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Just started this with Seth Wood! Edit: ahh posting images from Tapatalk is confusing. Hopefully one of these worked!

A full back tattoo to kick off the month! Nice one. Better follow suit then. Tattooer CP, Australia. About 6 years old. Cheers.

Back-piece finished a few weeks ago. Valerie Vargas, Frith Street Tattoo, London

Got this Rose of No Man's Land from Josh Stephens the other day while he was guesting at Atlas Tattoo here in Portland. Couldn't be happier with it, and Josh is great!

2nd tattoo completed this past friday by brian bruno, richmond, va Sorry for the not-so-good phone picture quality...

Went to KC for the weekend and managed to snag a walk in with Noah Moore, he filled in a pretty awkward spot with this rose: (Photo stolen from his Instagram)

Yes, honey, it's all about you. You win the side photo contest! Congratulations!!! You win the ultimate prize: getting to look at my arm all the time, you lucky dog. :p

Tough to compete with a Valerie backpiece, but I think I'll throw this little guy into the ring anyways. I was hoping to have some healed shots by now but it's impossible to photograph the back of your own forearm, so here's a couple Jeff took after it was done. Jeff Zuck, Name Brand Tattoo, Ann Arbor, MI Eagle/Rose Morph... I think the technical term is 'it wraps a bit'

Well, that concludes the contest for this month :D

Yay, thank you! While there weren't a ton of entries this month it was still tough competition with amazing tattoos. I love my tattoo so much and I'm so happy my name can now say "Contest Winner" under it. :D

The votes have been counted, and the winner of this month's contest is.... @TrixieFaux with her gorgeous sleeve from Kim Saigh. Congrats!! Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address. Thanks to everyone for your submissions! New contest will be up soon.

Three absolutely great tattoos so far! will add this into the mix just for fun. My 3/4 peacock sleeve by Mie at Nine Tails Tattoo in East London. Its a cover up of an old black and grey piece that I had 6 laser sessions on over a couple of years. Final touch up finished last week.

very cute pie :) - - - Updated - - - and here is my girl, before grooming yesterday(she going to get her first summer cut) . . after grooming & smiling cuz she's cooler . . . . . .

I got a dagger through a skull and a snake because, really unless I added a panther how much better can that get?

@slayer9019 oh right, we all have tattoos, good call. Desa panther from four years ago (time fliiiies) and J. Pov wolf head from maybe 2011.

When I first started getting tattooed in the 80's I always knew I wanted to become heavily tattooed but didn't have the mind set to suit. So it was like starting on the arms with large pieces spaced out. You know, 2 upper arm designs, outer/ inner forearms, biceps. When I realised I wanted to go solid, I continued to fill large gaps with features and then background with solid black, win bars/ clouds/ lightning bolts etc. i'de seen a lot of Western suits dropped with colour, like blue in like a water scene and stuff and it seemed too light and took away the effect of the features. Still impressive but. So when we embarked on the rest of the suit, we followed the same concept. Large features, smash the black background. I have major pieces that are a combo of Japanese style, trad style, punk skulls...whatever, and the conflicting styles still work a treat because of the simple approach of tying it all together. Makes it a little more interesting for me too that I haven't committed to just one style. As long as I just pick a design I like, keep it bold, not too fruity, then it just comes down to execution. I've never been too worried about perfection either. It's the overall effect I have always sought out.

