Leaderboard

Birthday gift to myself. Tattoo by Matt Howse at Seventh Son SF CA. Photo pulled from his instagram. Stoked.

Got this namakubi from Koji Ichimaru today at State of Grace. That's one off the bucket list! Stole this from his Instagram.

I'm taking this over here now because I feel like it. And I'm not talking about anyone in particular so if you think I am don't get defensive or flatter yourself. This isn't about you. A "troll" is commonly defined as someone who posts sh*t on the internet to get a reaction -- even if it's something they don't believe themselves, e.g. OBAMA = HITLER. It's very hard not to fall into their little traps and, as annoying as they are, I must admit I have a weird respect for them as pranksters and anarchists. They can be pretty entertaining sometimes (though not often) but it's best to ignore them and hope they go away. Then there's another type of person who makes some kind of inflammatory or potentially offensive statement that they actually do believe. Those people are also trying to stir the pot and get attention – even if it's negative attention, kind of like our six-year-old at times. Those traps are harder to avoid. I think the thing to remember is that some people don't care about having a meaningful discussion or debate – only being "right." And they will never stop arguing until they get the last word. They will never see your point or try to understand your point of view because they don't care. They won't admit they're wrong – ever. (BTW I've also seen a few "success stories" on here of people who stop being bullheaded and stubborn and actually listen to what other people have to say – other people who know a lot more about the subject than they do. Some people just go away which is fine by me, but LST has also "saved" one or two from getting bad or mediocre tattoos by steering them in the right direction, suggesting artists, etc. Actually, I wouldn't mind seeing a thread just about those success stories, but maybe later.) I myself have said plenty of dumb sh*t on here and been schooled a couple of times. I've agreed to disagree on a few occasions and always apologized if I offended someone – or at least tried clarify myself if I felt I was being misunderstood. But really we're all here for the same reason, which is to talk about tattoos, share and look at kickass tattoos, and occasionally debate the finer points of tattoos and tattooing. Preferably in a respectful way without name-calling or singling anyone out. One reason why this board is so great and different from a lot of others is that we've been able to maintain this kind of intelligent, respectful discourse. In part that's because we're able to "police" ourselves and call out the trolls and the haters when they do rear their ugly heads. There's been some talk recently about this board going negative and scaring some people away. I hope that doesn't happen but that's also part of the process of weeding out. Some people need "tough love" instead of telling them what they want to hear. If you've read this far, thank you for letting me get on my soapbox for a bit. I've been really proud of the people who've been standing up for themselves and others – some women in particular – and not letting the haters and the trolls get away with their bullsh*t. But at the end of the day, you can try to slap some sense into some people and all you get is a sore hand.

This is mine from Fergus Simms. Legit one of the best people to get a tattoo from.

My first real post and another reaper for the page: Got this today from Kapten Hanna at Idle Hand in San Francisco. Took this from her IG.

I should know better than to reply to a thread started and then fuelled by a couple of clown-ass trolls, but you all rule and have brought a lot of great discussion to this thread. All I have to add to the discussion is that I think LST's slogan of GET GOOD TATTOOS is a great one and part of taking that seriously means using this forum to empower people, regardless of their body or body image, to seek out and get good tattoos that excite them and make them happy. There's no room here for body-shaming and making people feel that they somehow don't deserve a nice tattoo unless their body fits a pre-established mode of beauty. Go fuck yourself if you disagree.

I was hoping to see some troll (or atleast onis, demons, etc.) tattoos here...

@Aussie Tom I 100% percent agree, every time someone asks me where to get their first tattoo from I tell them to go to Fergus not only because you'll get a great tattoo but because it will be the most relaxed tattoo experience you'll ever have. also here's my latest from the man himself just on the arse end of healing.

