark as a tattooer here. Tattoos have been something of an obsession of mine since the day, shortly after my birth, that my (already tattooed) Papa came home with my name in a heart on his left bicep. As soon as I was old enough to understand what it was, I loved it and I loved what is proclaimed to the world - I was so proud of that tattoo! I'm into vintage & old school tattoo flash, pin-ups, drawing, tattooing & tattoo history, music, traveling. I'm trying to improve my lettering constantly. When I'm not drawing or cleaning the shop. I'm a gypsy/burlesque dancer/costumier/knitting fool/bibliophile. I love my dog & cat & most of all, my handsome new husband. :) Looking forward to great discussions and learning more about the online, local & global tattoo communities. Glad to be here, hope to make some friends & enjoy the forum! ~Lala