Avery Taylor

Hello, I live in Vancouver, and correspond daily with another member of the forum that lives in Norway. Welcome to LST.

This series of backpieces by Chris Brand fits nicely in this thread.

I'm going to stick to things I've seen in person, but tattoos by the following have always been astonishing when I've seen them:

Filip Leu

Chris Trevino

Henning

Mike Roper

Plenty of others too, but those four really stand out as being especially memorable. Instagram is cool and all that but for large scale stuff you need to see it in person to get the full impact.

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I'm going to add Matt Arriola to that list thanks to @Avery Taylor and his wife Kim. They both have staggering work from him that they were nice enough to show me.

Thanks man. We can't wait to see that new backpiece or yours in person, and to meet Miles for the first time. Hopefully you guys will make it out this way before too long.

Too late, I just traced that woman in the canoe and tattooed it on my thigh.

But yeah, I need a Dan Gilsdorf tattoo ASAP.

And a Jeff P one for that matter.

I'm pretty sure Dan just left for Europe, and plans to be there for the next few months. Make a plan to get tattooed by Cheyenne. Then make your way up to Vancouver. The Canadian dollar is shit right now so you could come up here and live like a king.

Kind of a related bump, but Matt is going to the Pacific Northwest? I think it's Boise...though does anyone know for sure where? I would love to get work done by him.

Matt is leaving LA today. He is going back to Boise. I don't think he has officially announced his plans, but I know that he will be there for a long time.

Vero at Tattoomania in Montreal does first rate realism and while she's maybe a little bit farther away than you were wanting--Rochester to Montreal is an easy five hour drive--you can take advantage of the low Canadian dollar.

That low Canadian dollar is killing me right now. We are headed to LA next week, and the exchange rate is debilitating.

Ichibay next month at the London tattoo convention, Tim Lehi in November and Chris Trevino in May next year. So stoked!

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Nice! What are you getting from him? and tebori? And Mike Rubendall too? ..

Ichibay is my favorite. If he goes to the SFO convention this year then I will also go.

My intention wasn't to start a fight and I apologize if I've nicked a nerve. That said, being here from the beginning doesn't corner the market on knowledge or taste. I purposefully used cliches to drive home a point. There are certain things native to traditional american tattoos and some shops take these qualities and utilize them well to create super clean tattoos. Some not as much. Now you can throw around accusations that since I've made 12 posts I don't understand concepts applying to elite tattoo heads such as yourself but I am well aware American tattooing existed before Sailor Jerry, I'm well aware of artists who helped define this style along the way and the culture behind it. And I love it all. That said, in my opinion people are allowed to take tattooing to a greater level. The equipment is better, the ink is better. And that's great for us all. My point is, it doesn't have to look exactly like a Cap Coleman/Bert Grimm/Tatts Thomas whatever tattoo to be a rocking tattoo. It's great to notice them for the contributions they have made, but that shouldn't discredit guys who are creating some pretty amazing work today.

You pulled out a comment that I made two years ago which had no barring on any current discussion and called it "laughable". If that isn't looking for an argument then I don't know what is. I hate clogging the feed with this sort of shit, and I apologize to everyone for doing it. I have my reasons for picking the other shops over Smith Street, but I did not say anything to discredit anyone at Smith Street or anywhere else for that matter. And I didn't say that being here from the beginning made my opinions more valid than anyone else's. What I was saying is that in five years, and nearly 700 posts on this forum I have never been in one argument until now. On your twelfth post you started one. I accept your apology, and if I am wrong about this whole thing then I also apologize. Now how about we let this thread get back to what it is really about. If you have anything you would like to further discuss send me a private message.

Bold will hold my friend. But you're probably right. They probably shouldn't use a lot of black either. Shaky lines will never really be my thing though.

