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Got this from Valerie yesterday! Got it as a walk in, i had only gone in on the of chance somebody had space, Right place, Right time I suppose!

No pics to post but.......this past weekend I visited Brooklyn, Queens & LI and was tattooed by Dan Santoro, Rich Fie, Rob White & Marvin Moskowitz! I stopped by Smith Street Tattoo, R&D Tattoo, Mike Perfetto's (didn't realize he is closed on fridays), Cliff's Tattoos, Top Hat Tattoo, Tattooing by Richie (Richie Montgomery's place) and King Avenue on LI! It was a really fun trip and I am looking forward to going back up soon!

Posted this over in the May tattoo of the month contest. Just finished a couple weeks ago. I don't have any real crisp pictures of it. I'm stoked to have it finished. Work by Rodney Raines, Ace Custom Tattoo, Charlotte, NC.

Going to pop into Invisible NYC to check on a friend who's getting tattooed by Chris Garver this morning. Then I have my own session at Kings Avenue Manhattan this afternoon with Mike Rubendall. I wish all my days were like this!

Can these men just stop being assholes? Is that too much to ask? On the side I work as an advocate for rape victims and at my day job work with homeless DV victims. Seeing this shit all the time gets old. Men need to start teaching other men to CUT IT OUT! Seriously.

Big Rock of Ages with upside-down cross, tomorrow with Peter Lagergren. Super stoked!

I hadn't posted the two most recent tattoos i'd gotten here until now. Tattoos and photographs by Chad Koeplinger, done at Frith Street. Rose of no mans land - September 2012, dragon - March 2013. (original instagram link to the rose of no mans land tattoo - Photo by chadkoeplinger_tattooer • Instagram)

Peony from Nathan Kostechko at Will Rise in LA. Based on a design from an Ichibay book (I think this one if anyone is interested, looked awesome). To be honest, though, I hope that El Monga cat wins...that thing is insane!

Xam posted this sketch earlier, pretty sure the skull and snake on the left is going on me next Thursday - eep! Photo by xamthespaniard • Instagram

I finished my ankle band coverup last night. I now have two big blue roses instead. Hopefully you get the idea. All my ugly tattoos are gone now. From now on any tattoos I get will be all NEW.

Super pumped!! I have an appt with Chad Koeplinger on Monday, May 13th, at Congress St Tattoo in Portsmouth, NH. Gonna get a chest eagle from him. Can't wait!!!!

Right now my pre-tattoo ritual is eating a hummus and bulgur sandwich with a cup of genmaicha, and then drinking plenty of water and having snacks like bananas, dried fruits and nuts, or a Clif bar to keep my energy levels up during the session. The sandwich and tea is obviously specific to what's near the shop I get tattooed at...but for me, something substantial and nutritious that isn't overly heavy and greasy seems to work best. Though obviously everybody is going to have their own things that work best for them. I think that it's difficult to talk about what makes a tattoo session easier/more difficult because there are so many variables at play: the spot, the tattooer, how well rested you are, what general physical condition/health you're in, what other things are going on in your life that can be distracting you, etc, etc, etc.

Today at barcelona, From Jondix.

Just got the call that Horitomo is finished with my drawing. Tattooing starts in August.

i love when shit like this happens

Agreed @Graeme I just had a large English breakfast with milk and sugar, a ham and egg sandwich and some fresh strawberries. Now off to visit a friend getting tattooed by Chris Garver at Invisible NYC before I head to my own session today at Kings Ave with Rubendall.

My poutine usually involves sitting on the toilet after drinking two cups of coffee.

hitchhiked from the Netherlands to Italy to get tattooed and then from Italy to Gothenburg in Sweden to score a little piece there. Good times!

Might as well give this month a shot too then :o From Xam at The Family Business, London.

Just for the heck of it, I'll throw in my right arm 3/4 sleeve done a couple of years ago by Henning Jorgensen when he was guest tattooing at Kings Avenue Tattoo (both the Manhattan and Long Island shops). This picture was actually compiled by Henning and shared with me. Enjoy!

Congrats on that. Maybe we will cross paths as I am starting with him at the end of June.

Another new one, bit of a Bert Grimm re-draw in there.

This could be cross-posted to the http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-after-care/1043-lower-leg-tattoo.html thread, but I'm remembering the joys of getting a tattoo--even a small one--down by the ankle. The dull, throbbing pain is still there three days later. At least I got a decent night's sleep last night (for the first time). There's just no good place to put your leg at night, is there?

I saw this one in Brian Bruno's book over the weekend. Picture stolen from his instagram. Unreal, I am jealous of whoever has this.

IG folks already saw it, but I was stoked to get this rose from Mario Desa yesterday. The photo does not at all do it justice!

Like a boss, can't wait to see this. I am a little bummed, I am missing Atlas Tattoo's 15th aniversary party today, they are doing legit tattoos for $15 for 15 hours as a customer appreciation thing (they have no problem staying busy). I hope to at least be able to stop by later, but have a lot to do at home and the little guy has swim class tonight, so got to take care of business.

