Leaderboard

I have some pretty bad ones I will never mess with ,because of association. one of them is by the late Eric Hogan. he was by no means a great friend , more like someone I knew, But I will always remember him, His mother would probably appreciate this. During these times that seem sometimes like a "cool" race, we need to remember the whys and hows people have always gotten tattooed. As a tattooer/ist we ,especially street shops, face it everyday. those silly reasons mean something to those not in the know. your Moms love, your children's love, you went somewhere, you freed yourself, don't forget. They aren't just cool. Last evening I put stick figures holding balloons on a woman's foot, I tried to put them on with all the professionalism that i could. If those don't meet anyone's ideas about what good art is or what a cool tattoo is,it doesn't matter. she talked about how she went to a different shop and they were rude about it. I did a good job, she was happy, I got to eat dinner doing something I want to do,not something i have to do, Im not cleaning toilets ,Im not a Walmart greeter. not that good hard work isn't respectful , Its that I'm lucky and hopeful today. And yes I will try and give them the best stick figures they need. I do love me some "regular people".

Ariella, I would suggest checking out some books/magazines (magazine thread here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/random-crap/956-best-worst-tattoo-magazines.html), reading some interviews and poking around online or even portfolios on here. Once you see enough nicely executed tattoos, it won't even be a question in your mind about how that dragon could be translated as anything but atrocious, even from a simple design standpoint. What makes a good tattoo is definitely not a trade secret. All it takes is a little effort and research, and once you've been exposed to more than what's walking around your town, it'll be like a big smack on the forehead. If my little sorority sister can start to "get it" after looking at a few shop links, anyone can "get" it.

Chris O'Donnell isn't featured beyond the interviews in the Grime episodes I believe. Here's the schedule for what's to come (taken from Shawn's blog) Troy Denning – New York City | Air Dates – Trailer: August 31 | Pt. 1: September 7 | Pt. 2: September 14 | Pt. 3: September 21 Troy Denning is the owner of one of New York’s premier tattoo parlors, Invisible NYC, as well as the owner of one of the most unique styles. Troy seeks to go beyond the work of other Japanese style tattooers, and searches for influence in the original Ukiyo-E masters. He has worked a variety jobs from mineworker to strip club security guard, all of which have added to his special outlook on life. He is a self-proclaimed karaoke master, and a fixture of New York’s Lower East Side. Mike Rubendall – New York City | Air Dates – Trailer: September 28 | Pt. 1: October 5 | Pt. 2: October 12 | Pt. 3: October 19 Mike Rubendall comes from the colorful world of old school tattooing in New York City, learning the tricks of the trade from the infamous Frank Romano at a biker shop on Long Island. Mike has come a long way from mopping the floors of his teacher’s tattoo parlor, and now owns his own shop, King’s Avenue Tattoo, in New York City. Mike is full to the brim with tales of his varied experiences as a tattooer, from working on Damon Dash in the Hampton’s to watching his co-workers piss into a woman’s purse at a local bar. Freddy Corbin – Oakland | Air Dates – Trailer: October26 | Pt. 1: November 2 | Pt. 2: November 9 | Pt. 3: November 16 Once the young turk of the Bay Area working with tattoo luminaries Ed Hardy and Dan Higgs in the early 90′s at Tattoo City, Freddy Corbin is now an elder statesman of the tattoo scene. Freddy proclaims that he is a spiritual man, whose shop looks like a cross between the Sistine Chapel and an old bar. He has battled addiction and dealt with loss but always maintains a positive outlook on life. Two years ago, he tattooed villagers for free in India on the banks of the Ganges River as a spiritual offering before the birth of his son.

Cheers Hogg!! All the crew there are super nice, extremely welcoming and patient with my bad Japanese. But we got there ;) lol Well I just got home after about 17 hours of straight travel. (It was only a nine hour flight but I had to go see my Mum and that isnt close!) So now ready for some sleep. I'll post pics once I get some for sure (I forgot to mention there is a decent cover up going on so some parts may need a little touch up when I return, but I am amazed in how its turning out) Actually there might be some photos on their blog so I will check ;)

"Having said that..."

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

Ryan Mason's work is awesome! I've been wanting something from him for quite some time now. Check out this amazing backpiece:

While I'm new to getting tattooed I just put myself in the position of the person tattooing me. I think at least I am doing it right. Pre-shave the area. (I am one hairy mofo) Show up early, usually half-hour to forty-five minuets and sit quietly until called Chain smoke pre-tattoo so I don't get the nic-fit shakes When getting tattooed I sit VERY still I do not talk unless talked to. I personally hate when people talk to me while trying to concentrate. Another big one is LISTEN to advice. Unless you are a tattooer yourself, you pay them to be the knowledgeable one in the situation. These are all examples of things I take from my own job and apply them to getting tattooed. I personally would love to listen to music but won't since I tend to tap my feet to the beat unconsciously.

I think something semi-geometric in that area. I like the idea of capping off my travel leg with a compass rose like this (maybe less detailed, a few colors) The other knee, maybe a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign. These are super basic, but they can get really detailed:

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...

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.

I havnt been a member long, but as a non tattooer it upsets me that some of the artists are posting less because of us. I and most from what I can tell are grateful to be on this site with awesome artists and have no intention on doing anything other than getting good tattoos from good artists. I dont want to market anything or make money. I want to learn more so I am in position to get some great work and share it with the place that is getting me on the right path.

Well, ultimately it's up to tattooers to just not answer the questions. People are going to ask questions and occasionally step over the line, especially people new to this who don't know any better. Most of the time it's an honest mistake, it's no big deal and a gentle correction should suffice. It's when people start demanding to know things, like we owe them something, that there's a problem.

I don't have any cover-ups on my body but I tattoo a hell of a lot of them. Most of the larger work that I do (bigger than 1/2 sleeve) usually incorporates some kind of cover-up. I started to make a point of NOT taking a 'before' picture. Sometimes I do, but I found that the cover-up requests got bigger and bigger the more cover-ups I showed. Covering a half sleeve sized tattoo with a full sleeve compromises the end product but I sometimes enjoy the challenge and the problem-solving aspect of it. This is one of the more tricky ones from last year or so, when I used to take 'before' photos: I got an email today asking if I could cover a full sleeve - with a sleeve.

1.) When George fakes a disability to get his own private restroom at work. 2.) The Frogger Episode. 3.) Again, when George leaves the "Prophylactic" as Mr. Costanza says in his parents bedroom while they are on vacation. I cant get enough of this show.