Graeme

Maybe try getting in touch with The Tattoo Archive? Chuck Eldridge has a wealth of knowledge about tattoo history so maybe he knows of who was tattooing around there at that time and can help you out. Lucky's is another good bet. Good luck with your search.

I'm getting tattooed next weekend. If I post an infinity symbol with "Love, Laugh, Live" in it or some hokey inspirational shit like that in the Lowdown you'll know for sure.

When I was recommended to try it, the explanation was that by covering it with the plastic wrap you are keeping the plasma in which promotes a faster heal and reduces the chance of developing thick scabs. It's the same principle as the -derm products, though without the breathability of them. I will admit to being skeptical of the method, especially as I first tried it during a nine hour drive home the day after a session that hit some tender spots like my ditch and elbow: the swelling and pooling of fluid looked awful, but I've had great success healing with rewrapping. I also like it because it reduces the friction between the healing tattoo and my work boots on lower leg tattoos, and it helps keep a fresh tattoo clean on other spots of my body, which is important because I work a dirty job where my tattoos can get exposed to all kinds of dust, dirt, and chemicals. Personally, I won't touch Aquaphor anymore after having had a couple of really shitty heals using it, but we all find the healing methods that work for ourselves.

You're wasting your time and your money getting anybody other than the person who is doing the tattoo to draw it. Anything you bring to the artist you choose would have to be completely redrawn to make it work as a tattoo. Better to do your research, find the artist you want to do it, and approach him or her with the idea directly.

That may very well be, but I would much rather try to contribute to a culture here that educates people about good tattoos and gives them the knowledge and resources to get those tattoos than I would just dismiss people because they have shitty tattoos and don't deserve better. If I have nice tattoos it's because people were kind and generous to me when I didn't know a thing, on this forum and in the shops I've been tattooed in, and I would like to pay that forward.

I disagree with this sentiment. Those tattoos can be covered up or lasered off, and with the exception of her back, I don't think those would be especially difficult coverups. They're mistakes, they're gross errors in judgement, but starting by getting shitty tattoos doesn't mean that you're stuck getting shitty tattoos forever.

It was totally deliberate. I love it. Honestly, I don't know how many people will even notice it because my lower legs are pretty well covered so it's one tattoo among many, I avoid wearing shorts outside unless it's very hot out, and really the only time people take a good look at my legs is at the tattoo shop where they're not going to think I'm a weirdo dirtbag for having a tattoo like that. And if a member of the general public does see it and think that, they're not far wrong I guess. @oboogie Of all the spots I've been tattooed, inner bicep is still pretty much the worst and I've had my ass crack tattooed. Yours looks great!

@bongsau That Devita painting I have is more like this patterned negative space panther in the midst of these huge and powerful black brush strokes. Somehow managing to do something like that, maybe not with heavy black, but some way of differentiating the space between panther and not-panther could be super cool. Also crazy though.

I think I'd have to take it by a case by case basis, but in general, I'd say no to this. I don't like the idea of getting tattooed being used by a business to sell something that isn't tattoos. The last tattoo I got was posted on the Black Claw instagram to show how good their needles work, and that's cool because that's tattoo-related, but fuck a bunch of "tattoo lifestyle" bullshit like hipster beard pomade or whatever fuckery people pitch at tattooed people. That seems really vulgar and tasteless, and not what I want from tattoos.

Welcome! I don't know if you read French, but this has some information about Fred Baldwin's time in Montreal, though there isn't anything so detailed as the address he worked at. Have you talked to Nick Wasko in Vancouver? He seems to be the authority on Canadian tattoo history.

I've always liked these for keeping my tattoos dry:

@SStu @Rob I @zetroc @ChrisvK Thanks fellows! I have a bunch of tattoos from Ron because I hold him in such high esteem as both an artist and as a person, but this tattoo is way beyond my expectations. It also means that I'm going to be wearing pants in the summer for the rest of my life because, let's face it, I have a vagina monster on my lower leg, but if your tattoos don't bother polite society, you're doing it wrong.