After finished my leg with Chris, I kinda had planned on taking a break, but fuck that shit. PABST BLUE RIBBON! In two weeks, Mr. Andrew Conner is starting a flying tiger on my left arm.

Im always impressed at the amount of tattoos people on this forum get. I get more tattoos than any of my close friends here in town, but this forum always puts me to shame. That being said I got a small spider above my kneecap yesterday. I was looking through the partially finished sheets in the back and spotted a spider I had never seen. It didn't quite fit so he had to redraw a couple of the legs on me, but turned out pretty cool. Ross Ferrie brought me into the tattoo world and it was nice to sit down and get a tattoo from him, like we used to do. Also right after he finished a friend of his from when he first started tattooing came in and got to relive some stories of Chris Conn, Robert Klem and Mav Mess's early days of tattooing.

There's already some seriously stiff competition, but here's my entry for this month. Done yesterday by El Monga.

I'm finally able to post my contest entry. Just finished up my back piece by Rodney Raines, Ace Custom Tattoo, Charlotte, NC. Sorry for the blurry pic, it's all I have. ETA: found a few more in progress shots on Instagram

By Rye Gregg, Quarter Horse Tattoo, Stockton, CA

I had a 20-year-old ankle bracelet of small flowers I have hated for pretty much all 20 years. Last night I went in for my cover-up. It is not finished. Here is the side that is done. I think it is done anyway. Here's the front Here's the side that isn't done where you can see the old stuff Here's where it meets in the back I lack any artistic skill so basically it was all up to the artist. My only suggestion was bigger flowers and then after he drew them and there was that empty space in the front, I suggested those red ball thingies. He's a genius as far as I'm concerned. Look at those amazing leaves! Even the leaves are beautiful. I was really scared when I saw how big he was going but oh my god, look at how nice it looks on my big fat leg! We ran out of time last night and I was getting pretty swollen and exhausted. I am really looking forward to seeing the final product. (P.S. The map and emblem of the Pacific Crest Trail were already there.)

Santa Barbara. And yes, if you have seen it, that is my web site.

I eat poutine at least once a week and I probably wouldn't choose it for a pre-tattoo meal because it tends to sit heavy in the gut. Pre-tattoo, I like to eat something filling, but not something super heavy.

Oh WOW! That's going to be EPIC!!! Definitely post pics afterwards. Good luck tomorrow!

It's going to be Kongo Yasha Myo-o. This guy, with influence from this statue. I haven't seen the design yet, but I'm pretty sure he is going to knock it out of the park. Can't wait to see more of the progress on your back.

As a spoiled Montrealer, I can say that a poutine would likely be a good pre-tattoo meal. You must be careful in choosing the size that you order, or you may fall into a food induced coma, then you run the risk of waking up with 56 stars tattooed on your face ;) Just don't pair it with a Coke, I suspect that the cafeine makes the tattoo process less pleasant.

Not a fan of Heineken? ;)

I think tattoos have not only changed my life, but they have swallowed my life whole. It's weird but I don't hold any special meanings for my tattoos, but the more I think about that it suits me to a tee. I am not a sentimental guy, I don't keep pictures, I throw most of my shit away when I move, and only collect two things, one is tattoos and the other is beer which is consumable. I don't think I changed that much with tattoos, i just found a way of getting tattooed that suited me and in turn has given me something to focus on.

I was tattooed by Chris almost ten years ago. He is a great guy, and a large part of my love for tattoos comes from getting tattooed by him. If you can make it happen don't hesitate.

I've been talking with Chris' assistant about getting a snake done this summer taken from one of his prints. It looks promising.

Haha cheers :) I don't rock just yet...if I can make it through everything I will be pleased with myself though! Valerie says she is trying to get away from what she is most well known for (sad girl heads), and do some very traditional work, she had a load of stuff in a big flash book she had drawn up, so I picked out a traditional dragons head, going on the lower calf, should be sweet!

Very cool! And I agree. I only have 4 tattoos, but 4 tattoos in one year... this forum is inspiring and feeding my tattoo habit. I love seeing what other people get tattooed on themselves, and I feel like they put me to shame... Haha then I realize that being heavily tattooed is a process, and I might not even want to be heavily tattooed! If anything, it's nice to have a positive place to look and learn. As for your new tattoo and the accompanying experience, I just think that is pretty damn cool. Props @David Flores

Not sure if this should be posted in snakes, snakes, snakes - or skulls, skulls, skulls. Oh well, I can remedy that . . . William Yoneyama

Just cause I feel like playing. I got this last summer from Mario.

Hey! I am brand new. Jumping in at the deep end. I love this forum - been lurking for ages! I had this namakubi done by Danny Rossiter from Rain City in Manchester, UK. He's from New Zealand but has been tattooing here for years now, very talented and very underrated! Didn't an awesome tiger win last time??

I know I certainly have no money for anything else. Backpieces and torso pieces started at the same time cost a whole pile of cash money. It's hard to eat sometimes. #truth

heres mine by Rich Hardy

Lango Oliveira