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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)

Was done at Randy Englehard shop in Germany. 7-8 hours more progress now, artist Carlos Torres!

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

Got my walk in at Frith Street yesterday. Happened to get Oliver, he was an absolute gentleman, was a really nice experience overall. If any of you guys know the shop, Dante, Jordan and everyone else were hanging out joking, was so chilled. And I came out with a perfect tat :)

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...

That looks great but how is it going to hold up? ( Just trying to fit in here ;) I really don't care what it looks like in 20 years because that is one sick ass tattoo now)

I got this from Josh Adams a few months ago. I love it but it healed up a little weird in one spot (between the hands). It's probably just cause I already had a dry skin patch right there and never noticed until it was tattooed. I just set up an appointment with Frank William in a week and a half and I am stoked.

Blue tiger/dragon by Danny Rossiter of Rain City, Manchester, UK. Fell in love with the painting when he posted it on Instagram so had to snaffle it up :) pleased and sore.

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.

Thank you mate, I'm with you. It will last as long as it lasts:)

Mine is really simple. I shout from my station to my colleagues station 'I've had a cancellation/no-show too. Do me a tattoo NOW!' Then I spend the next hour pissing and moaning, accusing him of specifically trying to hurt me, saying how I'm sure I don't hurt my customers this bad, asking what have I ever done to him to deserve this terrible treatment, and swearing profusely. I then go back to work and moan to my customers about how much I hate being tattooed, which really helps them suffer the pain I'm sure! Tattooers make the worst customers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am gearing up to move into Oakland or SF in the coming weeks. And I have started a zine project. Also, looking for a new job/jobs. Big life moves for me, but nothing extraordinary.

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)

I looked over a couple of posts and realized I could have gone a little more in depth. It's been my experience with forums so far to tread lightly until you get the feel for how people interact there. My actual name is Darrell. Yes, the Sausage King, no not really. I just have an affinity for 80's movies and sometimes reference them. I'm from Birmingham, Al, although I've been just down the road in Tuscaloosa for the last 3 years. I decided to go back to school and so I'll graduate from the University of Alabama College of Commerce and Business Administration in December 2014 at the ripe young age of 37 with a double major in finance and economics and a specialization in macroeconomic and monetary policy. I haven't always been a stiff, so y'all don't hate me. I spent 15 years in the service business with 7 of it running a poker game in the Birmingham area. My hope is to apply for MBA programs in the Atlanta, Ga area after graduation and most hopefully find a job there. I have family there already. So that's me, and I want at least 3 large tattoos so the people I'll end up working with, where we'll all wear long sleeves and buttoned collars, won't have a clue that I'd be inked until the first company picnic, then they'll get the surprise. I'm not talking sleeves, but shoulder and back for now.

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.

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 :-)

not the best picture but i got this from Josh Adams yesterday while he was guest spotting @ Old Soul

Just dont worry, let it heal and if it needs fixing , get it fixed :) It will heal so don't fret !!

You will see him doing that often, yes. Show was great, saw old friends and made new ones. Such a good time. Highly recommend going to this; go support a living legend and get some priceless artwork.

NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2013 : Best Music Of 2013 : NPR I had fun going through this. Obviously Deafheaven is on there, but there were some real gems like Dawn of Midi - Dysnomia and I didn't realize The Flaming Lips released a new album last year.

I agree with the no outlines statement. That's why I said I'm rethinking that tattoo. Definitely still want it. Just need to find the right artist to help me translate that vision into something that works. I spoke with one in Miami who indeed told me that was not a great idea. I have read the What Makes a Good Tattoo thread, about half of it so far. I'll finish that later. I plan on reading a whole bunch of threads when I have free time.

Damn @peterpoose you have been getting nailed!

I'm going to second what @JAllen said about your username and I like you already because of it.

Excellent username choice.

Yes, that is inspiring and eye opening reinforcing for me that although I'm ready to move forward maybe other parts of the process are not lined up yet and I need to make sure it's done right, not necessarily done right now.

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

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..

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.

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.

I got a cobra wrapped around an ankh on Dec 29,2013 by Christine Vallieres at Old Town Ink in Scottsdale, AZ After my first tattoo, I thought about this one and what I wanted it to be. For me, it symbolizes rebirth of life and protection. I think snakes get a lot of bad rep but I think they are awesome creatures. I consider myself pretty spiritual so the Ancient Egyptian symbol of life fits with the snake imagery. Some people think it's an evil snake but it's not :p This tattoo, along with the one on my back of a scorpion and some Arabic script do mean quite a lot to me. I got them a year after I had a near death experience. I was hospitalized for a long time and lsot my job and almost had to return to living with my parents back in Connecticut. I beleive that I was given a second chance and was being watched over somehow. It made me think how precious my life is, how strong I actually was and how much people cared for me.

