CultExciter

Whew. Side of knee done yesterday by Kevin Collins at Vanness & Fellows in Raleigh. I can't say enough about Kevin, Mark, and AJ. One of the nicest tattoo experiences I have ever had.

Dave Regan added some maple leaves to the namakubi he put above my knee at the beginning of July. I apologize for the awful day after picture. I really can't sing Dave's praises enough. He's a talented and funny fellow that makes getting tattooed a joy.

I got this last night from Dave Regan while he is guesting at Classic Electric Tattoo in Frederick, Maryland. Beautiful shop, and town. I had just met Dave, but it felt like I was getting tattooed by an old friend. Fun times all around. Photo pilfered from Dave's instagram account. (@dutchraven)

I was bored on my lunch break, so my buddy Chris Porter at Alley Cat Tattoo cured what ailed me. Super small and right next to the knee ditch. Sorry for the leftover stencil residue. I like bright shower curtains.

I have nothing important to contribute. I like all of you guys. Even when we don't get along.

@spookyluke Hey dude, we here are all about quality tattooing. Not homemade stick and poke tattoos. You should really watch the videos on the forum. You'll learn what brought us here and what keeps us here.

That tacos are the best food for discussing tattoos.

I personally think it's hard making a book in general, yet alone making one about an artist.

There have been multiple threads about this already. You should search the site a bit more and you will find a wealth of information.

My cat was judging my beverage of choice the other night. (A good many of you have already seen this.)

There have been multiple threads about this already. You should search the site a bit more and you will find a wealth of information.

I like that this thread was bummed. It made me think about how awesome Adam Hathorn's aka "Honkey Kong" tattoos are. A nice mixture of traditional and new skool. But, I suppose he probably doesn't need any "recognition."

Keet D'Arms
Southern Star Tattoo - Artists

I like this thought process Ms. Carolyn. It's something that actually affects me. I live in Virginia. For those of you less informed, it is does not qualify as the most "progressive" state in the Union. The tattoo shop I work at is in Salem, Virginia, which is the sister city to Roanoke, Virginia. I would describe this town as behind the times. I can count on two fingers the tattoo shops in the area that look like "tattoo shops." You know, flash wall to wall and on the ceiling too. I'm lucky to be in one of them. It's the type of shop I want to work at. But, like I mentioned, the area is a little behind the times and alot of clients are very enticed by the "studio" "custom-only" "leather couch and plasma TV" look. So, those shops are a little busier in the area, even though, they are still doing the money maker tattoos. In a lot of places, Virginia is not the only place, flash is being replaced by glowing smart phones and Google/Pinterest images. That's the new flash at these types of shops. My coworkers and I have joked that those shops should just mount iPads to the wall.
But here is the exciting part. Clients who are discovering our shop, where the other three guys have been tattooing a combined 55 years, they walk in and say "Wow! This looks like a tattoo shop. This is so cool."
I think, at it's root, tattoo shops that look like tattoo shops, will always be the common denominator. You can up the fixtures and the fanciness, but having those archetypical designs on the wall that speak to the human psyche, and the folders of black and white tribal, lettering, and even Tattoo Brand/Cherry Creek stuff will provide the best jumping off point for clients.
Even Ed Hardy went back to having a "street shop" look after having Realistic. So all the shops who think they are breaking ground with a white-glove stark environment really are not. It comes and goes, as they say.

Coop (obvz not a tattooer) does my faves. It is just so much fun.

@else, I think you're on the right track. I think "collector" has at times been deemed holier than thou. To get good tattoos from lots of different people, and therefore think we are better than the people who just walk in off the street or are content with their local artist.
Semantically, that is a collector.
Obviously, that's all a farce and untrue if we delve into the motivation behind it.
While, sure, I believe those people exist who get up on their tat-soap-box, I think the majority (like y'all rad kids here on LST) just like getting good tattoos and enjoy meeting new people.
I am not comfortable with the title either. Even though, it's true, I collect on a certain level. I ain't better than nobody else.

What is this "neo" you speak of?

Received The Collection as an Xmas gift. It's solid gold.

What is this "neo" you speak of?

@else, I think you're on the right track. I think "collector" has at times been deemed holier than thou. To get good tattoos from lots of different people, and therefore think we are better than the people who just walk in off the street or are content with their local artist.
Semantically, that is a collector.
Obviously, that's all a farce and untrue if we delve into the motivation behind it.
While, sure, I believe those people exist who get up on their tat-soap-box, I think the majority (like y'all rad kids here on LST) just like getting good tattoos and enjoy meeting new people.
I am not comfortable with the title either. Even though, it's true, I collect on a certain level. I ain't better than nobody else.

My grandmother and I were chatting yesterday. She's 90 years old and is one of the most important people in the world to me. Well, we were talking about life, work, and how my apprenticeship is going. She looks at me and asks "Would you tattoo me? Right here, a big butterfly, and you can use this mole as the head of the butterfly."
I'm still grinning over that.

My grandmother and I were chatting yesterday. She's 90 years old and is one of the most important people in the world to me. Well, we were talking about life, work, and how my apprenticeship is going. She looks at me and asks "Would you tattoo me? Right here, a big butterfly, and you can use this mole as the head of the butterfly."
I'm still grinning over that.

Check out Mike Moses in Columbus, OH. He's very illustrative, but not exactly like the above style. There are plenty of sketchy tattooers in the US however, they usually do full sleeves for a pack of smokes and dimebag.

Check out Mike Moses in Columbus, OH. He's very illustrative, but not exactly like the above style. There are plenty of sketchy tattooers in the US however, they usually do full sleeves for a pack of smokes and dimebag.

that was you! ugh, when it popped up, i was screengrabbed it instantly!