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A picture taken after last sitting, by Matt Shamah

Popped into The Pearl this morning to catch a session with Tim Pausinger before he left for the Xmas holidays. He basically finished my chest piece. In January we'll link the shoulders and arms to it. He is also going to do some spider webbing between the tattoo and the bottom of my pecs. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Morning LST, after a long trip I made it home. As promised here is a pic of my finished (for now) back. Not the best pic but I'll see if I can get a better one ASAP. Completed over 5 sessions by Horinao at The Catclaw Tattoo-z Kyoto... I'm going to go pass out for a bit lol.

Here's my stab at it. Let's start at the top row from left to right: Gobu sleeves (five tenths) with hikae (chest plate), Shichibu sleeves (seven tenths) with hikae, classic munewari with gobu sleeves and thighs or basically a gobu munewari, next is a variation of the munewari with hanzubon (shorts) where the inner thigh is completely filled in with tattoo work, full body suit or donburi soushinbori with nagasode (long sleeves), the back piece diagram is kame no koh (turtle back) then the last suit is a shichibu munewari (seven tenths).

I don't make any special efforts to keep them covered around my parents, no. My parents live on the other side of the country from me and I see them once, sometimes twice, a year, so it's not a huge issue. My in-laws, on the other hand, don't know that me or my wife have tattoos, and they will not react nicely when they find out that we do, and so we both keep them hidden from them at all times. We live in the same city as them and see them often enough so the situation is getting pretty absurd. For example, this summer we were walking back from the store after grocery shopping and my wife spotted my mother-in-law standing at the corner of our street from a half a block away. She'd stopped by to drop off some vegetables from her garden and was waiting around to see if we would show up. I was wearing a short sleeved shirt. So we turned around, went down another street, waited around a corner until we were sure that she had left, and then returned home. Is this better at this point than having a huge fight, dealing with it, and eventually moving on? I kind of don't think so, but it makes for funnier stories.

I made an appointment with Ron Wells for January to extend the masked falcon he did for me into a half-sleeve. First addition is going to be a "sly fox," so stoked. Haven't seen him do a fox yet (just lots of awesome wolves) so I'm really excited to see what he comes up with. Longest six weeks of my life...

Give that man a prize!

Ended up booking in with Frank Carter this coming January at FST. Can't wait to get tattooed there, having heard and read so much about this shop over time. Hopefully just going to pick something out of flash or drawings.

I kept mine covered for so long, it just got to be too much. I got tired of wearing long pants, long sleeves, and keeping my hands in my pockets. Your mom will always look at you and still see the baby she first held at the hospital; it's what moms do. Change is difficult for a parent to accept. I know I look at my kids and can't believe where the time has gone. I went to my parents and had a very upfront talk with them about tattoos. I thanked them for raising me to be the person I am today, accepting and open minded. I explained why I do what I do. I think while they may not have wanted me to wind up heavily tattooed that they now understand it better. But a mom will always be a mom to her kids. My mom still pleads with me, "No more skulls".

My mom's reactions to my tattoos have gotten worse as I've gotten more. She was never crazy about me getting tattooed to begin with but when it was one or two she could pass it off as, I don't know, a passing phase or a temporary moment of bad judgement or something like that. I didn't stop at one or two though. My parents were staying with me and my wife during the most recent Montreal tattoo convention and they'd spent a few days in NYC and got back a couple of hours earlier than expected...just as I'd finished washing a new tattoo on my shin. And yeah it was a day old and still really fresh and my leg was all kinds of swollen and she saw that and nearly burst into tears and tried to make me say that that would be the last one and all that, which I wouldn't do. And at this point I don't even know what difference it would make if I stopped now because unless I tattoo my hands, neck, or face--which I don't plan on doing--I can't really get them in any more visible spots than I already have. My dad isn't crazy about the tattoos either, but he's kept quiet about it and has said that it isn't his body and so it isn't his decision. For better or for worse, I've been fairly open with my parents about my tattoos. I told them that I was getting my forearms done before I did them because I didn't want them to be surprised by it. I called my parents after I got my first one, again because I didn't want to surprise them. I should add that I wouldn't say that this has put stress on our relationship. My parents still love me no matter what, they know that I more or less have my shit together, and probably most importantly, that I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions even if they wouldn't make those decisions themselves (I think it was my cousin who said once that you raise your kids to be independent but then you get hurt when you realise that they actually are), but the tattoos still do really bother and upset my mom. This stuff is hard. Good luck.

i entered the top part last month now i am entering the bottom part. done by jeff gogue. sorry for the blurry pic and this pic was taken the day after so it wasnt "fresh"

I got this from Chad Koeplinger earlier this year. I love it, and I want to share it with you:

Just for reference folks, Tim is my mentor. The highest caliber of friend and tattooer.

