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Not sure this qualifies as a "full" back piece, but here it is anyway. This is after my 3rd session with Chad Koeplinger and I'm pretty thrilled with it. I don't particularly enjoy sitting with Chad for super long sessions, or at least I don't think i'm capable to sit for very long sessions with him. With that factored in, he thinks we have about 3 more to go. Happy to break it up in small sessions, as that is more opportunities to spend time with Chad. I love that guy. some insanely stunning pieces on this thread. Rob

Got this one today from Bastien Jean at The Okey Doke in Toronto: - - - Updated - - - Got this one today from Bastien Jean at The Okey Doke in Toronto:

A few different guys; my "regular artist" (if you will) is Nick Oaks, and I have 5 pieces done by him (and filler upcoming). Also been tattooed by Franz Stefanik, Ron Wells, Dennis m del Prete, and a local guy in Vermont. The cobra, morning star, rats, reaper, and dagger are all Nick, the church is Ron Wells, the ponies are Franz Stefanik (one shot, might I add), and the eye of providence is Dennis m del Prete.

I feel like LST is the perfect place to get this started, so here goes. It looks like I'm going to put together a fundraiser in early December for the Wounded Knee School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. I've been talking with Chris who runs the Friends of Pine Ridge website and I've talked to Principal Alice Phelps from the school who is totally behind the idea. Some of you may know about the levels of poverty, unemployment, and suicide, some of you may not. Some of you may remember the name being associated with Russell Means and the American Indian Movement in the 60s and 70s. Some of you have no idea what I'm talking about. What I don't want to do is get on a soapbox and go on a tirade about our government's systematic failure and attempt at extermination (woops, just did it), but instead I just want to get these kids fed. The Wounded Knee School needs help. All of the students qualify for free meals in school but the problem is when they get home. Principal Phelps has made arrangements with Feeding America in Rapid City to come out once a month and do a food distribution for all of the families but the need is more than they can fill. Because there is only a single convenience store on the reservation and the nearest grocery store is 60 miles away in Rapid City, Alice has started a food pantry that she operates out of the school. That's what we're looking to fill. My good friend Dave Wallin has agreed to use his shop, Eight of Swords Tattoo, here in Williamsburg for the event. You might remember the name from last year's Ladies! Ladies! art show, or other shows and events he's had there before. We're still in the early planning stages, still trying to lock down a date and a timeline, but I wanted to post this up here first to start to get the word out. I've reached out to a couple people initially to sort of gauge interest and everyone seems eager to help. The idea is pretty simple: get a bunch of rad tattoo artists to donate pieces, do a silent auction, and then send that money to pack the food pantry at the school. We're looking at early December, possibly the first Friday or Saturday. I haven't even sent out real emails or made phone calls yet but I'm meeting with Dave on Monday to iron out some of the details. So expect me to bother everyone even more! Feel free to pass along the info. to anyone that might be interested and in the meantime, I'll try not to fuck this up. Also, MSNBC did a pretty decent three-part article on Pine Ridge a few months ago. Worth a read: http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/failing-americas-most-forgotten-children Thanks everyone!

Very astute; this is one of many reasons I don't care for this particular style.

I had one of the best tattoo experiences today and officially crossed the line into weird territory with this by Mando Rascon today. Immaculate tattoo is definitely the best shop I've been in so far and Mando is honestly the best dude I've met, after the tattoo they shouted me lunch and he took me on a tour around Mesa and Tempe and then drove me all the way home to my hostel!!. what a dude.

Quick appearance on the beach. Still a lot left to do and layers to add, but it's coming together. Back in the saddle on Friday. Dude asked me, "Please don't tell me you did that all in one sitting." :rolleyes:

