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Eli at Smith St just did this one on me

Here's the result of my appointment with Scott Sylvia. Btw, Great Lakes Tattoo is a very nice shop.

Aaron Coleman at Immaculate Tattoo in Mesa, AZ Today March 19th 2014 Black horse with flames rearing on my left upper sleeve

What is this, the high school guidance counsellor method of getting tattooed?

Although I did not actually see the image you posted, SeeSea and CultExciter gave intelligent and mature responses. It seems like a shame that you chose to focus on what may or may not have even been a rude response by one poster, which in my opinion wasn't. If you're gonna ask for opinions and critique, you have to take the good with the bad and laugh at yourself a little. Life isn't so serious, and honestly man, it's kind of silly to delete your work just off of that. Take pride in your work, even if it's not the best job. Learn from your mistakes and take feedback gracefully or don't put it out there cause nobody wants to hear "poor me" when you ask for critique, naw mean?

@Tuchaka I'm sorry man, but that "rating" system posted above you is bullocks. It seems we have had a great deal of bullocks on this board lately. You can't deduce a tattoo's quality down to those elements. Mostly you just need to look at clean lines and solid application. Trying to scientifically deduce it to separate elements based on "ratings" isn't going to get you anywhere. Use your judgement, read a book on art, etc etc. Tattoos are supposed to have a little bit of soul in them. They are not mechanical and they cannot be reduced to a 0-10 rating. This was the first book I had to purchase when I was in university, I'm not saying it's bulletproof, but it'll be more advisable than the above: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Basics-Multimedia-Edition-ArtExperience/dp/0495128457/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1395351100&sr=8-4&keywords=design+basics

@cltattooing You're a good egg.

I really appreciate how well that diagram credits all the artists!! ..................

Not really.

Finally got the horse done!!

And here we are again :) Today/tonight was the 4th session, this time 3 hours, I could have gone longer but my artist needed to pick up a guest artist from the airport. Anyway we still made good progress, my other side is now completely shaded as is my right left. Next session we are going to do the rest of the shading on my left leg, and on my ass (ouch! : ) ) and put some black in the clothing, and then we're done with the black and its onto color!

LMAO Holy Christ, why can't a tattoo just be a flippin' tattoo anymore. It's like going to a Chinese restaurant with 400 things on the menu and you're like "uh can I just get some egg rolls man?".

I had a painting instructor who does really nice paintings. He's also a tattoo artist. However his tattoos don't look like his paintings at all. There must be a reason for that. Here are his paintings and here are his tattoos. They're different styles and they emphasize different things. I love paint and I love the way paint looks, but human skin isn't like paper or canvas. I don't think it's just a matter of fading, some things look better on a flat computer screen than they look on an arm. It seems to be that the best way to get something that looks like a painting on your skin, is to find a good tebori artist. For example, this bird by Horimasa has really nice subtle color transitions, more like a painting than like most tattoos. I also like how well white comes out with tebori. Dotwork tattoos also look kind of like drawings or illustrations to me, here is one by Valentin Hirsch.

I was in the middle of a really long reply and just said 'fuck it someone else will handle it'. Thanks gouge.

