joakim urma

My girlfriend surprised me this morning with a birthday appointment with Morten Transeth! Great gift

I got this incredible panther and snake by Valerie Vargas earlier this week
https://www.instagram.com/p/BBn6dIQkHUa/?taken-by=valeriemodernclassic

Cool! I´m getting tattooed by him February 20th, but not in Oslo.
Going to Austin, Tx on vacation in April and will of course pick up some souvenirs by some of my very favorite tattooers
Jason Brooks & Ben Siebert -both April 29th. Inner thigh filler from Brooks and a small oni head filler in my ditch from Siebert.
Chris Trevino - May 2nd, six hour session on my knee (!!?). Getting a Emma, King of hell

that should ring a bell. if not, check it out, it's great!
Marcus Kuhn's - The Gypsy Gentlemen - Home

Looks like I have an appointment with Marcus Kuhn in Eindhoven in March!
I'm over there for my stag/bachelor's party and supposed to be flying home the Sunday morning but I chanced my arm to see if Marcus could take me on Sunday - he said he could so looks like I'm flying home on the Monday instead!
Gonna get a start on my chest with a badass eagle

Getting tattooed by Marius Meyer in february. First time visiting Olso in six years, it's going to be fun I hope. Trying to get something from Tony Nilsson to during the same trip.
Who's ready to hang out with me/host me @Iwar @Wilhell? ;)

Just keep getting more tattoos while you enjoy it. When you don't enjoy it, stop. As @bongsau wrote: you have to be really full before you are really full!

Wow, just finished reading this thread from start to finish. First things, there are some truly eloquent opinions on here, and I'm really impressed that there has been so much in the way of disagreement and debate handled in a proper grown up way..... Surely it is a rariety indeed to find an online discussion which features strong opinions that has not degraded into name calling or worse. I kept thinking I wish some of those people who judge the heavily tattooed as stupid could read some of these posts!
Secondly, my humble opinion is that there is a distinct difference between seeking out a tattooer solely because they are a well known name and doing so because they do solid, beautiful work that appeals to you (and they're well known). I'm very lucky to have been tattooed by some well known tattooists, but every single one of them I have chosen because it is their work that speaks to me first and foremost. I'm also extremely lucky to have had lovely, positive experiences with those guys, so much so that I've been back for more! A tattoo is so much more than the image you're left with. I pride myself on my collection, but have been known to be tattooed by people I've never heard of because I got good vibes from them. Last year at Brighton I got tattooed on whim by Stewart OC (who was then at Prick, London) because I walked by his booth, we got talking and just got on. I thought, I want this guy to have my money! I'd just started my apprenticeship and he was so lovely, offering advice etc.
And last of all, as a tattooer myself, someone who is constantly working on improving, putting the best tattoo I can on (not just thinking about that instagram photo!), I do come across customers who clearly only want to be tattooed by certain people because they have a 'name', like it's more important to have been touched by those people than for them to have a good tattoo. That definitely irks me! Sometimes I think that comes from ignorance and the assumption that just because you've heard of someone that they MUST be better than someone you haven't heard of. But as as an anyone who has a 'hidden gem' in their local shop knows, that's not always the case!

@SStu
That's a cool one. But DAMN! I love that Robert Ryan piece next to it. Love it

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

@SStu
That's a cool one. But DAMN! I love that Robert Ryan piece next to it. Love it

Neat thread to revisit. I haven't really changed my attitude since I first posted on here, though I have a lot more coverage than when I first posted. I'm about 45% covered now so I still have plenty of space, but it's enough that running out of space seems like a distinct possibility especially because I've only been getting tattooed for about five years. I have a young child now so that has forced me to slow down and it may somewhat limit the possibility for traveling for tattoos. I'm also much pickier than I was: when I was first getting tattooed I was overwhelmed by how many people there are making great tattoos and I wanted to get something from all of them. I'm looking for something else now, and the experience of getting the tattoo, of getting tattooed by the right people is almost more important than the tattoo itself. Consequently, my list of "musts" is much shorter than it was.
A couple of years of experience has also made getting tattooed into almost a duty. I'm committed to heavy coverage which is going to mean that the spots that are going to totally suck need to be tattooed so I kind of just want to get them over with so I don't have to dread them as much as I do.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

by Nathan Kemmerer -

It's been almost three years since I started this thread so I think I'm allowed to post an update :) Thank you @marley mission for breathing new life into it
When I wrote the OP I was really happy to finally be able to get tattooed a lot. Money was not an obstacle for the first time since ever. I think I probably got 10+ palm sized tattoos in 2013. Since then I slowed down significantly. Except for two tattooers that I'm interested in I'm done "collecting" from artists in Sweden. Now I'm waiting for guests artists to come by, for the yearly London Convention or I plan trips abroad to get tattooed.
Having to plan a trip and spend more in order to get work from the tattooers that I love is the best way to slow down. I still keep a list with 10+ ideas with placement and artists names of the tattoos I plan to get but since time passes, my taste slightly shifts and new names pop up. I keep revising the list every now and then. Right now I'm contemplating who I want to get a japanese dragon from and also planning a US trip for the fall when I hope to squeeze in maybe five tattoos that I've been waiting for a long time. Really happy with the slowed down pace as I can see how my taste in tattoos continue to change and mature, even looking back 12 months I can see a huge difference.
I'm focusing on getting the worst spots done. Not that it really matters or make me any better of a human being but for my own sense of pride I'd like to get as far into full body coverage as possible before resorting to using numbing creams. Right now I try to make plans to finish the ribs, stomach, second armpit and feet. After that I should have no problem even after the pain tolerance drops. I wrote in my OP that I wanted to save my back until I turned thirty. People who follow my posts here and on instagram all ready know it turned out differently. I finished my back last year at 28 years of age, in five sessions spaced out over 9 months.
I'm trying not to rush my ideas, instead I save some skin for future tattooers. Having a growing list of 10-15 ideas of things I know I want to get makes it easy to focus on making those ideas reality. The areas who are still unplanned can remain blank for many years ahead before I catch up with the list. I've got the inside of my underarms empty still and also some sizeable areas here and there on the legs and torso. I only recently started to appriciate bigger coherent pieces with background and large readable motifs. But since I started getting palm sized tattoos spaced out all over my body I don't have any larger areas left to cover. A bit of a bummer but nothing I lose sleep over.

I have a different take on this. First, it's a free country and you can do whatever you feel comfortable with in regards to this.
My experience with getting tattooed at a convention is that I didn't really care for the children staring at me while I was getting a naked pinup tattoo on the inside of my thigh. Couple that with the weird positions that the male artist had to get into to do the tattoo on me (female) and it was just weird. I know that no one was doing anything wrong but I wouldn't choose to have children watching while a man is working between my legs.
Hindsight is 20/20; I won't choose a tattoo with adult subject matter or in an intimate place if I ever get a tattoo at a convention again.

I agree that you'll probably be ok. I've only been to two conventions (both Montreal), and there would almost certainly be enough to keep kids interested (6yo for sure, depends on the 3yo but you know your kids best). Taxidermy stuff, art, tattooing, music, etc.
There's no way your kids will be more of a distraction to artists than the general loudness of the convention.

I think it's fine, and there have been children at the conventions I've been to. My son is almost five months old so he hasn't been to any yet, but we're totally going to bring him along to conventions. He's been to the shop a few times so far. Kids are fascinated by tattoos, so I'm sure there will be enough there to keep them interested for a while.