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its already on the site so i guess i'll throw this in from jeff rassier last week

Got this from Theo Mindell while he was visiting Austin for a few days. The guy might be the straight up nicest dude I've met in a long time. And Paco Cendon at electric13 was super nice too and has an awesome shop. I very much underestimated the pain on the back of the thigh, just above the ditch of my knee. It's 3 days later and I'm still limping around.

Got this German Kaiser wolf today by Murray Sell at Flying Tiger Tattoo in CT. I love it and it's definitely unique.

Last minute appointment at Kingsave NYC with Chris O'Donnell

Round 2 with Chad yesterday. Sorry about the sideways picture I can't fix it on my phone

Why not... Horizakura peony/junco from last year:

This is a really cool thread and I've really enjoyed reading people's responses. I haven't been getting tattooed that long, but it's been long enough and heavily enough that I find it difficult to make a clear distinction between myself and my tattoos anymore because they're such a huge part of my life and my experience. With that said, here's some cool stuff: Travel. I think one of the greatest things about getting tattooed, and especially by getting tattooed by a lot of people who don't work in my city, is how much traveling I've done to get tattooed, and how it's made travel to seem like a much easier and much more doable thing than it did prior to traveling to get tattooed. Going to New York City seemed like a somewhat daunting trip before; now I realize that it's an easy 7-8 hour drive down a pleasant stretch of the I-87 and can be a weekend trip. While I was working on my sleeve and @Pugilist was working on her back, I think we made five or six trips between Montreal and NYC in a year, and that was unthinkable before tattoos became a priority. If it wasn't for Electric Tattoo in Bradley Beach (now Asbury Park) I never would have considered visiting that part of the Jersey Shore, or probably the Jersey Shore at all, but it was great and I'd love to go back. Barcelona is a great place no matter what, but getting a little tattoo from El Monga when I was there this summer made that wonderful city that little bit better. One of my first thoughts when hearing about a place I haven't been before is figuring out who tattoos there, because tattoos make the best souvenirs. Art. I've always been interested in art, always drawn to some extent or another, always made a point of visiting museums to look at art, I read about it, and so on, but tattooing has really helped me to broaden my perspectives on art. I would guess that I'm not that different than many of you in that it was really punk rock and skateboarding that exposed me to the first art that really blew my mind. That Corey O'Brien reaper deck Jim Phillips drew is my favorite thing ever and has been since I saw it in ads in Thrasher magazine in I guess the late 80s and early 90s. Those Pushead graphics on those Zorlac decks in that same era; the cover art for the Noise Forest skate rock tape, that stuff all still rules. I'm probably not the only person here who was first exposed to Scott Sylvia not through anything tattoo related, but through the H2O album cover he did. My first encounter with Dan Higgs had nothing to do with tattoos, but was through Lungfish. And somehow despite all that, I guess I still thought that art was something that hung in galleries and museums and spaces like that, and that the illustrations on record covers, skateboards, t-shirts, comics, and so on, were something different entirely. It sounds really lame typing this out, but tattooing has really helped me to see all of this stuff as legitimate forms of artistic expression, and that it's totally as acceptable to be in awe of a Greg Irons illustration as it is to be in awe of a Rembrandt painting. I have plenty of time for both of those. I really love that interview Ed Hardy did of Mike Malone in Bulls Eyes and Black Eyes where Rollo talks about coming from the New York art scene, doing projections and shit like that, and then eventually coming around to imagery that really blew his mind from his childhood, like biker patches and stuff like that. I get where he's coming from there. Tattoos have also made me really appreciate technique and craft. Lately, and this is in a roundabout way coming from seeing Shawn Barber's paintings, I've come to really like realism in art, especially as it contrasts with super conceptual stuff that isn't about skill or technique at all. I have absolutely zero interest in realistic tattoos though. Body image. Now the thing that I like least about my body is the amount of open skin I have left. Not that I'm in a rush to cover it all right away, because I want to get tattooed for a long time to come. Spirituality. We've talked a lot about meditation on here, but I think beyond that there's something spiritual (maybe you'd choose a different word, but I'm using spiritual) about tattoos. I don't mean in a direct way, like tattoos of crosses and Jesus heads or Buddhist iconography or whatever, but more about the way that tattooing seems to be a fundamental human drive. When I was getting my arm worked on there was a moment in a lengthy and brutal session where I was laying on the table, I could smell my own blood from the work that had been done on my shoulder, and there was this sudden understanding of how weird the whole thing was: I was there bleeding and in pain, totally voluntarily, and paying somebody a lot of money that I had worked hard for to do this to me. It isn't behavior that is entirely rational; that's part of the appeal of it. Before having experiences like this I was a lot more of a rational and logical person and getting tattooed has opened me up to the possibility that we don't always do things for easily explainable and comprehensible reasons. I think that's a positive thing, personally.

