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I don't have many tattoos yet but I love the ones I do have. New one done last month at Frith Street by Stewart Robson... (I hope it works)

Cheers :-) Alright then, there is still loads to go, even just planning certain bits out we haven't finished yet, need to get the fingers finished, bloody loads to go on the lantern, try to fit the background into the Jess Yen work on the left thigh, then put lots of sweeping hair across the face - but here's our start! Will be full colour in the face/hand/lantern, and loads more black in the background. Will take quite awhile, trust me! I will update as we go if people are interested, cheers :-)

Done today by Paul Slifer at Red, Hot and Blue Tattoo in Edinburgh,

I forgot I posted Louie in this thread, haha. Since then I got a dog, she'll be a year old next week. Louie's friends with her now but it took awhile. Bonnie: Bonnie kayaking: (well, taking a break from kayaking)

Yeah, that's the video. Good stuff. With these kinds of threads I feel that we too often miss the point. When talking about Chad's tattoos, for instance, what makes his tattoos so great is that they have real power. Line weight plays into it, sure, but not as much as that his drawings are loose, they're big and bold, they're aren't picky or finicky, they're just straight up fucking powerful. Fat lines alone isn't going to make a tattoo good.

I second @Killercook76. Definitely tell them your budget and also know it's OK to ask for a ballpark even when the design is in limbo. I ask all the time and they usually give me a range, then I save the amount of the highest figure + tip.

Not to sound too creepy or anything, but I'm always ridiculously jealous every time you post pictures of your arms.

Tattoos are for degenerates and evildoers.

Updated--- 3.5 hours in the chair last night, same shop, same artist.

3.5 hours in the chair last nite at Studio 69 on Long Island, NY. The artist is Gina Sherry.

Not one on myself, but one I put on a good friend recently. He came home for New Year's to surprise his family, and drove three hours to surprise my fiancée before she went home to Ireland. I was the only one who knew of his plans, and thankfully he avoided all the snow issues. Inside of the knee/thigh... or the No Fun Zone.

Healed pic of my Scott Sylvia (BlackHeart Tattoo - SF) roses from Dec 2013. Happy New Year, everyone!! :D

My old boss had been putting money in the stock market for something like fifteen or twenty years planning for his retirement. Then the recession hit. If he'd spent that money on tattoos he'd at least have something to show for it.

Oof, that is annoying. Yeah, I guess it's a bad financial decision if you view it as a financial decision! I have never gotten a tattoo as a financial decision--my 403b account and life insurance were financial decisions. Tattoos are more of a personal decision. Everyone gets to decide what they want to spend their money on. Some women spend thousands on freakin' purses, and I shouldn't comment on that because it's their choice and I have some other material stuff I like buying, too, but at least the tattoos are going to last. They are not an investment, they are a pursuit. You can win--get the tattoos you want and enjoy them.

Be wary of pictures like that. It looks great like that, but how is it going to look healed? How will it look 20 years from now? I think if I was in that guy's position that I'd rather get laser and have far more options. But seriously, talk to an artist and get a professional opinion because all we can do here is speculate on what will work.

Welcome. Respect for your dedication in going to the artist you really want no matter the money or patience required.

Well I don't doubt that the show is lame and shouldn't be watched and that the terminology is a little broad but the image of ganesha shows up as Ganapati and Vinayaka tantric buddhism. Or somethin like that, haha.

Nathan Kostechko I fell in love with this the other day. I would totally consider doing something like this for filler, very neat!

Booked in a few early February sessions with William Yoneyama to punish my ribs today, no prizes for guessing which animal I'm going with. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sunscreen is good defense...i was pretty overzealous during my early years living with tattoos. then i got a lot more ink, got lazy of lathering and tired of smelling like a god damn pina colada all the time. coverup, wear long sleeves if you are going to be out in the sunshine for long periods, don't stay exposed long enough to get a burn. i mean that is good sense whether you look like a colouring book or not. yknow that pesky thing they call skin cancer... the gent who did my first tattoo told me that tattoos look the best ten years after they were made. they look worn, the look weathered, they have aged gracefully with you. the tattoos have mileage and your stories attached to make them alive. i looked up this tattooer 10 years later and stopped by his shop to show him that decade old first tattoo. and to tell him he was god damn right! take care of your body and keep healthy. healthy skin will make the tattoo look better and keep it looking like a good tattoo. that is the best long-term tattoo care advice i've been given and that i can share.

Healed from the London Tattoo Convention - by Chriss Dettmer

I love this thread. My girls: This is Daisy. She's a retired racing greyhound and is the sweetest, laziest dog ever. We adopted her from a greyhound rescue about a year and a half ago and watching her go from being this dog that had never lived in a home before to being this sweet little girl who just wants cuddles from everybody she sees (except for children, she is afraid of them) has been one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced in my life. http://distilleryimage5.s3.amazonaws.com/a5b74d08dff811e1a2ce22000a1c86dc_7.jpg And this is Susan (grey one) and Willa (orange one). They're sisters. We adopted them from friends of friends who took in a pregnant stray off the street. She gave birth to four kittens. We couldn't decide which one we wanted so we got two. The guys who took in their mother from the street read somewhere that the best way to socialise kittens is to hold and touch them from birth so they have none of the usual cat aloofness and you can pick them up and cuddle them and rub their bellies and basically do whatever you want with them. Willa regularly shits outside of the litter box because she's an asshole. http://distilleryimage3.s3.amazonaws.com/ee70b336e26911e1bb6a1231381f737d_7.jpg

my cat Louie... only photos I have were taken when we first got him from the shelter a year ago. He's got two extra toes on each paw.

