jimmyirish

I saw Chad Koeplinger while he was in town the other day for rose #4.

Done at Rock of Ages in Austin.

Appropriately posting this one on Easter. I got this one from Matt Arriola a few weeks ago at Spotlight. Photo stolen from his IG:
For reference, it's on the back of my thigh:

Ok @Iwar, si I'm your first contestant! Here's my thigh piece done by Mikael De Poissy last year (hard to take a photo of the whole piece)

All right. For those who've seen it all ready, for those who've been waiting, for those who don't know what the fuck I talking about, for those who don't care: here is my back now.

Finished this Saturday at the annual Scottish tattoo convention in Edinburgh. Iain Mullen and Rudy Fritsch converged for the first time since we did the lines in June, to do some two machine shading on the lower part and add some extra detail. One more touch up session with Iain in Stockholm and then this experience is over. It's been a great ride on so many levels and if I were to explain how happy I am about the result I would have to invent some new words. Both Iain and Rudy rules and everybody who has the chance to get the chance should really consider getting something from them.
I will post a longer write up on this thread full-back-piece-experience-thread.html shortly, perhaps tomorrow. Right now I have a bad fever to pull through. One good thing about getting tattooed is that, if you do it right, it teaches you how tough you really are. Peace!

Get tattooed, talk to tattooers, talk to tattoo collectors, and you might be surprised at what people know. For example, I know this local tattooer named Simon because I used to live behind the shop he works at and I'd stop and talk with him and the other people at the shop when I was walking my dog and they were taking smoke breaks outside. I've since been tattooed at the shop and sometimes I'll have a beer with him at the bar next to the shop when he's done for the day. He's a good tattooer, but he's a real street shop tattooer who doesn't have a preferred style but will do whatever comes in through the door and will do a good job of it. He has no internet presence, I'm not even sure he has a cell phone. Anyway, I was talking with him once, and he mentioned, just in passing, about when he lived and tattooed in the Marquesas. So here's this guy working in a really low-key street shop, mostly tattooing names and bird silhouettes and stuff found on pinterest and what not, and he has this pretty deep first-hand knowledge of Polynesian tattooing because he actually lived and tattooed there.
I don't mention this because I think it's anything particularly special, though I think it is a kind of neat story, but rather because the more I get tattooed, the more time I spend in shops and with tattooed people, artists or otherwise, the more I understand and appreciate the immense amount of knowledge and understanding that there is in your average tattoo shop. Tattooers, at least the good ones--and it isn't worth getting tattooed by the ones who aren't good--love tattooing, they love the history and the stories and the lore of tattooing, and they collect this stuff just as much as they collect tattoos. They know far more about tattoos and tattooing than any academic ever will.

Booked all the tickets for my next trip yesterday.
Flying to Barcelona since it was cheap, taking the bus the next evening to Toulouse to get tattooed by Guy Le Tatooer, meet up with two friends and have a good time.
Two days later I take a long bus ride up to London where I spend one day before finally getting on the last bus that will take me to Edinburgh. On the sunday my backpiece gets finished by Iain and Rudy and on the monday I fly back to Stockholm.
I get to hang out with my girlfriend for a few hours before getting on the night train to spend easter with family and relatives in the very north of sweden (above the polar circle). When I get back to civilized parts of Europe again I am moving in with my girlfriend, in her apartment in the city center. Spring looks like happy times.
Edit: actually this was not something awesome that I did. I did however plan and book the trip and me and the girl did decide that we want to live together. That's pretty awesome.

Super stoked that I finally got tattooed by Eddy Deutsche!

Her book opens up 3rd March at 12, I work in West London and am already planning ways to get the morning off!
congrats @Manu Manu, looks so good and fits your knee so well.

I'm new here, but I definitely can't resist to a contest! Maybe a bit late to enter for this month tho ^^
So here's my last tattoo (knee cap), done by Valerie Vargas at Modern Classic Tattoo last week - Drawn-on and one shot
there's also a vid here: Video by Valerie Vargas(valeriemodernclassic): Manu came to @modernclassictattoo a... | iPhoneogram

Man! I go away for a day, come back, and people are killin' it all over the place! So much good work, both here and in the contest. I think I've muttered "holy shit" about 10 time in the past few minutes haha!

