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This is from Henning Jorgensen. done at Royal Tattoo. enjoy!

Good times, fun conversation, good beer, and great tattoos.

Great post! I haven't moved around as much as you have, but I've certainly had countless jobs and lots of varied interests. Hell, I've studied nine languages. Do you really expect me to have one cohesive tattoo?

I had another (relatively small (3.5 hours) session on my Tamatori-Hime sleeve today, we finally got to put some color into it :-) Unfortunatly the octopus will be colored next time, which i think will give a big change as to how everything looks now. And a nice (almost) full body shot :) :

okay sorry.. maybe i'll have something new in a couple of months.. - - - Updated - - - Okay here is one of my older tattoos. Not finished.. By Phil Szlosek at Kingsave NYC

going to the meeting of the marked convention in pittsburgh on friday. at this point i'm not planning to get tattooed but... more than likely i will. then 2 weeks and i fly out to california and get tattooed by stuart cripwell & alex graham. needless to say, it's going to be a good month!

I've been thinking about this a lot since watching the Japan Gypsy Gentleman episode and that Vice Horiyoshi 3 interview. One of the things I really took from those Horiyoshi 3 interviews is that he seems to see his life and the pursuit of his craft as being identical, and while I can't quite articulate my thoughts here, it seems to me that there's a connection between that kind of philosophy on life and living and coherent full-body tattoos. Whereas for me, I'm all about farting about. I've travelled a bit, lived in different places, tried different lines of work, I try to be as interested and as open to new experiences as I can, and in a way I think the patchwork look kind of works with that.

I have a few opinions about this topic. Now, mostly for lack of funds, I'm currently what would be so cleverly referred to as a plainskin, so perhaps my opinion does not matter. However, as a visual artist and someone who not only has a keen interest in body art but also has born witness to a number of both excellent and terrible tattoos, I'm going to voice my opinion anyway. I honestly feel that the increasing popularity of bad art has more to do with the notion that having a tattoo somehow makes you a more interesting person. I find that there is a correlation between underdeveloped personalities and uncreative, overdone tattoos. I know too many girls who've overheard their crush saying that he thinks tattoos are hot and soon after show up with some flowers on their ribcage, or birds on their feet, or a cliche word or phrase across their wrist. Their interest is not in the tattoo itself, but in the response that having the tattoo will elicit. Of course, that mentality is not exclusive to the ladies, but you get what I mean. I don't believe that there is anything outright wrong with script, but I do think that it is very easy for those tattoos to go awry. I have seen far more, in my opinion, bad text tattoos than good ones. That being said, I plan to work a quote from my favorite story into my first tattoo. I also plan for the script to stand beautifully as a whole, without having to know what it says. Is that uncreative? Maybe it is, but I'm also getting it to please myself, not to be creative. It is my personal belief that a bad tattoo can often be traced back to the person getting it doing so to please other people. Still, I don't think that genuinely loving your tattoo makes it good either. Nothing makes me more angry than when people say that you can't judge a painting because anything is art. There are measurable elements and principles that must be in play in order to define something as being a work of art. Generally speaking, whether the artist is conscious of them or not, the more these elements and principles are being used, the more pleasing the work is to the eye, and if they aren't present at all, then it is not a work of art. The same goes for tattoos.

I think the problems you are running into here is that the primary purpose of this forum is to educate people on what a good tattoo is, not find them the tattoo they want at a lower price. As a rule it is preferred that pricing not be discussed (especially for specific artists). There are a number of reasons for this I'm sure, but foremost to me is that a person's first concern should be to find a reputable artist who does the type of work they want, and go get an awesome tattoo that will make them happy for years to come. If that means that you need to save up for a little while then that is fine. I think it's safe to generalize and say that the people who tattoo are just regular folks who live pretty modest lifestyles. The good ones spend a lot of time outside of just applying the tattoo to further their craft and make the customer happy. It's easy for some people to take that for granted when they think about what they are paying. The bottom line is that you can't put a price on a good tattoo. The people here care deeply about the art and work hard for it. Price haggling cheapens that experience and hopefully you can forgive those who are a little offended by that. P.S. I also work in ems, and I do it because I love my job. Comparing hourly rates to other professions will give you a headache. Should we make more than an ad executive or a drug representative? In the big scheme of thing, perhaps. But that's capitalism for you. You either accept that or go find a different job. Have a good day dude, I hope you find what you are looking for.

