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I got this from Stewart Robson at the Bay Area/SFO Convention :)

Now that it's xxx'ed out, she can claim that she was very nice and genuine, and that she never said a rude or inconsiderate thing. That she didn't make global condescending remarks about all of us as a whole. That she didn't barf out drama queen splat. And because she xxx'ed everything out, she can pretend that she specifically thanked the many people who helped her out. Which she didn't. I don't recall that she ever said a kind word to anyone who helped her. Now she says she cried. Maybe she did, and part of me still feels bad that she is upset about her tattoo. But this passive-aggressive deleting of her posts and then claiming all the terrible things that were said to her, with no reference as to why anything was said ... well, that's juvenile behavior purposely designed to make other people look bad. Put on your big girl pants and drop the drama. And I recognize you don't respect me, but pretend someone you really respect just said this to you. Calm down, go read a bunch of threads here like this and other good posts, reset, and come back after you've put the drama behind you. You will find that this is the most resourceful and knowledgeable bunch of tattoo folks on the internet. http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/2396-what-makes-good-tattoo.html

Here's my chest that I had done by Jason Phillips at FTW in Oakland. My only thing was no eagles (I already have one on my arm). I've always wanted this design on my chest. Finally came into fruition.

Truth. Most of us treat this space as a community. We have limited patience for people who treat it as a service, and treat us like their employees.

just got this from Stewart Robson... I have a couple on my back from Grime that I'll post once they're done...

Had a session yesterday to color more peonies, then she went back to put some fine line details in the petals from last time and add a bit of brown to the leaves. Will get a better pic when it's healed :)

Kids love looking at tattoos so if you get some new ones it's kind of a present for everyone.

Ok, I tried. @Mick Weder maybe you can gather us all around the campfire and sing a few songs? I'll feeling awfully down and attacked when all I tried to do is help. ::sniff sniff:: But she's amended it to only "SOME" people on this board. ;) Chalk up another one. I think I got some of the same "love" from you immature and inconsiderates when I freaked out about blow-out early in my LST days. I suppose the LST welcome rules should include a clause and understanding that at some point, someone will break your balls. But hey, those were some of the most exciting "lurker 10 thread minimum" amusing posts in a while. - - - Updated - - - If a mod stops by, leave up this thread as an example of how a newbie expect the world to stop when they ask a question and then ignore the answers they don't like. Answers from excellent tattoo artists and those with a boatload of experience and those sporting tattoos with blowouts. Answers that complete strangers spent time writing and holding her hand. Yeah, we are a completely terrible rude bunch. We should all (ok, mostly) be banned. I mean, really. :: rolls eyes :: (And yes, I know the thread won't be deleted.)

<. < ....>.>

Juan Puente for me in November, and then I'm done for the year! It has been a great 2014. Definitely the best tattoo year by far.

This is the best thread! This picture was taken a few months ago at my sister-in-law's wedding and I was immediately struck by how much I LOVE the way the tattoo looks with the flowers and the floral print dress. I would like my whole body to look like a floral dress one day -- Since taking this picture I've gotten a few more big flowery pieces and I am slowly inching toward the goal :)

@flowergirl I can understand how not getting the perfect tattoo that you wanted can be emotional. It's on you forever, and now you see it as something that's messed up. Everyone here is trying to help you come to terms with it and move on. Blowout, migration, whatever, every tattoo is unique. Now so is yours. I think the backlash from this community is coming from what it seems your intent is: blame the artist for messing up and proceeding to write a bad review (presumably on Yelp). You'll find that once you get in to the tattoo community and appreciate what artists can do and have to deal with, you'll side with the artist 9 times out of 10, which is basically what everyone in this thread is doing. We've been through it before and experienced the same thing you're experiencing. This is not the crowd to coddle and hand hold though. Since it didn't sink in on the first 2 pages of comments, things got taken to the next level. I've seen the usual suspects post in this thread that have posted in others, and I doubt anyone's intention was to make you cry. I'm not going to apologize for anyone, but seriously, don't sweat the minor blowout. Get something bigger around it or over top of it and you'll never even remember it was there. Although you'll forever be emotionally scarred from this thread. (That's a joke.)

