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We did finally finish the bat:

Just had my first session on my back piece 😍 covering up a couple little sticker tattoos while we’re at it. I’m in love. Work is being done by Travis Hulshizer at the green gazelle is KC MO. I can’t say enough good things about him. Turkey vultures are my favorite bird and I’ve been dreaming of a large scale piece with one in it. I told him the vaguest of ideas and he delivered this. I’m SO excited. Also holy shit the back hurts

Hi guys, I've been reading LST for awhile and decided to de-lurk upon receiving my second tattoo. Here it is, I'm very pleased with it:

any new ink will blend just fine, it will look brighter at first, but after a few months it will all look the same, relax,it will be fine,

After 7months finally the tattoo is completed, here some pictures of the final result just after completing the last line

On the way home from town yesterday, we passed about 12 turkey buzzards enjoying a lunch next to the highway. They were not practicing social distancing. But, immediately thought of Anxious. That piece is going to be fantastic.

Garver next week....rounds 3 and 4!

yep. typically 3-4 weeks before you can really tell what you've got.

looks totally normal to me, it takes at least a couple months to fully heal and settle in if not more.

Hard to say without seeing it. A couple of general observations. It takes 4-8 week to heal so if you're in that window, relax. Second, thin, delicate skin is most prone to blowouts; it can happen to any artist. Last YOU CAN'T FIX IT!!!! People ask all the time. The ink is spreading out in the skin, there is no way to undo that. You can't suck the ink back out.

The first one is this thistle on the inside of my arm, same artist. Unfortunately this is the only pic I have of it in good lighting:

I have actually been thinking of getting a few tattoos removed myself. I have did some really really bad decisions when I was in college and a lot of them are on my skin. Honestly it didn't bother me as much in the past but I live in a respectful neighborhood I married an amazing person and I just feel like it is time for me to get rid of the tattoos. I have been looking for local clinics that do laser tattoo removal and was pleasantly surprised that there are actually so many options available. I settled on a clinic about 30 miles from my home and I have already talked to the doctors. I have scheduled and appointment and the first procedure is going to be done in two days. I am hoping this will go well. Wish me luck

Welcome to LST! Unfortunately, there aren't many tattoo artists who frequent this forum anymore.. it's mostly collectors or folks who are new to tattooing, asking if their tattoo is healing correctly. if you want to look back at some past interactions, there are my different threads to be mined with lots of gems within. I would say that most tattoo artist online interaction is done thru IG. I'm not sure if podcasts and youtube videos count, but if so, we can point you the right direction. For instance, Andrew Stortz has a great podcast called "Books Closed" that often discusses "new information about what kinds of topics tattoo artists are interested in and if there are other subgroups." The latest episode is pretty hilarious, discussing tattooing as a performance art and highlighting this artist who does some cuhhhraaaayyzee shit like tattooing while playing the cello. There are definitely different subgroups based on all the various styles and people of the world, in general. Not sure how much you already know, but a few high level styles include: traditional, new school, neo-trad, black and gray, black work, tribal, geometric, japanese, color realism, biomechanical, and many many more! Anyways.... I hope this is a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your new tattoo.

Live with it before you do anything else. I've seen more people go from bad to worse to worser because they are in a big hurry to "fix" something. Take your time, plan it out, make sure you discuss what YOU think went wrong with your next artist, find out EXACTLY how they intend to fix it, get recommendations. First rule of coverups - don't make it worse. Unfortunately lots of people break this rule. I was getting a tattoo once and this woman came in with a coverup of a coverup of a coverup. When she left my artist said, "That looks like Arnold Schwarzenager climbing out of a tar pit." It was AWFUL. He did an amazing job on his coverup. You couldn't even tell it was a coverup.

like children. loved each in it's own way, and some are just painful lessons 🤪

Got this guy from Scott Harrison last Sunday. Aside from the dope tattoo, I also got some great stories. If you're anywhere near the PNW, you should make your way to Portland and get work from this legend before he re-retires!

No, not even a member of any tattoo FB groups. Just thought it would be an interesting discussion. For myself, I guess it would be the cameo of my wife. It came out just perfect.

That is a tough one. Each was likely my favorite when it was new. I would say the gypsy ladyhead by Marina is the most likely answer to this question. Did you ask this in a Facebook group too? Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

If you going to be a shill, don't be so obvious. Maybe find someone who speaks English as a first language to write for you too.

lookni' good IMO

That is a healing tattoo. Just keep it clean and let it heal.

i agree with all prior posts! i think it looks fine, you should settle your anxiety and depression and learn to live with it for a bit, and plan your next move(s). when i saw the title of this thread, i really just wanted to add "no regerts". 😬 you're learning the lesson you were meant to learn at this moment, and you will grow from it. you survived!!!

