Iwar

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

@else, I think you're on the right track. I think "collector" has at times been deemed holier than thou. To get good tattoos from lots of different people, and therefore think we are better than the people who just walk in off the street or are content with their local artist.
Semantically, that is a collector.
Obviously, that's all a farce and untrue if we delve into the motivation behind it.
While, sure, I believe those people exist who get up on their tat-soap-box, I think the majority (like y'all rad kids here on LST) just like getting good tattoos and enjoy meeting new people.
I am not comfortable with the title either. Even though, it's true, I collect on a certain level. I ain't better than nobody else.

I am off today too. Hmmmm... I wish I didn't have plans.

Tomorrow at Black Heart (Tuesday 5/24) Scott Sylvia is taking walkins (flash only) to benefit one of their employees who's doing the AIDS Lifecycle ride. 
 
instagram link
 
 

Halfway there by Chris Stuart in Charlotte. Great tattooer, great shop, great experience
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

by Gus at Olde City Tattoo in Philly

Enough already. @j144, if you don't tone down you attitude and language you will be banned. @oboogie, namecalling has never de-escalated anything.
This right here is the kinda shit that every forum in the world is riddled with, but LST used to be nearly free of. This thanks to the respectful and reflected tone that dominated throughout our member base. How about we try to get back to our roots, educate the best we can, or just don't reply to posts we don't agree with, and let them die out. 
Not groovy, man... (Sorry, I just re-watched Easy Rider)

Many people have seen this all ready I guess. By Jondix, 11 days ago. Had such a great time. Stayed at the shop past midnight, talking and eating after the session.
Everybody should get something from him. Super good heart, attitude and knowledge of tattooing and art.
Wrathful offering of the five senses by Jonas Nyberg from last year.

This is 2-3 days after my 3rd sesh w/ Jason Brooks. Got a little of the background to finish, but gonna start to fill in the scales next time. Can't wait till the next appointment!!! BTW, these boards introduced me to Jason. THANK YOU ALL :D

Just got this reimagining of a Rock of Ages by Aaron Hodges at Spider Murphy's. Stolen from his instagram:

Well, today was the day!
What a long, but great day! It began a little before 11:00am. I was the first one in Triple Crown Tattoo with Scott Ellis (most of the day, there were 10-15 people there, and at one point six artists were tattooing simultaneously). He had been working on a few designs based on the sleeve length I wanted. Over the week between today and our consultation, I had decided to ask him to put the dragon's head somewhere on my arm instead of with the head in the more traditional chest area. I was a little worried to be asking for this, as Scott has a relatively new sleeve with the head in the center, and the last thing I wanted was for him to think I was trying to copy his own tattoo. Luckily, when I got there, he informed me that the last several dragons he had done had the head on the chest, and he was dying to do something new. Perfect! His sketches had just what I wanted. It was a really good sign.
However, getting it right took some time. Using thin paint brushes, he created the design over four separate layers. The dragon's head had to be moved several times, and the unique swirl of the dragon we decided on what difficult to get right without looking like the head was plopped onto the center of the body... but Scott is a perfectionist, and after a lot of erasing and revising, and then relining, and revising, etc... we were finally done with a design ready to be inked at 2:40. With only a few short breaks, it took a lot longer than I expected. But the result is something that works specifically with my body as opposed to just slapping a template onto my arm. I love it.
Here is a quick snap of Scott somewhere between layer 2 and 3 of sketching on me:

I haven't had a tattoo in nearly 20 years, so I had no idea what to expect from the pain, especially over so many areas. Tattooing in the ditch was no treat, but not as bad as I had come to expect from reading. The outside of the elbow lived up to expectations. But the worst was around my collarbone, where any wincing or tightening of my face would risk pulling the skin under his needle. And there was one spot on my chest where I could clearly feel the vibration on my pec, but the pain was in my neck. I could have sworn at the time he was tattooing my upper-middle neck.
Long story short (yeah, right), we finished up the linework a little after 5:00pm. I am absolutely thrilled with the result... and was getting tons of compliments on it by the many artists and clients in the shop throughout the day. Here is a front shot:

