el twe

That Salinger documentary was great, and Raise High the Roofbeams is probably my favorite. I need to do some revisiting sooner than later, but for right now I'm going to read the three unpublished stories that leaked around Thanksgiving time.

Read These 3 Unpublished JD Salinger Stories That Just Leaked Online (follow the first link there...)

Jordan Teear from Frith Street is someone to note:

Instagram

Hell yeah he is!

Great idea! Don't have anything to add other than that I really dig Austin Maple's work. Looking forward to seeing who else is posted here...

That owl rules.

So I was thinking of getting Freddy Corbin to do the 25th anniversary tattoos.

This is a very good idea. Welcome, and always nice to see some Higgs tattoos!

Love that PanthEagle!

I love the internet.

Wow, so great. Thanks @Iwar for posting that. I'm so struck by Mr. Hardy's humility, really great to see such a talented and influential human being act on such a relatable level.

I think good work is costly mostly because the artist can "afford" to be pricy. He has gone beyond the need to compete for customers through low prices. If you're not gonna pay a high price, someone else is already trying to get a spot, and will, gladly.

A high cost is usually a good sign and is very often in proportion with quality. People are aware of the internet and forums like these.

Stay the hell away from making a convenience-based choice, man! A backpiece cover up is pretty hard to cover up again.

Well, good tattoos are also worth it. I don't think most top-tier artists decide on their pricing as some sort of ego-stroke, but rather they have worked hard and deserve it. You ever get a raise at work? I've worked in bike shops for the last 6 or so years, and as my skills have gotten better and better I have (generally) been compensated appropriately (the bike industry is still incredibly undervalued in the US, but this is neither the time nor the place for me to go off on that tangent). As you then become in higher demand, you can raise your prices to adapt - it's fairly simple economics.

All that being said, an expensive tattoo is not good because it is expensive. And as has been mentioned on here before, a lot of the artists whose work we admire is not as prohibitively expensive as you might guess. If it's really worth it to you, save your pennies a little longer and go with who you think will execute the tattoo the way you want it. Everyone gets the tattoo they deserve...

/rant.

The perfect panther?

Dang, thanks for the second-hand knowledge bomb @Lance! So cool, great to hear more about anyone like Shige who truly dedicates their life to tattooing. I wonder how many mistakes are hidden in the knock-off back pieces...

I said I hated him and hoped he stepped on a lego

This is good.

This happened to a favorite t-shirt of mine a while back. I ended up pre-washing the area with some rubbing alcohol, then immediately put the shirt in the wash with a load of clothes. It was mostly gone after that, then repeat washings took the remainder out.

Boop before dishonor! Awesome!

Slayer tattoo

Why shouldnt it face me?

This is considered upside-down; the tattoo should face out towards the viewer (not you) and be readable/easy to interpret. Everybody will know the tattoo is "for you" even if it reads outwardly this way - it's on your body after all!

Also, upside-down script on a wrist is such a common request that it has become a common eye-roller for many (most?) artists.

here's mine of my cats from this weekend with grez at king's avenue.

panther cat!

Some fantastic Japanese pieces in here lately!

We have a "shop" and I use that term very lightly, promoting that they have, a non winner from Inkmasters, working there permanently. I don't get it. He didn't win.

I just saw an ad in a local rag that Joshua is now tattooing at a shop here in Portland. Oh boy! :rolleyes:

Nice work @petes67bird - another LST success story for the books!

@hogg - Awesome! Been a bit homesick for the Bay Area lately and seeing more and more Spider Murphy's (and guests') tattoos aren't making it any better. Guess I better get myself home soon...

edit: Or say fuck it and find a way to get to New Zealand!

Uhhh, so...

Did anyone else notice the Hatchet Man tattoo on Kyle's bicep?