losParanoyas

How about a tattoo app that throws your damned phone in the trash, walks you into a tattoo shop so you can talk to a human being, pick something off the wall, and get a tattoo? Getting a tattoo isn't exactly a difficult process.
I hope you pay attention here and get the knowledge you need to help you in choosing a quality artist to give you a quality tattoo, but cut it out with this app shit. Nobody needs an app to get tattooed, and frankly, given that you don't have any tattoos and have a very recent interest in them, yet apparently want to make money off of them nevertheless via a useless app, you're coming across as an interloper and nobody likes that.

Gotten a few fun ones over the last six months or so:
Steve Byrne at Temple before the Bay Area Convention of the Arts:

Healed

Robert Ryan at the Convention:

Crappy healed photo:

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Got a couple from Miguel Montgomery aka Uzi to start the year


Healed


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And most recent is a little one shot by Alex Petty based off of some old Milton Zeis flash
Flash

Piece (still healing)

In short, no. Look, we all have intentions when getting tattoos, but once the tattoo is there you've externalized whatever interior process made you want to get that tattoo and it's now out there in the world and it will ultimately surpass your intentions. I like what Robert Ryan said in his TAM interview:
"The client is now tattooed. He spent a moment of his life, in what many seem to be a very abstract setting, to leave with a permanent badge that will bring fourth conversation, insight, judgment, alignment, attraction and repulsion for the extent of their lives."

hey bud, I think it's really nice your friends really want to include you and have your input into their desired marriage tattoo. If your to-be-married friends really want you to design a tattoo for you to give it obvious meaning, by all means go for it, nobody is going to stop you...but would you have a bicycle hobbyist tell the mechanic how to tune up your sports car? The last thing you want is to design a tattoo with good intentions for D&K, have it turn out poorly and then they laser or cover their marriage tattoo in a few years. That would suck for them and you will feel shitty. We don't want that to happen bud.
I think there is this notion that tattoos have to carry some profound deep meaning to justify a permanent mark on the body. I was that way when I first started. So people tend to overdesign, complicate, and cram too many ideas into a tattoo design to carry some profound meaning of what they are all about. A good tattooer is going to burst your bubble, simplify to one subject (and they won't tattoo your finger unless your a cheesy instagram celebrity or have full arms of worn tattoos).
The meaning in tattoo is the conception of the idea, experience getting it, healing it, and then wearing it until your dead. You could give this marriage tattoo some meaning by helping D&K come up with the general concept idea and pointing them in the direction of a good shop/tattooer.
My wife and I...we got eagle tattoos. Yeah eagles, big deal, every biker, hardcore and hipster kid has an eagle tattoo. Probably 80% of the people on LST do! Sure. Why eagles? It just came up as a joke in one of the best, purest, magical moments we had as newlyweds. And then driving to the City to scope out the tattoo shop we took a random detour and ended up at a bird of prey sanctuary. Where we saw an eagle the size of a German Shepherd, majestically perched. We were mesmerized. And then we learned that eagles find their partner and mate for life. Done. Sold. We had an awesome day in the tattoo shop and a beautiful evening to follow. And her tattoo gets more compliments than mine ;) That is how tattoos hold meaning. It just happens. Life.
Search the "Claddagh". This is the first image that comes to mind when I think marriage symbols. If you google Claddagh tattoo you will find an assortment of terrible tattoos and a few clean ones. Or the Hercules Knot. The nice clean tattoos all have the same thing in common...simplicity. Timeless designs.
If your buds want something super detailed and intricate for their finger, find a jeweller and get rings. A shoulder tattoo can go much bigger and the skin is different (and takes less abuse) than the skin on the finger. The shoulder is a good starting spot for tattoo-virgins. Or maybe the wrist (not upsidedown!). But still, keep it simple and obvious.
And sure, if your DK buds are into skulls, swap the Claddagh heart out for a simple skull. If D & K are into punk... go for the obvious and hand-poke them a Dead Kennedy's logo on your living room coffee table(jokes), give the tattoo meaning and infection!
good luck

Robert Ryan!

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

have an appointment tomorrow with Greg Christian during his visit at Elm Street in Dallas.

Trying to score a ROA guest spot session with Robert Ryan tomorrow . . .

Well it's been a year since I've had my back worked on and per our usual fall schedule, Henning was in town and this time we FINISHED my back! Some of you might have seen the updates via Instagram. So happy with this collaboration between Henning and Rubendall being completed! WARNING, PIC HEAVY!!! Put your browser on FULL SCREEN!
The master himself, Henning Jorgensen. Such a great artist and humble man.

Filling in the phoenix...tail feathers, breast, head and a few touch ups here and there.

Such a pleasure watching Henning work. I was so stoked with the zebra/tiger striped pattern he chose for the remaining tail feathers.

