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I've been avoiding my ditches as long as I could, but a few sundays ago I decided it was time. jason ochoa at greenpoint tattoo put this rose in there and now that it's healed, I'm stoked to do the other arm. it didn't hurt nearly as bad as I expected and it was pretty much healed within a week or so using tegaderm. definitely a believer in that shit. if there's a thread discussing that stuff, let me know and I can share my experience. anyway, here's a healed pic:

First off, congrats on your first tattoo!! I've read through the whole thread and I have to say that some of these replies have kinda pissed me off. As a tattooer, I see a couple of sides to this thing. From a responsible professional standpoint, I would never do someone's first tattoo on their neck for all of the reasons that everyone has already been so quick to mention. From a personal standpoint, fuck yeah!! That's really cool to me that you went with what you felt like was right for your first tattoo. The only reason that getting your neck tattooed off the bat is so heavily frowned upon in the tattoo community is because of the prejudice and general hassle that it will cause you on a practical level from regular people in the daily world. So to see the same sort of prejudice and heckling coming from folks in the tattoo community toward another person who is now in the tattoo community, is like a major fucking bummer. Like obviously the tattoo may (or may not!) make the dude's life more difficult in some ways, do we really need to be compounding that too? Like is everyone trying to make the kid hate his first tattoo? Yeah I definitely think that was a quick and heavy decision, but I also think about where tattooing would be without people like the Great Omi who left the Royal Navy to file down his teeth, tattoo his whole body, and join the circus. All because he wanted to and didn't give a fuck what people thought about it. And this post isn't directed toward anyone, just my thoughts on the scenario.

image url upload[/img] Lonny did this in 3 sessions. Aces High Tattoo Shop | West Palm Beach and Jupiter Award Winning Tattoos

I feel like its very clichéd, everyone gets their arm done first. Clichéd? Try to make your decisions about things like this based on what you want rather than what you think other people do or what current fashion is. If you want a feather turning into birds, get a feather turning into birds. Jeez, speaking of clichéd - all the rest of you do is jump on the panthers, skulls and roses bandwagon. Think of something more original already, k?

Final session on my back on Wednesday! Session #20. I can't believe I've sat for 19 sessions so far. Boggles my mind.

Thanks to me not being diligent about booking new sessions, I now have a mishmash of up and coming sessions. This pic is the result of my last session on Saturday which was at the Sydney Tattoo Convention. Only a small 2 hour session but was cool chatting to different people wandering past asking about my work etc. Was also my 1st attendance at a tattoo convention/show. I got to see alot of people getting tattooed by many artists and the main thing that surprised me was how few engaged with the artist and chatted. So many had headphones on or were playing with iPads with no interaction with the artist. For me that is a big reason why I "enjoy" getting tattooed and keep going back for more. To me a big part of getting a great tattoo is connecting with your artist, chatting with him/her, chewing the fat, disagreeing with him/her and at times arguing with your artist. (Something I have done once or twice.) Not sure what all you LST's do but my job is very technical and most would class as boring. Is another reason why I enjoy my tattoo sessions, I get to connect and chat to artistic and creative people. Much more interesting than the crap I deal with at work. :) Anyway enough of my rant, here is the latest pic. Cheers Jason

@TheAsian You dived straight in off the cuff, without thought and recklessly without giving a fuck apart from just wanting to get tattooed...just like a lot of us did when we were 18 ;) Tattoos are the stories of our lives, they form part of our life experiences and you've just embarked on one of your own. It's done man. Love it. A lot of us come from a generation of where having your hands and neck slammed are areas that were "earned" We also came from a generation that a tattooer wouldn't tattoo your hands or neck until you had earned it by having a high proportion of your body already committed. As my original tattooer told me when I was 18, "there will come a day, at least one that for whatever reason you will wish no one can see your tattoos, and when you're in that moment, I don't want to be remembered as the person who tattooed your face, neck or hands" I never gave that much thought when I was 18, but I learned to understand what it meant. I waited until I was suited to hit solid hands and neck and I love them. I'm still as reckless as what I was when I was 18...AND, I hold s respectable Govt management position. I just have to work harder to show motherfuckers I know my stuff. We're in a different generation now. We don't have the same "code" as what a lot of us here were brought up with. My parents couldn't understand why I pierced my ear at 14 and tattooed my arm at 17. I can't understand why the youth today plug their ears or choose a hand or neck tattoo as their 1st, but it's not for me to understand. It's for you :) Now!! Start working on your bodysuit! [emoji4]

hey everyone, thanks for paying attention to my request- i meant scales like Libra scales. Here's what Bert did! @Cork kinda hard to get a really good pic since it wraps a bit, but i'm stoked on it