some work from today and got round to finishing this thanks as always

#1) Everything REALLY DOES look better with GOOD tattoos. (Even douchebags wearing Ed Hardy shirts...:rolleyes:). Whatever you're self conscious about ain't no thang when you've got a bad ass tattoo. Why would it be? You're too busy being stoked about the awesome tattoo. IMHO. #2) Keep watching, @growltiger, because it's not anywhere near finished yet! :) And if you wanna talk backpiece stuff feel free to PM me for anything! #3) It really is. Like I said, I've spent a lot of time (years) changing scripts in my head and weeding out the shaming stuff - btw totally get rid of anything that has advertising and/or commercials in it...anyway - I visited a friend who I had not seen for 3 years recently, and some of the first words out of her mouth were about how heavy she was and her weight - in response to a question that had nothing to do with anything at all about her or her weight! Because I don't have that particular shame-script running through my head any longer I was sort of shocked and surprised - and then really sad, because it sucks to have that awful, shameful, guilty, not-good-enough feeling running through your entire being at all times, and a lot of PEOPLE (all of us, regardless of gender) have that subconsciously ruling our lives. Just behind all of our other thoughts. And I felt sad for my incredibly talented and awesome friend who after three years, it was the one of the first things she wanted to communicate to me :(. FWIW, when I was younger, I realized that when I saw a woman who was clearly confident and also fat or somehow unattractive, my thoughts went along the lines of "who does she think she is? she's fat! she can't do/wear/say that!". I became afraid to go into public for awhile, because if *I* was thinking that then what were people thinking about ME? Literally would not go in public unless I had to for work or groceries. I began to wonder why I had such a sharp reaction, and such a negative one, at that? And what kind of asshole thinks that!! So I actively reversed my initial instinct and began admiring confidence in all who had it. (Why am I writing all of this? This is embarrassing/painful to admit, geez ) I think that there was something in me that was jealous of them for having confidence when I couldn't - if that makes sense? Like how could you be confident if I am not? (How dare you!) I think society gets mad when people go off script. I didn't like the way those thoughts made me feel, the way that negativity would sort of take over and poison me. A quick aside: Can I be honest, in the middle of this writing, and say that I am feeling a little bit of shame at ever having had such poisonous feelings...and feeling very grateful that I was able to literally change my mind....but wow, how petty and shortsighted and young. Life is a work in progress, always. Anyway - I traced a lot of my anxiety, guilt, fear, shame, and poisonous negativity to some of those thoughts I was describing (and of course many other thoughts and patterns in my life) - and I realized that I didn't have to accept my part of the deal. Just because society or some jerk or my mom or WHOEVER offered me this deal (i.e. be 'fat'! = feel shame, you're worthless!) didn't mean I had to participate. My thoughts are kind of falling apart here, but I think I'm trying to say - remove yourself from the equation. It takes some time to shed what we've been fed our entire lives, and you have to actively identify what is making you feel bad and then actively change it. Listen to your body. Do you feel bad? Knots in your stomach? Headaches? Active guilt/shame? Identify what triggers those feelings...dig deep if you have to...and then remove yourself from the thoughts/people/environments that are causing it. Ugh, word vomit, in the end just go get a big, awesome tattoo. I think that encapsulates what I'm trying to say...

who: Clarens Monroy from Por Vida Tattoos (upland, california) what: Michelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when: Saturday where: Salt Lake International Tattoo Convention why: I want to start a sleeve of everything from my childhood that i loved or made an impact on my life and I got it at the convention only because I won a voucher for a free tattoo (under $500) tehehe just wanted to post a list, anyways, here's a picture of my tattoo (which i love very much)

Done. Getting one of his geometric flowers. No idea where I want to put it, but I'll figure that out when I get there...

Haha well what terms do you want to know? Mostly just sounds like art terms, which I know can be really confusing if you are not a visual person. Also no shame in going to your tattooer and being like "look, I have no idea what any of this means, can you explain it to me please?"

Hello there, I'm not normally one to write about myself so I'll do my best to keep it basic. The names Sean, currently situated within the United Kingdom. Came across Last Sparrow Tattoo a little while back, this time however I decided to join up. My Hobbies and Interests more or less involve Photography, Graphics Design, Body Art and the like. I'm currently in the process of having some work done to my left arm. The line work is completed - around five hours to complete. The colouring will take around the same amount of time as well, which I'm getting done in April time, so I'll post some photographs of the complete piece then. Once that's all nicely healed - I'm planning on getting the right arm done as well (concept designs for the tattoo are currently in the works). I'm generally a calm and social character. Anyway, that's pretty much the basics covered. Anything else you'd like to know, just shout! Cheers. Sean. Line work photograph 01. Line work photograph 02. Line work photograph 03.

I'm tempted to take this into my shop and start asking for "painterly" or one of the other terms. Oh! the laughs we'd have. I appreciate the thought from the OP, but I wouldn't bring this to any professional I know.

