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I am so over the moon with this tattoo 😍 Tomas Garcia Old Soul Cannonsburg PA

Double tap, back-to-back, by Aaron Coleman, at Immaculate Tattoo in Mesa, AZ.

My two days old tattoo, i'm really excited for it, love it! I did it on my "virgin" leg, as i want to dedicate this leg to this style of line work tattoo :) As a note, on my left leg i have colour neo traditional tattoos, on my left arm realism black&grey and on my right arm colour realism. I like a lot of styles apparently :) Done by Rares.

Here we go then - From the Ministry in Farnham (UK) this afternoon :-) - getting there on this piece - another session booked for June.. The marvellous Ben Dunning again -

Here is my latest tattoo. Just finished it last Thursday. Four hour ribs session 😬

so I got my Friday the 13th tattoo just now and I love it. tattoo by Ronnie Grizard at Imperious Rex shop. https://www.imperiousrextattoo.com/copy-of-patrick-tattoo-pat-hughes here are some bloody pics

Original was my first tattoo from 20 years ago. Met with my artist to see what would work. He took several photos, did an outline tracing and committed to drawing what might work. The old dragon was 20 years old and tired. Got it on a business trip in Chicago at the Jade Dragon Tattoo Parlor. At the time a group of young, enthusiastic managers went downtown to see the iconic tattoo shop. 6 of us left with new ink. Many years later, I wanted something new, fresh and keeping with the dragon theme. My artist carefully explained what colors would work, what design would work and the size of the new piece to effectively cover the old work. Little did I know this was going to be a journey, a process and commitment of many months. Once I saw the stencil and the pc screen illustrating the color choices. I decided to take the plunge. First session was about four-five hours for outline work. Second session was the beginning of shading. (4-5 hours) Third Session more color. ( five hours) Fourth Session-almost done ( Was coming down with the flu and getting cold chills and shaking thinking I was getting cold) close to 4 hours.. Have been back for two touch up sessions and have the last one scheduled this week. If you notice the yellow areas in the whiskers and scales between the horns, a little more color saturation is needed to prevent the old image from showing through. Comments-Cover work can be very complex. Its a blend of design, choosing the appropriate colors that will cover light and dark and going larger to find a design that will obscure the old work. It may never be completely invisible, however the focus of the new work will draw the eye away from the previous work. Detailed shading and design is never one and done. Plan on more than visit to get the deep color saturation you desire and to cover the old areas. I waited 30 days in between sessions to allow my skin to heal and allow my artist to see what really needed to be done next. Learned a lot about what after care products I prefer. When doing a lot of shading work, some products with lidocaine do make a difference. While you might not experience the same level of relief on line work. When shading and the pores get opened up..there is a difference. At my age-(56) five hours is longest I can sit. Four hours is much easier. Having a cool artist that understands you and the end goal are very important. I wont be doing any more cover work but I plan on lots more ink. Have had a couple more new pieces since this piece was almost done. Hope this helps those thinking about cover work. My artist explained he would much rather work on a 20 year old piece than one done six months ago. Just one old guys experience.

Just had my second sitting last week in Denver. Ian tattooed me for a little over five hours. The heavy black near my love handles and the spot in the middle of my back was torture lol Wish i could have sat longer but im happy with the progress.

Had another session last saturday. @scottygAwesome!

I had another session on my Asian tiger half sleeve last Friday to do the shading. Still really happy with it and my choice of artist. I also determined from that appointment that 4 hours at a time is as much as I want to do. Really looking forward to adding the color and finishing up in 3 weeks.

I agree, I loved Chad's comment. I didn't actually tell Steve anything specific and I didn't really do anything except sit there while he drew it on and when he said he was ready I said okay....I just trusted him. it was the first time I didn't have a specific image or flash for reference.

yes,the only thing that would affect getting a tattoo after a vacation is if you get sun burned,just keep a good 50spf on the area the tattoo is going on and you will be fine.I don't like the sun either,but tanning won't hurt anything,I am the guy on Maui beaches with 50spf and sitting under an umbrella. LOL

+1 You don't know what it looks like until it heals.

Getting my right arm finished this week ... TOMORROW! Baby O'Boogie's first full sleeve. :-) Aw. Really excited about it! Haven't seen the design yet, but I'm sure I will love it. Josh never lets me down.

Finished all the black yesterday, I'm getting tattooed every two weeks from here on out so I'll just update at the end of this sleeve to avoid spamming the thread.

I remember that article. She probably wrote another article later talking about how everyone regrets tattoos and crying about her laser removal. To the OP - same as my thoughts for a woman - if you have to ask, you're not ready.

IMO as long as you have earned the right to have hand and neck tattoos then there are no other rules, the only thing IMO is that your first tattoos should never be hand or neck tattoos. I have both hands and both sides of my neck tattooed, do whatever you and the artist think looks good to you and on you.

