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Today I have exchanged text messages, emails, and numerous Instagram messages with people that I have met through LST. I feel privileged to be part of this forum. Happy Holidays to all of you.

Yay! Happy Krampus everybody! Super glad to be part of this little internet tattoo family, you guys rule.

My first is from my buddy who is an apprentice. Second is from Craig Brown at Historic Tattoo in Portland. And I just got this from Beau Brady at State of Grace in San Jose. That's the only photo I have uploaded at the moment. Jill Bonny at State of Grace. I'm counting down the days!

Happy Christmas and a big HAIL SATAN ! To one and all !

Merry Festivus and Happy Kwanzaa!

I am really liking seeing other people's faces! Definitely a lot of beards. I'm here to contribute another lady face. And actually I'm real excited cause I just cut all my hair off again last Monday. Hello.

Very nice and I couldn't agree more. Best of the season to everyone here!

I love tattoos so much I got super drunk last night on account of it. Now I am back at work...AAARGGHHHHHHHHHHH

Heres a photo of me with my girlfriend and my two best mates.

Indeed! Thank you all for the hospitality, and may everyone have a happy holiday! Cheers!

totally, Merry Christmas guys!

Me and my lady before a concert this summer.

Hoping everyone's Christmas was killer, and wishing everyone a happy New Year!

Philip Yarnell!

Now I want people to start photoshoping subtle penises into the photos they put on line so that they get copied.

A baku, and I'm just gonna let her do her thing with the rest of the arm.

flash is to tattooing as standards are to music, shapes and formulas, composition to leap from. Plagarism will always exist. Its part of cultural growth.

Done

Happy Christmas, as you lot say: By Matt Staydohar, Anvil Brand Tattoo, Marysville, CA.

How's it going, everyone? I'm Josh, from just outside of San Jose. I'm not sure what makes a good introduction post, so this will have to do. I got my first tattoo almost 3 months ago after 7 years of talk. I've always liked tattoos, but I never could quite figure out what it was that I liked about them. One of my good friends started his apprenticeship at a local shop and I think that helped refined my taste. After I got settled in at my new job I decided to commit to it. I get my fourth tattoo this weekend, and start my sleeve in two weeks! It's awesome living in the Bay Area and being around so many great artists. I'm stoked to start my collection. I'm also into stand-up comedy and cool clothes. Cheers!

This is a great place to discuss tattoos. In addition to that it's been a great place to meet different people from all over the globe. So too everyone on LST and those of you that are my IG buddies, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!! Have a safe and healthy holiday season!!!!

lets pretend i still look like this...

That was where I got my last tattoo

@Dan that's a beautiful tattoo, however , when I broke my hand it wasn't as swollen as that. Lol the pain we go though to make ourselves beautiful :P

I really like this one,it was done by Seth Leibowitz on one of the regular artists that does work on me,Jennifer Leonardi

Got this yesterday.

Just got these two from Dusto at Tower Classic in St. Louis as a Christmas present to myself

Good for you for taking charge of your health. I have also gotten myself into better shape over the last few years and have found that this makes getting tattoos all the more fun. I have a tattoo I really like on my shoulder and I enjoy wearing clothing that shows it off (in the summer, it's below zero temperatures today). Three years ago I would never have worn sleeveless shirts. I feel like there is some kind of mutual incentive with all of this- I want to be fit so I can enjoy my tattoos and I like to get tattoos as an inspiration to remain fit. Get something you like and that you'd like others to see. You will know what it means to you and no one else will probably even care. I saw a wonderful quote recently that said something like "you will worry less about what other people think about you once you realize how infrequently they do so."

A buff Phoenix punching a bipedal donut in the face.

Took the wrap off and got it cleaned before bed. Now, am I imagining things or is there a line missing? On the bottom right as you look at the picture, a line to mark the side of the petal?

