Graeme

I'm not a tattooer but I think somebody should be able to add some dimension to that tattoo to make it look finished. Jesse Strong at Steveston Tattoo Company comes first to mind because he does really nice black and grey--he does really nice everything--but maybe somebody has other Vancouver area recommendations as well.

How about a tattoo app that throws your damned phone in the trash, walks you into a tattoo shop so you can talk to a human being, pick something off the wall, and get a tattoo? Getting a tattoo isn't exactly a difficult process. I hope you pay attention here and get the knowledge you need to help you in choosing a quality artist to give you a quality tattoo, but cut it out with this app shit. Nobody needs an app to get tattooed, and frankly, given that you don't have any tattoos and have a very recent interest in them, yet apparently want to make money off of them nevertheless via a useless app, you're coming across as an interloper and nobody likes that.

Same here. The funny thing is that shitty comes in all genres of tattoos: among the younger folk I see a lot of shitty traditional and shitty mandalas. It makes the nice work stand out all the more, but goddamn, most people don't know how to get a tattoo. - - - Updated - - - Same here. The funny thing is that shitty comes in all genres of tattoos: among the younger folk I see a lot of shitty traditional and shitty mandalas. It makes the nice work stand out all the more, but goddamn, most people don't know how to get a tattoo.

Welcome. It's not in South Jersey but Electric in Asbury Park is one of the best shops in the entire country and it's well worth the bit of extra travel. - - - Updated - - - Welcome. It's not in South Jersey but Electric in Asbury Park is one of the best shops in the entire country and it's well worth the bit of extra travel.

If I can offer some more advice, depending on how often you're planning on working on your back, invest in a good pair of boots or shoes before you start, because you might find money getting pretty tight at some point during the process and things like replacing worn out shoes or clothes become far less of a priority.

I don't have any specific advice, but the lining sessions were really challenging. The back, to me, was entering a whole new world of getting tattooed. It's not a difficult spot, it's a series of difficult spots that are challenging for different ways, and it wasn't until I came in on the morning of my appointment and saw the stencil that I realized exactly how big my back is. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck after that first session. With that said, getting through those hard sessions is 90% mental. Be well-rested, well-nourished, and all that, but it comes down to gritting your teeth and just putting up with it and not fighting it. I would assume that because you have quite a few tattoos from Greg and because you're having him do your back that you get along well with him and that's important too: good conversation, jokes, funny stories, things that will distract you from the tattooing make a big difference. Often during sessions I'd drink a beer maybe an hour or two in and I found a nice imperial stout or the like helped me to relax, but that depends on you and your tattooer being cool with it. I don't think there's any shame in getting a little bit of assistance in getting through the sessions (I've heard that muscle relaxants can help a lot to quell the body's instinct to tense up) but I don't think that tattoo sessions are a good time to experiment with that stuff either...but I don't think any of that stuff is necessary. - - - Updated - - - I don't have any specific advice, but the lining sessions were really challenging. The back, to me, was entering a whole new world of getting tattooed. It's not a difficult spot, it's a series of difficult spots that are challenging for different ways, and it wasn't until I came in on the morning of my appointment and saw the stencil that I realized exactly how big my back is. I felt like I'd been hit by a truck after that first session. With that said, getting through those hard sessions is 90% mental. Be well-rested, well-nourished, and all that, but it comes down to gritting your teeth and just putting up with it and not fighting it. I would assume that because you have quite a few tattoos from Greg and because you're having him do your back that you get along well with him and that's important too: good conversation, jokes, funny stories, things that will distract you from the tattooing make a big difference. Often during sessions I'd drink a beer maybe an hour or two in and I found a nice imperial stout or the like helped me to relax, but that depends on you and your tattooer being cool with it. I don't think there's any shame in getting a little bit of assistance in getting through the sessions (I've heard that muscle relaxants can help a lot to quell the body's instinct to tense up) but I don't think that tattoo sessions are a good time to experiment with that stuff either...but I don't think any of that stuff is necessary.

