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Yesterday, after two years in progress, Marius Meyer finally finished my back piece. It was 6 painful well worth hours. Going back for a touch-up in the belly plates and white in eyes/claws/teeth. @Iwar has some cool footage from the session that he maybe will post, I think?

I have no respect for anyone that likes apples. Those are snacks that second graders eat. I mean, you don't even have to peel an apple. Where's the skill in that? Seriously, explain to me why I should like apples!

Finally my tattooer put something up on his instagram so I can add an in-progress here! We are in the middle of a grind tonight. Adding tube sponges and corals along the bottom and up the right side. And standard disclaimer - nothing is done except the snake, which is under my top.

I like apples AND oranges. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

"Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

From the Needles and Sins blog, a short video from TED. Really neat! Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog | Tattoo 101: What makes tattoos permanent?

It's like comparing Chopin and Black Flag. One is well constructed, technically "perfect" (whatever that means to the viewer), and is intended to come across that way. I find it well made, but kinda boring to my taste. The other, for lack of a better or less uncouth term, has balls. Strength. It punches you in the gut and gets your attention. As much as perfection is impressive, I like balls.

Dude comes on here, introduces himself as a scratcher, and we argue art with him? We can do a lot better than this, folks.

Browsing LST while getting tattooed, a good way to pass the time. Looks good!

To me its like, I really enjoy many types of photography, and I can get a huge kick out of graffiti if it's done to my liking. I also like reading books and a few pop cultural phenomenas are wonderful to me. But I don't care at all for tattoos that look like photos, graffiti on someones body, text-tattoos or pop culture references in tattoos. And even though I've been skateboarding for close to 12 years I have never seen a skateboard tattoo that I liked. If you ask me, tattooing is a quite specific thing and it should stay that way. Just because you like chocolate cake AND chorizo hot dogs doesn't mean a combination of the too will be better.

I just want to say that I read this thread now and then and my heart just sinks. I appreciate that this is a place where many of you feel comfortable sharing some of what you're going through, and I only hope that it offers you some measure of relief and comfort to know that many of us are thinking of you, and all of us are pulling for you

I'm calling to set up an appointement tomorrow. I can't decide who to set up an appointement with. Real first world problems. Maybe I'll just book two appointements.

Well, that sucks- but, everyone is different, and some people appreciate the support. No one is compelled to post their problems here. It sounds like you did and then regretted it, but that's hardly a reason to be disrespectful to the people that find it therapeutic.

Dude... That sucks. My sister has a whole bunch of the cafe au lait spots and we've always wondered if that's what she has. So far so good for her though. I have my own incurable thing... I've posted about it some, and it's actually what led me here in the first place. The way I look at it is this - there are no guarantees at all. I could step off the curb and get hit by a bus tomorrow. "now" is all you can count on. I try my best to fully inhabit "now". The future is fuck scary. The past, it's gone. I want every moment I have to be as happy and good as possible, so I focus on the good, attend to the things that make me happy, and try to let all the rest of it go.

Carlos torres work does look very impressive but i still prefer tradional and japanese for my collection. Are those pieces on you?

Someone's new signature, surely.

The grossest thing I ever ate on fries was chili cheese fries from The Hat in LA. Tastes OK, looks like diarrhea. There's a place in Boston that does foie gras poutine.

You can like one thing without disrespecting everthing else.

well. i did not get my touchups. but i did get a new tattoo which did involve a tear-out: My pug. Winston. Riding the red rocket. Which was really hilarious. Until I got a call 3/4 of the way through the tattoo that my mother passed away. Shout out to my pal Ollie for working like lightning to finish the tattoo before my ride showed up to go see my family. So some more to add to the arguement that a tattoo is more than just a silly picture on your skin. It's not just about "what" the tattoo is of or the "why"...but the "where" and "when" and "who" of the experience is of equal importance. A colourful timestamp for this lifetime. And now I'm left with a lot of sorrow to deal with, a good laugh and a great tattoo. Laughter is the best medicine. And my Mom really loved my idiot pug. But I think my next tattoo will be little more serious and carry a lot more weight. Peace.

These were from a visit I did will a few friends. The skull and sparrow were from Steve and the Lilly and Knife were from Eli.

Thanks @ironchef! Super entertaining and informative for tattoo nerds such as myself.

I vote Steve Boltz.....

