DJDeepFried

I knew almost nothing about tattoos when I joined LST and now I know a little more. I'm sincerely grateful for the fascinating discussions and deeper insights -- not to mention the abundance of kick-ass tattoo pics the board has provided. But if ALL this forum did was help folks to find out "how to get a good tattoo" -- that's huge in and of itself. I see almost nothing but crappy tattoos out there among the general public. If LST can steer some people away from hacks and scratchers and show 'em that there's more to consider when choosing a tattooer than just the price... Well, that's a valuable community service right there. I figure many of the great artists on here don't have any problem finding new customers. But if regular folks were just a little more educated and knowledgeable about tattoos, it's got to be good for the community as a whole -- and spare the rest of us from looking at eyesores like no-outline blobs and upside-down script. Guy at the hardware store the other day was admiring my work, asked me where I got it (and how much I paid for it) and wanted a recommendation for a good shop in the L.A. area. I asked him what style he was into -- traditional, Japanese, black & gray -- and he looked at me like I was speaking French. I should've just told him to join the board and look around a bit, and now I'm kicking myself that I didn't.

Thanks, @Stewart Robson! Good to know. Congrats on your inclusion in the show. You're in some very good company.

All my faves are mentioned here except Unfictional. New Joe Frank stories for first time in ten years.

Can't wait. Hey, @Stewart Robson -- any chance of you coming out to L.A. for it? I'd love to get tattooed by you!

Maybe this is why: "Horiyoshi III FYI as of April 2009- i am no longer an apprentice of Horiyoshi III i and my shop have absolutely nothing to do with Horiyoshi III i wish him continued success and the best for the future that is all i have to say about it sincerely, Takahiro Kitamura Horitaka State of Grace" Horiyoshi III by taki/horitaka on Myspace

Well that was ten minutes of my life I won't get back.

Used to be able to pick up Pendletons at the thrift store for like $5-15 bucks. Those days are long gone, but I still have at least three in my closet. What I like most is the square cut bottoms. The only downside of Pendletons is a) moth holes b) itchy (though not as bad as most wool).

This thread has already turned me on to some unfamiliar names. Always stoked for a chance to look at more great Japanese work. So thanks, guys! I guess the point I was getting at is that there's a distinction between the pure aesthetics of what makes a traditional Japanese tattoo, and other, maybe unseen factors -- who so and so trained with, how they see themselves within the culture, etc. What's interesting to me is how this debate doesn't seem to come up as much when we're talking about traditional American/European (as far as I know). Maybe it's because American culture isn't as strict or rigid as Japanese society is in some ways. Or because American culture is less steeped in tradition and all about the "next big thing." There's also maybe a spiritual/religious aspect of Japanese tattooing that doesn't apply with Western tattooing. There are plenty of artists out there whose work seems rooted in old flash, but no one seems to care or complain if you decide to draw a ship different from Sailor Jerry did or whatever (unless you f*ck up the mast/rigging which is a whole different thing). Of course I could be totally wrong. :)

Me.

Thanks @kylegrey & @CaptCanada. That all makes sense. I guess I was TLTG (too lazy to Google). Back to the point. @Brock Varty. By that definition, I don't know of anyone beside Alex Reinke/Horikitsune (and maybe Matti Sedholm/Horimatsu) because he apprenticed with H3, but I'd like to know more. Having read this blog especially: Not Tiring of Defeat Leads to Victory it seems like there's a spiritual component to it as well -- plus some other restrictions, like only doing traditional Japanese work, working for only 2-3 hours at a time, and doing tebori (but not always). I think of it a little bit like Asian fusion cuisine vs. going to an "authentic" sushi bar. One isn't necessarily better than the other, but a real connoisseur should be able to tell the difference. Which I guess means that the '90s style blue water/angry penis koi tattoos @Lance is talking about is the equivalent of a California roll with mayo. (OK, now I'm hungry.)

@kylegrey, haven't read the book, just the screenplay for the TOKYO VICE movie that's in development (could be a good one!), and that detail really jumped out at me. That didn't seem right to me -- that a full body suit can block the sweat glands -- but couldn't get a definitive answer from the internet. Do you know for sure that's not the case? I think maybe it got mixed up with the Buddhist notion that you don't tattoo the armpit because that that's where the soul exits the body, but that could be more internet B.S. as well, I don't know.

Now I want that book, @kylegrey! I thought this article was really interesting -- particularly the part where he calls the Horiyoshi III drawing "heavily influenced by Western tattooing, and did not have the authentic character that I was looking for." In Search of a Traditional Japanese Tattoo Totally challenges what I've been thinking of as a "traditional Japanese tattoo." As another example, I never really thought of Kiku as strictly traditional because his style seems so distinctive and different than a lot of recent Japanese work I've seen, but by that metric, maybe his stuff is more old-school traditional than most? KiKU - Tattoos

Again -- not an artist, not fishing for technical stuff, and I def don't want to break any board rules. Just really into looking at Japanese-style tattoos and plotting my next big piece. I follow caliseowin and his awesome library of Japanese prints on Instagram -- and now that you can look at IG on the computer instead of a tiny phone screen, I can see way more details. My understanding is that it all goes back the woodblocks, and that's why say water or a cherry blossom is depicted in a certain way. But obviously there's way more to it than that. And yes, this should be it's own thread.

I'm super interested in this stuff too. @Dhopper, when you say ratios, do you mean: "one third black, one third color, one third skin" -- cos that's something I've heard, but I guess it doesn't just apply to Japanese. I love Shige's work, but his tattoos are so dense, there's barely any skin showing -- so does that make his style less "traditional?" I'm not a tattoo artist, just trying to soak up knowledge wherever I can find it.

So here's Colin Kaepernick's tattoo artist who's getting tons of free publicity. I'd say not terrible, but pretty mediocre. What say you? Nes Andrion | Stain Tattoo

Congrats, @phickey! That is some beautiful work and a powerful tattoo. I myself am pretty stoked to have come in (a very distant) second. Guess I'll have to try for that T-shirt with the next one!

Ditto.

Things do go in phases, but I only see tattoos gaining in popularity and becoming more mainstream for good or ill. There might be a time when it's considered "cool" to have no tattoos at all, but no one can be cool forever -- except for maybe Keith Richards, William S. Burroughs. and I may as well add Thom deVita to that list.

Think I'll pick up one a these bad boys for $35. Deal of the Day | A Sale a Day | Daily Deals at MidnightBox.com I've never tattooed before but how hard could it be? I'm pretty good at Draw Something. Anyone wanna come over? I'll do a kickass panther on ya for a six pack. Even wipe down the kitchen table for ya with some Windex.

No big deal, @Dan S. I don't disagree w/ you -- just trying to stir the pot a little. Was actually referring to this thread: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/3303-how-do-you-feel-about-tattoo-blogs.html Seems like a lot of people are recently up in arms about the way Native Americans are depicted in pop culture (e.g., the Braves/Indians/Redskins, No Doubt pulling their video, etc.). I am not one of them as I am not Native American myself, but I get it. In terms of tattoos, I've seen some beautiful Indian and gypsy heads based on classic flash -- that are a part of Americana more than anything else -- which I don't find offensive in the least. At the same time, I can understand why some other people might be offended based on a long history of oppression and blah-blah-blah. My take on it is: people have a right to free speech, which means complain all you want -- but you don't have a right not to be offended. There's got to be a balance in there somewhere between the "PC police" and trying to be respectful of other cultures (i.e., not being a dick in general).

Not the worst I've seen. Bit racist tho. (See other thread for debate on Native American tattoos.)

Seems like there's a book to be published or a documentary to be made.

Thanks, @Stewart Robson. That didn't occur to me about the different regions and time periods, but of course that makes sense. I wonder if there's a book or some other resource that lays this all out. I've found a handful of interviews from some well-known Japanese tattooers online but nothing too in-depth or definitive on the subject. Unless this is the type of thing that only tattoo artists know and mostly share among themselves (kinda like an oral tradition). For instance, when I was reading up about koi fish tattoos -- up or down, meanings of both, what flowers pair with what, etc. -- there were some conflicting opinions and debates on different forums.

There's this too: According to Victoria’s Secret, There is No November | The Interrobang

While we're defending critink (wait -- are we?) I do think her rant on whether or not Indian/Native American tattoos are racist makes a valid point. Not one that I necessarily agree with, but I have to say that if the ethnic group in question -- that being Native Americans -- are offended then maybe there's something to it. @TrixieFaux & I have been talking about this recently -- particularly in the wake of the Atlanta Braves debacle: MLB Teams Are Getting New Batting Practice Hats. Some Of Them Are Neat. One Of Them Features A Screaming Indian and the No Doubt thing: No Doubt's Native American video: why it wasn't looking hot | Music | The Guardian. Just saying that it's not quite fair to dismiss her views as "retarded" as there a lot of people who feel the same way.