Noodles

I think part of what it means to be a living being is not calling other living beings warped pieces of garbage.

The difference between Bill Brasky and Mike Roper is that Mike actually does drive an ice cream truck covered in human skulls.

Roper has covered a large majority of Dana's torso (or maybe the entire thing, I can't remember exactly) and it's amazing.
This makes me think of the SNL skit where they talk about the fabled salesman Bill Brasky, and each story just keeps building off of the others.
Roper once tattooed the Pharoh's Horses on the Pharoh's horses.

No, we dont.

just be respectful. yes tips and cupcakes are awfully nice, but thats not what gets me to work on time everyday. just be nice. leave your tuff guy attitude at the door. dont try to impress us, just be nice. if you know some jokes, please share. if some crazy shit happened to you earlier in the week, tell us the story. if you are coming to us because you saw how awesome we did of a job on your friends japanese sleeve, dont be surprised when we are bummed that you want us to do your celtic armband. haha
come in clean and with a good attitude. thats all i can ask for. anything extra is frosting on the cake

All of the above!
ALso:
The healthier you are the more prepared your body is for what's about to happen to it. Try not to come in hungover, get a decent nights sleep, eat a good breakfast, and lunch, essentially come in on a full stomach, by hydrated, and be relaxed as much as you can.
I've been told that exfoliating the are you are going to get tattooed for about a week before hand helps greatly with the healing but that's more of a suggestion.
Try to keep an open mind. Tattooers are professionals(for the most part, but not always so do your homework!). We have a wealth of knowledge we can bring to bare at any time for you, so take advantage of that. You will get a great tattoo. A tattooer who cares won;t talk you out of your idea, but might help you do it in a way that transcends your personal whims and trends, and will age gracefully, and compliment you as a person. Though it may be somewhat different than what you initially had in your head. Try to be a little malleable, and trust your tattooer. Try not to be some emotionally attached to every single detail. Remember: you aren't thinking like a tattooer. You think like a person who likes certain images and is used to seeing things on t-shirts, computer screens, and prints. Sometimes things don;t work in skin and we try like hell to make things work the best for you.
Try to remember that as much as tattooing has become a main stream product for most clients, it's still a hand made craft to us. If you are expecting hospital levels of sterility, Professional attitudes and expert technique then see us, not just treat us, but SEE us as professional craftsmen/women. Most of us have your best interest at heart because we can and do see the big picture. We are looking at your tattoo in our heads 10 years into the future. At least. We just want to do a nice tattoo for you. So when a tattooer explains why an idea is too complicated at a certain size, or why there is too much clutter, or that outlining it pink may not be the best idea, pay heed to that. You are hearing the educated opinion of a craftsman.
If you want a tattoo, don;t let your significant other try to do all the talking. Be plain, and straightforward with the things you want out of your tattoo. The less we have to guess, the fast we can get on the same wave length and make you happy.
If you are on vacation and you plan on things like tanning, going to the beach, strenuous activities, swimming, hot tubs, etc. Plan to get your tattoo at the ass end of your vacation so there is less interference with healing(and we can't tattoo sun burned skin so take care of it!), but try to get to the shop at the beginning of your vacation to set the appointment up, or if possible call ahead. Many shops can accommodate walk in's at most times, but since you have a limited time, try your hardest to think ahead. Rush jobs at the last second may not be ideal especially if you want something more involved than a single sitting, quick tattoo.
Avoid food that makes you fart before the tattoo. No one wants be sniffing your pooh ghosts while they work.
Hope some of this helps.

I'm not a tattooer, but I have been tattooed quite a bit. Things that I always make sure I do...Sit still as possible, go to the bathroom before the tattoo, don't chew gum (I am addicted to gum, and pop it fairly constantly), have fresh breath, don't text or check your phone (until a break), tell the artist up front how much I can spend (and actually bring that amount), tip your artist. I've brought an ipod multiple times, but I have never used it, playing with that would go along with not playing with your phone. I have brought a gift from time to time to an artist that was doing multiple sessions on me, if we talked about it (like a book, magazine, dvd, whatever), but this isn't something I have done most of the time. I'm sure there is more that tattooers want or would want, but this is what I do.

good suggestions, dan! especially the fresh breath! also, shower and wash your feet if the tattoo is there!!! don't tell me about any depressing shit...like all the dead people your tattoo is for or whatever. sorry, but i don't need to hear about that 5 times a day i just want to do a good tattoo. not get bummed out. i know that sounds cold, but i do probably a thousand tattoos a year and every other person wants to tell me about the deep deep meaning of their tattoo...it's a bit much.

