PhilB

Got more work done on the Sleeve of Science.
Last week was adding the Abacus, and lots of background elements (blood lines for more smoke, some galaxies, line work for planets, etc). Abacus from elbow ditch to just below armpit was not the most fun.
This week was the entire chest panel:

(large version in the album, or you can click on the one above).
This was done yesterday, so, obviously, imagine all the blues to be properly muted when it is healed (some of the same blues used in the wolf coverup on the other chest panel).
Good news: As long as this heals properly, I never "have" to get tattooed on my chest ever again!

Awesome. You'll have a leg up on all the young kids. Motivation, work ethic, and paying for your own shit tends to keep things in perspective.
I went back to school in my 30s and graduated last year with my BSc. in Computing Science. Try not to get mad at the kids' sense of entitlement. They usually had me speak at orientation, because I would lay down the polite version of "Nobody owes you shit, and no one is responsible for your success but you. Your profs don't care, they are here to do research and are usually forced to teach, which many of them hate (and it shows)."
But, you know...with some jokes thrown in...Ahem.

Since someone brought up "Bad Ink" (the show with the two guys in Vegas), this could be interesting:
I watch the show occasionally, if nothing else, to laugh at some bad tattoos (the "before" ones, although the "after" often don't look much better). One thing that was odd to me was how a coverup seemed to always be done in one session. I've had some coverup work, and some of it required more than one to see how things looked with the overlap once it healed, etc (not to mention one episode where they made it look like a guy got a whole backpiece in one sitting!).
Regardless, this may shed some light on that:
Art Lynch's SAG ACTOR Online: Casting for A&E's "Bad Ink"

Had two Chinese ladies in their 60s or so make my day yesterday. I was on the Skytrain (basically, an elevated subway) heading home from work.
i wear shorts pretty much year-round, and was sitting with my tattooed leg crossed over my other leg, reading. One of the ladies was sitting in front of me,
the other was standing next to me. The one sitting next to me turned around, and was pointing at my leg. "Here we go", I thought, knowing this is the price
we pay for visible tattoos...
Instead, they both started smiling and pointing at it, looking at the detail. I said: "Do you want to see?" And the one standing must have thought I said "Do you want
to sit?" and said "No, no, no" (there were other seats available, as I normally would have offered my seat already otherwise). I put my leg down and pulled up my short
leg so they could see more detail. They both ooh-ed and ah-ed at it, smiling the whole time. They clearly did not speak any English. They both waved goodbye with big
smiles when they got off the train.
Sometimes, reactions surprise you, and they come from the weirdest sources.

Awesome. You'll have a leg up on all the young kids. Motivation, work ethic, and paying for your own shit tends to keep things in perspective.
I went back to school in my 30s and graduated last year with my BSc. in Computing Science. Try not to get mad at the kids' sense of entitlement. They usually had me speak at orientation, because I would lay down the polite version of "Nobody owes you shit, and no one is responsible for your success but you. Your profs don't care, they are here to do research and are usually forced to teach, which many of them hate (and it shows)."
But, you know...with some jokes thrown in...Ahem.

My recursive wolf coverup (wolf covered up by a bigger wolf!):

You can see the before here:
Coverup

Let's see...so far:
Two toolboxes about 5' tall (was a professional wrench for about a decade),
Back of laptop and monitor,
One filing cabinet,
Back/small side windows on my truck,
Starting on my shop fridge...

Wait for this weekend. With the Montreal convention starting tomorrow and people here having some crazy stuff lined up, there's going to be some rad tattoos getting posted over the next few days.

Finally got around to updating my gallery with the work that got added to the Sleeve of Science in January:
Sleeve of Science
It's almost done. We need some minor colour touchups/additions (more orange around the microscope so that the transition there looks better), and he needs to figure out what he wants to do right at the wrist where he left some space.

Finally got around to updating my gallery with the work that got added to the Sleeve of Science in January:
Sleeve of Science
It's almost done. We need some minor colour touchups/additions (more orange around the microscope so that the transition there looks better), and he needs to figure out what he wants to do right at the wrist where he left some space.

@SailorClaire Margo DeMello was my first wife ,I helped her write that shit. 20 yr old boring crap.If you don't believe me research who I am.
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f#ckin vampires....this is about research for the sake of research. So you can finish a useless degree....and then you become an authority on something you truly know nothing about. life experience has lead me to hate this academic BS.
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If I package a bunch of shit someone told me as facts,how does that make me an authority?
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Oh yeah Margo Demello claimed she spent alot of time in a tattoo shop with GTC and I, Bullshit ,your following bullshit. Sorry for the truth. Hope this helps with your research...remember publishing bullshit doesnt make it true. You don't look like a Sailor. A trade many are proud of ,monikers are supposed to mean something. When did everyone start giving themselves nicknames?

