Johnny

The wait is over. I finally got my first tattoo. At 46, it seems a bit odd but for the last several months, I have wanted to do this as much as anything. So I did some research and decided on Pepper at No Hard Feelings Tattoo in Coral Springs, FL. She does absolutely beautiful work and super easy to work with. The consultation was perfect. She caught on to what I was trying to tell her right away and her drawing was exactly what I told her I wanted. I got the tattoo last night. It took about 4 hours and it was great. Pepper is really pleasant and easy to get along with. I cant say enough nice things about her and the experience. My tattoo isnt for everyone but it is definitely for me.
Check it out.

My first tattoos were matching tribal thingies on my hips. I was 16 years old, without parental consent. The tattooer asked how old I was, I said 16, his reply: "well guess what today is your 18th birthday!" 4 years later I got them covered with a rose with wings. That tattoo is now 7 years old, pretty faded and needs some re-doing but it's still better than the original ones.
My second tattoo, done by the first guy's apprentice a few months later, is a tribalish lizard that covers my whole foot and ankle. And it's all black. It looks like it's 50 years old, and not in a good way. I am planning on getting laser removal and then covering it, but who knows, I may end up never doing that.

The wait is over. I finally got my first tattoo. At 46, it seems a bit odd but for the last several months, I have wanted to do this as much as anything. So I did some research and decided on Pepper at No Hard Feelings Tattoo in Coral Springs, FL. She does absolutely beautiful work and super easy to work with. The consultation was perfect. She caught on to what I was trying to tell her right away and her drawing was exactly what I told her I wanted. I got the tattoo last night. It took about 4 hours and it was great. Pepper is really pleasant and easy to get along with. I cant say enough nice things about her and the experience. My tattoo isnt for everyone but it is definitely for me.
Check it out.

The wait is over. I finally got my first tattoo. At 46, it seems a bit odd but for the last several months, I have wanted to do this as much as anything. So I did some research and decided on Pepper at No Hard Feelings Tattoo in Coral Springs, FL. She does absolutely beautiful work and super easy to work with. The consultation was perfect. She caught on to what I was trying to tell her right away and her drawing was exactly what I told her I wanted. I got the tattoo last night. It took about 4 hours and it was great. Pepper is really pleasant and easy to get along with. I cant say enough nice things about her and the experience. My tattoo isnt for everyone but it is definitely for me.
Check it out.

The wait is over. I finally got my first tattoo. At 46, it seems a bit odd but for the last several months, I have wanted to do this as much as anything. So I did some research and decided on Pepper at No Hard Feelings Tattoo in Coral Springs, FL. She does absolutely beautiful work and super easy to work with. The consultation was perfect. She caught on to what I was trying to tell her right away and her drawing was exactly what I told her I wanted. I got the tattoo last night. It took about 4 hours and it was great. Pepper is really pleasant and easy to get along with. I cant say enough nice things about her and the experience. My tattoo isnt for everyone but it is definitely for me.
Check it out.

The wait is over. I finally got my first tattoo. At 46, it seems a bit odd but for the last several months, I have wanted to do this as much as anything. So I did some research and decided on Pepper at No Hard Feelings Tattoo in Coral Springs, FL. She does absolutely beautiful work and super easy to work with. The consultation was perfect. She caught on to what I was trying to tell her right away and her drawing was exactly what I told her I wanted. I got the tattoo last night. It took about 4 hours and it was great. Pepper is really pleasant and easy to get along with. I cant say enough nice things about her and the experience. My tattoo isnt for everyone but it is definitely for me.
Check it out.

Some people think it is crazy to spend top dollar for a tattoo when it can be had for a much better price. Just the same as there are those who buy inexpensive cars because they think it is crazy to spend the money for a new, loaded car just to drive to work. Others prefer new, higher end vehicles. Neither is wrong. Everyone has a different idea of what they want from a car, just like everyone has a different idea of what they want from a tattoo. Neither is wrong so I certainly dont think it is up to me to tell someone I dont like what they have.
I was invited to this forum by a friend because he knows I would be in the camp of finding someone who does nice work. I have friends with simple kanji and they love it. I have another friend who has maybe 5 tattoos and none of them has been done in a shop. All were kitchen table, guitar string type deals. He loves them all but to me, some are not very attractive. I personally think it would be quite arrogant and pompous for me to judge such a thing anyway. Who am I? I think if someone gets a tattoo and it is important to them and they love it, I love it too.
By the way, I am getting my first tattoo on Friday so you fuckers better all say you love it!!!

Some people think it is crazy to spend top dollar for a tattoo when it can be had for a much better price. Just the same as there are those who buy inexpensive cars because they think it is crazy to spend the money for a new, loaded car just to drive to work. Others prefer new, higher end vehicles. Neither is wrong. Everyone has a different idea of what they want from a car, just like everyone has a different idea of what they want from a tattoo. Neither is wrong so I certainly dont think it is up to me to tell someone I dont like what they have.
I was invited to this forum by a friend because he knows I would be in the camp of finding someone who does nice work. I have friends with simple kanji and they love it. I have another friend who has maybe 5 tattoos and none of them has been done in a shop. All were kitchen table, guitar string type deals. He loves them all but to me, some are not very attractive. I personally think it would be quite arrogant and pompous for me to judge such a thing anyway. Who am I? I think if someone gets a tattoo and it is important to them and they love it, I love it too.
By the way, I am getting my first tattoo on Friday so you fuckers better all say you love it!!!

