Intomyskin

I know I am late with this post, but I wrote my own thoughts about Lyle back when he passed away, but never got around to posting them.
I think it is fair to say that Lyle Tuttle was absolutely the pivotal character in bringing tattooing to a wider population. I believe there is a direct unbroken line between Tuttle tattooing Janis Joplin in 1970, and the popularity and mainstreaming of tattooing that we see today. The fact that this website exists, where people of all backgrounds are sharing their enthusiasm about tattooing is a testament to the movement that Tuttle set in motion.
I was 18 when I read about Tuttle tattooing Joplin in Rolling Stone. It stoked my interest in tattooing, and I have followed it closely ever since. My girlfriend (now wife) and I – two good, normal clean scrubbed middle class kids – got tattoos a couple of years later because Tuttle made it seem accessible and appealing.
Tuttle’s tattooing of Joplin generated interest by newspapers and magazines, probably in part because a woman getting a tattoo was something virtually unheard-of at that time, so articles exploiting that angle attracted readers. Nevertheless, Tuttle was quoted or referred to in almost every single one of those articles, and amazingly became the subject of a feature in in a 1972 issue of Life magazine, the most popular family publication in America at the time. He was quotable, said things in a humorous way. He was just outrageous enough to be interesting, but cleaned-up enough to be suitable for mainstream consumption. He was a character.
I have read that Tuttle was somewhat controversial among some old time tattooers, some of whom viewed him as a shameless self-promoter, and resented the popularity of tattooing that he fueled, feeling that it ruined tattooing, taking away its outlaw cachet. That is a topic for another discussion, but suffice to say that Tuttle was the straw that stirred the drink.
I have often wondered if the popularity of tattooing would have grown as it has – or would have grown at all – if another artist had tattooed Janis Joplin.
I can easily imagine a different, more crusty tattooer at that time being interviewed after tattooing her, and saying something like, “F_ck ‘em. They want a tattoo, so I give it to them, and they pay me. Chicks, guys, I don’t care. Just so they pay me. But all these goddam hippie chicks really have no f_cking business getting tattooed. They don’t know what tattooing is about.”
His quote might have made it into Rolling Stone, but would have done little to make a more conventional clientele feel good about tattooing. I doubt that he would have been widely quoted in other magazines and newspapers, and he certainly would have never made it into Life magazine. He probably would have done nothing to promote the industry to a new clientele. He would have reinforced the same decades-old perceptions of tattooing as a gritty, outsider practice carried out by outlaws on outlaws.

in a sense Tuttle was precisely the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. Part showman, part salesman, part promoter. He had one foot firmly in the traditions of tattooing, and the other in the counterculture that evolved in the 1960s and 70s.  I suspect that many of us on these forums would have never gotten tattooed were it not for the wheels that Tuttle set in motion nearly fifty years ago, and the tattoo landscape of today would been much different without him.

I know I am late with this post, but I wrote my own thoughts about Lyle back when he passed away, but never got around to posting them.
I think it is fair to say that Lyle Tuttle was absolutely the pivotal character in bringing tattooing to a wider population. I believe there is a direct unbroken line between Tuttle tattooing Janis Joplin in 1970, and the popularity and mainstreaming of tattooing that we see today. The fact that this website exists, where people of all backgrounds are sharing their enthusiasm about tattooing is a testament to the movement that Tuttle set in motion.
I was 18 when I read about Tuttle tattooing Joplin in Rolling Stone. It stoked my interest in tattooing, and I have followed it closely ever since. My girlfriend (now wife) and I – two good, normal clean scrubbed middle class kids – got tattoos a couple of years later because Tuttle made it seem accessible and appealing.
Tuttle’s tattooing of Joplin generated interest by newspapers and magazines, probably in part because a woman getting a tattoo was something virtually unheard-of at that time, so articles exploiting that angle attracted readers. Nevertheless, Tuttle was quoted or referred to in almost every single one of those articles, and amazingly became the subject of a feature in in a 1972 issue of Life magazine, the most popular family publication in America at the time. He was quotable, said things in a humorous way. He was just outrageous enough to be interesting, but cleaned-up enough to be suitable for mainstream consumption. He was a character.
I have read that Tuttle was somewhat controversial among some old time tattooers, some of whom viewed him as a shameless self-promoter, and resented the popularity of tattooing that he fueled, feeling that it ruined tattooing, taking away its outlaw cachet. That is a topic for another discussion, but suffice to say that Tuttle was the straw that stirred the drink.
I have often wondered if the popularity of tattooing would have grown as it has – or would have grown at all – if another artist had tattooed Janis Joplin.
I can easily imagine a different, more crusty tattooer at that time being interviewed after tattooing her, and saying something like, “F_ck ‘em. They want a tattoo, so I give it to them, and they pay me. Chicks, guys, I don’t care. Just so they pay me. But all these goddam hippie chicks really have no f_cking business getting tattooed. They don’t know what tattooing is about.”
His quote might have made it into Rolling Stone, but would have done little to make a more conventional clientele feel good about tattooing. I doubt that he would have been widely quoted in other magazines and newspapers, and he certainly would have never made it into Life magazine. He probably would have done nothing to promote the industry to a new clientele. He would have reinforced the same decades-old perceptions of tattooing as a gritty, outsider practice carried out by outlaws on outlaws.

