Aussie Tom

my 7yo nephew:
"Uncle Eric, why do you have a Chinese guy on your back?"
"Uncle Eric, do you have a tattoo on your bum?"
"Uncle Eric, I'm gonna get a tattoo like you. Like a Metal Mulisha tattoo. Or maybe Fox Racing."
...don't worry kiddo, Uncle Eric will set you straight when you're old enough ;)

On the bright side, it is now more likely than ever that your daughter is going to get a panther tattoo, so it's not all bad.

Here's mine! One more session to go. By Freddy "Mr. Nice Guy" Corbin.

Prettyyyyyyyyy pumped about this one, not gonna lie. Yesterday:

There's a vid too: https://instagram.com/p/5075TDTBNR/?taken-by=greggletron
By Greg Whitehead at Scapegoat in Portland, as usual.
My thigh feels like a wobbly hot water bottle today, and I don't even care. :o

Finished up my arm with Grez last month. Here are some healed shots (that I also just put in the contest thread).

That big torso devil from Theo Mindell is on me! We have finished everything now except the last bit of fire/flames. Next/Last appt coming up in April to kill the beast.

Here's what I got on my NYC trip a few weeks ago.
Eli Quinters

Steve Boltz (didn't get a very good photo)

Dan Nelson

Got an appointment with Jeff Zuck at the Rochester convention tomorrow! Can't wait.

I don't understand how anyone can make absolute statements about the value of one type of art vs the other. It all has value to different people in different ways.

I have no idea who Billi Vegas is, besides someone who made a statement I disagree with completely.
"Traditional" tattooing isn't nearly as "antiquated" as Japanese tattooing, yet both have stood the test of time. I have lots of both kinds of tattoos, including some huge and some tiny. Different strokes and all that.

Some people's tattoo worlds seem really small... (In my own world, there are lots of cool different ways to get tattooed.)

From a personal standpoint: I have one-point tattoos so far. I am sometimes impulsive. Don't really see an issue with my tattoos possibly conveying this about me...

new lil dude from Hector Fong at Tattoo 13 in Oakland :)

One thing I've learned at LST, if you aren't sure whether you should ask a question about the industry insofar as how to break into it, buying inks/machines/etc, or any other hair-brained questions that can be thunk up: just don't. Think before you ask, if it revolves around the industry, if you wouldn't ask your tattooer and be met with a reasonable response, you don't ask it here. Period. Don't be a smart ass, or think you're trying to shake things up and break the mold, or turn into a lawyer who minces words and parries with semantics.
I am here because I want to share with others my love of getting tattooed, and talk about the history and culture of it. I'm NOT here because I want to talk about how to acquire the tools of the trade without actually being in the trade. It isn't my business to do so, nor do I think it is anyone's who is not a tattooer.

How about we let...

@hogg @Iwar @gougetheeyes can we ban this embarassment yet? Sorry if I'm out of line for asking this but holy fuck

I'm just gonna toss this out there and then fuck off to eat crap hotel food and ogle my new Gilsdorf tattoo:
I've seen plenty of people who don't like traditional best come here and express their opinions without getting everybody's hackles up. Nobody cares what other people like.
People get riled up when someone starts making condescending remarks about how the thing they love is in some way inferior - especially since that's a completely subjective opinion that has zero to do with fact. Everybody gets that you think trad is 'inferior' and 'for posers' (the latter of which is weird to me, because wtf, American tattooing was born on one-shot military pieces, but okay). They just don't want to constantly hear about it.
And it's kinda pass-agg to say things like 'true masters of tattooing,' insulting all of the other bitchin artists who are, yes, doing traditional work.
Tl;dr: nobody cares that you don't hold traditional in the same esteem as other styles. Just stop being a dick about it! Then we can all go back to just appreciating the stuff we DO like.

You've watched some widely available documentaries and read some recently published easy to obtain books, you must be really good at research.

Actually, I don't think anyone has. You are shitting on a pretty important part of the tattoo world (and a tradition that yes, people on this board love, for good reason!) with little to no interest in understanding it, which does not bode well for your supposed future career as a tattooer. You have been doing this for weeks, including insulting people's actual tattoos on here. Your attitude is both misinformed and rude. It is not stimulating any kind of worthwhile critique. Please just try to add to the discussion like a civilized human being.
I am bummed that what was a positive and interesting thread turned into this shit show. I will say that when I first started getting tattooed, I didn't "get" traditional either. I didn't understand how beautiful its simplicity can be. Seeing the work of some amazing tattooers in person really opened my eyes (I had a real "a-ha!" moment the first time I saw Chad Koeplinger tattooing at the Montreal convention, when I still only had one tattoo). Now it's most of what I have. It is interesting how it takes a little bit of time and learning about tattoos to "get it", but I think the world of traditional is rich and diverse and like @cltattooing said, we are really lucky that there are some amazing folks out there right now doing cool things with this style.

I saw this on Instagram, it's on user tfjesse1046. Sailor Jerry put this on him in 1967. Readable and strong as fuck almost 50 years in.

I'm not sure I understand your point here. Eddy Deutsche is a traditionally trained tattooer who had also branched out in subject and style but keeps within the technique. Also the credo isn't exactly "traditional is better" it's "bold will hold."
I don't know. This thread has gotten kind of ridiculous. If you have a chip on your shoulder, don't engage other users in a negative or confrontational manner, go start a thread that promotes positive information and education on the tattooing that you like.

Lots of mention of Filip Leu, Aaron Cain and others on here. There's even a guy with a Leu back piece hanging around.
I don't really get why you'd come into this particular thread, which is clearly about traditional tattooing, and start ranting about people (supposedly) not recognising true greats of tattooing...
If you think someone needs some love then why not be constructive and start a thread?

Well, I think a good majority here are aware of these people. I love Aaron Cain, Pacheco and James Tex. Certainly not oblivious to it. I'm also certain that I don't have a tattoo machine tattooed on my hand, but I can recognize most on site. There isn't a Captain Big Nuts card to attain around here. I certainly am not interested in making anyone stay if they feel like they don't belong. Just know your audience. Period.

Got a small filler from Grez yesterday.

Got this one from Stevie Edge to top a good week of getting tattooed.

here's my new snake on my lower leg by Bailey Robinson. Taken from his insta, best photo I have at the moment.