sourpussoctopus

@Lochli - if you put on enough lotion that you can "blot of the excess with a paper towel" then that's too much lotion and not enough rubbing it on.
I've had many little scabs - generally in places where skin folds or is near the belt line. You just need to take great care in not letting them get caught on clothing or cracking from extreme dryness. But sometimes no matter what you do, color can come out - I was pretty much anal about my healing but still had a couple small spots that needed a touch-up.
Oh, and welcome, @XileBlue!

Not tattoos but......

I think it's safe to say EVERYONE has a different reason for getting tattooed and ALL are absolutely valid.
I've come from a different era of tattooing..... one where it was still pretty underground and unknown unless you were in the military or some type of deviant (prison/biker/punk/etc.). Unless you lived in a major population center on the east or west coast, most straight people didn't have a clue about tattoo culture other than the occasional Geraldo Rivera news report about gang violence or bikers. The general population treated tattoos with nervous stares or clutched their children/purses and mostly avoided you. It was rare to get ANY comments from people and if they did muster the courage, it was usually a derogatory remark like "were you in prison?"
I don't want to make this a "back in my day" rant but, things are certainly different these days, especially for women with tattoos. That is not to say that everything is A-OK and the general population doesn't still act foolish/rude.
I completely understood what @Pete tattoo freak said as I've lived 30 years being heavily tattooed and it has been somewhat of a mantra for me. Everyone who gets into tattoos has their own journey.....
Maybe a better, more forum friendly, way to say it would've been:
Do what you do - for YOU.... Don't worry about what ANYONE else thinks.
If your "thing" makes you happy/confident/proud etc, that's what matters the most. Remember-YOU are the only person that lives in your skin.

The only upside of this being such a common derogatory remark is that now, since I have a handful of tattoos, I get to verbally eviscerate any untattooed idiots that say it when I'm around, and they can't say shit.
Never had anybody suggest it about me, personally, but my friends do have excellent survival instincts, as a rule.

@bongsau That was great read! Thank YOU for sharing your experience with us!

Thought I would also upload and share this dope action shot. Plus you can catch a peak at my backpiece that's about 5 months settled in as well as Len's great hair lol ;)

Another reminder that it is the tattoo experience as whole - that truly makes the tattoo. that's what matters. Tattooing is a very powerful, deliberate and permanent act and series of events.
Last Wednesday was an incredible day. My work in the morning. Popping into the tattoo shop to just to say what's up and casually flipping through Len's book - I have 3 tattoos from Len now and each one was a spontaneous act with permanent results. Going and getting a dope haircut so I didn't get a cheap $25cent razor fade (found a new barber, an older black gentleman, he shared his cool snake tattoo on his dark skin, he got in 1967!). My tai chi practice in the park. An encouraging doctor's appointment. The boys keeping the shop open into the evening to accommodate me (shout out to Champion Tattoo Edmonton). The stencil and re-stencil to get the placement just right. The first 30 seconds when I thought holy shit man, this is brutal have I gone too far? Bishops Green on the stereo. Tattoo talk with the boys. Sweating through the table. Feeling my nose about to get crushed sideways on the table. the post-tattoo newport smoke, the vulnerability and the satisfaction with the end result. The morning after when the shower water hit the back of my raw tattooed skin. Even today walking down the street, walking proud and tall with this new tattoo. Hearing the lady behind me in the crosswalk whispering out loud 'damn that's a nice tattoo' to herself. Seriously, I am really buzzing off how this one turned out.
The butterfly symbolism is pretty obvious.
But also this:
I dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering about, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly. Soon I awakened, and there I was, myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. -Master Zhuang
I became aware of this taoist quote the morning after receiving my tattoo, and I too had the butterfly dream leading up to this spontaneous tattoo. I found it very fitting, not just in the context of the rest of my tattoos, but in terms of some personal growth I have been making over the last few months. And here comes this profound tattoo experience from a simple design that carries some complex symbolism to me, providing enlightenment when I needed it the most.
Thank you LST for providing a medium to share the tattoo experience together !

"Yknow what's awesome about this budd?...you have a whole bodysuit of tattoo and MY tattoo is going to be the one everyone is gonna ask about haha"
Keepin' it real w/ King Len, guest spot at Champion Tattoo in Edmonton, AB

Deadly placement, deadly evening, deadly tattoo. But holy fack did this one sizzle and rattle.

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

Thanks for the comments - especially the example of greywash vs. opaque grey.
My source crow is from a coat of arms which was done in solid black which I thought would look
too "heavy" without something modified e.g. more feather texture at least.

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!)

