Shakkazombie

Doing some redecorating, want these to go to a good home.

Both were bought directly from Grez in '08. Both come with the frames that they're in.

Vulture and skull. Marked as number 44/100. $300 US shipped. Paypal only - gift or add 3.5%.

Snake and Skull. Marked as number 23/100. $300 US shipped. Paypal only - gift or add 3.5%.

Let me know, thanks!

Hello everyone!

I have spare copies of the first and second Sailor Jerry Tattoo Flash books. Both are in very good - excellent condition, just a bit of bending at the corners.

Volume 1 - $200 shipped

Volume 2 - $165 shipped

PM with any questions.

Make me an offer. The worst I can say is no.

No sense of "entitlement" involved. If he wants the tattoo altered or covered, and he's willing to pay for it, I feel that he owes the original artist-if it was a tattoo he was happy with originally - first shot at changing/covering it. I can fully understand if the tattooist chooses not to do so, were I a tattooist, I imagine I'd be less than enthusiastic about it, but, it belongs to the person wearing it, and if they want to change it, that's their right.

As for the rest, if you don't like my tone, well, that's on you. I meant no disrespect to any tattooist working, simply pointed out that once the customer pays for the work, it's his to do with as he chooses. There is no entitlement or expectation of anything further being done for free, and if you'll read my post closely, you'll see that I specifically stated that I would expect to pay for any time and work involved in changing something.

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Yeah, but c'mon, gotta liven things up sometimes!

Right, no entitlement because you're willing to pay. But, if he doesn't want to work on it further, then fuck 'em, right? How dare he not cater endlessly to the consumer.

The difference betwixt spending time and spending money.

A person who works purely for art, well, when the art is finished, someone can look at it and say yeah, I like that, I'll buy it. If no one likes it, no one buys it, simple.

A person who works for profit must need make their art into what the customer wishes.

If I ask a tattooist to work up a special design for me, I expect to pay them for their time. If I change my mind, or don't like their rendering of my ideas, well, it's my money, right? If it isn't a question of safety, or a design reflecting poorly on the tattooist doing it, then I would say it's entirely up to the customer, and if the tattooist has a problem with it, they should just take their money elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, plenty of times I've gone into the shop with an idea, and had one of the guys there tell me, "look, this would really look better this way", and I've followed their advice and been glad of it. But I have to sympathize with someone getting a tattoo that they end-up not being completely happy with.

My opinion is, give the original artist a shot at working with you to change/cover it to suit you, and if they don't want to work with you on it, fuck 'em, go on down the street.

.02

Seems to me like the person "working for profit" that "must need make their art into what the customer wishes" in this case has already done so. If I understood the op, then the reason he dislikes the tattoo now is that he finds the subject matter disagreeable, or not "tuff" enough, or whatever. The problem isn't a poorly designed or executed tattoo.

Don't get me wrong: I fully believe that the customer should get exactly the tattoo they want. In this case, the client DID get the tattoo he wanted, and later decided for some reason that he did want it anymore.

Ask the artist if he'll alter it, but don't be surprised if he's less than enthusiastic. Just because the client paid, or is paying, for it doesn't mean the artist is forever on the hook, and should be expected to alter or change existing work with no personal feelings on the matter. And if you don't like his answer, then fuck you. Take that entitlement shit down the road.

Disclaimer: this is just the viewpoint of one inexperienced tattoo artist. Others may and inevitably will differ. Speaking plainly, I did not appreciate the tone of the above post.

When I was an apprentice, we had a lot of people coming in to ask for apprenticeships (of course). One night, a pretty nice looking girl comes in, and does the typcial dance: first asks to see books, walks around the shop for a bit, and then starts up a conversation with me about apprenticeships. I tried to steer her as well as I could; she had no visible tattoos, and only had a few poorly executed script and rose drawings to show anyone. First bit of advice I gave - get tattooed. A lot. Not only does it show that you're a committed participant in the tattoo world, but it will also allow you to build relationships with good artists that can possibly help you when the time is right for you to move into an apprenticeship. Next bit of advice: start copying flash. It went on from there, but she made a point to say how she felt like she shouldn't have to be "tattooed up" to be a tattoo artist, and how some shit-bag local artist (who also was very lightly tattooed) had agreed with her when they talked about it (no secret what that was about), and how they both hated the thought of being judged for having tattoos. When I told her that our shop wasn't accepting any apprenticeships at that time, she finished up by saying how some busy street shop owner in Garland, TX had offered to let her apprentice for a pretty sizable fee, and that she someday hoped to have an "LA Ink style" shop staffed completely by "hot tattoo chicks". I couldn't get her out the door quickly enough.

If they don't have tattoos, then fuck 'em.

Elbow ditch for me, too. Not just the ditch, but all along the upper part of that area where my skin folds as I bend my arm. Shit healed roughly. Top of the feet were bad too, but mainly because I got both tattooed about 4 days apart, in a foreign country where I had to walk everywhere, in winter. Socks and swollen feet make for rough tattoo healing.

Netflix + Hulu plus. around $20 a month, and I can watch most of the shows I want to keep up with that are on cable. That, plus cable internet, is around $80/month, when I was paying $170 or so. Fuck that shit.

That's a great tattoo. I have to echo the sentiments above: wait. I suspect that you'll come back around and start to see it for what it is: a great way to commemorate a special friend who's now gone. You can be damn sure that I'll be commemorating my pups when the unthinkable happens (doesn't even bear thinking about). Sorry for your loss.

Also, I won't speak for Eli Quinters, but I'll say that if I spent time designing and applying a tattoo that rad, and was then asked to change it significantly or cover it up (and felt that it could be done, which is not always the case), I may decide to oblige depending on who was asking, but it would bum me out. Just saying.

I went in with a basic idea of what I wanted, spoke to an artist, and initially decided on a 1/2 sleeve, which became a 3/4 sleeve. On the day of my first appointment, we bumped it up to a full sleeve, and I was off and away.

Tattoo artist magic.

I live in a pretty conservative town, so I get stares fairly often. For some reason, it just doesn't bother me anymore. I used to get irritated whenever I realized someone was staring at me, but I just ignore it now. I realize that I've committed to something that will be visible on my body for the rest of my life, so I understand when people look. Also, I'm from the mid-west: I'm used to brushing people off for being close-minded.

They look great, not that I'm surprised. He's an incredible artist, and was an amazing mentor. Can't overstate how lucky I was to learn from him.

@Shakkazombie welcome, I have several tattoos from David from his time at think ink, you live in norman?

I used to, but I moved up to Tulsa about a year ago. What did you have him do for you?

I have extra copies of vol. 1 and 2 that I'd be willing to sell. PM me.

Hi everyone,

My name is Bob, and I'm a tattooer from Oklahoma. I apprenticed with David Bruehl during his time at Think Ink Tattoos in Norman, OK (he has since moved to Red Letter 1 in Tampa, FL). Due to some life circumstances, I'm working a joe-job at the moment, but am hoping to get back into the swing of things soon.

Thanks!