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Just got a portrait of my pup from Ben Grillo...

I'm just worried that if I dont stay fit and develop a beer belly/man tits, my entire upper body is going to look really, really dumb.

I have an appt in Oct in SF at the State of Grace show with Trevor McStay -- to do my leg

I wish I could get the russian stars for time served in the Mafia. Cool design, but dont want to be frontin something.

Looks fine to me, now its time to fill up the rest of your arms.

11. Virginity 12. Dignity

Appointment with Mario Desa a fortnight on Sunday. Can't wait

Well it looks like I've got Halloween figured out

Richard said this to me once, or twice... He heard it from Hardy First... I have tattoos I hate... It's one of those... You can live with it, it'll teach you one way or another...

no matter what you do, and no matter the quality of work, that tattoo is always going to be backwards. it sucks to make beginner tattoo mistakes on your hand.

I read this thread as "Earthquake in vagina." Needless to say... I'm a little let down at the contents. Then again, glad everyones okay.

completely agree with Jake. i find when someone hasnt many tattoos generally or none around the 'offending' tattoo, they tend to focus on it more than is necessary, if you get some more tattoos on that arm, eventually you wont really be able to pick on individual designs. it being on your hand, you probably notice it a lot more than you may have imagined and now your mind is working overtime. if it still pleases you, dont worry, just carry on getting more work. if you were to ask for my opinion i would maybe try sticking to a more classic style of tattooing so that it stands the test of time, you obviously like skulls so thats a good start, maybe look at some of the work in the LST galleries and see whats going on.

Wellllll. Since you said to be honest I will. Like the other I agree it looks stupid to have hand tattoos and not have the rest of your arms and actually the rest of your body done. It makes me wonder why you chose to get your hand tattooed before doing the rest. As far as the actual tattoo, it's by far not the worst I've seen. It's not something I would ever get and I wouldn't go to the artists. The reason is not the quality of the actual tattooing, it's the drawing. I'm not into new school or whatever people would call that style. Just isn't my thing. Having said all that, if you like the drawing then there's no problem at all as it's your tattoo. If I was you I'd wait until I you have a lot more tattoos on your arm and then see how you feel about it. I have a couple tattoos that are actually really fucking awful, like I mean horrible. It used to bother me soooo much, I wouldn't wear short sleeves because I was so embarrassed by them. Then I started getting good tattoos and lots of them and now the bad ones aren't so embarrassing. It all just kind of blends in. A good friend of mine who is also a great tattooer once told me that he likes it when someone has a couple bad ones in there with the good ones because it shows that you love tattoos and wanted them before you knew about 'cool rockstar hipster shit' like a lot of the kids today who are just getting tattooed because it's the cool trendy thing to do.

Don't obsess about it. It's on your hand. Looks fine.

good skull by wes carter...and fb comment here is another one by bert krak (bob roberts spider above it) and el monga from spain

Cat heads seems to be a good fit for knee-designs. I especially like these: Jim Sylvia Valerie Vargas

A tattoo shop should only and always be referred to as "Ye Olde Tattzappery."

err dolphin. enjoy ;)

yeah fuck thread hi jack my youngest brother is 19 just got one tattoo a pretty shitty one but could be worse. but was about to get another on some prime real estate half of his arm by some scratcher who worked out of his house as a "hobby" "second job". he was gonna put an octopus on his arm backwards. after arguing with my bro after 30 minutes when i told him it was going to be backwards he finally listened to reason and canceled the appt. we took him to a shop in town and showed him some other guys work and now he has an appt. to get something from a good artist. jesus arguing with him was making me feel sick coz i thought he was gonna get that shitty tattoo. thank god he changed his mind. he said he was glad he listened to us...now he is super stoked. /hijack

ATTN: Ursula

Your making me have second thoughts on my Phil Anselmo costume idea...

This is hanging in my apartment.

It's the cross you bear. "Shawn... YOU of all people will appreciate THIS" (insert shitty tattoo photo here). It happens with strangers too. "When I get older, I'm going to look like YOU" (I always retort "What, a dorky manchild?") "I haven't gotten it YET, but (insert long drawn out story of a tattoo I don't care about).." "My cousin has this amazing tattoo that (insert tattoo that I don't care about)..." You just smile. If they SHOW you a tattoo, respond "yeah, that's a tattoo alright". if they ask your feedback, respond "yeah, that could totally work". That or do what I did at the bar the other night: "honestly, I could care less. So. you want a drink?"