@MrToby Looks incredible and congratulations on finishing! - - - Updated - - - @MrToby Looks incredible and congratulations on finishing!

Welcome! @bongsau is from Edmonton, I believe, and he knows a thing or two about tattoos, so I'm sure he can point you in the direction of quality local shops and artists. - - - Updated - - - Welcome! @bongsau is from Edmonton, I believe, and he knows a thing or two about tattoos, so I'm sure he can point you in the direction of quality local shops and artists.

I feel that almost all tattooers draw like this, but most of them actually finish their drawings before putting them on clients.

I travelled to get a sleeve done so it is certainly possible. I won't talk time and money in my case, because they're basically unimportant: I wanted a particular tattooer to do my arm because I loved and love what he does and none of his many imitators even come close to what he does. In my opinion, my tattoo was absolutely worth the effort I put into getting it.

Right on. Welcome.

This topic has been addressed here before in this thread: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/general-tattoo-discussion/152-non-tattooers-opening-shops.html Speaking personally, I wouldn't have any interest in setting foot in a shop like the one you described, much less getting tattooed there. I don't want to make assumptions about other people or try to speak for them, but I highly doubt anybody I have been tattooed by would want to work in a shop like that. If you appreciate the art so much, get tattooed a lot. Buy original art from tattooers. Don't seek to make money from it yourself because you see an opportunity for success. That just makes you a parasite.

Why don't you go into a tattoo shop and ask the tattooers themselves?

Talking about tattoos is way better than giving unsolicited medical advice. Sheesh.

Tiger versus snake. Excellent choice of subject.

Ta Moko designs are based around genealogy, social rank and status, accomplishments, and so on, so I could see a hypothetical situation where you got a Maori tattoo because "they have the most badass warrior culture on earth" and ended up getting a tattoo that describes somebody else's life and family. Would Maoris be offended by this? I don't know, but they'd probably think you're a dumbass for getting a tattoo of something that you're engaging with so superficially. I do think the same goes for Viking stuff. If you're going to get magical staves tattooed on you, it's probably best to understand what you're getting and what it means. The trend a few years ago of people getting Masonic imagery is another example of this: you might think it looks cool and mysterious and occult, but people who know how to read the imagery know you have gibberish on you and you come across as a moron as a result. I don't see how getting a tattoo just because it looks cool and having no understanding beyond that is any different than somebody getting kanji while not understanding the language.

I should really know better to engage with this topic on here, but here it goes, in the spirit of fostering an intelligent discussion about tattoos: There's a Canadian Inuit filmmaker who made a documentary a couple of years ago about trying to learn about the virtually forgotten tradition of Inuit tattooing before she got tattooed herself using the traditional skin sewing methods. Why were the traditions forgotten? Because there was a concerted effort on behalf of the church and the state to eradicate indigenous culture, that was deemed to be "cultural genocide" by a recently-concluded Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Families were torn apart, countless lives were destroyed, languages were all but lost, cultural practices vanished. The legacy of this endures. There are people who are trying to revive the languages and traditional practices like tattooing. I mentioned the filmmaker in particular above because she has deliberately limited the distribution of her documentary precisely because of fears of cultural appropriation. Her reasoning is that the revival of traditional Inuit tattooing is so fragile that if this style of tattooing is appropriated it might discourage the people who are rediscovering their own traditions. I can see why this woman might think it offensive that a non-Inuit person would get an Inuit tattoo just because they like the style, and I don't think she'd be wrong. It's certainly not "childish".