in a sense Tuttle was precisely the right guy, in the right place, at the right time. Part showman, part salesman, part promoter. He had one foot firmly in the traditions of tattooing, and the other in the counterculture that evolved in the 1960s and 70s.  I suspect that many of us on these forums would have never gotten tattooed were it not for the wheels that Tuttle set in motion nearly fifty years ago, and the tattoo landscape of today would been much different without him.

Oh, damn. 

The tributes have been amazing. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Tuttle
 

Interesting question!
 
When my wife and I got tattooed in the early 1970s, I think we just thought that "a tattoo is a tattoo." Like "ketchup" - generic. Similarly, I guess we thought that you go to a tattoo artist and get a tattoo, and it never occurred to us at that time that there might be good tattoos and bad tattoos. Granted, the situation was much different at that time. Most tattoo shops were in really bad parts of town, and were really scary places inhabited by really scary people. Honestly, we picked our tattooer because we knew someone who had gotten a tattoo from him, and his shop was the least scary place we could find. When it came right down to it, we just wanted to get tattoos. Quality never crossed our minds.
Today, there are so many artists, and so much information about tattooing. Every general interest article about "things to consider when you get a tattoo" advises people thinking to check out the artists portfolio, so there is really no excuse for getting a bad tattoo.  But I wonder if some people still look at it like my wife and I did: They just want a tattoo, and the desire sort of blinds them. So they just find a shop, go in, and get a tattoo.
I also wonder if after people get a bad tattoo, perhaps they realize it, but don't want to admit that they made a mistake in artist selection.

@CharmedBy “wrapping,” I was envisioning something large wrapping or spiraling around your whole lower leg, incorporating your rose. But I understand that you don’t want to go with anything big, and that’s cool. 
The more I look at it, IMHO, I’d leave it alone. Move to your arms. Your rose is a really striking tattoo. When I first saw the picture I just said “Wow!” It wasn’t just the tattoo, which is very pretty – it was also the whole composition: Simple, nicely executed rose, perfectly placed on your shin, dramatic contrast between tattoo and plain skin, just very striking. Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t add a thing.

@CharmedBy “wrapping,” I was envisioning something large wrapping or spiraling around your whole lower leg, incorporating your rose. But I understand that you don’t want to go with anything big, and that’s cool. 
The more I look at it, IMHO, I’d leave it alone. Move to your arms. Your rose is a really striking tattoo. When I first saw the picture I just said “Wow!” It wasn’t just the tattoo, which is very pretty – it was also the whole composition: Simple, nicely executed rose, perfectly placed on your shin, dramatic contrast between tattoo and plain skin, just very striking. Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t add a thing.

Brand new shoulderblade piece, 4 days old. Inspired by the cedar waxwing, my favorite bird, and my grandma's pansies (she would have been 120 years old on Friday!) Tattoo by Darcy Nutt at the Richmond convention, blending in beautifully with her previous work the past two years on my SA cichlid/floral half-sleeve. I'm definitely one of Darcy's "nuts"
P.S. All of Darcy's tattoos are free hand

@tertia - kind of a late response to this, but that's is a very nice rose. Very bold and solid. Congrats!

