" It's a good thing tattoos hurt " word from Jack Rudy .

[marley mission]

its funny though how someone could come to this forum and the best they can do to contribute is rip on Jack Rudy - goodbye in advance

[Tiresius]

it's funny that a community of tattoo enthusiasts would either have authorities who were beyond question or else hierarchical rules about who could question what - i.e. a 'place' for new comers who are expected to be deferent under all circumstances.

Or perhaps not - perhaps this all falls under the umbrella of "traditional".

Edited August 3, 2016 by Tiresius

[Graeme]

1 hour ago, Tiresius said:

it's funny that a community of tattoo enthusiasts would either have authorities who were beyond question or else hierarchical rules about who could question what - i.e. a 'place' for new comers who are expected to be deferent under all circumstances.

Or perhaps not - perhaps this all falls under the umbrella of "traditional".

You've said that you're here to learn, but I have seen very little from you that suggests you actually mean that.  

I recently saw some tattoos that Jack Rudy did in the mid-80s and the way they aged and settled in was incredible.  They're perfect.  I've seen more recent Jack Rudy tattoos as well; the guy who did my back has some lettering from him he did I think about ten years ago, and again, the way that tattoo is aging is perfect.  So beyond being responsible for largely starting and popularising the genre of fine line black and grey tattooing, he's an amazing tattooer, one of the best ever.  I don't think it's particularly hard to grasp why people respect him.  This place used to be somewhere where actual real world experience mattered, and that maybe if you listened you could pick up all kinds of hard-earned wisdom.  If you can't understand that maybe this isn't the place for you.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Graeme

[oboogie]

I asked a simple question purely out of curiosity. You can't answer it? Alrighty then. I'll go with my instincts here — you are quite young.

Well said, @Graeme. (And @ChrisvK below.) I wish I'd found this place years ago. So much to learn here.

Edited August 3, 2016 by oboogie

[ChrisvK]

28 minutes ago, Graeme said:

 This place used to be somewhere where actual real world experience mattered, and that maybe if you listened you could pick up all kinds of hard-earned wisdom.  If you can't understand that maybe this isn't the place for you.

This was the reason I joined the forum 5 years ago, and that most of my posts are from 5-4 years ago. Nowadays I mostly lurk the latest lowdown thread and not much else. 
More than half the people here have no fucking clue what Jack Rudy, and other tattooers that have been at it for as long as him, did for todays tattooartists. 

/rant

 

[marley mission]

1 hour ago, Tiresius said:

it's funny that a community of tattoo enthusiasts would either have authorities who were beyond question or else hierarchical rules about who could question what - i.e. a 'place' for new comers who are expected to be deferent under all circumstances.

Or perhaps not - perhaps this all falls under the umbrella of "traditional".

i dont have authority - just an opinion - one that i expressed already 

[Tiresius]

My comment did not challenge Rudy's contribution to tattooing, or in any way question the longevity of his tattoos or his skill.

It had to do with his observation of today's youth which I found interesting when compared to his own youth. Older generations frequently criticise younger generations for acting the way they themselves acted in their youth.

My other point had to do with the way the endurance of pain is seen as a measure of worth - this seems a very masculine form of evaluation - and the choice of language 'pussy' for one who can't endure pain, supports my observation.

People took umbrage at what I was saying and then went on to criticize my attitude. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2016 by Tiresius

[PinkUnicorn]

9 hours ago, Tiresius said:

this seems a very masculine form of evaluation - and the choice of language 'pussy' for one who can't endure pain, supports my observation.

Quote

“Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.”
― Betty White

 

[Hogrider]

On August 3, 2016 at 0:56 PM, Tiresius said:

My other point had to do with the way the endurance of pain is seen as a measure of worth this seems a very masculine form of evaluation - and the choice of language 'pussy' for one who can't endure pain, supports my observation.

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Everybody knows what you mean when you call somebody a pussy. It may offend you, but that's life. You never hear a guy whining about somebody calling someone else a dick. ;-)

[SStu]

Pussys. Dicks. Both good, positive things, if you ask me.

[iowagirl]

I'm glad they hurt. But jeezalou I think I've put in enough pain credits, there should be a pain free reward.

[Colored Guy]

I had my 1st rib cage tattoo almost 2 weeks ago... almost as bad as the armpit area. I thought about tapping out but the artist told me we were almost done.

Some people get the pain once and never go back. There are people walking around with 1/2 finished tattoos as well. I was in the shop one night, there was an ex Marine getting a USMC tattoo on his bicep, he left 1/2 way through and never went back, unless someone else finished it. The pain does separate the truly dedicated from the not.

[Hogrider]

On January 7, 2017 at 7:17 PM, Colored Guy said:

I had my 1st rib cage tattoo almost 2 weeks ago... almost as bad as the armpit area. I thought about tapping out but the artist told me we were almost done.

Some people get the pain once and never go back. There are people walking around with 1/2 finished tattoos as well. I was in the shop one night, there was an ex Marine getting a USMC tattoo on his bicep, he left 1/2 way through and never went back, unless someone else finished it. The pain does separate the truly dedicated from the not.

I got my first rib/stomach tattoo (still in progress). The ribs are bad, but the stomach is worse, IMHO. It was the first time I've ever said stop and I've got well over 100 hours work including sleeves, chest panel, back and legs. He hit it with some Bactine so we could keep going, but it was pretty bad.

Edited January 9, 2017 by Hogrider

[Colored Guy]

Bactine might be a good idea, I recall it being great on scrapes when I was a kid and fell off my bike. I found my stomach to be okay, not the ribs. Grandaddy of all pain was into the armpit.

[Synesthesia]

On 7/29/2016 at 3:42 PM, Tiresius said:

"It's a good thing tattoos hurt, because otherwise, every pussy in the world would have one."

There's some hyper-masculine posturing! 

Also funny: he used his mother's sewing needle and Indian ink for his first tattoo - a spider he drew on himself. And yet he is pretty judgmental of today's youth who just go to a friend who happens to have a tattoo kit 'cos it's free'.

Okay, I'm really late to this party but:

Well yeah, most legendary tattooers are grizzled old men that are a little politically incorrect. You sound surprised by the way he speaks. Not sure if you're trying to make a criticism or just a statement...? Personally, as a woman, I find this whole idea of masculine spaces (like an old tattoo shop) to be a sort of mystical thing. I like going into old timey barber shops with my boyfriend and seeing how different it is from the unisex salons I go to. I think masculine spaces should be respected and appreciated, there aren't many places where a guy can be a guy anymore without judgment. If you don't like how these guys carry themselves or operate their shop, there's more than enough other shops to choose from. /rant

And rightly so for him to be judgmental. Just because he did it doesn't mean it's a good idea. It just means he's old enough to know better and wishes someone would have told him not to do it when he was a kid.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Synesthesia

[Colored Guy]

A lot of artists I know are hardly on the PC side, male or female. This is because they claw out a living each and every day, no work = no pay day. There is no paid vacation, sick time unless you sell your soul to a bigger shop and work for $30 or $40 an hour while the shop charges $150 an hour.

If Jack Rudy says that the moon is made of green cheese, then the moon is in fact made of green cheese. He wrote the book on a lot of things that have filtered down through the trade. He's one of those guys, when he talks, you shut up and listen.

[Gingerninja]

Best Instagram Feed: How Not To Get Tattooed.