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I am slammed at work, yet I just read this entire thread. And I'm glad that I did, because there's some great back and forth in it. Thanks to everyone who posted something good here. I don't count my tattoos, but I do keep a list of who has tattooed me. Two weeks from today, I'm getting something from someone who's been on my wish list for a few years now. He'll be artist #42 for me. Then again, I started getting tattooed 20+ years ago. Some of the names on that list are very well-known. Some of them are complete unknowns. One of them is no longer alive, two of them have since stopped tattooing, and three of them were shit on in the this thread's first post. ;) Not a single name on that list makes me better (or worse) than anyone else who gets tattooed. But every one of them is a part of a story--my story. Just as every tattoo I have comes with a story of its own. I love meeting people and sharing stories, which is part of what I love so much about getting tattooed and hanging out with awesome people like so many of you. I'll stop rambling now, but thanks again to those of you who made this thread worth reading.

Well I received the grand price today :) Unfortunatly I can't show the t-shirt together with the backpiece, but at least I got some sleeves that pair nicely with the t-shirt ;-) (and yes, I'm sooo wearing this tomorrow to the office :) )

I've seen work from "name" artists that wasn't the greatest, but I wouldn't say any of them have "lost" it. They are all human and have off days. I used to get bent out of shape if I noticed anything on a tattoo what wasn't perfect, but now I step back and look at the piece as a whole. It would be ridiculous to write off a whole suit based on a couple blow outs/poorly healed shading here and there. I'm in the same boat as @Graeme , I've travelled for tattoos based on how the work connects with me, and how the interaction was with the artist themselves. Skill is irrelevant if the person is an asshole. That being said, Horiyoshi III finished this piece up in July. Can't say I'd object to being the owner!

My dude Matt Brotka drew this and posted this on instagram a bit of a time ago. Very relevant. Photo, obviously from his account.

Dave Regan added some maple leaves to the namakubi he put above my knee at the beginning of July. I apologize for the awful day after picture. I really can't sing Dave's praises enough. He's a talented and funny fellow that makes getting tattooed a joy.

I think you are very confused as to what blue collar is if you are associating it with being a high school drop out.

I disagree that there needs to be room here for critical opinions and saying what we don't like about any particular tattooer's work, basically because I think most of us are ignorant about tattoos. What's that phrase that I think comes from Brooklyn Blackie? Don't look for faults in things you don't understand? Most of us here, myself included, understand very little. I'm not going to name names here because it isn't important, but I was getting tattooed once and my tattooer was talking with one of his colleagues--both tremendous tattooers in their own right--about another tattooer that they both admire and how he tattoos in such a way that the tattoo isn't going to look quite right until it's settled into the skin a couple of years. This guy is making tattoos for the long haul, that are going to look great throughout the person's life, and not just on an Instagram photo when they're brand new. That, for me, was one of many humbling moments I've had while getting tattooed where I understood how little I actually knew. Things like this are a large reason why I said earlier that we shouldn't base our opinions on photos alone. I don't want this to be a place where we're going on about flaws in this tattooers or that tattooers work when they may not even be flaws at all. This is also making me think of the Invisible podcast with Seth Ciferri when he talks about getting shit from people about things that were said on the Read Street Forum. I'm grateful to Scott for providing this space that has been so enriching and has been so helpful in how I get tattooed that I don't want him to have the grief of tattooers going up to him and giving him shit about why people are talking garbage about their tattoos on his forum.

Fuck yes! I know @ShawnPorter is stoked.

Yeah, I agree that it's a good place for a tattoo. Not to mention painful as hell--all those women people mock for having "tramp stamps" more than earned it and went through something way tougher than a judgmental blowhard with an anchor on his bicep.

I have a piece going into a gallery show in around a month... it's the first show I'll be in that isn't affiliated with the school I work for.

I didn't know you could get banned for sexting...