If you know Spanish there is this channel which goes pretty in depth on the tattoo artists' way of life, their interests and how they developed their style (mostly neo traditional artists) https://www.youtube.com/c/NeoTraditionalSpain Vice and Inked channels also have a series on tattoo styles. It is pretty basic and l am not really into it but maybe it can serve you as a starting point. Aaaaand maybe Grace Neutral's documentary can also help you since it portraits how tattooing is not yet accepted everywhere in the world. hope it helped! Enviado desde mi Redmi Note 8 Pro mediante Tapatalk

Hi! I am a student in college studying anthropology right now, and I am in the middle of putting together an online ethnography, which is basically a project based on analyzing interactions within certain groups of people online. Me and my group have chosen to analyze interactions between tattoo artists specifically online. Our goal is to find new information about what kinds of topics tattoo artists are interested in and if there are any other subgroups of tattoo artists such as feminist artists and artists that specialize in certain styles of tattooing. As well as any other cool things we find out! Would anyone be able to help steer me into the right direction for what I'm looking for? For example, refer me to other sites I can look at or specific people I could talk to that are interested in my project. On a side note I am excited for my new tattoo I'm getting this Saturday it will be cocoa and vanilla plants combined in a bouquet on my shoulder!! I will post a picture of it here. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting help, thanks! If anyone is interested in contacting me directly my email address is ameliajones687@gmail.com Amelia

Google.

The bat is incredible. Bravo! I love the stylisation.

Or perhaps a cuttlefish 🙂

It's a squid, surely?

A snail with no shell?

It's a blowout.

Blow outs don't fade. It's ink that's spread.

I had my sleeve extended about an inch after a few years. You could definitely tell right after it was done, but after a while, it blended nicely.

Thanks! It's definitely something to feel proud of, but some days you do just wanna go home 😂 other sessions are more manageable. I think you pretty much have to mentally hear that death march in your head when you walk in, and expect it to be the worst pain ever and then it wont be so bad. You can't ever approach a session feeling good about it, cause you will get your arse handed to you ha ha.

Hey guys, Reviving the full back piece experience thread. So I had never been tattooed before and last year I decided to dive in for my first one and begin my traditional Japanese full back, (cause if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly right 😂) The tattooer is Matt Collins at Unseen in Adelaide. I know I don’t have anything to compare it to, but having read this thread I know what you all say about full backs is 100% true, it is damn hard work. We’ve just completed all of the background and that last session shading in rocks over the tailbone was definitely brutal. About 20 ish hours in I think. I love the finished product though, and can’t wait to see the cranes and leaves once we get into those, mostly black and grey with some red on leaves and cranes heads, haven’t decided on the omamori design yet.

If you have severe anxiety, don't get anymore tattoos. They all heal differently, and you can't stare at it waiting for it to heal.

I love all of my tattoos. But I think the one by Richard Stell is extra special since he is no longer with us.

My favorite is a rose & hoju morph from Grez. Indeed i have amazing memories but, yeah, it's my favorite.

agree with you both! it's tough to pick a favorite, but I enjoyed the thread even sparking the thought. made me think of my tattoos and some of the experiences that came with them. the brain's a funny thing, eh?! you see a tattoo or hear a trigger like this and it immediately opens those memory banks and you get a rush of good vibes! that all said, i have some small ones that mean a lot. i got a mini portrait of my dog who passed in 2016 on my inner wrist that i see all the time and it makes me smile. it's at least in my top 5!

No photos to share right now, but we finally finished my leg sleeve last Saturday. Yeah!!!

It's funny, he's running around with that fine tattoo worried about it and I know a lot of people walking around with tattoos I wouldn't put on my worst enemy, all proud about them. Seriously, how does anyone not recognize that it's really nice work?

Coming out of hibernation. It's been a while since I had fresh ink. A couple years. Have some nice real estate on my left arm that is crying out for a flag motiff. It took a while to get an appointment with all the virus craziness. August 28th is on the books. Waiting for my artist to get back to me on his interpretation of the Betsy Ross flag.

It's great except for that one little thing, but no one will notice it. Only fooling.

Hey guys. In like 2016 a film student made a video of an old session of mine getting waves and leaves added to my turtle by Takashi Matsuba in his old studio. Thought I'd post some stills from the video here. The video's locked, but it's cool.

@Hogrider - Many of the "brightener" product contain Vitamin C and/or some other types of mild acids (re: not retinols but salicylic acid) sold in regular "anti-aging" facial creams. The "brighteners" simply exfoliate. My concern around these product is sun exposure. Anytime you use Vit C or mild acids, the number one rule is to avoid sun exposure due to increased sun sensitivity.

How exactly does it brighten and protect tattoos? Sounds like marketing bullschitt to me. No need for special lotions and potents.

I'm curious to see if there are others in here who have gotten tattoos dedicated to their favourite bands, singers, artists or just inspired by music in general? I love music, especially metal and rock. So my second tattoo was heavily inspired by the band Tool and their.. wierd artwork. It's been 7 years since I got this tattoo, but I still feel like it needs something more added to it. Just haven't gotten to it yet, I guess. The pic is from the day I got it if I recall correct. Didn't have a healed pic and couldn't be arsed to take one now, so I snagged this from my Facebook. It's not as crisp ofcourse, but it's still in pretty decent shape (thank god for SPF 50). Show me yours, there must be some in here :)

this is a thing for me,I believe face, neck, and hand tattoos are earned after being heavily tattooed on other parts of the body.

Hi Stephanie, what happened after more time passed?