irezumi

Got 2 art shows coming up later this year and have plenty of work to finish by then. 2 guest spots in GA and Bmore this summer and 1 or 2 other trips as well to SF and NY as well. Gonna start getting my back done real soon, that'll be a long time coming. Whole lotta shit going on and I'm spending too much time on the internet these days. So much so that I'm blundering into careless posts; I have curb a couple of forums for the sake of not being tempted to waste time. Not being able to post will actually be an awesome thing I'm doing.

Hopefully I've been able to be a mostly positive/helpful presence here and all that. The folks here that I know or follow me, I'll be in touch when I'm in your city and/or when those 2 shows come up.

Keep it up here everybody, it's been good!

I think that's a terribly inappropriate question.

You're absolutely right. I posted that thoughtlessly. Pardon me. I know better than that.

I must've missed a post here, and

I don't think it really matters if you run food or make beautiful tattoos for a living, you tip because you appreciate the service you've received.

*edited thoughtless post

@Mark Bee I've tried about 20 ways to skin the cat; as a tattooer I should be familiar with as many methods as possible for the sake of relaying that to clients. Getting tattooed for the last 25 years has allowed me to try just about all of them. Yeah the worst of it was the itch; they healed great. The one I got from Ron Wells a bunch of years ago was the first one I tried it on and it looks just as good as any of my others. In fact I did it again a second time due to ease of traveling with a different one just a few months ago.

I've already found what works best for me a long time ago and I never tell that one to clients because most people are dumb and don't listen.

id never considered paying a tip before, but maybe thats because I'm from England and tipping isn't always the done thing plus i might spend over 2000 in the two days so a 25% tip is a lot on top of that, but i think from now on i will

I just wanna give you the heads-up that talking about specific $ amounts here is in kind of poor taste and discouraged. I mean, how much IS a tattoo worth to you? How much is that tattooers service worth to you? A tip is a sign of appreciation for the service above and beyond the agreed upon price. When you tip your artist you are also tipping the front desk as well; that person gets tipped out by the artists at the end of the day. That person has a hard and dirty job; no matter what the hourly wage is they are still in an extemely high-risk profession.

Tipping in general in the states is a bigger deal than you might think. Do you know that servers/waiters/waitresses here make WAY less than minimum wage? Employers can get away with paying one as little as $2.13 an hour. That means when you don't tip that person you really fucked up their day. I had more than a few jobs before I started tattooing and being a server was one of them for about 2 years. I know what a good tip means; that 1 person or table made all the difference that day/shift. No, your tattooer isn't in that same boat as a server but good client behavior also = good customer behavior in the outside-the-shop world as well.

I haven't read much more than 1 or 2 pages in this entire thread so if all of this was said somewhere previously then you can give me the late pass.

When a client gives me a tip of any amount these days I don't care how much it is, I'm just happy to see how stoked they are. Even broke-ass college students will make a point to do it.

I'm glad to see that you re-considered doing it from now on.

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Also wanted to say that what you got from your Smith St visits are fucking bad-ass.

I tried a dry heal a couple of times and they healed up perfectly fine. Just itchy as hell for me, more so than other heals. I still prefer what I've found works best for me.

I bet it takes someone to be very strong in character to get this on their back.

That'll be a fun one for the kids to see at the water park! Last time I went I was getting a nasty look from a parent for a nekkid pinup on my leg at eye-level with their son & daughter.... This'll trump that.

The Rubin Museum is incredible, I'm going to have to see if I can make it down before the exhibition ends.

Yeah me too. I'm doing a guest spot in Bmore this summer so that should give me a chance to go up to NY and see that.

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Skulls | California Academy of Sciences

May 16th to November 30th.

Every skull tells a story, revealing how vertebrate animals live, die, and ultimately, evolve. In this awe-inspiring new exhibit, walk along a wallscape of sea lion skulls, watch a live colony of dermestid beetles demonstrate their “bone cleaner” skills, and learn how scientists use the Academy’s vast collection of skulls to uncover clues about life on Earth.

If any of you in SF decide not to see this I'm gonna slap you when we meet in real life. I'm gonna be making a visit later this year specifically to see this and bring a sketchbook.

Tomorrow the admission is free.

March 15, 2014 - September 8, 2014

Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine

The Rubin Museum of Art

150 West 17th Street

New York, NY 10011

The first major exhibition to present the origins, history and practice of a millennium of visual history, Bodies in Balance explores the guiding principles of the Tibetan science of healing represented in medical paintings, manuscripts, and medical instruments. A multi-media installation shows how Tibetan medicine is used today.

Approximately 140 objects dating from the 9th century to the present day demonstrate the advancement of Tibetan medical knowledge as it was codified in medical texts, illustrated in art, demonstrated by medical tools, and made evident by examples of medicines compounded from natural ingredients and applied in practice.

That's on you?!

Damn I was just talking to Dave about that piece. Fucking awesome man.

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Dave's a rad dude, good choice of image and tattooer

@irezumi I lived in Japan and spent quite a bit of time in Malaysia so I can back up that Toronto is officially evil humid in the summer - not quite Louisiana but significantly evil.

I really don't know anything about Malaysia but it just sounds like the most humid place on Earth. I'll accept your compare/contrast of the swamp-ass factor.

You've got an extra "http://" in the link. Try this.

http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-designs-books-flash/2598-things-shot-arrows.html

Thanks for the assist.

To be honest I think the whole fake-hair tattoo is super goofy, but then again I'm not the one losing hair.

@hogg are you gonna start getting fake hair tats?

Doubtful... this is on a sheet of super goofy designs including things like a watermelon dirigible.

the price that the place charged was absolute robbery.

I woulda charged you out the ass also. To get me to do a tattoo that isn't a tattoo might cost you double or more.

Dolphin. Sunglasses. Guitar. Mohawk. You know what I'm talking about.

Manatee jumping over the moon was a go-to that I pointed out any time some clueless person walks up to the counter and says "what should I get?". No takers.

Bump.

Was going through a stack of old mags (FBF) and man I gotta say the old IT had so much good shit in it besides the psychedelic tribal stuff from Jon hah.

He was definitely a self-promoter but he promoted a lot of other tattooers also. All of us would have missed seeing a lot of great tats and finding out about other tattooers across the country/globe. His group show at Psychedelic Solution was fucking awesome.

Henk's short-lived mag was crucial also; it's a shame more issues weren't made.

I read that. I just remembered that there's a Transformer that's a panther/car. Now I'm stuck with a terrible 80s tattoo in my mind.

When I think of terrible 80s tattoos I think of multicolor mohawks and 80s razor sunglasses on a gorilla head. Thank you National Brand flash. So bad it's good.

things shot full of arrows

Well we have a thread about arrows but it's not linking.

"What's the toughest thing I could possibly get, so everyone can see how nails I am?"

"I know, A Panther"

"Wait, with a fucking dagger through it"

Best ever

and then that turned out to be too much tough for me to handle, so there's a butterfly as well

Also best ever hah

Because the easiest way to make a tattoo tougher is to put a dagger in it!

And/or fire.

Just because you got something stabbing through your head doesn't mean that you're having a bad time

I love hot, humid weather. I'm in my element. I seem to get more energy the more intense the heat and humidity grow. I do my best to keep up with the high SPF, though. Maybe its because I grew up in Canada and had to make the most of our horribly short summers. Toronto is pretty good for evil heat and humidity in July and August. I can't wait!

I've never been to Canada during the summer so I can't speak from my own experience on that, but I don't think anyone knows humidity like the deep south does. The worst I have ever encountered. Never before had I lived somewhere where you pretty much have to chew your air before breathing it.

It'll get 10 degrees hotter here in CO but still feel like an ocean breeze compared to the swamp-ass south. #dryheat

An outline of a bird filled with fruit loops. Good choice.

Go see a tattooer in real life, who gives a shit about what some people on the internet think.

aka The Blastover