This thread has been fantastic, really great discussion so far, thanks everyone for adding your thoughts! After I read the bulk of it I had to jet off to work so I didn't have time to make a cogent reply until now, hopefully some of my thoughts have survived through the past few days of working. Anyways, these are my thoughts on the subject as a client relatively new to tattoos. Though I'd always been a fan of tattoos, I got a pretty late start on my "collection" so to speak, I loved the look of tattoos but throughout my teens and early 20s any spare cent went to drugs and booze so actually getting tattooed was fiscally impossible. I got sober, met some people with rad tattoos in and out of the program, and really started thinking about it again, I visited a bunch of trashy shops throughout the greater Colorado Springs area, and found nothing appealing in my search. I've always been a bit of a collector and really dig researching and finding the best version of whatever it is I'm looking for. I eventually found LST which I credit for helping me learn what makes a good tattoo, and really helping shape my tastes. You all have been lifesavers! Sorry for the long personal discourse but I feel it's a bit relevant to the rest of the post. So after two years of scoring the forum for information, flipping through instagram a few times a day, following an unmanageable amount of accounts on said instagram, I finally took the plunge and booked an appointment with Marie Sena after I had seen her name on the list of artists working at a then new shop (Dedication Tattoo) down in Denver. Her style really spoke to me, I wasn't really familiar with her as a "name" in the tattoo game, maybe read about her on here once or twice but I feel extremely lucky to have such a wonderful first tattoo from such a fantastic person. I never really set out to be the guy who never gets tattooed by the same person twice, but as of yet that's how it's turning out. I am wary of being perceived as some sort of "starfucker" as @Pugilist put it, but with Denver being so centrally located in this country I am presented with a lot of great opportunities via guest spots to get work from great tattooers! How am I going to pass up a chance to get tattooed by Adam Shrewsbury while he's in town for a couple days, he doesn't even make tattoos regularly when he's home! Chad's going to be here in a couple weeks? Well I'd better find a way to stack some cash because I won't let myself miss out on that. I have a list in my head of people I'd love to get work from, some may be big names, but it's all because their work speaks to me in ways that I can't really quantify, I don't want the most star-studded skin, I just want stuff that makes me happy when I look in the mirror. Besides the power of the imagery, it really is all about the experience though. Any time I've been tattooed by someone with a "big name" they have been some of the realest, most down to earth people I've met. Jeff Zuck is a gentleman and a scholar, Marie, as I said earlier, literally one of the nicest people I've ever met. Adam is the most down to earth dude, you can just tell how grateful he is to be spending his life making rad art for people. Every tattoo that I've seen Chad put out has blown my mind, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how humble he was, making sure the other guys in the shop thought the composition was solid on his sketch, ready to wipe it all away and start over if Joe didn't like something about it. Myke Chamber seems to get a bit of grief around here, maybe he's too self-promotional, his drawings are simplistic, but his message in all the interviews is a story of hope for those of us struggling with addiction, and I could tell that he was really grateful for his position in life. Now, @mmikaoj, again, I appreciate you starting this thread, the discussion has been really great! You caught enough flak for what you said about Deutsche, Shige, and Horiyoshi III, but I had to jump in and defend Walter McDonald! I know that some of his tattoos look a little off, definitely not what anyone would call perfect, but goddammit they are fucking tattoo magic in the flesh! That man is one of the best human beings I've had the pleasure of meeting, it's impossible to imagine him without a smile on his face. His shop is beautiful, flash from floor to ceiling, exactly what you picture in your head when you think "tattoo shop," not to mention that he's mostly responsible for me and the rest of the state being so spoiled for choice when it comes to guest artists on a regular basis. Walter is the coolest and I can't wait to get a tattoo from him. Sorry about the rambling, hope I didn't stray too far from what I was trying to get across.

He should do one of dudes with "old school" tattoos that are a couple of years old making fun of dudes with tribal tattoos. It would be funny because it's true.

Ed Hardy's TattooTime - Re-release - HM Tattooing the Invisible Man (DETH) - HM Tattoo City - HM Sailor Jerry Collins - American Tattoo Master - HM In a World of Compromise... I Don't - Bob Roberts (signed 720/1000). Forever the New Tattoo Tattooing From Japan to the West Tattooing New York City: Style and Continuity in a Changing Art Form Japanese Style Tattoo Art - Revisiting Traditional Themes - R. Melo I Love Tattoos Andon 87 - Japan Tattoo - Tattoos in Japanese Prints Underway is the Only Way - Grime/Taki Two Year Autopsy - Grime Iron Will - Grime Tattoo Artist Magazine 1-5, Volume One. Tattoo Artist: A Collection of Narratives Revisited: A Tribute to Flash From the Past Norske Sjømannstatoveringer / Norwegian Sailors' Tattoos Dansk Tatovering / Danish Tattooing These Old Blue Arms - The Life & Work of Amund Dietzel These Old Blue Arms - The Life & Work of Amund Dietzel, VOL 2. 1000 Tattoos - Hanky Panky Vintage Tattoos - The Book of Old-School Skin Art Tatttoos - JK5 HORIYOSHI III - The Art of the Japanese Tattoo/Japansk tatueringskonst Others: The Shunga (a japanese book with Shunga prints). Tattoo Nation (the Movie) - DVD Have just ordered and waiting for the "MICK" book by Alex Reinke and "Gods and Warriors": Horimana - The Work of Chris Trevino

