McAstronaut

for what its worth i do not claim to have invented that particular pose.
it is
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs15/i/2007/290/7/b/Tiger_Gold_by_xiaobaosg.jpg
very
http://www.gemegg.com/images/stocks/large/1044.jpg
very
http://www.freetattoodesigns.org/images/japanese-tiger-tattoos.jpg
common
http://www.coldskin.nl/images/flash/image/1159991363.jpg
in japanese tattooing
The Art of the Japanese Tattoo | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

good tattooers are too busy tattooing

Could be clever editing, but I see an overwhelming theme of arrogance portrayed. I get the feeling from some that what happened it tattooing before them didn't matter because their art just blows it out of the water. No regards to fundamentals even though poor execution seems to be the theme week after week.
I felt like Jesse started to get it last week when he did a traditional japanese tattoo, it was the first time someone really acknowledged that it wasn't really about them and their ego or style, it was about showing how well rounded you are as a tattooer. Then this week he started listening to the peanut gallery and now he is disappointed for selling out.
The same thing goes for the whole "get some tattoos" conversation. The excuses are bull shit, if you have worked in a shop for 17 years and haven't got a tattoo, you aren't going to start doing it next week. It was just a way to placate the judges and it didn't work. It's a lot easier to convince yourself getting a tattoo is a good idea when you are young. Plus at this point why bother, I would trust a tattooer with 17 years experience that just start getting tattooed last week about as much as I would trust someone without them.
In conclusion I don't think they could have gotten a worse representation of tattooers if they set out with the intent to do so.

Well might as well since I finally have a worthy tattoo...
Scott Sylvia, Guest Spot @ Kings Avenue Tattoo, NYC

I know I don't have a chance but I've been dying to finally put a picture in one of the competitions
By Geo Rogers @ Last Train Tattoo

One of my many done by Travis Greenough @ Sinful Inflictions
I appreciate the likes!

Hope ya'll like it!
Chris Conn Askew
Sekretcity Los Angeles

I am a fairly social person but do not like talking about my tattoos with those that I feel are just being nosey.
My standard answer...
Them," Hey where did you get those tattoos?"
Me, "prison"
Although my work I think is exceptional and def not prison work(Ive never attended!) this response typically pushes people way from me while they make sure they still have their wallet and/or purse.
If you want to be flat out mean and are in a bad mood....When they ask "Did it hurt"....just reply, "not as much as the sex I traded it for."

Like @Graeme said, I rarely get this one anymore because we live in a neighborhood where it's more common to be tattooed than not. I also keep my tattoos covered up a lot of the time.
Usually when people do ask, it's because they are friends or acquaintances who know I've recently gotten tattooed and want to see and are curious. I would say that most of my tattoos do have meaning to me, but not in the literal, very specific way that they're represented on TV. For example, when I recently got a dragon on my thigh, it was because I'd been feeling really drawn to dragon imagery for how it depicts both luck and strength, and I'd been feeling like I needed a bit of both on me. I think of my dragon tattoo as my little good luck charm. Also I just really loved the design and couldn't get it out of my head! It was the right thing at the right time.
I think when serious tattoo folks talk about tattoos having meaning, it's often in that way--some really beautiful imagery that just speaks to you and feels right on your body, like just what you need. Even my less obviously meaning-laden tattoos are still meaningful because they serve as reminders of the time/place I was in when I got them, and who I was at that time. These meanings are often pretty ethereal or abstract. When we make fun of the LA Ink style meaning thing, it's often because people go so literal, rather than letting the power of tattoo imagery speak for itself.
All that to say that when folks ask me about what my tattoos mean, I am happy to get into it if it's close friends, but it is pretty annoying if it's people I don't know very well. Because there's no good answer. If I say it doesn't mean anything, then that's alarming to the tattoo noob (I think they mix up meaning or lack thereof with how seriously you took the decision to get tattooed, as though if it isn't obviously meaningful, then you must not take tattoos very seriously. So misguided.). But if the tattoo is super meaningful to me, then why on earth would I want to share such super personal stuff with someone I don't know very well? Part of the tattoo TV problem is that it assumes that even if we are getting tattoos that are profoundly meaningful, that we're also all super confessional exhibitionists who like, want to announce all this shit to any stranger we meet. Nope.

Anyone ever end up having a touching moment about or over a tattoo? Today I skyped my grandma for the first time, and I showed her the tattoo I had gotten of her name. Then my sister, who was in the room with her (she was visiting her in vegas) showed my grandma her tattoo of grandma's name... My grandma was speechless and then started crying. She was so touched that we cared enough about her to get it on us. She cried for like 5 minutes. I had to fight the tears on my side. She just thought it was the coolest thing and couldnt get over that we loved her enough to do it. Melted my heart a bit.

Already posted this in Latest Tattoo Lowdown but I thought I'd throw my hat in the ring.

100 Years of Solitude rib piece
Artist: Matt Brotka
Shop: Salvation Gallery

Got this from Antonio Roque today @ Black Label Tattoo Co.

Some really great work this month! I thought I'd throw mine in as well.

Tony Nilsson
Blue Arms Tattoo
Oslo Norway
Tony did a great job! I couldn't be happier!!!
Here's a link to Tony's work via....
Instagram

Some killer stuff in here!

for perspective:

Done by Greg Christian while he was in NYC at Wooster St Social Club
I had made this appt a while ago and was really looking forward to it. Thought for sure it would get canceled after the Hurricane happened and flooded the city, leaving downtown Manhattan without power all week. Luckily, Greg made it to NYC last minute and I got this tattoo from him a day after the power came back on. It was a really cool ending to a very shitty week. Very fortunate.

Scott sylvia blackheart tattoo SF done in 2 sittings 4 hrs for outline of eagle and shading 7 hrs for roses and color its also going over old lasered stuff!

Since it looks like we already have a winner @ Ian I thought I would throw an older one up.

Dropping the F bomb by Cory Norris

Guess I'll post this in here since I never have yet. Cover up by Aaron Coleman, Immaculate Tattoo.

I guess I'll pop this threads cherry :D
Done by Jeff Gogue, Off the Map Tattoo in Grants Pass, OR. Done at SFO Convention...

Done by Jondix of Barcelona, Spain at SFO COnvention...

Am I the only person who thinks this?

Exactly. I don't have a friend who went on Inkmasters, but she is a server at a bar/music venue and was convinced to let some apprentice tattooer work on her. She came to the shop with kind of a jacked up chest piece and the tattoo she got was the only good tattoo she has. Well she got tattooed by apprentice, and she is unhappy, everytime i talk to her I try to downplay it, but she just keeps wanting to bring it up. I kind of feel like I'm not mad at her for not coming back to the shop, but since you gave your money to some hack instead of your friend you don't get the luxury of bitching about how you got a bad tattoo.
I feel like the human canvases represent all the pain in the ass cheap skate customers, and while I don't want anyone to get a shitty tattoo, I kind of like being able to say I told you so.

I think I have more of an issue with the "human canvases" than any other issue.
I've had clients empathize with them- over poorly done tattoos etc., but my thinking is - they get what they ask for.
They voluntarily submit to being on the show without knowing which tattooist they will get tattooed by, and often don't even have much of a say about what they are getting.
So they get what they get and deserve it, imo! Really, just so they can be on tv?
Why don't they support their local tattooers?
I would not have much sympathy if one of my customers went on tv and was less than pleased with their tattoo.

I usually tell people that I got mine so have something to look at if I forget a magazine when I go to the bathroom.

It really depends on the mood I'm in that day, but usually I'll just make something up on the spot. A lot of times it's a straight up BS story but they buy it every time. I think I get more annoyed with people asking about the price of my work because it leads to a lot more questions. Usually I'll just tell them my artist's hourly rate and if they keep pushing it I'll tell them sitting times and sessions. They can do the math on their own.
Honestly, the thing that bugs me the most is when people touch my tattoos. I've had two people already touch fresh tattoos without thinking and that is quite possibly the most irritating thing anyone can do. Other times, people will point while touching some of my tattoos and then ask questions. Hey bro, I don't grope your crotch and ask if this is all nature gave you, so please back off and don't touch.

Our Guns Make Art...Not War. You don't say.
Well how come most of the work looks like a bombsite.

The real thing that upsets me o is if the kid really wanted it and some asshole tells them they cant do it it just makes the kid feel like crap. Its not really about the world of tattooing here for me, more about the children. FOR GOD SAKE WILL SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!!