sourpussoctopus

I fucking dare you.
- - - Updated - - -
Why does caps lock not work on here.

See how easy you have it ;)

Eeep. Fantastic.

Shit, Ok, so you don't have one mediocre tattoo in your collection. Awesome stuff!

Hi and welcome. I'm already jealous of your tattoos. (And I know what you mean about being intimidated - I'm pretty sure I wrong-footed a bunch of times after joining, though I was clueless whereas you are not - but as Graeme pointed out, you already have multiple excellent tattoos, so.)

Now that is one hell of a collection of tattoos. Great intro. And congratulations on the soon-to-be PhD.

Ha ha not only am I tattooed but I lift weights. I deadlifted his bodyweight not long ago. Yeah buddy, you keep wrinkling your nose at me. Let's just see how that goes...

This is quite an interesting topic for me. I've recently (well about 7 months) come out of a ten year relationship. During this time i had a few small tattoos. Rubbish ones that i got when i was 14 and doing it to be cool. My ex doesnt have tattoos and when he's seen my recent coverage he is disgusted by them. Which only serves to make me certain this is exactly what i want! I find tattooed and heavily tattooed guys attractive. I really love their choice to express themselves in this way and generally (not always) they have far more interesting stories to tell. So for me right now in my life i couldn't see myself with a person with no tatttoos...or someone with really bad tattoos.

I'm personally grateful for the built-in filter that my tattoos provide; I have enough now that the guys who don't like 'em mostly don't bother to approach me. Narrowing the dating pool a little isn't necessarily a bad thing--a whole category of "not good for me" I don't have to worry about!
My current boyfriend has no tattoos but has seen me through about half of my collection, and has been pretty supportive of it.

@hogg Thank you, kind sir.
@Tornado6 It's never bad if it's done intentionally, in my opinion :)
@Graeme Well, it's hard to articulate it, but tattoo culture is a very niche thing, made up of very opinionated, strong and - yes - intimidating characters. (Which I understand - I, too, feel protective over things I'm passionate about.) I've always appreciated the art so when the time was right, I sought out to get tattooed, but worried being rejected by this tight-knit community. Hence the fear of joining, silly and irrational as it was. However, the warm welcome I've received from everyone here is really reassuring, and I'm really glad I joined. So, thank you!
@Bonnie Baker Hello fellow Chemist! I'm a TA for the Gen Chem course at my school, so I come across many students in your situation. Orgo is hard, I won't lie, and there will be courses that are harder. (In all honesty, I actually failed my Quantum course in the first year of graduate school.) But your affinity for coursework isn't nearly as important as your skills in the lab. I love the laboratory, so I suffer through the courses so I can have the privilege to work in a lab, doing research under a mentor I respect. It's excellent that you have lab experience! In my opinion, if you enjoyed and found yourself at ease in that environment, then please try to push through the coursework. I'll gladly help you out, if you need it!
As for post-graduate school, I'm interested in environmental remediation, so hopefully I'll get to continue my research in that area.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

Hi Bonnie!
My first tattoo project was a full sleeve, so I get your desire to start big. I don't have my back done yet (mainly because I can't settle on a design - so many ideas!), so props to you!
I still get butterflies before every tattoo, but as soon as the needle hits and you know there's no going back, they melt away and you're fine. The knowledge of permanence is soothing, in a way. So don't worry about about getting nervous. Like Graeme said, seeing your work grow and your idea come to fruition, is very reassuring and satisfying.
Getting tattooed sucks though, so there will be shitty times. As for clothing, the ladies thread has an excellent discussion on clothing options for getting tattooed and healing. Hopefully it gives you some good ideas!

