AverageJer

This is excellent. My wife got a tattoo from Doug Hardy when he did a guest spot at Aloha Monkey a few years ago. She had a good experience at the shop and obviously they have some great artists.

I don't know anything about Tattoos in Istanbul but I do know that it's a great city. Have fun riding the ferries across the Bosphorus and, if you have time, take a longer ride up to the end and check out the ruins of a Byzantine castle. I have a tattoo inspired by the Medusa columns in the Basilica Cistern which is also worth a look as long as you are there. Also, the food is fantastic! Have fun. [/img]

Wow, that snake and roses is so cool. Here's a little one I got yesterday from Kurt Melancon at a fun Sailor Jerry birthday event at Leviticus in Minneapolis. Obviously not on the same scope as some of these but it's a quality tattoo and fun to share.

or nachos. Removing calories from nachos would be an amazing power. Whoever said teleportation had a good one as well- I could spend hours just fantasizing about the kinds of days I could plan.

Freeze time and/or fly. Then and now.

Good point about the State Fair. The MN State Fair is almost like a bad tattoo contest- although there are plenty of very good ones as well and all are fun to see. I actually had an elderly lady come up to me once and say that mine was the best tattoo she had seen all day. She was talking about the Koi flower pot with Thai peppers that is my avatar pic.

Late start to tattoos has it's advantages. I got my first at 38 or 39 and still have a lot of space for more. Welcome.

I sort of had similar thoughts. These tattoos aren't bad and they have been with you for a long time. If you really want them covered up work with an artist and have them covered up. Roses are cool and it's great to take advice from the person doing the work but if you're not feeling roses work with them to identify other options. That said, maybe consider sprucing them up with some bright designs around and near them that leave the original work but maybe you like the overall design/result better. Ultimately, do what you want and have a tattoo that makes you happy but I agree with the above comments- covering them up is not the only option worth considering.

I'm excited to have a "new" Sailor Jerry tattoo in a few weeks for this very reason (birthday party at local shop). This took me some coming around to- the idea of getting popular flash- but now I see it as a cool traditional tattoo that will be personalized by one of several great artists. I can't wait!!

I try to eat fairly healthy in general, probably not as healthy as you but I do think about it. However, tattoos are an exciting event that don't come around very often and I like to celebrate them. Like a lot of people- celebration means comfort food and alcohol. My regular tattoo shop has a Sailor Jerry flash event every January and this will be my wife and I's third year having a post party. We're thinking chicken wings, homemade white american cheese dip, and plenty of beer. I'll eat healthy the next day and heal up nice. I promise!

I think whatever my wife chooses to get in 2015 is going to be very cool and she's a girl.

Yikes, I hope I am never compelled to remove any of my tattoos.

Congrats!

Others have mentioned this here but it's true for me as well, tattoos are tied in a weird way to my feeling better about the way I look. Confident or whatever. I am also aware that in the city I'm just another d-bag with tattoos. Like a said, whatever. Still, I got my first tattoo at age 38 and since then have gotten into the best shape of my life. I feel great! Coincidence? Maybe. I have also learned to appreciate tattooing as a unique art form in ways I had never thought of in the past. I'm not being creepy as I leer at you at the gym, really, I'm happily married. I'm just checking to see if your tattoo is any good. Hitting up tattoo shops traveling has also brought me to neighborhoods I might not have otherwise made it too and in every case, except maybe that time in Vegas, the neighborhood itself has been worth the side trip.

I'd spend less energy trying to decide who's fault this is and more energy on how to have a tattoo on your arm that makes you happy. If you are unsatisfied with the artist and/or shop go to a different one and figure out what your options are. Wait a while for the healing to be complete and keep an open mind. Tattoos are permanent and often come with some amount of initial remorse. Your arm is far from ruined.

Go Leviticus Tattoo and tell the person at the desk you want a Zombie Buffalo. You will end up with a great tattoo. Afterwards, go the Blue Door pub and have a burger and a couple of beers. Best day ever.

Interesting thread. I've been drinking a bit and now the wife is blasting some Nick Cave so take anything I write from that starting point. I'm not as deep into tattoo culture as some of you. That means nothing one way or the other but seems worth pointing out here. I started later in life but do like my tattoos. I have limited space, even less if I decide to stick to not having visible tattoos work wise (undecided but still an option). For me it's important that I have a good experience and get a good tattoo. Please note that I did not say great tattoo. Perfection, for me at least, is overrated in most things. Of course I don't want a bad tattoo but I also don't want a great tattoo with a story of frustration and disappointment to match it. It's a balance right? The thing I think about is how much space do I want to save for new artists and how much do I want to "give" to the artist who has already put most of my tattoos on me? With that artist I know I am going to have fun and I know I am going to get a quality tattoo but will it be unique? Maybe not for me since I already have many by him. It's a balance like I said. Anyway, something is next right. What ever it is I promise I will consider these factors- will I have fun and do I trust that the artist is capable of putting down something I can feel good about. There are many artists out there who can meet these two simple requirements. The biggest question is who will I eventually trust with my left shoulder/arm which is still blank? The plan at this point is to wait until I have the time and money to go for an all encompassing plan but what that will end up being is wide open. It could be a few years. In the mean time I have an idea for a few filler roses and something original that I think my usual artist would enjoy drawing up. There are so many good ways to do everything. That's what makes this whole life thing fun.

This is a great story and that tattoo rules. Thanks for sharing.

Liked for any Hold Steady reference. I got to see them open up for The Replacements earlier this month. It was amazing.

My daughter is named Sydney- one of the naming books warned us that kids might call her "Squidney" so we cut it off at the pass by calling her that ourselves. Last summer my wife had Nick Colella tattoo a squid across her knee. It's awesome.

Pretty bad article. It seems like he is going out of his way to create a conflict between people who have tattoos and people who don't. There are way too many people here in Minneapolis with tattoos and without tattoos to divide along those lines. I still prefer to create the divide lines more like "people who are assholes vs people who are not assholes" and this writer makes it pretty clear which side of that cultural divide he resides on.

Wow, only two days in! Lot' of great tattoos already.

It's a really effing great tattoo!

My daughter is five so I have some time before this becomes an issue but considering how much time she has already spent inside our local tattoo shop I will clearly need a strategy when the time comes. I'm thinking that if she wants a tattoo as soon as she turns 18 I will pay her to wait. But I will pay her in money towards whatever tattoo she ultimately decides on. The longer she waits the more money she will have to spend on getting an awesome tattoo. Of course this could backfire and she could end up with a full back piece of an infinity sign exploding into a flock of birds. Life is full of risks I suppose.

I did! Kind of. I made it to Three Tides in Tokyo where I had a wonder experience all around and ended up with a nice little dragon head by Ganji. [/img]