Twelve posts in and you are trying to start a fight with someone that has been on this forum since the beginning. I suggest that you start to really educate yourself on tattoos and tattooing before you go around using cliches that you don't really understand. That is all I will say to you on this subject. Good Luck my friend. You are off to a wonderful start.

If your thing is traditional, this comment is almost laughable.

I guess you're one of those guys that thinks that every traditional tattoo needs lines as thick as your femur. Come back in a year or two and let me know what trend you are into then.

I saw this thing on late night cable tv maybe ten years ago or longer. When I saw it I had no idea if it was real or not. I'm glad you posted this. It still cracks me up.

You should probably go down to Olympia and see Marco Hernandez at Lit Fuse. He is mostly known for his Black and Grey work, but he can do pretty much anything. He has been tattooing for a long time, and he is really good at fixing up and adding on to tattoos that people are not happy with. He travels a lot so I recommend calling to see if he is around before you drive down, but he will be worth whatever time it takes to get tattooed by him.

Atlas does all walk-ins on Sundays.

I'm glad to see a thread about money come up on here, and stay on track with reasonable questions and reasonable answers. We have always avoided the topic, but it is a big part of getting tattooed, and new people come here to educate themselves on all aspects of tattooing. I think we have avoided it for so long because we didn't want it to turn into a big gossip thread about what specific tattooers charge. I personally have never asked ahead of time about the price, but I do think it is a good idea. Especially if you are new to getting tattooed. The ones of us that have been getting tattooed for a decade or more usually have some idea of what we might get charged. Even though we don't talk about it on open public forums we do share this type of information privately. When you are travelling across the country or across the world to get tattooed by someone you have never met before it is a huge help to have friends that have been tattooed by them. They let you know what to expect when you get there. Where to get a good pre-tattoo meal and post-tattoo drink, where the closest ATM is, how fast or slow the tattooer is, and what to expect on the money side. If you don't have friends like that as a resource then you need to talk about the price beforehand no matter how uncomfortable it makes you. I honestly believe that most really good tattooers are very fair with their pricing. That has been my experience over the last twelve years, but I also know that there are a few famous tattooers out there that charge ridiculous prices, and a couple of my friends found out the hard way. It sucks when that happens because it can really sour a person on getting tattooed.

April 15th, back in the saddle with Greg after I had to cancel my last appointment due to illness. Then, on May 4th, Dan Gilsdorf. :O

You booked in with Dan. Can't wait to see what you get.

Edmonton! For 1 day! That's all I know! He is going to Arizona after this and then Canada. I know that he told me when, I just can't remember!!!! I'm so sorry - tattoo brain made me spacey.

I think today is his last day at DC - maybe give them a call and find out? I said "I know someone in Canada (from the internet) who wants to get tattooed by you," and he said that wherever he's going, the shop owner said there were a couple of people who wanted to talk to him about his next visit there.

He's gonna be in AZ for a few days so you might try hitting him up on instagram or something to see exactly where he's gonna be.

@ironchef you FLATTER me!

Thanks for the information.

@bongsau - Shad is super nice, and SO FAST! We got that snake done in 4 HOURS! 4!!!! Outline, shading, color!!! He does use bactine, as you mentioned, and that helps so much. He said he is going to be up in Canada, so I hope you get in to see him!

This was a really painful session, all in all. The upper back is like hot fire. Not fun! I am so stoked to get to this point in my tattoo, though, and I can't wait to continue the collaboration. We were talking about a dragon on the rest of the back of my legs looking up at the snakes. !!!!

Anyway, for those who might have missed it on IG, here is my new snake!

Did he say when and where he will be in Canada?

@hogg I really love @Eilin's girl head with the black cats. For some reason I have never wanted a girl head... but I do find them beautiful. Hmmmmmmmm. I've been wrong before. We met Quan Nguyen at boxing last week, and this is what has put the idea of a CC tattoo back into the forefront of my mind. Quan is a great guy with some beautiful tattoos!

