sourpussoctopus

I'm quoting you but addressing all. Yes, we do sarcasm here. But like any group of people in the real physical world, you can't go waving around sarcasm immediately without feeling folks out first, sniffing butts and being really obvious in the beginning that you are being sarcastic. Believe me, we LOVE sarcasm here, and foster conversations and people who enjoy the art.
But just like in the real world, you can easily get rebuffed if you aren't being cognizant of basic social graces, which are so much harder to make obvious through a keyboard. And I suspect that's what you are feeling now. Don't turn around and call this group cliquey and passive aggressive as a result - read around, absorb who people are and when/why some conversations (and sarcasm) are had.
Or, huff off and demand your account be deleted. Your choice of course.
AND NOW BACK TO WHAT IS IMPORTANT.
Awesome, @losParanoyas!

For further reading there's also: Blue Tattoo - University of Nebraska Press
I haven't read this yet but should rectify that soon, since her other book pushed me to get more tattoos.
Some of the Kurdish tattoos that @Pugilist posted about recently, though the designs are pretty different, reminded me slightly of Olive Oatman's tattoo in terms of placement and overall effect.

Story of a 19th-century woman who became famous for her facial tattoos, acquired while she lived with a Mohave tribe (she was captured as a girl).
I'm always interest to see what native tattoos look like, so I thought you guys would like too.

This is very timely. The other day I was shopping for athletic clothing, and the owner of the shop -- this tiny, very polished older woman, probably in her early sixties -- asked me about my tattoos. Turns out her husband 'studies' them and travels all over to get tattooed. We got to talking about my tattooer and I mentioned that he was in Brighton recently, and she absolutely lit up. 'Oh, those huge tattoo conventions are just amazing!'
I haven't even been to one. I don't even know. I wouldn't have expected any of that from her in a million years, and I find that so freakin' cool.

unalome.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir, Flo!

If you look at patterns of Berber face tattoos, or Harquus patterns, you'll notice they're kinda similar to the tattoos you posted. You'll also see similarities with the patterns in assuit fabric and Tuareg jewelry (the shapes of the jewelry as well as the etchings on it). If you want to decipher what those tattoos mean, I guess you could also research the symbolism of the aforementioned examples.
When it comes to these simplified, geometric, pattern-based tattoos, you could point to several different cultures and find similarities. Humans have been adorning themselves for so long with these kinds of shapes, it's almost impossible to guess what the artist is basing their designs off of (unless they're explicit about it).

I searched around and found no threads about punk music. Well here it is, all things punk rock. Post some new bands on the scene, or some classics. Also any punk tattoos, jackets, vests, mohawks, or anything else related. Sorry in advance if there's another thread like this.

I've had the flu since Wednesday night and this video's the only thing keeping me going:

Javier Betancourt. The whip is amazing.

If you look at patterns of Berber face tattoos, or Harquus patterns, you'll notice they're kinda similar to the tattoos you posted. You'll also see similarities with the patterns in assuit fabric and Tuareg jewelry (the shapes of the jewelry as well as the etchings on it). If you want to decipher what those tattoos mean, I guess you could also research the symbolism of the aforementioned examples.
When it comes to these simplified, geometric, pattern-based tattoos, you could point to several different cultures and find similarities. Humans have been adorning themselves for so long with these kinds of shapes, it's almost impossible to guess what the artist is basing their designs off of (unless they're explicit about it).

Psh. @SeeSea you say that as if that's all we say around here...
Tigers are the other acceptable option.

It comes down to how YOU communicate your expertise. Your in the prime position to help educate.
The average collector/ enthusiast without any understanding or artistic knowledge needs to seek their ideas from somewhere.,.dont they? Do you just expect them to come in with a blank idea and you magically come up with the same interpretation, or expect to only tattoo what you want to put on their skin. That comes with time and trust.
It's like an old time piece of flash, it's been duplicated a million times. Isn't that plagiarism to a degree? A panther is a panther is a panther.
I understand to a point what your saying, a custom one of a kind piece, well maybe, but pieces say things to people and can capture exactly what that means to that individual as well, so it could mean more than just wanting a copy cap design.
It's like my smoking wizard with the starburst from the pipe as the background. I had wanted a wizard for 20 years, but no wizard captured that exact pictorial message, until I came across this wizard on the net. I took that picture in to my tattooer and said...man, after all these years I found the one. I can understand if you need to change it, but it's emulates something quite specific. His response, and knowing me for years was...man, your right, it captures you perfectly, I couldn't make it any better. We slightly changed some aspects like hat band & colour, but why try and reinvent the wheel on this occasion? It was perfect. Is this wrong? Fuck you to anybody who thinks it is, this is one piece out of my entire suit that had already been captured, it speaks volumes, it's my favourite tattoo next after my back tattoo.
There's also been times I've taken an exact design in and said ...man, something like this...and from there we come up with a complete new transition, sn even better custom piece.
Maybe next time someone comes in with an exact picture and turning them away (only to have it tattooed by someone else without any education) you can say...man, that's a great design, I can see why you chose this. What's it's meaning to you?...dig a little, become a consultant, tap into that individual a little and say, ya know man?...leave it with me, I reckon I can come up with something even better for YOU without doing s copy.
That person may just walk out of there with a little bit more knowledge than they did prior to them entering, and maybe you EARN a loyal and devoted customer for years to come.
I'm no tattooer, I'm also no artist, but I've learned a lot from my tattooer over the years because he actually took the time to help me understand. This is the 1 reason that he has been responsible for my entire suit, and the rework of everything he didn't originally do.
I'm just offering a different perspective on this subject, not having a dig. We all help educate each other, because my tattooer had mentioned to me the same, that over the years has learned to appreciate where his clients come from also.
"Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

This is clearly good advice. People are free to do what they want, but there are somes rules... On a arm
tattoos should go from the top to down, not from the hand to the shoulder.

