The Tig

Lizbee, I know! Since I just had the other forearm done not 2 months ago, I can really appreciate the difference as well. I have been up & active just like normal all morning, while I really didn't feel comfortable doing much for the first 3-4 days with the first one - this is my right arm too so I've been really pleased with the difference the -derm makes.
And thank you :) I love this guy's work so much, the photo (and inky juices/tegaderm pull) does no justice whatsoever to the tattoo, I can't wait for it to heal to get some nice pics of both forearms together!

Due to my now ex-job (got layed off Monday) I haven't been able to ride any MTB in over 6 years, Today, that changed!
Rode the Fisher Rig 29" single speed this morning in perfect weather. I had a blast!
Sometimes you just have to stop and look around, listen to the birds, and soak it all in. This is my ultimate medicine.

I rode the Memorial Park XC trails (some of which I helped to build almost 30 years ago) and was saddened to see how many trees died from the drought a few years ago. I'd say about 35% are gone.

Due to my now ex-job (got layed off Monday) I haven't been able to ride any MTB in over 6 years, Today, that changed!
Rode the Fisher Rig 29" single speed this morning in perfect weather. I had a blast!
Sometimes you just have to stop and look around, listen to the birds, and soak it all in. This is my ultimate medicine.

I rode the Memorial Park XC trails (some of which I helped to build almost 30 years ago) and was saddened to see how many trees died from the drought a few years ago. I'd say about 35% are gone.

New tattoo, new post.
After much research I chose Chris to do my new piece, which he was happy to do for me.
I waited a few months of course then finally the time came.
Got it done yesterday, 5 1/2 hours straight. Fucking legit piece of art.

Sorry, man. Looks like our company will make good on their threat to lay off about 57 next month that would not take the offer to move from our location in mid-South with low cost of living, low crime, beautiful mountains to Chicago West side. Other jobs (programming) being sent to Bangalore (half are ex-pat Indian now). Hoping my job holds out 1.5 more years until Medicare kicks in, and I retire!
Hang in, Tig! Talent and work ethic combined are always in demand.

broke in my new dragon fist and finished backpiece for the Year of the Monkey lunar new year celebration with my Shaolin crew at good ol West Edmonton Mall. Also performed my broadsword form in public for the first time which I was jacked on.

Some old chinese lady was loving all my tattoos, gave me her number and said to call her if i want her to sing for me LOL aw shucks
shout out to all my 1980s Iron Monkeys SOOOOOOOO W

Had an awesome Mardi Gras!

Thanks for bring this up, @Patrick Bateman, because it reminds me - the bigger border of -derm you can have outside the edge of your tattoo the better. When I've cut it closer, even an inch (which I thought was plenty) it tended to leak or fail in that area. The best, most hassle-free heals I have had were when I had a huge 2" or more border, which seemed overkill, but wound up working great. Set it and forget it, as they say, was really how it went, and that was so awesome.

@Kurgana, I can understand the logistics of applying it immediately, but I personally think it is much better to wait until the initial plasma/serum has done its thing. That stuff will collect beneath the film in a big way, at least with Tegaderm. I don't know about some of the other -derms, and maybe the ones developed specifically for tattoos are more breathable or whatever, and could be designed to be applied right away. I know with Tegaderm (what I use) the plasma will collect underneath and things go much more smoothly if you can wait.
I have a St. Bernard and a Great Dane mix and teenagers, so even if I sat there with a vacuum cleaner at the ready at all times there'd be no way to stay ahead of the filth, lol, but it is possible to apply the film in a clean manner the next day. Just wash it, pat it dry with a clean towel, and apply the film. It does not have to be sterile, just clean. My two cents!

I always loved this piece by Jeff Gogue.

A bit amusing...I'm reading my lengthy post above from 18 months ago...now I've got tattoos creeping the cuff and onto the hands. Things change, tattooing is fluid!
here's my newish dragon fist:

and here's a an artsy selfie of my dragon fist - dragon fly and dragon eyes ! for your viewing pleasure

see guys! i got lots of space left...maybe squinch in some tudor roses on the hands in the future

Ta Moko designs are based around genealogy, social rank and status, accomplishments, and so on, so I could see a hypothetical situation where you got a Maori tattoo because "they have the most badass warrior culture on earth" and ended up getting a tattoo that describes somebody else's life and family. Would Maoris be offended by this? I don't know, but they'd probably think you're a dumbass for getting a tattoo of something that you're engaging with so superficially.
I do think the same goes for Viking stuff. If you're going to get magical staves tattooed on you, it's probably best to understand what you're getting and what it means. The trend a few years ago of people getting Masonic imagery is another example of this: you might think it looks cool and mysterious and occult, but people who know how to read the imagery know you have gibberish on you and you come across as a moron as a result. I don't see how getting a tattoo just because it looks cool and having no understanding beyond that is any different than somebody getting kanji while not understanding the language.

3.5 more hours of progress last week. total is about 51 hours so far and i'm guessing we have 20-25 more hours until we are finished. Legs and ass are 99% complete. Waiting until it is finished before sharing anymore full back pictures but here is a close up on my ass/leg/lower back area:

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Also I just realized that over the past 12 months I've been tattooed a total of 63 hours (51 on my back and 12 on my front). plus ~100 hours of driving back and forth from Boston to Long Island x10, Boston to Manhattan x1, Boston to Montreal x1, and Boston to Reading PA x1.

