Musashi

I'm not SUPER fat. I'm 6 foot and 230 pounds. I have a respectable gut, but I'm not really fat all over. (Antidepressants are a bitch/life saver).

I would love to go big on my tummy, but I'm afraid of how it will look and how it will age. If I stop taking the medication at some point, and I lose a bunch of weight, is the tattoo going to look like a deflated balloon? I have stretch marks on my sides - I'd love to cover those up, but obviously the skin stretched faster than it could keep up. What are my options?

P.S. I'm not retarded.

Thanks, man!

Nick did the script on my chest last year. A girl named Laura Black out of Indianapolis tattooed the 2 mandala/flower thingies.

And he tattooed this eagle on me. As always, he was a true professional, and I enjoyed shooting the shit with him as he worked. Chicago's favorite, for sure.

Haha, glad you guys liked the post. It was a great experience with a great tattooer.

First of all, the guy takes me in early for my appointment. WTF? Then he has the nerve to have my tattoo already drawn up and looking perfect.

The SOB even takes the time to work with me on size and placement.

While he's tattooing me, he has a great conversation with my wife and treats her super nicely. Fucking unbelievable.

He takes his time and gives me a gorgeous new tattoo, all the while acting like a consummate professional. Something has to be done about this guy. He's too nice, too professional, and too damn good.

Set up an appointment with Nick Collela for the 23rd. Super excited. Script across my chest to read "Fortes et Liber"

It was just meant to stir some conversation. Don't get your knickers in a twist.

Besides the actual tattoo, of course, is a few days after being tattooed. The shower when the majority of peeling occurs. Like a badass motherfucking butterfly. There should be a sacred war cry for this point in a tattoos life.

than there have been in the entire history of mankind, combined.*

What does this say about the direction of tattooing? What does it say about the people getting tattooed, or the people choosing to pursue tattooing as a career? Has the influx of tattoo artists peaked, or is it still growing?

*I have not done the proper research to back this statement up. It is an educated** guess.

**Alright, it's just a guess, but I think it's a pretty fuckin good one.

Here is my latest. Done in Nashville.

Sounds like a scratcher.

Very cool.

He's on the way to Nashville, actually. I might head there, I like his work.

Which artist are you?

Thanks! Anyone else?

I'm headed down to Nashville next weekend, and I was hoping to get tattooed. Any recommendations?

A lot of good input here that I think the people on the receiving end could use. I for one think so much of the trend in realism or turning your nose up at convention and tradition comes from the "look what I can do" mindset when really, it should be, "look what I can offer you" a lot of new school/no school tattooers are so caught up in their own abilities that he guidelines learned through decades of experienced tradesmen before us are seen as an obstruction when they are really the path. A tattoo that only looks good now is about the tattoo artist, one that looks good 5, 15, 30 years later is about the client. I want my work to look good long after my client has forgotten my name.

Agreed with this. Tattooing is purely aesthetic, right? It shouldn't turn into a technical showdown. A tattoo is only as good as it looks.

Yuck.

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, some guys will list insane prices for private lessons, essentially meaning "I don't do private lessons." Charging $300/ hour seems like the same thing.

For me, just below my ankle bone. It hurt like hell.

I want to get the Smith St. Book. Looks amazing.

I see pizza tattoos all the time on blogs and whatnot. WTF. Does.Not.Compute.

Heading to Nashville next friday. Who should I try to get tattooed by on such short notice?

A point touched on in the original post is the separation of art and craft. Do you approach tattooing as an artform, or as a craft. A lot of the old school guys seem to be craftsman. They made their needles and machines, and they tattooed. Many of the new school seem to be artists first, tattooers second. Obviously, every tattooer is some blend of the two.

I am looking to get my outer biceps done this year. Both inner biceps are done, and I want something super traditional on the outside. Still trying to figure out exactly what it will be.