Leaderboard

Aw what the hell. I wasn't going to post this because, most of what I see here is just so epic. This isn't particularly epic but, I like it just the same. This was my first real 'impulse' tattoo. I was hell bent on getting some kind of little banger as a souvenir of an awesome trip to Vancouver. I wanted to get something done at Gastown but they were fully booked so I walked around til I found a place that had time for a walk in. Normally I would be a lot more fussy but, I wanted it right then and there. I had always wanted a sparrow/swallow, and I liked the date so I threw that in too. Vancouver is the place of my birth and although I haven't lived there since infancy, it always feels very strongly like home when I'm there. So, yeah..... :) Oh, and, pardon the nipple LOL

I'm afraid you won't find much encouragement for such a venture here. If someone who is an actual part "the tattoo world" wanted to reproduce a tattoo design on a wall, they would likely go to a tattoo artist, most of whom also paint, and commission them to paint one.

A little late reply, but i just found some more bodysuit information on Horimatsu's website

@DJDeepFried, that would just be too sexy, I'm afraid. I'll have to wear jeans instead. ETA: Ok, so for the meet up...look for a blonde woman in jeans with a tall beardo in a fundoshi. That's us!

Yes -- and all wear fundoshi. You too @TrixieFaux!

My mother didn't find out until I was in my 30's. She came to visit and I had just jumped out of the shower when she knocked on the door. I knew it was her and didn't want her to wait as she drove from SF to Vegas. I opened the door and she said, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?!.... I broke the news that I've had them since I was 19 and it's time she knows.... During my most recent and meaningful pursuit of tattoos she was supportive and knew how much I loved them... Funny how the relationship changes after time.....

first after a break over christmas

I saw MBV live in 1989 my hearing still not recovered ! Fucking awesome though !

@HaydenRose "I am a god So hurry up with my damn massage In a French-ass restaurant Hurry up with my damn croissants" The man is the poet laureate of our generation. @Graeme Never saw 'em live. MBV was one of the best shows I ever saw -- back in the '90s. (The LSD helped.) Not so crazy about the new album so it didn't make the cut. Disappointing after a twenty year wait.

Hard as nails piece by Thomas Morgan .

sadly our family won 10 euros after investing 150 euros in tickets. O well, guess i have to prostitute myself to make extra money so we can visit

I'll be there!!!! We should do an LST meet up!

Here's mine: 1) Queens of the Stone Age – ...Like Clockwork 2) Deafheaven – Sunbather 3) Parquet Courts – Light Up Gold 4) Kanye West – Yeezus 5) Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks 6) Tomahawk – Oddfellows 7) Red Hare – Nites of Midnight 8) Killer Mike & El-P – Run the Jewels 9) Prodigy & Alchemist – Albert Einstein 10) Atoms for Peace – Amok 11) Dumb Numbers – Dumb Numbers 12) Big Business – Battlefields Forever 13) Jesu – Everyday I Get Closer to the Light from Which I Came

going to try and see the exhibit this summer...with my folks...who don't know i have any tattoos...keeping my back and side hidden has been easy...my 1/2 sleeve...not.so.much. :)

Love Chris Brand's work so much .

Got some shading done last Saturday. Can't wait for more!

A club I rode with was asked by the local 1%er club to take off our vests at a biker event because our logo looked too much like a patch. They were really nice about it, but wouldn't have been so nice if we had refused. I think they would have just started wailing on an SOA wannabe. If you're going to be around real bikers, you had better know the rules.

Me and @Pugilist got matching tattoos again. This is from Doc Forbes flash and was done by Chris Hold at Sacred Heart Tattoo in Vancouver, BC. It was a super fun one and Chris was a great dude to get tattooed by. Couldn't be happier with the tattoo and the whole experience.