Front of my El Monga leg. Done at Tattoo City in March. Pic is from today (healed). Entered the back of it a few months ago, figured the front needs to toss its hat in the ring.

I hate posting the same pic over and over again, but i want a LST shirt! Done by Shige. Pics do this piece no justice.

My recommendation is to stop looking at your tattoo with a flashlight. That shit is just weird.

Started this last year at Kings Ave. Made progress at the Montreal convention then finished it last week at Kings Ave.

They won't need to when they find you to get that cash back..

@losParanoyas that lady is awesome. I got a walk in at Lombard St Tattoo in Portland today, from Ellen Murphy. Went in to pick something off the wall, and ended up getting a dagger through a rose, off a Richard Stell sheet. I'll put up a picture when it isn't all gory, but I'm super happy with it, and it was a great experience all around. Very cool shop.

I have the Gao Yord "sak muh = tattoo by hand" or sak yant tattoo, it is to ward off all dangers and have protection from weapons (guns and knives). I will be writing later about the koi back piece I am getting later, it has cultural significance stuff like @ironchef mentioned.

Doritos. Black Doritos.

Saw this and thought it was pretty funny. Figured I'd share.

I told him I wanted butterfly wings and that I wasn't set on a lady head, tiger head, etc... And that I just wanted to leave with something that looked like a Theo tattoo. I was stalking your knee on here last week. Actually the only direction I had to give him was just that my wife veto'd a devil. He thought that was pretty funny.

Just managed to sit through my first tattoo, finally, yay! Done by Anthony Cole at Silver Needles in Southend. Very happy with my choice. Thanks so much to everyone on this forum for helping to create such a great resource, I learnt a lot here.

Was able to get a three legged money toad (Jin Chan) from Takashi Matsuba (IG: traditionaltool) last night. The shading was done by hand (tebori) which is a first for me. Also the first piece I've gotten where the artist drew it on first as opposed to using a stencil. Can't wait to see the white all healed up and yellowed a bit. That's also three tattoos in three weeks. Feels good to have a break and be able to plan my next pieces :).

My new piece from Matt Houston done on a trip to Amsterdam at Salon Serpent. Real nice guy and had another great experience in this shop. I tried to get in with Matt before in Vancouver but time was against me so super happy to nab an appt this time. Flames go up back of elbow and still healing ( it sucks!) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

was in sf last week got this from jeff rassier. super happy about it reaper1 reaper2

OK, I'll bite @ironchef. My first leg tattoo. Got it at the London Convention. By Eli Quinters, Smith Street Tattoo.

