David Flores

Then that's all that matters. No need to defend yourself on the internet to people you've never met and probably never will....

Hey Mask0311,
First off, I would love to see everybody sportin great tattoos wherever I go but unfortunately there are fewer people out there "keepin it real" and if I go to WalMart I can see a store full of bad tattoos these days.
As far as this guy "blowin you off", it's an old game, as old as it gets with "runnin' the scam", some will spot you and size you up to start something at a high price that they never intend to finish when they have a string of butterflies they can knock out and make more on when you may have already paid in advance, basically you will get shuffled to the rear like you got treated at the 9pm bell. NYC went crazy with those scams when it opened tattooing back up and on this subject I could go on and on.
As far as the tooth hurting thing, RUN!!! should have been your instinct and this leads me to tell you that there are tattooers out there who relish a challenge of turning bad tattoos into good ones, so don't worry about having someone else drive over the mess you have started.
As far as your expecting better treatment/respect for being home from the military, your absolutely right, the military has always been our staple in tattooing and when everybody's home and the wars are all over we will miss that amount of biz and it goes from steak to pork chops for us tattooers and this is not to mention that there are those of us out here that understand your service to Uncle Sam.
So, as far as "keeping it real" and to prove that not all of us are like this disgrace to our trade I will fix and finish your dragon at no charge with the stipulation that you provide the steaks that I will personally grill for you at my country home where I have a rifle range that I will provide 500 rounds of ammunition for you to shoot through my legally owned and registered machineguns after we are finished with the tattooing, on this deal you have my word. Your only hitch is to make it by land sea or air to Illinois and provide the bovine. It can be fixed and finished and picture posted to this thread should you come through on your end of this bargain and I mean all of this most sincerely.
I can't do this for every person that's received your treatment or I would work myself into the poorhouse but this is my offer to you.
Thanks for your service and I apologize for the hack who misrepresented our trade and culture and I hope to hear from you.
Sincerely,
-Hawk- of
Hawks Tattoo's

At the shop I work out in Hollywood, Chris Brown and Rihanna came in (before he kicked her ass) and they both had some pretty ridiculous tattoos on them (some of which were done at our shop). On his upper arm, there was a Jesus in the clouds with ninjas popping out of all the clouds around it. I asked what was up with the ninjas, and he said they were to protect Jesus. I'm Jewish, so I don't know all that much about Jesus I guess, but I'm pretty sure homeboy doesn't ninjas to protect him when the shit hits the fan.

The tattooers I work for seem to prefer people come in to the shop and talk with them if they want to get tattooed. While a person might have to wait a few minutes if the tattooer is in the middle of a tattoo but we are never to busy to take a few minutes to discuss a tattoo with a client. If someone calls on the phone I tell them to come in and the general rule is no appointments over the phone unless someone is traveling from out of town and email might as well be a four letter word. I guess the general feeling on our end is a lot of people are just price shopping every shop in the area and its really hard to price a tattoo that someone is describing to you over the phone and usually I end up quoting it too low so I don't do it. I will give people a general ball park figure of price but tell them that final price depends on what the final drawing looks like and whether it requires multiple sittings.
I booked an appointment out of town recently and didn't get a response from phone call but found an email address on the tattooers website and he responded to me within five minutes and got the appointment booked and all went well so I think you really just have to feel each person out and be persistent but not pushy.

The tattooers I work for seem to prefer people come in to the shop and talk with them if they want to get tattooed. While a person might have to wait a few minutes if the tattooer is in the middle of a tattoo but we are never to busy to take a few minutes to discuss a tattoo with a client. If someone calls on the phone I tell them to come in and the general rule is no appointments over the phone unless someone is traveling from out of town and email might as well be a four letter word. I guess the general feeling on our end is a lot of people are just price shopping every shop in the area and its really hard to price a tattoo that someone is describing to you over the phone and usually I end up quoting it too low so I don't do it. I will give people a general ball park figure of price but tell them that final price depends on what the final drawing looks like and whether it requires multiple sittings.
I booked an appointment out of town recently and didn't get a response from phone call but found an email address on the tattooers website and he responded to me within five minutes and got the appointment booked and all went well so I think you really just have to feel each person out and be persistent but not pushy.