Touch up on a tender spot...the spare tire.

Slowly getting there.

Details details details...

Close-up of the phoenix...beautiful!

Full view from my right side. There was poor lighting inside since it was dark out, so they propped me up on a table and surrounded me with lights.

A quick reminder of the work Mike Rubendall did on the lower half of this collaboration. LOVE his water!

Another angle of my lower half.

Here's the finished top half.

Finished full back in all it's glory. My back is a sea of colors! Hope everyone enjoyed my show and tell! (don't mind the feet on the left or right, hahaha)

December appointment with Marie Sena.Getting a mermaid.

Here are shots of my right leg. Marie is going to do something on the back of my thigh and I'm hoping to have Greg Christian do something at some point on the inner thigh. My left leg is mostly in progress and I'll post that one when Kore finishes it.
Lady head by Marie Sena
Star/cross/wings by Steve Byrne
Day of dead groom on back of leg by Kore Flatmo

that term makes me cringe every time

If you really wanted to sound like a douche you could have said "I bet you still remember the scent of a first pussy you ate". Ick. What a creep.

I'm a fantastic poster and I have contributed a lot to this forum. I get that tattoos mean different things to different people, but to me, part of the forum's motto of GET GOOD TATTOOS has to do with resisting the tendency to turn tattooing into another cheap and disposable consumer subculture, and somebody coming here saying that they are primarily interested in using this forum for research into an aftercare product that absolutely nobody needs is part of that. If somebody comes here wanting to learn and talk about tattoos, whether they are thinking about their first, or are well on their way to a full suit, and is interested in the community here, they are absolutely welcome here. If they're just here because they have a product to sell they can move along.

reactivating this thread with my Thomas Hooper piece:

Here are shots of my right leg. Marie is going to do something on the back of my thigh and I'm hoping to have Greg Christian do something at some point on the inner thigh. My left leg is mostly in progress and I'll post that one when Kore finishes it.
Lady head by Marie Sena
Star/cross/wings by Steve Byrne
Day of dead groom on back of leg by Kore Flatmo

Since we're sharing progress, here's what we did on mine last week. We have to put the greys in some of the water and then do the details in the faces and the tiger's paws and things like that but we're getting super close to wrapping this up.

Check out this short video on one of my favorite tattooers (featuring another favorite, Bob Roberts):


I've said before that Matt has a bit of a Big Liebowski vibe, but now I realize that that comes across as a bit unkind (or at the very least, sells him short). He's both passionate and compassionate, and that comes through in this piece.

I think the piece you're missing is that you don't need to find anyone that can draw. You need to find the tattoo artist/shop you want to have do the piece and work with that person to draw it for you and ultimately tattoo it for you. It's what they do... The "someone" you find who can draw, might be great at drawing but will have no clue how to draw it to be tattooed. They wont know how it needs to flow or lend itself to the particular spot you want it tattooed on your body. So first, find the tattoo artist/shop...then go talk to them in person and they'll work it out with you.
Do you already have a shop in mind? If not, I'm sure someone can give you a few suggestions if you tell us where you're located. Good luck.

I think the piece you're missing is that you don't need to find anyone that can draw. You need to find the tattoo artist/shop you want to have do the piece and work with that person to draw it for you and ultimately tattoo it for you. It's what they do... The "someone" you find who can draw, might be great at drawing but will have no clue how to draw it to be tattooed. They wont know how it needs to flow or lend itself to the particular spot you want it tattooed on your body. So first, find the tattoo artist/shop...then go talk to them in person and they'll work it out with you.
Do you already have a shop in mind? If not, I'm sure someone can give you a few suggestions if you tell us where you're located. Good luck.

I think the piece you're missing is that you don't need to find anyone that can draw. You need to find the tattoo artist/shop you want to have do the piece and work with that person to draw it for you and ultimately tattoo it for you. It's what they do... The "someone" you find who can draw, might be great at drawing but will have no clue how to draw it to be tattooed. They wont know how it needs to flow or lend itself to the particular spot you want it tattooed on your body. So first, find the tattoo artist/shop...then go talk to them in person and they'll work it out with you.
Do you already have a shop in mind? If not, I'm sure someone can give you a few suggestions if you tell us where you're located. Good luck.

I was checking the London Convention line up yesterday. I'm going to be there that week end all ready but hadn't planned to get tattooed. By accident I was browsing the 2014 lineup, thinking it was this year. My mind was like "Mike The Athens.. Duncan X.... Eddy Deutsche, Ed Hardy, Filip Leu (and so on and so forth....).... wooooot?! This is some crazy shit!!!" and then I realized my mistake. Anyway, I ended up getting booked in with Mike Rubendall. So I am very happy
True story