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Started my ribs/the rest of my leg with Dave Cummings. I'll be in Montreal every two months to get this sucker done. Super stoked.

Hi, I'm Andy Griffin from St. John's, Newfoundland. It's the most easterly point in North America, for those geography aficionados. I tattoo at Trouble Bound Studio, and have been doing so for two years. I joined this a year or so ago, bit have never gotten around to posting. Nice to meet you internet folk.

My oldest daughter wanted to slam some bullshit passage down her rib panel. I said, sweetheart...I love you, but if you ruin prime real estate like that with shit text, I'll be forced to trade you for another daughter with more brains. She's 25 this year and has learned the sound advice given by her father.

You get what you pay for. It's permanent and on your body, how much is that worth to you? Don't skimp. There's probably a reason why your original artist is tough to book with, most likely because s/he is that good and highly sought after. Go original or go home.

Don't listen to other people. (Haha = that includes ME!!!) Go with your gut.

Come out and check it out sometime. - - - Updated - - - I'm getting raijin and a Kirin from armpit to knee. Real stoked. Yourself? - - - Updated - - - Thanks a lot man. Means a lot from a guy with a collection like yours. I have tattoo jealousy, right now haha.

http://m.vice.com/read/no-class-diy-tattoos-fairplay-jesse-brocato-interview-678?utm_source=vicefbus Oh my fuck.

One masseuse gasped in surprise when she pulled down the sheet and saw my back and didn't mention it until the session was over. Then we had a nice conversation because she had some interesting indian-looking symbols. Another younger kid saw it right away and then went on and on about his ambigram tattoo after asking all the standard questions. Couldn't take the nice hint to shut up and get to work. Told me about his idea for a big quote across his back. After the session I had a chat with him about quotes and prime real estate, and told him about LST. I even suggested a bad ass panther instead :-) Maybe he's checked this place out. Heck, maybe I've welcomed him and not known it!

Second session done, going on six hours now :cool: Just Having FUN !!

@Cork My lady treated us both to a couples massage this past weekend. I was expecting some sort of reaction but didn't get one. They just went about their business and it was a new place we were trying and the experience was kinda of "meh". Not the best massage I've gotten. Previously about a year ago before the background was really laid in, I had gone to another couple's massage and the masseuse kept poking at my back to see if the ink was real and/or dry. Pretty hilarious. Plus was the masseuse was great...really beat the crap out of me.

I've been painting pictures...

I want to see a dagger with a dagger thru it...

@daveborjes those 2 negatives reviews were entertaining. the girl's review was the typical "i'm upset because the artist was honest and told me my idea wouldn't work". The guy seems like he didn't do nearly enough research or have proper expectations.

I am looking at going with Steven Wrigley, I've heard nothing but good things about him and I have been following him on an app I have on my phone. I am looking at a Koi carp for the cover up but I need a few more sessions of the laser before it's worth going to see him. Then hopefully he can point me in the right direction on a colourfull design. I don't want to go through with laser again lol the sooner Im finished my treatment the better!

My daughter is five so I have some time before this becomes an issue but considering how much time she has already spent inside our local tattoo shop I will clearly need a strategy when the time comes. I'm thinking that if she wants a tattoo as soon as she turns 18 I will pay her to wait. But I will pay her in money towards whatever tattoo she ultimately decides on. The longer she waits the more money she will have to spend on getting an awesome tattoo. Of course this could backfire and she could end up with a full back piece of an infinity sign exploding into a flock of birds. Life is full of risks I suppose.

Anyone have any stories about massage parlors and the reaction of the masseuse? I went to an Asian place last week and the lady was practically pulling my boxer briefs down so she could see my entire butt. Even when the massage started and she saw my back, she laughed and semi-hugged me. It was an awkward experience. That was the first time a masseuse acknowledged the tattoo.

Oh, we're crazy though. But that's no reason for you to not go to NYC to get tattooed, even if you have to get zapped twice in a trip to make it worth your while.

The was eggxactly the joke I was hoping to hear.

26 years of negglect

Finally got around to getting some pictures of my completed Nue half sleeve and chest plate. This was completed back in March by Brian Bruno at Absolute Art Tattoo and I can't recommend him enough. It's a really good shop full of great people.

Now that this is (mostly) healed up, here is my latest from Grez. What do you do when you love Catholic imagery but haven't gone to church since you were a kid? You throw the best mascot in sports in a virgin Mary shroud. Grez is a big baseball fan, so he took the idea and ran with it, including adding the Liberty Bell in place of the sacred heart. Edit: he also did those cats last fall. They've settled in nicely.