Thanks for the lecture write up @irezumi! Chris Brand's lecture, woah! Your words ring absolutely true and I don't need to repeat you. I can't wait to re-watch that when they post the video. You are also indeed correct with regards to Junii. She was very nervous and as you said at times struggled, but the emotion that came through was definitely felt by the audience. She absolutely deserved the standing ovation she received. I have much respect for this stand out Lady. Speaking of another nervous speaker, I spoke with Jill after her lecture. We had a good laugh that she was so incredibly nervous, she absolutely could not bring herself to look up from her notes when speaking. At all! She had single minded focus looking down at her 8 1/2" x11" sheets. "There was a crowd in the lecture hall, what?" Ha ha. But her lecture was a good one as well. And an interesting one that worked well as a follow up to Chris Brand's 108 heroes of Los Angeles. Hers was about a Client who's bodysuit looked traditionally Japanese, but upon closer inspection actually held historical Mexican stories and legends. His back piece was a translation of the Mexican flag telling the story of the founding of what would be Mexico City, but rather than depicting an eagle it held a falcon which is a common motif in Japanese tattooing where an eagle was not. Then she translated two Aztec gods as dragons for each sleeve. Quetzalcoatl, a winged serpent, was depicted as a winged dragon and the other was depicted as a floppy eared dog-like dragon (can't remember the god's name) but she used these not to dis-similarly to the pairing of Fujin and Raijin. The whole of it balanced out not too unlike the idea in some Asian cultures for the 4 directions. What's best of all is all of the lecture subjects are also in the catalogue and soon to be online for everyone, I believe. Oh, and the 50 bodysuits on stage were amazing. No picture I've seen online do them the justice deserved. When will you ever see that again I mean? Jill had initially asked me to participate in it but modesty got the best if me and I declined. In hindsight had I asked about the format I could have totally rocked a fundoshi. Strength in numbers ;-) On a last note, one of the best experiences I had at this show was engaging in a conversation with a gentleman who was looking at 3 of Shige's clients back pieces. He had no tattoos and was dumbfounded by Shige's work. He asked me how such a thing could be done. He was so amazed by the quality that when I mentioned Shige works by machine and not by traditional hand tools, he thought Shige input the design into a computer and a machine tattooed the image onto the Client. With all these threads on here about negative experiences from people without tattoos, this is a fantastic show for people with no tattoos to experience and learn about a culture and educate themselves and a great way for people with tattoos to engage them in a friendly dialogue.

In my opinion a troll is somebody who upsets people on purpose. Some of the people here seem to lack the social skills to avoid accidentally insulting people. However the outcome is the same either way: people are upset. I have to say this forum is probably the only forum I've been on that feels this strongly about women's rights without actually being a feminist forum, and that's pretty cool.

Cool but not cool! Haha I've been working on my "personal statement" for the past... million weeks. Ugh, I hate trying to talk myself up/writing personal essays. I'm hoping whoever reads it has a sense of humor or I'm fucked lol As for me, my now husband has passed the 90 days sober mark (longest stretch of time to date) and it's amazing how much my life has changed as a result of his sobriety. We've been going out more, spending our (his) money on mutual activities and just soaking up (real) life. He's also agreed for us to adopt a dog this summer (the last one didn't work out for a bunch of reasons) so I'm sooo excited for that because I haven't had a dog in years.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I've had to tattoo over too many long-healed upper thigh scars on girls in my generation to gloss over body image issues so easily. Or heard girls that can't weigh more than 125 pounds talk about how they want to lose weight before they tattoo their ribs or belly. Or been asked about covering stretch marks from when they had kids, despite that being a completely normal and natural thing. Etc., etc., etc. So, rather than think you're entirely the victim and getting attacked here (which I would say has gone a bit overboard, based on misunderstanding of some of your original points due to poor phrasing and explanation), realize that you do have a warped understanding of how deeply body image can affect women who have been conditioned by society to hate their bodies. Also, you should worry far more about poorly done tattoos than tattoos that don't fit the body.