Seems like everyone is wondering how we will survive/adapt to what reality television and the Internet has turned tattooing In to. It's no secret that EVERYONE you meet either tattoos or want to learn how. Honestly every 3rd person I meet with a tattoo is some form of a self proclaimed tattoo artist. What people haven't realized is that the recent rush of new tattooers is putting tattooing in a dangerous state. It's simple economics...supply and demand. When 100 customers in one city want a tattoo in a day and there are 200 tattooers in that city..well half the artist are going to starve. This isn't anything new...we all know the mass media has glorified tattooing and made it accessible to every kid that can sign his name. This won't change but what can we do about it.
2 years ago I moved to a city of 15,000 people and opened the only shop in this city. I assumed lowering my bills and cutting out all the extra expenses would be the answer. It may still be but at this point I'm not sure. I enjoy not having to tattoo in a scene. I really love tattooing people that have no expectation of what their tattoo should look like. If they come in for an eagle they don't try to micromanage what the eagle looks like. The clients in small city's just truly appreciate the time and care that I put in to the tattoo. My problem is I've worked hard since 1992 and I'm still sitting on my hands most the week. It's really got me thinking if this was the right choice and if I can survive what tattooing has become.
I have thought of two scenarios that may help those of us that have put in the hard work and want to survive.
1. Take tattooing underground.. (private studios..no signs and make customers find us)
2. Create power shops...( gather the top 5-6 tattooers in one area and open 1 shop)
Sorry Power shop sounds cheesy as shit. Larger cities already seem do this. Let's just take a city like Reno as an example. With out mentioning names there are really good tattooers there. For the most part each shop has a decent tattooer in it and a bunch of hacks. If all the legit guys got together and rounded up all the best talent In Reno you would defiantly see some shops losing clients and closing doors. The mediocre tattooers that were left would more then likely get a majority of their work at the "power shop". It would be a force to be record with. Since there are so many people trying to do tattoos and getting I to it most of them would want to go to these big shops to be tattooed.
Shop owners are hiring one good tattooer and filling the rest of the spots just to line their pockets. We can stop this. If all the good tattooers left these types of shops and banned together and took control of tattooing we could make a difference. I know too many great tattooers that are broke and bouncing from shop to shop or working for piercers. It shouldn't be this way. We honestly need to take some responsibility and take back tattooing. Strong shops can and will survive. But if we are all spread out it's going to destroy the market for tattooing.
Sacramento is a great example of this. There are under 3-4 great shops in Sacramento out of almost 200. Most of these shops are dog shit. There are a handful of decent tattooers that opened their own shops and just filled 3-4 stations with hacks. Why are we doing this!?! This only promotes that more people become tattooers.
I know this isn't ground breaking or a new idea. But I do think that there is a large percent of good tattooers that haven't had the opportunity to work In A shop like this. And let's be honest once shops like this are made people tend not to leave.
Bottom line is we have to use the thing that has put us In this position. Take advantage of the Internet and stay united. We are the ones that have to set the standards and come to gather to take back what we love and what was once sacred.
Sorry about the rant...there aren't too many people to discuss thing like this wish in mid Missouri. It does feel good to get it out though.

Welcome to the site, post up some pics. We'd love to see your tattoos! :)

So my name is Wes and I'm the owner of a Tattoo Removal business in South Tampa, FL. Before you gawk at at the thought of removing tattoos, a big potion of our tattoo removal business is for individuals like yourselves that might have just run out of real estate and need to remove an old or undesirable tattoo so that they can add a new piece.
I'm joining to hopefully provide better insight into the tattoo removal business and the available options out there, so your'll find me in the coverup / removal threads most of the time.
I myself have a few tattoos none that I've wanted to remove (yet), but I have tested our lasers out of curiosity.
Feel free to ask me anything and I'll do my best to give a honest / educated answer. Looking forward to becoming acquainted with the Last Sparrow community.
Wes

