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valerie vargas frith st SFO

Valerie Vargas frith st tattoo done at SFO super happy!

What an absolutely INSANE weekend! Got to chat with @hogg, meet @Reyeslv and watch @Stewart Robson work on his AMAZING back piece, got to meet @Scott R and see his insane 11 hour back piece as well as watch @Valerie Vargas work on his thigh pieces, chat with Valerie while getting tattooed with Jondix, Hang with @Tim Hendricks while he tattooed my Wife and much more! Here are some highlights... My Wife and I with Jeff Gogue, such a mellow down to earth guy! the tattoo he made on me Jeff drawing it on Jeff tattooing my Wife the finished piece pic from Jeff's Instagram Tim drawing on my Wife's foot, another super down to earth guy and a blast to hang with... Freddy Corbin also hung out for half the tattoo... needless to say, a memorable experience :D Tim with my Wife and the finished piece Pic of the tattoo from Tim's Instagram - - - Updated - - - My Wife and I with Jondix, the coolest most humble guy I'll ever meet and an absolute pleasure to be in his presence... his AMAZING banner The stencil for my stomach lined out and after 6 hours of tattooing, the finished product of which a photo does NO justice here's the tattoo he made on my Wife Jondix shared his booth with Deno and I took this pic for a friend but I'll post it for you guys, this was some original artwork that he was selling words can't describe how amazing this weekend was but hopefully these pictures attempt to paint a picture :D

got this one from mark cross last weekend

Just got back from a day trip to Amsterdam. Got my inner bicep tattooed by Guen Douglas at Salon Serpent. It hit parts of the armpit and ditch and it hurt like hell. And now my arm is massive. But so worth it! Probably a little girly for some of y'all's taste.

stuart cripwell spider murphys sfo

I'm SOOO GLAD I DIDN'T HAVE TO TYPE THE ABOVE. Wanted to... I mean it's caused a couple of marital spats to put it lightly... Yeah we're a passionate couple, we throw down about tattooing, and taste... Thank you, it was really hard to deal with, the last day, kinda like watching someone get raped (for lack of a better), I didn't go to the set the final day... it was a rough weekend, and that convention was one of the hardest I think I ever worked, and I have even had a miscarriage at a convention before during a pageant I was throwing... We are both going to actively try to do more good to help offset the bad, tattooing takes care of us, we need to take better care of it... More now then ever. AS FAR AS THE TATTOO COPY RIGHT THING..... Don't take this the wrong way, but fucking get over it. SERIOUSLY it's all copying. EVERYONE STEALS: It's a matter of who you're stealing from if you have taste and you're stealing from Hardy, Roberts, Jerry, Malone, ETC... You're following tradition. I haven't even seen the episode, don't care, I'm so sick of all the under twenties, and tens and five year old tattooers acting like they were the first person to come up with a design, it's all been done before. I have seen close friends and artist straight rip off Richards original paintings tattoos I have posted up online, here, instagram, twitter, tumbler, and then no reference credit, or original design cred was given... then seeing all the killer remarks, etc... And each time I get all pissy about it Richard says... Can't get mad, if you put it out there someone is going to use it. , seen people rip off blackhearts shit, seen em rip off Major TM Logos, I have even ripped on Stella Artois Logo. Mike Roper is the only artist I know that is like a mystery. You know his work is amazing. Don't see a lot of it... Because he doesn't make that stuff easily available. ShawnPorter, I haven't been able to check the video out you posted, I will when I get a good inet connection. BTW, you coming to Richmond? New School is bullshit. I'm sorry, it is. until I start seeing new school water color flash sheets rolling around all over, not oils or acrylics, then I will acknowledge it as a "dance" until then, all I see is some idiot that doesn't want to learn the footwork to even two step...Lazy.

Like I said in the OV writeup- at LEAST the Inked shows- scripted reality or not- feature mostly decent (not stellar. decent) tattooers doing ok tattoos. Ink Master gets people who they think will be dynamic on a game show. No one is looking at Al Fliction or Kay Kutta to do good TATTOOS- they're looking for a good reality show villain. And people are walking away with bad tattoos because of it. I don't care how nice Navarro is (my NYC friends who interact with him defend him nonstop- I think it's starfuckery... "he's so nice to us!") they're ALLOWING BAD TATTOOING TO HAPPEN FOR RATINGS.

@Valerie Vargas thank you so much

I had my first session on my first tattoo with Kore Flatmo this Friday. I went in with a weird combination of being very excited and very nervous at the same time. Needless to say everyone was great and it was a great experience. I have to go back for another session to finish in November. Even though I'm not done with my first tattoo, I have caught myself thinking through what I would like to do for my other chest panel. I am worried this is going to get expensive. I am blaming all of you for this.

