Leaderboard

Okay... I'm elderly. 58, born and raised in Chicago, specifically on the South Side and later, the collar suburbs. Left home at 13, was put into a "youth home" at 15, got out and roamed the country and points south at just shy of 18. Before I was 21 I had lived or spent hunks of time in Mexico, Columbia, el-Lay, and some other garden spots. Trained as a machinist, and worked in shops for many years, now I sell machine equipment made in Germany, to customers from Brazil to Thailand. Got my first real motorsickle when I was 10, a Sears Allstate 49 cc. My next one was a 1947 Knucklehead that I bought as a collection of parts in a basket and made into a chopper...that was when I was 18. Wrecked it and myself shortly after, and didn't ride again until I bought a Shovelhead in 1977...still got that one, but I don't ride anywhere near as much as I used to did-arthritis and kids and all of that. Anyhow, I rebuild and restore old Harleys on occasion to relax myself. Started putting on my own tattoos when I was what, I think maybe 13, something like that, and spent a good amount of time at CTC watching Cliff Raven and Dale Grande work, and then getting my homemade stuff covered. I have a few tattoos now, but I'm afraid I'm not a general collector-I've gotten all my work form people working at CTC. Dale, Miles Maniaci, Nick Collela, and onoe by Mark Miller. Other than that, I've been into martial arts since I started taking Jiu-Jitsu at the local Y when I was 8. I've boxed for the Chicago Park District, and studied a variety of different arts. I was involved with the same federation of schools for about 25 years, studying and teaching a mixture of arts. Still own my own school, and teach classes 3 nights a week. Keeps me from getting too old. That's about it, pretty boring. I listen to mostly the blues, some of what is now called "classic rock", Hendrix, the Doors, like that, and actually saw most of the name bands of the 60's and 70's play. But my heart is with the blues. What I grew up listening to...kinda schizophrenic on that, actually, listened to a lot of old hillbilly music as a kid, and still do. Not 'country", but hillbilly and rockabilly. Merle Haggard, Jim Reeves, Jack Scott, all that type of thing. Then when I left the house, it was Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, and Howlin'Wolf. I've sat and had drinks with most of them over the years, back before they were all famous and like that. So now I'm elderly, but I sure can't relate to it. Yeah, arthritis and shit, but hey-basically I'm just a couple of 16 year-olds with a 26 year-old built in for a chaperone. Still getting tattoo'ed, still trying to live life-and largely succeeding. Got divorced a few years ago after being married 35 years, and am now with a Lady that shares my life, my home, and my heart. Have 6 kids to keep me on my toes, from 14 to 25, and an 8 year-old granddaughter that is truly a pain in my, er, that I love dearly. That is all.

A nice one by Peter Lagergren at Malmö Classic Tattooing - Sweden.

It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child.

I'm Rob, age 57 from Long Island, NY. Married for 29 years, have 2 boys age 24 & 20, have 1 cat age 4. Former auto mechanic turned machinist, got a few Engineering degrees and work as a tool designer for a large company and still dabble in machined parts on the side. Former local stock car builder and driver for a few years back in the 1980s. Current hobbies are model car building, gardening and weight lifting. Got my 1st tattoo at age 22, that has been covered up 2X.... added a few more and took a break from 1982 to 2004. Since then, went from 5 tattoos to 11, had some old work done over/covered up and new work from scratch. Always have the next 3 tattoos planned out and constantly looking for new ideas.

Drunkenly thought I called my girlfriend and left a really long message that I do not remember. I woke up with a text saying "You need to call your lady, stop calling me when you are drunk. Love, Dad."

Aw man, went back and read the first few pages of this thread, goddamn cute as hell. ..Not that these last few entries weren't. Though I think if I called @Dan S cute he might run me over while punching/kicking/jiu-jitsuing my face all over the pavement.

You've got a blacked out "sleeve" going, you want a Japanese sleeve, and you currently have a "sleeve" with Japanese elements that is also a traditional....sleeve? How many sleeves are you working on, currently? And where are you putting all of them?