Tim at The Pearl finished my left shoulder on Wednesday. My chest piece is now fully connected. There is just a little spider-webbing left to do on my pecs and the chest, she is done. I'll post next week. So close...so close...

I totally agree @bongsau. Assuming the application and execution of the tattoo was good, the rest is just a reflection of the health of your skin, which is built upon a healthy body. Obviously, the sun is the #1 killer of tattoos - but eating, drinking, and living right go a long way as well

Thanks. I drew the chain up in CAD a few weeks back, made a few sizes up and brought it with me. The background we made up as we went along. Rob

Whoa awesome. Very unique.

The main questions I've had about my lady head are: Who is she? Why do you have a massive womans head on your leg? Fortunately she is based off a character in a book series I love so I can just go with that. My next tattoo is going to be a deer head wearing a big fruit hat, so I have no idea what I'm going to tell people when they ask what that means, haha! I'll think I might have a bit of fun and make some stupid shit up. This thread is giving me lots of good ideas. Hate the questions about cost! So rude!

Hayden, Jun's pieces are the only ones I have..I followed his progress from my mid to late teens and basically said to myself I'm going to get tattooed by him no matter the time or cost. His super hard to get accepted by and given I live in OZ his also really far away and really expensive comparatively... So far I'm happy with the process/tattoos and I highly recommend him to anyone interested in B&G..

My parents were definitely not enthusiastic about me getting tattooed at first and would slip an "advice" on how it might negatively affect my life here and there, but they were never harsh about it and kept cool I guess. They don't have to like it but I always thought I owe it to them to explain why I do it and how I feel about the effects it may or may not have on my life. I make it a point to always tell them before getting tattooed and occasionally talk about tattoos or about my future tattoo plans so that even if they won't like it, at least they'll get used to it. But as time went by (and not a long time at all tbh) they've become much more positive about it and both told me that they now see tattoos in a very different way and realize that even "good guys" get tattooed. My dad even told me that he's happy that I "know what I like and have the confidence to pursue it no matter what people think". I can't say the same about my aunts/uncles and grandparents, but everyone is treating me positively as always so far, so I guess I can't complain...:)

That woman is like your typical egotistical, know-it-all tattooer. She thinks she's an expert and prattles on about how everyone should respect her, but all I've seen her do is those cluttered Hindu designs with mandalas shoved everywhere in them. I tend to watch the show in the background of doing something else, so I might have missed it, but did Mohawk Guy do his peacock backwards? If so, it went unnoticed by the judges. And the phoenix was decently done, although the coloring made it look more like a parrot. I thought that samurai chest piece was fucking awful (she obviously doesn't understand wind bars, and his wrist looked broken) and should have went home over the crane. But then again, really the only one I thought was all that good was the snake, although I prefer red or black snakes.

Yea, most of mine have a pretty thick outline too. It'll be interesting to see how they age - talking in 30-40 years. I wonder what some of the old timers would consider a "small" tattoo when referring to thick outlines.

Victor Portugal:)

Haha, I'm not sure how I'm all of a sudden an authority on good tattoos.

Interesting comments on thick outlines in this video (starting at the 5:20 mark). Some pretty cool history, too

I can't wait to join the backpiece club. Still months to go until I start.

I got the first layer down on this new oil. Trying to improve all the time.

Welcome to the dark side! :) I think my perspective has changed from gawking at heavily tattooed people to now seeing them as normal and people with one or two small tattoos as strange. Actually it was only recently I realized how I don't even give people with a lot of tattoos (hidden or visible) much thought whereas all the people I know with little or none see me as an anomaly. It is much better to be on the inside looking out, for sure.

This is an interesting thread! I always exfoliate and moisturize but 2 weeks before I intensively exfoliate and moisturize the going-to-be-tattooed area. The week before I focus on drinking at least 2L of water of day to make sure my lymph is moving well and no sugar or caffeine. The day of I try to eat well but not heavily, bring snacks if it runs more than 2 hours and after I want some kind of massive protein and starch mega meal. 5 Guys, lettuce-wrapped, bacon cheeseburger and cajun fries is my favorite. (Unless I am at Spider Murphy's than I want Sol Food Puerto Rican and in Berlin I ate the most gigantic plate of schnitzel and spaetzle ever...but y'all get the idea). Sometimes I wash that night sometimes I don't but I definitely whine a lot and get crabby for the next 24-36 hours....which is really the most important part of the ritual. The whining and crabby-cakes. My husband loves it.

I got some blackberries, leaves, branches, and another rose added to my arm yesterday (Kim Saigh at Memoir).

For your consideration. Just got this yesterday from Beau Brady while he was at Invisible NYC this week and a few forum members suggested I put it up in here. Thanks!

I've just got back from Mexico, WOW! love that place, will definitely be going back for sure. Good food, Bad Alcohol (but lots of it!) I Also spotted Oliver Peck, met Liam Sparkes (nice guy) and physically bumped into Jared Leto. Crazy trip, Bring on the next one. Happy New Year!

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".

Here it is, my naked self on a cold winters night...finished and healed pics of my back by Dean Sacred.

That's fantastic. I would be standing in front of a mirror looking over my shoulder constantly.

Zatoichi our eyeless cat, adopted from the wonderful no-kill, vegan animal shelter Freshfields in Liverpool (and Wales): Freshfields Animal Rescue Centre Damn, I love this ridiculous cat. I used to work at Freshfields and can guarantee that it is a great place and really worth supporting. If you are thinking of acquiring a beast I would urge you to give them a try.