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I'm a new poster here, and thought i'd say hi in this thread. My backpiece, finished a couple of months ago, by the amazing Stewart Robson of Frith Street tattoo. It was an absolute pleasure getting this piece, and getting to spend time with such a knowledgeable and insightful guy; an experience I was very lucky to have. Excuse the inlarged instagram pic, it's all I have

got this little grimm-tiger back in march from jelle nelemans

Where are my manners? I've been posting in the forum and I have yet to introduce myself, so here goes nothing. I'm 23 years young and as I've said before currently live at home with the parents in Central Jersey and work in NYC. Growing up I always admired tattoos and wanted to get one mainly because of my fathers small winged dragon that he has on his arm that he got when he was young (wish he'd let me snap a pic). Once I turned 18 I knew I was going to get a tattoo it was just a matter of who, what, where and when. If there was one thing I did know..... it was that I wanted a quality tattoo and was interested in Japanese as I was just fascinated by the imagery and artwork. A few years ago I eventually found out about Kings Ave and just loved Justin Weatherholtz work so I booked an appointment for my first tattoo..... a calf sleeve. I told myself and more importantly my mother that it would be my first and last tattoo. A year later I got an Oni on my other leg from Justin. A year after that I'm currently getting a half sleeve with a chest panel from O'Donnell with upcoming tattoos from Chad Koeplinger, Henning, and Rubendall. So much for only one tattoo. Pics below!

Here we go. Apologies for the suit...unfortunately my plans for world domination have gone to shit so I still have to work for the man. Really cool experience. Can't wait to read the book. Ed was super nice and friendly.

first post! continued getting my leg tattooed with only black traditional work. this one is from alex wild. i hate getting my legs tattooed (especially the shin) + healing is not that fun :rolleyes:

Funny you mention short, for the longest time I used to think Chris Conn was really short because I always saw this picture of him hanging up in the drawing room. Until one day someone said he is sitting down dumbass.

Hey now people, let's all calm down. There is nooooooo reason to use harsh language like "Bieber" in here. We're all friends. Sheesh.

El Carlo recently finished my fiance's chest...

Getting some more work from Trevor McStay tomorrow. Finishing off my calf and possibly doing something on the knee. I don't know what to do on my knee, but I do know I want it to be quick.

Some crappy phone pics of my Lehi tiger. He is being mean to a dragon.

The new yoga teacher doesn't know your name yet, so refers to you as "Miss Tattoos" during class.

awesome pieces so far. as for "just one tattoo"...at the end of the day when all your tattoos are connected into one cohesive body suit it will just look like one big tattoo.

If you have more tattoo machines than clients, that is too much. Guy who tried to be a tattooer I know, worked one day a week had to bring his own clientele, always had a new machine to show off, never had anyone to tattoo.

@kylegrey - good spot! It is indeed, 'the Carving Bear', done in the manner of a printers stamp in white ink over the black wind bar. I think it's the second time he used it, the first time on an as yet unfinished Kintaro backpiece.

I'll be in NYC that weekend getting tattooed by Grez.

Hey dude! We've met! I had just finished my leg with Chris O'Donnell and my pal was getting tattooed by Tony Hundahl at Kings Ave. You were starting your half-sleeve with Chris. Good to see you on here!

Thank you to all for the kind words, it's my pleasure to wear this piece. Although any props really should be directed Stewart's way, all I did was lay there!

A number of years ago a tattooer here in Portland did a tattoo on one of the trailblazers. That player had a contract with a local company called Nike. Pretty soon the players tattoo was being used for shirts, and even window decals. Tattooer sued, settled out of court, for years I was behind this guy getting his money for Nike ripping him off. That is until recently when I was shown the design in a Dover Clip art book you can buy at any bookstore for $9. It just showed me that a lot of the times I don't really know the origin of design, and people don't really create everything they tattoo. There are definitely a few examples on this thread of people shamelessly ripping off tattoos, or at least to the best of my knowledge that is what I perceive it to be. I just think iin general I see people getting called out for stuff neither person created and people claiming stuff they didn't do. Do we owe the guy who did the flower exploding birds the first time royalites, what about the first script carpe diem? Even the best shops do dumb stuff that people bring off the internet, I have seen it with my two eyes. I just wonder where we stop giving credit and start. If it's a dumb tattoo or insignificant tattoo is okay? If it's not done by someone with recognition it's okay? If you can do it better it's okay? Is it okay as long as they aren't a tattooer. I don't know? But saying theft is theft is quite an understatement.