What do you think about this guy's work...Travis Hulshizer in Fayetteville, Arkansas? Someone on LST recommended him, and I think his work is pretty outstanding...especially for a small market like Arkansas.

Got my 1st tattoo a year and a half ago when I was 50. Just got my 2nd at 52. I just love hearing the "mid life crisis" crap :)

See... I wouldn't think they had an army of lawyers- I think no one really thinks about it. Tattoo copyright is a newer concept so I think it's something that probably never crossed their minds. Even though Lady Face Navarro has been getting tattooed longer than most people on the show have been tattooing, and that DOES make him an expert.

definitely. you can't deny that this show is immensely better than 99% of the shit that is on tv. with that said, at times, the show can be laughable. some of the dialogue is so forced, and the fact that everyone in this post-apocalyptic world is an amazing marksman is pretty ridiculous.

@Brock Varty here is what we have done so far. Here is the tattoo Brenda started on my wife.

She is. Last night I caught her on numerous ocassions just staring at her arm. I was nice to meet you as well. Your back is looking great and your friends foo dog turned out awesome.

I asked my wife last night, if we had paid the mortgage yet, and her first repsonse was "Why? Is there someone you "need" to get tattooed by." I said "No because it's the end of the month, but I like where your head's at." I guess I am that predictable, but am trying to be good and save up money. Thinking about a trip to Chicago in Jan-Feb, do a Taylor street grab bag tattoo, and set something up with Erik Gillespie. A good friend is moving from Chicago to Boston and this will be the last time we can party and his chance to get one last piece from Erik.

Hahaha @Graeme and I have often remarked on this problem of having no voice of reason in a tattoo-obsessed marriage. We just egg each other on.

Had a great time at the convention this weekend. It was nice meeting and talking with @Scott R, @Reyeslv, @Stewart Robson, and @Valerie Vargas. My wife was super excited about coming away with this from Valerie: Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic and my lack of ability to take good pictures.

Season One was shot in 2 general locations: NY and the SF Bay Area. Season Two was shot on 3 continents: USA, UK and Japan. So I think it's safe to say it's probably a budget issue. You should have seen the expensive hair and make-up professionals they flew in from hollywood just to make me look handsome on camera. My burritos aren't cheap either.

I got my first tattoo machine tattooed on my hand by Hugo Tatuajes who apprenticed me... there goes the picture..

Anyone living in or coming to Melbourne, Australia should really get amongst Fergus Simms tattoos. He has dozens of amazing tattoos from the guys at Smith St. and you can really see their influence in his tattoos.

Tiny Miss Becca Ashley Love Mikael de Poissy Alix Ge Kim-Anh Nguyen

I love a bodysuit. I also am very much into cohesiveness, flow and balance and have been working with one artist for the past year with more work planned in the future (sleeve starting in January). I'm pretty focused at this point with what I want aesthetically/style/theme wise and have found someone who I trust and have a great rapport with to carry it out. So while I can oogle all the eye candy out there, I'm very much looking forward to what I have planned.

If y'all have never bought a single malt scotch (i.e. a fancy scotch) I definitely would recommend something like Macallan as a good place to start. The first bottle of bourbon we bought was Bulleit, which is delicious and one of the ones I was recommended as someone just getting into it, but I am sure the bourbon connoisseurs may have more advice! Am I right in remembering that you live in Ontario? If so, a good LCBO should have staff that can help you choose too!

that looks like a great start for the bodysuit you are going to sign up for... (yea I am an enabler)

Most of the time I don't take anything, but when Chad K tattooed my ribs I changed my stance on it.

this. oliver peck and chris nunez watch these folks do really awful fucking tattoos. I understand they’re doing what they’re supposed to in terms of the confines of the show, but fuck.

I fared ok in South Philly. No power outages/broken windows/flooding. Last night I got stir crazy and took a bike ride. In the Hurricane. To the protests of my friends, family and loved ones. I wore a helmet and goggles at least. The wind was incredible. Discovered that it took out the IKEA sign a few blocks away. Crazy.

I think that there's a lot of subjectivity sometimes; but this seems more like tracing than 'elements that are similar'. He emailed Kristel and admitted that he googled new school phoenix and that it must have 'subconsciously influenced him'. she posted last night that she was talking to Dave Navarro, so Im assuming that Spike will throw a little $$ at her ... so maybe the good guys will win and next season they'll ban google? :D

I've been waiting for you to post your stomach, @ian. That's even crazier than I thought it would be! I really enjoyed the conversation I had you with you and @Hrubarb, aka the No-Hand-Tats Crew. Congrats on your new additions (and best to your wife, too).

