el_alquimista

From someone who does laser, my advice for cover-up tattoos is almost always start with laser. With something as dark, heavy and scarred as that it will show through the new piece. Maybe not at first, but a year or two down the road it will, and the scarring will still be felt to finger tips and also visually seen through the new tattoo.
In my experience, a good number of people who come to with similar scarring see a significant reduction from the laser tattoo removal process, so it's more than likely worth a shot.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that the dermis has only so much room. In addition to the pigment that was put in here, it's competing for space with scar tissue. Adding more pigment could result into a less than favorable final product a few years down the road.

I guess I figure sometimes no matter how much research you do, how much time you spend working on a design, how much you trust the artist, it doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. I don't see the big deal in a situation like that "erasing" the outcome and going in a different direction. Sometimes your stupidity as a newly able to be tattooed 18 year old isn't what you're feeling as a grown 40 year old. I'd rather use a cream like that than sit thru laser b/c I made a mistake or it didn't turn out right, or a cover up wouldn't be possible. My feet aren't completely covered and I can't tell you how irritated that makes me. So, now rather than be proud of my tattoos there, I'd rather wear socks and shoes. I don't see it as an "easy" way out, and I don't see a lot of people running out to spend a lot of money to get a tattoo only to turn around and take it off after two days. And I guess if they do, well, they can just be dumb and waste their money.

To be honest, I'm not sure that an effective, low-cost means of removing tattoos will necessarily devalue or undermine the whole process of getting them. At the end of the day, even if you can slather on a cream that will safely and quickly remove a tattoo (..and I still think we'll be waiting a while for that) then, even so, the process of getting the tattoo is still going to remain expensive, time-consuming and painful, right?
I can't see anyone having a whim and spending $2000+ dollars on large tattoos on their backs, fronts etc. just because there now exists a means of removing them easier than laser.
There are still a lot of bad tattoos out there that people might get rid of if they had the means. On balance, I'm in favour of giving it to them if possible.
What really freaks me out is the totally unrelated technology that someone is developing around robotic / automated tattooing....

Agreed. One of the things I've always loved about tattoos is that they require commitment. Its not something one can just walk away from. Even with lasers being an option, they are still expensive and painful. I respect folks who've gone the laser and replace route. Its still a hard process that also demands commitment. If all it takes is a bit of creme and a few weeks, then it really opens the field up to anyone. Is that all bad? Probably not. It might mean a lot more work for tattooers, which would be good. That said, I can't help but think something is (potentially) being lost.
From another angle - how does it affect me? I'm still thinking this through. I'll still be getting tattooed. I love the art, and I love the process. I enjoy the shops, the conversation, and the people Ive met along the way. So, I'll keep on doing what I do. Of course, maybe this is all bunk and it will never arrive on the shelves of Wallgreens (or Shoppers for my Canadian colleagues here).

A PhD student at Dalhousie is developing an interesting method of removing tattoos. if it holds up to scrutiny, this could be a significant change.
Alec Falkenham, Dalhousie student, develops tattoo removal cream - Nova Scotia - CBC News

Here is my submission for this months contest.
My whole backpiece has been done in a 6-month period (just 31 hours in total) by Bonel from Corazon Santo, Arnhem, The Netherlands.

I also have a full size picture available HERE

I did! Kind of. I made it to Three Tides in Tokyo where I had a wonder experience all around and ended up with a nice little dragon head by Ganji.
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Today at barcelona, From Jondix.

:p You can tell which are Jondix and which Mike´s.

I got some blackberries, leaves, branches, and another rose added to my arm yesterday (Kim Saigh at Memoir).

Awesome stuff, everyone (as usual). El Monga added this to my leg today!

Picture stolen from his Instagram. I'm now realizing that I never posted a picture of the last one he did on me, because it wraps and I can't seem to get a good picture of it. I'll try to do that soon.

Have to disagree with you there Graeme, looks pretty awesome to me. Maybe that person asked for a doily anyway ;)
Another piece by Dotwork Damian

Dotwork portrait by Zack Singer

Here's my stab at it. Let's start at the top row from left to right:
Gobu sleeves (five tenths) with hikae (chest plate), Shichibu sleeves (seven tenths) with hikae, classic munewari with gobu sleeves and thighs or basically a gobu munewari, next is a variation of the munewari with hanzubon (shorts) where the inner thigh is completely filled in with tattoo work, full body suit or donburi soushinbori with nagasode (long sleeves), the back piece diagram is kame no koh (turtle back) then the last suit is a shichibu munewari (seven tenths).