Finally finished. This one took about 25 hours. The artist asked me if I liked it. I told him yes. He said good, because you're stuck with it now. No panther is going to cover this thing. Ha! The colors are brighter than what I expected, but they are growing on me. Overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out. The coolest part about this experience, is that I feel like I can just go down to the shop and hang out and have some beer and pizza with these guys. It's a really fun place to hang out and I'm definitely going to get more work done by him. But the artist knows I'm also getting pieces done by others in the area. He recommended several to me.

The lady and I went down to Dedication Tattoo for their 2 year anniversary party yesterday, they had a huge sheet of designs to choose from drawn up by them and their guests for the day and we had a lot of fun just getting spontaneous tattoos and hanging out at the shop. Bryce Operandi put a rose on my elbow, and she got a butterfly girl head from CJ Fishburn. CJ talked her into doing black and gray and I think it looks rad. Elbow wasn't as miserable as I expected either so that's a bonus.

Not baby related (but congrats, everyone)... Got this rainy dude from Tron last week when she was at Atlas in Portland. Awesome experience and glad to fill this weirdo spot on my leg.

Welcome to LST. As much as I am sure you want to be a tattooer, it sounds like you need to get the fuck out of this sketchy apprenticeship.

It's not on me but I love this (by Grez) Have only got the lining of the central piece of my belly down at the moment, we'll finish it next session (all being well). I don't think I've got any photos though. Shall rummage.

aw twist me arm...

here's a devil I got last summer from the bowery book done by jason ochoa at greenpoint tattoo

Yeah you definitely need to leave and pursue other options. The idea of undertaking a tattoo apprenticeship from someone who doesn't tattoo is... nonsensical. By the sounds of it, you have too much potential for this clown and he doesn't deserve to have you around. It kinda just sounds like he wants a shop bitch who will make him easy money, and that's not what tattooing is about. I know it's hard to have the confidence at this level to put your foot down and say "hey fuck you man! I'm leaving!" (you don't literally have to say fuck you ;)) BUT YOU SHOULD! Even if you have to keep learning and studying on your own time, it will still be time saved not learning bad habits and bad business practices. And yeah what Kevin said, go hang out at other shops, be polite and respectful, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. Get tattooed! It will work out :)

good advice @SeeSea - for instance - I almost got this Rodney turning into birds...close call...my better judgement prevailed...

With respect to doing this post-tattoo, don't worry about it. With respect to it being your calf, from some of the laments around here, there is sometimes more swelling and hobbling around with lower leg tattoos. But my guess is if it's mostly just lining, you'll probably have some pain but not much trouble. Elevate your leg between tours. Good luck on the session!

Thanks @SeeSea I am really happy with the outcome. I cant wait till the end, at this stage we are looking to finish it around June/July this year so a total of about 18 months. I had my 1st session in late Feb 2014. Although I swear I have had more specific comments on the colouring and designs on my thighs than the rest of it. Other artists at the shop as well as people at the convention seem to like the thighs. I guess at the moment most of the backpiece is red and green, at times we have joked at the shop that my snake is either a Christmas snake or a Rabbitohs supporter (Google Rabbitohs) Once more is done on the warrior it should be a bit more a bit more colourful. If not I will be starting a new thread "Dual Thigh Piece Thread" :)

Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of the team Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You sound really insecure about something that hasn't even happened yet. Jesus Christ.

You're the best little homey.

THIS!!! I chat so much. If I ever meet anyone from LST, it will be fun. All I do is joke around and tell tons of stories.