Welcome to LST and to tattoos in general! I think what you're asking for, especially that first one, is challenging to achieve in a tattoo. Which isn't to say that it's impossible, but it's certainly something that you're really going to have to find the right artist for. The Brothers Hildebrandt are great illustrators but it's not straight-forward to adapt their work to tattoos. Am I correct in thinking you want a tattoo somewhat based on this (I'm hoping embedding the image works, if it doesn't it's the Brothers Hildebrandt cover for the JRR Tolkein Architect of Middle Earth book)? The first thing that came to mind are a couple of West Coast Canadian tattooers, Steve Moore and Rob Noseworthy. Again, hoping this works, but here's a big gorilla piece Rob did that I think shows he would be capable of doing what you want: Erin Chance in Richmond VA is another tattooer who I think could do a really good job with this. I don't know how willing you are to travel to get tattooed, but I think especially if you're looking for something that requires a pretty special and specific set of skills, it's totally worth it to get a better tattoo than maybe you would locally. I hope this helps somewhat.

It's really cool how he did the water in the ornate style he's known for. Fantastic texture on the diving helmet too.

Welcome! I've been tattooed on much of my body: arms, legs, a couple of small tattoos on my chest, and my back was the most painful by far. I would say that it's a difficult spot, but it's so large that it's really a series of difficult spots that are each horrible in their own way. You're not a wuss for it hurting. Here's a thread about people talking about getting their backs tattooed: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/870-full-back-piece-experience-thread.html

That totally makes sense. In that case, I'd suggest to start looking at tattoos. Look at a lot of them and try to see what grabs you stylistically. Do you want the pared-down efficiency of traditional Americana? Realism? Something illustrative? There are a lot of ways to do a tattoo like the one you want, so find an artist who does tattoos that really speak to you. Do you want to get the tattoo locally or are you willing to travel for the right artist? Take your time with this, because choosing the right artist is the most important part of getting tattooed. I'd suggest looking at Instagram because there's a wealth of tattoos on there, and I'd also highly recommend looking at the Latest Tattoo Lowdown thread on here because it's packed with excellent quality tattoos.

Welcome. First off, I am incredibly sorry for your loss. I can't imagine. As far as the tattoo idea goes, I'd suggest just getting their names done in beautiful script. I'll try to find some examples of what I'm talking about and post them here. There's nothing wrong with the idea you have of getting a tattoo of things that they liked, but to me, a person is always more than the things they liked and their name comes closer to conveying that idea. However, that's just my opinion, and you need to find the tattoo that is going to bring you the most peace, or comfort, or memory, or closure, or whatever it is you're looking at getting from this tattoo. I hope this helps somewhat.

I have no idea about good tattooers in the Bahamas, but I got tattooed in Barcelona a couple of summers ago and while it was totally worth it and a great experience because I got tattooed by one of my favorite tattooers in a really cool shop, the experience of having to wear pants in the summer in a hot country wasn't the best, especially because I only wear jeans. I don't think I'd get tattooed just for the sake of getting tattooed in circumstances like that.

My advice is to leave it as it is. The risk in adding things to the sides to make it fuller is that you will compromise the design and make the tattoo weaker as a result. As it is, it's a nice triangular shape that fits well, and I'm not sure the rectangular area you want flows nearly as well. It's your body, your tattoo, and your choice, but that's my two cents.

Neat thread to revisit. I haven't really changed my attitude since I first posted on here, though I have a lot more coverage than when I first posted. I'm about 45% covered now so I still have plenty of space, but it's enough that running out of space seems like a distinct possibility especially because I've only been getting tattooed for about five years. I have a young child now so that has forced me to slow down and it may somewhat limit the possibility for traveling for tattoos. I'm also much pickier than I was: when I was first getting tattooed I was overwhelmed by how many people there are making great tattoos and I wanted to get something from all of them. I'm looking for something else now, and the experience of getting the tattoo, of getting tattooed by the right people is almost more important than the tattoo itself. Consequently, my list of "musts" is much shorter than it was. A couple of years of experience has also made getting tattooed into almost a duty. I'm committed to heavy coverage which is going to mean that the spots that are going to totally suck need to be tattooed so I kind of just want to get them over with so I don't have to dread them as much as I do.