I posted this in my intro thread, but I wanna partake in the fun over here! by Beau Brady

I was in a wedding back in September, this is one of the candid shots the photographer took :)

This thread is for those who want to share a little bit of their personal information with the rest of us. Most of you I only know by username and avatar, but because of our mutual passion for good tattoos I have grown curios to get to know you a little better. Internet forums are most often overcrowded with people saying all kinds of shit they don't dare utter in real life, but this place is different, and to me really precious. It's the only forum I even bother to be a member of. Anyways, my name is Ivar, I'm 29 years of age, and Oslo is the city I call home. I grew up on the country side in Telemark, but moved here in 1999. I work for a wholesalesbusiness that imports musical instruments and distributes them to all the music shops around in Norway. In my spare time I play guitar in one band and drums in another. My passion for tattoos and tattoo art started around 06 when I decided I wanted a halfsleeve. Luckily I went to a good shop at that time, which was pure coincidence since I didn't know jack shit at that point. I played in a hardcore band at the time, and I wanted to look the part and be cool. Its really fucking embarassing, but that's how it started... This is me... If anyone wants to add me on facebook send me a pm. I know this is not for everyone, but I thought I'd give it a go anyways :)

starting out the day w/some ozoni...and coffee :)

Saw this on their Facebook: Takahiro Horitaka Kitamura: Sharing the Legacy and Artistry of the ... | Articles | Discover Nikkei

Hell yes, with my fundoshi on of course! Um, no. Noooo fundoshi. No blinding. But a huge yes to going.

Thought I would get in on this... @ChrisvK, that's awesome, I could really relate to your story. I'm 22. I too am a metalhead (I guess if you want to call it that, I kind of cringe at the term). I've always suspected I'm somewhere on the autism spectrum, very awkward and shy and find it tough to interpret social cues and all that. I was fortunate enough not to get picked on at least, just ignored by everyone in my school. It wasn't unusual for me to go days at a time without speaking to anyone. I went to Penn State for a year to major in English (always my best subject) and decided I hated the environment and the major. I dropped out and went on to get a degree in human services (basically, social work). Honestly, I've never found a profession that I feel like I could commit to for life, and will probably change professions in a couple years. People think it's weird that I'm so antisocial and yet am a social worker, but I can fake being social for 8 hours a day...then I need to go home and spend time by myself to recharge. My dream job would be just working part time at a music store or tattoo shop or being a stay at home wife, haha. I've been interested in tattoos and piercings since I was about 13. All the bands I listened to were heavily modded in one way or another, and that was my first exposure to it. I got my first tattoo soon after turning 18 (the Minor Threat sheep), and just recently finished my second, with an appointment for the 3rd later this month. I finally have the time and money to pursue these things and am feeling confident enough to do them, so that's a cool feeling.

A shrimp with big ol' arms, wearing a camo bandana, upper-cutting a shark.

And...lost my appetite for this delicious lox and garlic bagel.

Been pretty busy recently. Driving cross country to California with my friend since he is moving there. Gunna hit Vegas for sure. Taking the jeep out for a few days in the pine barrens for camping and off-roading. Possibly picking up a 1969 CJ5 and breaking out the new millermatic to weld up some fun stuff.

I agree. I would enjoy my tattoos. When you are walking around showing enough skin to see the tattoos, no one is staring to see if they are even!

These were taken right after it was finished, so the black is much darker than it is now. It's faded to a nce contrast from the gray wash and face.... - - - Updated - - - I'm tossing around a few ideas for my next couple of pieces. Something traditional American on my left forearm and a Japanese tiger to finish up the upper half of my arm with the dragon on it.

Welcome! I really like Michael Aul's tattoos. You should get tattooed by Jeff Zuck too.

Got this from Mike Aul in Ann Arbor, MI yesterday. Isn't it adorable?

Most of the pieces were done by Mike Aul at Leo's shop. I would definitely consider getting something from Leo just out of respect. No idea where I'm going from here though. - - - Updated - - - Uploaded another pic to the gallery

Hi - long-time stalker, first-time poster - I just posted this in my intro but wanted to share it here too. Done by Tattoo John at San Jose Tattoo (still healing):

I just got this from my friend Matt Brotka at Salvation Tattoo in Richmond, Virginia. However his full time gig is at Left Hand Black in sunny San Diego. Pic pilfered from his instagram .