Behind every great woman is a capable man!!! Congrats on your contribution!!! :D

I probably won't attend since I don't know the artists attending this year, but it usually has a decent list of people. As @ian pointed out, it's pretty expensive if all you're interested in is checking out the tattoo portion. By the time you factor in entry, parking, and food you've spent a lot of money doing nothing. If you're getting tattooed it's fantastic just for that reason alone though. Slightly better too, because they refund some of the fee back to you. If it's your first time, you'll have fun though because it's a very visual thing with all the characters, art, cars, etc. take it all in and enjoy it. It's kind of a been there done that kind of thing. Do it once have fun and you're good. Again, like Ian said, the Bay Area convention is just a few months after and personally the money spent on flights and hotel rooms to go to that instead is worth every penny if you've never been or even if you've attended every one. It's a not flashy but for it's size has the absolute best artists attending it. Talking out of my ass because it's not a thing one can simply decide to do out of the blue, but going to this years London Convention will probably be awesome! That's got some of the flash of INI in that it has performers but who really cares about that stuff. That show also has some of the best artists attending. This year will be insane since it's the 10th anniversary. That's a convention worth saving up for. Also it's in LONDON, so that doesn't hurt.

Got 2 art shows coming up later this year and have plenty of work to finish by then. 2 guest spots in GA and Bmore this summer and 1 or 2 other trips as well to SF and NY as well. Gonna start getting my back done real soon, that'll be a long time coming. Whole lotta shit going on and I'm spending too much time on the internet these days. So much so that I'm blundering into careless posts; I have curb a couple of forums for the sake of not being tempted to waste time. Not being able to post will actually be an awesome thing I'm doing. Hopefully I've been able to be a mostly positive/helpful presence here and all that. The folks here that I know or follow me, I'll be in touch when I'm in your city and/or when those 2 shows come up. Keep it up here everybody, it's been good!

I got this last night from Dave Regan while he is guesting at Classic Electric Tattoo in Frederick, Maryland. Beautiful shop, and town. I had just met Dave, but it felt like I was getting tattooed by an old friend. Fun times all around. Photo pilfered from Dave's instagram account. (@dutchraven)

Been a while but I'm slapping this up. War Elephant by Destroy Troy out of Kansas City/Timeless Tattoo. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/gallery/member/16793-war-elephant.html&imageuser=4428

Hey guys, I'm a 21 year-old from Birmingham, England, looking to get some work done. I'm quite in to illustration, so I've spent a lot of time refining a concept that I'd love to have somewhere on my back – a combination of a creature from the old video game, Super Metroid, and Giger's Alien. I realise it's got a hell of a lot of detail in its current state, but that's just my style of illustration, and one of the things I'd like to work with or around. I've also spoken to a studio about having one of their artists rework this design to make it more tattoo friendly, but I wouldn't mind the advice of a couple of people with some ink know-how before making any commitment, and so I know what to potentially ask for. This is what I've got so far: Looking around, I worry about how well this thing would age – particularly the lines on the leg and thigh, which are pretty important for that Alien influence. I've messed around with the contrast on Photoshop in order to draw out the boldest lines and help with this. The Size would probably be somewhere in the region of 8 inches across – I'm open to working with that as well, though money is a factor. Anyway, I'd be grateful to know what else I should be considering. Cheers.

Just imagine how awesome this t-shirt would look on you: If you win the LST Tattoo of the Month contest it will be yours for Free Free Free Free Free Free (or if you don't win you can always order one here: LST Store | Last Sparrow Tattoo) The rules: The tattoo picture that gets posted in this thread for June 2014 with the most 'likes' for the month wins! The contest starts on the first of the month and ends on the last day of the month. Your tattoo picture must be posted in this thread (both tattooers and tattoo customers can win) in order to qualify. Include with your photo/post...tattoo artist name & tattoo shop. You MUST be the one who has the tattoo or did the tattoo. You can 'like' as many tattoos as you want. It can be a finished or in progress tattoo. You cannot enter the same tattoo in more than one contest.

Normally I don't get many comments, but I've been stopped on the street several times this week by people wanting to know where I got mine done, and then in several cases, they wanted to show me their tattoos as well. I had the time, and was in a good mood, so I was happy to take part in these conversations.

I just got started on my second sleeve two weeks ago. It's funny but I have had more people walking up to talk to me than when I just had the one sleeve. I had three people come up to me yesterday. All positive comments. However, I was down in Florida visiting my parents a couple of days ago and when we went into a nice restaurant I got the stink-eye from some older man. I'm not sure what he found most offensive, my tattoos, pony tail or jeans! My philosophy is you can look all you want, but open your mouth and you'll get as good as you give (or better).

Super metroid and giger? I am Supporting you 100%

@graybones Seth's work is awesome. Congrats!

My Chorkie Lil Chief

Noice! I took the pic -- shouldn't that count for something?

Latest (unfinished) addition to my back. Badly bruised, especially under my arm where you can't see. We couldn't finish the details, and the scales are barely started. He said my skin was done for the night. I hate to put up something so incomplete, but it's going to be forever before the last layers go on anything and I'm impatient!

Apologies. Can't get a better wrap around pic myself at present so stolen from her blog. Drawn on Eagle Vs Snake piece by the amazingly talented Valerie Vargas, Frith Street Tattoo, London.

Since Horitomo posted my arms on Instagram I thought I should share them here. All shading is done. Next session color begins!

@growltiger - my rudimentary understanding of pregnancy rules is that 90% of them come from "we don't really know what this would do, so don't do it just in case". My impression is that the ban on tattooing and piercing is the same. It's something that takes a toll on one's body, and the logic is to just not risk it. I think this logic can be used as an excuse to treat pregnant women like delicate porcelain dolls, which is annoying and controlling, but in the case of something so totally optional, like tattoos, I get it. @TrixieFaux - great response! While I know both men and women get flack and idiotic assumptions put on them for being tattooed, I truly believe that when it comes to this kind of garbage, it is just one iteration of the larger desire to control and judge women's bodies (clearly my theme for this post!), that comes from a misogynistic ethic wherein we are public property and should not have the autonomy to make decisions for ourselves. One of the things I LOVE about being a tattooed woman is the extent to which it is a rejection of that control; I get to do what I want with my goddamn body, you fucking assholes!

These guys do that style.And you can always ask them who they would recommend for biomech in your area. Instagram Instagram Instagram

I love really detailed and textured pieces done in dotwork, and i've heard good things about how dotwork lasts (something about there being less ink to spread) though I don't have evidence to back that up, it is something i've taken a chance on. For example (by Dotwork Damian):

I'm such a sucker! I love Colin's art and couldn't resist putting a down payment on this original. Pix do it no justice, this piece is absolutely AMAZING!!

Here's a Giger-inspired piece from Chad Chesko, if this helps: Instagram

Different strokes for different folks. If you're still without any tattoos then it frees you up to a cohesive body-suit plan (that option was no longer available to me as I transitioned from having a couple of tattoos to being largely tattooed). In any case neither path is "right" or "wrong". If you are planning a full suit then you 1st need to find the artist who you want to put it together, and that's a task all by itself. Aside from that you will both need to be dedicated to and available for the extensive time required. Logistics can hamper a long term project like that.

That's looking awesome so far @graybones

As a survivor of the 80s there are some things that will never be flattering on me - pegged pants are one of those things.

Onya Trixie! Sweet tattoo alright :)

That rules @Haysman. Brian Bruno is definitely on my list.

I love love love Brian Bruno's work, and I hope to get tattooed by him some day. That tiger is killer!! 2'nd tattoo you say? I tip my hat to you sir.

Congrats, love the piece.

Congratulations @TrixieFaux! Absolutely beautiful tattoo.

here's another little tid bit of my recent session with Grime last Wednesday...

Gaaaaah. That special feeling of pooling blood, ink and plasma dripping down your back under the saran wrap, waking up after a late night session. Definitely brewing some coffee before dealing with this mess. Bummed, we couldn't finish up all the details on the angelfish scales last night because he said my skin couldn't take any more abuse. Hate having unfinished sections.

I got this(^) from Cori a week or so ago. Started this guy today(^). Unfortunately, I had to bail early, but it's gonna be sick! By Alan Berg

Let Gary Busey out of that headlock!

Oh, they were just "setting it" for you! Ancient eastern tattoo trick.. :D