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

Hi ladies! Sorry to jump in mid-conversation like this, but I just read through the entire thread, and there were a couple of things I wanted to comment on. Here we go:
I also find myself gravitating towards women's work far more often than men's. That's not to say I don't like the work of male tattooers (I've been tattooed by a few), but I find that I vastly prefer the work of women (however subconsciously).
I think part of it is because tattooing has been a boys' club for such a long time (or at least perceived as such), that I feel much more at ease getting work from lady tattooers than guys. Even with topics like how to dress for a tattoo in a tricky spot, I think female tattooers are much more receptive and understanding of those concerns.
Also, a lot of my tattoos are variations on the "gypsy girl". It's my favorite theme. I like images of strong, expressive women, so to me it makes sense to have a woman be the one to apply that to my body.
In conclusion: girl power!
I, like all women, have been catcalled for most of my life - and I hate it. (It's one of the many reasons I dread summer.) But I noticed that when I started to get more tattooed, the catcalls shifted from disgusting and lascivious to dudes shouting some variation of "I love your tats!". A guy approached me once to in a supermarket to tell me he had "mad respect" for me because of my tattoos. (Let's disregard the fact he only respects me because he thinks I can handle pain and I'm not some ~weak, fragile flower~, which is sexist as hell.)
I still get my fair share of gross shit yelled at me. While it is still vastly unnecessary and uncomfortable to have my body commented on, at the very least some of those comments have shifted to something that doesn't make me fear for my safety, unlike before.

Thanks @Patrick Bateman!
Day 2 with Emily done, and boy am I so very glad that is over. Was quite a mental challenge today, the left side of my body seems to be more sensitive than the right, and I stupidly saved the left thigh till the second day. Here is the tiger, and I stitched both pics together so you get an idea how they look together. No photos of the horse today as she is swollen and distorted.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

My name is Laura, and I've been a part-time lurker for a while, but finally decided to join today. Though I must say I'm still a bit intimidated, I'm starting to feel more comfortable calling myself a collector, and it seemed fitting to formally join the tattoo community (in however small a way).
I'm currently in graduate school and just shy of a couple of years from my PhD in Chemistry. Tattoos have not been a problem, it turns out. On my second year I got pulled aside by a professor who, after seeing my sleeve, went on to show me a couple of Ed Hardy pieces he had done in the 80's. (It was a bit weird, but kinda cool.)
I've been fortunate enough to have been tattooed - in chronological order, 'cause why not - by: Eva Huber, Allyson Bennett, Valerie Vargas, Cris Cleen, Steve Whittenberger, Sarah Carter, and Thomas Hooper. I have many more ideas I'd love to see executed by the many insanely talented people in my wishlist, so I hope I can continue to forsake my non-existent savings account for years to come.
Anyway, just wanted to shoot the shit with some like-minded folks who enjoy and respect tattooing, artists and enthusiasts alike.
So - hey everyone!

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.

My name is Laura, and I've been a part-time lurker for a while, but finally decided to join today. Though I must say I'm still a bit intimidated, I'm starting to feel more comfortable calling myself a collector, and it seemed fitting to formally join the tattoo community (in however small a way).
I'm currently in graduate school and just shy of a couple of years from my PhD in Chemistry. Tattoos have not been a problem, it turns out. On my second year I got pulled aside by a professor who, after seeing my sleeve, went on to show me a couple of Ed Hardy pieces he had done in the 80's. (It was a bit weird, but kinda cool.)
I've been fortunate enough to have been tattooed - in chronological order, 'cause why not - by: Eva Huber, Allyson Bennett, Valerie Vargas, Cris Cleen, Steve Whittenberger, Sarah Carter, and Thomas Hooper. I have many more ideas I'd love to see executed by the many insanely talented people in my wishlist, so I hope I can continue to forsake my non-existent savings account for years to come.
Anyway, just wanted to shoot the shit with some like-minded folks who enjoy and respect tattooing, artists and enthusiasts alike.
So - hey everyone!

Yep, I'm the one who found that thing, I'm glad people like it.I haven't read all of this thread yet, but I think it's a great idea.
I have a question, does anyone else ever get the wrong type of attention for their tattoos? Today somebody on another website messaged me saying they like me because I'm "innovative," whatever that means, and then asked me if I'm a "tattoo freak." I don't know this person at all and don't seem to have anything in common with him, he doesn't even live on the same hemisphere. I don't mind if guys are into girls with tattoos or whatever, but I'm not used to getting unsolicited attention from strangers, and the way he's acting is odd.

Inside the arm, near the armpit has been the worst for me. That shit burns.
I feel like most spots are pretty tame if you just go over it once or twice, but any spot becomes a nightmare when the artist has to go over it multiple times (shading, layering, etc). But then again, I think I've pretty much run out of easy spots so everything will be straight suckage from here on out.

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):
Instagram
Instagram
Eva is by far the person I have the most work from. Chronologically:
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
Instagram
From Sarah Carter. Least painful tattoo ever:
Instagram
My Valerie girls. I love these things:
Instagram
(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.