It is unethical and perhaps immoral to "steal" someone else's tattoo design -- particularly if you are tracing it and/or passing it off as your own. Unless it is a piece of flash that you have purchased (or traded for or received as a gift). Certain designs are so old or common or general that they can reasonably be said to have fallen into the "public domain," e.g., Day of the Dead skull, Rock of Ages, etc. Of course, artists with their own personal style have put their "stamp" on things, but copying this can be said to be paying homage -- imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and all that. So far no one has been able to copyright a tattoo design and those who have tried -- like the Mike Tyson/Hangover case -- have settled out of court as far as I know. Whether this is a good or bad thing is open to debate. In short, no copyright -- and certainly no laws -- have been broken, and no one has filed a successful civil suit against anyone or proven monetary damages in a court of law. Theft, morally or ethically -- maybe. Legal, no. The rest is semantics.

If I walk in to a record store and choose to spend my $20 on a Justin Bieber CD instead of the new Bluejax CD, am I "taking food from your mouth" or am I simply choosing not to give you food? Because one of them is clearly theft and one of them clearly is not. If I buy the Bieber CD (or don't) and just download yours, your situation is the same - no one has taken anything from you. Copying someone's tattoo almost certainly deserves a good ass kicking. Depending on your moral system, it may indeed be a corrupt thing to do. But it is not theft, and though breaking copyright is considered a crime, it should not be. Let's look further at what extending copyright to works of art/craft like tattooing would do. Under current copyright law, protection lasts for the life of the artist plus 70 years. If that's how it was back in the day then none of us would be able be wearing Pharaoh's Horses tattoos if the original tattooer didn't license the image. And even he wouldn't have been able to tattoo it without the permission of the original artist (John Herring Sr. [maybe] for you trivia buffs). What if someone copyrighted the idea of putting a dagger through the head of an animal? After that it could be a particular style of rendering lady heads or roses. Next thing you know the only option for all of us is text tattoos of bible verses and portraits of our own kids. And infinity symbols. Thanks a lot, copyright. Further reading on a bit higher level than the simple (but catchy) ditty in my youtube post previous: Against Intellectual Property.

I think it's a wonderful way to memorialize those you lost. Do you have an artist in mind? Maybe whoever could help finish it out for you? My dad was a Marine in Vietnam, so I have a particular affinity for that branch of service.

I'll be THAT old guy...

I couldn't get a free sailor jerry tattoo at one of those event things because apparently a 2x2" tattoo "wouldn't fit". Needless to say the tattooers looked at my like I was high.

I frickin love this back piece by Diego Azaldegui. Hoping to get something similar myself soon. - - - Updated - - - Beautiful Kannon back piece by Horiyoshi III

If it ain't a metal shirt, I'm not wearing it.

As requested here are a couple of photos of my Chris Garver tiger.

El Carlo Aloha Tattoo Spain

...you get stressed thinking about what you will do when you have no empty space for new tattoos even though you still currently have plenty of space.

I'm currently road tripping across America with my girlfriend, it'll be about 10 weeks in total, coast to coast, seen some amazing things so far and we've only made it to New Orleans. Still got to head north, she's from Wisconsin so it'll be a family 4th of July. Then back down the east coast. It's quite a country you've got here!

That is easy to add some orange and yellows into to make it look more like a firey background!

Salutation in matching font of the Title Page and a highly legible signature. Nice score! Not to tell you what to do but if it were me, I'd put that copy in a protective cover, frame the photo, and place the whole thing in a display case and buy a second one for reading. Think forward 20 or 40 years. You have quite the collectable. (Imagine if you had a pristine signed edition of Sailor Jerry Collin's book)!

@Takeaway: Oh, YOU'RE that guy! Absolutely amazing tattoo. I really enjoyed watching the pics @Stewart Robson posted of the progress. The whole thing's great, but that background is particularly inspired. And welcome to LST. Helluva first post.

