asradin

I might be in the minority here in having this opinion, but I hope the general public doesn't stop seeing tattoos and tattooed people in a negative light. I have a hard time having sympathy or patience for people who claim that they're discriminated against because of their tattoos, especially when these people work in shitty low-wage, low-job security jobs. Where I work I saw a guy with a nice neck tattoo have an interview to be a busboy. Guess what? He didn't get the job, because if you're getting your neck tattooed while applying for jobs that pretty much any chump off the street can competently do, you're a dumbass. I probably wouldn't hire you either.

For me, part of getting tattooed and becoming an increasingly heavily tattooed person is accepting and taking on something that most people don't understand and being okay with it. I think that responsibility, that willingness to put yourself at the margins, is an important part of getting tattooed, especially when into getting into less concealable areas.

Could not agree with this more. It's something a lot of people I speak to don't understand. In the most basic way I can put it, I got tattooed to be different, not accepted by the general public. I don't think my job or someone I don't know should have to accept what I do on my own time and with my body. If they do awesome, if not then it's probably someone/something I wouldn't want to have anything to do with in a personal sence anyway.

Don't worry too mcuh about it @WYKTM My first foot tattoo took around 6 weeks to fully heal and it went through an angry red skin and dry skin phase. It now looks great and didn't need a touch up. Just keep doing what you're doing and make sure it stays clean :)

Thanks @jade1955 and @gougetheeyes Paris was a blast and if they put it on next year I'll probably go again, although I maybe only got for two or three tattoos this time...

@asradin man so cool I love that demon head but all are great. Nice present to yourself for sure. DId you experience "tattoo head" I found after all the hrs of being tattooed I was in a fog.

Haha yeah a bit, especially on the Saturday evening when I went out to meet some friends. Took all my will power and concentration just to order food at a restaurant. Totally worth it though

Thanks everyone :) The only bad thing was that it made me realise I'm running out of space. Only really my thighs and ribs left now, well my lower arms too but they'll be my retirement present in 40 years or so if I'm lucky

So I wasn't sure if I was going to post any of my new tattoos but decided in the end to just go for it. I moved to France four months ago and have been sat in a lab isolated from the world pretty much ever since. I went to the Mondial du Tatouage show in Paris for three days as a birthday present to myself. I booked in with Stewart Robson and Valerie Vargas from Frith Street and also Greg Christian. I ended up getting tattooed six times in three days. It was also my first convention and I'm going to make sure I go to a few more :D

I stole all the pictures from the respective artist's instagrams apart from one which I took with my phone.

Demon head on knee - Stewart Robson (Frith Street Tattoo)

Geisha Girl Head - Cody Miller (Blackheart Tattoo)

Flaming Torch - Greg Christian

Castle - Cody Miller (Blackheart Tattoo)

Medusa Head - Valerie Vargas (Frith Street Tattoo)

Devil Head - Nick Roddin (Blackheart Tattoo)

I can't wait for the convention next year

And that's the pompous attitude I'll never understand. Who says that the people that walk in the door haven't been struggling? Why assume?

But it's ok to you that just because you happen to know an artist they'll give you a shot?

I guess we're different.

I believe in teaching others and educating people into doing the right thing.

It just gets under my skin when professionals complain about people starting off in their basements, when it's almost a one in a million shot you'll get someone to teach you.

Anyway... I guess I'm just frustrated. I have no time to socialize and hang out in shops like I did when I was 14.

The *way* they want people to do things is a little unrealistic for me BECAUSE of the fact I'm working my ass off to get to where I wanna be!

It may be a pompous attitude but just because you've been working hard and doing things right doesn't mean you deserve to be taught. As well if you're a random person just coming in how is anyone supposed to know all these things about you? I believe in teaching people as well, but I don't think everything should be taught to everyone that asks. At the end of the day it's their world, which means they make the rules. You may not like them, they may frustrate the shit out of you but that's life.

So question is...why not take some random person??

What's the big deal with giving others some opportunity?

Really? So you would happily give something that you've spent your whole life (or large part of) striving to perfect, your means of providing for your family and whatever else to any random person that asked for it? If yes, good luck to you. You know what my answer would be? Go fuck yourself. I don't tattoo, or have any desire to tattoo but if someone came up and asked for my life on a plate I'd be a lot less civilised and nice than most people, especially if that person was a complete stranger.

Check the fitness thread; Its no secret just a LOT of work/restrictions.

But yeah. I googled the cancer bats. There's a fat ginger, so....

I never meant to imply you were a fat ginger, I just met him a few times at gigs, he seemed to like the same stuff as you (as far as I can tell from the internet) and I just made a conection. No offence intended. Like I said I'm drunk and in France so what the fuck do I know....

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You know what, I'm too drunk for this shit. See you in the morning and sorry for any offence caused

New overalls.

