ironchef

@BrianH I actually have and she's been very supportive with my tattoo projects. Best part is when she helps me out with the aftercare on the hard to reach areas of the back piece!

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading about everyone's personal experiences. I'm ABC (American born Chinese) born and raised in Chinatown/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC. Most people are aware of the negative connotations associated with tattoos in Asian cultures (think Triads and Yakuza). My younger brother was actually the first in the family to get a tattoo. He got it back in college with a couple of close frat brothers. I remember the first time my dad saw it, he actually flicked and slapped at it with a pair of chop sticks!
Fast forward to 2009 and at the age of 33, after much planning and back and forth, I get my first tattoo, a koi half sleeve. I figure I could still hide it under a t-shirt. Summer 2010 rolls around my dad spots it. He doesn't really give me the riot act but questions my thought process. My mom was more concerned if I had now permanently damaged my chances of meeting a nice girl.
Now we're in 2012. I've two 3/4 sleeves, which both mom and pop have seen. They don't know about my thigh piece nor the HUGE back piece I'm getting worked on right now. This summer could be a very interesting one, especially during Sunday family dinner at the folks.

@BrianH I actually have and she's been very supportive with my tattoo projects. Best part is when she helps me out with the aftercare on the hard to reach areas of the back piece!

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading about everyone's personal experiences. I'm ABC (American born Chinese) born and raised in Chinatown/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC. Most people are aware of the negative connotations associated with tattoos in Asian cultures (think Triads and Yakuza). My younger brother was actually the first in the family to get a tattoo. He got it back in college with a couple of close frat brothers. I remember the first time my dad saw it, he actually flicked and slapped at it with a pair of chop sticks!
Fast forward to 2009 and at the age of 33, after much planning and back and forth, I get my first tattoo, a koi half sleeve. I figure I could still hide it under a t-shirt. Summer 2010 rolls around my dad spots it. He doesn't really give me the riot act but questions my thought process. My mom was more concerned if I had now permanently damaged my chances of meeting a nice girl.
Now we're in 2012. I've two 3/4 sleeves, which both mom and pop have seen. They don't know about my thigh piece nor the HUGE back piece I'm getting worked on right now. This summer could be a very interesting one, especially during Sunday family dinner at the folks.

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading about everyone's personal experiences. I'm ABC (American born Chinese) born and raised in Chinatown/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC. Most people are aware of the negative connotations associated with tattoos in Asian cultures (think Triads and Yakuza). My younger brother was actually the first in the family to get a tattoo. He got it back in college with a couple of close frat brothers. I remember the first time my dad saw it, he actually flicked and slapped at it with a pair of chop sticks!
Fast forward to 2009 and at the age of 33, after much planning and back and forth, I get my first tattoo, a koi half sleeve. I figure I could still hide it under a t-shirt. Summer 2010 rolls around my dad spots it. He doesn't really give me the riot act but questions my thought process. My mom was more concerned if I had now permanently damaged my chances of meeting a nice girl.
Now we're in 2012. I've two 3/4 sleeves, which both mom and pop have seen. They don't know about my thigh piece nor the HUGE back piece I'm getting worked on right now. This summer could be a very interesting one, especially during Sunday family dinner at the folks.

@BrianH I actually have and she's been very supportive with my tattoo projects. Best part is when she helps me out with the aftercare on the hard to reach areas of the back piece!

Have you met a nice girl yet? haha

Too late now. He got tattooed and therefore is stuck dating hairy bikers for the rest of his live. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :p

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading about everyone's personal experiences. I'm ABC (American born Chinese) born and raised in Chinatown/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC. Most people are aware of the negative connotations associated with tattoos in Asian cultures (think Triads and Yakuza). My younger brother was actually the first in the family to get a tattoo. He got it back in college with a couple of close frat brothers. I remember the first time my dad saw it, he actually flicked and slapped at it with a pair of chop sticks!
Fast forward to 2009 and at the age of 33, after much planning and back and forth, I get my first tattoo, a koi half sleeve. I figure I could still hide it under a t-shirt. Summer 2010 rolls around my dad spots it. He doesn't really give me the riot act but questions my thought process. My mom was more concerned if I had now permanently damaged my chances of meeting a nice girl.
Now we're in 2012. I've two 3/4 sleeves, which both mom and pop have seen. They don't know about my thigh piece nor the HUGE back piece I'm getting worked on right now. This summer could be a very interesting one, especially during Sunday family dinner at the folks.