Healed from the London Tattoo Convention - by Chriss Dettmer

just a little Indian action and tiger from Kemer here at Superfly tattoos in Leon Mexico

going to la to finish this with bryan burk in a couple weeks. and i just booked a flight to austin in february emailed steve byrne! sorry if the pictures big

Okay, per request, one Monmon Cat by Horitomo. HORITOMO (@horitomo_stateofgrace) | Just finished | Intagme - The Best Instagram Widget

I tried to post this last night but it got caught by the spam filter for some reason. Done by Jeff Zuck in Ann Arbor, MI. I'm really blown away.

I like the idea of that burpees challenge. I got into the best shape of my life in last 2012/early 2013 and was setting PRs at every distance from 5k to the marathon. Then I got stupid plantar fasciitis and have spent more time eating pizza than I should have...

nO regrets with tattoos! i did chest and both ribs first. i decided to go this route so i could tile the background underneath the ribs. which would have made sense if i went with a japanese motif full tiger but instead i opted for a neo-trad tiger head. the narrow space did limit placement. i.e. a little too narrow to line up the mouth with the belly button and make the rest of the cat head fit within. my tummy tiger ended up sitting low and goes below the belt line (no biker bodysuit ha). the tiger head ended up smaller than I had originally envisioned but overall I love it and think it's size compliments my physique and does not overshadow my chest bird. in the end I am quite happy with how the layout of my torso tattoos ended up. i like the space and think that i got a pretty unique end result. <pics in my gallery> and now that the big placeholders are done my plan is to tighten up, add contrast and darken the background neck-to-crotch to coalesce it all as it is several artists who have contributed to this bizarre vision I had/have for my front tattoos. someone once told me i looked like the backboard on a pinball machine (which makes me a laugh, take it as a compliment)! on the flip side, if you go tummy first you might limit space for placement of chest and sides. so it's all relative, really. just go with the flow and let the plan develop as you make progress. nO reGretssss!!!

I had really worked on getting fit in 2012 and it culminated in me completing a Tough Mudder that October. then the holidays came and I got out of the habit and never really could stay consistent in 2013. So now I'm trying to commit to doing more in 2014 and have completed my first day of a 30 burpies for 30 days challenge. That should get me back on track.

Getting back from our road trip down to Cali today. Stopped by Off the Map northwest on the way up through Oregon just to sight-see. Super nice shop/people. If the stars align I'll be headed back down in august to get a piece from Henrik Grysbjerg who will be guesting for a few days. Crossing my fingers for a busy tattoo year!

1st day at my new job today. My commute to my previous job averaged 1.25 hours one way, the commute to my new job was 10 minutes one way :D

Me and @Pugilist got matching tattoos again. This is from Doc Forbes flash and was done by Chris Hold at Sacred Heart Tattoo in Vancouver, BC. It was a super fun one and Chris was a great dude to get tattooed by. Couldn't be happier with the tattoo and the whole experience.

Just got these two from Dusto at Tower Classic in St. Louis as a Christmas present to myself

Got this from Kirk Jones yesterday, birds wing look distorted but it is just the photo. Awesome guy, it is a shame I don't have another shoulder to get tattooed, easiest spot so far.

Friday the 13th tattooing at Kings Avenue!!! Sorta... Short 4 hour session today with Mike Rubendall at Kings Ave in Long Island. It's been freezing cold in NYC and I braved the train ride out to Long Island to continue work on my back piece. Added more color to the dragon. Here's the report. Enjoy! Alpha Omega original hanging in Rubendall's room. Details and colors are AMAZING!!! Straddling the chair and about to throwdown: And the results from today's work: Really digging the vivid colors: Slowly coming together: And of course I couldn't go home without grabbing these. I have a copy of the Fingerwave Book which these prints were made for. Saw the original hanging in the shop. LOVE the waves and happy that I own some Rubendall waves on my backside, hahaha

This is what I've had done so far. Four sessions; the rose and yet more black went in last Friday. By Grez at Kings Avenue.

About 4 more hours on my back today with Max. I'm going to try to make another trip down to Richmond before the end of the year. Sorry if it's huge but I'm on my phone right now.

Here is my Backpiece from @Stewart Robson started in London at FST November 2011. Did sessions in New York at Saved, SOG 2012, FST again in March and July 2013 and complete this past weekend at SOG. So between 2 continents, 3 cities and 60 isn hours this part of the journey is over. The piece is in the process of extending down the thighs and that will be completed at the end of November. Then we begin the front, have the subject picked out and stewart will be taking traces of me today.

Yesterday my wife had her 4th session on her backpiece, and the background brought it to life and we are so stoked I just had to share it with you all :-) The piece is made by Bonel from Corazon Santo in The Netherlands, which also did both of my sleeves and chest pieces :)

Tanners dragon and koi full back piece by Ben Lucas. Professional Tattooing & Piercing | Chico, Ca | Eye Of Jade Tattoo