Here you go!!!

if i went to get a hair cut and the stylist was wearing a hat or if i was hiring an interior designer and i met at their place and they had no furniture or if i was in a boy band and i needed a stylist and upon meeting them the were weaing sweat pants i'd have to wonder.

How many hours was that?

And as a client I like to think that my tattooer is so committed to my project that they carry it around in a special brief case hand cuffed to their wrist till my tattoo appt------ but as a tattooer I find it interesting that clients assume that as soon as they make their appointment- i'll be working on their tattoo non stop - till they're in my chair-
This isn't directed at anyone who posted--- just a side note.

I've shown up to appointments when an artist hasn't drawn anything yet and yes I had to wait longer but I still ended up with some killer tattoos. Think about how many people/tattoos he/she has to deal with on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I'm sure one or two clients are bound to slip through the cracks. If he forgets again on the day of just pretend you're a walk in- in which case you'd have to wait for him to draw it up anyways.
I would be more concerned with your seeming lack of confidence in your artist's skill level more than his forgetting what you wanted tattooed.... The majority of your leg is a big chunk to give to someone you don't really trust is going to deliver you something you'll be happy with.

When I walk into a shop I usually just ask any questions I have to the first heavily tattooed person I see behind the rail. Even if they aren't the person to ask they can usually lead you to the person who is.

This is sadly very true.
The day we are forced to use pigments that have passed a safety test is the same day we tattoo with food dye.
Six months later, your tattoo will look like shit.
Maybe it will seem to someone that this is a good idea - just pay for regular touch-ups, but it isn't. keep tattooing the same patch regularly and it will be an inflexible scar in a couple of years or so. It hurt enough the first time too, thanks.
The reason tattoos are permanent is because the ink is NOT safe for the body. The skin protects the body (organs, muscles etc) by holding the ink/pigment where it entered.
Yeah, we don't want to use pigment that corrodes the skin and we don't want to use ink that's contaminated. But I like my tattoos to look good. I know they are not 'safe', I paid someone to break my skin and draw skulls, tits, devils, dragons an' shit.
Sadly, in mainland Europe Shawn's scenario has began to be real. Certain brands of ink are blacklisted and approved brand's bottles must have batch numbers and expiry dates etc. An un-announced visit by the health board that discovers blacklisted ink can result in your shop being shut down.
The brands are not blacklisted because they make shitty tattoos, nor because they are dangerous. Almost anyone reading this will have some of that ink in their skin.
Personally, as a tattooer, I like the idea of a craftsman using tools and materials that are the result of another craftsman's passion, experience and expertise.
Some of the highest quality materials in tattooing (ink, machines, grips, pens, power supplies etc.) are made by individuals or at least 'cottage industries'.
I love being able to speak to the guy who made my equipment and buy it directly from him. Giving him/her feedback about it improves the product too.
Demanding that your tattooer use government approved equipment will harm the end result. Not to mention inflate the price drastically.
Lets not even get into the discussion of working across different states, countries or continents with 'approved' equipment.
Jeez. I need to lighten up and post more one-liners.

Nobody who tattoos simply to make a living, to put food on the table becomes 'great'. Maybe it's starts that way, but somewhere along the line something will change. Anybody who became 'great' at anything sacrificed a lot to get there. That's where the respect comes in.
Tattooing isn't just another artform to 'express' yourself. It's something very different that has similarities to other crafts and arts but it's something that stands alone. You can draw similarities with other fields (and it can be fun to dream them up) but in the end nothing else has the same mix of craft, decoration, artistry, service and an emotional connection.
The respect doesn't come from the amount of tattoos someone has.
The lack of respect comes from the hypocrisy to dare to do to others what you cannot allow to be done to yourself. A subtle but very definite distinction.
I would like to add that ANY craft is sacred. The time and energy spent perfecting any craft is akin to spiritual devotion. Anybody who fully understands their craft deserves respect.
It's impossible to fully understand tattooing without having tattoos. One or two small ones doesn't count.
I understand that visible tattoos are not for everybody, but that's not what's being discussed here.
Anybody who buys supplies, attends conventions, buys magazines etc, serves the 'industry'.
Those who get heavily tattooed and take their shirt off for a photo shoot, serve the 'industry'. - I never mentioned them, or the industry, as they are a different argument that I have no interest in.
Tattooers who aim for quality and get tattooed serve the CRAFT.
They also HAVE respect for the craft, so they deserve nothing but respect in that regard.
Being 'cool' has nothing to do with it.

