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Got a new one from Ian Haight at Sideshow Alley Tattoo in Portland, OR. This was surprisingly more spicy than my bear knee tattoo. Who knew?

Just got back from the doctor. Clearly infected and put me on triple antibiotics right away. They were like, "yea we're going to give you the standard antibiotics because you can't wait any longer until you have to go the ER" They also said to clean it with hibiclens and put a thin layer of aquaphor. No tegiderm tho.

I've got an appointment for my next on 6/29. It's just one hour to add a frame of nails to my first saw blade tattoo. The shop where I got my first does a Veteran's benefit each year right around July 4th. They donate ALL their time and all the money goes to the VA hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. The last couple years they raised over $10k each year. You get a t-shirt and after care products and local restaurants bring in the eats. Really looking forward to be able to help out some folks that really deserve it.

My work from Augis!! We did the 3 day marathon and I am ecstatic with how it turned out!

Just had a short session. The majority of the line work is done. We decided to fill in the inner bicep with an Oni mask at a later date. Pics to come in a couple of days....I’m a bloody mess right now. Lol

I find the liner hurts more than the shading. I get some kind of rush from it, but it is difficult to explain to people who aren't pretty heavily tattooed. I've sat for about five hours in the past. It get worse and worse as the time passes after about the third hour. Come talk to me after you've done more than 15 minutes. That's nothing. My Mom has done that, and she's in her 70s. Haha.

Ditch whoever told you the lifework was bad. It's not perfect, but there is no such thing as a perfect tattoo. That's a real dick move, trying to ruin your tattoo for you. Enjoy your tattoo, it looks fine.

The only advice I have is to be really careful what you do to that tattoo. I've seen more tattoos made worse than improved by monkeying around with them.

all tattoos have flaws, let it heal 6 weeks,then take a look at it, put down the magnifying glass.

Bit of Robert Ryan flash, tattooed by Josh Henderson. Love it.

I got this one last week from Lukas Speich at XXX Tattoo in Lucerne, Switzerland. I stole the idea from a story that Yoni Zilber retold from Bill Salmon, in a Podcast... there was a dude who saw someone's tattoo and said, "That's a pretty cool tattoo. I got a tattoo also, but mine's a little cooler." He showed the tattoo and there it was... a little cooler. 😉😉 I chose the classic Igloo Playmate, but the wording was too small to tattoo. So, I asked Lukas to add a little Swiss flag and he went with a red cross. It's kinda funny to me, as it now looks like it could be used to transport an organ donation.

I just got a little one,my wife's name,I love Em's fine line. I have a bunch more of the show I will post later.

Everyone wants people to like their tattoos, but the most important thing is that YOU like them. I never had any negative comments, other than that I have too many (live with it mom), but if I did, I'd try to blow them off.

Whoever said that is a jackass. They know nothing about tattoos and even less about being a decent person. I'd leave the tattoo as is. I say this over and over, I think you have a better chance of making it worse than you have improving it. It's a nice tattoo. Did you see examples of the artist work that looked like what you wanted?

Your tattoo looks just fine! You are also comparing it to work by Wendy and Tomo which are incredibly high standards. Me, I wouldn't touch it but plan to add more to your leg. Good luck!

we bought this new 2019 camper yesterday https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2019-Forest-River-Rockwood-Tent-Freedom-Series-1940LTD-5004668553?fbclid=IwAR34UwIoBHzGJj8BO4XJqnDjik8IFRGyuiY164c-IvHbh5iDEwgPK5nqGO4

I want to feel ALL of that tattoo. The best. The worst. The excitement. The vulnerability. The fear. The anxiety. The confidence. The strength. The power. I have found a lot of peace and healing through the pain. Some people don't get that and can't. Some of you will no exactly what I'm talking about. Embrace that shit.

This is one of my favorite tattoo topics: The experience of tattooing. I find tattooing therapeutic, enjoyable, exhilarating, empowering, painful, agonizing and annoying all at once. I echo Dan’s comments about the importance of the process. It is a ritual of planning, creating, collaborating, preparing, enduring, healing, and loving the result. I love every part of it. And as @Dan said, it is intimate, which is appealing to me. Not sexual intimacy, but the intimacy of permitting and trusting someone who is basically a stranger to touch you, to wound you, to permanently alter you body. You may be largely unclothed in front of them (my husband and I dated for over a year before he saw my breasts. My tattoo artist was touching them within 15 minutes of me meeting him). The pain? I like it…No! I hate it…No! It’s not that bad!…Well, sometimes it is bad, and I hate it. But I like it….Well…I don’t really like it… blah blah blah. The bottom line is, it is a pain I choose, no one that was inflicted on me unexpectedly. I don’t like it, but I like that I am able to endure it, I like that it challenges me and pushes my limits, And I love, LOVE the result.

so here is me and my son and willie G and the bud girls and a few of my bikes back in my hell raising days LOL many years ago,BTW I bought that KZ550 new in 81,I also had a 83 GPZ 750 and a 70 kawa twin

Hi! I’m psychic. The answer to your question is: “Your tattoo needs 4-6 weeks to heal. “ J/k But the vast majority of first time posters ask: “I had a tattoo done a week ago. Why does my tattoo look like.... Is something wrong with it?”

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I just got my second tattoo and it’s also on my arm and I’m feeling exactly the same way. I’m trying to just accept it (it’s only been 5 days with it) but I have this dreaded feeling that I messed up. I know it’s not based on reality though. Here is mine:

Session #3 tonight for my Japanese style dragon sleeve. I know, I know...I’ll get some pics up soon. Sorry about that. Edit: Should be the last of the line work plus the shading completed today.

Every time I've used it the leaking has stopped after the 1st 24 hrs. If you're still producing sludge after 3 days I'd personally be inclined to unwrap it, let it dry out and get a better visual of what's going on.

You can always add more ink . . ! 😏

Hi, it is therapy in a way for me, getting tattooed is such an intimate experience,the entire process from consultation to mentally preparing and physically preparing the day before and the day of,eating good,pre-hydrating,good sleep the night before,mentally over coming the pain,to the after healing,etc,etc. is a process I enjoy.

4-6 weeks for complete healing.

no, IMO a touchup will only F*** it up, it looks fine. it's a tiny fine line tattoo that's not healed yet, relax and enjoy it.

Haven't been on in awhile but heres some new ink.

Just got home yesterday from a 13 day 4200 mile motorcycle trip with the wife. Took US70 from Tennessee to its Western terminus in Arizona, then back roads to Williams, train to the Grand Canyon, returned via US60 with a side trip to the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest. Also a stop to stand on a corner when a hot girl in a truck pulled up.

I wouldn’t recommend having your first tattoo experience be on your back down your spine. That being said, welcome! Do your research on an artist that has done similar work to what you want. Show them some references and don’t rush the process. Try to think about your future plans too and where this tattoo will fit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

it looks perfectly cool to me! aren't hedgehogs kind of derpy animals anyway?

Had my first tattoo at the beginning of this month and then a second one last week. Waiting for them both to heal before I get my next one which will be a bigger one. I personally find the feeling quite therapeutic, and like looking after the tattoo once it's been done.. It's not as uncomfortable as having an injection or blood test in my opinion, how about you guys. Before I had my first one I thought it would be painful but i was wrong 😄

I agree with @Dan, that's pretty bad. Awful design, poor execution. Looks like something done in a kitchen, or at a "tattoo party."

I've got no love for the pain: it's just three hours of pain. No adrenaline kicks in, I'm just getting stabbed repeatedly in my back while lying on my stomach naked, trying to talk as much as possible and to breathe through the pain. It's all about gaman: perseverance. I only ever do 3 hour sessions with breaks. It's about the rhythm of life and integrating sessions into that rhythm. The pain makes me discover my body in ways I'd no idea. haha. It's about doing something for me, only me; reconnecting with my body and focusing my mind in ways I've not done otherwise or previously. I do enjoy the me time. The ritual. The worst is having to take a shower when I get home. I just want to drink a pint and go to bed. But I've got to clean and coat my back. ugh. My tattooer rules; so much fun to shoot the shit with him, such a great artist with his own style and yet traditional. So part of it is being connected with him and with a certain tradition which I've chosen to be connected to. So like most long term things we go through in life, it's not so much about enjoying it. But I guess I'm heavily tattooed individual now. haha

Agreed it looks unfinished. Is that the artist's normal style? Definitely going to need to proceed with caution . . .

@soraya You are a much more creative/profound writer than I. My gf's a phlebotomist and she told me the reason people are more afraid of blood draws/shots compared to tattoos is because of the difference in the needles and amount of penetration. Shots/blood draws have to go deep beyond the layers of the skin while tattoos (hopefully lol) are only going through a few layers of the skin. No idea if this is actually backed by any science but I love her so i'm going to go with it for now 😉 But I agree with people here. It's a therapeutic painful experience. 3 hours is my tipping point where the adrenaline is gone and it becomes miserable.

Yeah, it's a nice abstract design - but you're going to spend the next several decades telling people what it says.

I don't know, I read it before reading your post. It's your call as what to do with it, just live with it awhile and be sure you know what you want. Don't jump from one mess into another.

Three Things 1) No one will ever notice except for you. 2) If someone does notice, tell them that it's supposed to look like that. 3) Work to reset your expectations....tattoos sometimes have imperfections. Actually, many times they have imperfections. It's just part of the deal.

It's new. Just let it heal. Too early to tell anything. Also, don't go back to that tattoo artist.

Yeah, I'm seeing enough room for at least 3 more small-medium sized pieces. Personally, I'd stick with the American traditional theme . . .

I would have waited longer than a month to do a coverup. Every time you tattoo the skin you are causing trauma. I would give it time to completely heal before you do anything else. If you have this touched up it will be the third time tattooing over the same piece of skin. The color is unlikely to get darker, but wait a minimum of 4-6 weeks to see what it will look like.

Ok...here’s a few crappy bathroom mirror pics. Lol The Led Zep Swan song tat was from when I was about 25. He said he can incorporate it into this current tattoo. It will be interesting to see how he does it.

That is actually a great idea using symbol imagery instead of words. The sky is the limit going that route.

Your desire is going to have a very narrow window. Only a few tattooists can design and execute the finest script work. Insisting they also both be Jewish and have a deep connection to Hebrew is really shooting at a small target.

Well, there is no one answer to it, as every artist's pace and amount of details and layers of ink can vary a lot. One could finish all this area in 6 hours and other would have given it 4 sessions. As I see it, most of the times fast doesn't mean good, and if I were you I would have looked in order to find an artist that you really fall in love with his works and suffer whatever time needed in order to get your perfect tattoo. With the right hand this piece can be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

You don't know what it's going to look like until it's healed. 4-6 weeks.

Sorry man....that’s there for life.