Haha Thanks @ironchef!
Tegaderm was introduced to me by Tim Hendricks when I got tattooed by him on my ribs. I've tried all the different aftercare techniques ...
After getting tattooed I wait until I get home and clean my tattoo. I rewrap until the next morning and then I put on the tegaderm. The reason is if you put it on right after you get tattooed there will be too much plasma and parts of the tegaderm will not stick.
This may sound crazy but... keep it on for 3 days. The product is crazy because you can take a shower and get it wet also it's made from a breathable material.
From my experience what happens is the tegaderm slows down your initial healing which may sound negative but... It's good because when you heal slower there are fewer chances of getting scabs. The peelings are a lot softer too. Reminds me of when you peel from a sunburn.
So basically it heals your tattoo slower but heals smoother with no scabs. Negatives?? I really can't think of any..
Garver used it too on his last tattoo he got and he also said how awesome it was. The best place to buy it is on ebay !!!!!
- - - Updated - - -
I will post a pic on my instagram account @Killercook76 . I got my tattoo 11 days ago and it's almost healed... If you have any other questions please ask and I'll do my best to answer you from my experiences.

So today's Father's Day and my dad is celebrating the only way he knows best...by spending the day at the mah-jong parlor. My lady is working so that leaves me with a free day to my own devices to which I decided to mount and hang up the Horitomo cat prints I have accumulated. I love the entire series and the various ones that are not in print but posted on Horitomo's Instagram. Patiently waiting for more prints to come out and the much rumored book that collects all of the various tattoo cat incarnations. Hopefully one day I make it out to the west coast to get a tattoo cat from him...would be an awesome experience.

This one's for artists and collectors alike. What's the longest you've ever sat for a tattoo and (for artists) the longest you've ever worked on a client?
I've had several 5-hour sessions, which is kinda pushing it, but once, I sat for 9 hours. Without a break. Overnight. File under never again. The worst part is that I didn't really plan for a long session--it just ended up taking forever.
I'm sure some of you have some crazy stories, possibly involving Shige, Filip Leu, and/or Chris Trevino. :)
For the record, the last 4 tattoos I got took under 3 hours, combined. Much more fun!

Having worked this job myself I can tell you what my experience was.
a) How are you determining their pay? Do you pay in tips or are they guaranteed a certain salary per week? When I worked in shops it was for tips, the guy I worked for was nice enough to realize that he had to tip me pretty well to make it worth my while (he had a very small shop with only 2 tattooers) In a shop with few tattooer who can't afford to tip highly it can turn into working for way less than minimum wage, especially on a slow day. If your shop has more than three tattooers you should be able to split between you all tip a decent amount. If you are paying by the hour, you need to pay higher than minimum wage. When you pay someone minimum wage you are basically saying to the employee you must do the minimum amount of work to get by and your time is not very valuable to us which makes them not want to try hard. You really need to think about how much that person is worth to you. What is it worth to you not to have to scrub tubes and deal with customers? If you run a busy shop it shouldn't be a problem to pay someone well. If you are paying in tips you also need to make it clear to your tattooers that it is everyone's responsibility to pay the help, if one person decides they don't want to pay for that help it takes money out of everyone else's pocket and causes a very bad dynamic in the shop. I wouldn't want to scrub your tubes if I know at the end of the day you're not going to bother to thank me for the 5 customers I sent your way.
b) Who are you hiring? The people I worked for were close friends. This made it difficult for them to say something to me when I made a mistake or did a bad job. This also made it easy for me to slack off when the shop was slow. Hiring someone who is knowledgeable about tattooing can be a plus when answering customers questions. Not everyone who is knowledgeable about tattooing wants to do tattoos for a living, and if the person is, just make it very clear that you are not looking for an apprentice and that you will not teach them and that while at work they are not being paid to watch people tattoo. You can also do what the other have suggested and try to find someone who has experience in retail or secretarial duties. Someone who's worked say in a hair salon at the front desk may have what you are looking for.
c) Is there room for promotions? A few people I know who've held this job ended up quitting because most tattoo shops offer no room for promotion. Would you want to hold a job for more than 6 months or a year if you knew there was no chance of ever making more money or moving up in the company? I wouldn't. When someone is doing a good job you need to reward them for that, be it an annual raise, really good Christmas bonuses, or some other way of showing your appreciation in a manner that actually helps the person move forward. Maybe someone starts off as a shop helped and later turns into a shop manager? Or maybe they over time gain more duties like ordering your supplies or becoming a key holder who opened and closes the shop for you.
d) Are you treating them like a shop bitch? People who do this job are there to help make your day go easier. They are not there to bend over backwards at every tiny request you have. When you treat someone like dirt it doesn't make them want to work for you, even if you are paying them well. I had a tattooer once spill his india ink in his pencil case the night before at home, instead of cleaning it up right then, he saved it brought it to the shop and asked me to clean every single pencil and pen and all his erasers, etc. This was a tattooer who usually didn't even bother to tip me. I cleaned his pencil case and never did anything for him again. This person is your shop employee, they are doing the things you don't have time and don't want to do, you should be thanking them for doing this instead of laughing at them and giving them shitty jobs on purpose. Feel free to mess with your apprentices in that way, not a paid employee who you claim to respect.
So basically, hire someone who is smart and willing to work, pay them well and don't treat them like a slave. Do those things and you should be able to keep a good worker around for a while. In the end it's a pretty fun job with a lot of perks. I've heard of shops who had the same counter person for 10 years.