Thought I'd wade in with my opinion. I love Stu Pagdin 's tigers, so much so I have 2 already and planning another.
I've also got this tiger gurl if that counts? Haha
I used to only like bird tattoos now it seems the theme is cat vs. Bird!

Chloe loves sleeping in wash baskets.. clean or dirty!

Got this done a while back. They are fresh photos so excuse the shine. It started up as a fix for Nefertiti since she was old and looked like a blob. I could not stop after that and decided to do the whole leg/ Egyptology is a major interest of mine.

my girlfriend said she loves my tattoos because she loves me, and they're a part of me! /loveydovey
i think shes a keeper, even if she doesnt want any tattoos herself, i still lover her. haha !

Wow - I haven't read this thread for several weeks and the last 7 or 8 pages have been pretty heavy.
@beez - wow, first (((hugs))) and I echo what so many have already said. What a kick in the stomach. What's worse sometimes, is realizing after the fact that someone has been slowly changing their thinking over years and you've been out of sync with that, even though you spend so much time together. So for them, they are just verbalizing a feeling they've developed and carried over that time and it may come across as no big deal. But for you, that progression never occurred because you never thought it was an issue. My first thought was, what a douche bag. I'm really saddened that you had to go through this - you are a wonderfully thoughtful person and I enjoy reading your posts.
It seems like lately in a couple of threads there are discussions of getting old with tattoos and using tattoos to correct the negative effects of aging. It probably wouldn't be feasible, but wouldn't a great thread be to show before and after pictures? My back tattoo completely obliterates any embarrassment I had over some unsightly sagging areas.
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@ProudButUgly - what a story. Thank you for sharing that. There are so many things I'd like to say about what you wrote, but ultimately it comes down to your family at this point. I'm really glad you had this opportunity to work with your kids and show them both sides of the petty junior high school attitudes. They will carry this forward with them and hopefully be able to apply it to other situations where they see people marginalized. I hope all goes well with your wife and that your offers to cover up as she requests help her overcome whatever negative effects she thinks your tattoos have on her career, etc. So much of life is compromise, but she's probably not going to like dealing with all the blood on the couch after you chop off your legs. Sorry - a little humor, but I really hope this settles and works out for you both.

got the star a few days ago. it is still the beginning and there is plenty of room on that leg but i like the progression...so i am posting this :p

Hello and welcome! Good to have you here.
The hand tattoos you posted look great!

just go to the bahamas and have a vacation!
then you don't have to worry about sketchy tourist trap tattoo studios, being a vampire hiding from the sun or uncomfortable on the plane ride home. go enjoy the holiday, worry-free. there is more to life than tattoo. and there are likely way more cool spots to get tattooed back home ;)

Well mine is super exciting.
I like the Inked magazines, and I have tattoos and I'm a Mum... so yeah... InkedMumma it is.
Like I said, super exciting.
could be worse. My first Instagram name was AngryVagina purely because every real combo of my real name was taken and I was just plain pissed off by the end.

Wow, just finished reading this thread from start to finish. First things, there are some truly eloquent opinions on here, and I'm really impressed that there has been so much in the way of disagreement and debate handled in a proper grown up way..... Surely it is a rariety indeed to find an online discussion which features strong opinions that has not degraded into name calling or worse. I kept thinking I wish some of those people who judge the heavily tattooed as stupid could read some of these posts!
Secondly, my humble opinion is that there is a distinct difference between seeking out a tattooer solely because they are a well known name and doing so because they do solid, beautiful work that appeals to you (and they're well known). I'm very lucky to have been tattooed by some well known tattooists, but every single one of them I have chosen because it is their work that speaks to me first and foremost. I'm also extremely lucky to have had lovely, positive experiences with those guys, so much so that I've been back for more! A tattoo is so much more than the image you're left with. I pride myself on my collection, but have been known to be tattooed by people I've never heard of because I got good vibes from them. Last year at Brighton I got tattooed on whim by Stewart OC (who was then at Prick, London) because I walked by his booth, we got talking and just got on. I thought, I want this guy to have my money! I'd just started my apprenticeship and he was so lovely, offering advice etc.
And last of all, as a tattooer myself, someone who is constantly working on improving, putting the best tattoo I can on (not just thinking about that instagram photo!), I do come across customers who clearly only want to be tattooed by certain people because they have a 'name', like it's more important to have been touched by those people than for them to have a good tattoo. That definitely irks me! Sometimes I think that comes from ignorance and the assumption that just because you've heard of someone that they MUST be better than someone you haven't heard of. But as as an anyone who has a 'hidden gem' in their local shop knows, that's not always the case!

I've got a couple that I'm excited about in the next couple months, scored appointments for upcoming guest spots in Denver with Eddy Deutsche, and I'll see Chad down there just before he starts his 50 state tour.

OK here is the proper way to act if you started with that artists you should seek them out. You never know if he or she was treated with respect and how they come to leave the shop. Seek them out to finish what they started. It bad manners for the shop to immediately try to pass you off to someone else to do the work. The shop owner is just being passive aggressive. Trying to hold the money in their shop. If you choose this artist based on their quality or style. Don't let them shove any body on you. Respect your self your choices and the artist who created the work. However if you just walked in and let whomever was available to tattoo you then you really don't care about your work and you should continue to behave that way...