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Thanks, everybody.I wish I could take more credit for how rad the hand is, but all credit goes to Steve. I have one more to share, from today. Hyottoko from Civ, followed by one last pass to get rid of the money in my wallet, then about 10 hours or so back to Kansas. My coworker Jimmy also got tattooed by Paul Dobleman and Stefano (the flower/chain that he posted earlier) to finish his lower arm, and we brought along my parents and got them tattooed. Neither had been to a convention in about 20 years. My mom got a big Texas tribute from Oliver Peck (after I told her an idea she should get while we were in a Whattaburger), and my dad got a really nice rose on his neck from Bobby Padron from ROA. He also won best small B&G with his 30 year old Charlie Cartwright hand tattoos. I doubt we'll ever hear the end of it... in a good way. Also picked up tons of prints, a small Beppe Strambini original, and some stories. Learned through keeping my eyes open as well. Looking forward to next year.

None of these trolls will ever match the sheer idiocy and frustration of Bubbleberry... not sure why they even try.

Yes, definitely waaay too many tattoos. Living beings should never be marked by the ravages of time, their environment, circumstance or human intervention! Won't somebody PLEASE think of The Children!

This troll has way too many, too. What was he thinking?

Are there way too many feathers, especially on ducks? The body is not a pillow. What's wrong with these warped pieces of poultry that they don't have any concept of what it means to be a living bird? You're not an eagle that rents grass for piles of snakes and crossbones.

I think part of what it means to be a living being is not calling other living beings warped pieces of garbage.

I think your coworker is just missing the "nuance" section of her brain. Wanting to be tattooed does not mean it feels comfortable to invite comments on them in every single social and professional situation. We all feel differently about how much we show and conceal. That's ok.

@finegentleman You should email Luca Ortis, who did the first tattoo you linked to. He's a nice guy and a very professional and businesslike tattooer. If you're serious about getting a tattoo like this, most tattooers wouldn't mind a few newbie questions. We all have to start somewhere. If you're asking so you can have fuel for a chat session with your buddies, keep asking strangers on the internet. Maybe they'll start arguing amongst themselves - that'll be fun for about zero seconds.

Got a gnarly tattoo of a hot stuff...riding a pig (the top from the pigs is pigs). it is super weird and hot stuff looks like a bright red head of a penis with horns. it's 48 hrs old, was super spontaneous and my wife is rather unimpressed at my humour. some post-tattoo anxiety and thinking maybe i should have just gotten something easier to comprehend like a skull or a rose...meh i already have a few skulls and roses. i just keep telling myself that this hot stuff is really funny and well worth the $300. oh geez - - - Updated - - - ^ my post is worthless without pics abstract closeup

Just a quick update on this ,here is a map of where I'm planning to Travel in America It is just a loose plan and I may even decide to travel to more places or change some. these are the Tattoo shops i want to get tattooed/visit.(note I won't be visiting every single one, I've tried to pick a few shops just incase certain artists are away.) Idle Hands, San Francisco Spider Murphy's, San Rafeal Temple Tattoo, Oakland High Seas Tattoo parlour , Los Angeles Immaculate Tattoo,Phoenix Love and hate tattoo parlour ,Phoenix Rock of Ages ,Austin Mainstsay Tattoo ,Austin Pride and Glory Tattoo, Nashville Live Free tattoo, Atlanta Hold It Down, Richmond Greenpoint Tattoo co. Brooklyn Smith Street Tattoo, Brooklyn Also on the map RED means travelling by bus BlUE is by plane and PURPLE is an alternate route by bus instead of plane. Also if anyone has suggestions for things to do in these cities feel free to throw them in. one last thing @cltattooing and @daveborjes id like to stop by your shops , so you should send me a link to your shops.

Women with snakes and crossbones? Sounds goddamn tough and sexy!

hence this forum, bro

Roper has covered a large majority of Dana's torso (or maybe the entire thing, I can't remember exactly) and it's amazing. This makes me think of the SNL skit where they talk about the fabled salesman Bill Brasky, and each story just keeps building off of the others. Roper once tattooed the Pharoh's Horses on the Pharoh's horses.

Down with homework, up with miniskirts!

