ironchef

Did you find it helped a lot?

Personally, Yes. I have a low pain threshold on certain parts of my body. Don't get me wrong, popping a few pills will not numb the pain in any way. It just takes the edge off and makes the process more bearable. When Rubendall looked at my back and said, "You are going to hate me today", I knew the painkillers would come in handy. Additionally, I hate taking meds and the stuff I had (Vicodin) leaves you with a nasty feeling of nausea if there's no pain for it to mitigate.

Heading back to Dana on June 10th for some ass line work. It's bound to be an exquisite experience. I'm tempted to get some painkiller, but I just feel like that would be a cop out.

More importantly, you'll all get to see my ass.

I wouldn't fault you for it. I took some painkillers when Rubendall was working my ass over (ugggg)! hahaha

i got one from Corey miller will post it up soon..

Roll back a few posts in this thread...I posted your pic up already! hahahaha!

Welcome to the forum!

what confuses the beans out of me is why your friend keeps going to the same person knowing that he's getting copies every time???

Cheaper hourly rates when I questioned him and he's satisfied with the work. Go figure...

A friend of mine who's got some decent tattoos told me straight out that the artist he goes to is super lazy and doesn't like to draw his own stuff out. If he had an appointment, he was told to show up early and described what he liked and the artist would search around the internet, present him with a couple of options that the artist found and then basically copy it out and tattoo it. The work is good but guess it left me kinda of puzzled as much as @Diehardonvhs

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 [ATTACH=CONFIG]9004[/ATTACH]

That Chris Conn piece is INSANE. Saw that he posted on his Instagram last night. Right when Chris was getting back into tattooing, I was lucky enough to meet him and chat briefly when he stopped into Kings Avenue Tattoo NYC. That is a KILLER piece you got there.

I think your situation is a little easier because both Mike and Henning are considered elite world class tattooers. In my situation I'm looking to extend my 1/2 sleeve by a relatively new/unknown artist to match the length of my 3/4 sleeve by Chris O'Donnell.

Not interested in having Chris extend it or perhaps reaching out to Henning now and try to get an appointment when he comes to NYC in the fall?

Sometimes reading posts about your awesome tattoos fills me with a jealous rage...

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Was not my intention bro! And there's nothing to jealous of dude! I was at the NYC Tattoo Convention this weekend and saw some stellar tattoos. Just wished I had more real estate to fulfill all my tattoo ideas!

My first tattoo was a 1/2 sleeve and about two years later, I ended up having it extended to 3/4 by the same artist. I'm in the same boat as I have to keep things professional but want to be able to roll up my sleeves without causing unwanted attention. It's great when I can wear baseball shirts with 3/4 sleeves and they are fully covered.

I think if you find a good artist, they should be able to incorporate what you want with your existing piece to their specific style. Whomever you settle on, especially if it is a different artist, I'd say have a conversation with them to get your idea and concerns across. I have a front left thigh piece by Henning Jorgensen that's partially finished with background and when I started my back piece in which Mike Rubendall did the lower half, Rubendall was able to seamlessly merge the two pieces together. Granted their styles are slightly similar, but still different enough to tell the differences. I think it will mostly come down to the background (wind bars, water waves, etc.)

Right now I plan on keeping it without a background, but that may change down the road.

That back piece is INSANE! I love how O'Donnell describes on certain pieces it can stand alone or background can be added. I can't wait to get my calf started with him. Such a cool dude!

During my last few sessions with Mike Rubendall, I had the great pleasure of chatting up Chris O'Donnell. O'Donnell is like a repository for NYC tattoo history and knowledge and just a really nice guy to chat with. Chris and I are currently discussing sleeving my calf with a snake (I think his snakes set the bar for snake tattoos). I was looking over his Instagram and Blog and O'Donnell has some KILLER back pieces up. Here are some examples of images off his website:

This last one is a collaboration between O'Donnell and Thomas Hooper! INSANE!!!

Welcome and Cheers for Western NY!!!

