Dan S

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.

When I had my ribs done, Nick used some kind of numbing wipe before he put the col;or in. For awhile, all I could feel was that he was doing some damn thing there.
As a matter of course, I eat 7.5 of vicodin on my way in to sit, and if it goes longer than 3 hours or so, I'll eat another. When I got my ribs done, I added a 5mg. Valium to that, and yeah...it was like, all beautiful!
But hey-I came up in the 60's and 70's, you know, better living through chemistry.

And here I don't even have a hip pic that's less than ten years old. So...this is out in Washington state last year, near Sequim at a place called Eddy's Hook.

And this is the ancient version...I THINK this pic is from about 96, 97, like that.

10. Thou SHALT freak the fuck out if you get a microscopic tattoo on your pimple.
11. Thou shalt not EVER get tattooed by a friend of a friend in his kitchen, motel room, truckstop, etc. Use ONLY reputable tattooers working in actual shops.

Hard not to like yer first tattoo. no matter what.

Way it always is...shit, if I had kept all my clothes from the sixties and seventies, I'd be all hip again!

I have had pieces put on entirely free-hand, knowing ahead of time what it was that was going on, and roughly, how. That involved a whole level of trust that you just can't have with someone you haven't worked with, or someone who isn't a major, major tattooer.
If you are getting a large piece done, a sleeve, a backpiece, whatever, I don't think it out of line to have the whole thing laid-out on paper ahead of time. Doesn't necessarily have to be a stencil, but I'd sure want to see the tattoo in it's entirety before I committed to getting it done.
When I had my arm sleeved, I already had a decent amount of work on it. The tattoer that did it, Miles Maniaci, wrapped my arm in onion-sheet and traced the old work. A few weeks later he called me into the shop to see his design. I had given him some elements I wanted used, and he did the whole thing on the onion-sheet so that I could see how it looked on my arm. It was tits, and he started it the following week. About thirty-odd hours later, I had a sleeve that I'm still, ten years later, proud to wear.
Trust is the key element. If you don't know what someone's ideas and thoughts are for your work before they start, trust is hard to come by.
.02

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.

I got a full sleeve done around some existing pieces by Miles Maniaci when he was at CTC, maybe ten years ago. I walked in thinking I'd have Dale Grande do it, but he had stopped tattooing regularly and said "I've got thie amazing young guy working here now, and I think he'd go nuts on this". Excellent choice. Miles did a tracing of my arm, took the plates I brought in with the specific elements I wanted incorporatd in it, and called me back in a few weeks and asked me to come in and take a look. I did, and ended up having the wholepiece outlined that evening. Every two weeks we did another chunk, up to about six hours, until it was finished.
He told me a flat rate-which was far less than anything being talked about here, but also was ten years ago. I apid it as we went, and made sure to leave a good tip at every session.
Miles left CTC, went to Taylor Street Tattoo, and I heard from people trying to book work from him that he had a one-year waiting list. Wow. Now he works at Deluxe, and I never have heard anything but the highest praise for his work. Don't know if he's still booked out like that, cause I'm still hung-up on CTC.
And that's a bitch! Shit, I had to wait two day to get Nick Colella to work on me once-it was turrible!
I think way too much of what is going on now in parts of the tattoing world is celebrity/media driven, and that has resultied, IMHO, in inflated prices, long waits, and tattooers who are competent being billed as rock-stars. Of course, there are the genuine artists - tattooists - who are worth waiting for, but I think not that many.
.02