Get anything by him. If you pass up the opportunity you will mad in a couple of years when he isn't tattooing again

@Avery Taylor,

Thanks for the information. Indeed that is the problem. :) I am trying to make it right...

I am not trying to be dramatic and I apologize if I came across that way... Just expressing my take on it.

No harm intended.

Thanks again.

No harm man. You seem like a nice guy who is trying to do the right thing. You have committed yourself to a huge endeavour and you are trying to make good on it. I hope you get it sorted out, and get all of the work done. In the end it will be worth all of the hassle.

I understand your point. And yes due to work, If I don't schedule the time with work I will have this problem... Shit now days you even have to make an appointment to talk to an artist for 15 Min about the work you need done. For some of us with dependents in life this becomes a bit difficult.Specially when the drive is one hour and forty five minutes to get there.... But I do my part and do what I have to do to get quality work...

I tell you this though I am not going to take a day off from work to drive 1hr and 45min to talk to an artist for 15 min... I dont have that luxury... so I have to play it by ear... Thus why I have had those issues. But do understand that I have never done a no call no show... I keep communicating... and I am sure the artist looses nothing for those 15min... Most of the time they are doing work while talking to you which has been my experience...

Now if I schedule the time with the artist and the day falls under my work day, I take the day off from work.... This way I have no problems... Which I have done.... Not ethical but hey you do what you got's to do :p

Flake out... I beg to differ.... I gave a 100 dollars deposit you bet I am going to be there. I am 200 in now so trust me ill be there and I am doing everything possible to keep the artist happy.

I am a bit shock really.... Getting tattooed has become a life style that you have to adjust too.... You are no longer a customer, You are a possible fitting candidate for an artist to accept you.

Do something wrong and you get branded in the "community".

At least this is what I am starting to understand.

That is a bit of a dramatic take on @Graeme post. All he is saying is that (just like in any other facet of life) you want to keep your reputation strong, and be respectful of other peoples time. There is nothing wrong with changing appointment with proper notice. But if you make a habit of it then you should expect the tattooers to be annoyed. For every sleeve or back piece you see finished on the internet there are 20 that were not. I think the real problem here is that you are getting a sleeve and a back piece done at the same time. Either one of them is an incredible time and money commitment, and you are doing both at the same time.

If you want some good advice you will need to post some photos. There are plenty of people walking around with a mix of Japanese, Traditional, and Blackwork. I feel like I see more when I am looking at photos from Europe, and London more specifically. The guys at Into You in London seem to have clients with a lot of this mixed type of work. I'm with @Graeme that blacking out your arm sounds drastic with just a tricep tattoo that is bugging you, but I can't say for sure until I can see what it all looks like.

you just need a few more posts to start a thread... say hi to some folks or join a conversation. ;)

this link will help you for your future local needs... http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/3532-shops-pacific-northwest.html

listen to @Avery Taylor

go hawks!

Thanks for the shout out. I hope you are doing well.

Thanks all for the replies. I don't see anyone voting for Horiryu I. I will take a look at all the suggestions. Trying to stay within 3 to 4 hours drive time from Seattle.

If you are looking for Japanese tattooing that is a three hour drive from Seattle I have two suggestions. Chad Woodley tattoos in Vancouver BC. He doesn't post a lot of tattoos, but his Japanese stuff is as good as you will find in western Canada. Jason Kundell is in Portland Oregon, and he is as good as it gets. His style isn't exactly what I think you are talking about when you say bold Japanese tattooing, but it is definitely bold Japanese tattooing. Just maybe not as traditional as you have in mind. You also have Jim Rosal in Yakima, and Bo Mcconaghie who tattoos somewhere right outside of Seattle. Having a Hori attached to your name doesn't necessarily make you a good Japanese style tattooer. Nothing against Horiyru. I am familiar with his work, but it isn't something that I am into. It is all a matter of taste so if you like his stuff don't worry about what anyone else thinks.