@Charmed– I'm definitely a fan of large pieces and heavy coverage. But I have to say that there is sometimes something very dramatic about a single well-placed tattoo, and yours falls into that category. It is like a single painting hanging in the middle of a wall, it sort of focuses the eye. Very pretty!
That being said, the wrapping idea sounds nice.
Alternatively, since you seem to be inclined to get more tattoos, maybe you could move to another part of your body for your next piece, and let this one sit for a while as you ponder ideas for your leg. As @Hogrider said, think about where you want to go with your leg. Do you want an integrated large piece, or a collection of pieces?

My sleeve is almost finished, and I love it.  I thought the panda would be my first and only tattoo.  Hahahaha!

Side profile Lord Ganesha, made to fit by Robert. Another awesome tattoo located in a place that I will never see it.... 🙂

I am low key obsessed with this traditional rose done for me by Tom Einheuser out of Union 3 Tattoo in Detroit over the weekend.

I’m really pleased with the placement, and how my leg is finally starting to fill up!
Here are links the artist and shop’s Instagram accounts:
https://instagram.com/tattoos_by_tom_einheuser
https://instagram.com/union_3_tattoo
 

Hi all....
I'm new to the forums and new to tattoos. I got my first tattoo a month ago and love it. Of course I have plans for more.
I am posting a pic of my beautiful rose tattoo. I love everything about it except placement. It looks so alone and "empty" on the front of my lower leg. I'd like to add to it on the sides or underneath it with a green vine and/or black swirl design.
Suggestions are most welcome. I'm glad to be here. 🙂

... when you watch cooking shows on TV and pay more attention to the participants' tattoos than the food.

I have two so far and planning a third by the end of the year.  I had one small one when I met my husband 16 years ago, which I have since gotten covered up/enlarged. He has none and is not interested in ever getting any for himself. Apparently I told him that I planned on getting more when we met, but I don't remember that conversation. He appreciates art and he likes my tattoos.  He is very supportive of my future ideas. He laughs that my second was barely healed and I already have my third and fourth ideas planned in my mind.  He actually gets pretty excited for me when I show him my ideas, and he likes my artist's work so much that he suggested that I "don't cheat on him".  Funny way to put it, right? I'm feeling lucky that he supports me with whatever choices I make for my own body, I personally know others that aren't so fortunate. 

My mermaid tattoo by Theo Mindell.

Okay, another session with Takashi! So happy to see some color coming in on the oni.
 

Hi there. 
Just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your feedback and compliments. 
As an update, I'm feeling so much better about my tattoo and I'm liking it more and more and it has become part of me and who I am. I had some tough times and wow my mind went crazy.
You're opinions and words have helped me a lot getting over the negative thoughts and emotions I had and I'm really glad time has made me realise why I got my crow and even though I couldn't really show it off yet, I'm quite proud about it. 

This is a great community here and I really appreciate the honest feedback I got. Thank you!

A good chunk of storage on your computer is dedicated to future tattoo ideas. 

... when you watch cooking shows on TV and pay more attention to the participants' tattoos than the food.

Sorry to be bumping an "old" thread. I don't know, maybe a month isn't really considered old? 
Anyway, I like your tattoo. Like everyone else has said, it looks great and sits very nicely on your arm. I have 3 tattoos myself, and the first one I got is a backpiece. At first I was stoked, but as time went by I started hating it. I still hate it to this day, and will definetely get it covered one day. My other two I love. I got my last one almost a year ago, it covers most of my forearm. And in 2 weeks I will be getting the other side/tricep done - can't wait! 
When I get a new tattoo I usually feel stoked af from right on when the stencil comes on, to when I take that first look in the mirror. And it just kind of stays that way. I still, almost every day, look at my forearm and smile, and be like "I can't believe I'm wearing that!"
I hope you're feeling the same way about your mermaid by now :) 

... when you watch cooking shows on TV and pay more attention to the participants' tattoos than the food.

... when you watch cooking shows on TV and pay more attention to the participants' tattoos than the food.