Great thread and I'm enjoying reading about everyone's personal experiences. I'm ABC (American born Chinese) born and raised in Chinatown/Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC. Most people are aware of the negative connotations associated with tattoos in Asian cultures (think Triads and Yakuza). My younger brother was actually the first in the family to get a tattoo. He got it back in college with a couple of close frat brothers. I remember the first time my dad saw it, he actually flicked and slapped at it with a pair of chop sticks!
Fast forward to 2009 and at the age of 33, after much planning and back and forth, I get my first tattoo, a koi half sleeve. I figure I could still hide it under a t-shirt. Summer 2010 rolls around my dad spots it. He doesn't really give me the riot act but questions my thought process. My mom was more concerned if I had now permanently damaged my chances of meeting a nice girl.
Now we're in 2012. I've two 3/4 sleeves, which both mom and pop have seen. They don't know about my thigh piece nor the HUGE back piece I'm getting worked on right now. This summer could be a very interesting one, especially during Sunday family dinner at the folks.

Quick update of more work from Rubendall on my collaboration backpiece. His attention to detail is fantastic and looking at his water makes me sea sick! More to come before I take a break over the summer. Hope to see Henning soon to continue the upper portion of the backpiece. Enjoy the pics folks. FYI, there's some work that's still healing and of course new work. Will have fully healed pics in a couple of months.

I'm a bit biased being an ongoing client, but I personally love Henning Jorgensen's tigers. I plan on getting one on my front right thigh soon as he finishes up my left thigh and the collaboration back piece he's working with Rubendall on. Check out the pics!

Such a dynamic piece! Really powerful image. Here's the three pieces that true put it over the top for me from Henning. These will eventually be the inspiration for the one I want to get on my thigh:

Such a dynamic piece! Really powerful image. Here's the three pieces that true put it over the top for me from Henning. These will eventually be the inspiration for the one I want to get on my thigh:

Such a dynamic piece! Really powerful image. Here's the three pieces that true put it over the top for me from Henning. These will eventually be the inspiration for the one I want to get on my thigh:

Yep, that's the one! I responded before you posted that picture. And yes, so amazing and the pictures really don't even come close.

@ironchef Henning was doing a huge (ie armpit to thigh) rib tiger on a guy at the Montreal convention last year and I will totally back you on Henning's tigers being amazing. Seeing that tattoo was one of those moments that happen embarassingly often with me where I am like "oh fuck, looking at pictures of tattoos on the internet or in books or in magazines is cool, but I really need to see more tattoos in real life because it's not the same thing". I need to get tattooed by Henning.

I'm a bit biased being an ongoing client, but I personally love Henning Jorgensen's tigers. I plan on getting one on my front right thigh soon as he finishes up my left thigh and the collaboration back piece he's working with Rubendall on. Check out the pics!

I'm a bit biased being an ongoing client, but I personally love Henning Jorgensen's tigers. I plan on getting one on my front right thigh soon as he finishes up my left thigh and the collaboration back piece he's working with Rubendall on. Check out the pics!

Filip Leu:


Kurt Wiscombe:


Henning Jørgensen

How about a white tiger? Or a leopard or jaguar?

White ghost tiger using only black light ink?

Quick update of more work from Rubendall on my collaboration backpiece. His attention to detail is fantastic and looking at his water makes me sea sick! More to come before I take a break over the summer. Hope to see Henning soon to continue the upper portion of the backpiece. Enjoy the pics folks. FYI, there's some work that's still healing and of course new work. Will have fully healed pics in a couple of months.

Im going, getting tattooed by Mike Rubendall :D

@Reyeslv and @ironchef - Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu... thats all I have to say at this point in time as I can no longer string together a coherent sentence after witnessing the awesomeness of your backs. 3 Months and counting to start mine.