Vybz Kartel dem say mi skin pretty pretty like a colouring book "FREE WORL' BOSS awar - - - Updated - - - "Colouring Book / Tattoo Time Come" [intro:] Omar, Phillip, Brando, Styles Di gal dem si mi tatto from miles [Verse 1:] Tattoo time come All a di space pon mi skin soon done If you nuh have none go get one, guh get one If you nuh have some go get some, guh get some When the tatto needle start fi bun Mi kill aff the pain wid street vybz rum If you nuh have none go get some, guh get some If you nuh have none go get one, guh get [Chorus:] When di ink load up and the needle a juck Tatto sell off everybody affi look Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book Gal a sah dem waan find wha mi live a Norbrook She ask if it hot like rice weh just cook Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book [Verse 2:] Look pon mi skin, tatto like dirt Mi nuh wear shirt, gaza ink inna concert Phillip haffi work, till mi mark up like a School book, a di new look Gal a sah di flava shook Police a sah mi fava crook Mi ink up like the gleaner and observer Brando di ink surgeon wid di serger Skin pait up like berger 404 Omar from Waterford a him a lock down Portmore Stylist push di needle through di epidermis Hotta dan a macka hype bun you like a furnace Pretty when it finish but hot when it a service You only hear the needle go soh, weeennn A mi get nervous From mi start mi can't stop Everyday mi say dis a last two Anyway mi soon whaa si di angel dem And di grass move Mi skin fava di wall dem when la lewis pass tru E-hah e-hah [Chorus:] When di ink load up and the needle a juck Tatto sell off everybody affi look Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book Gal a sah dem waan find wha mi live a Norbrook She ask if it hot like rice weh just cook Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book [Verse 3:] Gal a tek picture a mi body Mi can't tell di gal sa no Mi hand dem fava work weh done by Michelangelo Mi neck full up a stars A deh so di dock it wah fi go Tear drops inna mi face and everybody haffi know Craig, Dennis, Twitty Bird, Masicare and Cappo Di thug deh pon mi finga and the skull dem deh below Mi skin a run outta space But mi have plenty more fi go Shorty a beg mi please Addi nuh put on nuh more Stylist push di needle juck it mek it turn dis Hotta dan a macka, iee, burn you like a furnist Pretty when it finish but hot when it a service You only hear the needle go soh, weeennn A mi get nervous From mi start mi can't stop Everyday mi say dis a last two Anyway mi soon whaa si di angel dem And di grass move Mi skin fava di wall dem when la lewis pass tru E-hah e-hah [Chorus:] When di ink load up and the needle a juck Tatto sell off everybody affi look Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book Gal a sah dem waan find wha mi live a Norbrook She ask if it hot like rice weh just cook Gal a sah mi pretty like a colouring book She sah mi skin pretty like a colouring book

I bet you could skip the lasering and cover that whole line of text with a huge panther, never to be reminded of it again. The tricky part is finding the right person to do it, but if you stick around here for a bit, you'll see examples of tons of great tattooers and will have some great info at your disposal. Best of luck to you.

Third session on my back today, with my friend Iain Mullen. Rudy Fritsch does the next one at the London Convention, mid day on the 27:th. Come say hello.

Everything can be fixed with a panther!

@Rob I that qualifies as "full" to me! There's so much power there, Chad's tattoos are so fucking strong. I need to get tattooed by Chad again because the couple of hours I spent with him wasn't nearly enough. He's such a fun guy to get tattooed by.

@trashpolkakid If you like that style of tattooing and not many people around you do, consider yourself blessed. Being an outsider with an interest in marginalised subjects or styles is a rare thing in the world these days. Especially on the internet. I'm old enough to have seen some interests very dear to me, (some that I even defined myself with in my teens) become very mainstream, even ubiquitous. That's not so much fun, especially when you use those interests as starting points to forge friendships with like-minded people. Enjoy your outsider tastes! Note: Trash Polka came after watercolour style tattoos -Ed Hardy did some in the 80s.

You GUYS: watch to the end. :o:o:o

my latest work, Nibbler from Futurama dressed as the lead from Fiddler on the Roof. Done by Rev. J.R. out of Vicious Ink in Rochester Hills MI.

Got this from Rich Hardy. Zeis redo from the 50s.

Day 1 & 2 with Silvano Fiato 12 hours yesterday on this and 8 more today, still not finished. Coming back in 4 weeks time to Silvano the day after Florian to fill in the knee, do some more detail to the bottom part. He has done some very heavy saturation so that it will look great when healed. Going back next June to do the back of the calf. I love Lee Jeffries stuff so obviously we based it around his works. For those that don't know his work, link below if interested :) Lee Jeffries - https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=tablet-android-google&espv=1&sboxchip=Images&tbm=isch&q=lee+jeffries+homeless&revid=1539496463&sa=X&ei=MZAHVLbOIKbhywPamYHoCg&ved=0CB0Q1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=600&bih=800 Sorry for the shit phone pic, Silvano will post some better ones soon.