So, sorry to readers who came for the devils. But! Re: your point about Christian female iconography - I did ask a tattooer about the allure of Tibetan Buddhist and Hindu art, which led to a pretty funny discussion about how we grew up as crucifers in the Episcopal church.
So devils: Theo Mindell is an obvious choice but I so want a devilish girl-head from him.

I like Sympathy for the Skin by Lush. It's on the pricey side, but it's light enough to not feel greasy and it absorbs really well. On the pricey side, but it does a great job, in my opinion. I tried Aveeno, Cetaphil, St. Ives, Eucerin, Curel, but everything just felt like it just sat on my skin instead of moisturizing it. I also tried Dream Cream and Charity Pot from Lush, but both those were too thick for my liking. Also, most of these turned out to be incompatible with my skin/comedogenic and would make my upper arms/shoulder areas break out.

I'd advise you to hold off on hand tattoos for now. Start on your sleeve; maybe your tattooer could even incorporate your hand in a way as awesome as this Seth Wood piece.
Personally, I think hand tattoos with no sleeve just kind of look like a hand stamp you get at a club, or something. Unless we're talking mehndi-like design, then it's whole other thing.

@polliwog Smack-you-in-the-face amazing, indeed. That is undoubtedly quite a striking tattoo. I'm also in the search of a potent back piece, so I know what you mean.
Your bit about looking at Kali only through a feminist lens is so spot-on. I think it's very tempting, as Western women whose cultural female iconographies are dominated by the demure Christian variety, to cling to Kali as purely a symbol of female force. It's empowering, and I can see how folks are drawn to that.
Tattoos are entirely personal, though, and I think people should be free to do as they will. I hope this discussion doesn't come across as a condemnation of some kind.
So what about those devil tattoos, huh?

I'd advise you to hold off on hand tattoos for now. Start on your sleeve; maybe your tattooer could even incorporate your hand in a way as awesome as this Seth Wood piece.
Personally, I think hand tattoos with no sleeve just kind of look like a hand stamp you get at a club, or something. Unless we're talking mehndi-like design, then it's whole other thing.

I'd advise you to hold off on hand tattoos for now. Start on your sleeve; maybe your tattooer could even incorporate your hand in a way as awesome as this Seth Wood piece.
Personally, I think hand tattoos with no sleeve just kind of look like a hand stamp you get at a club, or something. Unless we're talking mehndi-like design, then it's whole other thing.

@polliwog Smack-you-in-the-face amazing, indeed. That is undoubtedly quite a striking tattoo. I'm also in the search of a potent back piece, so I know what you mean.
Your bit about looking at Kali only through a feminist lens is so spot-on. I think it's very tempting, as Western women whose cultural female iconographies are dominated by the demure Christian variety, to cling to Kali as purely a symbol of female force. It's empowering, and I can see how folks are drawn to that.
Tattoos are entirely personal, though, and I think people should be free to do as they will. I hope this discussion doesn't come across as a condemnation of some kind.
So what about those devil tattoos, huh?

Sorry to get off topic, but I agree with this entirely - this is one of my current favorite tattoos even though I'm only staring at it on a dinky computer screen. But understanding Kali through I guess a feminist lens would feel like a superficial justification on my part for wearing an image with that much religious weight. I very much want something as smack-you-in-the-face amazing as this on my back some day, though, and am currently trawling through images of badass women that maybe aren't quite so freighted.
Thanks for sharing the link to those Satan images; they're fantastic.

@9Years On a superficial level, these kinds demons/devils just aren't my thing. I have an aversion to tattoos of male images (the misandry!), and since most of these depictions translate as male to me, I just don't like them. I appreciate the quality of the tattoo, but it's just not my taste. With that said, I love depictions of demonic, gnarly ladies (Medusa, witches, etc) and would totally consider getting one.
On the Kali thing, I wouldn't get a tattoo of a religious symbol, especially one I have a very superficial understanding of. I'm definitely into the image of this force of female fury, power and destruction, but I personally find it difficult to extricate that image from its religious connotations.
As a side note, I have an interest (a light hobby, really) in how certain imagery is recurring in the art of cultures that barely or never interact. You can clearly see the similarities between these medieval paintings of Satan and traditional depictions of Kali.

Hey guys! Thank you for the warm welcome! I'm excited to talk tattoos with you all!
Okay, I'll eventually get the hang of embedding, but for now links to peep's instagrams will have to do. All these are from when the tattoos were still fresh (of the ones I could find) because I actually don't have pictures of my work. But I'll try to get around to taking decent photos of it all healed up and settled. Anyway, let's start:
First session for my sleeve with Thomas (going for my second appointment soon):
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Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
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From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
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My Valerie girls. I love these things:
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(Side story: You know that gorgeous punk rock Virgin Mary Valerie did a while back? I was supposed to get a punk girl from her that week she was at Kings Avenue, but decided to delay it because I thought these two made a better pair. And then she came out with that Virgin Mary and I've been kicking myself since. I'm actually thinking of going to England to get a second pair of girls on my calves to finally get my punk girl. She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.)
I'll try to get pictures of the other ones, since I couldn't find them online.
Disclaimer: My skins swells up like crazy when I get tattooed, so some of these are kinda distorted. Like I said, nice pictures of healed work on their way.

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha.
Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach.
As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality.
I hope this makes sense.