Hey Folks, We all obviously have our personal reasons for getting tattoos. I thought it would be fun and interesting to hear thoughts and experiences regarding getting or not getting a tattoo because of some superstitions, personal beliefs, cultural customs or taboos. Apologies for my very long-winded dialogue below. My own perspective is a bit of a double-edged sword. I’m American born Chinese, raised in the Lower East Side/Chinatown of NYC. My parents and grandparents are/were Buddhists. My maternal grandmother (Grams), who had a major role in my early upbringing, was a devout practicing Buddhist. I’ve never been religious but was always respectful of the customs and beliefs. It was Grams who naturally started me on the path of some of these beliefs and informed me of some of the more peculiar superstitions that ended up influencing my tattoo choices later on in life. As most of us know in Asian cultures, tattoos are still a taboo subject and subculture. However I’ve never been one to go with the grain so much but I ended up getting my first tattoo in my early 30’s. My first tattoo was a koi with water and cherries, done in a Japanese motif. I’ve always loved goldfish and koi as a kid and I remembered begging my grandmother to get them for me. Grams would flat out refuse. You see, while goldfish and koi are considered good luck, if they die, the Chinese believed your luck dies with it. Being very conscious of that, I figured a tattoo is permanent and the koi would “live” forever. It just so happened that when I got this first tattoo, it was at the end of the same year Grams had passed away. Part of it was in honor and remembrance of her. My next tattoo was of a dragon, my Chinese zodiac sign. I received a stern lecture from my mom on this. Even though she accepted this path I was on with getting tattooed, she had indicated it was bad luck to get my own zodiac figure tattooed on myself. It would be in conflict with one’s self. Too late I explained to her and we’d just have to see what the eventual outcome with be in my destiny, hahaha. Now when I had decided to get my back tattooed, a lot of odd things popped up that I had to consider. First, the literal connotations of getting my back inked, the Chinese would say you are getting stabbed in the back, bad karma. Of course didn’t take too much stock in that and plowed forward. Next, while I am in complete awe of most back pieces and overall tattoos for that matter, I had made a decision not to get any religious or associated figures tattooed on me. No Kannon, Buddha, demons, Monkey King, etc. You get the idea. It is considered bad luck and disrespectful to get a deity tattoo, let alone on your back where you would be “resting on them”. It broke my heart as I adore the powerful and serene image of Kannon riding a dragon and although life is short and one should always try to get what they want, I just couldn’t see myself breaking away from this belief. To the point I was scared I would “anger the gods” and have bad luck for the rest of my days. Hence you’ll notice in my gallery, my tattoos comprise of creatures and florals and will continue with this theme until I’m “done.” One thing that’s never been spoken of in a negative light is that it is okay to get a mantra or chant or just Buddhist scripture tattooed on yourself. These would act like talismans or amulets to ward off evil or bad luck. I’ve recently been researching Sanskrit and Bonji characters that I will eventually incorporate into my collection.

he thinks the lines look blown out which i dont see myself in the pic but i guess with this type of design you are examining those lines pretty closely it appears the idea was sufficiently captured - whatever that idea is i would kick back - let it heal and enjoy what you got there

You can download anything off of youtube with VLC player. I'm not saying I'm an advocate of piracy or shady internet dealings, but there are ways to get any internet content for free. Mainly utorrent and pirate bay. Not that I would ever do that. I'm an upstanding citizen and I pay the price for things that are worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2uoPhtIkM

omar comin! - - - Updated - - - Hell yes! Murray is hilarious.

November is shaping up to be quite a month.

I am going in tomorrow for session 2 of my back piece, I'll tell the artist to not fill in the eyes, I have to tell him in Thai, I'll say "fish carp make eye when tattoo finished...same fish birthday" (literal translation)

Hi @Sykes101211. I'm glad you're feeling better about it, and just giving it time to let it tell you what to do. And thanks for giving the group feedback that anything we've said has been useful. That's the kinda folks we like - hang around!

@Cork - coconut oil is the new fad "miracle cure-all"...

Love the rare heart eyes.. NexuzNine

here are the pics of my first session with Jeff Ensminger. small cover on each shoulder given a whiteout after the line work was layed in. next session in a couple weeks

Going back on Friday for the second layer on the top of my back and half of my spine. Joy. Dreading this one - the only time I've tapped out is when we did the first pass in this area. I've started making bigger batches of baked goods - always for my tattoo artist, but now some for the couple whose house I've been crashing at instead of driving all the way home so late at night. Peanut butter cookies this time. Tomorrow night I'm going to stink up the house good with peanut butter goodness. Keeps my brain occupied so I don't think about this too much!