To get back to the questions originally asked, I'm not sure that any of us can really be honest about why we want a certain design or why we want a specific person to put it on us (I believe in the unconscious). For me, I usually decide I want a certain design, then think about who does that design in the way that I like most. (I like to think that) I'm not a sucker for big names, but I do think I am a sucker for "authenticity" and "soulfulness." For me, some tattooers and their works have an ineffable draw that goes beyond form or technical proficiency. Certainly, relatively unknown tattooers could possess that quality, but it's less likely that I would find out about them. In regards to masters and their successors, hopefully the successors would be doing something new or different enough to be recognized for their own work. As far as the experience of getting tattooed, the tricky thing is that you never know until after the fact. I am, of course, more compelled to go back to people I enjoyed getting tattooed by and talking to than not. It's such an intense experience getting tattooed that I couldn't imagine going back to someone I didn't enjoy regardless of their reputation or skill.

Just got my first tebori session from Horitomo. Was interesting not hearing the buzzing of the machine. Much more serene. I guess it's less painful?? Definitely going to take a lot longer to shade though!

Oh, if the Dallas/Fort Worth area is an option, I'd suggest Marie Sena. Marie works at Saints and Sinners in Oak Cliff and I have 3 things from her so far. She did a large piece on my leg and some blast over work for me and I couldn't be happier with it. Here's her site...she also has quite a bit more on instagram: Tattooing Instagram I also like Mark Thompson's work. A friend of mine has a half sleeve from him and it looks great! He works out of Obscurities in Dallas. I don't think he's on instagram and has a very small web presence. Dallas Tattoo Artist | Mark Thompson And if you're willing to drive to DFW, then maybe you're willing to drive to Austin...which then opens up more options. The Star of Texas convention is coming up in January down in Austin. If you're not in a rush, you could just go down there and check out a ton of folks in person.

Yeah, I agree that all art is subject to criticism, but continuing from what @Graeme said, not everyone is a good critic. Welcome to the trouble with the internet - where everyone who can type is seen as having an equal opinion. I also think it's very important to distinguish between taste (e.g. X tattooer's stuff isn't for me, because I prefer this other style) and critique (e.g. X tattooer has "lost it" and no longer makes solid tattoos). The former is of course something we all can and should do--figure out what appeals to us and why--while the latter is something that requires much more knowledge than just what I find personally appealing. No one is saying we all have to love the same things, but rather that it is dangerous to conflate what we like with what's objectively good, and to think we're assessing tattoos based on the latter when not only is that not the case, but we're all still climbing the steep learning curve of understanding that at all.

Great thread, btw. Forrest Cavacco... that dude is the man. I wasn't even supposed to get tattooed by him. Right place, right time. He provided one of the best tattoo experiences ever. He wouldn't even let me tip him. It's probably one of my most basic tattoos ever (Jensen sailor lady head, from a guy that's typically more known for his Japanese), but it's also one of my most favorite tattoos ever. At the time, I thought I was getting too many lady heads, but my weird self-imposed "tattoo rule book" has been thrown out the window. I actually got yet another lady head last week. Is he a name? Some would say yes. Some may not even know who he is. But that's all irrelevant. All that matters to me is that the tattoo looks great and the experience was top notch. Totally agree with this. Knowing what I know now, if I could do it all over again, I would have gotten all black and grey traditional. But I'm still stoked on my color tattoos. As of right now, I have zero plans to cover anything up. I have some stuff that's not technically sound, and it used to bother me. Nowadays @taaarro mentioned this quote that totally resonates with me, "Any imperfections will add to its beauty." It's been said countless times in tattooing (I first heard it from Tomas Garcia), and it totally works for me. Going back to the OP, Eddy Deutsche still crushes it, IMO. Granted, I don't have older Eddy work to compare it to in person, and this is the only Eddy tattoo I have. But I've seen other Eddy pieces done in person recently, and it's still pretty amazing. I'm now curious to hear what everyone's criteria is for choosing their next tattooer. Maybe that should be for another thread.

