Graeme

Dude, there are literally thousands of posts about tattooers in the Bay Area on here. Don't be lazy.

@cltattooing Duuuuuuuuude. That is incredible. And so many lines, but I'm sure you felt them all so I don't need to remind you. The way that it's both so intricate yet so readable is really special.

There's nothing you could do to that tattoo that wouldn't completely overwhelm it. Cover it with a real tattoo.

Thanks! You need to post yours!

@anirudh I am not an expert on Japanese tattooing so I'm not sure how helpful any of my advice will be, but I think you should reach out to the artists you're thinking of and ask them to see if they think your plan is realistic. I met somebody who got tattooed for seventeen days in a row to complete her suit and if she had any special issues with healing or whatever I'm not aware of them, so getting tattooed at that rate can be done, though I know many of the traditional Japanese tattoo artists tend to work in short sessions so you'd have to ask if they would be willing to work the way you want to get tattooed. Likewise with machine vs. tebori. I've heard (and I believe @hogg can verify this) that Horiyoshi 3 is as fast with tebori as most people are wish machines. I also have met people getting large tattoos by tebori and they have logged far more hours than they would have if the tattoo was being done by machine. I don't know how different that is from electric tattooing though because everybody works at a different pace with machines too. But again, that's probably a question that only the artists you're thinking of could answer. Either way, stick around and let us know what you decide to do!

I found this short video about Tony D'Annessa online and figured that people here would be interested in it. Tony tattooed in New York City before tattooing was outlawed in 1961 and you can find him talking about NYC in Michael McCabe's New York City Tattoo book. He opened PSC Tattoo in Montreal in 1976 and the shop is still going strong and these huge roll-up sheets of his flash hang on the walls. I've been getting my back done there and Tony is there pretty much every day, occasionally doing a tattoo, but mostly hanging out, watching TV and making wisecracks. I got tattooed by him about three and a half years ago and I would definitely recommend getting tattooed by him if you're ever in Montreal.

Welcome and I'm sorry that you've gone through some difficult things lately, though it sounds like you're well on your way to figuring out how to prevent things like that from happening in the future. With that said, I would caution against getting a tattoo for the reasons you expressed in your post. I understand the idea of wanting to have a permanent reminder on you, but tattoos don't really work like that. I think you should get a tattoo because you want a tattoo, because you like tattoos and the art of them, not because you think that tattoos will make you a better person.

We talked about having the snake's head curving back so that it would be a more evenly matched fight, but sketches didn't flow right. Besides, of course I want the tiger to win.

@Cork I think you should do it. I think it's cool seeing how it comes together bit by bit.

@MrToby That looks great. I love the dragon's expression. It's been rad watching your back come together.

Okay, fine. Here's the latest progress.

I've always paid cash and carried it to the shop with me. It's never occurred to me to do otherwise.

I'm a grumpy person so I'm not bothered by what you said. That tattoo, if you can call it that, that @cltattooing posted is so awful it can only imply that either the tattooer knows absolutely nothing about tattoos, which is certainly the case if she doesn't have any tattoos herself, or that she has absolutely no respect for her clients. Could be both. Either way, nobody should be making or getting tattoos like that. There's unprecedented and easy access to good information now, there's no excuse for getting a bad tattoo.

Welcome AudreyMarie! My thoughts are that you're approaching this in the wrong direction. Think of something that appeals to you visually first and is a strong and long-lasting design and think about the meaning of that later. The reason I say this is that, speaking from experience about my own tattoos, the tattoo is always larger than the intentions we put on it. The meaning of a tattoo is going to change many, many times throughout your life, so get something that is going to look great. As far as expressing the sentiments you stated above, what about looking at Buddhist imagery and iconography? An Avalokitesvara or a White Tara tattoo, for example, could fulfill what you're looking for.

People get the tattoos they deserve. If you come here, and can watch an interview with Mike Wilson (among others!) and think this person is worth your business, maybe you deserve a shitty tattoo.

I had my second to last back session yesterday. I'm not going to post pictures because it was mostly ass and back of thigh shading, and as a nice bonus we hit my love handles, touched up some of the background and darkened up my ribs a bit. It was all grey wash so it's angry and red at the moment. Like @cltattooing said above, super cool. I go back next month to do the final bells and whistles: the tiger's claws and paws, his eyes, the inside of the snake's mouth, but we're almost done. I'll try to get some good pictures when it's all done and settled in.

Welcome, and ask away!

Oh I can sympathize with ass and ribs. And lining too. You had a fun day, I'm sure.

Welcome! I'm going to say that if you think you're only going to get one tattoo, but then you get an account here, that you're probably thinking wrong. So when's your next one?

You have a Lovecraft tattoo so we can get along. Welcome.

Nice, John does first rate tattoos so you're going to get a great one from him. I hope you'll stick around and share it with us. Me and my wife have gotten tattooed a fair bit at Saved, though unfortunately not currently, and it's a really nice, friendly, warm shop. You'll have a great time, and there are a lot of excellent pre- and post-tattoo meal and drink options around the shop.

Chris Garver is in NYC though that doesn't necessarily make the travel that much more affordable. Check out Jeb Riley at Hobo's in Portsmouth, NH, Erik Rieth in Providence, RI, Forrest Cavacco in Plymouth, MA, and I'm sure people can suggest plenty of other good local-ish options because there are a lot of great tattooers in New England.

Welcome to Last Sparrow! You've given birth, so I don't think you should worry too much about tattoo pain. We all like to commiserate about it, but if it was really that bad, none of us would have more than one.

I redrew some daggers from a sheet of 1920s flash by an unknown artist that is in Flash From The Past. I had a lot of fun with this. And here are a couple of other things I've done that I don't think I've put up here. The hannya is from a couple of months ago, the roses I did sometime last year.

@sophistre Damn. Best morph yet.