I took a long time doing research before I got my first tattoo (years), and after I decided on an artist talked to several people he'd worked on, had to wait three months for my first appointment. I decided to get a sleeve and told him, Japanese style, everything else is up to you. Same with my back, it was originally going to be a Kapala skull, but I showed up the morning of the appointment and he said, "I'm not feeling a Kapala skull, how about an Oni?" The results are in my avatar. I brought him a pic for second sleeve, but he just used some of the elements and for my leg I just said I want a Samuri and Tiger - all the details were left up to him. I'll occasionally make a suggestion, but for the most part, my input is very high level, just the image, all details left up to him.

Got this from the Get What You Get machine at White Rose in York, PA. Artist is Calvin Hersh. I was actually really excited that it fit in an awkward spot so nicely.

right ! and when your wife tells you she is not so fond of hand and neck tattoos and you STILL get them !

When you're wife tells you that even so much as thinking about a head tattoo idea is grounds for divorce.

Had Filip Leu tattoo both of my armpits when I flew to Switzerland two years ago. Not as bad as I thought it would be for the actual tattooing and healing. He did both, back to back. Three hours total with a quick lunch break in between. As you can see from the bruising, these pics were taken shortly after they were done. P.S. That panther rules!!!

I just had the first session of a new one done yesterday.She said the same thing she says every time "I didn't know it was going to be so big".

that is a great looking tattoo. just leave it and learn from it, he (the fish monster) may remind you (in time) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. here's an idea...put something bigger, brighter and more 'feminine' on the outside of the forearm to juxtapose and contrast the scary merman-monster...perhaps a elegant mermaid with flowing hair and a shimmering tail, tonnes of aqua blues and greens, with finger waves splashes wrapping around to the inside of the arm fading in and around the monster head. That gives you bright/feminine on the outside of the arm, dark/bold on the inside. but hey, you gotta send us a pic and give me an internet high-five if you use that idea ;) you'll figure it out, don't rush, good ideas come with time...cheers

Unrelated: This reminds me of that woman who got upset that a really good tattoo artist refused to tattoo her kid's name on her neck in an ugly font. She had one or two other tiny tattoos, and she wrote a whole article about how awful he was and how she got some hack to tattoo the name on her anyway.

Going in Saturday to make an appointment for the rest of this vision. I envisioned this as a two piece project for deeply personal reasons. I saw this photo on line and knew it was I wanted subject to my artist interpretation.... The first half on my back. Second half coming out of my chest above my heart. Yes my divorce comes to mind. This project brings closure on many levels. Life is good. Ink is good!

This is my first time posting, but I have enjoyed reading all the great advice and info for a couple months now. What an awesome group of people here! I got my first tattoo in 1993. Tiger flash from the wall. I still loved it through the years, but it was definitely faded and too small for my now bigger body. I procrastinated redoing it because now I'm in my 40s and I was afraid I no longer had a pain tolerance. A couple of my nieces, who each have several tattoos, told me "just do it". So I did, and now I have a beautiful, bigger tiger with cherry blossoms. I found out that my pain tolerance hasn't changed. Yay me! I went from 4" by 1.5" to 10" by 6". I soon realized that I couldn't let my bigger tattoo get lonely, so a few months later I got a bouquet of poppies, lavender and cornflowers on my inner forearm by a different artist. Now I'm already daydreaming about what to put on my upper back. I have lots of empty space!

Being in a hurry is the cause of a lot of bad and regretted tattoos. What's the hurry? Why couldn't you wait a few months? He even said you could come back; it doesn't sound like he was pressuring you. It is wrong to assume the artist would have some variations ready. If you expect something, you should confirm it with your artist; they don't read minds. My artist sometimes has a stencil ready, sometimes draws freehand and sometimes does both. I'm not sure why you would consider going back to this guy. He sounds like a Richard Cranium. There are lots of talented AND nice tattoo artist, take your time and find one. Just my two cents, but I'd step back, take a deep breath and think this through. You are putting something on your skin that will either be there for ever, or will be costly and painful to remove and cover up. Don't rush, do it right the first time. Your skin isn't going anywhere.

If you think you might be at the end of being contagious you could always offer to wear a surgical mask, too . . .

Wash it a couple of times a day with something gentle/fragrance free (I use Gold Dial soap). Pat or let air dry. Lightly moisturize (again fragrance free) a few time a day. Emphasis on lightly. No swimming, hot tubs or the like for at least 14 days. Don't pick at *any* skin or scabs. :)

Before and after of the tiger. I know it's not perfect like a traditional style, but I wanted something different. Something other than what was available in the 80s and 90s. o.o

I have an appointment for another Friday the 13th tattoo this Friday !

Getting tattooed from by a tattooer friend Shawn O'Connor originally from Edmonton, who now resides in Nelson during his guest spot at Fraser Street Tattoo in Vancouver. Some inter-provincial Canadian tattoo action on my 2nd layer, t-minus one week for me.