Not to mention you need to have an understanding of those principles in order to actually assess them...not very helpful for a beginner.

Also... "griffiti"?! WTF?!

Wow.. That is way to intricate to try and go through, and if you're using a diagram like that to decide on a design or style, I personally think you are not getting tattoos for the right reasons.

+1 I put way too much thought into this, in the end I wound up going with a full sleeve and am glad I did. I bought some shirts with the sleeves an extra inch long for when I need to mix with the big shots. My company is on the conservative side so I'm really pushing the envelope with the pony tail. They would shit if they saw my back!

My very first was right in the middle of my inner forearm, I got the tattoo I wanted where I wanted, shortly after I was promoted to 3rd shift supervisor in the factory I was at. Now I have wrist to shoulder coverage. You know what you want, not just out of your job but out of life, only you can make this choice for you, think it through, make a choice and go with it.

If you stop a half inch above your elbow you wouldn't be able to cover your tattoos with a short sleeve shirt anyway... If it helps you any, when I was trying to figure out how far down my arms I was willing to go, I was thinking pretty strongly of doing 3/4 sleeves because the thought of going all the way down to the wrist made me...I don't want to say I was nervous, because that wasn't quite it...but I did try to think through what it meant to be tattooed down to the wrist. I guess I was trying to weigh what I wanted against what I thought people might perceive of me. Writing this now makes it seem kind of silly to me, but that was more or less my thought process at the time. But then I was also thinking of how I could extend 3/4 sleeves if I decided on going that way. So I went down to the wrist, and I'm happy that I did.

hay guys Im Cj Owner of Six Coffins Tattoo Studio in Wellington New Zealand iv been tattoo 8 years now and have just got in machine making and best place to talk with other doing the same with me . [email protected]

That's a great post @beez. Very honest and open. What a great way to turn something negative around into being something very positive. I think taking ownership over our thoughts and bodies is a very important step to being happy in life. Thank you for your wise words :) And I like your conclusion. Hear hear.

i'm a fat lady with a fair amount of tattoos. i know alot of people say you should go bigger with the pieces, but the way i see/saw it was that it meant i could get more work done, so i'm enjoying having a big amount of work on my arms and still having a bunch of space left. as for how it helped with my body acceptance, i couldnt really say. as i started getting tattooed at age 18 (nearly 24 now) i could say that having tattoos has made me feel more comfortable, if not proud to show off my skin, but i would also kind of hope that thats also down to me aging, maturing, knowing what i see as beauty in myself and in others. the only time where i have found being fat and getting tattooed an issue is when i am thinking of getting my stomach done. i know i dont plan on getting pregnant ever, but thats the one time when part of me is always saying "i'll wait until ive lost some weight" (knowing full well that i probably never will) that is one thing i would like to see more photos of, ive seen plenty of mens beer guts with stomach rockers, but i'd love to see some chubby girls belly tattoos, maybe then i'll finally get round to starting my own!

They do more western trad than Japanese style but Inkrat in Tokyo were doing walk-ins when I was there, as was Three Tides Tokyo. If you could mail ahead you could also set something up with the likes of Bunshin Horitoshi via email probably? As far as the shorts go:- Day to day visible tattoos shouldn't be a problem on your trip. Although I personally prefer now to cover up (as I have more and more coverage, and I feel like I'm at a tipping point) if it was the height of humid summer I'd wear the shorts. That said, at some temples it felt more appropriate to be covered up. Particularly if it's a national holiday or something is going on. The other places it can be an issue are very high end restaurants and the nicer hotels - Park Hyatt etc. But really that's true of any city in the world.

@Aussie Tom I 100% percent agree, every time someone asks me where to get their first tattoo from I tell them to go to Fergus not only because you'll get a great tattoo but because it will be the most relaxed tattoo experience you'll ever have. also here's my latest from the man himself just on the arse end of healing.

This is mine from Fergus Simms. Legit one of the best people to get a tattoo from.