He's in Arizona. And if you want to see a few of his tattoos, as well of plenty of others that are beyond amazing, buy the Bloodworks: Bodies book set. Two full bodysuits of his in there.

how many hours did it take to make too many tattoos?

I can say this from me personally. I really don't mind answer the same questions we all had in the beginning of getting tattooed. We've all been there. Yes there is repeat questions, because honestly most people share similar fears or doubts. I know sometimes I (or us as a whole) come off a bit rough when we say "go ask the artist(s)" but realistically I feel that, us "internet strangers" would not be giving the most accurate advice. There is only some much information we know or can share without just basing guesses on personal experiences, which really would be just throwing out opinions. Things like "how long will it take", "How much time was that", "Can this image/idea be done", really are best left up to the actual artist doing the tattoo. I know personally I cannot give a quote for price/time, or tell you what can be done. This I feel applies as well to just about all other LST members (unless they happen to the be artist you are getting tattooed by!). I'd say my biggest "rules" I like to enforce on LST as a moderator are as follows: 1. Be nice! 2. Do not ever talk money! Treat this place as if it was a gathering of friends. Friends don't talk disrespectfully to each other, and I have yet to really start talking money with my friends, outside of the casual "if I won the lottery" conversation.

Is that a Simpson's reference to the MAD magazine shirt?

Did a mind-blowing Kirin backpiece on Ichibay that I got the privilege to see once. Holy shit. It was so smooth it was almost more like a silk painting than a tattoo. The (amazing) bodysuit he did on Dana and the work he did on Dandylion are the only other things I've seen in person and then the handful of pics that we've all seen online and the suits in Bloodworks Really glad that you CAN'T find his stuff online.

There may be one or two backpieces floating around on the internet other than those, but other than that, you won't find much, if anything. And that's for a very particular reason.

Personally, I don't care how long bigger pieces take--the artist can take as long as they need to finish it to their satisfaction. They are professionals. I save up enough per session and get tattooed once a month or maybe skip a month here and there until they say it's done. I don't really like to tally up exactly how much it cost in the end, I just like to see a good tattoo. I do know approx how much each session will be and that is helpful. I was at the shop 8 hours yesterday working on my arm...it was maybe my 3rd session on it and I believe there's 1 to go. Yay! So psyched. @DeadSpot, the specific thread titled "plainskins say the darndest things" is not to make fun of what newbies who are looking to get tattooed say, it's more like shit my mom says--and other people who have never and most likely will never be into tattoos. And it was meant to be light hearted and funny, not mean spirited. Not seeing the point in calling anyone names. IMO @Graeme is often right, if a little blunt.

hello rok lets see some of your tattoos

This post is awesome!!!!!! I feel like it's 1987 again.......when this was the general consensus of 85% of the population! Ahhhhh.....the good old days....how I miss them! It's good to know there are still people out there that haven't been swayed into thinking tattoos are acceptable by the media! Thank you for the post! ;)

The difference between Bill Brasky and Mike Roper is that Mike actually does drive an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

My $0.02: Those of us here may not judge people negatively for having tattoos (obviously!), but the reality is, some people do. I think it's your right to present yourself the way you wish -- if you want to cover up and not have to deal with any repercussions from those people who might judge you, especially when it comes to your livelihood, you can. It doesn't mean you're not proud of your work or happy to be tattooed; it means you have a grasp on what it means to live in the real world, where there are people of all kinds, and consequences that aren't always "fair."

Eli Quinters, Smith Street

I believe he is located somewhere in the southwest United States? Correct? Maybe Arizona? also good job! @finegentleman on continuing your research of high quality tattoos! happy you weren't scared away by our responses in the other thread.

Mike Roper is one of the most low key tattooers out there, so you won't find much of his work online. Maybe a few pictures if you search #mikeroper on istagram, but that's about it. His tattoos, the few I've seen, are beyond incredible though.

@motsimus I'm jealous.

My current situation is my lower legs have work for a handful of artists and I'm currently planning on adding pieces from a few more. But I'm leaning towards ditching the "collect from a variety of artists" plan and instead having 1 artist (Chad Koeplinger) fill the remainder of my open spaces on my lower legs. My reasoning is every time I think "I'll book an appointment with X and get a Z from them" my next thought is "I really like the way Chad K does Z's maybe I should have him do it." Has anyone else reached a point in collecting tattoos where they fall in love with one artist's work and find themselves basically comparing other artists work against it when deciding on who to get tattooed by next?