Some progress on my Marius Meyer backpiece last week. He did all the green/scales ..

Awesomely-worded post, @DJDeepFried .

I'lll throw my recent experience out there. I bought a roll of Saniderm to try out on the tattoo I got last weekend. Before this I always washed 2-3x's a day/ointment 2-3 days/then lotion method. Worked fine, but was annoying as I am getting my entire leg done and having ointment all over it for days at a time was pain. So last weekend I got a tattoo pretty high on my thigh, unwrapped and washed as soon as I got home, put a really thin layer of ointment on and went to bed. Next morning I applied the Saniderm. It was not hard for me to apply, but it was harder for me to cut a piece from the roll (I was wishing at that point I would have just purchased the pre-cut pieces). I kept it on for 4 days. I had hardly any fluid seepage I think because I waited 12 hours before applying it. After 4 days I removed it, slowly, in the shower while using soap and water. It was a tad tender while removing it from the tattoo. But my tattoo looked great! It started peeling the next day, but it was barely any peeling (i usually peel really bad). I was impressed! Overall, the process was so low-maintenance and easy that I was really happy! It seemed counter-intuitive to throw a bandage on and ignore the tattoo for 4 days, but this is the best heal I've had so far, and the easiest by leaps and bounds! I'm definitely glad I gave it a try and will continue to use it for future tattoos.

For those who want to know what Horimitsu is like, I found this. It's an interesting story of getting tattooed by him before the digital age when you could just Google everything, and it's written by somebody who actually speaks Japanese.

I was simply responding to this ^^^. I never actually used the word sexist but the comment you made came across as rather judgmental. That is all. The original post that started this thread was from a troll. Yes, I have "liked" many of the things said on this thread. You don't seem to understand but it's ok. Life will go on. Good tattoos will happen.

Women go to extreme measures to force their bodies to fit some...whatever, some stupid image that mostly males have foisted upon us that we are less, we're unworthy, if we don't look like this specific ideal. Anorexia, bulimia, eating cotton balls, exercising for hours, surgeries, heck yeah body image is a big part of our lives. Our every day lives, it's all around us, constantly. Men telling us what we can/can't do to *our* bodies, actually trying to pass LAWS to govern what males feel we should and shouldn't do..you know what after a while it gets to be a little fricking old. We're told and it's pretty much beaten into us, from a young age, little girls in elementary school, how we don't fit in w/other girls, and it never quits. Until you've been a girl, a girl who doesn't have a "perfect" body, perfect clothes, perfect hair, perfect skin, perfect teeth, a girl who has looked in the mirror and wished she was dead b/c of how she looks and how others treat her, until you've had your body completely taken over and warped from having kids and nursing, I think maybe a person should just shut their pie hole about how women should and shouldn't feel and how body image is portrayed.

Hey Everybody, My name is Josh. I live in Los Angeles county but I am originally from Philadelphia. I am a former U.S. Marine, now I am working on my PhD in History and currently teaching at community colleges. I think tattoos are both good and bad, like many things in life. I believe it is our right to be able to put what we want on our bodies, however, I think we should all think carefully and plan before doing such. In my military days I was too "live in the moment" and now have two tattoos that are not terrible but not great either and do not have any real significance. I joined here to get advice on how I should go about finding a tattoo artist who has the right skills needed to preform a cover up on my specific tattoos (different cover ups require different skill-sets) and to show case some of my good friend's tattoo artwork he sends me from prison. I'll post my tattoos when I write enough posts to start a new thread. Looking forward to meeting great people on here. -Josh

No one here is trying to dissuade you from getting a tattoo, but we want you to get the best tattoo possible. Right now might not be the best time to get your first tattoo if your limitations are so steep. However, if you do want a black and gray tattoo in Fredericksburg, you could do a lot worse than the fine folks at Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival.

What a tattoo "means" is going to change over the course of your life. It becomes part of you and part of your experiences. Don't compromise the design of it for something that is meaningful to you now.