I’d like to take this time to express my thoughts on the current misconception about lower back tattoos. 10 years ago if a woman entered a shop inquiring about getting her first tattoo, there was a 80% chance it was going on her lower back. It’s a great place for a decent size tattoo and the location affords the owner the ability to choose whether or not it’s seen based on their wardrobe selection. The advent of the term “tramp stamp” has discouraged so many ladies from getting tattooed there that I can’t even recall the last time tattooed one. The derogatory word “tramp” in the title spawned from the fact a girl had a tattoo in the first place as if to indicate the tattoo alone made her low class. Being as though the lower back was the most common area for one to appear it became associated uniquely to that body part. So in turn, if someone avoids having that area inked to evade accusations of a slutty stigma all they are doing is sacrificing prime real estate for a contemporary taboo. Moral of the story, get your fuckin’ back tattooed:}

the warped tour body suit can probably be rebranded as The Voice body suit:

I love the tramp stamp. I think it looks sexy, not slutty. I have my back done and when my shirt rides up, my wife calls it my ass crack tramp stamp.

DUDES. The mister and I will be in NYC next month. Tell me we'll finally get to meet some of you nerds, or at least that we can meet your cats. Paging @Fala @ironchef @gougetheeyes etc.

Yeah you told me you hate Tatts McGee's work and I nearly lost it.

It seems to be the sternum (underboob area) that's a pretty popular equivalent at the moment. And as much stigma as the phrase holds I think tattoos in both those placements look great. And fair play to the girls that have got them (at a substantial size still) it's not a nice area to get tattooed. Especially the sternum! They're not for the faint hearted. I'm dreading the lower back and beyond when I get my backpiece done.

If you follow me on instagram (@shaunsomers) you already are aware of this, but my wife and I just got back from a trip to Iceland that we took for our 15th anniversary. We did a horse riding tour that was extremely stretching for me as I basically only learned how to ride in September, and I had never been on an Icelandic horse before (they're different in that they have 2 extra gaits). Breathtaking scenery, met great people, and experienced only a few moments of sheer terror while on horseback.

Great post @exume, thanks for sharing! In my defense I have to say that I didn't say anything about Shige. It was someone else who said he had better artists at his local shop... (still want to know where that is) Also, I think I did say that I like some of Walter McDonalds stuff a lot (?), but that I was not as into how rough and loose his style is. His ideas, design and concepts are often way cool if you ask me! In the end, as with any art, it's a matter of preference. Someone mentioned that Chad Koeplinger tattoos in a looser style and he's in the bunch I'd consider favorite tattooers BUT I don't like the stuff that's very loose (yet). I think this could be a journey in itself, to learn to appriciate the rawness of things. A parallel could be to someone who gets into punk music by listening to, say, Bad Religion. After some years this persons taste might have refined/degraded (depending on you perspective) to the point where Discharge is his/hers favorite band, if you see the resemblence. I think it can be an obstacle to experience and enjoyment of any art form to judge it on scales of trashy - clean, dark - positive, energetic - static, and so on. There's no way to quantify the tattoo mojo and soul that is the most important ingredient. I don't know. For me tattoos are still mostly a visual thing and sometimes used to imprint/express an idea/feeling/concept I feel strongly about. I don't doubt that Walter has a smile on his face even when sleeping and that Eddy is one of the raddest guys, that Spotlight has bullet holes in the flash or whatever. Those are great things! But I am not sure that, for me, this would help me choose and artist to get work from. For some people it probably does, and I'm not going to say who is right or wrong in this. Tattoo culture is not a sport, I think it's totally fine that people have strongly oposing ideas and taste preference and I think it's fun and evolving in it's own to discuss without having to decide who is winning an argument. @Pugilist: I agree, it's always important to think twice about what you set in stone publicly (or set in HTML, in this case) And I absolutely think we should all try to be fair and not fall into gossip and trash talk. However, just because it's somebody's livelihood doesn't make it immune to criticism, in my opinion. One thing I like about this culture is that is participatory. You can't really be on the sidelines and still enjoy it (well you can watch Miami INK, but that's another story) Even getting just one tattoo means you have to make an active effort and become a, if tiny and shortlived, part of it. And I think one of the beautiful things is that it's not very hierarchical, no thrones of professional art critics who dictates what to think and feel about tattoos, what's good and who is not. I think there needs to be room for discussion, in a polite and civilized way about things we/you/I don't like and to voice some critical oppinions about people's work too. I am sure Deutsche has the kind of following where he's legacy will continue to grow still (and I also think he deserves it, I hope I made that clear). I also hope that people can make up their own minds and trust their own taste. I hope we don't get threads where the sole purpose is to talk shit about somebody's work, that would be really unfair and a lowmark for the forum. In this case it made for some interesting arguments that also lead to other ideas and perspectives comming through. As long as the tone is good and people behave I think it's benificial for everyone that we're not only giving eachother high 5's in the Latest Tattoo Lowdown-thread and joining into the choir whenever a respected tattooers name is mentioned. But yeah, thanks for pointing it out! "Think before you post!" is a good moto

