smiling.politely

New one while drawing up some lettering on the spot, since I hadn't had time to do it ahead of time...
"If you don't have time to do it today, we can wait... I know how it goes being busy. I mean, we're pretty much in the same industry... I'm a massage therapist..."
Huh. Also, had the lettering ready in about ten minutes, and finished with 20 minutes left in the appointment. You know, since I didn't have time to do it that day.

New one while drawing up some lettering on the spot, since I hadn't had time to do it ahead of time...
"If you don't have time to do it today, we can wait... I know how it goes being busy. I mean, we're pretty much in the same industry... I'm a massage therapist..."
Huh. Also, had the lettering ready in about ten minutes, and finished with 20 minutes left in the appointment. You know, since I didn't have time to do it that day.

New one while drawing up some lettering on the spot, since I hadn't had time to do it ahead of time...
"If you don't have time to do it today, we can wait... I know how it goes being busy. I mean, we're pretty much in the same industry... I'm a massage therapist..."
Huh. Also, had the lettering ready in about ten minutes, and finished with 20 minutes left in the appointment. You know, since I didn't have time to do it that day.

Just back from the West Texas Tattoo Convention. First convention I've attended, drove 10 hours with two of my best friends to get there, then drove back the morning after into a blizzard. Totally worth it. Tattoo and photo by Ron Henry Wells (poached from his Instagram).

Huge cheetah pelt backpiece? Check. Lots of other work that outstrips it in terms of craft, design, and timelessness? Check. If you want to do that backpiece, wait awhile. I'd say give it three or four years, honestly. Into your twenties a bit... If you still want it, go for it.

Huge cheetah pelt backpiece? Check. Lots of other work that outstrips it in terms of craft, design, and timelessness? Check. If you want to do that backpiece, wait awhile. I'd say give it three or four years, honestly. Into your twenties a bit... If you still want it, go for it.

Huge cheetah pelt backpiece? Check. Lots of other work that outstrips it in terms of craft, design, and timelessness? Check. If you want to do that backpiece, wait awhile. I'd say give it three or four years, honestly. Into your twenties a bit... If you still want it, go for it.

Huge cheetah pelt backpiece? Check. Lots of other work that outstrips it in terms of craft, design, and timelessness? Check. If you want to do that backpiece, wait awhile. I'd say give it three or four years, honestly. Into your twenties a bit... If you still want it, go for it.

Huge cheetah pelt backpiece? Check. Lots of other work that outstrips it in terms of craft, design, and timelessness? Check. If you want to do that backpiece, wait awhile. I'd say give it three or four years, honestly. Into your twenties a bit... If you still want it, go for it.

Painting I'm doing for a charity auction next month, and a close up on a 22" mandala painting I'm working on.

@Graeme Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Let me rephrase, then. Perhaps my early morning reading comprehension is poor.
Also, isn't one of the main points of robotic surgery that it's still directly, 100% controlled by a human being, often times one who, due to their location, wouldn't be able to perform the surgery, and who may be one of only a few people on the planet who can do it? Because that's way, way different than sticking someone on a table, pressing B-7 (the appendectomy button, of course), then going back to reading the Sports section.

There's a great book by Gomineko Press with a lot of information in terms of explaining things called JBxH3. Should be first... Japanese Tattoo Art Design Book Magazine Gomineko Japan
They'll frequently post it for $60 on their Instagram as well... Instagram

There's a great book by Gomineko Press with a lot of information in terms of explaining things called JBxH3. Should be first... Japanese Tattoo Art Design Book Magazine Gomineko Japan
They'll frequently post it for $60 on their Instagram as well... Instagram

@irezumi I need to get my hands on that Richie book... focused on finding Irezumi during my initial searching last year. Future plans.

There's a great book by Gomineko Press with a lot of information in terms of explaining things called JBxH3. Should be first... Japanese Tattoo Art Design Book Magazine Gomineko Japan
They'll frequently post it for $60 on their Instagram as well... Instagram

There's a great book by Gomineko Press with a lot of information in terms of explaining things called JBxH3. Should be first... Japanese Tattoo Art Design Book Magazine Gomineko Japan
They'll frequently post it for $60 on their Instagram as well... Instagram

The first one's a few years older, but it's pretty similar to how i look now...
In the other one, I'm not the bronze tiger.

I've started buying a few here and there from antique shops, with plans for the future to try and restore them as best I can, then set up to use them. Thankfully, with a background in fine art sculpture, I know a lot about finishing steel and honing blades... casting new scales in various resins would even be pretty simple.
I also made a sculpture of one from cast aluminium and birch plywood that opens to be 12 feet long.

Probably not, at least not in a way that would like the red in the rest of it. Red and green are complimentary colors, which if mixed, will most likely turn a muddled brown color, most likely.

Probably not, at least not in a way that would like the red in the rest of it. Red and green are complimentary colors, which if mixed, will most likely turn a muddled brown color, most likely.

Probably not, at least not in a way that would like the red in the rest of it. Red and green are complimentary colors, which if mixed, will most likely turn a muddled brown color, most likely.

@Graeme Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Let me rephrase, then. Perhaps my early morning reading comprehension is poor.
Also, isn't one of the main points of robotic surgery that it's still directly, 100% controlled by a human being, often times one who, due to their location, wouldn't be able to perform the surgery, and who may be one of only a few people on the planet who can do it? Because that's way, way different than sticking someone on a table, pressing B-7 (the appendectomy button, of course), then going back to reading the Sports section.

@Graeme Perhaps my late night rambling was poorly worded, but that's basically what I was meaning. If people not caring about how seriously their tattooer takes their job is the status quo, then by showing how much you do care, you may be able to change people's attitudes one at a time (or three, depending on if they bring their cheering section. I believe it was Stewart Robson in his LST interview who said Steve Byrne changed how he saw tattooers to an extent, because he approached a large solid checkerboard piece with the same seriousness and level of care as he would have something he would have been more stoked to do.
From personal experience, I can say it's not a large percentage of people, but I do notice that the more some of the Pinterest-y clients come into the shop where I work, the more they gain a level of trust, and the more they're willing to listen to our ideas on altering things to be a bit different. Without a good attitude towards them, even when they want the Walk With Faith on the foot, or the "sisters" infinity symbol, or the Google dove, etc, etc., that wouldn't happen.
As far as making tattooing out to be more than it is... well, I frequently refer to it as a blood ritual, only semi-jokingly. I don't have much room to talk on that front.

@idyllsend While not a lady, I can say that most shops have some sort of barriers they can place to block the view of the shop, and if you address things in advance, it'll be taken care of. Even with walls in place, we often suggest to women that, if it helps them feel more comfortable, they can head to the bathroom and put on a hoodie backwards as covering (and to keep their arms warm).
We also have a very large mirrored window in our backroom that is right next to a station where one of our tattooers was going to be doing a tattoo in a very, very intimate location. To make sure she knew we were going to make her feel at ease, before we put up our walls, our counter person and I made a big sheet out of dental bibs and blocked it off. Not saying they have huge sheets to block off the window, but if they can't do something to help you out, then there's some sort of issue. Definitely say something when you get there, though. Even if it's initially just a question to the counter person.

@Graeme Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Let me rephrase, then. Perhaps my early morning reading comprehension is poor.
Also, isn't one of the main points of robotic surgery that it's still directly, 100% controlled by a human being, often times one who, due to their location, wouldn't be able to perform the surgery, and who may be one of only a few people on the planet who can do it? Because that's way, way different than sticking someone on a table, pressing B-7 (the appendectomy button, of course), then going back to reading the Sports section.