@ThatGuy
Thank you!
@jimmyirish
Thanks so much man, I'm glad you too are getting something good out of this :) Well, it's not done yet. There will be one more session to do shading on the bits bellow the face. Then when it heals we'll make some proper nice photos of it so you can preach the tattoo gospel to everybody you meet ;)

got my hand tattooed by max kuhn yesterday

@mmikaoj, I know I've said this before but this really is one of my all time favourite tattoos. Looks even more stunning now it's finished, you must be absolutely over joyed with having that on your back!
I hope you don't mind but I've even saved the tattoo on my phone and intend to show it to people when they ask why I love tattooing so much. Also, just on a side note, it really goes to show the wisdom of trusting your artist(s). I can't believe you hadn't seen it before the day and they gave you this! Congratulations one final time!

Welllllllll....if it makes you happy get another one, right?! Went and saw Paul Dobleman at Spider Murphy's last week...please excuse the inflammation


Hope everyone is having a great New Year so far!

Firstly, what a great thread- so good to hear so many open and honest experiences. As others have said, I can really relate to what has been said about feeling a sense of guilt and shame about my tattoos and consequently not trusting my own convictions. Being told by anyone that by getting (particularly visible tattoos in my case) you have sabotaged your future happiness is bad enough. But being told by your mum, even if its only implicitly by a line of negative questioning that I have ruined everything from future job prospects, my looks, to even the chance at being a good and respected father is a hammer blow.
I really don't think they mean to be as cruel as they are, if it was someone else's child they would be able to see that undermining someone you love in such a devastating way is wrong. I'm not a parent, but after sitting down with my mum and thrashing all this stuff out I think it has a lot to do with letting go, that this
baby who they bathed and protected for so long is now an adult and is asserting such (from my mothers perspective anyway) a visible, brutal autonomy over their own body.
the weight of parental expectations has been an absolute bastard for me, comparing myself to other family members and feeling like a failure because, by getting tattoos i had closed the door on my own future. It is only now at 27 that I am beginning to see that there is not only one game in town, and that the occupations that would exclude me for being visibly tattooed are not ever wanted for my life anyway! I currently work as a bartender in a good cocktail bar and I plan to combine this with a yoga teacher training course which i'm going to start next year, I also plan on completing both my sleeves by the end of next year. I'm not gonna be a lawyer or an academic and I can't see myself earning a tone of money, but as @beez so rightly points out, we are all adults with the right to make our own decisions.

Just confirmed that I'll be off to Denmark to get tattooed by Henning Jorgensen in May. Starting a big old Dragon up my leg and on to my ribs.
Can't wait. Yay.

Hi @jimmyirish it's not hard at all. Just a relatively short wait. Go for it!