Horimasa Tosui from the Horitoshi Family is my favourite. In my opinion his doing some of the best Tebori oneshots (and big work) in the business. It´s very easy to recognize that his master is Horitoshi 1;



These are 12 years old. Look how bright they still are;


I got this one from him earlier this year:

I also love alot of other Tebori-artists, some of them are mentioned over here. Horizakura, Horitomo..

Put this up the other day in the full back piece thread and forgot to put it over here. Last session in for 2013 and starting back up in January. All work being done by Rodrigo Melo at Northstar Tattoo NYC.



Mike

Getting a dagger from Scott Sylvia in two weeks. Beyond excited.

Man there ara so much good artists and masters i would have a bad time picking only one of them.
my right arm will be japanese style, and i think for the moment Horimitsu from the Horitoshi family is my favourite.

Man there ara so much good artists and masters i would have a bad time picking only one of them.
my right arm will be japanese style, and i think for the moment Horimitsu from the Horitoshi family is my favourite.

Man there ara so much good artists and masters i would have a bad time picking only one of them.
my right arm will be japanese style, and i think for the moment Horimitsu from the Horitoshi family is my favourite.

A little further afield,
Miguel Bohigues - https://www.facebook.com/vtattoo.spain/media_set?set=a.10200241578195358.1073741825.1629867580&type=3
Xavier García Boix - TatuajesTattoos - Xavi Garcia Boix Tattoo, Tatuajes, Tatuatges - Valencia, Spain
El Monga - https://www.facebook.com/AlohaTattoos.Bcn/media_set?set=a.125857477496288.32581.100002161093065&type=3
Demon tattoo - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.481839795197365.102472.130139400367408&type=3
Henrik - https://www.facebook.com/Henrik.Tattoo/media_set?set=a.116064461748599.13889.100000351379283&type=3
Jaroslav Yarda Snejdar - Tatuajes de Yarda. Realismo, religiosos, flores - ZUK Tattoo Piercing Lleida. Tatuaje, piercing, micropigmentación

Not sure what style you are after but you have also,
Laura Juan - https://m.facebook.com/laurajuanletatouage/mediaset?album=pb.203813416320013.-2207520000.1383525753.&__user=663248027
Bara - http://www.tattoosbybara.com
Jee Sayalero - https://m.facebook.com/jee.sayalero?v=photos&psm=default&album=a.170428982990663.40071.100000706866711&__user=663248027

This in-progress bodysuit is pretty breathtaking:

By Horimatsu

I love the tebori work of the Horitoshi Family from Horitoshi 1, Horimitsu, ShunHo, and Shinji Horizakura. The depth of the black wind bars are amazing the colors are so vivid and bold.
However my favorite tebori tattooer is actually US based now, Horitomo. I feel he is doing his best works these days and hoping one day to be able to get something from him:

Dear admins, if this is too basic a question for a thread, or if it has been covered elsewhere please delete it.
Until very recently, I appreciated Japanese style tattoos, but was totally uninterested in getting them. It probably had lot to do with growing up in Tokyo and living here again now. Ever since a tattooer friend recommended (or implanted the idea of) getting a thigh done tebori "for the experience," I've been semi-obsessing about it. Who are your favorite tebori artists and why? It seems the styles, from the width of the windbars and palette, to drawing styles, are so varied. Do you like the artists doing classic work or the younger artists making "innovative" work? Some younger Japanese tattooers seem to be heading in a SSTP direction of simplification, where ultimately, classic tattooing, whether Japanese or American, becomes almost the same (except in subject matter). Some others' works seem too anime-influenced for my tastes. Even among older artists of a similar region, there's also a lot of variety. For example, Horitoshi I's work looks completely different from Horikyo's works and they are both Tokyo-based.
Just curious about all your opinions.
Horikyo

Horitoshi 1
 

My first tattoo was a big thigh piece, and I just got my other thigh done this weekend. Experienced twitching both times. However, the first time was much more painful than this past one. The outline wasn't fun but the shading was a breeze.
Here they are, the first one isn't in a style I'm super into anymore, and I'm not too crazy about it anymore, it's not bad it just doesn't fit with what I'm going for anymore. Maybe one day I'll have it covered or reworked or something. I don't regret getting it, because it helped get me into tattoos, and really it's not a bad tattoo, just not what I would get now.


Here is my latest one, which I've already posted in 2 other threads in the past couple of days, but whatever, done by Phil Hatchet Yau: