donbcivil

FINALLY got around to starting this project last weekend on April 23..when the whole Shakespeare geek world was celebrating 400 years of his work.

Done by Sasha King, owner of Dark Horse Tattoo in Seattle.

A Haida style wolf. Done last Fall by Justin Delong at Deep Roots in Lynnwood, WA.

Wow, very nice!

3 hours ago, JBluewind said:

A friend I've had for a long time is probably not my friend anymore. I told him I was getting a tattoo and was cool with it until he found out it was a broken infinity to mark the year I finally came out as an atheist after hiding it all my life (I'm an agnostic de facto atheist, not an anti-theist by the way). He threw a fit saying stuff like "You know it's permanent right?", "What are you gonna do when you get over this phase and come back to God and are stuck with it?", and "Are you a satanist?". Considering he acted the same when I told him I was an atheist, I'm pretty sure I'm stepping back from the friendship.

My dad (who I moved back in with a few months ago after I lost everything) is mad that I wanted a tattoo, that I researched and designed a tattoo, the I went to get a tattoo, that I got the tattoo, that I wanted to show him the tattoo, and that it was "too big for a woman" (3 in x 3 in). He's told me "You had to get the tackiest ugliest thing in the shop didn't you?", "A tattoo that big looks ugly on a woman.", "What are you gonna do when you meet a nice guy and find out he hates tattoos?", "I hope you get an infection and your leg falls off! Would serve you right.", "It was a waste of money and looks like shit.", "You always get obsessed with stupid shit! First it was books, then it was tattoos, and now it's [family history]." (I read all the time, been wanting a tattoo since 13, and found someone who can help me get past where I've been stuck on my genealogy), and "How long do you think it's gonna take for you to regret this?"

I went to the hospital yesterday with a massive asthma attack which scared the nurses and got me a stiff lecture from the ER doctor for waiting so long to come in and for driving myself there (40 minutes). I was wearing short pants, so my ink was showing. Still weak, I ended up having to drive myself home. My dad proceeded to give me an earful for having "that ugly ass thing" out in the open, not doing my housework, and smelling like "stinky feet". So after he went to bed, I went in his bathroom, put my foot in his sink, and washed and moisturized my ink. I had to clean my tattoo anyway and I didn't want to get in the shower. Besides, fuck dad and his tattoo hating ass for making me drive to the ER in the middle of an asthma attack (my meds wouldn't stop it, but he thought I was exaggerating even though I've had it all my life).

Don't let the idiots get you down. It's YOUR life and you're living it on your terms!

I kind of have a thing for literary tattoos...have one with just the word "timshel" from East of Eden and there are others that I think about.

The one that I'm seriously considering now is getting one or two largish pieces commemorating Shakespeare's work. Always enjoyed Shakespeare, ever since university. Anyway, I've been thinking about getting one or two largish Shakespeare-themed tattoos for a while and wanted to solicit feedback about whether these ideas could look cool...or need a lot more thought. Here's what I'm thinking...

On my left upper arm. potentially all of it in a partial sleeve:

Using as much space as needed two larger figures (Hamlet and Hal), on top in the attached image. The flag with three big cats' heads, if it fits, could add a little bit to the Hal portrait.

The two smaller heads, Falstaff and Lady Macbeth, to illustrate the comedy and tragedy in Shakespeare's work

The point with this is a homage to the Bard's extreme skill at creating lifelike characters that resonate powerfully, 400 years after being written. I see these ins some sort of montage with some sort of background. Maybe some sort of vines?

On my left upper back:

Wondering what you think of this idea, which may sound kind of off the wall but sounds pretty cool to me:

the Tempest is a play with lead character Prospero, a banished former governor who has developed powers including control of the weather. One version swapped genders and had the gorgeous actress Helen Mirren as Prospera.

OK, so I'm also a huge fan of the short-lived Firefly TV show and Joss Whedon named two worlds after characters in the Tempest.

What I was thinking is having a moderate sized piece on my upper back, with Prospera summoning a storm and the Firefly ship flying across the sky.

I would appreciate any and all feedback about these ideas. Thank you! :)

I don't get a lot of stares but sometimes the comments I get are cool.

Last May, I took the family to England and Wales for a couple weeks. Had planned to join the Bristol Tattoo Club but Les Skuse's shop in Bristol had closed.:(

But anyway, we ended with 4 days in London. We were in line at Westminster Abbey and one of the policemen outside noticed my Triumph Speed Triple tattoo and said that it looked really good. :)

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Well, first, let me introduce myself. I am a 45 year old teacher who always dreamed about getting tattoos. Finally realized my dream, with a tattoo of a heart surrounded by a vine and leaves, all the way to my hand. I love it; very feminine yet expresses my vegan believes. Well... People are rude! Staring, frowning... And mainly women! Positives from men ( hubby not happy lol)... But how do you react to people ? Would it be because i am older??? One lady told me at the store i should not do this to the temple God gave me... What the hell is that about???

Wow, that does sound like a GREAT tattoo!

Thank you for the info!

I hope Les Scuse tattoos is still around. I've been trying to contact them about joining the Bristol Tattoo Club. Phone says wrong number; no email responses. And tomorrow is the day I drive through Bristol. :)

Nope. That way, you can try them out and see if they'll look good to YOU.

