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Bit of a long break from LST but I am still alive and slowly chipping away at my backpiece. Had a decent break from tattooing over xmas which was great but back to the grind now. The snake has taken quite a while but almost finished now. Each scale of the snake has 3-4 different shades of green so has chewed through some time.

Booked in with Eddy Deutsche in a couple weeks at Marius Meyer's studio, and I'm getting a small one from Grez at Blue Arms Tattoo in May. So pumped that more and more great tattooers decide to visit Norway when they're out traveling.

Here's my baby! Seven hours down, an estimated two to go to finish up. Done by the incredible Erick Holguin of Ink & Dagger in Roswell, GA. It got a little sore at the end, but he was so gentle/light handed that it was smooth sailing for the majority of it. It's in memory of my mother, who loved cardinals, and is even better than I ever imagined.

Big reveal in the wild. Diving in the Maldives. On this trip, I saw several of the creatures on my back, which was pretty cool. The response from my dive buddies was overall pretty positive, and it changed a few attitudes towards tattoos. I had been chatting with three of the women before I let them know I had done it, and unrelated to my tattoo, they all spoke down on tattoos, including the "Why would someone do something permanent - your tastes will change over time" and the "What will it look like when you get old?" Sigh. One of these women really liked it and said it was the best she had ever seen, and she is in the medical field and has seen a lot of bare skin. A lovely woman from Austria was just in love with it and gushed about my "sea" that I can take with me. :-)

so far these are the repeats i have: 2 dragons 2 roses 2 daggers 3 skulls 3 snakes 4 hannyas and will probably end up with more skulls, another dragon, and another snake.

Sessions 3+4 on Monday and Tuesday with Sir Hooper. Gonna have a serious crankle on Wednesday.

Congrats on your new tattoo. I wouldn't do what you are thinking. It sounds like you are considering covering a lot of real estate on your back just to connect two tattoos, and a color trail would be boring. This tattoo stands on its own just fine - no need to mess with it. Instead, think about a completely new tattoo on your back. The back is a huge flat surface and it would be a shame to eat up some of that great room with a long filler. My $0.02.

I only have 6 tattoos, but I have 5 birds total. I feel some pressure to not choose birds, but I love bird tattoos in all their variety and might just go with it and get birds everywhere.

Well just reporting back my experience.... Breathing did work! I also found that relaxing the area works a ton as well... Now when I was getting down to the 4th and 5th hours concentration was not there any more.... TV's where loud and I was unable to focus away from the pain.... I had no clue that the back was so sensitive.

My Kings Ave NYC experience was similar to @suburbanxcore and @CultExciter . A few artists were accommodating walk-ins between appointments. The 21 year old girls getting wrist initials and rib feathers had the pleasure of seeing me get my ass tattooed.

Amazing!.

Hi there - I'm Lia, and I figured it was finally time to stop lurking. I've been crazy about tattoos since I was tiny - I'm 27 now - but I just haven't had the funds to get the work I wanted and so stayed away from staring at tattoos/thinking about tattoos/talking about tattoos as much as I possibly could (it was too much of a temptation). I'm hoping that now is the right time to finally, finally get to work on some of my plans. So far I only have two pieces: a nine year old quote on my right forearm which may/may not end up covered up (depends on how sentimental I'm feeling that day), plus the Narnia lamppost illustration (forest, snow, the whole thing) on my calf. Right now I'm not sure if I want my next tattoo to be a lady head or more black-line illustrations on my leg; I guess it depends on what the waiting lists are like with the artists I choose. No pictures yet, since my poor old quote tattoo isn't worth the pixels and the lamppost is still pretty fresh, but hopefully I'll have something to show for myself soon.

Love cardinals. This one has great detail and a pose that is unique. Worth wearing forever.

all these unnamed tattooers

Good. luck. One thing I've learned is that a non-artist will never understand an artist. I'm a musician and my wife is an artist and it works out great. My last wife, a bean counter, not so much. They may tolerate or accept, but they will never understand.

multiples are cool and 2 parrots are cool. especially different artists interpretations of the same design. I have 2 oni, and like the idea of several hannya and namakubi. do what you want parrot boy =)

I'm binge watching Trailer Park Boys right now and I feel like a shit drop in a shit storm that's about to turn into a shit tsunami

good idea. haven't posted a write up about my 1st session experience yet but will soon.

