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So I'm back from my trip to LA visiting Bryan Burk and Chris Conn :o I had the best holiday of my life in just three days! and here are the results! Panther is by Bryan Burk, Dark Horse Tattoo and The cat-lady is of course by Mr. Conn himself! Best tattoo experience I have had and probably will ever have, he is something special this guy :o

like empires, tits will fall.
but, you still have many years before that happens
and when it does, you can either get them put right back up where they were, or enjoy the fact that at least you had fun doing your chest tattoo while you were young

But if you want something that's going to stay perfect forever, get a print or a painting, not a tattoo.

tattood by me (mike harris) at churchyard tattoo studio in hitchin, hertfordshire englad

I am not trying to be mean, but the way I look at it good Music is creative, tattooing lyrics to a song on you verbatim is not very creative, I would say it's the antithesis of creative. Any good song should inspire strong imagery. There is so much tattoo imagery inspired by music, and vise versa. Look at the Social D Skeleton, Misfits Crimson Ghost, Tron and her Morrissey, Bikini Kill, Jawbreaker flash, etc. I remember the first time I talked someone out of getting a bunch of lyrics tattooed on them. They wanted all the lyrics to pink floyd wish you were here. I simply said why not get two fish in a bowl and the words "Wish you were Here" above it, it was the simplest idea and the first that came to mind, but never occurred to the client and blew her mind when I suggested it.
Someone liking their tattoo is the most important part, but ultimately the point of this forum I feel is to open people up to ideas they never thought of, and help people get better tattoos.

Society lacks the esoteric connections with totems. Its out of a nacissitic desire to feel like they are some how expressing real thoughts or ideas by putting it on their body. Seldom have I done lettering of large quantity on someone who was say..a person who was really into books and felt a connection to the dialog of a novel or the linguistic appeal of ones writing style. Its usually just a clever quote they saw on social media or a song lyric that they want to mean something but have never even purchased an album by the person/band. Looking for logic in mainstream culture is an exercise in futility. It is however easier to recognize those who know what's cool and those who are just riding the current trend.

Doug Hardy was here the other day and told us about being in a bar talking to a guy who struck up a conversation with him about his tattoos. At one point the guy said, completely seriously. "Y'know I always wanted to get a tattoo, but I never knew anyone that died."
Thanks TV.

At last my koi with Japanese maple sleeve is finished and pretty much fully heeled. The work was done by Mo Coppoletta from the Family Business in London, done in seven sessions between December and May.
Pictures also posted on the May tattoo contest thread elsewhere on this forum.

Back Progress: http://web.stagram.com/p/454663434010911458_5661303
My Wifes New shin eagle: http://web.stagram.com/p/454553257463014123_5661303
Congress st. tattoo trips are some of my favorite.

Got this little train today from Adrian Hing (photo clearly robbed from his instagram)

No, but I've been enjoying Victor Farinelli's reviews of it on Tattoo Artist Magazine's blog! That show looks real bad.