I'll read this whole thread tomorrow.....but this pretty much sums it all up! I have been tattooed by several "legends" as you call them......but most of these people are only legends in your mind.....in their minds they are just tattooers who appreciate that so many people are stoked to be tattooed by them! I think you would be surprised by how grounded a lot of these people really are! I personally decided about 10 years ago i was going to concentrate on getting tattooed by tattooers who have 30+ years in the craft....leaning toward the 40+ year guys and gals! Some of them you may have heard of and others you may not have heard of.....but they put their time in and started tattooing in a time where tattoos really weren't socially acceptable and the "in" thing to do! Some of their work might not be the most technical or most innovative BUT that shit doesn't matter to me....I have really solid work on me that has held up 20+ years and it still looks better than a lot of people's 10 year old tattoos! To each his/her own though....that's how I look at it all! I'll never say anyone has lost it though! Tattooing is a journey.....just like life! ;)

Got this one yesterday: It is done by Zooki at The Sailors Grave, Copenhagen. My best friend got a matching one. I recently moved to Copenhagen, which is 400 km away from where I lived before, and this weekend my best friend visited me for the first time since I moved here. We got these in celebration of his visit :)

@mmikaoj - I have to say, for a thread in which people have pretty virulently disagreed with you, you have been such a good sport about engaging in people's criticisms and not taking it personally. Kudos for that; it can be hard on the internet to disagree without things escalating really quickly. That said, I also think it's worth remembering just how public this forum is; this is not just a private conversation the posters in this thread are having amongst themselves. I am careful about posting things about tattooers/that tattooers have said/etc. that, even if I don't mean them negatively, might be construed negatively. This is people's livelihoods! If someone is a scratcher or a terrible human being, that's different, but I am wary of making judgments about tattooers otherwise in what is such a public and permanent medium. That stuff is excellent fuel for LST meet-ups (over drinks, of course) instead. :)

The peony tattoo on my inner thigh that I got from Wendy Pham a couple of weeks ago is healing amazingly fast and well. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/15-latest-tattoo-lowdown-page659.html I've never had a tattoo heal this fast, no scabbing and barely any flaking. Only the slightest of itching with little to no color loss. It's so smooth I'm completely baffled as to if it was Wendy's light touch or how the inner thigh skin is naturally smooth or a combo of both. I think a few more days and it'll be completely healed! Crazy! FYI, the tattoo was finished at night about 7PM and wrapped in saran wrap. I slept with the wrap overnight per my usual regiment. Woke up in the morning, lightly peeled off the wrap and showered. Washed the tattoo lightly with antibacterial soap. Light Aquaphor for two days, twice a day then switch to lotion. Again, all usual to my routine.

I'm only on Page 2, but I had to chime in. I just saw some Derrick Snodgrass tattoos walk in, and they look sooooo good. The orange fell out in the flowers, but I'm still into it. It's got that "soul" that everyone's talking about. I actually can't wait for my tattoos to age and and look old. I'm a weirdo.