Whoa...some seriously serious ways to care for a tattoo!
Okay...I've got tattoos that are around 30-35 years old, and still look pretty damn good, color is bright, lines are crisp, all like that. I'm looking at a cover-up on my left forearm that Dale Grande did in 1984, and it looks about good as new. The main color is a light purple, and we were both a bit worried that it might fade-out with time. Hasn't happened.
So here is the aftercare recommended at the time: Leave the bandage on overnight, then remove and shower. Use unscented lotion sparingly to keep the tattoo from drying out. Don't pick the scabs. Period.
Actually, at the time I got that cover-up, the hot ticket for tattoo healing was, believe it or not, Preparation H. Keeps the tat a little moist, and eliminates the swelling. When I got the outlining done for my sleeve, I flew to Mexico the next morning, way the hell up in the mountains, and my arm didn't appreciate the sudden change from -10F to 100F...swole up like a balloon. Hit the local Pharmacia, got some Preparation H, and within an hour all was well again.
I've never used any of the new stuff, got my last work done a year ago, and just used plain old Dial to shower with, and Bacitracyn to keep it from getting dry enoug to crack. Still seems to work.
So whatever works for you! Just remember, you don't have to re-invent the wheel every time you get ink done.
(and make sure it's a 13 and not a 31)

"...and will leave as a member shortly. thanks, SailorClaire."
Adios. Don't let the door hit you in the ass.

And another...

So, this is a painting by Ralph Johnstone, done for Tatts Thomas way back when they were working on south State Street in Chicago. Nick Colella is putting it on my ribs tomorrow, (without the lettering) that should be fun. I'll post up the finished work as soon as possible.

And here I don't even have a hip pic that's less than ten years old. So...this is out in Washington state last year, near Sequim at a place called Eddy's Hook.

And this is the ancient version...I THINK this pic is from about 96, 97, like that.

Most of my work is pre-85. Short list, tho'.
Cliff Raven
Dale Grande

As an old fart, I gots to agree. I had my left ear pierced when I was 12 years old, and have worn a stud in it since then, got my left nipple pierced when I was 18, it's still open, but I don't wear anything in it.
My oldest gauged his ears out when he turned 18, but figured it out an leaves em empty. I've offered to take a tin-snip to 'em, but for some reason, he won't let me...they're closing up anyhow.
I know, I know. Back in the day, when I got my ear pierced, the oldtimers (like me) were telling each other how faggy and shitty it looked. Every generation has it's own thing, maybe the next big fad will be plates in the lips. I do believe the Mursi are the present masters of this, but it's been around quite a few African-and even one Easter-Euro culture for quite some time.
All that said, hey, if it's your thing, go for it! I've done too much wrong in my life to be judgemental of anyone else, whether it's how they look, who they sleep with, or what they do to their body.

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.

No gloves...it's funny, I was thinking about that the other day, I remember when the big deal at CTC was the autoclave...NO ONE wore gloves. Sitting getting worked on by Dale, both of us smoking. Cigarettes, yeah, that's the ticket, cigarettes...

I'll get all picky n shit...
Obersturmbannführer was an SS Field-Grade officer rank, roughly equivalent to a Lieutenant-Colonel, so no, he wouldn't have wanted his face shown or his name known!

The SS wan't real big on having troopers, let alone officers, pose for pretty-much-nekkid pictures, so I'd guess the gent didn't want his Uncle to see him.
Great stuff, Kyle...but you have to ask yourself why a Schutzstaffel Offizier would have an Ami flag tattooed on his chest, and why his tattooer would have it on his wall as flash in wartime!

No gloves...it's funny, I was thinking about that the other day, I remember when the big deal at CTC was the autoclave...NO ONE wore gloves. Sitting getting worked on by Dale, both of us smoking. Cigarettes, yeah, that's the ticket, cigarettes...

No gloves...it's funny, I was thinking about that the other day, I remember when the big deal at CTC was the autoclave...NO ONE wore gloves. Sitting getting worked on by Dale, both of us smoking. Cigarettes, yeah, that's the ticket, cigarettes...

No gloves...it's funny, I was thinking about that the other day, I remember when the big deal at CTC was the autoclave...NO ONE wore gloves. Sitting getting worked on by Dale, both of us smoking. Cigarettes, yeah, that's the ticket, cigarettes...

No gloves...it's funny, I was thinking about that the other day, I remember when the big deal at CTC was the autoclave...NO ONE wore gloves. Sitting getting worked on by Dale, both of us smoking. Cigarettes, yeah, that's the ticket, cigarettes...

Most of my work is pre-85. Short list, tho'.
Cliff Raven
Dale Grande