Okay...as, I think, the oldest guy posting here, I'd best to act as the voice of reason. You need to go out and find as much on Japanese body suits as you can, and then start working with Korey to get yours drawn up, cause buddy, you been had.

From when I talked to people who scratch or have some scratcher stuff on them, they seem to be the type that wouldn't have gotten a tattoo from a good artist anyway. Price is almost 100% of the reason for getting it anyway. It's like me and home décor, I could give a shit for the most part as long as it works and is cheap, but the big difference is I don't have to wear my shitty couch on my body forever.

Nerd talk all day 'err day!

I like to go with different people and dont expect my body to have a cohesive flow. The styles on my torso/arms are pretty different and I like that. Back is westeren traditional, front is thomas, one arm is thomas, one arm is chris (asian influnece) so they are all different. Ill prob stuff more tattoos between the bigger ones on my torso but my legs are all random slaped on tattoos from different tattooers. Personally thats the way I like it, but I have full respect for people who do one style/one tattooer but for me I like too maney styles equally to pick one. But...I dont see why you cant get other traditional tattoos from other tattooers and still have it cohesive.

In a kind of roundabout response to your question, @Our Endless Days , I have often remarked that something I am learning as a tattoo enthusiast is how to look at and appreciate someone's work without, you know, NEEDING to get something from them. I feel like with instagram and other online resources, we can all get very kid in a candy store, and I personally don't have the time/energy/cash/space on my body to run out and get work from every single tattooer that I love. So I am learning to say, "So and so is amazing, but I will probably never get anything from them, and that's ok." Haha. (It helps being married to another tattoo nerd because I can live vicariously through him and it's like we have twice the space to work with. That sounds creepy, doesn't it?) My own ongoing work is a combo of stuff from one person and one-offs from others. I am trying not to overthink it. I neither feel like I want to settle on one artist for everything, nor do I need to go nuts and fit as many awesome artists as possible on my skin (hence my discussion of letting go of all the possibilities above). I find myself returning to the artist I return to because I just connect with her work so profoundly that half the time I have a tattoo idea, it is obvious to me that she is the person to go to for it. But then when I want something else, I've been glad to mix it up a bit. Something I find tough is that I am very sentimental by nature, and I have been lucky enough to have been tattooed exclusively by super nice, fun, awesome and talented people, so I get kind of bummed when I have a really great experience with someone who I likely won't get work from again. (For example, I got an awesome tattoo from Marie Sena at the Montreal convention in September, and I looooove the tattoo, love her work, and she was so nice and fun to get tattooed by. But she is very far away and so I am only likely to be able to get more work from her when she's here for conventions in the future, so who knows! But it was such a good experience that I want more!)

@Lochlan @hogg My only job is to be still so i better do it well lol

just made a january appointment with chris odonnell!

fuckin 3+ hours of just red...

guys at airport now will get home around midnight and get to taking some pictures. loch sorry i missed you friday some magician was finishing a 12 hr backpiece for me

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

might as well have another crack, Tattoo around the clouds and Kraken is fresh/swollen in this pic. Tristan bentley, Ocean ink Sydney Australia

He hasn't. But when I get my stomach finished, maybe I'll coerce him to telling it on film.

Amazon.com: Used and New: Rocks of Ages: Being a Celebration & Manifestation of the Historic & Enigmatic Epidermal Icon As Seen by Various Artists $67 really isnt that bad for an out-of-print awesome book. I would buy it if i didnt own a copy already. Or, if you just want to look at it (and perhaps scan or photograph it) you can always use the inter-library loan program. I've had the chance to pore over multiple books that I would never have the chance to see or afford to buy. Public libraries for the win!

@riot I would have pawned a tv to get tattooed by him, and I dont even have any japanese tattoos.

Here are two living legends that i know have already been mentioned but I got to hang with them both this past weekend and had such and awesome time! Mr. Tony Polito....who showed up to surprise me....and in the background you can see Mr. Mike Perfetto tattooing! Sorry....I look like crap....mostly because I had already been tattooed earlier in the day by Steve Delgatto...ha ha ha!

Here's a Nick Rodin from Blackheart tattoo picture of a ship...

well...this is bound to turn into a huge mess. but, here's my take. i think we all "appropriate" things, especially those of us who follow "traditional" tattooing. by its nature, traditional or classic tattooing follows a certain code, look, and rules. we follow a lineage. most of the designs have been passed on to us through that lineage and visual heritage, and their origins are long lost, or if there was an originator, he is long dead. now, if a LIVING tattooer does something unique and original, and it's his/her own idea, and overnight, thanks to facebook, it's being copied all over the world and internet, i think that's wrong. that guy came up with something cool and new, maybe his whole own style or niche, and he's still alive, making a living. we should respect that.