Made another

I've seen them in person in Cincinnati and where I also met Mike. He's a great guy and the pictures on his site don't do the artwork justice after seeing them in person. I've been a huge fan ever since, and I'm constantly impressed with the speed at which he posts new work. I've recently scored a print of one of his pieces and thought I would start a thread to bring attention to his work for those who haven't seen it yet. Paintings

Just booked to do a b&g piece from Chris Chisolm at Halo Tattoo in Syracuse, NY on April 6th. He came recommended by Joe Shit so I checked him out and liked what I saw. I'm getting the statue of Hercules fighting Cerberus at Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria, with whatever he wanted to use for the background.

I've tried Dax Super Neat and Murray's so far. I'd say it's pretty awesome.

@Johannes Congrats on both accounts! I'm at three months sober. It gets really tough sometimes, and I have lost virtually all social life, but I'm becoming way more productive. Keep it up.

Blackheart Walk-In Day is coming up!!!

A bird whispered in my ear that he is invited to do a guestspot in a rad shop in London, @Russ

I'm gonna arse up the RHW month combo with another Valerie Vargas piece! Even though most people know this, both Valerie and Stewart are seriously awesome people. If I had infinite skin and infinite money I could very happily spend all day getting tattooed and listening to their stories!

Hyottoko from Civ at the West Texas Tattoo Convention...

Don't know if this is helpful at all, but it has been a fun trip down memory lane for me. The progression of how my nautical star changed... Based on your drawing, I'd say that the thicker line would not make it look better, but there is still hope for making it better if it's in the hands of the right artist.

Most obvious thread ever. Mike Dorsey is god. Boom.

This was the worst tattoo I had ever seen until I found this forum. It's from a local skate rat's instagram page which is littered with eyesore gold. What I don't get is the people who come to these idiots who are equally as art blind. Do people actually not know good from bad? I think it's the artists convincing these simple minded sheep that it's a good job.

I'm bumping this thread because I recently had a conversation with a coworker that I always seem to struggle with... I work at a local branch of a large non-profit organization (trying hard not to reveal where I work! haha) and when we volunteer at outside events we have to wear the same t-shirt design or at least a shirt with our "brand". Anyway... I asked if they have anymore long sleeve shirts because they are easier for me to hide my tattoos when working an event. (My coworkers and supervisors know I have tattoos, and it has been discussed that they are fine with them. In the summer I'm able to wear t-shirts in the office, which is great!) Anyway, one of my coworkers asks why I'm concerned about covering them at events? I replied with "I think it's unprofessional, and I don't like the negative attention I sometimes get." To which she replied, "Then don't get tattooed." I tried to reiterate my point by saying that while I generally don't care how people feel, I have been disrespected in public for my tattoos and the last thing I want is for them to jeopardize my ability to network with outside agencies and damage my professional appearance. However, the conversation kept reverting to "Then don't get tattooed." Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I shouldn't care if they show while out and about at work events. But I feel like I'm not abnormal for wanting to have tattoos, yet knowing when to be modest, yet still not giving a shit about what people think. Because I don't care, but I do... when it may alter someone's judgement of my professional abilities... There has been a lot of discussion about tattoos and the workplace and I know most agree to cover up when in a professional setting, but how do you walk the fine line between work and everything else? Do you ever feel like you're being untrue to your commitment to being "a tattooed person" by hiding them sometimes? I don't know why but I keep coming back to these conversations and this conundrum... Just seeking a small discussion on the matter.

When I first started getting tattooed somebody suggested that it was odd that someone so skinny should get tattooed (I'm 5'10" and 140lb soaking wet). Go figure... I say your body size and shape shouldn't matter whatsoever in your decision as to whether or not to adorn your body with art. At the end of the day there are fat trashy people with trashy tattoos, just as there are skinny trashy people with trashy tattoos. The subject matter, artist, choice of placement and how you present yourself are ultimately what matter, not how much you weigh.

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learning from what others prefer is not necessarily a good thing. that's called a ''bandwagon''.