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I almost went with this one, but that's more the fitness thread :D

This is going to sound weird but I don't care, I'm drunk and in France so fuck it, but I always imagined you looking like the guitarist from Cancer Bats, god knows why....

So I thought I would bump this thread up as I've just booked my ticket to go, is anyone else going?

No offence but if your wife things it's too big, tough shit. It's your tattoo and your body. You make the decision, not her or anyone else

Okay so I just wanna ask those with lower leg tattoos if you had to limp about because of the swelling and scabbing? I had my right calf done in one sitting and it had swollen, rocking cankles and everything. I couldn't walk on it so I've been limping about. the swelling is gone but I'm still not able to walk on it properly.

I'm on day 11 of the tattoo and I know healing is slow and putting the leg down from elevation is searing pain. I think I'm just wondering when I'll start seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.

The tattoo itself seems to be doing pretty well, lettering is scabbing but the background is good and settled. but right now I'm sat with a bag of ice round my ankle, I think it's destroyed from limping around on it for the last 11 days!

Just wondering if anyone else had a problem with walking for this length of time?

I had a similar problem with my first lower leg tattoo, I figured out the best solution for it by the time I got the next one done. I find that for me (and this may not work for everyone) I would take an antihistamine and ibuprofen straight after the tattoo session ended and then keep up the ibuprofen for a week or so along with the antihistamine. I would try and keep my leg raised as high as possible all the time, especially when sleeping. If the pain got annoying I would take some pain killers. I might get called a pussy for it, but for me there is no shame in taking pain killers during healing if the pain is getting in the way of normal life. You've already sat for the tattoo.

I also found that for me my average healing time for lower leg tattoos was around 18 days but I'm a slow healer so it will vary from person to person. The one thing I always remember is that the pain will be temporary, even if it lasts a month or two, but the awesome tattoo will be there forever, so if I have to I just grit and take the pain

That's by @Stewart Robson, right? I love it.

Yep, I think it was 16 or 18 hours in total. By far my favourite tattoo

Like I said, I'm not a tattooer or even remotely interested in medicine/health care, all I can say is that I don't think the ink/needle is actually going to go deep enough to do anything to either. I've got parts of tattoos that go onto my nipples and I'm still here. If you're so worried just don't get those places done. I'm sure you've got plenty of space left to fill before those areas become a problem

Just been going through this thread and realised I never posted a healed photo of my back. It's all settled in nicely and is about 9 months old now

I'm not a tattooer so I can't say either way but I've seen plenty of full armpit tattoos healed and the people all seem fine. As regards to nipples, again I've seen plenty of people with their nipples tattooed and they've been alright. Even if it does fuck up your nipples, does it really matter? I've yet to find a use for mine...

I know I'm not in the mainstream on this one, but personally, I look a little sideways at people who have faces/necks/hands, like that, all covered, with no other work. I'm sure it's just my own personal predjudices, but it seems to me that they are trying a wee little bit too hard.

I agree with you completely. I'm only 25 and won't even consider getting hands/neck/face done until a long time down the road (if ever). I don't see the point, I have other spaces still to go. Also as much as I would like to be one of the people who goes against the norm, I'm more concerned about losing everything I've worked for and will have to work for in the future (maybe that makes me a pussy but I'm ok with that). For me tattoos are a big part of my life, but I don't think they should ever affect the rest of my life in an adverse way. It's why no one at my work knows I have tattoos despite having my upper arms, torso, back, lower legs, one knee and both feet done. My work life is not my personal life, it's something that gives me the ability to have a personal life.

The best way I have found to heal lower leg tattoos is straight after you have it done take an anti-histamine and then once you are home try and keep the leg raised as much as possible. I sleep with my legs above my head when healing lower leg tattoos. I also take one anti-histamine a day until it's finished scabbing. I dry heal so all of my tattoos scab a lot but I've never needed to have one touched up. Oh and FYI I got 6 lower leg tattoos in as many months plus my knee and this method has healed them all perfectly and without any real tenderness

I don't think I'm consciously trying to get covered quickly and I'm far from fully suited but I have gotten a (I guess) a large amount of work done in a short time. I got my first tattoo about 4 years ago but didn't properly get into tattooing until 3ish years ago. Since then I got my upper arms done, my entire front torso, my back, both my feet, a large part of my lower legs and also most recently my right knee. I don't have a time limit, I guess I'm just following the advice I got from Dante when I first went to Frith St which was "get tattooed by as many people as you can, whilst you're as young as you are" I'm going to be taking a break because of work but I still plan on getting tattooed as often as I can. I can't remember which thread it was posted in or who said it but I agree with the statement: It's not a race, it's a journey and enjoy it whilst it lasts...

Not trying to be a dick but why couldn't this go in the latest tattoo lowdown? It's a nice tattoo but I don't think it needs it's own thread...