David, What a great number of questions! It seems there are many variables involved. Professional respect, ethics, as well as a keen business sense and the lack of' can all be taken into account. I once visited a friend and older tattooer in the Modesto Ca. area, He has been there for years, and I mean years. As we were walking to get some dinner up the street I noticed another shop just across the way. they had just opened a few months prior to my visit. My friend had said to me, 'They never even came by to say hello'. we quickly dropped the subject and continued on our way.
First come' first served', on a location is my opinion. If one is looking to relocate or open a shop One should investigate who else is in a close proximity, take in account a respect for that persons shop and that they were there before them. If it were me, I would honor my decision on my current location, hold on to it, and renegotiate the lease, with the help of a good lawyer. Through this, continue to investigate alternatives without making any rash decisions. You seem like you have everything under control, great Questions!! cant wait to hear from others about this.

Noodles_Tattooer, I Like it.

what the hell are you people talking about? fuck i am clueless.

I have an Android phone.
Y'all can go to hell.

Canadian apprenticeship program ehh?, He seems Enthusiastic and well spoken. He has a long and rocky path ahead of him. I wish this young man the best of luck.

Curious if anyone else in here collects old acetate stencils? I would really like to have a peek at other peoples collections. For some reason I almost enjoy collecting stencils more than flash. I just like holding an old acetate in my hand and imagining how many people got tattoos from it. Here are some of my collection. I have a bunch more I need to take pictures of.
Bob Shaw

Owen Jensen

Perfect example of why Yelp is irrelevant to the tattoo industry...
I just looked up Blackheart's yelp page because it's the shop I've been tattooed in most and am most familiar with as a client (which should matter for a yelp review...)
There is a one star review where someone is complaining about the pain of their tattoo. Really?!??
The same person felt they were overcharged but rather than say something at the time of the appointment, they called to discuss it with the shop helper later. That's like going to Best Buy, buying a TV, and then calling them two weeks later saying you saw a smaller, lower clarity TV at the pawn shop and want a partial refund on your big shiny new TV. Makes no sense at all!
Yelp is nothing but an outlet for complainers who want to feel empowered. Don't get me wrong, I've used it sometimes, but only for new food places and ALWAYS taking the ratings people give with a grain of salt. It's not difficult to read a little bit and see who knows what they're talking about and who's talking out of their ass.
Side note, my employer was hired by Yelp recently and all the attendees of the event (who were all the top Yelp reviewers if I remember correctly) were some of the most savage guests we've dealt with. Go figure.
In short, the passive aggressive keyboard heroes reign supreme on Yelp and it's sickening what a little power does to a whiny person.

weve talked..i hate the yelp, i dont agree with the way they conduct business, or try to strong arm businesses into advertising with them. I hate that if people have an issue with me or anyone who works with me they cant take it up with me, but they can go bitch and moan about it on yelp and i have no recourse. Ive had a bad review from a lady who thought she paid too much for her tattoo weeks after getting it. Said the tattoo was fine but after thinking about it she thought she paid too much..whatever..its a societal issue, the last generation of people are a bunch a whiners and complainers who take no responsibilty for their actions and they are constantly trying to shift the blame onto someone else for them being pussys..
but unfortunately we have to play ball
ive said too much i might get another bad review

Pretty young to be a total douche.... I had to work at it!
CG