Bubbleberry

Thanks for all the advice guys. I think its going to be lots of rest, a good meal beforehand, and snacks for during, along with a tramadol...for my arthritis, obviously ;) First tattoo at 16 was a large piece on my upper arm, that was a breeze. Last long sitting was a large intricate piece between shoulder-blades, meditated through that one without a problem. Next one is on Wednesday, my wife has been apprenticing under a local guy who has been tattooing for over 20 years. I have offered my legs for her to practice on, under his guidance. I think a two hours black and grey may turn into four hours. God, I hope its not too painful :(

What are they supposed to give back ? I have been around tattoos and tattooists for some 30 years, and it always puzzles me when I hear statements like this. Many, many of the great tattooists got into the industry simply to make a living...we all need to put food on the table and a roof over our heads, yet some act like tattooing is some type of sacred craft... its not the freemasons you know :confused: Yes there are many reasons people get tattoos, but to call artists who are not covered, parasites, well that sounds like the man talking. There are many reasons people become tattoo artists, but as long as they are producing quality tattoos in a sterile environment, while being pleasant and polite, they serve the industry of tattooing as much as any other tattooist... There are lots of well inked, superstar tattooist/artist/clothing designers/tv star types that are doing a lot more damage to the industry that a little tattooed artist ever will. Lets see what happens when our friends have finished licencing their work to everyone that asks, when tattooing, and tattoo related images become "uncool", then tell me about parasites.

I used to live in Australia with crowd of bikers, the Bandidos. One of them owned a Tattoo Studio, and he had a great quote for anyone who asked if tattoos hurt... "Those who say it hurts are pussy's, those who say it don't are liars." Now when I was running with those guys I though I was tough, but life, and love have taught me otherwise. And I aint no liar lol Now what was that about vicodin... I take Tramadol for my back - will that work?

Horiyoshi II's father not only fed himself and his family by tattooing, but he covered many other peoples family members in ink. Yet he did not want his son being tattooed. Some may think this is a huge hypocrisy. Some may think that it is just a natural desire to protect ones family. Putting aside pain, there are many reasons people, even tattooists, may not want to have tattoos. I think they need to know what it feels like, I think they should enjoy the art form, and probably have some tattoos, but how many is to many is a personal choice.

to do traditional tattoos, but who was. I am really interested in the history of traditional american tattooing, any ideas, books, names, etc would be greatly appreciated. Also any info on the transision into new traditional, tattooists, books etc would be great ;)

Jeez, I had hoped that pain diminished with age - in more ways than one I guess thats not going to happen :confused: I never thought about what I am eating - I take a lot of fresh juice, fruits and veg, so I will double up on those a week before my next sitting ! Thanks guys

Ok that made my day lol. I personally HATE the term "tramp stamp"...especially when it is used by tattoo artists. They forget that the lower back started out as a favourite place for guys before girls adopted it....not saying guys cannot be tramps before someone jumps on me lol

You know I wish that was an option, and I have to admit that my system was always pretty well topped up back in the day, but I have been sober for a while now, so that's not an option

I say take a photo of EVERY piece you complete and put it in your portfolio - you should be proud of them all and having them on show will undoubtedly force you to raise the bar.

So my longest sitting to date was 4 hours, it was an intricate back piece right between the shoulder blades, and the pain was ok. But now, 20 years later, I have a number health issues that mean that my pain threshold has shifted. A recent chest piece that took no more than an hour was awful. Any advice guys?

Its that respect thing again... tell anyone for long enough that they are great at something and their egos become inflated. Even the crappy artists seem to think their sh*t don't stink. Some people want a tattoo, some want an experience, some want both. When the bubble bursts you better be good and you better be nice, there are lots of quality artists who will be screaming for business.

I guess there are unwritten rules in the industry, and for me, to many of them are about "respect". Lots of artists who have been working in the industry for 20 + years are covered in tattoos, but I would not let them near me with a needle, even though they are well respected. Some of the newcomers who put out amazing work have little tattoos, but receive little respect from the industry because of how long they have been around. The average customer does not hang around forums like this, they come in off the street looking for something "nice" from the flash. I do not think they care how long the artist has been around, how tattooed they are, who sponsored them etc. For them its about the "experience" .My wife is about to start her apprenticeship, and has only 1 tattoo. She wants more, but is cautious by nature, so when she knows what she wants, and who by, she will undoubtedly get more. But the artist she will be working under was happy that she had only 1 tattoo, so that she knew what it felt like. He was more interested in her artistic ability, which again, is what the average Joe is concerned about. So for me the answer is that I care more about the tattoo they are putting on me than the tattoos they have.