Hey, Just Taking a minute to introduce myself. My Name is Timothy Morris. Im a Tattooer at Black Tide Tattoo in Chippewa Falls, WI. As well as a Father To an Awesome little dude! I started watching some of the artist interviews and really enjoyed them. Also enjoy being able to open up another avenue for correspondence with like minded people, Tattooers and collectors. Thanks for the opportunity to be apart of the community!

@hogg @CultExciter I am proud to own that arm! haha The daruma on my hand and some additional maple leaves don't appear in the picture here.

Work in progres, done by Neno from Hidden Dragon Tattoo, Zadar, Croatia. Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

I do believe that is on our own @Brock Varty

Welcome, Tim! That koi/hannya sleeve is beautiful.

George Archer Always amazing.

Chad Koeplinger made this on my upper arm when he visited Oslo in October. Hard to get a good picture because the tattoo wraps around my arm, but you get the idea :)

This is the only Francis that matters...

Ross Nagle is great with daggers. i got one from him earlier this year while he was guesting in NY

After 15 months of no ink, I'm back in the saddle and strapped in for a long ride. Randy Muller at Eye Candy in New Orleans finally started my back (partial cover-up) this past Tuesday night. We got 90% of the line-work done. Skull and dragon. He's asked for no internet pictures until we're close to finishing - so I've got to respect that. Obviously will be posting a series of photos some time (hopefully) later in 2014.

Those Trevino skull beads are my favourite. I love those. When I was trying to figure out how far down my arms I was comfortable going, and what I would later get to extend the sleeve, something along those lines definitely came to mind. Then I realised that if I was already thinking of extending a 3/4-ish sleeve before I'd even started it that I should just suck up my hesitations and get it all the way to the wrist to begin with. The skull beads still totally rule though.

This is my favourite. Chris Trevino is a machine.

Last night a girl asked me why I had a butterfly tattooed on my hand, I told her "Because when you're an actual tough guy you can get whatever kind of girly tattoos you want."

If you really don't want to talk to them, you could always respond to their questions with a series of clicks and chirps.

How about just say, "It's open to interpretation. It means whatever you want." I think I'll go with that next time and leave it at that. That's art. What they mean or don't mean to you can be personal--you don't have to explain yourself to anyone. The last person who asked me why I got a tiger I just said, "I liked it." There are things that I associate it with but I just didn't feel like saying any more. Isn't that enough? That we get images that we like. Yeah. I think so.

It could be because I'm a long-haired and bearded burly dude with skulls tattooed on my arms, living in a place where I feel I see more tattooed people than non-tattooed people, but I don't really experience people asking me about what my tattoos mean. I think that women on the whole get this a lot more than men. People mostly leave me alone. I was a little bit concerned about getting "what does it mean" questions about my (in-progress) sleeve because there's a specific visual reference there that I don't really want to explain, but thankfully the raven's head there is hidden by a t-shirt so hopefully I'll mostly avoid that question while I figure out a stock bullshit answer. I have nothing against tattoos with meaning (for that matter, I have nothing against tattoos without meaning either) I just think that the way most people go about getting a "meaningful" tattoo is all wrong. From what I've seen on the internet, the "meaning" takes priority over the strength of the image, and that's all backwards. You're going to associate your tattoos with whatever meaning you choose to give them anyway, there's no need to have hidden initials or a representative number of flower petals or whatever there. I spend too much time looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet.

By Valerie Vargas drawn straight onto my arm

Got this from Kyle Crowell at Torch Tattoo in Anaheim back in August.

Can anyone tell me a story about a parent, family member, or someone else you care about who had seriously negative reactions to your tattoos, but eventually came around? What did it take? Did you ever sit down and have a talk with the person? Explain more about tattooing or about why you're getting them? Did you just wait for them to relax on their own? Or maybe they never came around? Is it still a stress on your relationship with that person? Just thinking about my relationship with my mom as I consider moving into the world of much more visible tattoos than what I currently have... I know she "should" love me no matter what I decide to do with my own body, but her reactions have been so strong and so negative so far that I'm kind of worried. Thanks for indulging me, haha.

Hello everybody, my name is Matthew Welch. I'm a tattooer since November, 2004. Currently traveling, I began working in North Florida and have been on the road since August of this year, after living in Southern New Mexico from 2011-2013. I enjoy many styles, and focus on traditional styles of tattooing and painting. I like to be an active and welcoming part of the tattoo and art community. I'm here to share art and discussions in the forum, network with other artists, and be involved, in general. I'm also inviting anyone to find me on Facebook, or take a look on my instagram, @matwelch if interested in my work or travels. Maybe we'll get to meet in person someday, have a little fun, who knows:cool: thank you!

Really excited to say I just booked in for the full "turtle shell" back piece with Aaron Bell. Getting a western traditional lion. Starting around a year from now!

Awesome! That sinking ship rules!

Really beautiful! Congrats on that awesome work!