@SeeSea wow. That is coming out too good. Makes me jealous of all your progress. Screw the CBD stuff. Take the sessions sober like a big boy (or girl) that's part of the process

The other day my girlfriend got is it real? what kind of a question is that like no she wakes up every morning and draws a Russian doll on her thigh before she leaves the house

I really enjoyed "where the fuck is my happy place?" My first session on my chest I really psyched myself out and I remember thinking things very similar to this. So now that I can't feel that pain anymore, this is kind of funny

I forgot how much I love the TED videos, thanks for reminding me. I just discovered that listening to these a great way to keep my mind entertained while I drive. This particular one was pretty cool

Re: cost. Almost everyone has asked me this question and very few people know I am working on a full back. It makes me uncomfortable, even from friends, and I don't have a pat answer yet. But the other day, without even thinking, I replied, "Yeah, it's more expensive than going to the movies." For some reason, that shut down the question with a little laugh from both of us, but in a way that it was clear I wasn't going to share, conversation was over, without being rude or making them feel like a jerk for asking (my friends, after all). Not sure I can explain that, but it was a positive thing and I think I'll try that one again.

@SeeSea looks fantastic so far!

Honestly, when I see black and grey pieces, whether it be portraits, or representations of statuary, I do respect the application, but usually just think "Oh, it looks like that photo." Never have I been moved in some astronomical way by a photorealistic tattoo. I do respect the craft aspect of it, but it has always boiled down more to craft than creativity to me, in most cases. Still impressive, but never spoke a single word to me. That being said, the first time I saw the INTO THE BIG NOTHING clouds/eye tattoo by Steve Byrne, I was blown away. It spoke far more than the four words in the banner ever could. After all, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Never been a big fan of opera. Yet I know some people are pretty passionate about it. And of course I acknowledge its rich history and understand it takes talent and dedication to succeed as an opera singer. What I don't do is go on opera forums and yell out, "OPERA SUCKS! TELL ME I'M WRONG!!!" Because that would be stupid and a waste of time.

It's this blatant upstart attitude that earns you no respect, although please...don't beg, a dog does that when it loses all self respect. I see what we have here though, another art collector rather than an enthusiast. At one point, I might have been interested in the type of tattoos you have...the experiences you've had in street front shops...the understanding you have gained from this old time traditional culture...the networks you have established, the people who make this culture such a tight knit community based on respect, but I'm kinda guessing now you haven't. I have this feeling you have gained zero insight into how a traditional tattoo goes far deeper for some than just a picture, it's significant nature far beyond the lines you perceive as imperfection...mmm, but I'm not See, we don't need to convince you of fuck all. You haven't earned it. You bumbled your own way into this, all on your own. Well done.

Don't feed the troll?

I'm newish to this forum, and was a lurker for a long time before I posted. LST is a very tight community, and like any other community or club or social group of whatever you are new to, it's usually a good idea to try to spend some time getting to know what's it's like before jumping in the way you did. The reason you sounded ignorant and the reason so many of us were amused was because you clearly have no idea who it is you're talking to. The vast majority of people here favor and wear the style of tattoo you derided. If you had simply said traditional is not your thing, no one would have jumped down your throat.

Nothing wrong with a little tit for tat mate.

@Steele so what is your favorite tattoo style then?

"Tattoos are not an addiction; they are a collection. A tattoo collector is just like a conventional art collector who buys a painting, hangs it on the wall, and then moves on to acquire the next, unique piece. Tattoo collecting is a spiritual pursuit, while addiction is a physiological need. Addicts repeatedly take the same drug over and over without limit. A tattoo collection has variety, and it has an end. Once you collect the whole set, you're done." -Horiyoshi III Side note: I also have a Hello Kitty. It was done by my fiancée, is about an inch and a half wide, and took her about an hour. It's just lines, aside from color in the bow and nose. She was really trying.

You know who was a hack? Picasso. His people don't even look like people! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'm putting this in because I've had good feedback :) Rose morph done by Nick Agnew at Kingsland Ink, Auckland, NZ

My back is now officially done! :cool: We had a little 1 hour session today, which was totally brutal unfortunatly, probably a lot of places weren't healed enough from the previous session (about a week and half ago ;-) ). Some statistics : My backpiece was done in a 6 month period in a total of 31 hours :cool:

I'm so happy to have found this blog, I don't have many friends with tattoos so I'm kind of left to my own devices when it comes to after care. But that's what the internet and talking to the artist is for right? Anyway, like I said I'm a 19yr old girl from ca. slowly turning my body into a canvas I can be proud of. IVE only ever wanted to be some what heavily tattooed, although my family has reservations about me doing it. What else is there.... Oh I currently work retail, I enjoy it very much. But it's not what I want to do with my life. I've done a little "modeling" for my friend who wants to be a photographer, but nothing professional. That's honestly all I can think of at this moment, so I'll let it be. Can't wait to talk to you guys! So thankful I found this blog

Dropping your pants to display squidpants is the LST secret hand shake.