I don't even know why I read these contest threads anymore. All they do is give me ridiculous tattoo envy.

Thanks for the interest but... people have no problem asking personal questions on the internet huh? But to be less abrasive: Soap will be working at Modern Classic in Fulham, London one week each month... then we'll see what happens. There are myriad factors to consider after that but the long-term goal is for him to work full time eventually. The "status" of Lab Monkey for the coming months is the same as it has been for years - it's open, with Soap and others (currently Adam) doing tattoos. If Soap sells his existing shop isn't really anyone's business but his own. Same deal if he gives it to unicorns, another tattooer, or simply closes the doors forever. Whatever happens, Soap himself will give appropriate information. Yes, Lab Monkey is the first shop I did a tattoo in. While I was still struggling to learn, without structured guidance and tattooing out of my house, Soap graciously offered to let me sit in at his place for a week. That was the first time I tattooed people that I didn't already know. I'd been tattooing for about a year at that point. I've tried to return when my schedule allows. The information we've given about the shop is all that we've had the time to prepare. It's been a hectic 12 months preparing the shop. Especially hectic since the end of August when we got legal access to the premises. There's also been a bunch of conventions, visitors and regular work to do with Frith Street while getting our new space ready. - To answer another frequently asked question: Everybody at Frith Street knew about our shop since the end of 2013. They have all been supportive, interested and helpful with myself, Valerie and our new manager. Especially Naomi and Dante. It's easy to leave a shop on sour terms. Not so easy to keep it sweet. Sometimes we don't get a choice. So Valerie and I have gone to great lengths to preserve our working and personal relationship with everyone at Frith Street. I will keep my Sunday appointments there for the foreseeable future. Rest assured, we will make public updates with relevant information in due course, when time allows. Right now, we're concentrating on opening a street-level, regular tattoo shop that's practical and convenient for the people who work there and the people who want to get tattooed there. Your best bet for reliable info is the shop Instagram, Twitter and website. Keep 'em peeled!...

Just finished a session with Yoni at NY Adorned, will post a photo when I am less red and bloody! It's a wheel of life with lots of nice colors - oranges, blues, greens, reds. Super short 2.5 hour 1-off session, flew by save for my hip screaming at me for laying on it funny for that long. And dang is the fleshy bit near the hip the pits to have tattooed, I think I'd rather have my ribs tattooed again. Bummed that I don't have anything else planned with Yoni for a while.