I was 20 when I had my first and he was an only for almost 12 years.With only the one I was able to "almost" totally immerse myself in to tattooing ,and he came along for the ride. I was 42 when my last one was born. My husband and I both tattoo and we have our own shop just a few blocks from our house. But even though we both have the freedom and the ability to adapt our schedules to accommodate our family- it usually falls upon me to get the children to medical appointments, sports, parent teacher meetings etc. I sometimes resent it--- because my argument with my husband -at least, is that I love tattooing just as much as he does! It's no less part of my life than his. So as I said earlier I have compromised--- I probably would have been a better tattooer had I not had my children. I am different from most mothers though, in that I love what I do, aside from parenting. I love tattooing and it came before all of my children were born. So I don't necessarily live vicariously through my children I have to also distinctly separate the aspects of tattooing that I enjoy. I am passionate about and love creating , learning about and looking at tattoos & I get some satisfaction out of the social aspect of my job--------- I have to keep foremost in my mind though that my children's NEEDS take priority over my customer's wants. And lastly I have to add that even the greatest satisfaction I receive from tattooing pales in comparison to the joy I've experienced as a mother. Hope I'm making sense.

Got a picture message of a friends lame script tattoo on her foot yesterday labeled "Fresh Ink!" Why do people feel like since I have quite a few tattoos they all have to show me their little tattoos and expect me to be excited to see them? Lol

I like this. It's like, just because you fill your house with shit from DWR doesn't mean you know about design. Or People who spend half their paycheck at trendy restaurants and call themselves "foodies"

I was down the shore at my cousin's house,and was standing in his living room,and my grandmother was sitting in one of those plastic white chairs.Well she had her cane leaned against the wall,and it fell on the floor,and her chair started to shake.I thought the house was haunted..She was like what's going on someone's shaking the chair.It was pretty funny because she kept on turning around to see who was shaking her chair,and there was nobody there.

Oh Deb I think out of all the people here you're one of the ones who doesn't need to worry about being offensive ;)

i want kids for sure. my mother had me much later than most women i know, even today it kinda makes me feel like i can wait but also not too long... we'll see, it's something i definitely think about and what it would mean to me and my tattooing.

I am almost 35. I started tattooing when I was 19. I have conscientiously put off having kids because I know that it will affect my career, and I am not willing to compromise that. The effect of being so career focused, however, is that now I'm almost 35 and everyone I know has a family except for myself. That biological clock is for real, and the topic is at the front of my brain on a daily basis now, but I cannot seem to make a decision! I know I'm probably wrong about this, but for me it feels like a tattoo-or-family, all or nothing scenario. I'm sure it's a little different than with the dudes, because motherhood is a little more all-encompassing for a woman with pregnancy, nursing, blah blah blah..... It's terrifying.

Deb we cherish having you .

Deb, I know I speak for many members when I say that you are an invaluable contributor here. You have a unique perspective on tattooing and years of experience that qualify you to speak on subjects that we customers can't (or rather shouldn't). Thanks for being an important part of our little community.

Thank you for being a part of this! I always enjoy and appreciate your wealth of knowledge and your decades of dedication to tattooing. I can only imagine sometimes how difficult it is for tattooers to chose a less negative road when an "irritating" subject matter comes up as when you are passionate about something it is tough to not defend it til death. Shit I get the same way around psychology related matter and crappy shows portraying treatment or therapy completely inaccurate to the larger public through mass media. These days I am just trying to see it as a new challenge to better educate the public on accuracy of psychology and this site for tattooing. I will not drink their kool-aid and believe there are many others on here who will not drink their kool-aid.......so thanks again Deb and other LSTers for working with us to try and educate in a more positive and accurate fashion!

having a kid definitely makes things a little more stressful, as in you want to always do better than what you are. when it was just me i could scrape by on slow weeks, but you always got that kiddo looking up to you and the drive is not to be a shit bag... fortunately time management makes playing with my kiddo and doing fun stuff possible when i, for example, come into work when i drop my toddler off for school (noonish) but dont take appointments til closer to two. biggest drive in tattooing...having kids.

