mario desa

julio, i read a story about a tattooer on south state street, chicago in the 50's who also hated that. so he would wear a big sombrero while he worked so the dude couldn't look down! the brim was between him and the tattoo!!

man...i'll say it again. 99% of the people tattooing right now SUCK.

honestly, "collector" bothers me (sorry robin)! generally speaking people who refer to themselves as collectors are a bit smug and see themselves as above other clients. no offense robin, or anyone else who use this term, it's just been my experience and bothered me for years. the guy getting his girlfriend's name is just as important as a "collector" getting a custom "cool" tattoo. sometimes these "collectors" scoff at having to wait while i do a regular walk-in on someone they deem "uncool", and it eats me up. but i guess this is a whole other discussion!

hyena, i also try to just get a "zen" mindset going...focus on the actual craft and work of what i'm doing and not worry about the design or the money. and keep the smiles and banter going, do a nice tattoo and pay the bills. some people might not want to hear that...they want to think we always just dive in with our artistic expression blah-blah-blah and put our soul into every tattoo...haha...

i talk people out of backgrounds and useless additions all the time. i see so much garbage online. people just throw every trick in the book in there. or just tack on a bunch of roses around something, it looks awful. just let the image be itself, it has strength on its own. a gypsy head doesn't need blood splatters, a crescent moon, fog, a tree, roses and fake cholo letters all around it. except for a few people, tattooing is in a sorry state creatively. by the way, the outline thing is a SMITH STREET thing, which has now been beaten to death by anybody with a computer. you can't do anything new and cool without vampires sucking it dry. ok, i'm done...haha

man, julio, you hit it on the head! haha. ever notice the dudes getting superman logos are never tough? they can never take the pain.

people think i'm joking when i say i like doing tribal, too. and i've actually said to a few customers who were really freaked out "you don't HAVE to get a tattoo. i know its popular, but it's ok not to have one."

that tattoo is fucking awesome. you seem concerned with your "tough" image, but a "real" man would wear this with pride. you loved your dog, he died, you're honoring him. nothing to be ashamed of. real tough guys are tough enough to cry sometimes.

julio, i read a story about a tattooer on south state street, chicago in the 50's who also hated that. so he would wear a big sombrero while he worked so the dude couldn't look down! the brim was between him and the tattoo!!

julio, i read a story about a tattooer on south state street, chicago in the 50's who also hated that. so he would wear a big sombrero while he worked so the dude couldn't look down! the brim was between him and the tattoo!!

i don't tattoo faces, and we don't hire anyone with face tattoos (not that we hire at all). i used to only do necks and hands on heavily tattooed people or tattooers, but it's so common now, i just do 'em.

no face. i don't do them, either.

i thought it was said a long time ago there would be a "tattooer only" section of this forum? that would be the best thing to happen on this forum, i think. i barely look at it because it's mostly non-tattooers pontificating on something they know little or nothing about or talking about bullshit that has nothing to do with tattooing, or idiots like bubblebooty.
i don't mean to come off as a dick or some kind of elitist, but i think the tattooers on here may understand what i mean.

no face. i don't do them, either.

i've hung out with mike before, am a fan of his graffiti and drawings, have nothing against the guy, but...his tattoos are awful. his style doesn't translate well to the body at all and he has no real concept of tattoo design and it seems no intention of learning how to correctly design tattoos and execute them well. it seems that the main reason people want tattoos from him is they are fans of his other artwork. you're better off buying a print or drawing i think.
i also read that interview where he says flat-out that the clothing label pays him more so he quit tattooing. pretty fucking lame. but, to each their own. we all pay our own bills in the end.

i never get treated differently or searched, and the last few times i flew with equipment, they didn't even search it or ask about it.

about 7 years ago, when i worked at deluxe, i was doing a kanji on this chick's lower back. she was doing ok, then got a little light-headed. so, we stopped, i let her sit down, got her some water, her friend gave her candy. waited about ten minutes, she was feeling better, chatting, color came back in her face. she seemed totally fine. so, we decide to finish up( there was literally one minute left on the tattoo.)
she takes a final swig of her water and takes two steps toward the trash can, to throw out her cup. SHE PASSES OUT STANDING UP. !!!CRACK!!! she hit the floor unconscious, no reflexes, face first. it sounded like a bat hitting a baseball. it was the scariest sound ever, and we were stunned. for a second we all just stood there with our mouths open, then the silence was broken by the chick's eerie moaning. blood was pooling out around her head and she seemed REAL confused and in a lot of pain. she was crying and not getting up.
so, i called 911, they show up pretty quick, paramedics come in and i tell them what happened. in the most non-challant way, dude glances at her, then back at me and pulls his sleeve up to show me an old armband..."hey bro, how much would it be to fix this up?". i repeated that she was bleeding and in pain and he says "she'll be ok, probably just broke her jaw." his buddy is behind us looking at flash!
so, they finally take her out on a stretcher and off to the hospital. i start cleaning up the blood, and notice her teeth left an indent in our floor. SHE HIT HARD. so, her friend is on her way out and is quietly giggling, and i ask what is so funny? she says "well, in the last week her boyfriend dumped her, her car got stolen and she got fired. she was hoping this tattoo would turn her luck around." it was the kanji for "lucky".

i stopped caring about shit like this, or i'd be angry 24/7/365. either way i'm tattooing and will continue to tattoo, i don't give a shit what's going on where...

good suggestions, dan! especially the fresh breath! also, shower and wash your feet if the tattoo is there!!! don't tell me about any depressing shit...like all the dead people your tattoo is for or whatever. sorry, but i don't need to hear about that 5 times a day i just want to do a good tattoo. not get bummed out. i know that sounds cold, but i do probably a thousand tattoos a year and every other person wants to tell me about the deep deep meaning of their tattoo...it's a bit much.

tat-zaps, tat-wizard, ink, get some ink, inked up, get inked, tatted, color bomb, trad, neo-trad...

higgs is a talented, eccentric MAN. not a divine guru. this whole "cult of higgs" that has sprung up the last few years is fucking stupid.

i have some photos of higgs tats and the murals he painted in robert ryan's apartment...but i'll never post them online!!!

yeah that sucks...i think they should have etiquette classes in schools.

people who walk in on their phone and try to ask questions while STILL ON THEIR PHONE. or answer their phone as you're answering their question. i just walk away.
also, spoiled college kids who lay on our couches and put their feet up, and people who ask "so, what ELSE do you do?", implying there's no possible way i could actually earn a living tattooing!

just cram 'em all in there. i don't get it when people plan their whole bodies out or want all this "balance". do they plan on posing around naked all the time for us to scrutinize? most of the time people only see our arms anyway.