Very touchy subject I have actually been to court for. It use to really bother me when others would not only copy my work. But they would use my actual work for their advertising. Its even trickier with tattoo work as many assume it is all fair game. These are reasons/excuses I have heard. Isnt tattoo flash all about copying other Artists work? (My answer: Yes but I purchased that flash and have permission to use) Anything on the net is fair game! I suppose if you water mark the work then it is an implied copyright of sorts.However some judges will even laugh that out of court. There was a case with Andy Warhol copying a Campbell's soup label. A famous court hearing that apparently changed everything for artists after that. Like when a cover band plays your song. "Its considered a tribute or Artists rendition" Andy Warhol won that case even though his painting was an exact copy of the Soup can. It was considered a tribute/ Artist interpretation. Even under copyright laws it had enough differences to not infringe. Andys Painting was on canvas and not a can, his painting was done with oils and not ink, his was hand painted, his was larger. Thus enough differences that it did not infringe on any copyrights. A copied tattoo may look exact however a good attorney could find the 7 differences. may be 7 lines that are slightly different sized. maybe a different needle or ink brand was used, maybe it was a different size person, with different skin type. "NOT worth fighting as they will find differences". Something even more disgusting is that if the person copying your work posts to a time stamp website or uses in advertising before you. Its considered thier work. "Ive actually been sued for using my own work in my advertising" So be sure to get proof you are the first by posting your work on a site that keeps track of the date posted. There are free copyright sites just for this, also water marks are free as well. Or I believe photobucket, Youtube and other big sites automatically keep track of the dates you post a picture of your work. Sorry to babble so much but I thought maybe this could save an Artist from the hell Ive have to go through.. One last thought is that tattoo customers will many times bring a photo of a tattoo they want. In these cases I do understand how tempting it can be to copy. Especially if your rent is due and the customer wont let you change it. What I tell customers is that I dont copy other Artists work out of respect. But I can design something similar with my Artistic style. (Still copying the premis is unethical in many ways but one can not copyright premis " The concept" ) Thats why when someone created the first feather to bird tattoo a million others had their versions of it. Or the lace face dead women tattoos. Most dont give credit to the originator nor do we usually even know who the first was.) Its all a fine line and letting it eat us up is a waste of time. I try and take it as a compliment and move on

I definitely agree. You are nailing it, Carolyn. Richard Smith did this cool ass reaper on my thigh, and he can't be older than 25 or 26. As a 24 year old, I enjoy getting tattooed by people close to my age. When he put this on me he said he had been tattooing for two and a half years.

We are all one face tattoo away from a lucrative modeling career. I kind of like this thread, gives me something besides an avatar to associate people with.

If I can't get my pecs to grow three sizes, my heart never will.

I'm visiting my parents right now and my mom found a sketchbook I had as a little kid. I must have been six or seven when I was drawing in it, and I was totally stoked to find that even as a little boy I was drawing skeletons, demons, and upside down crosses. I have no idea where this stuff comes from, but at least I come by it honestly.

some from last week

I don't know how long Oliver Macintosh has been tattooing, but holy shit, is he good.

me in my big pimpin days.

Here's a good one of me before the epic back piece progress. Nothing better than canoeing and camping. Bonus points to anyone who can point out why the canoe looks "off". You guys look like a good crowd.

Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog | Demetra Molina Interview with Loretta Leu

Happy birthday to me! (2 years ago :p ) If I look a bit sweaty, it was almost 60 degrees centigrade.

I got both my thighs tattooed this year by Ade Stacey at Nine Tattoo in Brighton. Awesome guy and I love the pieces that he did for me. Baku on one side and Kirin on the other. Something a bit different. The picture of the Baku has come from Ade's own website as you might have guessed from the water mark. In terms of the twitching I got a bit of that towards the bottom of the muscle near the knee but otherwise it wasn't too bad for 5hours+ of tattooing each time.

@InkedMumma Outlines and some shading done, but I can't seem to get a good picture of the whole thing so I will save it for later! Here's a teaser from Marius Meyer's IG account though: :cool:

This is an interesting topic with a lot of grey area. As a tattooer, it's pretty disheartening and insulting when someone blatantly rips off your work. As a client, well.. I was talking to Mr. Campise about not putting my piece online as to skate around the biters and he laid it out pretty simply. Nobody is ever going to do the original justice, and it's pretty much just free(albeit really obnoxious) advertising. Nothing can ever outshine true authenticity, and whoever ends up with the copy ends up walking around with a permanent bummer. So that's kind of where I sit on that matter... It sucks, it's inevitably going to happen, don't do it if you tattoo, and don't get down on it as a client.

This is going to sound weird but I don't care, I'm drunk and in France so fuck it, but I always imagined you looking like the guitarist from Cancer Bats, god knows why....

Raybans? Mustache? V-neck? Guys, are you thinking what I am thinking?