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drove down to frederick, maryland and got tattooed by alex boyko today.

Why not ask some of the more experienced tattooers at the shop you work at for drawing tips and advice?

People staring at my tattoos doesn't bother me in the slightest. I've had them for a long time. But I agree, the uninvited touching is beyond aggravating. Along with having tattoos, I have long, thick, curly red hair (at the risk of sound arrogant - it is beautiful). A few years ago I was standing in line at the market. It was just one of those days and I wasn't in the nicest of moods. The woman in front of me turned around and started stroking my hair telling me how beautiful it was and asked if it was natural. I smiled, reached out and put my hand on her boob, as I started to squeeze I said, "Gosh, thanks so much. Your tits are beautiful too. Are they real?" She was so shocked and looked like she was going to cry as she quickly walked away to get in another line. I just laughed. It was extremely satisfying.

I'd take moped and flip flops guy. Rolex and wanky suit guy sounds... well... wanky. :p Ryan, you have the benefit here of many "hot girls" who are into tattoos responding to your post (at least I imagine everyone who posts on LST to be a beautiful person. Right?) Getting a tattoo is not going to make a difference. Your personality and confidence will. By all means get an awesome tattoo, but do it for yourself. That is way cooler than getting a tattoo that you perceive will make you cool in the eyes of someone else. Girls can sniff that crap out really easily, and it is a huge turn off. No-one likes a try hard. Being true to yourself and being comfortable in your own skin is attractive. Anyway, in response to what you actually asked... phoenix? Classic subject, awesome to look at, carries the sentiment of the quote without being a quote...

Update: I filled in the inside of my right knee a month ago, and on Sunday, I'm having Ben Grillo fill in the outside.

I am having a similar experience. I started out with a lot of planning and it finally got to be unfun. So I took a break, picked a spot, gave a couple of different thoughts but mainly went with what my artist was into or most excited about. Somewhere in there I crossed some kind of line and accepted that I am well on my way to full coverage which carries with it it's own innate symmetry/harmony of balance. It's been freeing for me to just enjoy the spontaneity and surprise of how things turn out. In the face of the long game, spaces and asymmetry really don't bug me as much anymore because they are temporary.

Bahahaaaaa, I do keep my machines in a gun case however.

Today!

steve bryne ROA real cool guy awesome shop atmosphere

Here is my submission for this months contest. My whole backpiece has been done in a 6-month period (just 31 hours in total) by Bonel from Corazon Santo, Arnhem, The Netherlands. I also have a full size picture available HERE

Finally finished my left knee ditch, drawn on. Right knee ditch healed, from the Black Heart line book on Walk-In Sundays. Both done by Jeff Rassier at Black Heart in San Francisco, CA.

I don't know what you guys are talking about, dude says he gives good tattoos.

Can't.Stop.Laughing!

@Graeme I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE. We all know homey doesn't work in a shop.

Not to be mistaken with the "hole of glory. "

Just found this thread. Awesome @motsimus ! Safe travels ! Jealous but, in a happy 'Fuck, yeah dude !' kind of way ;) Your route looks great. It's a beautiful and intriguing country. And, it's got the best hat ever @Mark Bee ;)

Hah, welcome to the forums. Friday is scrabble and bingo night. On Saturday mornings someone usually ends up dressed like Thor with game pieces stuck to their butt cheeks. May the All Father smile upon you.

Top part is the author. Title is "On That Side of the Law." And secondary title is "Encyclopedia of the Criminal World."

Here's a tattoo that's still in progress. So far, I've had two sessions (11 hours) in two days.

I prefer skin wizard, personally.

I also saw Steve Byrne for the first time last week at Rock of Ages in Austin, TX and I doubt it'll be the last. Rose #2.

Just so you know I'm still in the game. Ashley Howell did this piece on me a few weeks ago.

I think this and some of the other amazing back pieces on LST are deserving of their own category. Perhaps an annual contest to honor the insane dedication, time, and art. The winner gets a used, signed fundoshi. Just a thought.