Cool! Just FYI, there is a specific story involved w/ the back piece subject posted. A lot of the japanese subjects have stories involved so tweaking it to a woman would not work in this particular case. There is a story regarding "Tamatorihime", often depicted with a dragon so if you want a japanese style tattoo w/ a woman + ocean + creature, type of subject that could work. I don't know of any particular story involving a woman struggling w/ a koi. There is a Hokusai image of the Buddhist diety, Kannon, standing on a giant koi though. Otherwise a large koi all by itself could work just fine as that's just a generic subject not particular to any story. Of course you could also disregard the stories and get whatever you want. I just mention the above just in case you may or may not have been aware.

I'll add some personal experience to the conversation here which I'm thoroughly enjoying. Seriously, LST has some really smart and savvy members that don't come off as know it all douche-bags. Without naming any names, I spoke with one older more establish tattoo artist about Instagram as well as one younger tattoo artist. The older one said while Instagram is nice and great for seeing what other artist's are doing, it lends itself to be a medium where people can rip off your work. The younger artist loves Instagram and stated that they get most of their work request via their Instagram postings (about 90%). Separately names are names, some established and worth the hype, others maybe not so much. I personally just get what I like and what is appealing to my eye. In the end I'm the one who has to live with the tattoo and if I'm not happy with it even if it was a "big name artist" why did I bother to get it in the first place. I completely agree in that seeing an artist's work on the Internet or on Instagram is not the same as seeing examples in real life. Again the Internet and Instagram is great for researching out ideas and seeing what artists are out there but it is only a component in the many facets of deciding on what tattoo to get and what artist to go with. There is still value in visiting a shop and going to conventions or even holding meet-ups like some LST'ers do from time to time.

Totally agree

thanks for the feed back. i will keep you up dated. one thing that is the problem for me. Is i have now got to 48 years old and i have seen lots of work done. the quality is mind blowing on some. i dont want a dragon now. i just dont see what i want any where. i would travel to the other side of the world if i could find the right artist. im only beggining to see whats out there. when i have it done it will be a world class piece. not just 3 sittings and done thankyou all for your help so far. i was very moved by what people said i thought i would of got laughed at. but i can see your all pro's on here thats what ive been trying to find. great to be on the right road.

poor quality instagram photos will forever tarnish horiyoshi iii's legacy. #h2ocean #h2oceanproteam #officialh2ocean

I've been tattooed by some super "famous" tattooers and by some people no one's ever heard of. I am very, very wary of a sort of "starfucker' mentality in tattooing. There are so many amazing people that aren't as well known as they should be because maybe their style isn't trendy, or they're not on social media, or they just don't prioritize instagram like others do, or they don't travel to conventions as much, etc. People who are well known only gets you so much. And that one tattooer is more well known than another is not necessarily because they are "better". There is a lot of noise in this subculture, and I am very careful to pay attention to what really turns me on, so to speak, about a tattooer's work, and not get swept up in their name, hype, trendiness, whatever. I had a really good chat about this with a fairly "famous" tattooer recently, who said that while they get a lot of "collector" types coming to them, they can immediately tell the difference between someone seeking them out because they are really psyched on their work, and someone who is more interested in their name and adding it to their list. Apparently there is a pretty big difference in the experience of tattooing these different kinds of people. It was a nice conversation in that I sometimes feel self-conscious when people ask me who my stuff is by, or who I am planning to get tattooed by in the future, and this person was basically like: don't worry. If you are genuine in your enthusiasm, people can tell. If you're a douche and just want to cover yourself in big names, people will know the difference. Our true intentions show through, and it's important to me to connect with a tattooer's work in a very primal way. Basically, to this person, there is an upside and a downside to having a "big name". All of which to say that I think there is an important difference between recognizing, talking about and respecting the work of people who are doing awesome, creative and inspiring things, and getting wrapped up in names and tattoo celebrity. The former is what makes this community so great, but I think the latter is basically poison to any sense of creativity and authenticity. And the line between them can be thin. I also agree with others that the experience of getting a tattoo, or if I can put it in hippie terms, the vibes that go into it, is super important. At this point I am unlikely to get tattooed by someone that I haven't heard about through someone else as being awesome. Instagram photos are not enough.