I'm gonna start telling clients to bring a roll of paper towels, a razor and some tape. BYOS

I don't think it's a terrible tattoo. (I've seen worse.) What I don't like about it is no flow. It's kind of a straight line and doesn't fit her body well. You want to see some nice roses, check out @TrixieFaux 's tattoo in progress. I'm biased cos I get to look at it every day, but it's incredibly realistic and detailed and has a nice thick outline. It's fun to plan out your tattoo, but it's a common misconception that you have to come in with a design all worked out. If anything, it's best to come in with an open mind. Any good tattooer you can just say roses, butterfly, color or black & gray, and where you want it, and let them do their job. The most important thing is picking a good artist in a style you like. Tim Hendricks is the LeBron James of tattooing roses, but assuming you can't get with him or make the effort to do so, I'd consider widening your search. A tattoo like that might take what -- six hours or so? (I'm not a tattooer.) So a drive two hours in either direction is a long day but definitely not impossible and totally worth it for, yes, something that will be on your body forever.

^ I agree, I hate how fetishized tattoos are. Not even just on women, probably half the pictures of guys with tattoos are the smoldering model types. Most of the time when I try to google certain designs, I feel like I'm looking at soft-core porn. I've always thought tattoos are more for the individual getting them (not in the upside-down "IT'S FOR ME!" way :rolleyes:), but this hyper sexual stance on tattoos makes it seem like you get them to get ogled by strangers. I feel more beautiful with mine, I don't need to dress like a porn star to express that.

This is a thought I'm having after reading the above discussion: The problem I see with a great deal of these "after-care" products is the push and branding of them as opposed to the actual usage. I'd venture to say that some folks (not referring to LST members) often spend more time thinking on which after-care lotion to use than they do in regards to picking their tattooer. And for me, there lies some of the resentment. A great margin of these products are made by non-tattooers. Myself personally, I'd rather spend the cash I have getting the most amazing tattoo I could and going out again and getting another, healing it simply with what has worked for decades, than give a thought to these products that will make exponentially more money from selling their wares and not giving back to the tattoo community.

To the OP, this idea can definitely look amazing if handled properly. This only works if red is evenly composed throughout the design. Having red in just the bug but not the roses will look odd, and if B&G is combined with color it will look like 2 different tattoos that got smashed together or 2 tattoos layered in an unaesthetic fashion.

2 hours is a very short drive for a tattoo that will last a lifetime. also some brutal honesty that tattoo you posted is pretty terrible

I'm am sure the guys at Absolute would have zero problem tattooing someone who is 18 years old. I'm curious where you heard that misinformation? But to answer your question, it depends on what style your son wants. Does he want a traditional tattoo, black and grey? Definitely have your son explore the various tattooers portfolios so he can figure that out. Personally, I've only been tattooed at Absolute Art and Salvation Tattoo (I love the work of Mike Rennie, Brian Bruno, Dave Boiseneau, Matt Brotka, Josh Autry, Nate Moretti, Katie Davis and Fred Pinkard). But I like the work of tattooers at Hold It Down Tattoo, Max Wetzel at 212 Tattoo, and Tony Talbert at River City Tattoo. But there are many tattooers in Richmond and it all depends on who you want to work with.

Thanks man. Had the idea in my head for a while and was stoked when Hanna said she liked it and had a spot. I love the colors she chose, especially that cool purple.

A lot of times I hate pizza tattoos and that's keeping me from getting one. But I like that a lot. Nice stuff.

From the SF Bay Area in California. Just got a cool little reaper from Kapten Hanna at Idle Hand that I posted up in the new tattoos thread. Definitely going back to Idle Hand for a few more pieces. I want at least one piece from all of them it seems.

Welcome to LST!!! Where are you from? Who has tattooed you? What did you get done???

