abees

Panthers and roses is an unbeatable combo.

I've just had a dream for the second time. I'm going around London on a bus, going to the well known shops we all know of. Except they aren't in the same place, they look completely different, and none of the same people work there. So I then get back on the bus and go to another one, and the same thing happens.
I remember another dream from ages ago, I think it was that I was booked in with someone who I've been tattooed by, at somewhere they work.. Except again it was a totally different city than the shop's actually in, and it looked different, etc.. Anyway, I showed up, said I had an appointment with said person, they said he wasn't there, but someone else would do it.
I said "no thanks" but they forced me to get it, I can't remember what the tattoo was, but it seemed quite terrifying during the dream.

Hello,
I have been a lurker of this website for some time now and decided to join as a member. I have approximately 40 hours of tattoo work on myself. Notable artists I've had work from are Mark Stewart, Tim Gillman, and Paul Sorcigli. I am scheduled to get my chest piece started on March 14th, from Virginia Elwood. I love bright and bold traditional tattoos and reading about the history of tattooing.

Starting my back with Alex Binnie in May (snake and maple leaves, possibly with japanese calligraphy). My experience so far is speaking to him briefly about what I'd like (just before getting tattooed by Duncan), then going back a month later so he could draw a rough idea on my back, etc.

Starting my back with Alex Binnie in May (snake and maple leaves, possibly with japanese calligraphy). My experience so far is speaking to him briefly about what I'd like (just before getting tattooed by Duncan), then going back a month later so he could draw a rough idea on my back, etc.

I hope you're going to keep us updated with pictures.

Starting my back with Alex Binnie in May (snake and maple leaves, possibly with japanese calligraphy). My experience so far is speaking to him briefly about what I'd like (just before getting tattooed by Duncan), then going back a month later so he could draw a rough idea on my back, etc.

My first tattoo was done in the consummate walk-in shop, S&W Tattooing in Amityville, NY. Flash all over the walls and you ordered it by letter and number. That "hot stuff" devil may have been an "A7" for all I know and they blew them out probably at least one a day for $25 each. The place jumped on a Friday and Saturday night, people lined up out the door waiting. Once you were in, you were on your way in 20 minutes. I don't recall them doing any bigger work, although the flash was there. We were in awe that a tattoo may cost over $100 and more than 1 session to complete it was unheard of.
I like to see shops with flash, it gives the impulsive customer something to look at and they make a decision quickly. For me it brings me back to the shops of 1975. I also like flash to give me ideas on what I like.
Some shops do have a dedicated walk-in day, which is cool. No appointment just stroll in and sit in the chair once something is picked out. Again, it takes me back a few decades. People were different then, most would dig up the $30-40 for one tattoo and get it done. Some stopped right there, some became festooned with postage-stamp sized tattoos. Why save up and get one good $200 tattoo when you can get 5 little ones, 1 every pay day?

I think if I was to start over knowing what I know know and was tougher than I actually am (or at least wanted to give that impression) I would get a Curly body suit. Hands down the toughest look in tattoos. I love that heavy British tribal thing.

Great suggestions here. Add Matt Black to the list, too, please.

What about jondix deffinatly covers black and grey patterns

Oh yeah, Curly. I can't believe I forgot to mention him!

Just go to Into You in London. I think they can cover that. Although there are sooooo many good shops.

I would agree with Into You. Specifically Tomas Tomas, by the sounds of it.
Also Maxime at Sang Bleu. Curly at Lionel's in Oxford.
Instagram -
tomastomas108
curlytattoo
mxmttt

I would agree with Into You. Specifically Tomas Tomas, by the sounds of it.
Also Maxime at Sang Bleu. Curly at Lionel's in Oxford.
Instagram -
tomastomas108
curlytattoo
mxmttt

I would agree with Into You. Specifically Tomas Tomas, by the sounds of it.
Also Maxime at Sang Bleu. Curly at Lionel's in Oxford.
Instagram -
tomastomas108
curlytattoo
mxmttt

Resurrecting this thread.
I've been told a couple of times by friends and a tattooer that I respect that I may be going too fast. I've thought about slowing down. But for what?
I've also had a tattooer tell me to get tattooed while I'm young, because they hurt more when you're older. I've also had a tattooer tell me to just get them whenever I feel like it and have the resources to do so. I kind of want to finish ASAP so I can move on to Ross Hogg status and just buy prints because of the lack of real estate left.
I've also had a good talk with Kimmy Beeeeee about slowing down, that way all my tattoos aren't from the same "era", so to speak. As time goes on, I'm sure my taste in tattoos will change.
Thoughts?

Was just sent the reprint of Higgs's Book of Antennae. Red eyes instead of green, otherwise pretty much samesame.

These videos changed my life. After I saw the Santoro episodes, I booked a plane ticket to Brooklyn. And this was before I saw the Freddy episodes. Had I seen the Freddy episodes first, I would have saved money on a plane ticket, haha.
I hope to see more in the future. I cannot thank Chris Grosso and his crew enough.

@KBeee Once upon a time, many moons ago, I decided I wanted a back piece in the Japanese style.
I found an artist who I thought I wanted to work with here in Seattle - he drew some beautiful stuff for me, but (in my opinion) dicked me around quite a bit, and I eventually felt so uncomfortable with this guy that I forfeited my considerable deposit and decided to start from scratch.
One thing he said that stuck with me was that Japanese tattoos could be layered on piece by piece, and that I could start with just my arm and not a full body outline. I didn't understand how things were put together then - not that I claim to understand it now, but I have a better idea of what I'm looking at. I knew I wanted an orange peony on one of my flanks no matter what though. (why that was so clear i will never know lol)
I was regularly visiting a friend in Oakland at the time, so I figured I'd just make my trips that much more fun by getting tattooed! And then I started learning about San Francisco tattoo culture and whoa. WHOA. All the reading and researching I'd done over the years sorta clicked and I recognized names and work and styles and it was awesome. Through all that, Diamond Club Tattoo kept showing up.
Purely because the name kept blinking in my memory lights and showing up in my reading material, I decided to look at Diamond Club a little more closely. I liked what I was reading, and then I somehow found an article - I mean, I was digging DEEP through the internet, all sorts of sideways searches and whatnot, so I really am not sure how I got there - but I found an article in galley pages on the author's personal tumblr page about Diamond Club, and the content of the article basically sealed the deal. (It was for the Nov 2012 Skin and Ink mag I believe). (This was Sept! The mag wasn't even out yet!)
In the article, Bill and Junii discuss their passion for the craft, how they are just beginning to build their legacy, how they like to stick to positive images and motifs, and how their shop is like a family. I really like this vibe, so this stuck out in particular to me.
They discuss their history and how they met, and I was struck by this woman who had a full fucking bodysuit in Japan in the 80s!!! Who was brave enough to move to a new country! Who had so much passion for tattooing that she kept trying even after she was repeatedly told that women do not tattoo! I wanted to be tattooed by this badass.
And THEN - in the years I had spent researching back pieces and saving images to an inspiration file, one in particular kept coming up. And in this article, there was the same picture! IT WAS JUNII!! When I found out that the image I had so long admired actually belonged on a living BADASS who could, in fact, also tattoo me, I sort of lost it.
I called the next day and made an appointment to get a peony on my left flank. I hadn't been tattooed in too long, and I just wanted to get started, and this crazy thing had just happened (crazy for me anyway - it was like years of pieces of a puzzle finally falling into a sudden, jarring, crystal clear place) and so that's how I found Diamond Club. (IT JUST FELT RIGHT ;P.) I kept going back, and we kept adding pieces, and that's pretty much it!
I found LST right after that, actually. So it sort of worked out in ALL ways for me :)))).
Like you said, the more time spent seeing everyone's work and how lovely they are eventually sucks you in and ruins you for most anyone else! (MOST anyone, but certainly not everyone!). DC was just a super good fit for me. Right place, right time!

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

Ordered some electronic drums so I can actually have more time to practice in my apartment, which I'm very excited about!
These guys will be going back into their cases for now!

There was that time in November where we decided to say screw it and get married a year early, in a public park, with 9 guests.

I think @AverageJer posted a picture of a Sailor Jerry fish he got a couple days ago? I hadn't been on here recently and wound up getting a similar tattoo on Saturday. It's from Rollo flash tweaked by Josh Arment at the Aloha Monkey. You guys, I can't begin to do justice to how cool everyone at this shop is. After some very, very embarrassing last-minute indecision I went back to the first thing that had caught my eye on the wall (and learned a lesson about not overthinking things). Sorry about the picture quality.

It just spells "management material"....