@keepcalm I've decided to push the trip back to September/October and I'm going to be in the states for hopefully 3 months, I can't wait.

Welcome to getting tattoos! You go into it anticipating and dreading how it feels to get them, not once suspecting that healing them is the worst part of it.

We have all been in @finegentleman shoes at one point or another. Deciding on an artist to do your first tattoo is no easy task considering the choices of talented artists that are out there especially in NYC. With that being said I wouldn't choose an artist solely based on whether or not their estimation is lower than the others the same way I wouldn't rule out an artist based on their hourly rate. This is because when you ask for an estimation all that it is; is a "ballpark" estimation. There are a ton of factors that go into the time it takes to complete a sleeve that people have already mentioned so I'd say it 's next to impossible for an artist to judge exactly how long it is going to take. Also, if you take their estimate on time literally you're only setting yourself up for disappointment when you surpass their estimated time by a few more hours and then you may be pissed that it's taking longer then they originally said when it wasn't done on purpose. In the end though if you're serious you are going to have to start having some consultations with the artists to discuss your ideas and have your questions answered.

It's been my understanding that the general public has no interest in educating themselves on the subject of tattooing. Most just want to know where they can get the cheapest tattoo closest to where they live. The people I work with know I have tattoos and they constantly ask me, "where's the best place to get tattoos in town? You've got them so you must know." I tell them, they ask how much, I tell them to ask the artist and that's where they stop because it's too much work or they say "well they're probably over priced," and at that point I just roll my eyes. To echo the others, yeah this is preaching to the choir because the people on here all express an interest in tattoos beyond just getting them. I may sound like a pessimist, but I believe that most will never bother to ever educate themselves about tattoos, their history, the culture surrounding them, or search for the amazing artists all around the world. It's all about convenience. And to be honest, I'd rather it be that way.

Name calling and insults are not tolerated on LST, let's keep it classy guys.

Damn, that's nice. Rock of Edges? ;)

Why is it helpful? Because if you're looking to estimate the cost of a tattoo you want to get it isn't in any way helpful because how long it took Luca Ortis to do that tattoo has absolutely no bearing on how long it would take Regino Gonzales to do a similar tattoo. There's only so much useful information you can get from the internet, at some point you need to physically walk into a shop and talk to actual people.

Everlasting jobstopper/liferuiner/diploma burner from Steve Byrne today. Photo taken from his Instagram. Can't express how much I like it in words.

I think it's a given that regulars here are aficionados of good tattooing. So you're preaching to the choir, here on LST at least. If you've read around you probably noticed the calibre of work people are getting. I don't really have a view on whether tattooing is a profession or a craft, I'll leave that one to the tattooers.