I've been looking at pictures of my own back/ass on my phone at work. If i get caught, I can't get in trouble for looking at my own ass right?

I've been to one convention - in Knoxville, so not that big. I found 95% of the artists were very personable and willing to converse if they weren't busy working. Booth people (non-artists) were knowledgeable and outgoing. I found the whole area full of people enjoying their passion. I went on a Friday night, so people were fresh and in good spirits. Don't think I'd ever go on Sunday or late Saturday.

Too fast? ...tattooing isn't a race Going too fast is when you have a bunch of tattoos lined but none are actually finish. I'm surprised how many people I see and know that don't finish what they start (and not just in tattoos, but in the ins and outs of life). If your arm is only lined in, why are you getting hand and neck tattoos? The ADD generation of tattooing. Focus, commit and get the project done. Take your time to enjoy the experiences and the tattoos. Enjoy watching the tattoos heal and age. But most importantly take the time to enjoy the other things in life aside from tattooing. Balance. I'll pass on the 'too fast' and stick with the tried and true method of the tortoise, 'slow n steady'. That's how I achieved my coverage over a dozen years thus far, the way I've made my pictures and my stories. I like what was said before about "the journey" and about "the larger experience". cheers :)

I remember when I first started thinking about my first tattoo, almost everybody would warn against "just getting something they have there" and I still hear it today. It wasn't until I actually started learning about tattoos that I discovered the history and concept behind flash. Lack of knowledge/ignorance like that is probably a factor as well.

Mine is @graybones, nothing too exciting but follow if you want! I recently started following @yellowbeakpress, they post a lot of interesting vintage or vintage-style tattoo photos and flash. Completely unrelated to tattoos, but my all-time favorite IG account is @usinterior. It's the US Department of the Interior's official account and they regularly post gorgeous photos of US national parks. If you like nature stuff and aren't following them you're messing up!!

Here are the results of the first session with Rubendall at the Kings Ave Manhattan shop: I have a few more pictures to share but I want to organize my thoughts and write a little blog entry to post along with those photos.

I'm a tattoo artist. I have a ton of tattoos. I don't think that I have a single tattoo on my body that turned out the way that I hoped it would. I have even lasered off an entire sleeve that was a cover up of another sleeve that I did as a young kid.... And the my new sleeve after my laser, kinda sucks, it's not really what I was going for. Close, but certainly not great. Point being, you just deal with it. It's part of the game. I have never stood up from a tattoo chair and thought that the artist did a bad ass job. Probably because I have just gotten tattooed by people that I work with rather than seeking out the bad asses that would certainly do a great tattoo. I'm not complaining, I don't sit around regretting them.... I'm just saying it happens. And there's not much to be done about it.

Not to get off topic but get in one now! You will be thankful later.

First 8.5 hr session done! Got the deaths head moth done. Still have color to do on the girl and skull.

Just updating to say that I decided to go with it. I had an unhealthy relationship with my ex in which I would make every personal decision about my appearence or otherwise based on his approval and opinion, and I lost a lof my self-respect (and independance) that way. This is something I have made changes to ever since, and while the dymanic had definetly changed for the better with my current partner, I decided that I really didn't need his approval for something I really wanted. In talking to him, I realised that he was a little nervous about the change, but I have changed things about my appearence since we've been together that he has been suprised about, but quickly loved. So, in short, I got my crystal, and he will still love me because I am the exact same personbas before (with a little more colour). @Coloredguy just adding to say that I'm sorry for what happened.

This convention is run by Villain Arts. Check out their website for the artist attending list and look for a quality artist in the style you prefer. I like the convention atmosphere but it's not for everyone. I got tattooed in Baltimore at the 2010 convention and got stuck there in a blizzard for two days. Artists were giving tattoos away because 60 percent of the appointments were canceled due to the weather. There are good possibilities that you could get a walk up tattoo from a good artist, however the most sought after artists usually book up in advance. Also just because an artist is there doesn't mean they are good at their trade.