Some people think it is crazy to spend top dollar for a tattoo when it can be had for a much better price. Just the same as there are those who buy inexpensive cars because they think it is crazy to spend the money for a new, loaded car just to drive to work. Others prefer new, higher end vehicles. Neither is wrong. Everyone has a different idea of what they want from a car, just like everyone has a different idea of what they want from a tattoo. Neither is wrong so I certainly dont think it is up to me to tell someone I dont like what they have.
I was invited to this forum by a friend because he knows I would be in the camp of finding someone who does nice work. I have friends with simple kanji and they love it. I have another friend who has maybe 5 tattoos and none of them has been done in a shop. All were kitchen table, guitar string type deals. He loves them all but to me, some are not very attractive. I personally think it would be quite arrogant and pompous for me to judge such a thing anyway. Who am I? I think if someone gets a tattoo and it is important to them and they love it, I love it too.
By the way, I am getting my first tattoo on Friday so you fuckers better all say you love it!!!

Waiting lists aren't what I consider. Competent tattoing is. And depending on where you live you can get a badass "walk-in" tattoo.
Understanding what makes a good tattooer and a good tattoo is much more important than a waiting list in my determination of who to see.
That being said, I would be stoked to be on Valerie's waiting list!

I've known Matt for a good few years now and as much as I like him, I think it's a shame that he's becoming the 'spokesperson' for tattooed people. Part of me is pleased for him that he's found a way to make a living as a mostly respected academic/writer, even with visible tattoos.
But I don't want a spokesperson, especially one who solely views the world from the halls of academe or maybe the fetish club.
While I enjoy and agree with most of his writing, I can't help feeling I read it all somewhere before... maybe 15-20 years ago in TattooTime or International Tattoo Art when Shaw was editing. Ed Hardy already proved to the art world that tattooing wasn't just for sailors and whores.
In an age of high-rating reality shows about tattooing with celebrity tattooers I don't think we need to justify tattooing to the 'mainstream' anymore. No matter how well written or researched it may be.
Some of us want to take tattooing back underground, some of us want to take the high-profile ball and run with it. Whatever people do, it's gotta be more interesting than regurgitating the same tired articles. What's next? "Women can be tattooers too?" Yawn.
As a side note, Mario Desa said (via twitter) recently "Those who call tattooing 'fine art' know nothing abut either."

I had a consultation with my artist this weekend and have to wait three weeks now to get the tattoo and it's killing me. Of course, it is my first so I have no idea about the pain. I have a feeling these weeks are going to crawl.

I had a consultation with my artist this weekend and have to wait three weeks now to get the tattoo and it's killing me. Of course, it is my first so I have no idea about the pain. I have a feeling these weeks are going to crawl.

That or something on her neck!!!
Or if she is afraid of what the family might think, maybe your handprint on her ass so they wont see it.

Ok, I have a spelling problem. Please dont hold it against me.

Ok, I have a spelling problem. Please dont hold it against me.

I had our wedding date engraved inside my ring. Recently, I got a new ring just because I thought the old was outdated and liked some of the new stuff I was seeing. I ended getting a tungsten something or other and it cant be engraved. It was funny to my wife and I because we both relied on that ring to remind us what year we were married. We were actually celebrating our 5th anniversary when part way through the evening we looked at the ring and realized it was our 6th. Oops.
So after reading this thread, maybe I will get the date tattooed on my finger, under my ring.

This is the only thing you had a problem with in that entire diatribe? Tattooing isnt really the bastion of political correctness...

@cfgsteak, I never carry cash but I used to enjoy making a trip to the bank on the way to the bike shop. It was part of the ritual. I guess it will be my tattoo ritual too.
Another good reason to use cash is wife doesnt have to know EXACTLY how much you spent at the tattoo shop.

Posted this in the album under my user name, forgot this thread was here.. Whoops :-p
Just finished this and finally got a healed picture of it :)

Ps: Love the tiger and snake side piece that is just wicked, bad picture or not!!

Took a half day off....drove downtown...looked at flash...walked out:

So fun. My oldest tattoo and newest!

hawk pretty much took the words right out of my mouth, but i'd be remiss not to reiterate that my post was never intended as a dig toward any particular body type.
i would've posted if it had been a bald skinny chick from Baytown, a hirsute Armenian bodybuilder, or a Hindu dwarf.
the salient point being that despite the sanitized and glamorized tattooer-rock star image perpetuated in reality programming, for me the reality of a good bit of this profession is being elbow-deep in some stranger's ass meat while my friends are at the bar.
(which, by the way, is fine by me.)

@cfgsteak, I never carry cash but I used to enjoy making a trip to the bank on the way to the bike shop. It was part of the ritual. I guess it will be my tattoo ritual too.
Another good reason to use cash is wife doesnt have to know EXACTLY how much you spent at the tattoo shop.

I'm sure this has already been mentioned in the thread but HOLY SHIT i CANNOT WAIT for the monacled bowler hatted curly-mustachioed Tea-Drinking manhead tattoo to go away. I hope every dude or girl that gets one of those feels 10 time stupider in 10 years than anyone sporting desert chrome does now! What would possibly compel someone to get that shit tattooed on them I will never know. "Check out my tattoo of an imaginary, uptight, fey, rich guy who may, or may not have been an extra in the film Wild Wild West."
ugh.
WORST.

Idea for a penis tattoo. You could get the letters LISTERMINT.
During the winter months it would read LST.