rads

That's great, two appointments - ouch, are they both on the same day?

Now that we are in February is it acceptable to start looking forward to Brighton Tattoo Convention?! I've got an appointment with Steve Byrne, so that's going to be awesome! Has anyone else got appointments sorted out yet?

Mega excited that I have managed to get an appointment with Steve Byrne at the Brighton Convention next year! I'm normally not quick enough off of the mark with things like this but I was up at 5am feeding our bambino, saw his IG post and jumped on it without really thinking too much!

Managed to sneak in a small appointment with Paul Dobleman later on this afternoon :-) a little banner with my sons name, to celebrate 5 weeks of having him in our life's! Looking forward to plenty more sleepless nights to come!

I'm going on the Sunday, I can't wait to see the Ed Hardy Exhibition. I'm trying to decide if I should try and get tattooed or not, I'm trying to save for my back piece which I started saving for last year before I fell pregnant. We had our son 1 month ago (the most amazing thing I've ever done in my life) but I last got tattooed by Bert Krak roughly 1 year ago so the temptation to cave in and get a little something is strong!!

@Shaggy @misterJ, Thanks for taking the time to offer some advice, it's much appreciated :-)

I'm planning on mentioning a back piece next time I'm getting tattooed and take it from there. I don't want to be a customer that messes people around so want to make sure I can commit to regular sessions etc

Hopefully this time next year I might be posting some progress shots

Thanks again for the advice :-)

This is such a brilliant thread, definitely one of my favourites. I'm thinking about a back piece myself. Unfortunately the tattoo fund was well and truly emptied at the London Tattoo Convention this year. My plan is to become a hermit for the next 6 months or so and save as much as I can, so hopefully I can start thinking about making plans mid way through 2015.

Does anyone have any advice about the best way to go about getting the ball rolling with a back piece?

Is it better to speak to your tattooer well in advance about possible ideas? I have two tattoos on my lower back, both roughly palm size, which may throw a spanner in the works - I didn't want to get 6 months down the line with a certain idea in my head only to find it's totally not do-able. At the same time I know how valuable a tattooer's time is and I don't want to stroll in and start pestering him about a back piece that could be at least 6 months away if not more?

What do you guys think?

mega excited to be able to say that I have an appointment with Valerie Vargas tomorrow, managed to bag a cancellation :-)

Not sure if Next is just a shop that we have in the UK but they are selling really nice harem pants, not the scary MC Hammer style, I've just had my knees tattooed and they have been a life saver.

Tattoo Life and Somerset House are running an Exhibition called Time Tattoo Art Today from the 3rd July - 5th October. Looks like it will be great, roll on July!

Thanks @Daggboy, I've just seen a tweet from the London Tattoo Convention that confirms the exhibition will run from July - October.

I'll have a look at that thread now @irezumi, probably should have looked there first!

I have a Pharaoh's Horses and a Rock of Ages, both on my thighs.

Ahhh, so jealous I bet they are awesome!! A Pharoh's Horses is definitely on my list. ROA is one my favourite traditional tattoos, can't beat them! I've just realised I'm derailing the thread a bit so I'm going to shut up / stop typing now.

Fantastic! But that's not surprising, considering the source. I have two tattoos from Paul that I absolutely love. Doesn't hurt that he's a great guy, too.

Thanks, I have another tattoo from Paul too, hopefully I'll manage to get tattooed by him again at the London Convention. He does seem like a really nice guy. What pieces do you have from Paul?

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Thanks very much @Zillah :D

I'm always amazed by the awesome tattoos that are posted in this thread, I thought I'd have a go myself. Apologies for flashing so much of my underwear.

This was done by Paul Dobleman while doing a guest spot at Frith Street.

I'm halfway through the catalogue and my mind has been blown, it's so much more than I expected. If any one is thinking about ordering but hasn't done it yet - hurry up and do it!

@RoryQ stay for the Saturday as well!

Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to make sure I get there as early as possible, I think I'm going to get tickets for the whole thing that way I can ways come back and try again if I'm not quick enough the first day.

It's never to early to be thinking about the London Tattoo Convention! I haven't got anything set up yet but I'm going to try and grab a walk up with one of the Smith Street guys if possible

Has anyone heard anything about an Exhibition at Somerset House in London? Through the powers of IG I saw that a couple of tattooers had posted sneak peaks of work that they are submitting for an Exhibition later in the year. I was wondering if any fellow LST'ers had heard anything? I've signed up to the Somerset House Newsletter so fingers crossed there will be some kind of update soon.

After seeing so many snippets of Exhibitions being posted on IG going on in other places it will be awesome to have something happening so close to home. On the plus side to keep me going whilst I'm waiting for any news on the Somerset House exhibition I've just had a card from the postman letting me know I have a parcel to collect from the Post Office - fingers crossed it's the Perseverance Exhibition Catalogue

I had a Rock Of Ages done on my calf last week by Stewart Robson, which I'm so in love with. And I've also managed to book an appointment with Paul Dobleman whilst he's guesting at Frith Street in March, decided to go for a peacock and crescent moon. February is going to drag by!

Yep, what @suburbanxcore said!

Fingers crossed I'll be heading to Frith Street this weekend to book an appointment for the new year. Think I'm going for a Rock Of Ages on the back of my calf :-)

Such a good question @mmikaoj.

The rate I get tattooed at is definitely controlled by money (and a teeny tiny bit by my husbands hate for tattoos but that's a whole other story) In an ideal world I'd cut every financial corner possible to give myself more money to get tattooed with but having to be cautious with money does have it's advantages. I haven't been getting tattooed for very long but I definitely feel my tastes are changing as my confidence grows and dare I say knowledge? I use the word knowledge in the loosest sense of the term but I have been lucky enough to get tattooed by some awesome people who have pointed me in the right direction and I am so thankful for that.

I've been working on getting my legs tattooed this year and I think I'll carry on down that path for a little longer although I'm starting to think I want to move on to a half sleeve at some point soon and as for the more painful spots, they can wait till last!

I'm currently saving a spot on my thigh but apart from that I have plenty of space and a few ideas to keep me going until I get that sorted. I think I lean more towards getting something as and when I decide I want and I don't think too much about what might be around in years to come - don't know whats round the corner so i might not be here to worry about it, although the speed I'm going at I don't think lack of space will ever be a problem!

I've definitely got post convention blues! It was my first ever convention so it was a lot to take in all in one day. How did it compare to other years,for those of you that have been before?

I couldn't believe how busy it was.

I'm looking forward to next year already! I had an appointment with Paul Dobleman on the Saturday and I really can't say enough great things about him not just that he is obviously super talented but how great he was throughout my whole appointment. He hadn't stopped all day but he really didn't let it show he was friendly and chatty for the whole time even though he had barely had time to stop and eat.

Hats off to all of the fantastic tattooers and people behind the scenes that made it so great, I can't believe how hard everyone works. It really made it an amazing experience.

Are you on IG. We are meeting up with some other LSTers.

Send me your IG name and we will send you a message.