Killercook76

Just now, Killercook76 said:

Done at Invisible NYC by Garver

I have not had any front piece yet. I will this summer though... But I beg to differ, The back is a fucked up roller coaster of pain. Some parts is like nothing and hair to the left is insanity.

Sick piece you got going.

Yeah you may have a point. I just started so I can't really say for sure but it seems to be less painful so far . I know .. The ass!! Haha

Very cool...it's like a phoenix, but not. The wing placement is brilliant...what's on your right shoulder? Seems like all the feather work will compliment each other well.

My right shoulder there is a realistic eagle. Yeah I have more than one eagle.. haha

Yeah that's only half the design. The dragon part will continue down to my knees. It's not some sort of mash up of the two. I know it kind of looks like that now. If you want to see the full design check out my instagram Killercook76

@Killercook76 WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

So. 4 days and then IT BEGINS. Very nervous, very excited. The drawing is out of control, I almost cried when I saw it and left the shop a mess of nerves. I'm told that Kahlil is gentle and efficient so that's some small iota of comfort. Hopefully the age-old tactic of building it up in my head to be the worst thing in life serves me well. Yeah, super excited. I'll be sure to DM pics to the LST folks on instagram when the first session is done but I probably won't post anything here (sorry) as I'm sure it won't go over well.

Don't be nervous! Back seems to be less painful then the front.

not at all. I like the battle royal but it can look a little cluttered .. just my opinion.

I guess if I had a huge back I would have .

@KillerCook: Nice start. Is that an Eagon or a Draggle?

haha you so clever! The dragon head will come next session.. Battle royal minus the snake.

Round 1 of my eagle/dragon.

Tattoo By Chris Garver (thanks fairgreen) at Invisible NYC

Round 1 by Chris Garver Invisible NYC

Looks like Wendy Pham snuck in to New York without telling anyone. I hope @ironchef and @Killercook76 get lucky.

Not for me I start my back on Monday. Was looking to see for a friend.

I'm in the process of saving up money to see if Mike would take on my project (back piece).

That's great !! Well his books open up in the summer . I would suggest you start from there. You are probably going to have to wait several years but if you can ... it's well worth it!!

Like i said I'm starting my back soon. I just came in to say what's up to a friend . Mike had a free hour so I said wtf not hahaha!! You don't get chances like that a lot.

Yes very cool, curious why did you go little filled with him?

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why not? haha! had some space so . I'm starting my back soon so didn't want to do anything major. It's a nice little filler by one of the best..

did that work?

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Little filler done by Mike Rubendall at Kingsave

Might go depending on work and artist.

Or how about this eagle with this dragon with this type of snake and a panther

Battle royal saves the day

nah.. I like the battle royal but I would rather have a back piece that is readable. Less is more..

dragon and eagle and maybe throw in some flowers but that's about it

Man I'm having the same issue, like you get all these tattoos then after your like that should have been my backpiece

i know right... well you can always do duplicates .. I have many eagles but that is my favorite so..

Welp, as someone who just started a dragon and eagle sleeve, I can't back this idea enough! Haha. I'm doing monthly appointments, and I wish I'd set them every three weeks or so. I'm so impatient now.

oh yeah who's doing it? Yeah like I said the battle royal is awesome but too much in one space... yeah it's hard to wait between sessions but a month between is good because it allows good healing in between. I have to wait until april so I feel your pain..

sounds like a pretty tough situation to be in. NOT! (in borat voice). I'm sure you'll come up with something amazing. might even be worth letting Garver run a few backpiece ideas that he wants to do and see if you dig any of 'em. sounds like it's definitely a good problem to have.

I did ask him that but it seems like he's down to do whatever. Might go with a battle royal but want something more readable. Maybe just a dragon and eagle.

Getting my back done in a couple of months by Chris Garver .. trying to figure out exactly what i want.. Kinda difficult only because this may be my last one. Also because I have most of the tattoos I like already like.

All right guys, you've convinced me that money is no object. There is just one more thing (I think...I hope...) I want to check with you guys before making a final decision. I'm not sure the tattoo I'm looking to get is really Justin's style. I'm looking to get a semi-realistic to realistic (read: not too cutesy or cartoony) owl in a bright color like blue or orange (think red phase eastern screech owl), which I realize may not be up everyone's alley (not only because it's an owl, which I guess is pretty overdone at this point, but also because it would seem some artists are averse to mixing realism and color). I'm worried that I'd make an appointment with Justin and wait till September (since the consultation doesn't happen until only a few weeks prior to the initial tattoo date) just to be told that he doesn't do that kind of tattoo and I'll have to take my business elsewhere. Is that a legit concern? Or do you think Justin is versatile enough that he'd be cool with that?

All right guys, you've convinced me that money is no object. There is just one more thing (I think...I hope...) I want to check with you guys before making a final decision. I'm not sure the tattoo I'm looking to get is really Justin's style. I'm looking to get a semi-realistic to realistic (read: not too cutesy or cartoony) owl in a bright color like blue or orange (think red phase eastern screech owl), which I realize may not be up everyone's alley (not only because it's an owl, which I guess is pretty overdone at this point, but also because it would seem some artists are averse to mixing realism and color). I'm worried that I'd make an appointment with Justin and wait till September (since the consultation doesn't happen until only a few weeks prior to the initial tattoo date) just to be told that he doesn't do that kind of tattoo and I'll have to take my business elsewhere. Is that a legit concern? Or do you think Justin is versatile enough that he'd be cool with that?

Great choice!! I hardly see anyone really take peoples advice lately and go with the cheaper option. Trust me you will not regret it later on if you decide to get more work. Also try not to over analyze it too much.

If you are looking for realism then Justin or Matt Bagwell are the best choices. Both of them are on instagram.

As far as color realism there are not many artist in NYC that can do that well but depends what exactly you are looking for. Something like Nikko Hurtado?

FWI they would tell you upfront if Justin couldn't or didn't do that style . In any case check out xskinny on instagram also.

Thanks for all the info and recommendations! I'm going to check out all the places that have been mentioned. Just wondering - how do you guys know all these shops in NYC do good work? Have you gotten work done there, or know someone who has, or do they just have really good rapport in the tattoo community in general? I ask because up until I joined the forum I pretty much relied on Yelp reviews and the like to determine which shops to look into.

A few months ago I stumbled across Kings Ave's website and was really interested in getting work done by Justin Weatherholtz, and I was told his rate is $275/hour. That was way more expensive then I'd been expecting - even in the city, that's pricey - so I was really disappointed and figured I'd have to find someone else. $200/hour I'm totally fine with...but considering I'm not exactly rolling in dough, he's kind of out of my price range.

It's not all about the hourly rate. Some artist tattoo faster than others. So while 200/hour seems cheaper it may be the same or even more if the tattooer is on the slow side. Btw Justin is a great choice. Also Rose Hardy would kill that tattoo.

You can't go wrong with anyone in KA. Totally recommend that shop!!! Awesome artist and extremely well run.

I hear you about not rolling in the dough but... it's not like you'll have to pay everything upfront and probably that tattoo will take several sessions. Plus you will be totally happy with what you get..

I noticed when taking off the Tegaderm, thasome of my tattoo was on the leftover film. However, my tattoo looks perfectly intact. I even pulled it off very slowly in the hot shower.

Confused, but not too concerned.[/QUOT

yeah it happens . I'm guessing it's just some dead skin mixed with some ink etc. Totally normal for me and never compromised my tattoo.