It's on people! I shall start with some lolcats. (1st and 3rd have me dying every time I see them) And a random one that cracks me up

I was going to get that too, and then without knowing my best friend did so I don't want to anymore. Then I thought about doing matching Jap flowers but my dude has that on his. So now I'm probably going to do a rose on one and a peony on the other.... maybe... unless I think of something else.. also thought about doing a tudor rose on each.. I tried to find a picture of my friend's knees and couldn't but found this from the same artist. His name is Stuart Archibald.

Following this thread made me realize I may have the best Tech job on the planet. I'm a Communications Technician for one of the big 4 class I freight railroads in the U.S. I work with installing/maintaining everything from PC support, software, network, data, CCTV, satellite dishes, radios, on down to the humble telephone. I'm not stuck with the same stuff very often, or for very long. I cover a large territory, so I'm not bound to an office all the time. I've been on this job for 10 years as of this month. I got hired with visible tattoos and it has never been an issue. I kept on getting more as time went on ( the biggest amount in the last year). I have to move equally between corporate types in the division office, and guys that turn wrenches and swing hammers all day, but now they got to use a computer to do their job. I've been on the job long enough now (10 years this month) that everyone knows me and knows that I know my stuff, if they call me I can get your problem fixed. I've never had a negative comment directed my way because of my tattoos (the ones that are visible go from the wrist to "outta sight"). The only dress code we have is T-shirts with 1/4 sleeves and no shorts, (besides hard hats, safety glasses, etc., when necessary). The corporate types know I can fix their PC, so they don't hassle me, the wrench turners know the same, but they know I'm just a regular guy, and the other guys in my department know that I know my shit so the tattoos aren't an issue, they just take a peek when I get something new. All that plus I'm payed hourly an outreagous sum and union. Fuck Me Runnin' you could'nt beat me with a stick hard enough to leave this job.

Front view devil.

Rory I can already give you one - friggin hot!! I have friends in Osaka and the minimum temp is around 26, maximum 31 (thats degrees celsius people, I have no idea about Fahrenheit!) I thought living in Queensland I could handle most humid climates but it gets sooooo muggy in summer there its simply not funny (I was there about 5 weeks ago?) When do you leave Rory? And if you need any info on shops/cool things to do around the Kansai region hit a brother up ;)

I fly out Thursday morning for Japan, and heading to Kyoto for 2 days of good times on my sleeve at The Cat Claw Tattoo-z :D Am I excited? Your daaaaaaaamn right ;) I'll post pics when I get back

Just got back from London. My wifes second session with Stewart Robson at Frith Street Tattoo. Fuckin gorgeous. On the way back checked out some nice artwork at Swindon Station. Who said Swindon is a cultural dessert. Unknown Artist.

Chris Smith, Deluxe Tattoo in Chicago. The ship itself was done last year, just finished the background and flowers this time around ... Last Thursday.

i think it all comes down to this no matter how much money anyone has, celebrities are just regular morons like everyone else, and in general the public can not determine between a good and a bad tattoo... people don't give a fuck about who they are getting tattooed by because they think all tattooers are created equal. also i can't believe no one's posted this piece of amazingness i give to you, Gucci Mane in all his icy glory

While I was at Frith Street my beautiful squeeze had her second session. A really stunning Day of the Dead Girl, tattooed by Stewart Robson.

[x] SQUID PANTS

tat-zaps, tat-wizard, ink, get some ink, inked up, get inked, tatted, color bomb, trad, neo-trad...

One time in NYC, these Canadians who were friends with the friend I was staying with checked out of their room, and then came to ours for a little visit. Then then remembered that they left 10 lbs of weed in their rooms freezer. They actually decided to go question housekeeping, who happened to be Jamaican, who laughed and told them that they had thrown out their "stinky vegetables." They then went down to the trash area, where more housekeeping staff informed them that their "stinky vegetables" had been disposed of properly.

I once had this wonderful young lady bake me a dozen cupcakes after I covered up some crap on the back of her neck. They were the most amazing cupcakes I have EVER had in my life. Instead of oil or whatever one uses in delicious cupcakes, she used pudding. They were intense!!!! I occasionally still bug her about them. How this angel only weighs about 103 pounds is beyond me. She will always have a special place in my heart. I believe my heart is located somewhere in my stomach.