sourpussoctopus

I'll be traveling to London in a couple of weeks to get tattooed by Valerie. I missed her during her guest spot in NYC, and I'm just stubbornly determined to get the pieces we talked about.

I'm really pumped for the tattoos, but kinda freaking out about the trip in general. It'll be my first time traveling on my own and my first time in Europe. I've traveled for tattoos, but never this far. Seasoned trekkers: any tips? Also, if anyone's got suggestion for things to see/do/eat, I'd love to hear it!

That's such a beastly description, @bongsau. I've been pondering getting my head done, but I'm not sure I've reached the meditative state to handle it yet.

Here's my latest, courtesy of Karrie Arthurs: https://instagram.com/p/9NAjS4Iwu-/

Tony Firstbrook posted this yesterday. Made me think of you, @PinkUnicorn:

https://instagram.com/p/9Jq_xwGstZ/

Was revisiting Jason June's feed because I'm thinking of getting something by him, and was reminded of this ridiculousness: https://instagram.com/p/RGKMXRTBAp/

That's freaking cute. I would totally buy my child one to help it spread satanism in her elementary school.

This is just a personal bias, but the whole point of a crow/raven is that it's black. That's a great part of what makes them striking. Doing it in grey kinda diminishes that for me. With that said, they come in black/white combinations that are also beautiful. That might be a good route to go as well.

Again, just the highly subjective opinion of a person with multiple crow/raven tattoos.

(And @cltattooing - Thanks for the explanation!)

dont cover it - just get something else - its a fun tattoo

Seconded. The size/placement/the fact it's baby Tweety makes it kind of endearing.

I don't begrudge him for finding and filling a niche. The feed as a whole - the cutesy, tiny tattoos, the black and white, the Coachella clientele - just cause some anger synapses to fire, that's all. I can't control what my neurons find irritating.

Oh wow, that feed makes me irrationally angry.

Hi there! Listen to @bongsau's advice. Give yourself time before getting a sleeve. Maybe get a few smaller tattoos first, see how that goes. After you've lived a little, then commit to the full arm.

@jen7 I was shocked when I found out how close the pyramids are to the city (from pictures; sadly, I've never been to Egypt).

My appointment with Karrie Arthurs is coming up next week and I am very excited. Been admiring her work from afar for so long; can't wait to see what she came up with.

The turd burglar doesn't look guilty at all, nuh uh.

That's awesome!

(I want to point out the BBC player volume control goes to 11. Also awesome).

Oh, Dostoyevsky. I started Crime and Punishment three times, and stopped halfway through The Idiot. I've been meaning to read the Russian classics for years, but it never seems like the right time. I feel like things have to align in order for me to get into the headspace needed to absorb those stories. Maybe this winter.

I'm about 100 pages from finishing Dune. Honestly, it lives up to the hype. I'm super into it, it's such an immersive story.

This thread ruins my life. So much excellent work.

Happy anniversary!

Most of the tattoos I've gotten have been arranged long distance. As someone who is not artistic in the slightest, I put a lot of confidence into my artists' designs. Sometimes when I see what they came up with it's not quite like I had imagined, but it was still very much that artist's interpretation of my idea, and at the end of the day that's all I really wanted. And I enjoy all the tattoos I have very much.

With that said, I don't see why you can't ask your artist to keep you updated on the design process. Mention all your concerns - the long distance, the visibility of the tattoo, etc. I think if you do it in a polite way, they would be very understanding. Good luck!

My mind was properly blown when I first saw these:

Female warrior by Chris O'Donnell: Female warrior for Nicole

Punk Virgin Mary by Valerie Vargas: Professional Tattoo Blog | Kings Avenue Tattoo in NYC | valerie vargas

This backpiece by Thomas Hooper: https://thomashooper.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/made-by-thomas-hooper-texas-2012_62.jpg

A really awesome piece about reviving traditional tattoo methods in Alaskan Inuit communities. It's only 4 minutes long, I highly recommend you all listen to it :)

A Return To Native Roots, Traced In Ink : NPR

JUAT. Insane.

@marley mission Those stares die down eventually. I'm in graduate school, so I work as a TA in Chemistry at the university level. For the first couple of week of class the kids (mostly freshmen and sophomores) will ask questions and their eyes will dart around to tattooed areas, as you said, but after that they get used to it. It just becomes a natural part of their day, "Oh, my teacher is tattooed".

As for selecting clothing to display tattoos - not really. I just wear what I wear, and if they're out, they're out. However, I love it when I see girls with backpieces and the top part pokes out of their tank tops. I think that's sexy as hell. Guys with backpieces look great, too, but ladies just look better. When my dream Anderson Luna backpiece happens, maybe I'll get to show it off a bit, too.

Teenagers are morons, that much is expected, but what kind of chaperone allows this kind of thing to happen? To bring an unknown man into a hotel room full of foreign teenage girls, to get tattooed under unsanitary conditions no less? I'd be pissed too.