keepcalm

I met @mmikaoj this week in Stockholm! He hosted me for a night as a couchsurfer, and I got to enjoy an amazing dinner with him and all of his housemates, too! Very fun and generous folks, all of them. AND I got to see all the art he has hanging around, and the art he is making himself! A stand-up guy, this one (and talented).
Thank you again for the hospitality and for being awesome, @mmikaoj! :) Hope to see you again soon -- either back in Sweden or in the States! (wink nudge)

I met @mmikaoj this week in Stockholm! He hosted me for a night as a couchsurfer, and I got to enjoy an amazing dinner with him and all of his housemates, too! Very fun and generous folks, all of them. AND I got to see all the art he has hanging around, and the art he is making himself! A stand-up guy, this one (and talented).
Thank you again for the hospitality and for being awesome, @mmikaoj! :) Hope to see you again soon -- either back in Sweden or in the States! (wink nudge)

I met @mmikaoj this week in Stockholm! He hosted me for a night as a couchsurfer, and I got to enjoy an amazing dinner with him and all of his housemates, too! Very fun and generous folks, all of them. AND I got to see all the art he has hanging around, and the art he is making himself! A stand-up guy, this one (and talented).
Thank you again for the hospitality and for being awesome, @mmikaoj! :) Hope to see you again soon -- either back in Sweden or in the States! (wink nudge)

Three things:
1. Went on a week long trip to Spain, visiting and making new friends in Barcelona and Granada. Had such a good time!
2. Decided to work less (finally!) so I have time and energy for doing fun stuff/art and taking care of relationships
3. I'm in love with someone who's in love with me. It's the best!

Swoon indeed. I love the look!

Unofficial observations about tattoos on folks of my generation (roughly ages 21-35) in Portland, Oregon after spending a week there:
Freaking EVERYONE has tattoos.
Everyone has a bunch of small and randomly placed tattoos all over the place on their limbs.
Often it looks like they just enjoy doodling on themselves. Most people look like walking sketchbooks.
50% of the tattoos any given person has seem to be ironic.
Approximately 1% of the tattoos I saw would be considered American Traditional.
Conclusions:
Go big. Be bold. None of this wimpy "arrow on my forearm" bullshit.
Side note:
Getting even more excited for my appointment with Dennis del Prete in September! Lady head allllll over my right thigh. #winning

Love the idea! I joined the group. I'll be in Europe this fall -- any LSTers in Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Croatia, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, or the U.K. (London, then mostly Cornwall) -- I'd love to meet up! :)

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here!
I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here!
I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

I will capitalize on this thread to ask a question:
If you had to recommend a couple of books that are a good place to start for someone interested in learning more about the history, culture, and development of tattoos and the art of tattooing generally, what might you recommend?

Yeah, this is my 5th(ish) tattoo, and I've healed it differently than all the others. Aquaphor for the first couple days, then nothing for a couple days, then a light layer of lotion for a few days, and on and off whenever it looks/feels like it needs it.
I have to say, other than the swelling, it has been the nicest healing process by far. It barely itches!

Yeah, this is my 5th(ish) tattoo, and I've healed it differently than all the others. Aquaphor for the first couple days, then nothing for a couple days, then a light layer of lotion for a few days, and on and off whenever it looks/feels like it needs it.
I have to say, other than the swelling, it has been the nicest healing process by far. It barely itches!

I wasn't planning on getting tattooed anytime soon, but I'm getting a little bit of time with Dave Regan during the Classic Electric 10 Year Anniversary in Frederick, Maryland.