The main progress of this weeks session. Is great to see some more colour. Background is now done and it is all colour from now on. :)

The winner of Tattoo of the month "September" is @DevilMan with this insane back piece depicting Kadzusa no Suke Hirotsune fighting the nine-tailed fox!! Congrats!! Tattoo by Bonel from Corazon Santo, Arnhem, The Netherlands Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address. New contest will be up shortly!

What do I win?! Is it a cake? I love cake.

Amusing cartoon! I loathe the term "tramp stamp", but yeah, that was the placement for my first tattoo, back in 1991. It's covered now, full back.

I knit. And am a nerd :D Those gloves are great. I'm self-taught, very slow, only been doing it a few years and not very good at finishing things. I tend to avoid anything that requires coming out as a certain size, and tend to focus on things that are monster-based, like so: Crochet Cthulu and Day of the Dead bride and groom: Knit monster in a swing My next project will be some stripey fingerless gloves. I'm currently focusing on yarn-bombing a nasty old pole in my garden which we use as a washing line. My toddler likes to peel the paint off it, so I'm hoping prettyfying it will stop him!

Find some artists you like, and show (or email a very good photo) them what you have, discuss what you want. They can tell how much lightening needs to be done. Maybe none, depending on art, artist, etc. Thru the ether from my LP2

@CultExciter awwww shit gurl :o So I know the Horiyoshi III thing had been dropped, but I've been blessed enough to see 3 of his tattoos in person and they are OUT OF FUCKING CONTROL. One of them is a peony on the forearm, want to know what sort of stencil he used? A square. Drawn on with a sharpie. Let's not forget that the man is in his 70s. Ahem, anyway Tim Lehi is a great example of a very loose tattooer who delivers with power every time. And also, to touch on the statement that Stuart Cripwell has gone the more wonky route when he could have been cleaner, I'll just say this. After a certain period of experience in tattooing, your style reflects your natural drawing. Your early years are largely about learning how to put the tattoo in, and then once you kinda figure that out, you can bend the rules of tattooing to suit the sort of art that you want to make. So to me it seems kinda silly to say "oh he could have done this but instead he chose to do this," when I think most of us are just trying to make tattoos that we think are awesome.

What @Iwar said! I think what this is coming down to is a difference in what one is looking for in a tattoo. I am not sure you are 100% getting what I'm trying to say, @mmikaoj . The reason I am bringing instagram into this is because: 1) that tiny format where you are zoomed in on the tattoo and so don't see how it sits on the body, how it looks in natural light, how it moves, how it heals, etc., means that ALL you see is any technical imperfections, which leads to people overvaluing the 'cleanliness' of a tattoo and undervaluing its, well, soul, to keep using that word. The most perfect tattoo is not the most beautiful one. 2) I have been tattooed by several people who tattoo in a "looser" style. This is definitely a matter of taste. What I LOVE about that style is how natural it looks on the skin, like it's always been there, like I was born with it. It feels powerful because of how it moves, how dynamic it is, etc. Social media CANNOT CAPTURE THAT. So all we talk about is shit that's "clean". Whatever. There is a reason why some really technically proficient tattooers choose to loosen up their styles, and that's because of how the tattoos will sit, move, age, etc., on the actual person, not on instagram. That was my point about how we judge people. I am lucky enough to know a tattooer that got a beautiful Horiyoshi III tattoo in the past 2-3 years. When I look at her arm, I do not see any squiggly lines or jacked up shading. His work is so powerful, I just see this amazing tattoo that looks like it was meant to be on her skin. It's bold, elegant and stunning. You don't get the whole story when you look at instagram, and I sure as fuck don't get tattoos so that people can analyze their technical merits on social media.

My 2º appointment with Unmon at LTW (Barcelona) Only one last session to go!