I'm not judging anyone, but a massive reason why I do submit to heavy tattooing is the pain factor. Not because I like pain, on the contrary...I'm a fuckin sook my wife says (can't even pick up a hot cup of tea without having a faaarkin whinge whinge)...but pain, it's the predominant force, it dictates everything in life, it determines our way forward. Master, or learn how to channel pain, we can learn how to channel any emotion. That's my take on it anyway.

@DJDeepFried, looks like they posted the Q&A on YouTube.

For those who are not necessarily going for full-body coverage, do you ever think about the overall look you have as a tattooed person? Like I imagine many people here, I am an appreciator of aesthetics, and when I consider getting new work done, I think long and hard about where to put it and how it will change the way my body looks in clothes, out of clothes, in swim suits, etc. It might be slightly different for females since we tend to have more variety in the clothes we wear (different cuts, lengths, dresses, etc.), but I do wonder... Do you pay a lot of attention to keeping your work balanced on your body? Do you take into consideration places on your body where you don't plan to ever get work? I guess one approach would be to prioritize the design, and pick the place on your body where that design fits best. Another approach would be to think about where you'd like to have tattoos, and pick designs you like that would flow well in those spaces. This post is partially inspired by this thread about negative space with tattoos. I am a huge fan of negative space and have spent a lot of time thinking about the best way and location to place substantial tattoos on my body, with space in between them. Some people might say this is overthinking it, but I can't help it, ha. I've considered putting most of my work on my left arm and right leg, leaving the opposites mostly clear. I've also considered mainly tattooing my torso and leaving my limbs mostly clear. When you think about it, following each of those two patterns would make for a really different overall look. Maybe as a still-kinda-newbie to this world, I do think about this stuff too much, but I'm still curious as to others' thoughts :)

So jealous Ross! I just read this entire thread. I don't know why I haven't seen it sooner. As of right now, I like balance. Not necessarily symmetry, but there's no way I could have just worked on one limb at a time. As far as my "overall look" goes, in business attire nobody is the wiser that I'm tattooed. In shorts and a tee, it's pretty obvious. I still get shy around old people though. My initial instincts are to cover up with a jacket. But that instinct is slowly starting to fade. I have a bunch of gaps that are totally bothering me right now. But I'm trying to abide by my self-imposed rule of waiting for a tattoo to heal before I start the next one.

Err...be nice and treat women like human beings, regardless of what they look like, and you'll get a positive response. Hot or not. And sometimes 'not' becomes super hot when you take time to get to know 'em. -a woman

@OhBetty hahaha! I would never have the balls to give a response like yours! Love it, though. It's good to give people something to think about sometimes.

Good times last night Motsimus!

author of the encyclopedias is Danzig Baldaev, who was a prision guard in Russia

How many hours? I barely remember. I feel like 4-5 on the back and 1.5 on the arm. That was silly of me. And I was totally overwhelmed by the sights/sounds/smells of the convention. I'm looking forward (if I am in town) to all the loot! So much art! Books!!!

Day 1 & 2 with Silvano Fiato 12 hours yesterday on this and 8 more today, still not finished. Coming back in 4 weeks time to Silvano the day after Florian to fill in the knee, do some more detail to the bottom part. He has done some very heavy saturation so that it will look great when healed. Going back next June to do the back of the calf. I love Lee Jeffries stuff so obviously we based it around his works. For those that don't know his work, link below if interested :) Lee Jeffries - https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=tablet-android-google&espv=1&sboxchip=Images&tbm=isch&q=lee+jeffries+homeless&revid=1539496463&sa=X&ei=MZAHVLbOIKbhywPamYHoCg&ved=0CB0Q1QIoAA&dpr=2&biw=600&bih=800 Sorry for the shit phone pic, Silvano will post some better ones soon.

Awesome sounding trip! Pop up to America's hat if you get a chance. (Canada)

Grats!