Really my only goal is to take any opportunity I can to get tattooed by people I enjoy to be around and do phenomenal work. There are always people I would jump at the opportunity to get tattooed by but in the meantime I have managed to get a pretty good list going just going about my business getting tattooed and just paying attention to who is around what week and dropping into shops when I am visiting a city.

There are sometimes exceptions to any rule and I agree with Tim but I would go much further and use the term parasite. They are feeding off something and giving nothing back.
I fail to see how any tattooer can understand what they are doing to people if they have no tattoos. Yeah there's the pain side. Mostly it's not that bad, but if you're tattooing ribs, chests, backs etc you should at least have empathy with your customer. But more than the sensation of being tattooed, there's the mental and emotional side to being a tattooed person. The way it feels to have made a deliberate choice to get a tattoo, placed a certain amount of trust in a stranger (usually) and to have the results with you every moment of your existence. To know what it's like to live with a tattoo, to see it age with your body etc. Not forgetting the social side, the way other people interact with you, either positive or negative. All these things cannot be understood without having tattoos.
Being heavily tattooed is certainly no indicator of the quality of a tattooers work, but I have zero respect for tattooers with no tattoos.

What's next Time clocks, name tags, 30 pieces of flair. I guess if you wear the uniform you have a better chance of winning employee of the month but honestly its a tattoo shop give me a break. Everyone is an adult and can figure out what they want to wear without having it dictated to them. Plus it seems a little weird to tell someone who has chosen to cover their body with tattoos that their wardrobe is inappropriate

Being professional has fucking nothing to do with looking like you work at Starbucks. Just be clean and presentable. And work your ass off for the client. If you want to impose some tradition on your elf about the way you carry yourself at work, that's cool. Just don't expect everyone to do it, or even try to make them. You could all be wearing suits and still tattoo like shit.

FUCK THAT. that being said, i do think people should be presentable, clean and wearing clean clothes, decent shoes, etc. i heard a saying from rollo..."if you're gonna ask somebody for $100, you better look like $100". but as for official uniforms, FUCK THAT.

What's next Time clocks, name tags, 30 pieces of flair. I guess if you wear the uniform you have a better chance of winning employee of the month but honestly its a tattoo shop give me a break. Everyone is an adult and can figure out what they want to wear without having it dictated to them. Plus it seems a little weird to tell someone who has chosen to cover their body with tattoos that their wardrobe is inappropriate

What's next Time clocks, name tags, 30 pieces of flair. I guess if you wear the uniform you have a better chance of winning employee of the month but honestly its a tattoo shop give me a break. Everyone is an adult and can figure out what they want to wear without having it dictated to them. Plus it seems a little weird to tell someone who has chosen to cover their body with tattoos that their wardrobe is inappropriate

What's next Time clocks, name tags, 30 pieces of flair. I guess if you wear the uniform you have a better chance of winning employee of the month but honestly its a tattoo shop give me a break. Everyone is an adult and can figure out what they want to wear without having it dictated to them. Plus it seems a little weird to tell someone who has chosen to cover their body with tattoos that their wardrobe is inappropriate

Rob Hostetter - Lucky Tattoo Parlor
Hands down is the man...
Welcome to Facebook

a uniform? as a customer I would walk out of a shop like that just as soon as I entered. I deal with enough attempts to increase conformity at work and I don't want that from a TATTOO STUDIO. I feel like a tattoo studio should embrace the weird (getting tattooed is strange no matter how you think of it) and not the false sense of "sameness"...

Me personally will not be getting my neck hands or face tattooed anytime soon. I work part time as a counter guy at a tattoo shop and my boss has had laser surgery to remove the tattoos on his hands because he hated them so much so I don't think he would tattoo my hands or neck if I asked. On the other hand it would affect my other job. I would not neccesarily lose my other job but I think it would hinder any promotions i might receive in the future.
The other reason is I like to fly under the radar. None of the guys who tattoo at the shop have their neck or hands done (anymore) and its nice to put on a pair of jeans and a pendleton and no one notice you at all. Meanwhile you point out people's horrible neck tattoos and bare arms. Don't get me wrong I love getting tattooed and am deteremined to be covered but until I am covered i will not entertain the idea of neck and hand tattoos.

Just saw this on the LST Reddit Account: