Pugilist

@Fala - you went to Tamarind?? Respect! You are putting this hobbyist to shame.

That said, I am down with litho tattoos.

Cross country road trip with the tatbros!

Yeah Litho party! I haven't done it in a couple of years (and haven't worked with actual stones in much longer - the last time I did litho it was photolitho) - wanted to get back into it this fall but the studio I sometimes go to (i.e. that has ways of letting amateurs work there) is under renovations. I'm happy to be in good company with the printmaking love! Litho school is a great place to meet your husband. :)

I am cracking up at

When will those elegant white tips strike next? WATCH OUT!

@hogg It's funny because when I saw Diamond Club post a Brian Kaneko peony on their instagram yesterday I mentioned to Anna that you got a really beautiful one, then she told me that you hadn't had your appointment yet. Of course it was on @Iwar. His botans are so gorgeous.

You forgot to mention the part where you made fun of me for knowing when @hogg 's appointment was and being on like, PEONY WATCH 2014.

All of that to say: you lucky dudes!

@SeeSea - we have not gotten involved in our centre at all, but they do "intro to meditation" courses once a month, and it's like 1.5 hours long, and very straightforward and helpful and seriously, no koolaid. It would be amazing to find a community like what @DJDeepFried is talking about, but if you just want to learn the basics to get started, I would not be afraid of Shambhala.

Lovely! It is true that what made me consider piercings again is the nice jewelry.

This board is so heavy on the bromance.

1865 for me. :) @BrianH is the most popular!

It is indeed super difficult, but I think it's good for me to work at things that I suck at. :)

@DJDeepFried That is an inspiring and awesome story, and reminded me not to slack on my own very novice meditation practice.

Now that me and her are in a relationship I would like to get alot of these tattoos touched up or completely redone. Most are faded, two have horrible line work, and 1 is just way too simple.

This is one of the douchiest things I have ever read on this board, which is saying a lot, because people have written some pretty douchey things on here.

Cool! I'd love to get a helix, but man, when I got a new set off holes in my lobes this winter it took SO LONG for them to properly heal that I think I am too lazy for any more piercings. They are so much work!!! Kudos to those who are less lazy than me. :)

Hahahahahahaha

You're welcome: Random Wild Crow Tells Guy "F**k You" - Video

I think getting tattooed gave me a really intense appreciation for craft, and dedication and hard work. It was a tattooer that convinced me that I could still learn to draw at 25, and that obsession with craft eventually drew me to printmaking and has kept me there. Now I'm thinking of training to become a master printmaker.

I have loved watching you explore this path from afar!!! Tattooing has certainly been a big inspiration for both the dude and I to work on our own art stuff. Being around creative people a lot will do that to you!

I was talking to an acquaintance about this recently, and they take a lot of stuff while getting tattooed, while I never have. We were discussing our different approaches and came to the conclusion that it's a bad idea to experiment with prescription painkillers for the first time when getting tattooed. This person is fairly happy to experiment with various drugs in their day to day life, and so they know how they react to things fairly well and know what to expect. It's a pretty informed choice for them to drug themselves up for a tattoo. But even they said that for me, someone who has almost no experience with things like prescription painkillers, and who feels kind of anxious about that stuff, a tattoo is not the time to try new things. We all react differently to medication and there are better and worse times to experiment!

If that's the case, then I am a fine looking specimen! Happy days!

High five, bro!

Am I the only one that likes to put deposits down because it helps me feel like I'm paying less for the tattoo at the end?

Totally agree with this!

That tacos are the best food for discussing tattoos.

Oh speaking of which, the number of amazing restaurants that tattooers have introduced us to is ridic.

Y'all are nuts.

I feel like it's good to have a super posi thread every now and then!

@Graeme and I talk about this a lot - that being into tattoos has not only gotten us, you know, some amazing tattoos, but that it has also broadened our horizons in about a million different ways. This is thanks to the fantastic people we are privileged to interact with and the amazing knowledge and insight that they've shared with us. I had no interest at all in Japanese/Chinese/Tibetan/etc. art before we started hanging out in tattoo shops, for example, and now it feels like an amazing world of art has been opened up to me. Tattoos have also led me to learn more about Buddhist practices and indirectly influenced both of us to learn how to meditate. Basically it's turned us into goddamn hippies, which I am super down with.

I'd be curious to hear about ways that getting tattooed has led you to learn and experience new things, beyond the joy of a needle in your ass crack. In the age of Inkmaster, I think it's worth talking about how rich tattoo culture is, and how connected it is to other amazing cultural, artistic, spiritual, etc., movements and practices.

yes you are a good person for not peer pressuring me into making questionable decisions. i think i can handle it. day 1 will be "easy" just finishing my thigh. day 2 will be the new experience of getting my torso brutalized. it will build character.

As we say in this neck of the woods: bon courage.

My appointment with Henning at the end of the month has evolved into a 2 day event. This is going to be a fun challenge.

Did @Graeme text you what I told him to? I.E. "You don't have to do this!!" I worry.

OMG I would love to go on a pug crawl.