Need to ask my girlfriend if she is cool with eating poutine with tattooed people from the world wide web, but I think she'll be okay with it. I'll confirm later today. Edit: Count me and my girlfriend in! See you on Saturday!

My buddy @ian has hooked me up with a prepaid phone that I'll be using for my entire stay. For anyone interested in meeting up while I'm out there, my phone number will be 805-403-2812. Thanks Ian (aka "The Wolf")

I'm in, but unfortunately my wife can't make it.

I know Frith Street and NY Adorned exist, but I think it's very few and far between that a person that doesn't tattoo understands what it takes to run a tattoo shop properly. More importantly even if "get it' it's pretty hard to gain enough respect that good tattooers would want to work for you and finally most non tattooers in the know understand that just because they can open a shop, doesn't mean they should. The people who don't apply to these three categorieshelp mold the negative stereotype for non tattooers owning shitty shops.

I saw an El Monga tattoo in real life the other day and I dig the pictures of his tattoos a lot, but FUCK they look so much better in real life. I need one of those in my life.

Oh crap!! Games over!! Hennings tattoos are so amazing!! Real talk.

Oh crap!! Games over!! Hennings tattoos are so amazing!!

Haters, why? We want to see some new stuff!

Guess I'll throw in with my dragon head by Will Lollie at Empire Tattoo. One is my pic, the other was taken from his IG.

I hope there are no haters .. but I'm going to post this tattoo again this month!! Haha Done by Tim Hendricks at Gold Rush in Costa Mesa , CA

hello! this is my amazing oneshot tiger from Henning Jorgensen! got it done at Royal Tattoo/Helsingör about 6 hours!

My wife is booked in with Capilli Tupou on Sat. the 14th, and I just saw that he had some cancellations that day. One email later and now we're both booked with him for the 14th. :)

Thanks everyone for the input and support! I just completed the sleeve this past Saturday. When I go in in a few weeks for the final final touch ups I'm gonna have him clean it up and tighten up the black around the edges as suggested. Here's a few pics of the final project....let me know what you think.

i'd only have color realism stuff on me. maybe some small script all over my ribs.

based on the art work alone id take myself and my cash somewhere else... as far as an infection goes, thats a bit of a stretch. like another person said 9 times out of 10 an infection is usually caused by something the customer did. i would think that if it was truly the shop that caused the infection they would have an outbreak of them due to an unsanitary work environment. its not that hard to keep a tattoo shop clean. walking around in the dirty day to day world on the other hand is different.

Some of the guys in Kuniyoshi's Suikoden prints have bellies and they all look bad ass. So why am I going to the gym everyday? Think I'll head to the ice cream isle today instead. And I can't wait to see your back colored, @Cork. Same for a lot of you who have posted your backs.

I'm in. Lone wolf for the event unfortunately :P

I need to organise this and make a reservation...I was out of town last weekend so I haven't had a chance to do that yet, but I'm going to get to that. Oh hell, let's do that now. Saturday evening poutine at Poutineville, let's say at 8pm unless anybody has any objections/tattoo appointments/etc. Who is in, are you bringing your partners, friends, etc? Reply here.

Sorry about the 401, but looking forward to the convention! :)

In 3 days I'll be speeding eastbound on the 401. Feels like the week leading up to Xmas when I was a kid.

I picked up Diablo 3 on my way home from work this evening. So, if @CultExciter doesn't mind, I'll borrow that excellent line and say, "Bye friends."

Having a last minute project, trying to find an artist I like for it. *White Rabbit running screaming I'M LATE! I'M LATE!!!* Hopefully I'll get a positive answer. Olivier Glamort having a cancellation on saturday is by best chance I guess. Send a e-mail to Dimitri Hk. Erf... I'll see what I can do when I'll get there. Otherwise I'll do it next year, being prepared sooner. Edit: Oh well god damnit, I was able to pay 200$ for this. (Really not a big tattoo but I understand that they have to make a bit of money too) But Dimitri only accept project of at least 400$. I have my sleeve in the process so i'm a bit low on the money I can spend... damn. I'll do it next year.

I love Phil's work.