I got started on this tattoo by Ron Henry Wells last while he was guesting at Tattoomania in Montreal and we'll finish it at a later date. Sorry for the not great photo, it wraps a bit so it's tough to get a good one. As always, it was a real pleasure to be tattooed by Ron, and the Tattoomania crew were very gracious hosts. I love tattoos.

George burchett flash dragon done by Cheyenne Sawyer at Atlas Tattoo in Portland

Hey all, I just joined and started flicking about thoroughly enjoying this thread only to come across this guy here! I live in melbourne and the guy with the chad koeplinger in Rough Operators post is my good friend who I was drinking a beer with only hours ago. This piece looks amazing now that its fully coloured and complete, I'll see if I can find a photo somewhere! Small world, great thread! Here's a sizzler from El Bara, from Madrid.

Very interesting thread. I totally disagree with the fact that people say we're over thinking it. We're not going for full body coverage, so we need to be careful with where tattoos go. As for myself, I have been heavily debating the issue lately. I really love the look of numerous tattoos on the leg, with negitive space between... of course in american traditional. But is it for me? I don't know. When I see my legs, I can't envision it. At most I can picture maybe one more tattoo each on my lower legs, and maybe one on my thigh... which would bring me up to five on my legs, but that seems a bit much for me. I don't have any tattoos on my arm, and while I have deeply considered it, I don't think it would be the route for me. While it could be beautiful, I just dont see myself with arm tattoos, doesn't fit the look I want for myself. Definitely considered getting the other side of my chest with another lady head to make it look complete, but at the same time, I want to wait until I am older. I can see myself getting the other back of my shoulder done, then filling the gap on my left shoulder between the lady and ganesh, and maybe something middle upper back. I don't want to rush or fill up my skin too quickly, without concern for career or for the future. and Probably anything above 30% coverage is too much for me. I'll leave the super extensive tattooing to my sister, she wants alot of tattoos, even more than me. So, as of now, I am at 4 tattoos, I'm seeing anything above 12 tattoos as something not really for me (at this moment) things might change as my professional goals change, and as I age, but I still love the look of my milky white skin accented with tattoos, not just tattooed everywhere.

I am still mostly torso coverage as well, and am still working on it. I have never been big on forearm tattoos and do not plan on getting any... So I'll just cover the rest of my body. I wont start showing off until I decide on a back piece... then ill just walk around with my shirt off all the time.

El Carlo Aloha Tattoo Spain

Most people don't appreciate barnyard art... was thinkin' of getting maybe a "lambscape" done at some point. Rob

Last night a girl asked me why I had a butterfly tattooed on my hand, I told her "Because when you're an actual tough guy you can get whatever kind of girly tattoos you want."

i should mention that i was an anti-racist skinhead, not a bonehead. doh!

i've never been good at this sort of thing. Robin A.D. (yes, my initials are RAD, my mom always loved it). 25 and starting life over. east bay area born and raise. have been a museum worker for the last 3 and a half year after getting my first bachelors in photography. now i'm heading back to school to get a second degree in conservation biology, which will come to a shock to those of you who know that i've been interested in writing about tattoo history, but like gougetheeyes, i'm still interested in the history and i'm trying to sort out the proper way to share that history. academia isn't it. i've been into punk rock and hardcore for over half of my life. i'm a former skinhead, who left the lifestyle after deciding i did not want to live my life in a way that asserted power, intimidation, or violence, and found buddhism instead. straight edge saved my life, literally. i've been getting into alt-country more and more these days, and am dying to learn how to play the steel lap guitar, and anything i can about motorcycles (which i've wanted to ride since i was a kid!). i come from a super small family (11 total including me), and i'm the youngest of them all. my mom's side is made up of the 4 strongest women i have ever met, and they have inspired me throughout my life. they're great story tellers, and if you ever meet them when i'm around, they'll fill hours sharing memories of me growing up and doing silly things. i love it. i'd love to get a tattoo for them, but haven't quite figured out what yet. it may involve a squirrel holding a shotgun, or a shetland pony chasing a horse.