RoryQ

There's a cool art / print shop that's part of Aloha- think it's called La Cobra Negra? Theirs also. That part of Barcelona has some great bars and gothic laneways, it's a really beautiful city.

@MadeIndelible Yeah, the steel on these rusts fast but the upside is it's very easy to sharpen well. There are so many blade styles in the PA, very diverse and you get totally different looking things from The north v the south, different parts of the archipelago I guess. This one is a pattern that would have been used by the Muslim tribes in Moro land. It's much lighter than it looks, very agile. The wooden handles and blades are often carved in zoomorphic ways, makes them quite organic and beautiful looking.

Been turning this... Into this... Some more refurbish to go before it's ship shape. It's a banyal sword from Moro land in the Phillipines.

Reading Gaiman's 'The ocean at the end of the lane'. So far I'm not liking it as much as other Gaiman novels I've read ('American Gods', 'Anansi Boys', 'Stardust') or the short story collections if I'm honest. That disturbs me somewhat, because I want to like it. The narrator is a 7 year old boy, but even taking into account his age he's so annoying that I'd like to see him drowned in a sack, frankly speaking. Got some interesting stuff queued up next. I bought good condition second hand copies of Dan Simmons' Hyperion and Endymion series to re-read. Curious if they are as awesome as I remember them being.

People politely disagreeing and expressing mutual respect for one another... Is this really the internet?

@Damo Welcome to the forum. My initial thought is that a dragon, done in black and grey, whether in a traditional japanese style or a western style (think Sailor Jerry) can be a fantastic subject for a tattoo. There's a reason that dragons are so iconic. You've got to ask yourself whether adding in zodiac symbols or something like the boys' names in script is actually going to gel well with that, or whether it's going to look cluttered or a bit OTT. Richard Pinch does some great dragons. Richard's Tattoo Studio - Scotland UK

@JasonM As far as Yellow Blaze goes (Shige and Tomo), you can contact them by e-mail or telephone. Telephone is probably better, because they get swamped with a lot of non-serious enquiries via e-mail and sometimes they seem to miss correspondence. Shige's english is pretty good on the phone, but it's best to keep it simple and to the point. If you are really willing to travel to Japan, and are pitching something he is willing to do, then it's possible to book him. I guess, given you've gone to Hong Kong for the above, you know what would be involved.

@JasonMH Something a bit different, I like it. For me the panoramic quality of the way it wraps around your chest, arm and back works quite well. Three days tattooing like that is no joke when you've travelled a long distance, well done. @nnavarro Flying after getting tattooed, even with large work, is not really a big deal in my experience. Because of where I live I have flown to and from practically ever appointment I've ever had (except the ones in All Star in Limerick). With a palm-sized piece I wouldn't even think about it, just follow normal aftercare.

@bongsau I've had two MRIs (torn knee ligament and the second time a neck injury). Both times they told me I might experience a sense of warming or heat where my tattoos were. I thought I felt something but it could just have been the power of suggestion. It didn't appear to affect the MRI process at all. The other big implication of being tattooed here is that you can't donate blood for a few months after. You're in a high risk category.

@TheLance I second @Iwar on that... Now that's a nice tattoo!

This is for @BrianH ... Pretty heavy scabbing in parts around the 8-9 day mark. Then, a shot from today (I think it's been 3-4 weeks since I was tattooed, can't quite remember). It's still a little shiny and new, also gets dry, but I don't think I lost anything... Not the best photo but you get the idea I hope.

@nomadland I actually agree that the whole 'forum police' can be a trap people fall into, but at the same time when is it that and when is it more a case of someone like @irezumi speaking up and just giving to the point, professional advice. Is that 'forum police'? Seriously, he gave the best advice in this thread hands down. The internet gives everyone a platform to voice their opinion, but I'm sure you agree they're not all equal in value. Why would we not give more weight when a tattooer weighs in, reluctantly in this case, on tattooing?

The 'signal to noise' ratio can be a problem on any forum which, at a certain point, has a lot of experienced people posting on a topic. That knowledge base pulls in a lot of new posters, keen to ask questions, sometimes not getting the established culture of the forum, and you can get noise that dilutes the content to an extent. The thing is a closed-door or overly insular forum can be no better, because you end up with cliques and group think. The most successful forums I've seen are the ones which manage a kind of dynamic balance. I think LST is managing that now, just about. But like @irezumi alludes to, LST has lost out when tattooers stop posting. If we ever end up a forum which is entirely populated by collectors only, however educated, then that'll be the end for me.

The 'ignore' function isn't that good though. It still shows threads started and on taptalk you see the first few lines of their post. You're just as well trying to skim past without reading.

Cold. Wet. Felt like puking. Bah...!

The London Tattoo Con Instagram page has been announcing artists. But also- it's often the same names year in, year out, because people like to go to it. You can be fairly sure certain people will be there. This year is its anniversary so it's extra special.

I think that artist's work reminds me of Lars Uwe / Lus Lips from Berlin... Uncle Allen also sprung to mind, like Kyle said. I don't know where he's tattooing now (could be Into You), but Steve Vinall's work seems to draw on that. He's been tattooed by Uwe so I guess there's a link. Maybe worth looking at Inma at The Family Business too- she does something a little more her own but it might appeal to you. There's probably others doing that neo trad (?) style in London if you look around a bit. Such a rich city for tattooing. Lars Uwe http://www.loxodrom.de/galerie/lars/ Steve Vinall http://www.into-you.co.uk/london/steve-vinall/ Inma http://www.thefamilybusinesstattoo.com/artists/inma-lasgambas/

Forest at Cobra tattoo is legit and a very nice guy to get tattooed by, although I guess might be too far out..

@BrianH Could it be a little breakout of pimples in there? I think having a touch of redness and inflammation is not so unusual, particularly on the lower leg. My latest had a little redness around it for a couple of days, like you might get with any damage to skin that's healing. I felt like Chad's piece on my leg was also more traumatic or heavy than some other tattoos I've healed, but maybe that's subjective. Either way, I wouldn't worry yet.

@Breakme Haven't read the sequel, just starting this one actually. I bought it a while back but was a bit disenchanted with new fantasy so put it on the back burner. Joe Abercrombie and Richard Morgan got me back into it to some extent, so I cracked this one open. So far it's living up to the hype. Beautifully written.

Is it me or is it a bit crooked? (Joking)

@spookyluke : This just isn't a forum that showcases DIY tattoos. The mission statement pretty much implicitly states that on the front page. It's really more for celebrating the 'master master' guy$. (In fairness, this guy is less crazy than others who have turned up of late.)

I think I'm starting to like the new drama-filled LST. It's like a dive bar, every evening a new bust-up.

These yellow jackets are deliberately retro looking... Big yellow bricks. I like the visual impact. But in general, yeah, cover-art here sucks. No paintings anymore, it's just a bit of computer graphics usually, a photoshop of a girl with a sword or something.

Worth looking at Claudia's studio-mate Xam for that kind of tattooing also...