Bethenny, if you really want your back done then do it. We all might whinge about how bad a backpiece can be while getting but i promise that all who have finished a backpiece would do it again. I myself am about 1/2 way through mine and although it sucks getting the work and healing it the satisfaction of seeing perhaps the biggest piece of art you can do on your body is awesome. I dont look forward to my fortnightly sessions but once they are done I cannot wait to get home and see the progress. The end result is well and truely worth it. Btw @Cork love the work, great detail and colours. I wish I was that far advanced with mine. - - - Updated - - - This fortnights update. Most of work was done on right side arse cheek and thigh but shows how he merged the original 3/4 sleeve into the backpiece.

My poor butt! You can see the beads of blood already forming on the lotus on the left side. Butt is finished. Not much left! I swear this towel was clean before we started. And I got to add a new color to my stained fundoshi. Purple!

So pleased I'm all done with my back.

Mid grind... Save me I am antsy as hell today

Welcome to the forum! Are you happy with the tattoo, apart from the obvious spelling mistake? Or would you be open to maybe covering it up with something else? Not trying to be a smart ass, or insult you in any way. The two b's in "incredible" are one thing, but the o's sure look like a's to me. Where are you located? I'm sure someone here can point you in the direction of some solid tattooers in your area. The best way to go about something like this is talking to a professional tattooer in person. Best of luck!

thanks @Graeme ! I've never found getting tattooed by him to be "fun", but he is a great dude to hang out with for sure!!!

You'll probably have to get it lasered... Impossible is also misspelled as "impassible".

This thread is AWESOME. I have an appointment to get a peony in a few weeks and was considering incorporating a pair of scissor and an apple (my mom is a hairdresser/teacher), but now I think I'm just going to get a separate tattoo of hands holding an apple and a pair of scissors, maybe throw on some badass knuckle tatts that say MOM<3... !!!

I watched a documentary about life on the reservation and it was sad to see the conditions they live in,and how many turn to alcohol because it's so fucking depressing living there. Good idea...We should help the less fortunate in this country too.

I wrote a review of a great exhibition of works by illustrator-turned painter Tomoo Gokita for the Japan Times. Tomoo Gokita's painterly coup | The Japan Times

Long time lurker (~3 years) here...thought I would finally bite the bullet and make an account. Just want to genuinely thank the members of this community for helping to shape my taste and appreciation for quality tattooing. I'm polishing off my right arm on Tuesday with some traditional filler fun and I could not be more excited! (Seriously, I would have some real duds at this point if I hadn't been exposed to this forum).

@ttoosday , Please pardon me for being blunt, but the best thing you can do accept it and move on. We can't help or make suggestions unless we see it. For all we know it may be perfectly fine, and you are having tattoo remorse. It's not the end of the world, you can get it covered, lasered, added to, or just leave it alone and you might learn to love it. Expand your tattoo horizons. Spend some time here, listen, find a good shop, go get an awesome tattoo. I guarantee you will feel better. Unless you are a chronic sad-sack. Then we can't do anything for you. Cheers!

I'm a Leonard Peltier supporter. Very cool @gougetheeyes Thanks for sharing.

Me and @Pugilist had a running competition for a while about who had the most hours under the needle. I've since lost track of how many hours I've been tattooed for, but the answer is "a lot of hours". I have no idea how much money I've spent on tattoos, nor do I care to know because I'm sure if you gave me the sum of money I've spent on them...without even talking about cost of travel and hotels, time off work, etc...I'd be stunned and perplexed how I even came up with that kind of money. People wanting to know hours so they can roughly calculate how much you've spent is weird anyway, because it isn't about money, and anybody who cares about the cost of tattoos, especially heavy coverage, is never going to get tattooed like that because it's not like getting tattooed like this is something that comes from a rational decision-making place. You don't sit down with a personal or household budget and see that you can fit a bodysuit in there. It comes from a more primal place, it's closer to a need than a want. That's where the tattoo magic is.