Yay!!! Pretty excited about it-- thank you!!!

ehh i more so set up the appointment with antonio because i already wanted to get tattooed by him and since my band will already be in frederick that day for recording... why the fuck not? i'll have to check out those guys though. baltimore is only a 2.5 hour drive or so from here so i could always drive down another time. - - - Updated - - - p.s.. posted this in the full backpiece thread but i figured i'd post here too. got this lined yesterday by max kuhn.

I decided to group together all the threads currently about old tattoos, and tattooing in the past. He is a list of links to all the threads I found relevant. If I missed any please post up a link in the following and I can see if I can get it edited into the original post. The interviews posted here by @Scott Sylvia, which are located in the blog section. Here is a selection below: LST Interviews Erik Gillespie Stewart Robson Valerie Vargas Danny Reed Chad Koeplinger Henk Shiffmacher Hanky Panky Beppe Strambini Phil Kyle Oliver Peck Katie Sellergren Jeff Cribb Dan Dringenberg Kore Flatmo Tim Hendricks Bryan Burk Freddy Corbin Nick Colella Josh Arment Juan Puente Books books tattoos tattoo culture hanky pankys awesome new book milton zeis tattoo boooks traditional-american-tattooing-books ed hardy tattoo world tatoo history books shops tattoo books tattoo book review world compromise i dont bob roberts Videos/Documentaries old tattoo documentaries marcus kuhns new project who else has seen true love documentary video three tattooers one tattoo white dragon belfast henk schiffmacher art tattoo essence amsterdam video ed hardy tattoo world documentary ppv tattoo documentary john samson tattoo age vbs video asian art museum shige horitomo horiyuki horitaka horiyoshi 3 related Misc old tattoo photos acetate stencils legends tattoo history museum exhibit local tattoos sailors exhibit Old ink archive tattoo discoveries found sale horiyoshi iii exhibition london's somerset house If you would like something added to this list please add a comment and mention @slayer9019

Not sure if this the right place to do this or not, but I wil do it anyhow. I was wondering if any of you had been tattooed by Higgs. That was one of my big regrets, I would love to have some of his work. I have a couple of friends who have, but there are not a lot of pictures on the internet of his work and I would love to see more of it. One of the shops I go to has a couple sheets of his flash and I think it is pretty awesome. Kenny

This thread is for those who want to share a little bit of their personal information with the rest of us. Most of you I only know by username and avatar, but because of our mutual passion for good tattoos I have grown curios to get to know you a little better. Internet forums are most often overcrowded with people saying all kinds of shit they don't dare utter in real life, but this place is different, and to me really precious. It's the only forum I even bother to be a member of. Anyways, my name is Ivar, I'm 29 years of age, and Oslo is the city I call home. I grew up on the country side in Telemark, but moved here in 1999. I work for a wholesalesbusiness that imports musical instruments and distributes them to all the music shops around in Norway. In my spare time I play guitar in one band and drums in another. My passion for tattoos and tattoo art started around 06 when I decided I wanted a halfsleeve. Luckily I went to a good shop at that time, which was pure coincidence since I didn't know jack shit at that point. I played in a hardcore band at the time, and I wanted to look the part and be cool. Its really fucking embarassing, but that's how it started... This is me... If anyone wants to add me on facebook send me a pm. I know this is not for everyone, but I thought I'd give it a go anyways :)

Howdy- I guess I should finally get around to my introduction. My name is Doug Hardy. I tattoo at my father's shop, Tattoo City, in San Francisco. I was apprenticed under Michael 'Rollo' Malone at China Sea Tattoo in Honolulu from 1992-1996, then moved to Minneapolis where I worked at Northside Tattoo, The Ink Lab, Uptown Tattoo and finally The Aloha Monkey. After almost 12 years in the Frozen North, I moved back to my hometown to help run Tattoo City and be my father's right hand man after his retirement. I also help with Hardy Marks Publications and try to stay connected with other artists when I'm not wrangling my goddamned cats.

Hey guys. I am a new tattooist based in Brighton UK. Although Ive been interested in tattoos for a long time now, I only started tattooing 10 months ago, & have come quite a long way in that short time. I am looking to develop my dotwork approach & define my own style. I am intrigued, fascinated & excited about all things tattoo related & studied the art form before I ever picked up a machine. I am looking forward to being a part of this forum, sharing work, ideas & experiences & hope that I can bring something to the table, & help inspire people the way many tattooists & Last Sparrow Tattoo has inspired me. I look forward to meeting you guys & hope that you enjoy my work. Cheers, g.

