otisc

Classic and colorful. Love it.

your ribs tattoo came out great. when i see a tattoo like that, my first thought is "that could easily heal into a big black blob". props to your artist for having the technical skill to pull this off.
also: first tattoo on ribs? respect.

I posted an update in the Initiation forum, but realized it isn't as widely seen. Here is a condensed version:
Session 3 on the dragon sleeve is done. I went in thinking we would color it in and I'd be done or nearly done. Nope! 5.25 hours of green and red. In the ditch. Ouch.
April:

May:

Last week:

I'm very happy with it so far, but dying to get the final touches of detail into the dragon.
I count 120 cherry blossom pedals all the way around. Given that 2 min each average is four hours, I'm doubting we will even finish next time.

your ribs tattoo came out great. when i see a tattoo like that, my first thought is "that could easily heal into a big black blob". props to your artist for having the technical skill to pull this off.
also: first tattoo on ribs? respect.

Classic and colorful. Love it.

Japanese dragon sleeve by Scott Ellis is finished!
 

I posted an update in the Initiation forum, but realized it isn't as widely seen. Here is a condensed version:
Session 3 on the dragon sleeve is done. I went in thinking we would color it in and I'd be done or nearly done. Nope! 5.25 hours of green and red. In the ditch. Ouch.
April:

May:

Last week:

I'm very happy with it so far, but dying to get the final touches of detail into the dragon.
I count 120 cherry blossom pedals all the way around. Given that 2 min each average is four hours, I'm doubting we will even finish next time.

Got this burnin' hot chick from Willem Jansen today. What a nice guy, and a great tattooer!
Done at the always fantastic The Sailors Grave in Copenhagen.
Picture via Willem's Instagram (@willem666).

You admit you are new to tattoos. You come to the forum filled with people experienced with tattoos. You ask for advice. You get advice. You don't like the advice. Now you want the advice to disappear.
This means one of two things:
1) You were never looking for advice in the first place, you just wanted to show off your art and have people tell you how great it was.
2) Cognitive dissonance.

I think your tattoos are really cool.
One thing about tattoo shading I've found -- it always looks better on someone else. When you are looking at your own shading, you are up close and you see how inexact it looks, you see the needle lines, and sometimes it even looks sloppy. That's because it is designed to read from a distance -- which is why it looks fine in your pictures and to others.
Your line work may leave a little to be desired, but while maybe not excellent, I don't think it's bad enough to actually call bad. And you kinda want those traditional old-school flash-y looking tattoos to have hand-drawn look. I really think they would look worse if they were super precise. It's a style.
This forum isn't reddit, so if people here are saying they like the tattoos, you can bank on the fact the fact that they're pretty good.

Don't take this wrong, but I think your artwork would make for horrible tattoos. Go into the main forum and read the "What makes a good tattoo" thread and then compare the discussion with your work. I'm not saying you don't have artistic talent, just that nothing you showed us really translates into tattooing.

I think your tattoos are really cool.
One thing about tattoo shading I've found -- it always looks better on someone else. When you are looking at your own shading, you are up close and you see how inexact it looks, you see the needle lines, and sometimes it even looks sloppy. That's because it is designed to read from a distance -- which is why it looks fine in your pictures and to others.
Your line work may leave a little to be desired, but while maybe not excellent, I don't think it's bad enough to actually call bad. And you kinda want those traditional old-school flash-y looking tattoos to have hand-drawn look. I really think they would look worse if they were super precise. It's a style.
This forum isn't reddit, so if people here are saying they like the tattoos, you can bank on the fact the fact that they're pretty good.

I think your tattoos are really cool.
One thing about tattoo shading I've found -- it always looks better on someone else. When you are looking at your own shading, you are up close and you see how inexact it looks, you see the needle lines, and sometimes it even looks sloppy. That's because it is designed to read from a distance -- which is why it looks fine in your pictures and to others.
Your line work may leave a little to be desired, but while maybe not excellent, I don't think it's bad enough to actually call bad. And you kinda want those traditional old-school flash-y looking tattoos to have hand-drawn look. I really think they would look worse if they were super precise. It's a style.
This forum isn't reddit, so if people here are saying they like the tattoos, you can bank on the fact the fact that they're pretty good.

Hell yeah! That's a classic.

I think your tattoos are really cool.
One thing about tattoo shading I've found -- it always looks better on someone else. When you are looking at your own shading, you are up close and you see how inexact it looks, you see the needle lines, and sometimes it even looks sloppy. That's because it is designed to read from a distance -- which is why it looks fine in your pictures and to others.
Your line work may leave a little to be desired, but while maybe not excellent, I don't think it's bad enough to actually call bad. And you kinda want those traditional old-school flash-y looking tattoos to have hand-drawn look. I really think they would look worse if they were super precise. It's a style.
This forum isn't reddit, so if people here are saying they like the tattoos, you can bank on the fact the fact that they're pretty good.

Finally ! I have a reason to post haha ! So stoked about this ! I mean........SO stoked ! Bandage and endorphins still on lol  And the freakin' pics will likely be side ways ;)
I finally got my crawling panther, like everybody should ;) By Franz Stefanik at Okey Doke in Toronto, ON. 
Awesome personable guy, awesome chat, awesome tunes. Just a cool chilled out hang and I got to go home with a wicked tattoo at the end haha. 
.....................................................................................................................
Wow ! Upside right ! Who knew haha !
 

I think your tattoos are really cool.
One thing about tattoo shading I've found -- it always looks better on someone else. When you are looking at your own shading, you are up close and you see how inexact it looks, you see the needle lines, and sometimes it even looks sloppy. That's because it is designed to read from a distance -- which is why it looks fine in your pictures and to others.
Your line work may leave a little to be desired, but while maybe not excellent, I don't think it's bad enough to actually call bad. And you kinda want those traditional old-school flash-y looking tattoos to have hand-drawn look. I really think they would look worse if they were super precise. It's a style.
This forum isn't reddit, so if people here are saying they like the tattoos, you can bank on the fact the fact that they're pretty good.

PS these go really well with the eagle on your arm that you got. Five real quick - you are on your way.

PPSS -- One issue that no one has brought up is what you said about the shop owner over-charging you for the pieces? How did that happen? If you were quoted a price, that should stand.

Japanese dragon sleeve by Scott Ellis is finished!
 

Finished my upper arm this weekend at the Richmond convention with the (holdout) inner bicep area. Thanks, @darcynutt! She did the outer/shoulder portion of it last year at the convention, and I booked her Saturday to go ahead and finish all the way around. She made it look like it was all done at the same time, and I'm thrilled. She once again used my own aquarium fish in the design. 

Jon just knocked these out on my arms last night. Really stoked. I felt so sick that day, so Im glad I was able to power through it. Just chugged apple juice and soda to keep myself concious through it all. Thankfully arms are easy spots for tattoos, and my arm was asleep for the diamond lady because of the awkward position, so it didnt hurt that much.
Getting a Fudo Myo-o cat by Chris Anthon today. Will post photos latter.

I love how so many of the cool tattoos I see on instagram turn out to be on LST posters! Keep up the collecting.

I'd definitely leave out the samurai. The concept of a swordsman battling a dragon is a completely Western concept. You will never see man battling dragon in traditional Japanese tattoos. The koi and dragon existing in the same piece makes total sense because one evolves into the other. 
Post some photos when you get line work done!
 

Just get a dragon.