Jar W

I guess I never really thought about it. I just up and decide "ok next tattoo is going here." I think of what I want first then try to determine where it would look best.

I went to the elm street festival and had a great time. First time going to a tattoo convention of any kind. The experience was incredible. So many cool artists and tattoos going on. Everyone seemed busy as hell but I was able to get a lady head from paco cendon, so I'm stoked. It's already my favorite tattoo. He is a riot and a hell of an artist. I'll definitely be going to more conventions in the future.

Kruseman's piece was big and bold. I liked it. Blinston's face looked jacked tbh and that orange sky all over the upper back was really unattractive. I don't know what the hell happened with Matt's piece. There was so much unused space, the thing was flat and tonal, and the whole piece seemed uninspired. That sucks because Matt sure seems talented. I think he should have gone color and just let it rip. The outcome of the show was good with me. My main complaint is that so much of the show was used to hype next season - 35 hours of tattoos compressed into 5 minutes of tattoo highlights. I wish they'd just focus on the damn tattooing.

I competed in first powerlifting competition and posted a 1000 lb total, which was my goal. Stoked to accomplish just what I set out to do!

Isn't that the ink master guy with the mohawk?

We only have so much skin, which puts a premium on getting good work. As has been said already, well known artists usually get that way by doing high quality work. On the other hand, getting a tattoo is about more than the finished product. For example, my first tattoo artist was a young artist who's been doing tats for about 2 1/2 years - the same amount of time I've been doing my profession. There was something about that similarity that appealed to me. We're both still learning the ropes so to speak. We connected right away and had pleasant, entertaining conversation while I was getting my tattoo. When I look in the mirror, I like what I see. When i went back to the shop, he remembered me and was excited to see how the tat healed and we bullshitted some more. Now we have a sort of connection. I mean, we aren't best friends or anything, but we're cool. I like that hes relati ely new and young and that i have some of his work. I do think it helps the community grow. I wouldn't change that for anything. Ultimately, there's enough skin to get great tattoos from well known artists and also get tattoos from lesser known artists as well. Just do what's comfortable and what you don't mind seeing in the mirror. Hell, if someone doesn't post on this site, they likely won't know the difference between Frith street and smith street any damn way.

Bird tattoos are great. I really love traditional swallows and sparrows. I recently got a swallow tattoo on my right shoulder/upper chest. At first I was concerned that bird tattoos would look too feminine but then I thought eff it, I'll get what I want. My wife wants to get an owl tattoo wearing a little nurse's cap. She's a night person and works nights at a hospital so she's going for the whole night owl thing....says it will be "cute." I say more power to her if that's what she wants.

My father was heavily tattooed. Full sleeves on each arm, hands done, chestplate, some on his stomach and back. He was in fact the reason I always wanted to get tattooed. I remember being a little kid and thinking what a badass he looked like. My mother was just the opposite, no tattoos, no desire to get tattooed. She did not like my father's tattoos. He got many of them after they divorced. I was not at all concerned about telling my father about my tattoos. On the other hand I was a little concerned about telling my mother considering her dislike of them. I was afraid she would think that I was going to be "just like my father." So I told her when she was drunk haha! The next day she called and said I remember we talked and I think I remember you telling me you got a tattoo? I said yeah mom and you said you thought it was awesome remember! She ended up seeing it later when she was sober and all she said was hmm I don't really like that. But she's always treating me just the same. Moms have a way of doing that. I guess what I'm trying to say is break the ice when the parent is drunk if you can...

Ill get some pictures uploaded soon. One of my two tattoos is still healing actually. Got it last Sunday. I presume if I upload them to the general gallery they will show up in the gallery that you can see by clicking on my profile? I suppose I can just post them in this thread also.

Hello all. I'm happy to become a part of this community. Been lurking for a while and finally decided to set up a profile and join the conversation. This website has been a great resource to me as I have begun educating myself about tattoos. I am 30 years old and have two tattoos, both in the American traditional style. I just started getting inked about 2 months ago. After the first, I experienced what I guess has been described as the "itch." I certainly plan on getting more. My tattoos were done locally. With the help of this website I was able to discern who the good artists in town were. While my tattoos aren't 100% perfect I love them and think they look rad as hell. Hope to see you around and have some thoughtful discussion about this amazing tradition.