Graeme

I suppose so. My take on it is that if you like how Simon Erl tattoos, go seek out a tattoo from Simon Erl rather than finding somebody else to give you an imitation of that.

Why does it have to be a style instead of an individual form of expression.

For what it's worth, I wish I'd gone larger for my first one, and it goes from my shoulder to nearly my elbow on the outside of my arm. I put a lot of effort into finding the right artist and the right idea for that one (it's a Necronomicon done by Seth Wood) and I love the result but if I'd known that I was going to end up pretty much covered anyway I would have given him my whole arm. It's cool though, tattoos are a learning process and I've managed to get some great tattoos by equally great people around that one.

Signed. When I first started getting tattooed I thought it was a bit troubling that tattooing isn't regulated at all where I live. Now I'm glad and hope it stays that way.

Thanks for answering the questions nobody here is asking.

@Shaggy I remember you posting about how difficult the process was, but it was clearly more than worth it because that is a spectacular tattoo. Good luck on getting your torso done. I'm a week away from the final session on my back, and other than a couple of small things, I think my torso will be next also. My chest is looking really bare these days.

I think the point @heathenist was trying to make is that in Belize it might not be necessary for a minor to have parental permission to get a tattoo. Where I live there is no regulation for tattooing and hence no minimum age to get a tattoo or piercing. This website explaining the law here in Quebec says that legal opinion is mixed when it comes to children under 14 (yes, under 14) needing parental permission for a tattoo or piercing, but anybody over the age of 14 is capable of making their own decisions. That doesn't mean most shops are tattooing minors. Most legit shops won't do it, but that's entirely voluntary. But basically without knowing the law regarding tattooing in Belize I wouldn't assume this guy is shady just because he tattooed a seventeen year old.

On the bright side, it is now more likely than ever that your daughter is going to get a panther tattoo, so it's not all bad.

Welcome Beth. Honestly, the finer points of tattoo design is verging into technical information and we don't talk about things like that here so I'm not sure how much help or advice you're going to recieve. With that said, I would advise you to pass on the work and instead tell your friend to seek out a good tattoo artist with his ideas and get him or her to design and make the tattoo. It will work out much better that way.

When I was planning my left arm I had a lot of reservations about going down to my wrist so I was thinking 3/4s, but I was also thinking of what I could do later to extend that down to my wrist. I ended up going down to my wrist and I'm happy that I did because I ended up with a stronger tattoo than I would have if I'd gone for less coverage initially and then later extended it. I don't have a job where I need to cover my tattoos, and in situations where I do need to cover them, short sleeves still don't work with half sleeves. I know it's slightly different with women's fashion because there are more options, but if you're already tattooed near your elbow, chances are you've already limited yourself in terms of clothing if you need to cover them. How much a tattoo is going to hurt should never be a consideration.

No idea. Robert Ryan said he was coming to Montreal on his Instagram, it isn't on the convention's website or Instagram yet. I jumped at the chance.

Welcome! My recommendation is to find an artist who you want to do the tattoo, preferably somebody with a lot of experience doing cover ups, and ask him or her what's possible. I've seen really varying results with cover ups, so individual expertise is really crucial here. If you let us know where you live I'm sure that somebody can recommend quality shops and artists in your area.

Original ideas are overrated and more often than not lead to goofy tattoos.

Get a skull.

It really depends on the particular tattooer. In my experience, most want some direction, but it comes down to how individual tattooers prefer to work. With that said, I do believe in the idea that people more or less get the tattoos they deserve. Nobody begins knowing anything about tattoos and knowledge is gained through getting tattooed, though spending time learning about tattoos, looking at them and so on. So if you feel that you don't have much of an imagination when it comes to tattoos but aren't actively trying to improve that imagination, then just wanting a cool tattoo probably isn't going to hack it.

I think if you're concerned about that then your mind is probably already made up that it is a passing trend.

@DeathB4Decaf Thanks! Mine has seemed fast in some respects, but not in others. Prior to this the largest tattoo I had was my arm which was done in a swift 20-ish hours, and 20 hours on my back wasn't even close. It's such a huge space. I love how yours is looking, the concept and the execution are both so great. You mentioned before that you were going to get some work done on it at the Montreal convention, are you still planning on that?

@cltattooing It's wizard stuff for sure. There are a lot of great things about tattoos and social media, but one of the bad things is that it's so easy to be overexposed to them. Being able to open Instagram and flick through literally hundreds of great tattoos means that most tattoos become more or less forgettable. Yours is exceptional though. I can't think of seeing anything quite like it, and that is so rare. I guess one of the nice things too is that it takes such a high skill level to pull that off that you're unlikely to see many imitators anytime soon.

Nice. I'm getting tattooed by Robert Ryan first thing Saturday.

Looks like I'm not going to be getting a walk up after all because I made an appointment today. I am super psyched, and it's going to be really nice getting a one session tattoo after spending over a year working on my back.

I was going to suggest linen trousers, but I really like that ace bandage idea. I wish I'd known about that earlier. I got tattooed on my calf in Barcelona last July and I wore jeans for the rest of the holiday after getting the tattoo. It was about mid way through the trip so I at least got a couple of trips to the beach in before getting the tattoo. Jeans in July in Barcelona wasn't the most comfortable experience ever, but I dealt with it and the tattoo healed great and super bright, so it was worth it.

Yeah, I'm glad that when I was travelling to New York to get tattooed that the dollar was more or less even. I couldn't have done it at the current exchange rate. It's brutal.

Vero at Tattoomania in Montreal does first rate realism and while she's maybe a little bit farther away than you were wanting--Rochester to Montreal is an easy five hour drive--you can take advantage of the low Canadian dollar.

@Rob I That is one of the toughest tattoos ever, and I know you earned it.

I think a lot of people in Canada are also ignorant about Canadian tattoo history, and for a pretty good reason too: as far as I know, there isn't a lot of easily accessible information out there that gives a broader picture of things. You can get things here and there from books, sometimes the internet, or from getting tattooed and talking to people, but there isn't anything that really lays it out. There is a documentary and perhaps also book called Hold Fast and Stay Gold in the works, and Nick Wasko in Vancouver may be working on a book about some of the older guys like Doc Forbes, so hopefully there will be something out there soon because there are a lot of great people tattooing in Canada, both past and present, and there are some interesting stories to tell.