Congratulations @KBeee, on the win, but also for having such a badass tattoo.

If it still isn't responding and you suspect fungus, your doctor can prescribe oral anti-fungal like used against toenail fungus. It is an oral Lotramin, I think. I had to take it to knock out a killer jock itch that came on due to antibiotics I took. I took a couple months, though (and didn't fix a funky toenail, but that takes up to a year of treatment). If not itching like crazy though, I seriously doubt fungus - also a fungus will spread.

I'm with @Mick Weder on this. Go for the pain and the experience, not because you love it but because you hate it. I'm happy I sat through some the worst sessions, it's only temporary anyway and pushing through is learning to cope.

That there's being exposed to a good insight. My 10 year old son is the same. He's constantly talking about his future body suit. How he's gonna slam a huge battleship across his back, full flight eagle across his chest, lightning bolts and skulls. They're funny as. When we returned from riding one of the motorcycles the other arvo and as we're rolling the bike back into the lounge room, my 9 year old daughter looked at him and said...Dylan, I reckon when your older, your gonna be a tattooed biker. The boy just took one look at her and simply said...100%.

I'd go with the picture you find yourself looking at more, that brings you the most joy when you look at it... If you want to picture her young and in her prime, that will make you happy. It's still her. You had the bond with the woman your mother was, so whichever image you go with, it's her. As long as you have an amazing portrait artist, you should be happy either way.

parent of the year. seriously.

Yeah, I hear ya man, it's just the intricate social network we have created these days. I shake my head at it everyday. From my very dodgy beginnings, I have managed to weave myself into a Qld Govt full time Managers position. Even I shake my head in disbelief I've been able to manage that. My ultimate middle finger to the establishment...and they can't sack me, cause I'm full time...and I got my fingers and neck smashed in tattoos, and they hate it...and there's nothing they can do...cause they employed me and promoted me haha!, and I cause them grief everyday because of their retarded ways of doing business. I just gotta make sure I do a fuckin' good job...because the day I don't man...haha! I'm gone :) What I'm saying is....I deal everyday in protecting intellectual property for the organisation...so I'm hearing ya Oz...I just don't like the idea of the establishment and an anti establishment culture merging. That's why the only tattoo shows I attend are Club shows and never conventions. On a side note but, cause I teach legal principles & help manage common law claims against the organisation....Australia is now the leading country in the world...per person/ per capita that launch civil law claims against an individual or company. One would not even condone that thought 20 years ago. - - - Updated - - - I like how tattooing has created such diverse niches for all different walks of life to enjoy the experience of marking the soul. For me but, it's the old time fringe of society shops in the bad parts of town that hold dear to my heart. Nice art but I gotta say.

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, the problem with cultural appropriation is not simply borrowing from another culture. The problem comes from an imbalance of power in that relationship. When a dominant group starts appropriating the sacred traditions, symbols, icons, and cultural artefacts of a subject culture, then it is not uncommon for those in the subordinate group to be offended by that use of their heritage. Some will care more than others, and some will care not at all. That said, I think the issue of power relationships between groups has been missing from this discussion. The use of other groups symbols may cause insult or offense, regardless of intentions. Some don't care, others care a great deal, and likely many have never even thought about it. Do whatever you like, and get whatever tattoos you want. I have no horse in this race, and I don't care what anyone gets tattooed or who tattoos them. I have a sugar skull that many would consider appropriative. I'm simply trying to highlight the root of the debate about cultural appropriation.

You are going to have sooooooo much fun :cool:

Solid list. Lots and lots of great shops in San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose/San Rafael, too.

@suburbanxcore I've decided to only do photos for the trip because I don't really want to be spending all my time filming this n that and not really taking in the whole experience of the trip if that makes sense, but don't worry you'll see photos.

Here's the best picture I could find of myself not just singled out on a single tattoo.

I just go for whichever blank spot is making me the most crazy right then ;)