Did 4 more hours today. Was supposed to be a 6 hour session but due to circumstances on both mine and Kian's side we changed it to a 4. I am glad to say it is now time to re-commence my backpiece. For the last 2-3 months it has been all about things and butt etc etc. I had actually forgotten that I was doing a backpiece. :) I am quite tall so my butt and thighs is a substantial amount of area to tattoo. Today we have all but finished up that area and started colour on background elements further up. I love looking at the progress after every session but after starting colour on my "back" I realise I still have a long way to go.

I should just open a direct account where State of Grace and Horitomo can directly auto debit from me everytime they come out with more MonMon Cat stuff...

I keep returning to this thread, maybe I am a glutton for punishment but... I have a tattoo with a blowout that has lightened up over time, when it first happened I was like, "oh shit, that sucks. Oh well, nothing to be done about it now." I am pretty sure I flinched when it happened. Regardless of the imperfection (or the why of the imperfection) I LOVE that tattoo. I would not want to be without it, and I highly value the experience of both getting the tattoo and having the tattoo, and what the tattoo represents to me. I love everything about it - even the imperfections. Life isn't perfect, we aren't perfect, and it is a nice little reminder that things won't always be perfect (if you want to start getting all meta about it.) So, why bother posting in this thread again? @flowergirl - tattoos are permanent in that they will be in your skin until your body dies, they change (just like your body will change as it ages), accepting the imperfections in yourself (and your tattoos) shows a certain level of maturity, and pragmatism. So, by "dealing with it" you are sort of forced to accept and love yourself as you are, just like accepting and loving your tattoo for what it is. It can be hard, I know. Go to the thread on things you've gotten into since getting tattooed. Take care of yourself, take care of that tattoo, and if it is still bugging you in 3 months then go and talk to another tattooer about what you can do with it. There's really not much else to be said about the whole thing. The folks who posted were trying to help you understand the situation since your initial post came across as you needing the help. The people who are involved on this site are great people, have amazing tattoos, and are super knowledgeable about tattoos/tattooing whether they be tattooers or not. We spend our time on here, we don't get paid, we are here because we like the people and community here on LST. If you don't like it, or can't step out of yourself enough to see what kind of place this is, then you shouldn't be here. Period.

I think a group hug is in order

As the Dead would sing, What a long, strange trip it's been:

Haha @KBeee, yep you totally outed me, in the cutest way possible! And yes, my dreams are filled with Aaron Coleman back pieces, and Valerie Vargas girl head dancing like sugar plums! And also panthers :) The bolder the better, just trying to line up some time to go make it all happen. Bring me to Arizona please universe ;)

That's the plan? Usually around the holidays I try not to get tattooed, and get gifts for my nieces/nephews.

Roll call! We've got 25 participants in the Warriors Fund show so far! Thought it'd be a good progress report. So stoked to have this many super talented artists on board already. I know, I know.. it's five months away. BUT STILL. Follow along on instagram @warriorsfund and tell yo' friends! Jeb Maykut Amelia Martin Robert Ryan Daryl Rodriguez Justin Weatherholtz Ron Perry Scott Sylvia Miguel Uzi Montgomery Jacob Redmond Betty Rose Eric Rose Kevin Edwards Don and Deb Yarian Cheyenne Sawyer Bart Bingham Andy Perez Nash Hogan Michael Aul Patience Biggs Dave Wallin Sophie C'est La Vie Jake Fraser Jason Flanell Tron

About my tattoos? My first was from Lizzie Renaud - a bird perched atop a skull - with the bird clutching a pen and a brush, a small wolf head (some of my more unkind friends refer to it as a rat) from Javier Rodriguez, a rose, again from Lizzie, a skull & snake combo from Aaron Hill and my most recent was a panther / rose combo from the excellent Brad Tompkins

@flowergirl Sometimes you get what you give. You got plenty of good advice here--far more than you deserve--but you're still acting like an entitled brat. And yeah, you got a tattoo that was never going to work. Even if the linework was really precise and crisp right now, every tattoo is going to blow out over time because that is the nature of tattoos and skin, and a line an inch or two long with tiny markings at right angles to that line to mark fractions of that inch, is never going to age well. It's on you now though, so deal with it.