Just finished this yesterday. Artist: Katja Rameriz at Rock of Ages. Looks awesome. Now save some money and get a full Samurai sleeve. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Breakme. Fuckin'.....hell! That there's no mate. That's just a breach of friendship morals right there. With mates like that, who needs fuckin' enemies right? Oh, and don't people understand?? Ya don't "fall" off fuckin' motorcycles. You either crash for riding beyond your capabilities or because some retard t-bones ya 'cause the fuckers not paying attention. My old man used to break my balls all the time about riding, until this one day when I was taking the bike out, he comes in & says to me....mate, ya shouldn't be riding ya know fuckin' bla bla fuckin' bla. I snapped at him saying...fuckin' hell mate, I know how fuckin' dangerous it is on the roads with the amount of wombats out there trying to sandwich me out, the last thing I need while I'm mentally preparing myself to ride safe, is you reminding me of how fuckin' dangerous it is. He's never said another word about riding since. Anyway, @Graeme. Ya right. People can stick their latest gadgets, tea towel & spoon collections up their arse. I've got my corner covered, they should concentrate on theirs. - - - Updated - - - Yeah, I forgot to mention. I hate motherfuckers who ask me how much I spent on tattoos. Like, I really fuckin' hate that. I tell 'em, it ain't about the money. I don't count, nor can I put a $ value on it. It's something a lot deeper than a superficial material need. If people gotta ask me how much & why, I tell them now...those types of questions tell me you have no genuine interest to understand the origins of tattooing & what it means, so I refuse to waste my time trying to educate the curious. Fuck 'em.

Yelp is the worst place for tattoo suggestions.

That sounds really not cool to me. Stick with the original artist.

Those guys have disaster written all over them.

Has your wife seen your tattoos yet?

I'm planning on meeting with my artist here in a couple weeks, after I finish my summer classes (kinda a reward for finishing them). Thanks for the honesty! I love all my reference material, but at the end of the day I don't want my tattoo to look like a mess of random things. I may save some components for a separate tattoo(s).

Do what I do, when I look at my tattoos I just think about how awesome they look to me, I don't go over them with a microscope looking for imperfections. I think if you look hard enough you can find something wrong with any tattoo. If I were to spot something I didn't like I would take off my glasses and it would be perfect again!

Thanks a lot @CultExciter I'll definitely be looking into all of these. I've already been checkin out what Kike does on instagram, now I've got a few more names to track down.

I don't know if this counts as upcoming, but I started my second (and last haha) sleeve last month. It has Raijin (japanese god of thunder) riding a dragon on my forearm, Fujin (japanese god of wind) on my bicep, A demon head chest panel and some clouds with skulls in them. My artist is tying it into my back piece which is an Oni head and was just finished last month. The plan was to try to finish the back piece first, but there was a scheduling issues. I'll post pics after my next appt.

@polliwog it is an effort but it is always worth it for a tattoo.

Well, nothing has been finalized, but I asked and he said he's trying to come to NYC this fall. Here's hoping. I don't think he's an active member here anymore? (I don't know about you, but somehow going to New York from Boston always feels like an effort, even though it's really not that far. I'm trying to get over that because it's a bit silly.)

I always thought the panther/tiger/leopard head gettin' stabbed was a symbolic reference to mans intellect(the dagger) cutting through his more base, animal instincts. Intellect vs. instinct is what I have always thought.

In that case I would strongly advice you to visit a tattoo shop. There's really no substitute for consulting with a tattooer in person, and I can almost guarantee that it's gonna generate the best result for you.

Tonight I am agreeing with @El Dolmago on everything. Scrambles or omelets (including tofu scrambles if you don't do eggs) with home fries and veggies and meat hit the spot before a tattoo - no sugar spike/crash and there's something comforting about a big breakfast any time of day. If you're ever getting tattooed at Fat Ram's in Jamaica Plain you can hit The Haven beforehand for a full Scottish breakfast. It's pretty fancy but I also love a big gross fry-up.

Big fan of kojiichimaru he was a good find!

3 years later all color haha

Had my first session today (lines with machine) with Horitoshi I. Excited for shading and color by hand...

It looks like a healed tattoo.

Answering your questions, in order: It's looking fine. It is possible to redo the line work, but it is not worth it. Yes. ;) No removal and no cover up. You're welcome. It looks "sparkly" because it's a fresh tattoo. The top layer of skin hasn't healed over yet. Give it time. It seems like this is the third thread on the same tattoo. If you don't want the conversation to get buried, you can just reply to the old thread and it will bump... no need to keep creating new threads every couple weeks. That being said, there has been great advice in the prior two threads. Go back, read those replies over and over, and try to not dwell on minor imperfections.

Yup @DJDeepFried! As @hogg says, I'll be at JANM for Junii's talk so plan to meet with him before his appointment/Junii's presentation. You and @TrixieFaux should come over too!

@Wilhell @DevilMan both of your pieces look incredible. Shines a light at the end of the tunnel for mine. 2nd session on Monday.

@Wilhell Looks awesome man! Congrats!

This one made me chuckle: "Great artwork and tattooing, however, it is $60 an hour for tattoos and you can't get an appointment very quickly. They require a one - hour consultation a week before the appointment for large pieces and a down payment is required for all tattoo. I am happy with the work they did but the consultation was pointless since I asked for colorful swirls on my arm and ended up with pink clouds and stars. It looks good, but they were a bit pushy when it came to color and style of my tattoo." At least she gave them 4 stars. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like this thing, it's been done for the last few hundred thousand of years...word of mouth.

Here's one of mine, redrawn from the Bowery book and tattooed by Sophie at Eight of Swords last year, a very nice birthday gift from the one and only @MrsGougeTheEyes

Leviticus 19:28 You shall not make any gashes in your flesh for the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord. The pagans would mark themselves so that the newly dead would not recognize them. The Jews were not supposed to do this because it was a pagan practice. I guess if someone is following every other command in the bible, there is no reason not to follow this. Most Christians just follow the commands they want and then justify why they don't have to follow the others.