graybones

Any fellow iron-deficient anemics here? I hesitate to take ibuprofen before a tattoo due to its anticoagulant properties. I've heard that bleeding a lot can lead to the tattoo healing poorly. Is that true, and if so, is there an alternate anti-inflammatory OTC medicine? I usually just use ice packs but I find them inconvenient.

There's so much work I want to get done with so little money to do it haha.

I feel you there, brother. Welcome to LST!

I noticed when I Like a post using Tapatalk, it shows I've Liked it (no error message) but if I check the same post from the browser or leave and come back later the Like is gone. As in, it disappears, as if I never Liked the post at all.

Anyway figured I would add that since it seems a little different from the error message issue other folks are having, but is still preventing me from using the Like feature. I'm using an iPhone 5 btw.

Took the wrap off and got it cleaned before bed.

Now, am I imagining things or is there a line missing? On the bottom right as you look at the picture, a line to mark the side of the petal?

It looks great! It fits so well in your shoulder, and the colors are lovely.

I see what you mean about the "missing" line, it looks intentional to me, though. Seems like the outline detail decreases as it moves closer to the light source overall, so it's not out of place to my eyes.

wow great pics everyone. @Graeme "squidmitts"! Hah!

I don't generally seek out dotwork so those Jondix, Weisbeck, and Hooper hands are completely blowing my mind right now. Amazing!

Unfortunately if I am ever able to get my hands done, it won't be for several decades. But in the meantime, here's a couple more on other people.

Rich Hardy

Grez

Life is more fun with a sparklymask.

Agreed! And since I still can't get the glitter from that thing off my stuff, my desk at work is in constant party mode.

Welcome!

I love a good back piece or a solid sleeve, but my obsession is hand tattoos. Here are a few of my favorites from the collection I have saved on my computer.

Tim Hendricks

Seth Wood

Ron Wells

Ashley Love

Annie Frenzel

Peter Lagergren

Peter Lagergren again

I'd love to see some other favorites, or hand tattoos that LST members have!

@sloppyjoe Getting a genie lamp with smoke coming out of it. Then, one of his smoky/drippy wolf heads comin outta the smoke. Part of me wanted to wait and see who else was comin, but I figured I'd email him anyway.

This is going to be so cool. His smokey tattoos are great.

@Genie of the West If you don't want the number 13 on your body, possibly a Friday the 13th special isn't the time to get your tatttoo.

I hope the shops I go to arent dicks about design changes. (...) I dont think its unreasonable to ask for the exact piece off of a flash sheet without the #13 slapped on.

You may have unrealistic expectations on this.

Fallout 3 is one my favorite games ever. I think it was my #1 favorite until Skyrim came out. If you're into RPG's it's a must-have, and if you're not, it's still probably a must-have.

I've always been a PC gamer, but I'm tempted by the PS4. I've always been jealous of Sony's exclusives. Might cave and get one next year when they have some solid games out... played about 30 mins of Last of Us at a friend's house and wanted to get it real bad.

But when you think about changing your body permanently for the first time, it's probably pretty natural to want as much control as possible.

That's a good point, I'm sure that's where the "1 year" idea comes from. People feel that if they follow the right rules, or make their tattoo sentimental enough, they can be certain to avoid regretting their decision. I bet a lot of people who end up getting (what we would consider) silly tattoos as their first probably go on to get awesome work later once they get that mental hurdle out of the way.

I think that's part of what makes tattoos so great though... the commitment, the permanence, the trust in your artist. Because of these things, every tattoo is inherently meaningful just for the process itself. Overthinking it or trying too hard to take the risk aspect away from that tattoo would, ironically, somewhat diminish the sentiment of it for me. I'm rambling now, though... :)

@Synesthesia You reminded me of something I've heard several times from non-tattooed people: That they're going to get a tattoo soon. But first, they're going to put the design they want on the wall where they'll see it everyday for 1 year (it's ALWAYS "1 year") before they get it.

I don't understand. You're gonna make your artist do a sketch then wait a year to tattoo it on you? Or, more likely, you're just printing out whatever from the internet and at the end of a year will be so attached to that exact design you won't let your artist redraw it or change it at all.

Of course, these people never seem to end up getting the tattoo... but they sure do like to talk about it at length at the bar on a Saturday night...

Is it against etiquette to bump up old threads? Thought I'd try to revive this one, with the new consoles coming out and all.

Currently playing Witcher 2, which I picked up on a Steam sale for $5... great game, I think I'm about 20 hours in now. Can't believe it took me so long to get around to playing it.

Love these photos! Here's mine, taken around Halloween time.

(Deleted, others already covered it)

@keepcalm

I should add that even though my dad will never accept my tattoos, he still loves me and is proud of me. Your parents can dislike a certain choice you made but still love you!

My dad and stepmom hate that I'm tattooed and will never come to accept it.

I feel like you just gotta do what you want with your own body and your parents have to work on accepting it on their own time. You can't control others' emotions and it's futile to try. All you can do is assure them you're still the same person you've always been. The rest up to them to sort out.

(Edited to be a bit more positive / constructive)

I made an appointment with Ron Wells for January to extend the masked falcon he did for me into a half-sleeve. First addition is going to be a "sly fox," so stoked. Haven't seen him do a fox yet (just lots of awesome wolves) so I'm really excited to see what he comes up with.

Longest six weeks of my life...

I had a friend in high school who dreamed of opening a shop called "Kaotic Kustomz Ink" and it's a good thing he didn't.

K's in place of C's for business names bothers me an unreasonable amount... there's a stirp club down the street called The Klassy Kat, makes me angry every time I see the sign. Why not just go with "The Classy Cat"??

makes me think... how about The Tatty Shack for a bad shop name? Or: Tits 4 Tats.

Maybe you could talk to your doctor or find pictures of where the scar usually falls, then work with your tattoo artist to plan the design so that it will be easily hidden? For example if its usually a vertical scar maybe there are vertical elements to the design there that could help minimize the impact the scar will have on it, if you do eventually have the surgery.

Here's a pretty good article that explains in detail what IG can do with your stuff:

What the new Instagram terms of service really mean | The Verge

Basically it seems like Instagram is prepping their Terms of Use to allow for in-feed ads, or maybe augment Facebook ads with IG content. IG is a free service and makes no money right now so it was inevitable that ads would make their way in. Definitely a bummer but not really a surprise, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop since FB bought IG.

definitely Ron Wells (obv I'm a fan since my bird is by him), every one of the tattoos he posts on Instagram I think "FUCK why is that not on me????" his tattoos just have such great style to them while still being classic. and he's not scared to use a bit of black...

also I can never pass by a nice Ashley Love piece. Saw a heart n dagger she did at a wedding a couple weeks ago and couldn't stop staring at it. So clean.

I recently joined a pretty intense kung fu program. This place is the whole deal, training your mind, body, and spirit, and everyone there seems really passionate and committed to bettering themselves.

I finally had my official first class yesterday and I am SO STOKED about it! Best thing I've done for myself in years!! My next class is on Saturday and I can't wait...