Kannon, dragon, or both. I've got until February. Maybe I'll just let Tomo decide!

Cat prints and new shirts now available online! Just placed my order. Now have to convince someone to "buy" them from me to give them to me for Christmas. Didn't want to miss the prints I wanted! Yay!

He loves you, right? Does he think that a marriage certificate is the best way of proclaiming his love and commitment? No way, that needs to be done in blood. - - - Updated - - - I saw that on his instagram and it RULES.

For what it's worth, I rewrapped and dry healed my elbow and it healed up really well. On my other elbow I only have one tattoo that goes into the elbow area but not on the elbow directly (it's about an inch away from the elbow so is still on a boney, moving part) and I also dry healed that one with no rewrapping and it healed up really well also. I usually heal really dry anyway though. I've started using some moisturizer while healing now that I'm working on my back because dry healing is way too uncomfortable on that large an area, but even then I'm moisturizing once a day after my shower when it gets to that really tight part of healing. It looks like whatever you're doing for aftercare is working for you so I wouldn't mess with that too much. Worst case, you get it touched up.

It HAD tattoo artists, but not many of them wanted to stick around when people came around acting rudely because they didn't like the very good answers they were given.

Was lucky to get this dragon head from Horinao (IG: @horinao1) at the Bay Area Convention. Not sure if I want to add background to it later or leave it in that American piecewise style as I really like the negative space.

A healed, and much better photo of my peony I got a couple weeks back. Much simpler than what's been posted. Done by Glennie at the Pearl Harbor Gift Shop. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All these pics are gorgeous, and all so different. These are from Lara Scotton at Daredevil in NYC, a cover-up taken from her instagram: I haven't gotten any of mine colored in yet, but I have an appt soon :)

Looks awesome lana! SENT FROM MY LG G FLEX ON THE NOW NETWORK FROM SPRINT!?✌

You got your question answered. Multiple times. You responded in an oblique fashion, repeatedly ignoring advice and information given to you by several tattooers and tattoo clients with similar experiences. I told you about the only thing you can do to fix it to your liking, and you completely glossed over it and focused on those you had already put off, rather than ignoring them. Do you not see how you could receive backlash from people for that?

Gah, @ian, so good!!! Can't wait to see the Grime peonies. :)

@ironchef When I visit the page, I'm already logged into my account, and when I go to the pay page, all my mailing & billing particulars are already populated and my computer asks to automatically fill in all my credit card information. I think I have to click 2 buttons after I fill my basket. That's probably close enough, right? ;)

What a great success story! Thanks for sharing the in-progress photos and the final outcome. I really dig it. I'm sure you do, too.

Odd then that you would come to the internet and ask for advice.

Ya don't need to be a professional to know a blown line when you see one. My skin hits blow outs from time to time. Even my tattooer mentioned to me he has to take extra precaution because my skin is so transparent that it's easy to hit a blow out from time to time. I had some full lines on my calf that blew out real thick, that pulled back into line after time, which is cool...I like bold as fuck line work anywhere we can slam it in. I've also had the blow outs where the ink has spread out, mainly on my fingers & hands where you know that spread is blown for good. By the picture I saw of your blow out, it reminds me of a blown spread that won't reverse. I like my blown lines, they add character, and some of my blow outs are of Runic symbols consisting of straight line work. Nothing that can be done about it now. At first, with those Runic symbols & me wanting them to be perfect, it annoyed me for 2 weeks, now I don't give a fuck...I like them the way they are. We understand, this is your 1st tattoo, and if it's the 1st of many more to come, believe me...in time it won't bother you one iota. Suit down...that's the answer!

@SStu That's awesome! Love the dragon's antlers!

Makes me think of the tattoo Phil Sparrow had on his forearm of inch marks so he could measure dong length.

Promised the tattooist (Randy Muller) that I wouldn't post any in-progress pictures - and after 7-8 sessions it was finished late Sept and now is fully healed: I'll post this onto the end of my laser treatment thread, too - just to wrap that one up for future referencing.