Wonder if you could get a trial tattoo, e.g. a really small star, someplace where your leotard would cover it? Say, lower back? That way, if you get a bad rash it won't be visible and means getting more could be problematic? On the other hand, if there isn't a bad reaction, it means you can get your dream tattoo?

Thanks, everyone.

I'm still new to tattooing and was wondering when touchups make sense and when they'll come across as kind of a pointless perfectionism. Since tattoos are placed on skin, a surface that's very different from other surfaces on which artists draw.

What sort of percentage of tattoos people go back to have retouched. Half maybe? More? Less?

And what sort of visual issues send you back for touchups. Tattoos that ended up healing a little inconsistent in color solidity or a LOT consistent? Minor issues with lines in the tattoo?

Thanks, D

I'd been thinking about getting a compass tattoo for a while and took the opportunity

to do so last week, the day after I arrived back in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, NY to visit

family and friends. Done by Chuck, who owns Faith in Ink tattoo shop n the

very arty Allentown district in Buffalo. Great guy and he really bent over backwards

to help me find a time we could meet for the ink session.

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Funny...this was a 5X year anniversary of my class's high school graduation. No organized

reunion but I met some old high school friends for pizza & beer. At one point, my buddy

Steve suggested that I deserved an award for being the person with the most tattoos.

I asked how many others had one or some. None did.

So yeah, I win. :cool:

Best wishes for the both of you!

Had a fun day yesterday.

Mrs Civil and I have been taking n00b roller skating classes this month and had a really good one, yesterday.

Later in the day, I helped set up for roller derby and then attended the roller derby finale/championships. It was AWESOME. The grudge match between two of the teams was an epic battle. And the championships themselves were brilliant! There one team (the Pink Pistols) that usually wins most games and they did again but it wasn't a walkover...the Hula Honeys fought HARD, came oh so close to winning and ended up barely losing, 143-135...

OK folks, I'm wondering what the weirdest book title you can invent is? Read...GO!

"With Cheese In My Bitter Embrace"

"SQL Server For Felons"

"Jaunty Seattle Battle Ponies"

"I Tattoo The Elderly"

"Room Service For Seven: The Circus Chronicles"

"Sherlock Holmes and The Case of the Self Loathing Apothecary"

"Shakespeare in Sheboygan"

"Cryptic Nasal Performances"

The new yoga teacher doesn't know your name yet, so refers to you as "Miss Tattoos" during class.

Ha! That's great.

Yoga rocks, after my company moves I'm hoping I can work in time for a class.

Wow, that sounds like a fantastic idea to me. Looking forward to seeing it progress!

Nice sketch work too. I wish I could do that...

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And thank you for your service.

maybe instead of an actual book, maybe a book inspired tattoo? I have a flapper/gatsby inspired tattoo, and really have considered getting a frankenstein tattoo. I love books as well. Too bad the game of thrones show came out, i'd totally get a wolf with the words "winter is coming". it's like one of those lines you read and it strikes a deep chord. same with the sentence, "beneath his house in r'yleah, cthulu lies dreaming". Idk who to explain such a visceral reaction to a line in a book

Not sure which book(s), though.

Thinking I might someday get the W.A.S.T.E. horn from The Crying of Lot 49.

Maybe something by Ray Bradbury.

Gully Foyle's tattooed tiger face from The Stars My Destination could be good...

Wow, that is AWESOME!

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how about an owl standing on a stack of books??

I like that idea too.

I have a few mediocre tattoos which, though I do like them, could use a bit of help. I think that only serves to emphasize how much I want go to the next level for my next (and biggest, and probably final) tattoo...

Shouldn't we all just admit our addiction and stop thinking that each tattoo will be our "last" one? :)

Welcome...cool ideas, I really like the clockwork/steampunk idea.

OK, so I'm a huge book geek. My wife is a book geek and works in the library system. Books are

one of the things I love most in the world.

I have one bookish tattoo, the word "timshel" from East of Eden. But I was thinking today about

another idea: having an open book and inside it either the whole world or the universe and a lot of

stars (maybe Saturn).

Wonder how workable that would be as a tattoo?

My wife finished her bachelors degree about a month ago and when she was done, we quickly went and got 2 pair of roller skates and a decent Trek bike to match mine. There's a LONG walking/biking/skating trail near us that we use a lot.

Today, we went to a skating class. We've both skated off and on for years but decided we'd take a few classes to build some real skills. It was GREAT!

Plan for the next year: I boost my skills and find a better job, we go to England (and I visit the Triumph motorcycle plant and join the Bristol Tattoo Club) and then she starts on her library degree...

Awesome! ;) a snake tattoo would look great too. I've seen some really nice ones.

Wondering what sort of snake plans @Timbur and @TrixieFaux will go for.

We had a variety of snakes for a while: ball pythons, corn snakes, cal king. The carpet python we had for a while was pretty cool. Pic I found online:

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I had a hellva weekend, sad it is over. Date on Friday, Saturday was BBQing/drinking all day, then followed by a late night session at Invisible to finish the background on my leg, Sunday was wake up to black metal and black coffee followed by oh so much more BBQing and drinking. Finishing off today with heavy doses of metal and a smooth single-malt scotch.

You like Speyside, Highland or Islay scotch?

I like them all but family from Islay explains why I prefer it...

I saved a snakes life today.

Awesome. Snakes are cool...

I'm watching my favorite derby league's all star team play against a visiting team from London, tomorrow night....