Dan S

I currently have a three quarter sleeve in progress, from Mo Coppoletta at The Family Business in London, it is Japanese style with koi and autumnal Japanese Maple leaves. So far I have had four three hour sessions, all the outline and black shading is complete, I have two further sessions booked up (one mid March and one in early April) to complete the colour work. There are a few pictures which were taken after the second session on another thread: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/15-latest-tattoo-lowdown-page297.html#post57495
In time I think I would like my other arm to have a design made up of several palm sized traditional western style images, loosely themed around exploration/travel, filled in with roses or grapevines along with few small fillers. My first thought towards this would be a lady head in the style of a twenties female aviator (along the lines of Amelia Earhart or Amy Johnson), if I go with this idea I will probably go to Valerie Vargas.
I am also thinking about a cheetah head on one of my knees, surrounded by pike lettering which reads "heart full of napalm" (a references to a Stooges lyric).
And, and, and, the list is endless.

Mark, Nick has probably one of the premier collections of traditional tattoo designs extant in the States today. I'm sure if you give him an idea of what you like, he'll hit on something slick-enjoy!

Hope you're thinking traditional! To that end, get your hands on a book of Sailor Jerry's stuff and have at it!
Many times people think of traditional as strictly old-school sailor type work. I may be deviating from accepted definitions here, but I would put Sailor Jerry's Japanese-style work in with traditional, as well as CLiff Raven's Japanese-inspired stuff. It may have been radically different back in the day, but now, it's recognized as having set the stage for that type of tattooing in the States. To my mind, that makes it traditional!
Anyhow-enjoy, and say hi to Nick for me.

I just scored an appointment with Nick Colella when he guests at Pearl Harbor in Toronto this April. Very stoked, but now I have to figure what to get!

Well, looks to me I owe Else a chicken dinnner!!!
Freakin insane tattoos in here this month, congrats to everyone! Actually, I'll buy everyone who entered a chicken dinner just for showing off such trip work...
But ya gotta come to Gary with me to collect.
Congrats, Else, you're gonna look maaahvelous in your squid pants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ian, you don't need any luck going there, just ducats!

getting ready to walk to Skull and Sword... Wish me luck!! :D

The place that did that to that guy is my "local shop." Now you understand why I drive to Cincinnati.

I'd really enjoy watching you shoot a .45 holding it by the beavertail.

Righteous work. Now all he needs to do is go back to the first place, bust up all his equipment, and do the roadhouse hop on the tattooers head.

Eilin, you've got nicer fillers than lots of people have tattoos!

Poor soul?
No, that would be described as DUMBASS! Getting tattoos from unqualified kitchen-mechanics just isn't very bright.

Eilin, you've got nicer fillers than lots of people have tattoos!

Righteous work. Now all he needs to do is go back to the first place, bust up all his equipment, and do the roadhouse hop on the tattooers head.

Yeah, but he'll be the coolest kid in (pre) school!

Man. Cody, just tell Nick the type of thing that floats yer boat, and show him how much room he has to work with-he'll go off on that. They have a ton of Sailor Jerry and Sailor Jerry type flash, but you might ax him to show you some of Ralph Johnstone's stuff-old school rules!

So, to start, your tattoo is going to cost you, probably, like $1000, for one lousy word! Most decent shops have a minimum charge for tattoos, in the places I've sen in major cities, it typically runs about a hundred bux an hour. You will get charged that regardless, one letter or the entire dictionary.
Add that to the drawbacks you list above, maybe think about getting "wanderlust" tattooed on you in whatever language you find the locals speaking...English, German, French, Liverpudlian, whatever. Pick a spot, maybe on the legs, since they motte you everywhere you travel, and make a band of the words?
Just an idle thought.

Righteous work. Now all he needs to do is go back to the first place, bust up all his equipment, and do the roadhouse hop on the tattooers head.

Yeah, I had to go to my lawyer's office yesterday, too.

Whoa! PArty @ Pugilist & Graeme's new place!!!! I'd SO be there...if they'd let me in Kanada anymore. Ah well, congrats on the new crib!
But on the Dog four times a week...damn! I haven't been on one in close to forty years, and that's STILL too much!!!!

If people around you are judging you based on a little bit of tattoo peeking out from under a sleeve, then you're most definitely hanging with the wrong crowd.

Fuck pain. I don't need to be reminded that I'm being punctured-I've got probably over 30 hours of tattooing on me, I've been shot 3 times, stabbed, cut, beat, stomped, whomped, eye took out, and just generally abused. I can tell you about pain. And I can tell you that if you feel you need pain to make your tattoo a "real" experience, god bless you, you've probably never had any real-live pain, and I hope you never do.

Man, that google translate is rough!

Really. 10 (even little) tattoos, each an image that would remind you in particular of your visit to that specific place. That's what will make you smile 10, 20, 30 or 40 years from now.

like life, why dont you just let it happen, get a damn tattoo.....pre planned mementos seem very strange.It seems to miss the point to me. instead of forcing meaning into your tattoo,get tattooed , it will have meaning,especially when traveling.....