The Tig

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

i have so many cool books that i want to read - but i cant get off instagram damnit!

I Ink, Therefore I Am

Thank you @TheTig. I hesitated putting my tattoo diary out there. But I remember when I first thought about a back piece. I scoured the internet wanting to know what a back piece experience was like and found very little. I know everyone's experience is different. But I know what I wrote was the harsh honesty of my experience. I'm glad I did it. Working through pain builds your inner strength. And when you over come the pain, you feel like you can conquer anything.

I guess I should post the piece. Had a hell of a time getting a good pic. I am planning on hiring a photographer in the future.

@marley mission I normally like what you post. Your posts are intelligent, well-considered, and come from experience, and I especially like your attitude about how tattoos are permanent parts of our bodies, for better or for worse, and that we should live with them instead of seeking to cover them up, laser them, or otherwise modify them. But this time I can't stand by nodding my head in agreement with you.
A self-loathing pizza monster? He's made of pizza, what is there to loathe? Furthermore, you live in New Jersey where even the worst pizza is going to be pretty good by most people's standards. So again, why the self-loathing? Did you get a tattoo of a gluten-free vegan slice? Because if so, my friend, you got a bum tattoo.

A good tattooer might be reluctant to just put something/anything on you for obvious reasons. You might not be happy with the decision 6 months from now. Find at least an idea or image that rings true with you.

Just a thought here. It is yours and only what you think counts.
Looking at your eagle, I'd keep any flag background below it's head so that it doesn't get lost in any way. By keeping the head (most of the white part) above/without a background, it remains visually prominent.

Sorry to spam guys... but I am so stoked with how the scales are turning out (Eastern diamondback, Crotalus adamanteus).

Hey Dylan every tattoo you get doesn't have to be meaningful.Sometimes you just get tattooed because you like tattoos,regardless if there's a meaning or story behind the tattoo.
I think a koi,dragon,eagle,Panther,roses,would cover that up.I would make an appointment with an artist whose style you like and take it from there.

here is the finished tattoo. Still looks swollen.
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Progress! Here's a couple shots from the trenches. I didn't get many cleaned up photos due to catching my flight home. More to come...

I also don't have set date yet, but I'm in with Johan Svahn for his guest trip to NYC in April. I am beyond excited.
Would love to get dinner/drinks with you NYC folks whoever you all are. @ironchef @BrianH

Hey I just booked with Eddy Deutsche he is coming to Tacoma Washington in January 2016. The exact dates aren't ironed out yet but he is going to be at Old Tacoma Tattoo. Beyond excited and was asked to spread the word by Aron Fredriksson!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DS is getting a gift certificate for Christmas, and I believe I'll be adding a flying pig to my left leg when he goes in to spend it :cool:

Probably obvious that I look like that without the picture...
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Thanks for the suggestions, and totally agree about livedintattoos and thanking @Iwar for thr work he does to maintain it. It was nice to be able to see some of @Eilin's amazing collection recently, and a bunch of other people who may or may not be on this board.
Pretty ambivalent about and even afraid of smart phones, but so far it's all been positive.

I'll be 50 in a little over a month, and I'm definitely feeling more comfortable getting tattoos now than I was earlier in life. I'm more comfortable with my decisions, and am not so afraid of them affecting my career, etc. I'm just more comfortable with who I am, and am enjoying getting tattooed very much! I'm just getting rolling, in fact. My family is not surprised, because I've always been a "counter culture" type, but honestly, tattooing isn't hardly even counter culture anymore.
I also handle the pain much better now, since I've been through more, and know how to take my brain away to another spot. Just had a 6-hour session and though I don't know exactly how much more I could have done, it was doable. There were people around me tapping out for breaks frequently, and we took only one real break.
My skin seems to be healing fine, and artists who have worked on me this past year have told me my skin takes ink well, so I'm grateful for that. 50-year-old skin is 50-year-old skin, and there's no insult or ageism in that, it is just a fact, and it is something every tattooer has to deal with. I'm much more careful about protecting my tattoos (investments) from the sun, and keeping them moisturized, etc. I'm not sure I would have considered everything so carefully earlier in life.
Plus, like my husband likes to say, when I'm really old (I hope I get really old) my tattoos will still look half decent, because I waited so long to get them.

Hey guys it's been quite a process getting this one covered up but it's close to the end... No laser
Credz to Woodzart https://www.instagram.com/woodzart/
Check out his stuff, he does great work.

Getting tattooed must be like having kids... You forget the pain, hence repeating it over and over. I just got an ankle tattoo about 2 months ago and it was nothing. Small tattoo. This after not having had any tattoo for 12 years. Yesterday I got a tattoo on my back and for the first hour and 50 minutes, I was completely fine. Even mentally patting myself on the back for my tolerance. Then the last 10 minutes. I was convinced he'd changed machines and was using a branding tool. The closer it went to my side/armpit, the worse it was. But I know in a few weeks I'll forget all that and be ready for more.

whenever i visit the fam up in WA, i get to spend some time with this little beggar/booger. his name's Rusty and he's a Jack Russell mixed with something (check out his length!). super smart and energetic. in the 2nd photo, he's begging from my mom (the main disher of table scraps), lookin at me like, "don't hate."

@rocketqueen, I think the only thing to be done is to ask the artist and see what response you get. Let him know the tweaks you'd like to make pertaining to eyes and ears, and if they're doable, then I can't see why the artist would have a problem. If you are a tattoo artist then, ultimately, you want your client to be HAPPY, right? A happy client is a client who will recommend you to others, etc.
Don't be hesitant to ask for reasonable changes - this is your body, and you should feel very comfortable working with your artist. Assuming the artist is experienced, then there should be zero issue. If there IS an issue ("how DARE you suggest that every single line I placed on your body is not exactly what you want?!!! Get out of my shop!" - unlikely) then you can feel comfortable going to another artist/shop and asking them to tweak the design for you, and not worry for a second about etiquette. This will let you know what kind of artist you're working with, and whether you can have a good relationship that might mean more tattoos.
Every artist I've ever worked with (who is in my area, anyway) has urged me to get back in touch if there's any touch-up or adjustments that I find I'd like to make after the healing process. This is not uncommon, so don't worry about bringing it up.

I almost forgot our kittehs.
George is the eldest.

We adopted him from a family member who named him "Convict" because of his orange color and his escape attempts. We fixed him but he still loved the outdoors so we let him roam in and out of the house until he was severely injured by a tomcat. He is now an indoor only cat after an almost $1000 vet bill. We nursed him through the healing process at home. He likes to lick my head sometimes.




Sophie and Sasha were adopted strays 3 years ago. They grew up together and are great buddies. Sophie the tortoise on the left was born in an abandoned car. She actually walked up to me in a parking lot and claimed me. She is a little shy but very sweet and calm. She loves Andy dog.




Sasha followed our grandson home when he was running on our street's sidewalk. She claimed him quickly. She craves attention and turned out to be a huge cat.

This is my 5 year old Staffy. He's super energetic and playful, I get people constantly asking me if he's still a puppy. Sigh. He's a handful but a great family dog. A couple 'glamor shots' from back when I was super into photography:


Aaaaand one of him letting my 6 month old son climb all over him. He's loving it.

These are my boys...

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Bentley....

I have too many dogs.