Gnawa

http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/tattoo-advice/2173-colour-ink-dark-skin.html

This thread might help

...every itch gets slapped, 'cause there just might be fresh ink there.

...there's nothing dirty about the phrase "lady head."

...your first thought when you see "Only God Can Judge Me" is "I'm not judging you, just your shitty tattoo."

...the words "tat" and "tattoo gun" are fingernails on a chalkboard.

...your students want to know the next time you're getting your back worked on, but that one might be exclusive to my fellow educators on LST.

I was wondering how I should sleep with it

Tenderly & passionately. Tell it that you love it and nibble gently on its ears.

No, seriously, I suggest a tshirt for at least the first night or so, something soft that can serve as a bandage but still allow it to breathe. Some folks will probably say go sleeveless to prevent chafing, but I've never had a problem. I've had both of my inner biceps done recently and there is nothing you can do to prevent incidental rubbing, but you can prevent any actual detrimental effects with common sense and generally being careful.

I claimed my body from those who had prior claims, defined it my own way, not theirs, and made it my own. Nobody cares about my tattoos, some people probably scorn me for them, and for that I even feel more grateful because against their disapproval, here I am, taking up space with my garden and my memories, just being me.

Word.

I fucking love Mina's girl heads (well, all her work but girl heads in particular). If she ever comes to England i'm moving mountains to get something from her.

Just to follow up, Mina's going to be at the London Convention September 27, 28 & 29. You can set up an appointment with her via email [email protected]

Hope you're able to get some work done.

I would echo what Graeme said, as, I'm sure, 99.9% of other LSTers would as well.

But apart from that, if you do decide tattoos are for you and you can handle the permanence, then research shops in your area (wherever that may be). This is crucial. Once you find a shop you like and an artist who works in the style you like, bring him or her your references and have them design the piece that they can best put on you. Give them the freedom to create the design they will be tattooing on you. Not to take money from the hands of the artists here on this site, but there's no reason to pay for a service that's completely integral to the overall tattooing experience: consultation for and drawing of an original design. You know what you want; let your tattooer bring your vision to reality.

Go to Elm Street.

This.

This isn't so much about healing; more of a tale of common sense taking a short vacation.

I made the mistake of returning to the gym after a long (looooooong) absence the day before I was having my left calf tattooed. I didn't consider that I'd be spending much of the day on my right side, putting my weight heavily on my arm. Needless to say, 24 hours after my first workout, my arms were immovable lumps of cramped jello. And after a 2+ hour tattoo session, spent mainly leaning on my elbow, and despite occasional breaks in the action, my arm had basically frozen like rigor mortis into an L, T-Rex style. It took all my will and the help of the shop assistant to get it moving again. I kept muttering "Oil can" like the Tin Man as shoulder, elbow and wrist slowly, agonizingly, creekingly reengaged. The next two days were spent recovering from my right arm cramps, which served to keep my mind off any dull throb that may have been emanating from my newly tattooed calf.

Compared to that pain, bring on the healing.

http://tattooforrest.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/20130714-162850.jpg

I don't know if this is going to work (never posted a link like this before) but I just got this from Forrest Cavacco's blog and thought I'd post for the LST community. I'll be in Brooklyn, NY that weekend, but for folks who'll be in Dallas, have a great Friday the 13th weekend!

In my mind a collector is someone that is getting pieces by different artists more for the sake of having their work on them rather than a specific image.

I think that pretty much sums up my feelings as well. Nicely put.

I fucking love Mina's girl heads (well, all her work but girl heads in particular). If she ever comes to England i'm moving mountains to get something from her.

I hope you get the chance (to get tattooed, not move mountains). Mina's work is phenomenal. She was telling me that she had recently returned from one of her first guest spots on the West Coast, so hopefully a trip across the Atlantic isn't so far off.

After admiring her work on a friend (@tacitapproval), I really wanted a piece by Mina Aoki at Fun City, NYC. She did this Lady Head for me yesterday, and I'm very happy with it; it's my first full-color tattoo, my first piece of American traditional work, and my first time at Fun City. I'm sure I'll be back for more. I'll post healed pics in a few weeks.

I have an appointment with Mina Aoki at Fun City, NYC on the 10th for a lady head. This will actually be my first full-color piece and first American traditional tattoo. I've been admiring her work on a colleague and decided I want her art as part of my collection.

Then, on August 1 Chris Garver is doing a pin-up for me, posed and colored like one of Gil Elvgren's girls, but dressed as a punk rock goddess with flaming red Mohawk, rock t, trad tattoos, combat boots & torn fishnets. I'm seriously amped for this one.

Update: As of today, I also have an appointment with Ashley Love at New York Adorned for a mermaid & anchor design in late August.

I haven't seen many (any?) portraits win this, so either this will buck the trend or become one of many.

I have an appointment with Mina Aoki at Fun City, NYC on the 10th for a lady head. This will actually be my first full-color piece and first American traditional tattoo. I've been admiring her work on a colleague and decided I want her art as part of my collection.

Then, on August 1 Chris Garver is doing a pin-up for me, posed and colored like one of Gil Elvgren's girls, but dressed as a punk rock goddess with flaming red Mohawk, rock t, trad tattoos, combat boots & torn fishnets. I'm seriously amped for this one.

Portrait of Edgar Allen Poe by Vinny Romanelli at Red Rocket NYC (a Poe-rtrait?), done this afternoon.

I appreciate your posting this. She's a wonderful subject, and it would be nice to see an extended piece on this woman and her community. Her arms are spectacular.

On July 2, Vinny Romanelli at Red Rocket, NYC is giving me my first portrait. To celebrate 10 years teaching high school English, I'm getting Edgar Allen Poe's cadaverous face on my calf. Rather than keep it too simple, Vinny's going to have the image of Poe forming from a flock of black birds flying up my leg. I'll eventually add text, but I'm torn between lines from "The Cask of Amontillado" or "Masque of the Red Death." English teacher problems...

I'll probably never get my knuckles done, but some I've seen on friends or come up with are

SHUFFLER for that chronic masturbator in your life

BEER GIRL on a bartender/home brewer I know

Right pinky: a steaming bowl, followed by HOT SOUP on a chef buddy

And my local bias forces me to add BROOKLYN

Most regrettable: guy in college, mid-90s, with POT+a cannabis leaf on right index finger HEAD

The sense of pure indecision and the word "regret" came up way too many times in your posts. I work with a bunch of way-too-tattooed 15 & 16 year olds (which I know you are not) who will come to loathe their arms as the years pass. I would suggest waiting until (a) you know what you want, (b) you know what you want, © you know what you want and (d) you are absolutely, positively, 100% sure you know what you want. Wear beautiful ink.

Good day to the LST community.

After lurking and availing myself of much of what this site has to offer, I felt it was finally time to become a participant.

I got my first tattoo when I was 20. It was done by a girl I was into in her dorm room back in college: a tiny Om on my ankle, and it cost me a pack of Marlboro Lights. I didn't get my next one until my 35th birthday, but it's been a pretty steady deluge of ink since. I think I waited so long to become more heavily tattooed because it took me that long to figure out who I am.

I am a big fan of black and grey fine line work, which represents the majority of my tattoos, and Japanese traditional, as well as some Americanized Japanese. I have a deep respect for American traditional, although I don't wear any in this style as yet. Most of my pieces are images of women and animals, particularly turtles, of which I currently wear four.

Much of my work was done by Willie Paredes at Brooklyn Tattoo in beautiful Downtown Brooklyn, NYC and I wear a gorgeous pin-up by Myles Karr, one of Brooklyn's Three Kings? My current projects are a westernized Japanese back piece from Darren Rosa at Rising Dragon here in NYC, the outlining for which is now complete and I eagerly await shading and color in coming months; and a calf piece done by Forrest Cavacco of Cobra Customs, Plymouth, MA, which is likewise missing color at the moment (although it stands on its own in black and grey). My next piece, a present to myself commemorating completion of my 10th year as a public school teacher, is going to be a portrait of Edgar Allen Poe from Vinnie at Red Rocket. I consider myself incredibly lucky to live in such an art-heavy city where I have the opportunity to be tattooed by such a variety of skilled artists and I am honored to wear their work.