That is dope. I hope it goes awesome. He's someone I plan on in the future at some point to get a piece from.

Nice! I am going to Miami Beach....might actually be able to convince the spouse to tag along on that one. Lol

I am going to PR. I was told that they will call me once the book is open.

for Juan, do you have to go to Puerto Rico or is he coming to the states?

Just so the obvious is not overlooked . . .

I like the idea a lot. Are you planning on having the tattoos stand alone or will you have some background tying them together? For designs, I'd suggest looking in books. There are so many good ones out there: the Sailor Jerry books, that Zeis book (the Scott Harrison page in there is something else), the Flash From the Bowery book, the Dietzel and Burchett books, Flash From the Past/Revisited...there's so much out there. Lucky's Tattoo Museum has a bunch of flash you can look at online to give you inspiration. There's so much neat stuff out there and there's probably a lot more variety and diversity in classic flash than most of us imagine. I think the biggest challenge with this idea would be doing traditional tattoos in a realistic style while still keeping the feel of traditional tattoos. If that's what you're going for. There's a bit in that Brian Bruno and Mike Rennie interview that really sticks out where Brian is talking about advice that Ed Hardy gave him about drawing: if you're drawing a tiger, you don't want to replicate a photo of it, you want to draw it how it makes you feel. I think that idea basically encapsulates one of the main differences between realism and traditional (loosely defined here) tattoos, and I wonder how bridging the gap between the two will work. Sometimes the most exciting things that happen in tattoos come from pushing boundaries and trying things to see how they'll work, so yeah, I love the idea.

Hi everyone. I'm 8 months into my 2 year apprenticeship and it's the most amazing and challenging thing I've ever done. I see a lot of people complaining about how hard it is to "get" an apprenticeship, but I have news for you, kids... getting it is the easy part. You are going to be exhausted and broke. I out in about 70-80 hours per week. I get to the shop before the owner and I am the last one to leave. I answer all of the phone calls. I schedule all of the clients. I clean everything, constantly. I scrub all of the barrels. I run the autoclave. I keep track of sending out spore tests. I take inventory and place orders when supplies are low. I paid for my own license and BBP certifications. I do preliminary consultations. I confirm appointments. I draw lettering and other design components. I watch tattoos, all day, every day. I give aftercare instructions. I set up work stations; I break down workstations. I set up all the machines; I break down all the machines. I sanitize all surfaces. I mop floors. I make stencils. I only have Sunday off and I go in anyway to clean even more and get some drawing/melon tattooing done. I get paid nothing. I'm burning through my entire life savings (the apprenticeship did not cost me money though). With all that said, I love it. My teacher is giving me a career. We have become great friends and, he admits, I have made him a better tattooer and increased his bookings. I'm saying all of this, because we are in a strange time in tattooing. I have been getting tattooed for almost 15 years now and this has been a dream if mine since that first tattoo. Everybody wants to take a shortcut and do color portraits in the first month of their apprenticeship. My teacher hasn't even let me tattoo a person yet and when I do start it, it will be a bunch of small, black silhouette tattoos. There are a million ways to learn this trade, but everyone that has done it this way is a working tattooer that supports a family. I just wanted to introduce myself and give any would-be apprentices a realistic view into an actual apprenticeship. It's hard. It's time consuming. It's inspiring. It's 2 years for the rest of my life as an artist. Anyway, I'm hopefully doing my first tattoo on a person this Thursday and I'm stoked. A small, black Ohm symbol on a girl's inner arm. You have to crawl before you walk and being ok with that will help you more than anything. Thanks for reading this novel. -Nate

I still remember when being nice to people was cool.

dragon from me ^_^

A couple that are relevant here is that 1) lines will thicken over time so if you have a lot of dense linework like in the reference images above chances are that they're going to bleed together over the course of your life; 2) the nature of skin is that it is going to age, your muscles will slacken, your skin will sag, etc., etc., and this is all going to impact how your tattoo will look. A well-designed tattoo is going to be drawn and placed in a way that will, to an extent, take this into account. I am not convinced that a design based only on very precise linework is going to age well. well and add any element to the sea like a whale or a ship, as mentioned above, be sure to somehow figure will be boring. Just for example of styling:

Like @exume said above, neither of those pictures you posted initially look like an ocean to me. I can see how they're supposed to represent an ocean, but they could equally be a desert, some kind of topographical map, a visual representation of radio pulses, probably many other things. That kind of abstraction and ambiguity is maybe fine for some things, I don't personally believe that it belongs in tattoos, but if you want something that is clearly and unmistakably an ocean, those ideas won't work. The thing about tattoos is that they tend to look a certain way for a reason. I'm not saying that you need to go out and get Western traditional or Japanese tattoos if those kinds of tattoos don't fundamentally move you and get you excited, but there are very fundamental design principles in those kinds of tattoos (and in other kinds as well, but we don't tend to talk that much about, say, tribal or black and grey here) that should be respected if you want a tattoo that is going to last. A couple that are relevant here is that 1) lines will thicken over time so if you have a lot of dense linework like in the reference images above chances are that they're going to bleed together over the course of your life; 2) the nature of skin is that it is going to age, your muscles will slacken, your skin will sag, etc., etc., and this is all going to impact how your tattoo will look. A well-designed tattoo is going to be drawn and placed in a way that will, to an extent, take this into account. I am not convinced that a design based only on very precise linework is going to age well. Stubbornness is your enemy when it comes to tattoos. We all get the tattoos we deserve.

I thought that getting lower leg tattoos at close to 30, with steady employment, was a bold step for me. Having read this thread, I guess I need to yolo harder.

Good tattooing is "very clichéd"

I still remember when this forum was devoted to promoting good tattooing.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that people get judged for having tattoos.

Whatever happened to the good old arm

Eddy Deutsche cover/blastover from a couple of weeks ago in Oslo (Marius Meyer studio). It was such a fun day, so cool! Also met the legend Carson Vester. He told us some crazy stories! Who said he had lost it? New: Old:

April 15th, back in the saddle with Greg after I had to cancel my last appointment due to illness. Then, on May 4th, Dan Gilsdorf. :O

I guess I figure sometimes no matter how much research you do, how much time you spend working on a design, how much you trust the artist, it doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. I don't see the big deal in a situation like that "erasing" the outcome and going in a different direction. Sometimes your stupidity as a newly able to be tattooed 18 year old isn't what you're feeling as a grown 40 year old. I'd rather use a cream like that than sit thru laser b/c I made a mistake or it didn't turn out right, or a cover up wouldn't be possible. My feet aren't completely covered and I can't tell you how irritated that makes me. So, now rather than be proud of my tattoos there, I'd rather wear socks and shoes. I don't see it as an "easy" way out, and I don't see a lot of people running out to spend a lot of money to get a tattoo only to turn around and take it off after two days. And I guess if they do, well, they can just be dumb and waste their money.

Welcome. Hard luck story bud. The only thing I feel I can suggest (3rd year apprentice) is visit other shops. If he has other shops, go talk to the other tattooers. Hang out. Get tattooed. If you're serious, you'll make connections with better tattooers and go from there. And by the way, worrying about your first few tattoos not being good? You're always gonna feel that way. That is why we try to progress.

Vikings. I love it, call me weird but I have felt for a long time like I have some kind of connection to that part of the world. Turns out I have an ancestor who was a pirate admiral from the Netherlands. Eh, its sort of close.

On the first day of my class, I ask students to introduce themselves by saying what they 'collect.' Last week, I had a student who said he collects traditional American tattoos, which compelled me to admit for the first time in a class that I collect tattoos. The student seems to have dropped the class.

I wore a short-sleeved shirt yesterday for the first time since getting a forearm tattoo. One manager was a bit shocked, just because it was unexpected. I asked if it bothered him, and he said it didn't. My direct managers gave approval before I got it. At three years to retirement, I can't take chances!

here's my new snake on my lower leg by Bailey Robinson. Taken from his insta, best photo I have at the moment.

Haha, I was there, too. He walked by and my wife and I both did a double take. Great point you make about being at a tattoo convention and having a "Look at that guy! He has tattoos!" moment.