Yes that would be practicing on your friends, as a hobby until you get good, not opening up a Store front claiming to be a "Professional Tattoo Shop". (2) To peterpoose, strickter laws do not stop bad artists, doing crappy dirty tattoos. Hence the need for an educated public regulating the Tattoo Scene by each decision they make. As for everyone else... Assumption is a problem with the modern tattoo scene which is inundated by TV and media propaganda created to push tattoo products and artificial hype, to generate more consumers. Saying that People deserve the tattoo they get used in a negative connotation, is a generalization fraught with logical issues,: such as “that guy got a bad tattoo - he should have known better, so he deserves what he gets”, when the reality may be that the person by chance/randomly walk into a location where a bad artist happens to be - assumption is the problem. On the other hand, does someone deserve to get a good tattoo when they by chance/randomly walk into a location where a true artist happens to be and end up receiving a good quality tattoo - using the same assumption as the above paragraph? Thinking of this another way, do people deserve to be defrauded of their money or valuables, merely because they trusted someone. When people are taken advantage of, it is the fault of the person seeking to gain from that relationship, motivated to lie, cheat and steal, from the victim. I do not think a victim is at completely at fault, for being robbed, it is the robber who has the motivation and responsibility of taking from the intended victims. It is human nature to trust others and hope for the best, that is how confidence men operate, using human nature against the victim. On the other hand this is an open market where the rule of the day is “buyer beware”, unfortunately people do not realize it, as a consequence of media propaganda. So when innocent victim Joe Blow walking into ACME PRO TATTOO SHOP and ask for something nice and walks out with a horror show tattoo, that looks awful, as in sketchily done, bad placement, wrong size for the body area, and on and on and on... The problem there, is bad Tattooers who are preying on the innocent assuming public. The cure for that, is to educate the public, so they are not so easily mislead. Dispelling the myth of the Professional Tattooer, may jog people’s consciousness out of the blind consumer mentality and realise that it is a “buyer beware” experience. Free-will is a bitch, we are responsible for the choices we make, but at least we can make educated choices. Someone who researches artist, and their work, then seeks out the best artist for their particular art project, ie. the right tool for the job, deserves a good tattoo, but that does not always mean they will get it. The person who ignorantly walks into any tattoo shop, thinking they will get something good, because they are unaware of the pitfalls and the tattoo scene at this time do not deserve a bad tattoo though they may get it. Just because you have a good tattoo, do you deserve it? I think everyone deserves to have a good tattoo. When I started getting tattoos there were no forum like this, to gain understanding and insight into the Tattoo Scene, Tattoo art and Tattoo Artist, it was really the dark ages. We have an opportunity now to direct the Tattoo scene into a good place, where educated people can make educated choices. The cure from bad tattoo applicators / Tattooers is public education, but then again there is the saying " you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink", but at least offer the water, hence this thread.

Constantly going back and forth with this. Part of me wants to stick with one tattooer for a more cohesive look, another part of me likes meeting new people and collecting. Not a bad problem to have...maybe save up for a a second torso or third arm?

You're in New York? Why go for "a lot of potential" when there people in NYC who do unbelievable Japanese work? Just off the top of my head, look into Chris O'Donnell, Mike Rubendall, Troy Denning, Shinji, Kiku, Chris Garver.

What @9Years and @hogg said. I fully agree with checking out the local shops too. There's amazing artists in the city, but I'm a good example where it's not that the artist's in LA didn't do it for me, rather I just saw tattoos by someone in SJ who's work was exactly what I was interested in. 5 years ago I just wanted a tattoo on my arm and thought I'd move to someone else more local for other work. 2 sleeves, a piece on my leg, and a backpiece later, I still find it absolutely worth it to fly up to the same shop because it's exactly what I want. I'd just rather spend more for traveling and getting what syncs with my sense of aesthetics. Bonus points if your chosen tattooer and Shop Crew are cool. Check out shops around LA. Not every shop tries to advertise and post their work or their latest work on the Internet. If you are in absolute awe of the shop in SF, go there. It's just money. Skip drinking out a couple nights or brown bag lunch for a bit. That travel fund will accumulate little by little.

My grandmother and I were chatting yesterday. She's 90 years old and is one of the most important people in the world to me. Well, we were talking about life, work, and how my apprenticeship is going. She looks at me and asks "Would you tattoo me? Right here, a big butterfly, and you can use this mole as the head of the butterfly." I'm still grinning over that.

People with swag are awesome, they rarely mess up my order and make sure my fries are hot!!!

Yeah shop friends are great, self dubbed VIPs I can do without. If an artist or shop wants to bend a little because they know the person well enough that they won't take advantage of a situation -- whether a drink or two, a phone-in when you only book in person -- whatever, that's a bonus but when the clients think they call the shots, not cool. We run our shop in a way that makes it function best, that works for the artists and the greatest number of clients. No amount of familiarity should make a customer think it has to beworked to suit them alone...but damn if people don't still walk through the world thinking it's a set built just for them.

She's right, they are called squid spots.

One thing that is weird that seems to bother me and some may find it a little strange is when people say they want to incorporate something into their tattoo. I don't think there a heard single good idea after the word incorporate as far as a tattoo is concerned. I find most people use this word because they want some lettering hidden in something or some other weird thing that doesn't make a very good tattoo. But I also hate when people use the word awesome, well i would say overuse it. Because think about what actually is awe inspiring vs what people refer to as awesome but that my weirdness on the matter.