Daaaamn!! I gotta try to book in with Rassier for my next trip to SF. You must be super stoked to have that on you. So rad!!

let this thread die already.

The problem is, The Dude, that you come across as one of those boorish oafs who shouts everyone down and can never be wrong. You made an ill-advised comment, people tried to explain this to you. Instead of taking in what they were saying you attacked them whilst playing some sort of weird victim card. If you'd just tried to engage with people and understand what they were saying, even if you didn't agree, this could have gone a very different way. You could easily have accepted your comment might be offensive, explained why you didn't mean it to sound like that, job done. A brief aside: calling ladies "shit birds" is a pretty poor example of not being sexist. Just so you know for future. Sent from my GT-I8190N using Tapatalk

@Fala @TrixieFaux I'm having that breathless, panicked feeling that comes when I want something RIGHT NOW...calling is now on my to do list. (Along w other tattoos; bills, etc..patience is quite a virtue now...)

I'm getting a monmon cat of my cat, in May, on my thigh. Just call :)

3rd April I'm finally going to be working on color for that big ol 'damn do butt tattoos hurt' John the Baptist that Robert Ryan started on me last year.

Sorry, there's a little wrap around. He's actual pointing at my chola! Miguel "Uzi" Montgomery guest spotting at Tattoo 13 in Oakland, CA. If he were local, I'd get tattooed by him all the time. Anyone within driving distance to Long Beach needs to get tattooed by Uzi. Such a nice dude. - - - Updated - - - @dooktruck that Rassier tattoo is so good. He's on my short list of local tattooers I still need to get tattooed by (Jeff Rassier, Scott Sylvia, Jason Phillips, etc.)

Black and grey with just one color isn't too uncommon, depending on which style of black and grey... and especially if red is that one color. I think you're in a pretty good location to find a great artist, you just need to be more specific in the style you're looking for. A good artist will be able to make a rose look harsher and thornier if you want, even if you don't see one like that in their portfolio... Can you describe better the style you're looking for? Thick outlines, thin outlines, no outlines? Heavy black shading or soft subtle gradients? Heavily stylized or more realistic?

Traditional black and grey would be something like the work Tamara Santa-Ibinez puts out, while single needle would be something like Jack Rudy's work.

Decided to start the process of preparing to apply for grad school. Studying for the GMAT, letters of recommendation, essays, etc. Awesome!.... but not really.

Yes!! Well now that I met him on Sunday and told him I want one as he signed my book with an awesome cat drawing....it's like I have to asap. I don't know how long the wait is, he just gave a nod and said, "call." Hardest thing now is figuring out which image/where........thinking it'll have to be on a leg since my arms are pretty much covered and I want to be able to look at it as much as possible! ?

@reaperz Richard Stell and Tony Hundahl would both do an awesome job. In Dallas, Oliver Peck or Dean Williams at Elm Street. You won't be disappointed.

Finished my leg by Marius Meyer yesterday, we managed to finish it in only three sessions and I'm very happy with the result!!:o Cat lady on the front is by Chris Conn

Tattooer CP. True Love Tattoo, Brisbane. Australia.

This is just not true. Paying a high price might not always mean you are going to get the best tattoo ever, but typically the better artists charge more because of supply & demand. They are known to be really good and have customers lining up to get their work. They can charge more. They should charge more, you are paying for their quality, dedication, and creativity. The scratchers cannot charge high prices because they suck, they need to get customers however they can. There is a middle ground, where maybe they are not scratchers, but they are also not next-level amazing and they probably charge somewhere in the middle. $100/hr. is not high for tattoos.

I'm a fat woman covered in tattoos. I think if you want to get tattooed do it. Who cares what other people think anyway? My friend, and tattoo artist Kristel Oreto and I have started a page dedicated to fat women with tattoos. We are just as awesome as any other woman with tattoos. Not to mention, I think my tattoos make me so much more comfortable with my body. Or at least I feel better about myself. :)