I apologize for the double post just thought id share this jem, i got the amazing honor of working a convention for Eric Inksmith and in return he tattooed me for all the help, with this inksmith special, at the end of the tattoo he asked me "you want to know why i used purple?" i responded "yessir" and he said "it was paul rogers favorite color." i am so excited to have worked with him and to have heard the wild and crazy stories of all the guys i look up to that he was willing to share. this is a couple of months healed.

got about 3 hours of work done on my whole front by an amazing artist in North Carolina named Brandon Munday, dude kills it reminds me alot of tony hundahl super awesome tattoos check his instagram out and spread the love @mundaytattoo

Hello! I can't believe I'm only just now stumbling across this forum, but I am super glad that I did! I love tattoos. I am constantly reading about and researching all things tattoo related, which is why I'm surprised that I didn't find LST earlier. I've never really been an active participant- or lurker - in too many forums, so this is a new experience for me! On to the intro: Hi! I've been lurking around here for awhile and only just now signed up, and, well...hello! I am not a tattoo artist, just a collector. I'm originally from Texas and Oklahoma, but I live in Seattle now. I am...suddenly at a loss as to what to say here. Hello, it's nice to meet you all, I have enjoyed reading many of your posts already and I am looking forward to reading and learning more! :) -Val (<--is a big dork. but it seems i'm in good company? ;))

In my 'collection', my favorite is a tattoo by Thomas Graham from Supergenius Tattoo here in Seattle. It's a gorgeous pistol that takes up most of my inner forearm, from my elbow to my wrist, with a banner reading "TANSTAAFL" (any Heinlein fans?) wrapped around it. I will post pics soon. I've got a few others from the Supergenius crew, but nothing that compares to the quality and general badassery of what Thomas made! It's funny, because it was my first 'real' tattoo, in the sense that it was big, colorful, and on a visible part of my body. I went in terrified, in a shaking voice requested a small tattoo of crossed pistols with the 'tanstaafl' banner, and was told to come back in two weeks. Two weeks later he had drawn a HUGE, GORGEOUS pistol. I was terrified of the size but also afraid to back down (I was much younger then :)) and so decided to go for it. One of the best decisions I ever made. :) Even though I've had five tattoos done at Supergenius, I still have residual shakes whenever I go down there, something to do with that first time, when I was so young and terrified! It's funny how those things can stick with us, even when there is no real reason for it. The crew there is pretty awesome, and I recommend Thomas heartily - I have an awesome piece of art because of him. I'm adding a large peony to my collection soon. I'm going to visit Junii at Diamond Club in early Nov!! I'm stoked about it! I'ma post this and see about uploading some pics. - - - Updated - - - I'm having a hard time getting a good (quick!) pic. These don't do the tattoo or color justice, but are at least somethin' to look at til I get some better pics up :). That's a "Flying L" on the handle, FYI. The first one was taken shortly after it was completed in early '07, the others are from today! And though in my earlier post I mentioned something about getting the tattoo when I was "much younger", it was really like only five years ago. I guess my early-mid twenties just *feel* a lot further away than they actually are. :p Enjoy the shaky pics taken under bad light. :cool:

I personally love the "mosh pits". Between the one Cannibal Corpse show or the Machine Head show I was at I had a blast. Did get some permanent scars but it was all in fun.

Hello, my name is megan and I am a tattooer and single mother from the midwest. Just looking to learn as much as I can and stay informed.