Ha-ha. I don't think he's trying to reinvent the wheel as much as he's saying, "Aw, man. It's too hard to learn how to carve this thing until it's round. Maybe I can just charge twice as much and say it's punk rock to have fucked-up, bumpy wheels that don't roil."

of course there will always be exceptions. Ny adorned comes to mind. but so do countless other hot topic outlet tat shacks across the country. The second example that cltattooing gave seems to be the norm. People worried about the bottom line and little else, well maybe what color vinyl sticker to put on their hummer so everyone knows they own a tat shop. I personally will never work for someone who does not tattoo. I dont see the point. What can you learn from them? The vast majority of new people in this business have a very long or very short road ahead of them. Its up to the individual if they want to take control of their career and push themselves to improve everyday. Or you could just get a "neck blast" and some sick "hand jammers" so everyone knows you are one of the cool kids and pump out mediocre heath ledger portraits till its time to get a real job. I read on Tim Hendricks instagram something to the effect of there is no room in tattooing for mediocrity. I agree wholeheartedly be it tattooers or shops. If you arent willing to dedicate yourself get the fuck out. - - - Updated - - - Im a very positive person and not trying to be an asshole but any thread about a reality tattoo show is bound to go there!

Yes I travel by car from the UK to all over Europe as I hate flying lol My trips are usually around the 4000 mile mark every 6 months. All my back to back sessions so far have been fine apart from this last one, which was just one off day I guess, no explanation for it. I have been told by nearly all the artists that worked on me that I have very good skin for tattooing, don't ask me what that means lol I also heal very quickly which I guess is another bonus. I have fallen asleep a few times while getting tattooed and missed it all lol From my expirience so far, for me personally my thighs are by far the worst pain and my shin was extremely painful also. I am told ribs are terrible, which I guess i will find out in 2 weeks time as Carlos Torres is doing my whole side. I have asked for him to try and complete the whole rib and half chest side in back to back sessions in 2-3 days as he isn't long in London but I am not sure I will handle that so I guess I will wait and see :)

Time to make it official then! Winner of August 2013 tattoo of the month is @Graeme with his jaw droppingly beautful Thomas Hooper sleeve Congratulations!! Thanks everyone for your submissions. Super excited to see what September has in store for us!! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.

No offense bud, and I do understand your perspective. You have a right to express your opinion, just be prepared when the boomerang comes back at you :)

Guess that would depend on what your idea of success is. The fact that your friends shop is owned and run by a non tattooer makes it the opposite of a success. Its not always about money. Sometimes its about maintaining perspective in a time of bullshit reality tv and interlopers trying to burn tattooing for every dollar they can while the "fad" still lasts. Sometimes its more about what you put into tattooing than what you take out. Something that a non tattooer will never be able to do.

More about this, please. I'm intrigued. - - - Updated - - - And to answer the question myself: I definitely have a patchwork quilt goin' on, to borrow Bunny Switchblade's term. Sometimes, I meet a guy who has all Horitomo work or a a full body suit from Horitaka and I wish I'd gone that route, but honestly, I love the experiences I've had meeting different artists and collecting the way I have. So in the end, I probably wouldn't change anything.

It's a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Tattooing isn't the vehicle/computer industry. It has until recent years largely been ran by by a small microcosm of craftsmen/artists, rather than a committee running focus groups and assembly lines. The lamentable thing from my perhaps limited perspective is the advent of people who don't truly understand how it works influencing it. If it were the vehicle industry though, I much prefer the old days where the cars were crafted with care, by hand, and had much more flare/personality. The mass produced cars of today might be safe and comfortable, but they don't make you smile the same way that 66' corvette cruising down the road does.

You know that excited-anxiety feeling you get before a big upcoming session later in the day? More back piece progress incoming!

I read an article in I cant remember what magazine many years ago that pointed out that almost every question we get asked about our tattoos can also be directed towards a new teen mother example: "did that hurt?" "what do your parents think about that?" " you know you're stuck with that for ever, right?" "i cant believe you'd do that to your body?" "why would you do something so irresponsible?" etc., etc.

Now that my Todd Noble tattoo is done, I'm looking forward to my Grez appt at the end of the month. After that I have nothing on the horizon until tax return time. Haha.

Not a great photo, but this is part of my back after my 2nd session on it today. Photos stolen from Chad Woodley's instagram (@tattoosbychadwoodley).

Wish I had a full body piece like these. Too late now.

only one thing I would do differently... use the re-wrap healing method on all my tattoos, it would save me from some healing struggles I had with my first few. edit: and book appointments with rubendall 4 or 5 years earlier.

I'd have started sooner so i'd have more now. :D

Sounds great to me! Can't wait to see y'all :)

@Iwar Sounds good. We'll show you around the commonwealth. :)

@irezumi sent me this today: