tacitapproval

My first two are pretty bad.

First, we have just about every cliche about what a bad tattoo is wrapped up in one image:

"Quod scripsi scripsi."

Yup. It's upside down (because it's "for me"...). Latin ("what I have written I have written" so as to be as pretentious as possible). In my own handwriting (see the translation in the previous parenthetical). With poorly rendered solid black bands going around my forearm.

I seriously planned on getting another band for any significant life event. Happily I didn't get too far along with that particular project.

Second, this questionable execution of classic tattoo subject matter:

I still have a soft spot for it, and intend to have someone try and save it if at all possible, but it is a mess.

I've since been getting much better tattoos.

That said, I'm kind of reticent to cover any of them up (aside from reworking the bird). There is a part of me that almost loves them for being really dumb/bad.

My new favorite is Marija Ripley from Sailors Grave in Copenhagen. Absolutely unreal. (And I'm super photo-posting illiterate, so just look her up, sorry!)

Marija is awesome! My wife and I got tattooed at The Sailor's Grave on our honeymoon (although not by Marija), and she recommended a kick ass restaurant and helped us get a reservation for that night. Really sweet lady. Her husband, Judd does some really rad large-scale traditional stuff. Super-sized battle royale back pieces and whatnot.

Super cool shop, too. And they have good coffee.

And to address the actual thread topic: Mina Aoki at Fun City does a pretty good thing with ladies in general and heads in particular.

That last sentence reads a lot creepier than I intended it.

Anyway, I already posted this in the "latest lowdown" thread so sorry for the doubling up, but I just got this one from her.

I, personally, would steer clear of options 2 and 3 of the links you posted. Nothing in those facebook galleries looks very good.

I have a couple of really shitty tattoos that I got from shops like those before I knew any better.

There is some nice stuff in the portfolios at Golden Spiral, so that seems the safest bet of those three.

Good luck, man.

Just got this lady put on me this afternoon by Mina Aoki at Fun City.

Now I just need to figure out what to cap my shoulder with and I can start filling in the smaller spots. Three hours out and already planning the next steps....

I have a crazy idea in my head: tomorrow morning I should drive 4 hours down to NY to make appointments for 2014 with a famously hard to book artist... This is a good idea right?

This is a great idea.

I need to finally get around to booking with a few people around the city as well, I just keep getting sidetracked by smaller, more impulsive tattoos. In much the same form, I'm getting some work done this Sunday afternoon.

A lady head on the outside of my right bicep from Mina Aoki. She does some nice things with eyes and whatnot. (Mina Aoki | Just another WordPress.com site)

After that, the booking in advance and careful planning stage of my getting tattooed will begin.

...I hope. Although I don't want to completely abandon the more impulsive tattoos as well.

Strange that people have asked me if I'm worried about getting infections, diseases, viruses, etc from tattoo artists that have 15+ years experience but no one is worried about the phlebotomist that might be fresh out of training with only 6 months experience.

Couldn't agree more. I'm a type 1 diabetic on an insulin pump (essentially a little robot pancreas...it's pretty rad), so I'm pretty comfortable with needs of both the injecting medication and placing ink varieties.

That said, there are new nurses at my endocrinologist's office and they are fucking horrible at drawing blood. The last three times I've been in they've either pressed the syringe right through the vein, or rolled the needle while it was in. I end up with a bruise for a few days at the site and look like I have a different sort of problem all together.

I'm actually getting tattooed this Sunday after a doctors appointment on Saturday, so my hope is that they've improved so that I don't have to awkwardly explain to the tattooer that the needle mark and bruise are from an indelicate nurse, not some questionable extracurricular activities.

Might be time to ask the nurses for a blood-draw portfolio.

Yeah, man. Welcome from another new guy.

I just did a quick look about on your site. I particularly like this snake/anchor guy you did: Snake and Anchor space filler | foulds tattoo

Nice work.

Just got this googly-eyed little weirdo last night from John Raftery at Fun City.

I'm calling him "Elwood."

Pretty happy with it.

Found myself listening to Downward Is Heavenward today and thought I'd weigh in with the Hum love I saw earlier in the thread.

"Isle of the Cheetah" still fucking wrecks me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5z_K63FVcU

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Don't want to butt in too much and flood the thread, but I've been getting a lot of mileage out of this record of late. This track ("Yesterday's Fire"), "Teary Eyes and Bloody Lips", and "Heartbreaking Bravery" in particular.

Cheers.

My wife and I did our honeymoon in Stockholm and then Copenhagen a few weeks ago, and while in Copenhagen we both got tattooed by Henric Nielsen at The Sailor's Grave.

They do a walk-in Saturday where Henric paints up new flash each week. I got this mandala flower on my left forearm and my wife got a lady head in profile with butterfly wings. It's a really nice shop, and Henric is a hell of a guy. Marija Ripley was also really nice and recommended a pretty great restaurant on the same street as our hotel.

Next up...to try and book in with Steve Boltz and maybe get something from Ashley Love.

I don't think it's just you. i've been having trouble loading user profiles and galleries too.

I'm new, so I'm just poking around, looking at everyone else's tattoos.

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Although it has sped up in the last ten minutes or so.

Thanks for the warm welcome from everyone.

@gougetheeyes thanks, man. John's been awesome. Pete, too. There's another tattooer, Mina Aoki, at the same shop who is doing some pretty slick stuff. I think she apprenticed there as well and is pretty early on in her career. I'm considering getting a lady head from her in the near future. Although the temptation to just drop all of the money I have at Smith Street is also pretty strong as well.

I just took a look at your gallery. That UFO/eyeball/earth is fantastic. Cool little spooky thing with a sense of humor. I really dig that one.

Hey, everyone. I've been lurking around the forum here for about 6 months or so after falling down the rabbit hole watching all of the artist interviews on the site. Figured it was about time to start getting involved in the conversation.

I've only really been getting tattooed since April of 2012. On top of that, I've come to it a bit later than a lot of people at 32. Started off getting a pretty questionably rendered sparrow followed by a skull that was flash the shop owner just googled and lifted from some other tattooer.

I still feel pretty shitty about that second one, but I've since learned better.

Lately I've been getting tattooed by a couple of guys at Fun City in New York, and have been happier with the outcomes (and am inching closer to filling up my right arm). That said, I really want to learn more and get a better handle on the tattooers who are out there and the quality work that's getting done. New York is full of really solid tattooers, and I'm sure I don't know of even a fraction of them.

Looking forward to learning a lot and contributing something as well.

I posted pictures of what I have so far in my gallery. They are all unhealed shots though, since my iphone camera is broken I only have the pictures taken right after getting tattooed.

Aaaaaaand there's my wall of text intro.