I never saw this thread before. Currently live in Brisbane, Aus but grew up in a small town about 3 hours away with a population around 5000. I have a partner ("boyfriend" just doesn't sound right) of 5 years, and two awesome housemates who live with us in a big old Queenslander. After highschool I studied and did some work as a photographer for a couple of years, but weddings and kid portraits (your "bread and butter" as a photographer who's starting out) were getting me down. Always liked the event/music stuff, though, which I'm getting back into just recently. For the last 3 years I've been working on a Fine Art degree, learning a lot about web design/dev (fun) and graphic/print (less fun). I started out thinking I'd get into web design because it's a more "realistic" decision, but some of my arty subjects have just cemented in my mind how much I need to be working with my hands. Over the past year, tattooing has become less of a vague distant ambition and more of a cemented goal *dons flamesuit*. I also work part time in a call centre (inbound, I don't have to call and harass people), which is monotonous but cruisey and helps make ends meet. I have a couple of chronic illnesses which can make things difficult, but I avoid letting them define me. I like gaming, crafting, talking politics and veganising non-vegan recipes. That just about sums it up.

For what it's worth, when I see blacked-in arms, which I do somewhat often in these parts, they're usually on 20-something punk kids, so I just assume that they're covering old straight edge tattoos.

I'm sorry . . . where did you say that party is going to go down??

my right hand, by Hunter Spanks

I know, rookie error, instantly regretted it.

I regret telling my fiancee that I was worried that my friends, who are organising my stag party next year, are pretty irresponsible and that I was worried it could end in chaos (someone being murdered, nightclub burning down etc). ...Should have just kept that one to myself.

might as well throw up my own snake. I fuckin love it! (Yes thats fully healed)

Rob Noseworthy painting: For total nerd reasons, I love the Star Wars/samurai crossover stuff because of the Kurosawa influence on Star Wars.

Started this Piece but havent gotten a chance to finish because the client ran out of $$ for now. A damn shame! Im loving the motorhead vader

Need a t-shirt..haha. This is by Morten Transeth at Blue Arms Tattoo, Oslo - Norway.

this is from gil taimana. fucking badass

Couple of sheets from the shop painted by Derek Ward. People have actually gotten quite a few off these sheets. I think he sells prints of these but it's a five sheet set combined with two halloween and one christmas sheet.

...when you want to tell somebody "I know the person who got that tattoo" But really, you've only ever talked to them on the internet...

CIV tattooing you while he sings "No Reason Why" and "New Direction".

D you should be banned just for posting that..... Hella troll

Anyway, who cares about quality, let's go for stage dive quantity instead.

"Is she ok....SICK...WOOOAAHAHH" brootal

Brock.... Lets switch places; my teenage son and daughter are having friends over. A bunch of 15 and 16 year old screaming and listening to crappy music....if i hear Bieber or "Call me maybe "one more time i will scream.

Little filler I picked up at Blue Arms tattoo here in Oslo a month or so back. Tattoo by Christoffer Wøien, design by Bert Krak.

I regret drinking too much tequila and whiskey last night and throwing up all over Jacksonville last night. - - - Updated - - - I regret saying last night twice in my post above

Good for you, but, wow. Last Sparrow Piercing. This feels like usenet in 1997. Sorry. There are plenty of places online for this stuff, but nowhere else other than Last Sparrow for serious tattoo talk. Yeah, I'm a dick.

by Johannes from Black Stallion Tattoo / Good Faith Tattoo in Boston/Brookline, MA

Finally uploaded a few of my tattoos to my gallery so here's my favourite, my foxy lady head by the very talented Valerie Vargas.

i did this a few months ago

We're all taking our own paths, and she has chosen a tough one - but it's hers. and in case you are . . . Don't feel guilty.

@myles_wm I just got my iPhone, so I haven't even posted anything on mine yet. Expect travel pics, tattoos, my pit bulls, nature, food, etc.

My partner and I just had a discussion and it ended with "You know who invented black metal? Neil Diamond."

Hi! My name is Robin. swedish dude living in Oslo,Norway.. 29 years old.. played in a band before(bands are like assholes.. everybodys got one..) travels alot.. got hooked on tattoos 5 years ago and been obsessed ever since.. LOVES black metal,beer,Jameson,Elliott Smith,vintage T-shirts,80s electrobands, tattooed girls in knee high AA sox. HATES wars (except star wars) Religion and Lurmusar. as Petri said Hail SATAN!!

And then a few hours go by and you start to give out and finally finish and you're sweaty and demolished and shaky -- but then you get cleaned up and look in the mirror and think, "Oh, maybe there's time for another one.."