BrookR70

I got my leg tattoo a week ago and have only received one comment from a guy in a bicycle shop asking me where I got it done. He was very friendly and down to earth.
I did receive a strange look from a 4 year old today, but I'm not sure if it was related to my tattoo or not. It's a neighbor and I was taking my 2 year old on a walk.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

@BrookR70 - in addition to what @Graeme said... I take Advil PM before bed, get into as comfy a position as possible, then prop pillows around me to try to keep me in place for as long as possible.

Icing your tattoo over the bandage once you get home helps a lot with the swelling. I'll usually ice for about an hour. I actually didn't do this on my latest session (mostly ribs and back of thigh) and it turns out that I should have because legs swell and it's made healing especially uncomfortable. Taking Advil, Aleve, or Extra Strength Tylenol or some other mild pain reliever and/or anti-inflammatory before bed helps as well.

My code of practice is to inquire with the shop staff what a certain artist's rate is when booking a consult, then decide if I can live with that (so far, I've been lucky and able to manage it). Then, during the consult if all is full-steam ahead, we discuss the length of the session. Result: Rate x number of hours for the appointment session = ballpark figure cost. I always figure in an extra hour's worth of money, plus funds for tipping. With that all figured out, I'll then decide when I can afford to get the tattoo and book from there. This means, for me, that I get tattooed much less frequently than I'd like, but I have gotten all the tattoos I want, the size I wanted, and all that jazz, up until this point.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

Jack Rudy on Tattoos' Stigma and Why It's Good They Hurt | OC Weekly

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I picked this one up today from a relatively new artist...Dakota Parker from American Classic Tattoo. I couldn't be happier with my experience or how it turned out.
The lining was done with an electric and the fill was done with a rotary.

I'm new here and figured I'd post some of my favorite pieces I've gotten over the last ~year or so:
Aaron Hodges at Spider Murphy's did both my thighs:

George Hernandez at Sacred Tiger did my forearms and bicep:
http://i.imgur.com/aksalIN.jpg
Jay Watkins (frog) and Laurent Trelaun (ship) at Spider Murphys:

And then a couple fun ones from Jeff Rassier and Alex Petty:

Hopefully this wasn't too big of a photo dump for everyone! Looking forward to upcoming consults/pieces with Paul Dobleman and Theo Mindell at Spider Murphys as well.

From what I've seen, this trend started about 25(!) years ago with all of the tribal stuff and is still going strong. The tattoist that did most of my work says there's no sign it's going to let up. I think it's just a part of society. The types of tattoos you get could be trendy, and will look dated a few years from now, but that's just how life is...younger people that are image/fashion conscious will always invent new stuff to be different than older folks.

From what I've seen, this trend started about 25(!) years ago with all of the tribal stuff and is still going strong. The tattoist that did most of my work says there's no sign it's going to let up. I think it's just a part of society. The types of tattoos you get could be trendy, and will look dated a few years from now, but that's just how life is...younger people that are image/fashion conscious will always invent new stuff to be different than older folks.

Crappy tattoos get upvoted, good ones downvoted, and the mods think they are gods.

If you think that's bad, try hanging out on Redditt tattoos.

Up to this day nothing can beat this for me

I told my teacher a funny story that had to do with a gardening experiment and the law. One of his clients canceled the night after so he tattooed this design on me. :cool:

Ok, this is my fat back after 7 hours. It is just roughed in and needs a lot of work still, but it's a great start! Go big or go home.