A couple of recent ones of our dog and cat.

I sent him an email and he replied right back. He said "no worries man. They are super fun to do!" This guy is really nice and a solid clean tattooer. I will be sure to post pics when it is done. I am stoked to say the least.:D

I've only been to two conventions so far, but both of them had a fair number of artists who were available for walk ups. Personally, however, I would still recommend doing some research before going. You might fall in love with an artist's work online and be able to secure an appointment instead of leaving it up to chance. Even if you don't make an appointment ahead of time, you'll know which booths you want to prioritize visiting as opposed to walking in blind and trying to see them all. There's a lot going on at conventions, so it can get overwhelming and rushed for time.

A brief update here: @Pugilist was spending some time with her mom yesterday (who still doesn't know that either of us have any tattoos at all) and she was trying to push Anna to get me to cut my hair because I "look like a bum". Then she said that at least I don't have holes in my ears. Oh, how little she knows.

Healed photos of my last tattoo. Angel Tyrael (from Diablo) with Giger Wings. Got this finished in December 2014. Done by Tommygunn in Belfast City Skinworks, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Showing the wings wrapping around my leg.

Done, 2d sleeve by Shige : View image: IMG 5047 Next is back in November (or maybe earlier) to complete my mandala. Cheers

Got this today from Derick at Level Up tattoo in Great falls, MT.

As I said in another thread, I was in the shop today looking at some Lehi flash for a little filler. At one point, I pointed at one of the Lehi tiger heads from his 03 flash set and said, "Fuck it, I should probably just get that on my hand." Without missing a beat, my buddy says, "Everyone should get that on their hand." I didn't (stupid job). But I will get it somewhere.

I just had my second session done on my chest piece. 10 solid hours of actual tattoo time in two days. I wasn't exactly looking forward to it, since the first session (8hours in two days) turned out to be painful as hell. From minute one 'till the end. (a cursed like a madman when he went over my nipple) This time however, and for the first time, I really got 'in the zone'. I was laying in the chair, eyes closed and completely at ease while the tattoo artist drilled away for 5 hours straight. We only took two 15min breaks. What worked for me was telling myself the whole time: 'I am completely relaxed, I can't feel pain. If I could feel pain, I wouldn't be relaxed'. A bit of reversed psychology. After 45min I was in a sort of trance. I could accept the feeling of getting my skin punctured a zillion times as something that wasn't pain but something I wanted. It sounds stupid, but it worked like hell. On the really painful parts, like sternum and nipples it was all about breathing. Deep and slow breaths. Accepting the pain, not as 'pain' - with all the negative associations, but as a sensation I could control. Anyway, it did the trick for me.

Here's my lady done by Shawn VanOven

@Patrick Bateman I wouldn't say all realism will age like crap, just most. I would suggest watching this site's newest interview with Brian Bruno and Mike Rennie: Brian Bruno & Mike Rennie Tattoo Artist Interview Video In it there is a good discussion on the craft of doing things like realism and the ethics involved in it. Bascially, it boils down to how the artist tattoos. Whether it is for instagram fame, competitions, getting that "wow" factor, or putting the client first and designing something that will age and look good in the future. In my opinion, tattoos that age well aren't restricted to traditional and I have seen very fine line black & grey stuff stand the test of time. This thread (entire site for that matter), works in realigning peoples' expectations with reality. Realistic styles can be done, with certain limitations, and still endure. Probably not the same level of realism that is so commonly attempted nowadays, but still realistic as far as tattoos go. The hard part is finding an artist who is honest AND skilled enough to pull it off. I'm no artist, nor do I know what or how these things can be achieved in different styles but I have seen it, albeit more rarely.

I know a dude who covered a Nikko Hurtado tattoo with a panther. My friend makes good decisions.

honestly i assume everyone is trying to steal my unattended stuff :) maybe its a northeast thing

I think this one by Josh Stephens is the bomb!

The classic Ed Hardy piece springs to mind , other than that I've seen Bert Krak do some dope ones as well as Lehi and Koeplinger . This is a cool etching by Tim Lehi available from Raking Lights Project .