I only started getting tattooed five and a half years ago. These years has been very turbulent and challenging and, in the later years, also filled with positive learning experience on so many levels. I feel better than ever about myself and I now live a life where I am happy in the moment and also with where I am heading. The experience of getting tattooed more and more and learning about the art and culture has been like a companion through the struggles and personal development. Tattoos has often been a big part of my life so it's hard to separate what comes from what.
One way for me to handle rough emotions has been to keep busy all the time, working for money. This money in turn needed to be channeled somewhere and I turned a lot of it into tattoos and travelling. So that was a delayed very positive side effect of negative emotions, new positive experiences.
Tattoos have absolutely taught me to appriciate art more, different kinds of art. This has also been inspirational when it comes to drawing and painting my own stuff. Art of course ties into history, structures of society, religion, symbolism and culture: all things I that interest me now more then ever. The more I learn in these subjects, the more I get associations when looking at tattoos, which is also interesting.
Tattoos and travelling to get tattoos has given me some very interesting meetings with people, and sent me to places I might not have visited otherwise. I've had many good conversations in tattoo shops and also made a few friends. Most of my friends that I met in other circumstances are not into tattoos, so I tend to not talk so much about tattoos with them. But to know some people that are as neerdy as me is a great joy. Some of these people have told me things that spiralled into new interestest and knowledge that I want to pursue.
The experience of getting tattooed also gave some valuable lessons about pain and the body. I am more interested in sensations now than before, I used to be really inside my head and logical in my thinking. This was sometimes acting as a wall when it came to having good experiences so it was something I wanted to change. It's hard to say what's the egg and whats the chicken in this struggle but tattooing has been part of solving this problem and being more mindful and physical in many aspects. I am now more aware of my bodily sensations and I tend to enjoy them more. The tattoo process and the people I've met has also tied well into my interest in health care and nutrition. I also took a course in yoga recently, after friends and tattooers told me about the benefits.
Getting tattooed quite heavily also did something to my body image. I am still not happy with the shape of some parts of my body but now at least they have very pretty wrappings. Also in relation to other people, who may view you differently when they see your tattoos, being a tattooed person has made me think new thoughts in social situations. Sometimes in makes me uncomfortable but not as much anymore, despite more and more coverage.
It's funny because in many ways tattoos are more then something that I care deeply about and want to imerse myself in. At the same time it is "just tattoos". I think sometimes that other people, without tattoos, make it a bigger deal than it actually is. Like it's being fetishized and or stigmatized in many contexts. Some years ago I would still feel a bit uneasy when someone would ask me "what if you'll regret all this later on?". But now it is "just tattoos", there is so much more to me as a person than what I choose to make my skin look like. On the other hand I feel that I would take quicker showers if I wasn't admiring how damn cool/tough/pretty and sexy I look now.
I could probably go on for a bit but I'll stop now. Tattoos has enriched my life a lot and I love it.

Today by Duncan X at Into You, London. Photo by Duncan, screenshot from instagram.

This has been a great thread - I realize I need to be more appreciative of how my folks and family have reacted to my ink! When I first started getting tattooed (almost 20 years ago now) my Mom hated them. We had to have the "why are you doing this to me" and "I don't see why you want to deface your body" conversations where I had to explain that none of my tattoos were about HER and that I didn't see it as defacement.
Over the years, and many more tattoos (big hiatus in the middle where I got an eyebrow piercing instead, ha!) she now understands that this is a form of my own self expression and it's not a reflection of her. I've proven that I make good decisions on placement, style and content and that they don't hurt my life opportunities. My Dad is slowly coming around, but he will never like them. My brother and sister in law show them to my nephews (4 and 2 now) and we play "what is this? yes, bird! what sound does the bird make?" with the younger one. My other nephews show me their press on Spidermans when we Skype.
None of my family would ever get one. And some don't 'understand' them. Which is fine. They don't have to. But nobody should make you feel BAD about them. Or ashamed. And look at all these stories of parents who came around to some understanding in the end. I think there is something burned into our psyches (especially us girls) that want our Moms to be proud. And those of us with tattoos know that our tattoos are part of us and it feels like a rejection of ALL of who we are when someone is just nasty. Never forget you are more than your skin.
Good luck. :)
(that got a little rambley! sorry)

