taaarro

Perfect thing to clutter the "latest tattoo lowdown thread" with. Good job dude. As someone who did his first, what, just 7 months ago, I'd say you're on the right track.
- - - Updated - - -
@taaarro I was sweating this so big last night on Instagram. Awesome!

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Small burning ? devil by Marc Nava at Da Vinci Tattoo

Chipped away a few more hours on my back. I think we're pretty much done the black shading, I think there's some greys to do in the water still, we still have to figure out the scales or patterns on the snake, but we're making progress.
All work, as always, by Dave Cummings of PSC Tattoo.

@Graeme You should come to japan and I could do that for you. I put this on my friend and it's authentically really shitty! but you feel ok about getting the logo of Mike Vallely's band tattooed on you?

My buddy jaie came to town so i had him stick this dagger on my shin.

Can't believe I forgot to post this one!
From Chris O'Donnell's LA trip a couple weeks ago. Left forearm.
Blatantly stolen from Chris' Instagram ( codonnell_nyc )

I didnt think the shin was too bad. The center area where the bone is felt pretty tolerable.
Going up toward the knee cap felt better. The ankle area and as he moved out towards the outside of my calf was real sensitive for me.
Pretty much everything hurts from jaie though. He goes slow and deep to get everything really dark or bright. He outlined with a needle he spread out some, so the outline felt huge. Not that sharp precise feeling. When we were talkin about that he said mike malone made a joke about tattooing with huge needles is kinda like riding a bike with training wheels. Lol.
- - - Updated - - -
Oh yeah. I sent my lady a pic of the stencil and she says "you think he is gonna add blood drops to the tear?"
Right as we were done he says. I think we should add some blood dripping down. You cool with that?

It will take years @keepcalm.
My folks too are so disapproving. But, I never seeked their approval to begin with.
I use to wear longer sleeves and long pants so I didn't smash them full view, and slowly after time...well, I was just having a beer with mum last night in a pair of shorts and a singlet ...and they're both 78 years old.
The comments only stopped within the last under 12 months. I would address them immediately, tactfully, respectfully though stern.
See, you won't change that good person in you, and oldies are funny from that generation, they judge big time because their world was so square, but they were raised with impeccable values.
You keep on chipping away and out shining with those same values, and after time, a long time, your actions will speak volumes to which they will realise doesn't match what their visual expectation is.
Good luck

I only recently figured out that waiting for my mom's approval or appreciation of my tattoos is fruitless. I've been waiting for over thirty years & it's not ever going to happen.
My mother hates my tattoos, she thinks tattoos are ugly and thinks that they look dirty!!! I realize that when she sees any tattoo- it's as if a veil comes down and she doesn't see content. All tattoos are the same to her.
Well you know what was very freeing??? It was my realization that my expecting my mom to accept my tattoos is as unreasonable as her expectation that I would not like them or want to get them. It's her opinion and she is entitled to it.
I also have an otherwise close relationship with my mom. Another thing that has changed is that at one time in my life I would dress to cover my tattoos while visiting my mom- now I do not.
- - - Updated - - -
Keep in mind that up until only recently - the last 10 years or so- tattoos for the most part were only popular with certain subcultures of the population- especially getting heavily tattooed. Bikers, people in jail, the military and sideshow freaks. No others !

@Diehardonvhs Ed Hardy, "Kitsune" (1988) from Tattooing the Invisible Man"

@Diehardonvhs Ed Hardy, "Kitsune" (1988) from Tattooing the Invisible Man"

@Lance: the bonji on my wrist are the mantra for Amida Nyorai, since I was born in the year of the pig (or Hogg, if you will). I knew it was the mantra, but I didn't learn the meaning until recently, thanks to some research by Professor @taaarro (thanks again!).
I looked on the link that @ironchef posted above and found this: Akasagarbha - mantras and seed syllables, including the Morning Star Mantra It's the bonji mantra for Kokuzo Bosatsu, aka Ākāśagarbha. That would look great around your wrist. You could also get juzu beads with your seed bonji in the middle, like this excellent tattoo by Ichi Hatano:

(Aren't those on the woman we talked to at his booth at the convention?)
You could get the Fudo Myo-o bonji in a bead on the other wrist just because Fudo is awesome.