Nate Pea

I had no idea that these were Masonic symbols and my father was a Mason his entire adult life. When I think Masons, I think of the builder's square and compass thingy that forms a diamond shape and has a "G" in the middle.
I learned something new today, Thanks.

In business and in life.

after some googling i found this:

TRUE NATURE TATTOO: Oniwakamaru
so i guess it is officially okay to stab a carp/koi

is he english? or an american just wishin' he was an english skinhead?

i don't tattoo faces, and we don't hire anyone with face tattoos (not that we hire at all). i used to only do necks and hands on heavily tattooed people or tattooers, but it's so common now, i just do 'em.

I probably won't tattoo my face, save for small parts extending from my hairline. I doubt I'll get my ballsack, perineum or arse hole tattooed. Weiner tattoos are too amusing to say never, but I probably won't. I don't have any desire to get the tips of my fingers tattooed either, or between my toes. Fuck that.
Stuff I won't tattoo on you: Genitals or anywhere in your mouth (except people I know, if they are not creepy)
That's pretty much it, although I refuse to tattoo plenty of stuff based on personal circumstance. I'm probably not gonna do your first tattoo on your palm or eyelid.
Stuff I don't really like tattooing: Lips, eyelids, fingers (+thumbs), ears, elbow, throat, under the chin. I do most of them regularly but they are the type of thing you don't always want to do at the end of a long, busy day.

no face. i don't do them, either.

fucking love that tattoo
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thinking about the first modern recorded tattoo's would all be polynesian. those tattoos were supposed to convey power. powerful images are awesome. what could be more poweful than somethings head run through

fucking love that tattoo
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thinking about the first modern recorded tattoo's would all be polynesian. those tattoos were supposed to convey power. powerful images are awesome. what could be more poweful than somethings head run through

I got a dagger through a skull and a snake because, really unless I added a panther how much better can that get?

It's how we used to kill panthers and gorillas.. before the internet RUINED TATTOOING.

Because it's a diatribe railing against the butter industry. We must use knives only for meat, not soft and salty pats of fermented milk.

it is a sexual thing. the dagger symbolizes a penis.
i have a dagger stabbing through a skull and eagle because i love skulls and i fuckin love america.

@scubaron If we are talking about the last 17 years then the only significant difference is more companies making it. The basic formulas themselves and for the most part the material that makes up the pigment particles haven't changed much. The only real significant change in the last 30 or so years is the introduction of synthetic binders. Without getting technical or saying more than this forum calls for I can sum it up into the difference between natural or synthetic ink.
There are a lot more companies making synthetic ink with bright shiny packaging and sponsorship deals, tv appearances, etc, so to someone it might seem like there's all kinds of new technology and brighter colors but that's not really accurate.

My simple answer is no, I would not get a "realistic" tattoo. Not because I don't appreciate the art and what it's doing for the tattoo industry. It's more because realistic tattoos have stopped looking like tattoos, and to me, look like temporary body paint. The whole culture of tattoos and the evolution of designs is what I love about getting tattooed--being a part of that. These realistic tattoos are such a severe deviation from what tattoos have been and have become. This doesn't mean it's not something to be admired or respected. However, realistic looking tattoos have allowed consumers that never would have gotten tattooed to find something that they like. In some ways, it feels like its only creating this other tattoo culture where everyone in the world has at least one tattoo, but doesn't know what it means to be tattooed. They don't take on the burden of setting themselves apart and defining their own subculture. All because they don't want a tattoo that looks like a tattoo. They want something that looks like a photoshopped nature photograph on their ribs. Now I'm just getting biased and cold.... But I hope someone understand what's I'm saying.
As for the tattoos lasting, I don't think any tattoo truly "lasts". I'm not expert as I don't have many and I'm not that old. I do have a almost 6 year old solid black outline which looks the same as the day I've got it done. But that's because I took care of it, SPF 50 always. If you take care of it, it will probably look better than some one who didn't.

i like it when people think there is a special "technique" to making this type of tattooing last. tattooing is poking holes in people with needles dipped in ink. thats the technique. it has always been that and always will be. each new generation learns the hard way.

Robert Ryan posted this on his instagram today and it made me think of this thread as it shows both an aged realistic tattoo that didn't have enough black in it and a blastover that does.

just to throw this out there. i was talking to my daughter yesterday while she was drawing. and she told me that what she was drawing was a tattoo. so i said cool i didnt realize it was a tattoo and her was response was "of course daddy, it has black in it" i never told her that it was her own observation, needless to say i was extremely proud of her. so after all that could be said about what lasts or not i can say this. if a 5 year old can come to that conclusion on her own that its only makes sense to have black in tattoos then i conclude whether things stay or not it belongs there.

THIS. Always. The end.

This thread needs more black.

LOL, I can't stop laughing at this one!

I'm lucky, I guess.
My Girl who I've been with for the last 9 years is a total pinky who just happens to think heavily tattooed men look sexy.
My arms are covered in skulls, smoke, spiderwebs, demons, a reaper, dice and cards, razor, dragons, and a couple of cats (and the number 13).
I never gave much thought as to how other people would think of me due to the imagery, I just got what I wanted, but the way I look has allowed me (and her by proxy) to live a very shit-free life.

Page O' Freed



gotta love a dude that has possums for pets

I'm not a fan of having an unknown (to me) artist working on me at a convention or anywhwere. At a convention, there is no allegiance to the client like you have when working from a shop.
I don't know how widespread the problem is. Call me old school, but I still like a solid outline and the color filled in well. Any sizeable tattoo I've ever gotten has needed a touch up here and there. And nothin' looks better than a month-old healed tattoo, its all downhill from there. Your results may vary.
Rob

I was at my local tattoo shop last night getting some work done on my backpiece and got to witness an 82 year old lady accompanied by her grown children get her first and probably only tattoo. She got "DNR" in small fancy script over her heart. Turned out she has a bad ticker and wanted a Do Not Resuscitate tattoo. She took it like a champ.
It was awesome!