Born Weird Lost Love Juxtapoz Tattoo I Juxtapoz Tattoo II Juxtapoz Illustration I Juxtapoz Illustration II Juxtapoz Psychadelic Sailor Jerry American Tattoo Master Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art New York City Tattoo: The Oral History of an Urban Art Smilin' Buddha - A 25 Year History A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing Tattooing From Japan To The West The Japanese Tattoo Design Handbook Vol.1 Misc Chinese illustration books (tigers, hawks, peonies) Misc Japanese Tattoo magazines ...and some other misc books I can't remember...just moved and still unpacking the boxes :)

I've been meaning to take account of all my books. This was as good an excuse as anytime to figure it out. I think this covers it, but it's likely I have a couple more hiding somewhere. Mostly Japanese stuff (big surprise, right?). Some are quality. Some are academic. A couple are meh. Mostly good though. I think anyways, but I need to fill in some gaps that should be a part of any collection. Tattoo Related: -Full Coverage: NSK Collective -Bloodwork: Bodies (Analog) -Iron Will (Grime) -Two Year Autopsy (Grime) -The Fingerwave Book (Grime) -Scott Campbell: If You Don't Belong. Don't be Long -Tattooed By "The Family Business" (that one put out by Mo Cappoletta's shop) -Bunshin: Tattoo Art By Horihito -Bunshin II: Japanese Traditional Tattoo, Horitsune II, Dragon & Kannon -Horitoshi I Storia Dell'Irezumi (Robert Borsi) -Japanese Tattoo Designs: Ichibay (Luke Atkinson) -Shige (Hardcover) (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Shige (softcover) (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Tattooing From Japan To The West (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Bushido: Legacies of The Japanese Tattoo (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Tattoos Of The Floating World: Ukiyo-e Motifs In The Japanese Tattoo (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Studying Horiyoshi III: A Westerner's Journey Into Japanese Tattoo (Jill Mandelbaum (Bonny)(Horiyuki)) -Underway Is the Only Way (Grime & Horitaka) -Tattoo Artist: A Colletion Of Narratives (Jill Mandelbaum (Bonny) (Horiyuki)) -Fudo Myo-o Tattoo Design by Horitomo -Monmon Cats (Kazuaki Kitamura (Horitomo)) -I <3 Tattoos (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World -Horiyoshi III (Grime & Horitaka) -Sketches of Horiyoshi III (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Legacy: The Horiyoshi III Tradition (Juan Puente) -Japan's Tattoo Arts Horiyoshi's World 2 -100 Demons of Horiyoshi III -58 Musha By Horiyoshi III -Wanzakure: The Road To Shisei (by Horiyoshi III) -Denotwaza (on Nakamura Toshikazu) (Alek Reinke/Matti Sedholm) -Those 3 Japanese Masters Books The Red one. The Black one. The Blue one. (Japanese Pub) -Backpiece Tattoo II (Japanese Pub) -Backpiece Tattoo III (Japanese Pub) -Tattoo In Japan (That thick hardcover one by Edition Reuss) -Horikazu (Edition Reuss) -Wabori, Traditional Japanese Tattoo -Japanese Tattooing Now: Memory & Transition (that tan colored book from around 2001ish) -A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing -Tokyo Tattoo 1970 -Mau Moko: The world of Maori Tattoo -Sacred Skin - Thailand 's Spirit Tattoos -The Mammoth Book of Tattoos (Lal Hardy) -Tattoo World (Marisa Kokoulas/Michael Kaplan) Tattoo Reference: -Of Brigands and Bravery (108 Heroes of the Suikoden) (Kuniyoshi) -The Faithful Samurai (47 Ronin) (Kuniyoshi) -Heroes of the Grand Pacification (Kuniyoshi) (come to think of it, I actually gave that one to Jill Bonny as "thank you" one session, so I need to get another copy) -Kuniyoshi: From The Arthur R. Miller Collection -Samurai, Stars of the Stage, and Beautiful Women: Kunisada and Kuniyoshi Masters of the Color Woodblock Print -Art of Armor: Samurai Armor From the Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection -Memoir: Tattooed Portaits Series (Shawn Barber) -Time Present & Time Past Images of a Forgotten Master (on Kunichika) -Hokusai Manga -The Secret of Noh Masks -A Japanese publication on, Tsuyoshi Nagano, a contemporary artist who paints a lot of samurai motifs -A few more Japanese publications. 1 on Kyosai, 2 on Yoshitoshi, and probably 4 more on Kuniyoshi (Can't read Japanese so don't know their names) - - - Updated - - - Nice looking collection going on there. I zoomed in for a closer look and thought, "oh I want that one and that one over there too!". And @ironchef, how's the wenren book? I'm tempted to order it if they are still available.

These newish photos from Cripwell's instagram of The Chap With The Legs need to be here, I think. <swoon>