Has any one else received any thin lines on their tattoos? The hair on my Kongo Yasha is all thin lines, and it was probably the worst 30 minutes of tattooing that I have ever suffered. I am curious if it was just the spot on my back, or the fact that thin lines hurt like hell anywhere.

As @a1steaks also mentioned, the single needle liner on the back is no walk in the park. On the tail feathers of my phoenix, the fine lines just seemed to go on and on. I was almost at the point of crying for my mommy. I always noticed between Rubendall and Henning, they both kind of gave me warning ahead of time, "I'm going to start the scales." and I would just close my eyes and braced for it.

Corey Miller did this on my buddy Mike's right thigh today:

Seems the Times is taking a real shine to tattooing lately:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/arts/artsspecial/Tracing-the-transformation-of-tattoos-.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1368048760-7VNI97cpfncqKcRQG9UJSQ

Next session done on my Dragon/Audrey Kawasaki piece. Wolf had 3 laser sessions and will be ready to cover in a couple of months. Im loving my first bit of colour in the phoenix which goes down my thigh and across my stomach. i'm thinking of a big colourful flower over the wolf what do you reckon ? Or maybe something from my left bum cheek up ? (Didnt want to put you off your tea so airbrushed my crack)

INSANE amount of detail! Absolutely stunning!

@ironchef, @MoistTowelette and @Cork lining up some seriously killer tattoos here. Banner day for the Sparrow!

I'm just really happy to be able to share this with like minded people and also to see and witness some amazing tattoos from other artists. Thanks to you @hogg and the other mods plus Scott for giving us a forum to play in. I'm like a kid in a candy store these days! :D

some more progress on my back. started coloring the face and sword. done by jess yen. no filter!

LOVE the colors! This is going to be SUPERLATIVE!!!

I'm getting whole front done with Fujin and tiger. Stoked to be getting the tattoo, but I'm dreading the pain.

I'm hoping to get something from Horitomo one day. Maybe a hawk or one of his whimsical tattoo cats!

@ironchef and @Cork those are going to be some awesome backpieces! @ironchef looks like the worst of the butt is over for you... i did NOT enjoy getting my ass tattooed, it was very SPICEY! So glad I'm not sticking to the sheets anymore...

I sleep on my stomach. Not the most pleasant nor more comfortable but it's only for a couple of weeks. Can't imagine sleeping on my back after the torture I endured today, hahaha.

More from Rubendall at Kings Avenue on my back. Shaded in the rest of the back of my left thigh and added some color to the peony and dragon's tail!!! More pics when I'm all healed up! Enjoy!

Today's shenanigans in NYC or better referred to as tattoo fan Heaven!

First a stop by Invisible NYC to check in on my friend getting work from Chris Garver:

Then some work on myself by Mike Rubendall at Kings Avenue Tattoo Manhattan (more photos in the back piece thread):

Finally, Chris O'Donnell working on a grim reaper thigh piece at Kings Avenue as well (Grez and Rubendall in the background:

Right now my pre-tattoo ritual is eating a hummus and bulgur sandwich with a cup of genmaicha, and then drinking plenty of water and having snacks like bananas, dried fruits and nuts, or a Clif bar to keep my energy levels up during the session. The sandwich and tea is obviously specific to what's near the shop I get tattooed at...but for me, something substantial and nutritious that isn't overly heavy and greasy seems to work best.

Though obviously everybody is going to have their own things that work best for them. I think that it's difficult to talk about what makes a tattoo session easier/more difficult because there are so many variables at play: the spot, the tattooer, how well rested you are, what general physical condition/health you're in, what other things are going on in your life that can be distracting you, etc, etc, etc.

Agreed @Graeme I just had a large English breakfast with milk and sugar, a ham and egg sandwich and some fresh strawberries. Now off to visit a friend getting tattooed by Chris Garver at Invisible NYC before I head to my own session today at Kings Ave with Rubendall.

Going to pop into Invisible NYC to check on a friend who's getting tattooed by Chris Garver this morning. Then I have my own session at Kings Avenue Manhattan this afternoon with Mike Rubendall. I wish all my days were like this!