Steve Byrne burned one out on me today! Great person all around, loved the whole experience. The tattoo is the Tiger-thing on his insta, I'll post a proper picture when its healed.

You plan vacations and choose destinations around getting tattooed.

I honestly think it looks fine. It's a bold tattoo in a highly visible place, maybe that's where some of your doubt is coming from. I see extremely minor blowouts I probably wouldn't have noticed if you wouldn't have said anything, but really all tattoos have flaws and the neck is a tough spot to tattoo as it is. If you really think having a solid line at the top would make you feel better about it, go for it...but I like it how it is, man, and I think the surrounding tattoos you're talking about adding will only improve it more.

Some updates on the things I'm working on this year... I had a minor financial setback and didn't feel comfortable getting my "get what you get" piece from a local shop yet, so maybe I'll swing by this week on one of my days off. I reached out to Paul Dobleman for a piece, unfortunately he's not taking appointments as far in advance as I wanted to make it so that needs to wait a little longer. I'm thinking I'd like either a vase with flowers or a Rose of No Man's Land design. I'd be fine with just about anything he wanted to do, though. It's for my other outer forearm and it needs to cover a burn scar, so I'm anxious to hear his thoughts on the spot. I'm also still hoping to get one of my knees done this year, I'm thinking either a peony or chrysanthemum and there's two or three artists I'm still considering for it. I have some work around my knees already so I don't know how either of those designs would fit really.

Just relax and do your usual aftercare and let it heal. You couldn't change anything now either way. But those lines probably won't get any thiner anymore. The skin on the ankle is know to tend to blowouts, so probably not the best placement for such a small and filigree tattoo.

I have daggers, devils, skulls, and shit like that all over me. I also have flowers and more feminine stuff. You may learn to love it. Try not to worry so much. You can laser it if you want to, but as @Gingerninja said, just own your inner badass and own it!

@viezuregreat tattoo! Love black work. I'm the same way, I like a bunch of different styles. I don't know that I'll designate certain areas on my body for each style. I don't have a problem putting them right next to each other if I want them that way.

This book proves why he is the boss, will always be the boss, and why the young pups need to listen and learn. I would gladly have most of these images tattooed on me! This guy was killing it as a kid and worked his ass off drawing, drawing, and more drawing! As usual, Ed Did It First!!! 🙏

Sounds like good advice. You've already done one thing you regret. This is a recipe for disaster. I've seen a lot of God-awful tattoos on people who couldn't wait to cover them. If you rush into this, you are more likely to make it worse than better. Take a deep breath, calm down and just accept that it's going to take time to fix. If you are old enough to get a tattoo, then you are old enough to get your own money. Get a job , earn money , fix it .

summer time ... when you find out if the neck tattoo folks you've been seeing all winter are truly Defenders of the Faith. nothing makes you look like a wiener more than wearing a tank top with full neck tatts and bare ass arms and chest :p get your body tattoo first, you will have more appreciation for the neck experience and respect for and from the tradition and subculture of tattoo. and I second @Hogrider '"if you have to ask, you are not ready" my $0.02, do what you want

Well, screw what people say. Their reactions tell you more about them than anything about you. My suggestion: own it. Use it to power you while you figure out your options.

@Gingerninja nailed it. Get the tattoo you want and take care of it. The other part of the equation is to get your tattoo from someone that knows what they are doing. A quality tattoo, well taken care of will last a long, long time.

Hey there...all tattoos will fade and settle in with time. It's style, application as well as aftercare that lead to longevity. Tattoo styles like traditional and Japanese with great black lines generally hold well. They don't have to be solid black as black fades, too and application matter. Aftercare is critical! The sun is a killer of tattoos. Someone recently posted a photo of two 25-30 year old tattoos. One had been exposed to sun without sunscreen (or at least not consistently) while the other never really saw the sun. The tattoo that was covered STILL looked amazing.

I think there is another scenario, like what my wife and myself evolved through, when we got together 12 years ago she liked my tattoos(I had a lot then),and she had zero tattoos, she also said back then that she would never get one, well grandkids came a long and she learned a lot more about tattoos and saw the fun I was having and she started getting them on her own free will, I was fine with her not having any or having them, I love her either way. I'll take her anyway I can get her. it is cool that we share another common interest now though IMO.I love the fact that we experience it together much of the time.(like both getting tattoos at the same convention)

Progress......

I originally started this armpit thread 2.5 years ago...so I planned the work and started working the plan! And in the spirit of LST I put a god damn panther on (in?) it. Lines were made last week by my new homie Dick HaRD tATtz ...the sit was waaaay easier than you would expect, mind you it was just the lines. Held a conversation, lots of laughs from the tickle in the 'pits and the hilarious shop talk with the homies at Champion Tattoo in good ol' Edmonton, AB. I'll tell ya, not wearing deodorant all week has been quite liberating. Going back next Friday to shade in, will see how far I get. Just means more time to hang out in the shop.