I only started getting tattooed five and a half years ago. These years has been very turbulent and challenging and, in the later years, also filled with positive learning experience on so many levels. I feel better than ever about myself and I now live a life where I am happy in the moment and also with where I am heading. The experience of getting tattooed more and more and learning about the art and culture has been like a companion through the struggles and personal development. Tattoos has often been a big part of my life so it's hard to separate what comes from what. One way for me to handle rough emotions has been to keep busy all the time, working for money. This money in turn needed to be channeled somewhere and I turned a lot of it into tattoos and travelling. So that was a delayed very positive side effect of negative emotions, new positive experiences. Tattoos have absolutely taught me to appriciate art more, different kinds of art. This has also been inspirational when it comes to drawing and painting my own stuff. Art of course ties into history, structures of society, religion, symbolism and culture: all things I that interest me now more then ever. The more I learn in these subjects, the more I get associations when looking at tattoos, which is also interesting. Tattoos and travelling to get tattoos has given me some very interesting meetings with people, and sent me to places I might not have visited otherwise. I've had many good conversations in tattoo shops and also made a few friends. Most of my friends that I met in other circumstances are not into tattoos, so I tend to not talk so much about tattoos with them. But to know some people that are as neerdy as me is a great joy. Some of these people have told me things that spiralled into new interestest and knowledge that I want to pursue. The experience of getting tattooed also gave some valuable lessons about pain and the body. I am more interested in sensations now than before, I used to be really inside my head and logical in my thinking. This was sometimes acting as a wall when it came to having good experiences so it was something I wanted to change. It's hard to say what's the egg and whats the chicken in this struggle but tattooing has been part of solving this problem and being more mindful and physical in many aspects. I am now more aware of my bodily sensations and I tend to enjoy them more. The tattoo process and the people I've met has also tied well into my interest in health care and nutrition. I also took a course in yoga recently, after friends and tattooers told me about the benefits. Getting tattooed quite heavily also did something to my body image. I am still not happy with the shape of some parts of my body but now at least they have very pretty wrappings. Also in relation to other people, who may view you differently when they see your tattoos, being a tattooed person has made me think new thoughts in social situations. Sometimes in makes me uncomfortable but not as much anymore, despite more and more coverage. It's funny because in many ways tattoos are more then something that I care deeply about and want to imerse myself in. At the same time it is "just tattoos". I think sometimes that other people, without tattoos, make it a bigger deal than it actually is. Like it's being fetishized and or stigmatized in many contexts. Some years ago I would still feel a bit uneasy when someone would ask me "what if you'll regret all this later on?". But now it is "just tattoos", there is so much more to me as a person than what I choose to make my skin look like. On the other hand I feel that I would take quicker showers if I wasn't admiring how damn cool/tough/pretty and sexy I look now. I could probably go on for a bit but I'll stop now. Tattoos has enriched my life a lot and I love it.

Start of a neo Japanese sleeve by Shawn Van Oven @ Shamens Den Binghamton NY Shawn is an awesome guy so easy to work with. Met him at the Electric City Convention last year.

This!! Seth Wood.

UPDATE: Two days of brutality on my back with Henning. This go around we started coloring in the phoenix at Kings Avenue Tattoo. 7 hours on Friday in Long Island, then 6 more hours on Saturday in Manhattan. Henning thinks we need one more full session to complete everything. I think probably 2 more including any touch ups. By the way...I really really hate ribs...and spine....THE WORST. Enjoy the pics.

Torso progress. 3 days back to back at the Bay Area Convention of the Tattoo Arts this past weekend. Sorry for the harsh convention lighting. Will get better pics once healed. Thanks for looking.

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.

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.

Beyond happy with this rose from Chris Garver this week. Pic stolen from his IG

Been kinda forgetful/lazy to post in this thread. If you follow me on IG, then these are not new. I've gotten these since the Rassier baby heads. Tuesday flash from Candi Kinyobi at Tuesday Tattoo in San Francisco, CA. Under the tutelage of Jesse Tuesday (who's a badass tattooer that's totally under the radar). Ultimate sad girl with sad heart from happy tattooer and fellow LST'er Carolyn LeBourgeois @cltattooing at FTW Tattoo in Oakland, CA. Tengu from Stewart Robson at Black Heart Tattoo in San Francisco, CA. Was able to nab a cancellation thanks to Ross "INSIDE SCOOP" Hogg. I unfollowed a bunch of tattooers on IG, so I totally wouldn't have known about this. Thanks again @hogg!

Fun times in New York with my newly immigrated fiancée. Bug is on her by Bert Krak, torch and rose are on me by Eli Quinters and Beau Brady, respectively.

Well since Stewart posted it on his instgram.....I will repost it here. Mine is top left. I will post a bigger pic when it heals.

I haven't posted this on here yet. Session four on my back, we shaded my butt and thigh.

Looks great. I really have to check out Trophy. I heard its a nice spot right by (under?) the new Crow's Nest. I picked up a couple end of the season tattoos from Tim Pausinger at The Pearl in Toronto today. I'll post in three pictures. My left leg is really coming together now. I hope I can find good employment soon, because there is still a ton of work to be done!

My artist finished the eyes of my dragon last. He said once the eyes where done the dragon is alive and to continue tattooing it would cause the dragon pain.