Got this good lookin' little guy yesterday from Ron Wells.

Just sorted out my appointment for the Quebec City convention and I'm going to be getting a golden eagle from Trevor McStay. I'm stoked. I'm getting tattooed by Ron Wells at his shop on Saturday. Also stoked.

@Mike PanicThanks for posting this and for contributing so thoughtfully, factually, and intelligently to the discussion about laser removal. I don't have any tattoos I want to remove, but in the case that sometime in the future I do decide to remove some to make way for other tattoos or whatever, I'm going to be a lot more informed of my options largely thanks to you.

Except that you have said that at least three times, because apparently it wasn't enough to express your opinion once. If you don't know enough about something, maybe it's best to keep quiet and learn something before giving your ill-informed opinion over and over.

I don't know how things are where you're from, but where I live, the tattooers who do the best as artists and as business people are the ones who have built a solid clientele over years of hard work and good tattooing. They're giving people great tattoos that age well, they're giving people great experiences while getting those tattoos, those people come back for more tattoos, tell their friends about their tattooer, and with that comes the more artistically interesting tattoos, the sleeves, the backs. Pandering to a fad like this might make a tattooer some money in the short term, but it's unlikely to lead to a long-term viable career. Not such a good "business opportunity" after all, is it?

I love that. Real tattoo magic in that one.

I somewhat disagree about the usefulness of Instagram for evaluating tattoos. It's a tool, and like all tools, you need to know how to use it. I had a tattooer tell me once when I was getting tattooed by him that it's not a tattoo until it's healed and settled in, and I agree with him. Pictures of fresh tattoos don't tell you that much. I'd go so far as to say that pictures are of pretty limited use in general: the mark of a good tattoo is how it actually looks in the skin and how it ages with you. It's not about that fresh photo, it's about how it looks five, ten, forty years down the line. I also understand that for someone just getting into tattoos that you maybe don't have the exposure to seeing nice, lived-in tattoos that comes from hanging around tattoo shops, conventions, with other tattooed people. Instagram is an easy access point, but it isn't everything. To the OP, I'd say that tattoos are a process of figuring out what you like and what you want out of tattoos. If there's a tattooer whose work you really like aesthetically, by all means get tattooed by her! Do your research, of course, but there gets to be a point where you just have to jump in and do it. Maybe your tastes will change, maybe what you thought was good work isn't--maybe not though!--but that's all a part of getting tattooed. Don't stress out about it, and have fun getting tattoos that make you excited.

You're not punk rock unless you have Hep C.

I'll say when it's booked, no point in talking in public about tatfantasies.

Oh I know. How much a tattoo is or isn't going to hurt doesn't matter. It's going to be a great tattoo from a great guy and I'm going to have a lot of fun getting it, it's just a shame about the needles part.

Stomach just seems so bad. I've heard from a few people that it's not as bad as the back...but the back had some truly brutal spots, so that's not saying much, you know?

Got something fun booked for next weekend and I'm trying to sort out something for the Quebec City convention. I'm getting close to the point where I miss getting tattooed enough that I'm almost ready to tackle my torso.

@JBluewind Are these tattoos you've seen in real life or in pictures on the Internet? I did a google image search on "ear tattoos" and nothing that came up is what I would consider good tattooing. From what I've seen in real life, if you're going to tattoo the inside of the ear you're best sticking with bold and heavy blackwork/tribal. And if you're going to do that you have to be pretty much fully covered unless you want to look completely ridiculous. All those delicate flowers and other complicated and intricate designs are not going to hold up to the kind of sun exposure that your ears will get. Don't get me started on how many obvious photoshop jobs show up when you do that search either. if you want something to memorialize somebody who you loved and who meant a lot to you, you owe it to her memory to get something nice that is going to last a lifetime.