No it isn't! I picked up this hoju from Ishmael Johnson at the Montreal convention yesterday. I wasn't intending to get tattooed this weekend, but I've been really into Ishmael's tattoos for a while now, and he had availability, I had a strange spot on my arm, so why not get tattooed by him instead of just liking his pictures on instagram like a chump? It was fun times. I'll post better pictures when healed.

Too excited about how cool this looks to not share it. Please excuse the redness and peeling. This was the progress from my second session with Henning. About 11.5 hours total now. One more short session needed to color the tiger and the last few leaves.

wow - very nice

Went with my girlfriend to Good Omen in Santa Cruz and she finished her Frida skull up today. I swear, my girlfriends always end up with better tattoos than me!

Finally finished my left knee ditch, drawn on. Right knee ditch healed, from the Black Heart line book on Walk-In Sundays. Both done by Jeff Rassier at Black Heart in San Francisco, CA.

drove down to frederick, maryland and got tattooed by alex boyko today.

So not been on here for a while but I have finally had the 3rd session on my back after a short break... I went on holiday. It definitely felt like we hit quite a lot this time round but it might just be that we were moving a little bit all over. So to add to the conversation going on above I definitely prefer to gradually work from one area to another rather than jumping all around. Suddenly moving to a new spot really sucks. Anyway this is how the progress is looking.

We don't discuss price here. (Like it or not, them's the rules.) But I will say that a) some tattooers work faster than others, so it's hard to do an apples to apples comparison and b) they don't always charge their full rate (esp. for large pieces, I think) depending on factors I can only speculate upon (whether or not the client is a pain in the ass, what mood he/she is in that day, etc.). Having said that, you should be able to find an excellent artist in that price range, and that Jess Yen may be a bit of an outlier. The common wisdom on here is that you pick the best artist you can find. If you can't afford the tattoo you want, don't get one or save up until you can. We're talking about something that's on your body for life. It's not wise to go bargain-hunting when it comes to certain professionals – doctors and tattooers among them. Actually (am I talking about price too much?) you could make the argument that some of the best tattooers in the game actually undercharge given that they have very long wait lists if you go by "what the market will bear."

Session two on my back. Mercifully we stuck to lining and shading the background on my upper back. Next time I think we're hitting the lower back, ass, and thighs, which I'm sure is going to be a lot of fun. Can't wait.

Please try and not let me stunningly beautiful bum distract you from the artwork :) 10 hours in total, so quick quick this time and I am glad! Some of the arse is brutal, specially where the cheek meets the thigh..... Victor said doing bums is awful, the skin is too soft and for him its not a very good place to tattoo but we are happy with the results. We still have a largish gap for the centre of my bum but we will just fill that next year with just a few shaded bits and pieces. We also have the back of that thigh to do next year. Maybe add a devil horn to the devil hound. My arse is red raw and swollen so sorry for the pics. :)

My first tebori by Horitoshi 1--just finished and still a bit bloody

Second session today with my buddy Iain Mullen on his collaboration with Rudy Fritsch. Beyond happy with how this is progressing. We did the lines with two machines almost 2 months ago and I had gotten used to seeing it that way. Now with some of the black in I am amazed by seeing it come to new life again.

I recognise that back........You don't just have a back piece, you have a valerie vargas back piece....! Off to ibiza Tuesday myself, mine will also be on show..

Horitoshi 1 (foto from his instagram accnt) lines and shading done now. Color next week! (Please delete if it's weird to post in progress work here)

This happened yesterday. @cltattooing did an awesome job, had a really fun experience. Super fun shop, great people all around. Thanks again Carolyn! It was great to meet you and I'm super pumped with my tattoo! (Hopefully this works right. I suck with technology)

Had a great 2 day experience at Off The Map Nw this week. Henrik was amazing, and everyone at the shop was super nice. This pic is just after the first day, will have finished pics soon :)

Started this little guy with Chad today at Lifetime Tattoo in Denver pic stolen from his instagram

Finally finished this backpiece by Valerie Vargas at FST :)

Funny looking microscope in that second photo.