I don't dress to show off my tattoos on purpose, it just happens that I usually wear sleeveless dresses and tanks in summer as I don't like the feeling of my arms being restricted by sleeves. I will wear a thin cardi with sleeves though if I know I'll be out in the sun for a period of time as I hate to feel my skin burn.
Initially it was a huge step to leave the house with visible tattoos as I'm not someone who likes a lot of attention, however over time it became easier when I realised it wasn't as big a deal as I was thinking it was. And compliments from strangers certainly didn't hurt either.
My experiences at the gym lately have been interesting now that its warm enough to wear tank tops. I've had a couple of guys approach me and ask if I watch (insert whatever tattoo show here) which I don't mind too much as long as they are respectful and not interrupting me mid-set. I don't watch any of them so my answer is usually "nah" and that's that. I've also been asked to spot guys (big muscly guys with no tattoos) when there are other guys in the gym, so not quite sure the reason on that one. Maybe tattoos make you look stronger, ha!
I had a really great experience about a month ago, I went to a 3 day Hot Rod and Classic Car festival called Chopped in which we camped onsite for 2 nights with around 10,000 other people. I have never been in one place with so many tattooed people and have never felt so at home in my life. There was every kind of tattoo you could imagine on display, no one cared, no one stared, it was the most free I have felt and it was awesome.
- - - Updated - - -
@The Tig that's a really good point. I know that part of my reason for wanting to be tattooed stemmed from a lack of feeling comfortable with my body. I started with my thighs and realised not only did my new tattoos look awesome, but they do other amazing things like cover cellulite. :D I then moved onto my right arm because it was covered from shoulder to hand with broken capillaries and I was very self conscious of them. They are still visable on my hand, but it's not such a big deal for me anymore.

So cute :-)
Mini Tattoo Machine
https://www.etsy.com/listing/221675690/mini-tattoo-machine-kids-handmade-tattoo


For the child curious about mommy or daddy's tattoos, or for the grown up that loves funny little accessories-the handmade wooden Mini Tattoo Machine! Handmade and hand painted by North Carolina based tattoo artist Emily Rose, she originally designed one for her own daughter to use. Seeing mommy tattooing at work had made the young child want to copy mom so this is what she came up with!
Here is the story and video on the woman who makes them:
Triad couple creates toy tattoo machine for children | myfox8.com
I found this product after I saw this Very Important Public Safety Announcement and started searching around:

Opaque grey is actually black mixed with white pigment, diluted black is just greywash.
greywash:

opaque grey:

Hi, just joined LST and thought i'd share my latest tattoo.
Done by Tony Hundahl at the London convention, great guy who does awesome tattoos.

awesome stuff from Robert Ryan @ Electric in Asbury
good times good times

Lately I've noticed that people are expanding its usage beyond just low-back tattoos to legs and arms and whatnot, because people are both stupid and love to insult women, apparently.

I have a really frequent client, female, who comes in and goes, "So. I want a cutie mark."
I looked at her and all that could go through my mind was, "You can`t say that in a tattoo shop..."
It hurt my mind.
Sent from my SCH-S968C using Tapatalk

Finished off my second rib panel today with Dave C. at PSC tattoo. I'll use the royal "we" and say that we knocked this out in three sessions starting in late September, about 8 hours total. I'm super stoked on it, the colour in the tiger really pops!
Dave is a great guy, and his work speaks for itself, seek him out.

That Mike Tyson pidgeon is fuckin DOPE
Anyway, I can't find it within me to hate on Jon Boy. I mean for all intents and purposes it's not like they're bad tattoos so at least there's that, plus I'm sure the dude is making a fuckload of cash so I can't really hate on that either. It's just that as a tattooer, I cannot possibly imagine how that is rewarding work in any capacity. I like doing small tattoos as much as anyone else, but when there is no challenge to progress and do better, where is the gratification? I'll take my fairly short wait list and Oakland prices over that shit all day long.

I'll just leave this here. By Jim Sylvia.

Fantastic thread. Lemme add my late-to-the-party contribution:
I feel a little resistant to classifying tattoos as a luxury product. And if I'm being honest, it's because "luxury" to me connotes wealth, which I do not possess. I'm ok with people asking me just about every silly questions about my tattoos (even the dreaded "what do they mean?" and "what are they gonna look like when you're old?"), but I can't stand it when I'm asked how much it cost. Partially because it feels like they're shopping for a bargain through me (which is insulting, and I'd rather not be a part of that), but mostly because it gives the asker an excuse to make some snap judgment about my socioeconomic standing. I shouldn't care, I know, but that stuff is a bit of a sore point for me. All I've done is made a value judgment, and traded certain trappings of modern living (TV, cable, blu-ray, microwave, newest/baddest phones, etc) so I could get good-quality tattoos by excellent artists. That's not say I don't have possessions I cherish, I do, but I think I spend much less on planned obsolescence than most. That to me is not a luxury purchase, it's just making a consumer choice.
But like @misterJ said earlier, if we're doing all this mental gymnastics to justify it, then it must be a luxury thing. I'm sure sneakerheads share our struggle.

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.

Darn Right! And they shouldn't go to the movies, have a cell phone, computer, internet access, go to a bar, buy a magazine, buy a newspaper, or even a stick of gum either. Just bread and water!! This younger generation has gotten soft.

I feel sort of bad for reanimating this thread but I just had to post this:

I thought it would mean peace or faith or something, but it reads "wrist"