Thank you, again! Yeah I know, especially the ROA could be more dramatic in color. Also done by Peter Lagergren and his ways with doing color tattoos is just beyond. I've seen some quite complicated healed ones by him and they look truly amazing. If you don't know him I highly suggest you check out his stuff. I don't know about how popular it is to get only b&g and only/mainly traditional but to me, judging by "the internet" it seems that quite a few people are doing it. I think it's a great strong look, a bit more primitive and raw looking than having a lot of color and fine lines. Actually I'm trying to get some prettier pieces as not to look too grim

Squid stance and all the glory of being a foreigner busting out kung fu steez in front of the famous Beijing Shi Cha Hai Sports Institute (where Jet Li trained):

Sheesh... Incredible collection @rozone!! I have already posted a picture of myself in fundoshi's here, so this ain't so bad :cool: Here's my pale and hairy stilts. Left leg: Chris Garver - Harpy Tim Lehi - Tiger Morten Transeth - Butterfly Jonas Nyberg - Black rose Horimasa Tosoui - Hannya Chad Koeplinger - Kali Civ - Girlhead (barely visible) Scott Sylvia - Dagger & LST ban hammer (barely visible, but my avatar makes up for it) Morten Marbel - Weird insect thingie (not visible) Christoffer Wøien - Cat head (Krak flash) (not visible) Tony Nilsson - Anchor/shaking hands (Dietzel) Nico Henriksen - Samurai with a headache Marius Meyer - Shishi Cris Cleen - Weird heart shaped thingie (not visible) Grime - Samurai skull (barely visible) A friend that will remain unnamed - Rose & diamond (I had Marius re-shade & colour it. Still looks kinda crap though) Unknown Danish artist - Guitar headstock with snakes (and also my first tattoo!) (not visible) Right leg: Chris Conn - Girl in uniform Timothy Hoyer - Panther Bob Roberts - Dragon Chad Koeplinger - Geisha (Hardy flash) Marius Meyer - Dragon lady & Baku

Just posted my twigs on Instagram this morning, but figured I'd repost 'em here too. Many of them are hard to see / are on the other side of my legs, but of what's visible... Right Leg: - Foo Dog by Mike Rubendall - Punk Rock Girl Head by Nick Oaks - Pyramid by Eli Quinters - Dragon Head (peeking out) by Steve Boltz - Rose Girl Head (peeking out) by Kirk Sheppard - Snake Head by Nick Oaks - Wacky Ankle Tribal Band by Paul Samplonius Left Leg: - Hindu Demon Goddess by Freddy Corbin - Devil Woman by Hillary Fisher White - Skull Mosque by Chris Stiles - Pyramid Palm Hand (peeking out) by Jason McAfee - Wolf Head and Snake by Bailey Hunter Robinson - Hammer by Nick Oaks - Dr. Teeth by Cody Zeek Not visible: - Oni Head by Dave Cummings - Dagger through Tiger Head by Jeff Rassier - Mom Heart by Steve Boltz - Higgs Druid by Nick Rodin - Demon Head by Todd Noble - Panther by Matt Arriola - Wacky Husker Du Mandala by Keith Stewart I think that's all of 'em for now, but I'm wearing pants so I can't double-check. :)

Did battling ropes recently at a strongman conditioning session for the first time... Quite devilish.

I don't really have anything to compare to them to but I feel like the coaches are great. The focus is form/technique first. Last night I DLed 195lb x5, this is PR for most weight moved with any lift and very close to my body weight.

The final result of my chest piece. Done by Robert Aalbers of Clean Solid Tattoos in Waalwijk, The Netherlands.

Work in progress on my own chest: Done in 3-3,5 hours. In 3 weeks, some colors will be added and then it is finished.

Heres Josh Arments backpiece referred to by Scott elsewhere on here and rendered by Bob Roberts -crazy cool!!