Thanks oh wise one! lol I remember a convo not to long ago about it being proper contest etiquette to wait until the piece is finished. I think that is what i'll go by...

I love it, @kimkong!

I started a 7/10 sleeve and chest panel with Martin Lacasse about three weeks ago at Olde City. It's a samurai piece based on the Yoshitoshi print below and what he drew up floored me. He did all the line work(a lot) in about 3.5 hours for the first sitting and we just did the first shading session Friday. If I had the money I'd go every couple of days because I'm fiending to see what this looks like completed.

putting this here because there were all those "parent-child" tattoo days posts recently and I don't know where else this would fit. My daughter's 18th birthday is coming up - we were having lunch the other day and I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she hemmed and hawed a little bit but eventually says "well, since you're all into tattoos, I was kinda hoping you'd pay for a tattoo for me". Awww! Kinda sweet right? Honestly though, I'm a little bit on the fence about it. What she really needs is money. She's not working right now... she's flat broke and living on ramen noodles and canned green beans... (when I asked her what she wanted I was sure "money" would be her answer) Hmmm... I'm thinking on it... Not sure yet what I'll do.

No you don't. or I dare you. or anything else I can say that might get you off your lazy ass.

I don't have anything else from Chris. He started the show, and spent less and less time in Los Angeles. We had plans to do a dragon on the other arm, but I was traveling a lot at the time, and between his travels and mine it was impossible to start such a big piece. Chris's cobras and skulls are some of my favourites. You can't go wrong with that combination from him.

When I met my (now EX) husband I already had a tattoo and he didn't have any. He decided to get one but didn't want me to get anymore as he didn't really like them on women :rolleyes: We have now split up and I have recently started dating again and had a brief fling with an old friend who has lots of tattoos. Tattooed people are more interesting naked ;)

The price is the price, whatever it is. It all depends on how bad you want to get tattooed by someone. Just for the record, Chris Garver over Gogue all day every day in my world. I can respect what Gogue does and his artistic ability, but not the kind of tattoos I would want to wear, but again just personal taste. I think the best Gogue tattoos I have seen are on Nikki Kasper from TAM. she wears them well. What can I say I am a sucker for tattoos that look like tattoos.

Got this Rock of Ages from Joe Ellis while he was guesting at Lab Monkey Tattoo:

The third version posted in the OP just looks so muddled and boring, especially compared to the original. As far as the Sailor Jerry argument goes, I've heard it said (forget where...) that the biggest reason Jerry's flash is so highly regarded is that it survived. Not to belittle his work at all, I do believe he was a real innovator, but there was similar stuff happening at the time (and earlier, see Cap Coleman) and his legacy is largely based on the fact that we still have a lot of his originals to credit.

"If it's on the internet, it's fair game," is such a bullshit cop out imho. You do pose a tough question though. The art of tattoo has always had copying and repetition. All the classic designs have been done to death and occaissionally been reinvented by the more brilliant and forward thinking artists. But, we're talking standard flash here and not original works of art based on japanese tradition. To me, the examples sited above equal "unforgivable plagerism". No matter how taken I was with a design of this nature, I could not in good conscience wear it as my own without making significant changes and an artist that would take credit for it is....well.....I'll leave it at that.

Yeah I know, I just can't think of what to put around it that'll fit well. I don't care for ships (on myself) and don't want more flowers. An eagle wouldn't fit well as content, my wife gives no shits about eagles. So I want to get something that balances on traditional and weird, since my wife is weird. I have enough time to decide though. I always get asked "What if you divorce?" (always lovely to hear) and I always say I'll get Raul Julia as M. Bison behind it and slap an "R." on it. And I will if I have the space.

I think Tony Nilsson at Blue Arms Tattoo here in Oslo needs to be in this thread

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.

Same here. Eff Aquaphor. I heal my tattoos with a nice raw bacon rub and some hooker spit. Kidding, kidding. A few hours after getting tattooed, I wash the tattoo, and then leave it uncovered and let my body take care of the rest for the most part. If things start looking a bit dry, then I use some Lubriderm sensitive skin shenanigans.