Stewart Robson

Thanks for bringing this up @Shannon Shirley while we've never met, people who I think are awesome tell me that you're awesome. Everyone here should pay attention to what this guy says.
I still check the forums every day but I told myself I'd try to only get involved if I could be constructive in some way (even being a dick in a particular way can have a positive outcome).
Lately there hasn't been much 'new' information or discussion where I felt my opinion would make any difference. Often someone else gets to the point before I do. I don't want every post I make to be a verbose "Me too."
On the other hand... The more help or insight we give, the more help or insight we're asked for.
Everyone likes to say they "Did their research" for their tattoo but that often just means looking at pictures in a Google search or checking Instagram. But what about the kind of research where you follow an idea that someone mentioned and find out for yourself? Learning and discovery is fun. Information discovered is more cherished and valuable than information that's spoon fed.
Everyone wants a book or website recommendation where the mysteries of life and everything will be explained, with pictures.
Explorers will eventually tire of conversing with tourists and consumers but they may feel nourished conversing with other explorers. (I use these terms with their proper, non-insulting intention) If more people try to be explorers (intelectual, spiritual or physical) this site, and the world will be a better place.
I've said it before but I don't come here to help with tattoo questions. We have a phone at Frith Street Tattoo. Helpful people are paid to answer it and answer questions. Most tattoo shops work with a similar system. You can get a helpful answer pretty quickly that way.
Even if you're in another country. International calls are not very expensive compared to the price of a tattoo.
I come here because I realised that it was a place where professional opinion meant something. I only started typing when I knew that nobody better qualified had answered. The turning point for me was Bryan Burk's post about Japanese tattoo politics. Finally we had first-hand, sensible and interesting information or opinion from a reliable source instead of conjecture or wiki-regurgitation. I knew then that I'd beter keep my mouth (or keyboard) shut unless I was sure I could contribute something worthwhile.
I'm aware this approach doesn't make for a lively forum but it was great to see it in action earlier this year when Bart Bingham put a halt to some whining about tattooers drawing directly on the skin with a simple, direct and thoughtful post.
Sorry for the lack of links to threads and @ mentions. LST seems to be loading extremely slowly so I couldn't check where stuff was.
Other that the fact that one of my favourite tattooers started this site, I still like it that real-world experience holds water over post-count here at LST. I also like it that the mods (well, the one's I've met) are heavily covered with genuinely great tattoos. That really makes a difference.

I'm sorry, but I don't get it.
What's the rush? Who needs a large tattoo that quickly anyway?
Is regular (shorter) sessions too much trouble? Even if you are traveling, I see no need to do 3 full consecutive days.
I'm gonna stick my neck out here and say that every sleeve that I've seen (in person) completed in marathon sessions or super-close consecutive sessions heals pretty rough. I'd love someone to prove me wrong and i hope someone can but I don't see how you can heal a full arm while maintaining some sort of normal life (which includes moving your limbs, going to the toilet, moving food to your face etc.) without having some colour drop-out or whatever. I find healing larger tattoos to be miserable at the best of times, particularly around the ditch, elbow, armpit etc. For me, marathon consecutive sessions means another trip for touch ups, which negates the need to finish in a short space of time anyway.
It usually takes just a little more thought from the tattooer to finish smaller sections of the tattoo with a mind to extending it later if the client doesn't want to live with an un-finished looking tattoo, or the manner CaptCanada described at the end of his post above. This can still be tough to heal, but is a more efficient use of time, particularly for people who travel long distances. But I guess you don't get so many bragging rights, just a solid, awesome tattoo.
Please bear in mind that I have occasionally and begrudgingly, tattooed the same person on 2 consecutive days to finish a large tattoo before they leave the country/go to prison or whatever, so that probably discounts my opinion.

Holy shit! Curse my human typing fingers and forgetful brain.
Any discussion about who needs more recognition should include Mike the Athens. Mike The Athens - Mahashakti
His stuff always blows me away.

Man, everybody already used my smart-ass answers but the Greg Irons quip was funnier than I could have come up with.
But back to the original question.
This is one of the newer approaches to tattooing that makes me slightly uncomfortable to be honest. Myself and a few tattooers I know and work with have noticed the trend of customers finding a sense of pride in how long they had to wait for their tattoo. As if that makes the tattoo more worthwhile.
With some of the currently living/working tattooers mentioned in this thread, I personally know people (not even on the internet) that have tattoos from all of them. Filip, Horiyoshi III, Shige and Mike Rubendall. Yeah, they had to wait a little while for some of them but not as long as you'd think for others. Mike Roper is a different situation because he makes it deliberately difficult to get in touch with him, which answers the question posed above. But that wasn't really the question that was asked and it's rarely the question that gets asked. The question, or at least the implication, is "who has the longest waiting list' or "who has appointments booked furthest into the future". If I were to be snarky "who gives me the most bragging rights".
For me the hardest people to get a tattoo from are the tattooers who are located furthest away from me. The ones where I have to get off my ass and do something about it. Time is easier to overcome than distance although patience is a different matter. It astonishes me that people call our shop from the outskirts of the city expecting us to change the way we work because they are catching a train to get here. On the other hand, we are humbled and honoured by the people who cross seas and continents to get tattooed regularly with us.
But that's aside from the issue.
Why is it a trend that makes me uncomfortable?
Because I've heard people brag about how long they had to wait for 'x' artist and wear that information like a badge of honour. It feels almost as distasteful as bragging about who charges the most. Yeah, tattoos are for tough guys and tough buys like to brag and maybe that seems harmless, but it makes me uncomfortable and I have trouble clearly explaining why.
Maybe it's because it's a phenomenon spurred on by the internet and the gossipy world of hearsay. Nobody calls and checks with the artists or shops they want to get tattooed at. Nobody travels down to the shop to ask the question. They just ask random strangers on the internet who have a lot of time on their hands and like to talk about something they know nothing about. Then the reality gets lost or twisted and in the end the real information is lost. I see this a lot with regards to the shop I work at. Forums are (or certainly used to be) bursting with 'facts' about how much we charge, how long we take, how far 'x' and 'y' are booked or how long their waiting lists are. Nobody calls the shop to ask and nobody suggests that the person calls to ask.
I know that happens with a lot of things but it seems like this is starting to have a real-world effect, however small. People who wanted tattoos that we would love to do heard that we wouldn't tattoo them at our shop because we were so cool and busy and booked up for decades and rolling around in money 'n' bitches or something. We've heard of this a few times and it seems to be happening more. Yeah, we're busy, you may have to wait a little, maybe not. If someone has contact information, especially a phone number on their website it means that they want you to call.
I'm not really going to touch on the tone of the "are they a fad or are they really worth it?" comment, except to say that if you have to ask, the answer is "no".
Sorry to jump on this fun thread with a rant. I look forward to more witty quips.

I thought I did answer the original question.
Almost every thread you've started here didn't need to be posted. 5 minutes of thought would have answered your own question.
There's an 'old' saying regarding people who constantly make 'controversial' threads and posts on internet forums. "Do not feed the trolls"
Do you realise that one of the founders of this site makes some of the best tattoo machines available?
Do you realise that many forum members and interviewees also make the highest quality machines and other equipment?
It's not about you making money, nobody cares. It's about respect and acting professional while asking professionals (and serious enthusiasts) for advice.
People come here to discuss topics in an informative and hopefully positive way. It's hard to do that when people ask if a dvd is a good place to learn anything to do with tattooing.
Here's an honest tip: There is NO Bob Ross of tattooing. It's also not like Popular Mechanics or Model Engineering where everybody shares their tips and advice to everyone. You can complain all you like about people being smart asses or dicks, but we've all been in the same position. Really, we have. We found our own way, often with help, but we had to earn that help, usually face-to-face. The journey and the self-discovery is what makes the outcome more valuable.
I didn't always tattoo in a shop but I found that pretty much anything I could buy from someone who didn't care where I worked wasn't worth buying.
I've said too much. I'm going back to not feeding trolls...

Tuning and building tattoo machines is totally easy. Anybody can do it.
I have a drawer full of machines and every singe one of them was made or tuned by someone who did it according to a manual, on their day off from a real job.
I learned everything I know (tattooing and otherwise) from a dvd too.

On a more helpful note:
You can take apart cars and scooters, I'm presuming you can drive. You understand how the machine needs to be used and what the various parts are for.
Tattoo machines are more like kit cars than production models. You're gonna need to know WHY something does the thing it does. The only way to learn that is to learn to tattoo well or have a good tattooer explain it to you.

Tuning and building tattoo machines is totally easy. Anybody can do it.
I have a drawer full of machines and every singe one of them was made or tuned by someone who did it according to a manual, on their day off from a real job.
I learned everything I know (tattooing and otherwise) from a dvd too.

I'm sure I'm repeating everything here but...
Lady heads are super hard to make nice and super easy to fuck up.
I don't have examples or links but some tattooers who I think do/did awesome lady heads (and add their own flavour) are, in no particular order:
Chris Conn
Valerie Vargas
Isaac Fainkujen
Bart Bingham
Theo Mindell
Jack Rudy
Sleepy G
Bob Wicks
Justin Weatherholtz seems to be great at everything.
Steve Boltz
Chad Koeplinger
Chris Garver
Tim Hendricks
There are plenty of tattooers who constantly do great tattoos but these spring to mind mostly because of their individual subtleties with lady heads.
I also didn't include realistic style girl heads 'cos that's slightly different.
The girls on most of the zeis flash have some great little nuances too.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

@Hogrider I'm by no means an authority on this stuff, but I'm travelling along the same road you've just started...
Part of the reason you can't find what you're looking for is because you're looking for literal or binary meanings.
Most of the images you've seen tattooed are taken from Japanese and Chinese folk tales or religious stories.
Imagine of you asked someone regarding western cultural art or tattoos:
1) "What does it mean when there's a guy hanging on cross with his arms outstretched?"
2) "What does it mean when there's a woman in blue holding a naked baby"
3) "What does it mean when the muscle-bound guy in the black mask overpowers the brightly dressed skinny man in the clown makeup.
The answers depend on your level of interest/sympathy and how abstract or literal you want to be:
1a) It's Jesus. His father, God, sacrificed him to atone for the sins of the world.
1b) The wearer has faith in a religious power higher than himself and possibly feel kinship with or sympathy for the figure and character of Jesus Christ.
1c) The wearer wants to be forgiven for past wrongdoings.
2a) It's Mary, Jesus' mother. The baby is Jesus.
2b) She's a figure of worship because some people believe she should be revered because God chose her as the vessel for his earthly offspring. Her cloak is blue because traditionally goddesses were associated with the moon and night sky. Sometimes it has stars on it. Christianity adopted this symbol to make it easier for people who held older religious beliefs to adopt the new faith.
2c) The wearer may have sympathy or empathy with the concept of being the vessel for divine power or lineage. Also this symbol can have an added element of sadness because we know the eventual sadness and loss of a mother witnessing her only son be sacrificed for the good of mankind - possibly a greater sacrifice than Jesus, some might say.
3a) It's Batman, he's fighting the Joker.
3b) Batman is a symbol of vigilante justice. He works outside of recognised laws to bring justice to a world crippled by wrongdoing.
3c) This scene is a metaphor for the darkness of repressed homosexuality and it's power to overcome the sinister flamboyance of non-hetro feelings.
etc, etc.
In short, think about what you want your tattoo to 'mean' or 'say' - tell that to a tattooer who knows his stuff and let them find a story or theme that fits your idea.
Or just pick one you like from a woodblock print.
I try to tell people all the time that western traditional tattooing has just as much symbolism and poetry but nobody will listen. It's all sex, death and the struggles of humankind.
Good luck.

I'd say it's more "normal" to tattoo armpits than Nipples. I've tattooed maybe 10-15 pairs of armpits. from palm-sized to full coverage. Your question @peterpoose is similar to asking "Will the hair grow back on my arm?" your skin and it's function will not change. It may be a little more sensitive for a while but armpits heal fairly quickly.
Nipples are less common. I prefer the look of a tattoo that goes around the nipples if it's designed correctly. I've yet to notice anyone have loss of 'function' with tattooed nipples. They don't hold pigment quite as well as other areas, much like an elbow or knuckle. you can get the pigment to stay but you're not going to be able to have a mini portrait there.
One thing to bear in mind: You can tattoo anything. yes, ANYTHING. Yep, even that bit you're thinking of. Yup, even that other bit.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lucky+diamond+rich&aq=f&oq=lucky+diamond+rich
or
Shannon Larratt is Zentastic › The Sleeper Has Awakened
Now the question is, will it look good?
The answer, as ever, is to go to someone who has healed examples of the type of thing you're looking for but some areas of skin won't ever hold finely detailed tattoo designs.

You hit the nail on the head bigjoe.
I call gimmick.
I know some people who offer Japanese style tebori and one of them is Japanese and the other learned in Japan from a master. Outside of that structure it doesn't seem to make much sense aside from the points mentioned by David. Basically fake authenticity in place of talent, practice and hard work.
Real authenticity is hard to find but many tattoo clients look in the wrong places. I've seen too many white dudes with botched Japanese style work done 'with bamboo' in Thailand. I guess they think if it's done by any guy from Asia it's authentic, right?
I'm not sure how popular it is in the US or Canada but at conventions in Europe and the UK there used to be a few (mostly white) guys with facial tattoos working by hand, trying tattoo styles from the islands in the south seas. Even going so far as to sit cross-legged and stretch the skin with their bare feet.
Often they were working within spitting distance of a great tattooer who knew more about their field of 'expertise' but he wasn't wearing a sarong and was tattooing snakes, eagles and skulls all weekend, listening to Motorhead.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

they/we mostly like to talk about cost before plans are made. Pretty much the same as anything you buy. If you can't afford it, you don't buy it. Easy.

Man, everybody already used my smart-ass answers but the Greg Irons quip was funnier than I could have come up with.
But back to the original question.
This is one of the newer approaches to tattooing that makes me slightly uncomfortable to be honest. Myself and a few tattooers I know and work with have noticed the trend of customers finding a sense of pride in how long they had to wait for their tattoo. As if that makes the tattoo more worthwhile.
With some of the currently living/working tattooers mentioned in this thread, I personally know people (not even on the internet) that have tattoos from all of them. Filip, Horiyoshi III, Shige and Mike Rubendall. Yeah, they had to wait a little while for some of them but not as long as you'd think for others. Mike Roper is a different situation because he makes it deliberately difficult to get in touch with him, which answers the question posed above. But that wasn't really the question that was asked and it's rarely the question that gets asked. The question, or at least the implication, is "who has the longest waiting list' or "who has appointments booked furthest into the future". If I were to be snarky "who gives me the most bragging rights".
For me the hardest people to get a tattoo from are the tattooers who are located furthest away from me. The ones where I have to get off my ass and do something about it. Time is easier to overcome than distance although patience is a different matter. It astonishes me that people call our shop from the outskirts of the city expecting us to change the way we work because they are catching a train to get here. On the other hand, we are humbled and honoured by the people who cross seas and continents to get tattooed regularly with us.
But that's aside from the issue.
Why is it a trend that makes me uncomfortable?
Because I've heard people brag about how long they had to wait for 'x' artist and wear that information like a badge of honour. It feels almost as distasteful as bragging about who charges the most. Yeah, tattoos are for tough guys and tough buys like to brag and maybe that seems harmless, but it makes me uncomfortable and I have trouble clearly explaining why.
Maybe it's because it's a phenomenon spurred on by the internet and the gossipy world of hearsay. Nobody calls and checks with the artists or shops they want to get tattooed at. Nobody travels down to the shop to ask the question. They just ask random strangers on the internet who have a lot of time on their hands and like to talk about something they know nothing about. Then the reality gets lost or twisted and in the end the real information is lost. I see this a lot with regards to the shop I work at. Forums are (or certainly used to be) bursting with 'facts' about how much we charge, how long we take, how far 'x' and 'y' are booked or how long their waiting lists are. Nobody calls the shop to ask and nobody suggests that the person calls to ask.
I know that happens with a lot of things but it seems like this is starting to have a real-world effect, however small. People who wanted tattoos that we would love to do heard that we wouldn't tattoo them at our shop because we were so cool and busy and booked up for decades and rolling around in money 'n' bitches or something. We've heard of this a few times and it seems to be happening more. Yeah, we're busy, you may have to wait a little, maybe not. If someone has contact information, especially a phone number on their website it means that they want you to call.
I'm not really going to touch on the tone of the "are they a fad or are they really worth it?" comment, except to say that if you have to ask, the answer is "no".
Sorry to jump on this fun thread with a rant. I look forward to more witty quips.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.

Further to what @cltattooing said:
It's incredibly important to discuss price beforehand.
Many people have a specific budget and cannot afford more at that time, maybe ever.
We are professionals, offering a professional service. Payment is one aspect of that service.
Part of the consultation for any tattoo, be it a backpiece or a small walk-in design, is to discuss the price. Then you can decide if you will get the tattoo today, or at a later date.
If you are not told a price for your tattoo, you should ask. (at my shop we make sure that every client knows the maximum amount they will be expected to pay for their tattoo session, before they book an appointment or agree to get tattooed - sometimes it works out to be less)
Yes, we're also in London. Not mentioning the cost of goods and services is certainly not a cultural thing here.