In addition to occasionally bringing in donuts for the shop, I sometimes bring gifts (like stuff that is OTC in Canada but prescription in the US).
Also, I get the friends and family discount (never asked for it, but it was always given to me), so I always tip the equivalent of one extra hour.

You keep on believing that.
Keywords: "at this time".

Time to get my ass back in shape. Moved to a different part of town, and just paid the next year's gym membership at my friend's proper Thai style Muay Thai gym (unlike many of the alleged muay thai places in town).
Going to really suck for quite a while, but will feel great when back in shape.

You keep on believing that.
Keywords: "at this time".

You keep on believing that.
Keywords: "at this time".

And I want to live in this great utopia, with world peace, where the lion lay with the lamb, and we all get magical blowjobs from the heavens, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen any time soon.
Actually, everyone has the right to tell you that, but you also have the right to tell them to stuff it. You makes your choices, and you lives with the consequences.

Scott Ellis at Triple Crown Tattoo started my 2012 Mayan jaguar thigh panel today- halfway there and already awesome:cool:

The best thing I've found for ingrown hairs (I'm North African. Think thick, curly hair. Sucks) is TendSkin (Tend Skin Products | Tend Skin Lotion | Ingrown Hairs & Razor Bumps). That stuff is pretty magical.

Realism != pessimism. I'm not saying the current situation is right, just that it is. You have no idea what my attitude is.
Just because you think people shouldn't be getting judged by their appearance, doesn't mean they aren't. I am of North African/Middle Eastern decent. Should I explain to border guards (not as much an issue now, thanks to Nexus card) and airport security that they shouldn't let that make them give me extra scrutiny because I'm an atheist who was born in this country, thus taking me out of the potential terrorist category? No, I realize that there is a stigma associated with looking like me, and I show up extra early if I ever have to deal with security (maybe I should cross with tattoos more visible. Sleeve depicting science themes should help them rule me out!)
Is it right? You decide. But it definitely is.

Realism != pessimism. I'm not saying the current situation is right, just that it is. You have no idea what my attitude is.
Just because you think people shouldn't be getting judged by their appearance, doesn't mean they aren't. I am of North African/Middle Eastern decent. Should I explain to border guards (not as much an issue now, thanks to Nexus card) and airport security that they shouldn't let that make them give me extra scrutiny because I'm an atheist who was born in this country, thus taking me out of the potential terrorist category? No, I realize that there is a stigma associated with looking like me, and I show up extra early if I ever have to deal with security (maybe I should cross with tattoos more visible. Sleeve depicting science themes should help them rule me out!)
Is it right? You decide. But it definitely is.

Personally, I'm not down with the "but it's supposed to look sh*tty" aesthetic.

Realism != pessimism. I'm not saying the current situation is right, just that it is. You have no idea what my attitude is.
Just because you think people shouldn't be getting judged by their appearance, doesn't mean they aren't. I am of North African/Middle Eastern decent. Should I explain to border guards (not as much an issue now, thanks to Nexus card) and airport security that they shouldn't let that make them give me extra scrutiny because I'm an atheist who was born in this country, thus taking me out of the potential terrorist category? No, I realize that there is a stigma associated with looking like me, and I show up extra early if I ever have to deal with security (maybe I should cross with tattoos more visible. Sleeve depicting science themes should help them rule me out!)
Is it right? You decide. But it definitely is.

Realism != pessimism. I'm not saying the current situation is right, just that it is. You have no idea what my attitude is.
Just because you think people shouldn't be getting judged by their appearance, doesn't mean they aren't. I am of North African/Middle Eastern decent. Should I explain to border guards (not as much an issue now, thanks to Nexus card) and airport security that they shouldn't let that make them give me extra scrutiny because I'm an atheist who was born in this country, thus taking me out of the potential terrorist category? No, I realize that there is a stigma associated with looking like me, and I show up extra early if I ever have to deal with security (maybe I should cross with tattoos more visible. Sleeve depicting science themes should help them rule me out!)
Is it right? You decide. But it definitely is.

So while this whole thing is a shitshow, it's really interesting to me that by far the most depressing and pathetic episodes have been the American traditional and Japanese ones. These fuckers get very excited about doing like, black and grey portraits and the like, but across the board suck at these forms. If I remember correctly, the same was mostly true of the first season (although they at least had a decent Japanese guy, if I recall correctly).
So, question for the group: why does this keep happening? Or rather, is this an accurate reflection of the mediocre pool of tattooers out there, in that shitty tattooers are more likely to have a background in certain styles over others? Are there no people at the same meh level as these dolts who do Japanese? It seems like the kind of shitty, talentless tattooers that mostly end up on shows like these all come from a particular place stylistically, and I am wondering what that correlation means.
I have to say that that terrible fucking dragon mess was one of the worst tattoos that's ever been on that show, which is saying a lot. And that it's hard to respect a tattooer who throws himself a pity party when he's asked to tattoo a DRAGON. What the hell kind of tattooer doesn't like doing dragons???