@keepcalm I'd also highly recommend Margot Mifflin's Bodies of Subversion. It's specifically about women and tattoos and it's a really well-written, intelligent, and insightful book. The third edition recently came out and it shouldn't be expensive.
I might have a couple of books sitting around elsewhere but on my shelf now is:
Burchett - Memoirs of a Tattooist
Cooper - Tokyo Tattoo 70
DeVita Unauthorized
Flash From the Past
Gilbert - Tattoo History: A Sourcebook
Hardy - Wear Your Dreams
Hardy - the Tattootime hardcover reprint
Higgs - The Doomsday Bonnet
Higgs and Ranson - Morph Traits
Horitomo - Monmon Cats
Greg Irons - various books and comics
JBxH3
Kitamoto - Myths, Gods, Legends
Kitamura - Bushido
Malone - Bulls Eyes and Black Eyes
Mifflin - Bodies of Subversion (2nd and 3rd editions)
Stony - Stony Knows How
TAM - issues 1-5 hard bound
There's a lot of stuff I'm not including here that isn't directly related to tattoos, like reference books on Asian art, Buddhist iconography, books about the myths and legends of Japan, books on folk art, ornament, and art generally that have been very helpful to me in understanding tattooing and just art as a whole.

Vintage Tattoos by Carol Clerk is another thats really affordable and a great place to start .
Here's what I have
Horiyoshi III by Grime and Horitaka
Tattootime: Art from the heart (original )
Tattootime : Music and Sea (original )
Bulls -Eyes and Black Eyes ( Malone / Hardy )
Tattooing the Invisible Man ( Hardy )
Nihon Dentou Shisei vol 2 ( Tattoo Burst Japan )
Cosmic Mook vol 4 ( Japan )
You call this Art a Greg Irons retrospective
Sailor Jerry Collins American Tattoo Master
Stoney Knows How
Shienrenjo Ozuma Kaname
Vintage Tattoos Carol Clerk .
There's so many great books out there funds permitting I would have many more .

I would add Tattoo History: A Source Book to that list as well. Affordable and extremely informative!
The Tattoo History Source Book: Steve Gilbert: 9781890451066: Amazon.com: Books

Here is the list that I think would get you going without breaking the bank:
Stoney Knows How
Sailor Jerry: American Tattoo Master
Bushido: Legacies of The Japanese Tattoo
New York City Tattoo
Ed Hardy's Tattoo Time

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here!
I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here!
I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

These newish photos from Cripwell's instagram of The Chap With The Legs need to be here, I think.


<swoon>

Got this rose from Holly Ellis at Idle Hand's Get What You Want/Get on Saturday. I was hoping to end up with her and I'm glad I did because it was a LONG day.

Agreed, @jimmyirish - lots of good points, here!
I think it might also be something I ponder often because I really like tattoos, but I usually don't feel "part" of the culture -- I feel out of place in many shops because I'm not heavily covered at all, and I don't know a lot of the things that people who are into tattoos usually know, like the names of all the Japanese figures and scenes, or what particular styles are called, or many of the most famous tattoo artists, etc. I guess I just usually feel like I'm not quite in the culture, but not quite an outsider either. I do like reading about tattooing, though -- and lately I have stumbled across several artists whose work I love, and who I'm excited to follow a bit, etc. So that's always fun. I dunno. I try not to take any of it -- or myself -- too seriously and just enjoy it! This forum helps :)

I had no idea about cat hair either! This thread is so informative, haha. I'm just happy I can finally wear pants again now that this thigh tattoo is settling down.

Haha love this and congratulations! :)

I got a thing today. Hard to believe it too me almost 33 years to finally start. A fun Percy Waters bird from Greggletron/Greg Whitehead at Scapegoat Tattoo. I stole the picture from his instagram.

Side note: I really appreciate this forum. I went to my appointment totally prepared and actually knowing more than the average bear (which is still only a very little, admittedly), and he kept asking me 'are you sure this is your first tattoo?' He kept talking about how pumped he was to work on somebody who'd give him creative license, who knew about Good Tattoos and what makes them good, and...yeah. It made me feel really good. I'm pretty sure I learned all of that here. He would probably thank the forum too if he could. Haha.
Booked my next appointment for October. IT BEGINS.