Tattoos are imperfect b/c they are done by a human, which in and of themselves are imperfect. I have some blown out lines from really rad and reputable tattooers. Skin is a weird and funny thing. Lots of different depths, lots of variables. Don't sweat it too much. If you continue to dwell on every imperfection you'll go crazy. There really isn't anything you can do to fix this sans lasering or getting it covered. I would consider that if you wanted to, but the tattoo isn't ruined by any means. It's just an imperfection done by an imperfect person.

Tats and cats, all day everyday.

Done by Horimitsu at the Bay Area Tattoo Convention. I've heard so many different things about tebori, but it was an awesome experience. So much that I'll ask Horitomo to shade my back by hand when we get that going.

The people who said they didn't think the elbow was too bad are all insane. Or they have magical elbows. More fun stuff on the arm with Greg. Took the photo from his instagram. Feels weird to include something this little this week when there's so much crazy stuff on my instagram from the Bay Area convention, but oh well! The trend of 'never actually doing what we previously planned on' continues. At this point I kinda hope it always does. And now I am done until the end of November!

Got this photo realistic elephant I once saw... spot on by Eli Quinters yesterday, at the Bay Area Convention.

Well, we (finally) started - after almost 2 years waiting for him to move and cut down his list a bit. Start of a full half squidpant. I wasn't going to post it yet - but he did, so I stole this image off of Thomas' instagram:

@Mark Bee @sighthound Thanks people! Guy with hammer is by Simon Erl, patterned half sun is by John Sultana and Anarchist A is by two local tattooers from Stockholm Mary and Sebbe (first tattoo)

I've mostly been a lurker for a few years, so 'hi' everybody :). As far as my 'overall look' goes, I'm covered top to bottom. Sleeves on both arms, my legs are covered, stomach, ribs, feet, hands, fingers, neck, even palms. No head or face tattoos and I try to avoid getting a face tattoo. I have to admit that I have never been a big fan of back pieces for the plain reason that you can't see it, but as I'm slowly running out of real estate I strongly consider getting a back piece. Since I'm a big fan of American traditional, I'd love nothing more than to get a badass piece from Judd Ripley at Sailor's Grave :). It all started when I was 19 and I got a lettering (which is now covered) and a bunch of stars (not covered) tattooed. As the years progressed, I got about 1 tattoo per year. At the age of 26, I started my left sleeve. I made the common rookies mistake and impatient me made an appointment with a tattooer who had time the following week. I wanted to get a fullsleeve as fast as possible and so I had an appointment with him every other week. I didn't really have a solid idea for my sleeve (I just gave the tattooer the word 'music'...), so I wasn't really happy with the outcome. As I started travelling a lot and with Instagram popping up, I began researching and finding new artists and booking appointments with these artists. The idea to travel to get a tattoo from a great artist hadn't occured to me to that moment. And now , I'm here covered in tattoos from a bunch of different artists from all over the place and I couldn't be happier. About 98% of my tattoos are just designs I really like. Panther, eagle, shark, Sailor Jerry designs,...some are music-related (lyrics, potraits) and maybe 2% have a deeper meaning. I live in Germany, so people are a bit more conservative when it comes to tattoos than Americans. When it's hot outside, I never wear short pants or skirts. As an American friend, who once visited me,put it best:"The Germans have a staring problem." It really is a pain in the ass, even though I live in a big city. I travel a lot and sure, every time I'm in the US, people stare too, but it's just different. Usually Americans come up to me and say something along the lines of "I really like your tattoos". I like the sincerity. I hope I didn't get too offtopic here. Sorry for the rather long post.

In the spirit of "fuck-it" I present my left leg. @gougetheeyes now we can feel weird together. Snake/torch by El Monga last summer at spider Murphy's Candle/Skull by El Monga March of this year at tattoo city Cattle Head by Stefan Johnsson Jan of last year at California electric Planning a panther on the knee at some point but it'll have to wait a bit. The other leg has some odds n ends on the thigh, but not enough coverage for me to feel it can hang in this thread yet!