Mark Bee

I'm in, but unfortunately my wife can't make it.

In 3 days I'll be speeding eastbound on the 401. Feels like the week leading up to Xmas when I was a kid.

Welcome aboard, Arya.

I picked up Diablo 3 on my way home from work this evening. So, if @CultExciter doesn't mind, I'll borrow that excellent line and say, "Bye friends."

A shame you can't do the full sleve. I know how you feel. I have to cover up at work too. I think if you were to surround the pre-existing tattoo with new work, you'd find that it blends in quite nicely. It looks pretty good as it is, but with new art around it, you wouldn't focus so much on it. And if you want to keep it auto-themed, there are a huge number of options available for you to discuss with a good artist. Do you have an artist in mind?

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of cover-ups, though some cases warrant that sort of measure. I think you could simply add more tattoos around this one. But hey, my answer to most of life's most pressing concerns is "get more tattoos." I don't think your tattoo is so bad that it warrants covering up, after all, it's a part of your personal history.

Congratulations! Great arm, @Graeme !

This is one of those threads that ends up costing me a small fortune on Amazon or ABE.

Tasty tacos, too.

Heh, good point! That will be my chance to further explore the Metro. I love taking public transit in other cities and noticing how much better than Toronto it is virtually everywhere else. Buffalo, NY was worse. (Sorry, Buffalo!)

Thanks! If its a nice day, I'll probably walk there.

@Graeme For sure. I'll probably get to Montreal around 10 or 10:30 depending on traffic. I still have to figure out where the convention is in relation to where we are staying on the plateau. the venue looks really familiar. I suspect I walked past it last summer during my last visit. I'm also really stoked to pick up a few bottles of my favourite mead from the SAQ. Good times ahead!

@Graeme Chad's gonna kill that one, no doubt. Sounds awesome! I'm working on my legs at the convention too. I'm pretty easy going about healing, but damn - the lower legs are pure evil.

Did I miss this? What are you getting done?

Dear God... I'm in.

For sure! Looking forward to meeting you!

Brilliant! Should be a great weekend.

I might make one or two different choices, but overall I like the way things have come together. Its all a reflection of me and my own imperfections and I'm fine with that. Generally, in life, I don't look back with regrets. I don't find it particularly helpful. I simply try to learn from past mistakes and move on.

I think it was the last time I was at The Pearl and they were playing Les Surfs. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I did see this on Instagram but I have to say (again, I think) that this is one amazing piece of work.

A few years ago I started thinking about getting an old one covered up and I kept hearing this advice. It seemed counter-intuitive at first, but I now firmly hold this belief. Get more and you'll find you stop worrying about it. In fact, I came all the way around and now really like the one I was going to cover up.

Few places are nicer than Montreal in September...just sayin'

Carefully! /insert rimshot here. Thank you very much! I'll be doing two sets every weekend through Labor Day.

You certainly look like you're on the right track. I'll second the advice you are getting suggesting not to overthink things, as counterintuitive as that may seem. With a good artist, you can leave much of the design work to them. Also, a lot of the traditional photos you have provided would be best (in my opinion) with at least some color. Although I have to admit I have a strong bias towards colorful traditional work. Bold lines and strong colors seem to work pretty well and hold up over time. There is an excellent thread on these pages about what makes a good tattoo and the consensus seems to be that strong black lining and good shading forms the foundation of good tattoos. Color just adds a little extra spark, in my opinion. Not to mention, browsing through the various galleries here will demonstrate the truth behind that sentiment. Best of luck to you in whatever you decide. Looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

I'm down with gauze. I've only had saran wrap once, and I wasn't thrilled with it. It wasn't too, too bad, but I prefer the gauze.