Gah, @keepcalm and all others, I certainly feel you in regards to parental disapproval! (although my mom did get a tattoo on her hip in an ill-advised attempt to bond and understand me and recently got it removed...and it was waiting for me in a tupperware container full of salt when I got home. She had a tummy tuck but asked the surgeon to save the skin for her. Creepy? Yes. Sweet? Yes. Fucking weird as hell? Don't even get me started)(ah, family). (y'all want pics?) (also this is my least fav tattoo, i am soooo glad to get it covered now! never would have done it unless she had agreed to also do the same tho)
My parents have never liked tattoos. My dad didn't speak to me for months after he found out about the (little teeny tiny) flower on my back, and my mom just looked at me with sad, disappointed eyes. I really wanted more tattoos, and when I decided to go for a highly visible tattoo on my forearm at 23, I knew I was doing something that might cause my parents to literally never speak to me again. It was fucking tough!!! And then all the guilt for why I would do something that I knew would basically divorce me from my parents, what a bad kid, blah blah blah. Lots of guilt. But I still loved my tattoos.
At some point before I got that first, highly visible tattoo, I showed my mom a picture of some cherry blossoms that stretched across a woman's entire body. I thought they were beautiful and I was sure my mom would feel the same way, even though they were tattoos --- NOPE!! And it was at that point that I realized that just because my mom didn't like something didn't mean it was not cool/right/good-looking/whatever - and that I could like something independent of her and that my opinion is still a valid one.
As I collected more tattoos over the years, my parents began speaking more about what i would do at work, and what was I supposed to do at black tie events? At the time I was on the film festival circuit and attending opening galas pretty regularly, so it wasn't an out of nowhere question...but nowhere did I feel comfortable saying "I LIKE the way my tattoos look in dresses!". In fact I just felt humiliated and ashamed. Again, this feeling of guilt - how could I be so shortsighted and do this to myself? Do I not care about my future? Why would I have wasted all this education and this good job etc etc etc ad nauseam - it's really hard to get your parents' disapproving voices out of your head, even when you think they've been banished!
Anyway - guess what - they can be covered up if you really want them to be. I attended a black tie event two weeks ago with my What Tattoos? look in full force. Long sleeves. Long gown or pants. NOT HARD TO DO.
I did attend a few events this summer with tattoos out in full force. Surprisingly difficult for me to do because of those nasty voices in my head, but I got over it. (I'm 31 now) I personally gauge the event, the hosts, where I am (seattle is fine to show tattoos, oklahoma is decidedly UNWELCOMING). I make a point of looking spectacular to the normies so that not only are they embarrassed if they've trash talked tattooed people to me (more common than one might think) and later see my tattoos, but that maybe it gives 'em something to think about.
In Oklahoma, when I am home visiting family, I keep mostly covered up. This keeps me from dealing with the huffs and puffs, stupid thick tension, and any assaults on my character or future. I used to feel very comfortable with this, because I'm not rebelling or trying to piss my parents off with tattoos (though they have certainly leveled those accusations before), so why poke the bear if it's not necessary? But now I feel kinda bummed that I can't be myself around them. Or like walk downstairs in a tank top. And I was just in OK for thanksgiving and I felt totally trashy and hated myself for getting tattoos. ?!?!! I LOVE TATTOOS so that was a weird feeling for me - I was just basically sucking up the disapproval in the air, I think! bc i adore my tattoos.
I was just home recently and my mom had to use a fabric glue to stick the collar of my dress in a certain place - not to cover a tattoo, but so that the dress would fall right - and she moved the collar and saw some tattoo and made the worst noise...it made me feel bad, but whatever. It's okay if we all like different things! My mom gets hella plastic surgery, I'm not into that kind of body mod, so that's what I relate the tattoo thing to at the moment.
I stopped expecting my parents to treat me nicely many years ago, @keepcalm. Eventually I ported it all into a "them" problem and have minimized my contact with them. I keep my tattoos covered up, though they are aware of them, and I choose to interact with them about different topics, and I refuse to be baited into an argument regarding tattoos. I guess what I'm trying to say is what many have said before me in this thread - wishing/hoping/waiting for parental approval that's never gonna happen is a dumb game that will make you feel bad. It's okay if they don't like tattoos - they don't have to - but they don't have to be jerks about it. If they are gonna be jerks about it, minimize your exposure and choose only to interact with them in neutral territory. If you're comfortable with it, cover up and just show your tattoos off to your friends who think they're cool as hell!

Oni Head by Stewart Robson guesting at Blackheart tattoo before the SFO convention.
This shot is from today, healed.
BOOM in your face, @Cork you're not the only one with a massive Japanese tattoo this month, haha!

I haven't posted in forever, and I guess I never entered this one from Steve Byrne that I got over the summer in Austin.

This is still the best photo I have of it, but it healed nicely. Arm is just about done other than very small gap fillers.
Based on this World War I German propaganda poster about the dangers of Bolshevism that I saw earlier that day in a World War I exhibit in town.

@Cork, so nice man, congratulations!

@Cork, so nice man, congratulations!