I posted this elsewhere.... have you ever gotten the couple where the wife sits outside in the car and honks the horn and comes in a few times demanding when he's going to be done? Rob

Saw this on FB today.. Kick ass piece and awesome to see it getting recognition!!

Oh shit, those are cool. Might have to start a painting!

Jonah's a rad dude. He's from the Bay Area originally, but he was tattooing out of Invisible in New York for a while before heading back to California. Really solid guy.

Here is my back-piece from @Stewart Robson Started - 11/25/2011 Completed - 11/24/2013 The tattoo has 78 hours in total.

Getting a dagger from Scott Sylvia in two weeks. Beyond excited.

Ha ha ha.......well this is truly what I have focused my "collecting" on! Can I ask why pick the year 1985? I am just curious...... - - - Updated - - - Here are a few off the top of my head..... There are probably several more but I am not sure they have made it to the 28-30 year mark just yet so i didn't include them...... Debra Yarian Debbie Lenz Gale Watkins (my mentor) Tony Polito Mike Perfetto Steve Delgatto Jerry "Reds" Donohoe Ronnie Dell'Aquila Richard Stell John Black Tom Beasley Ritchie Montgomery Dana Brunson Jennie Peace LeDan Peace Stan Moskowitz Marvin Moskowitz Ernie Carafa Jerry Swallow Juli Moon George Benjamin Mike Skiver

Looking for pics and ideas for collar tattoos (below the neck) that encircle the collar. I first noticed the mala bead tattoos some irezumi have in their tattoos and really liked the idea: I'm thinking chains, ropes, beads, wreaths, ouroboros, or even Hooper style filigree would look great Wondering how something like that affects a back tattoo- better to wait, get the back tattoo and bring it around from there? *NOTE I have nothing against script collar tattoos, I'm just looking for collar tattoos that are image based.

I know I joke about a lot of stuff (especially my skinny naked man-ass!!!) but really, getting the back piece has been like therapy for me this past year. Starting March 19th 2012 I started having some really bad back and pelvis issues. Through misdiagnoses and what not it has been a real struggle to get it corrected. A LOT of really low points in my life over the past year with some very bad chronic pain. I was beginning to get to the point that if pain was all that was left for me the rest of my days, I'd just pull a Hunter S. Thompson and not live like that anymore. Chronic pain over a long period of time can fundamentally change your personality. But, anyway I went ahead and I got the back piece started on June 30th, 2012, and about once a month thereafter I'd go in for another 3 hour session. For those 3 hours I'd know getting tattooed was going to hurt worse than my back and pelvis was that day, when it was gonna start hurting, about how much it was going to hurt, and then, when I'd had enough, I could say "Stop, I've had enough." Long story short, I got the back all finished, touch-ups and all around January 20th 2013. Ironically (hipsterism!!!) I was reading Tamblog shortly thereafter and saw one of the health posts and discovered Piriformis Syndrome (look it up on wikipedia folks, it ain't fun), turns out that's what I have. It can be fixed with exercise and physical therapy, and I'm now on the road to recovery. I ain't out of the woods completely yet, but I'm getting there. I feel much better now and I've buried Hunter completely.

This is how I feel. My tattoos empower me and are an extension of myself/my personality and therefore, have more meaning than if they referred to a meaningful time in my life. The tattoo I go for my grandmother is my least favorite tattoo, not that I regret it, but trying to be so tedious about getting it right lost the meaning behind it somewhere. It probably would have been a better tattoo if she gave me the tattoo as a gift and we came up with ideas together and made a day of it. Bottom of the line, people who ask "what does it mean" or "did it hurt" or "how much did it cost" really don't give a shit about tattoo community or culture. They just think its a "cool" thing to do. To me, its so so much more...

I always explain that the dragon means I think that dragons look badass. Ditto for pretty much every other tattoo I have. Yes, a few of them mean something, but I'm not about to break it down for a stranger. And even the "meaningful" tattoos are on me because I think they look good.

Most people I just simply tell them they watch too much TV and I don't want to talk about my tattoos because they bring up a dark part of my life and I paid my debt to society. Either that or that I was really drunk and don't remember why I got them. In the shop talking to customers, I usually use a sports analogy. I explain that tattoos are what I follow, like most would follow a sports team. Can you imagine being able to book a couple hours with your favorite sports star and have a permanent souvenir. The experience holds more meaning than the tattoo,but the tattoo is a reminder of the experience. I usually let the tattooer pick the image, because I want a tattoo that represents their style, so I remember where I got it from. They either get it or just continue to mouth breath, until I start talking about their idea again, but either way it shuts them up. I think the most important thing is having people in real life an on the internet to vent about these things and understand we to some degree go through the same things having tattoos.

@hogg This thread was really created to get you to post up a pic of your Cripwell roses I'm really digging the modified mala idea, since I'm not Buddhist, something like the Tibetan version that use the tiny skulls: - - - Updated - - - Awesome black and gray collar design from Goethe: