taaarro

I have to take my young son to swimming lessons for the next two months so the tattoo I got last week will be it for awhile, all other works in progress will have to wait.
But to celebrate when the lessons are over and I can get tattooed again, I booked an appointment with Matt Arriola in late June.

I highly recommend getting tattooed by Freddy.

During my 10 years in the business I have found that any tattoo which is properly saturated with proven pigments in a manner that anticipates the aging of the piece will last. There needs to be black to maintain contrast. (in my humble opinion too much black is almost enough) A heavily saturated section of color will last as long as the pigment permits, though it will only look it's best when dark black is placed near it...
One problem is application. Many of these new realism tricks are achieved through a process that will not last, though with the right design, pigment choice, and application color should last... it just won't pop without black. I see examples of realism, both on the web and in person, which were obviously tattooed by someone who is uneducated in the tattoo process. These cannot be admitted into the longevity debate, as a "traditional tattoo" by the same artist would surely disappoint equally. I would love to delve into my perception of the difference in process further, but will stop here so that technique doesn't become public discussion.
Another problem is pigment. Many flesh tones, browns, and pastel colors just end up losing out to time and sun. This being said, I have yellow on me that is almost 12 years old that is brighter than fresh tattoos I see from competitors. This yellow in my arm looks virtually the same as the yellow a friend of mine has in his tattoos, which were applied by the same artist 10 years prior to my own! I also have purple which was mixed down with white to fade into my skin tone in the same tattoo and after 12 years the main purple is solid and bright, and the transition to skin is flawless. This in my opinion is due to quality lightfast pigments which were applied in a manner which saturated the skin with the aging process thought of well in advance.
This is just the way I've interpreted my observations over the years.

really crappy photo of my forearm snake by Jeff Rassier from around 2000 or 2001.

Last session. We're all done. Mike Wilson @ ink smith and Rogers

i take psychedelic drugs which tend to influence my upcoming tattoo designs

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

I found it hard to get passed the poor writing style and journalism... "Kicking it off was the Mayor of Osaka, the son of a yakuza boss, who as most yakuza are, was probably heavily tattooed"???
My experience has been that almost all "public baths" allow tattooed people since they are "public." There are still many apartments here without baths/showers and the people who live in them depend on public baths. It's inconvenient, but not discriminatory, in my opinion, for a gym or spa to refuse admittance since they are privately run businesses. A public gym, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, allows people with tattoos to use its facilities.
I definitely hide my tattoos from my Japanese family, landlords, clients, etc. On one hand, I've seen a surprising number of young people with neck tattoos here. On the other, I've noticed bar owners look uncomfortable when I took off my sweatshirt (and I'm nowhere near covered and I don't have Japanese-style tattoos). I think the stigma, however, also makes it more fun to have tattoos. I sometimes wonder if I would be as into tattoos if I still lived in Brooklyn, where more youngish people seem to be tattooed than not.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

sorry for the shitty picture, but this is from my instagram. here's a little garbage can cat filler i got from dan santoro on saturday. he also spider webbed my right shoulder. my right arm is so close to being done.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

I got rock of ages back piece from him a month ago. It was a great experience. I want to get more work from him.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Yep.
I already posted this on the "Full back piece experience" thread, but here is an image taken right after we were done from Eddy's instagram account. Done in four consecutive days. Not quite finished but very close.

Seppuku is your only option. Farewell, friend.

I got rock of ages back piece from him a month ago. It was a great experience. I want to get more work from him.

Thanks for your comments! I'm very excited with the piece. I forgot to include another part of my experience that I think you all would appreciate...
So when I was going crazy with anticipation waiting to see a drawing for the piece and checking my email a billion times a day, Eddy sends an email saying that his "old friend Dan Higgs" said "whoa" three times in a row when he saw the drawing and that that was a very good omen. And then my head almost exploded ;)