It is a little difficult to see from this angle and with only linework, but the dragon's body actually goes out the back of the head and swirls up and around the shoulders through the clouds and comes out belly showing under his head before turning again towards the end of the sleeve. It makes a little more sense visually if you can see the back. I also have the dragon clutching a pearl with his talons on the back on the sleeve and will actually be filling the pearl with a significant flower logo in the next session.
Overall, a fantastic day. I couldn't be happier that Scott got all the elements I wanted into the design, was able to keep it very traditional, but also with a great deal of uniqueness built just for me. If any readers are in Austin, Triple Crown Tattoo on Chicon Street (right around the corner from Franklin's BBQ!) is a must-visit.

gonna repost in this thread cause i'm super stoked on my latest n greatest
Snake by Scott Rusnak / Lucky Strike Tattoo Edmonton 2016
body wraps onto the inside of the wrist. i'm really happy with the placement which was tricky because I didn't want to lose the dragonfly above. i'm stoked about the negative halo to keep it pop'd. the snake tongue is super legit.
Dragonfly (aka Snakedoctor) by Shawn O'Connor / Ink Machine Tattoo Edmonton, AB 2014
considerably lower anxiety during the healing. it's 1 week old now and the snake had it's first shed. the tongue is really scabby but so far everything is holding. hands are a bitch to heal. so now both hands are done and sleeves dropped down all the way to the edge of the wrist. ink is leaking out of my long sleeve shirts yeeehaw
 

classic dietzel snake head by Todd Tattoer (at Merci-Bonsoir in Lyon - France)
You can't see the tongue, but there's one! :)

by Robert Ryan @ Electric Tattoo in Asbury Park NJ

Snake sleeve in progress by Yoni Zilber @ NY Adorned

Got this panther from Steve Byrne when he was guesting at invictus in Oslo.
 

I don't think I've posted this here--Todd Noble made this lady in a rose a couple months ago.  I really enjoyed getting this tattoo; he has a good bedside manner and just seems like an all-around good human.  I can't get an un-distorted photo of this but you get the idea.

Got this dragon head from Greg Christian when he was at Congress St tattoo!  I have always wanted a dragon head from him and I absolutely LOVE this one.
This was done on Saturday 4/30. The very next day Jason Scott finished up the background on my left arm.  Super happy with the results of that as well and I will post those pics soon.
It was super annoying to heal two arms at once, especially considering the Greg Christian piece is almost my whole inner forearm, and Jason Scott's work was from my elbow up to my armpit and shoulder.  It was all worth it though in the end.
Greg recommended using Tegaderm to heal the dragon head.  Jason Scott had a roll of it,  and between him, Greg, and Spencer Scott,  they managed to get it on really well.  I guess the stuff wasn't cooperating at first and it took a few tries (painful tries... put it on, take it off....) and a few different hands to get it on in the end.  That stuff seemed to work like a charm.  I've included a mostly healed pic as well.  I say mostly healed because you can still see a few flakes of the second peel in that pic.  I would definitely use it again.  I healed Jason's stuff the normal way and that turned out really good as well.  Very relieved and extremely happy as I find healing tattoos pretty stressful all around.
 

Here's a couple I've gotten recently:

Dagger/rose by Charlie Roberts

Greg Irons SNCL skulls by Candi Kinyobi

Three wishes by Chuco Moreno

Lady head/peacock/rose/name by Freddy Corbin

Surfing Mahakala by Eddy Deutsche

Got this good lookin' little guy yesterday from Ron Wells.

Finished my lower leg with Grez at King's Ave NYC. He added the (bloody and swollen) lighthouse and ROA piece to go along with the clipper ship from Russ Abbott.  I couldn't be happier with how he was able to tie it all together. Sorry for the giant pic, I'll post healed shots in a couple of weeks, there's a video on my IG: wedge45.