tattooedj

I love this.

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Im guessing Bush probably has Ass hole

This backpiece by Shige, Yellowblaze, is one of my favourite tattoos. I loved it the second I saw it, the scale of the design, the placement, the execution, its all fantastic. However it seems like many other people also loved this design and wished they had it, but instead of taking reference from it, creating something new, adapting the design, they just copied it, line for line.



This isn't the only tattoo I have seen copied line for line - I am sure it happens all the time. I KNOW it happens all the time. I also saw it happen to a member here who had a beautiful dragon done by Shige, his tattoo was copied by a Korean artist called Gen. Every time I see it happen it makes me disillusioned - I have met artists who are genuinely proud to reproduce other peoples work, and see no problem with it. They say "If its on the internet, its fair game". I HATE that kind of attitude. It hasn't happened to any of my tattoos, but I know it would make me angry.
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery, or is this unforgivable plagiarism?

Another by Jess Yen! Still needs one more small session(finishing toad detail), but we are mostly there! Done at the London Tattoo Convention over a couple of sessions.

Nice video I came across.
A young Horioshi iii at around 4 mins 50 in.

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

I know I joke about a lot of stuff (especially my skinny naked man-ass!!!) but really, getting the back piece has been like therapy for me this past year.
Starting March 19th 2012 I started having some really bad back and pelvis issues. Through misdiagnoses and what not it has been a real struggle to get it corrected. A LOT of really low points in my life over the past year with some very bad chronic pain. I was beginning to get to the point that if pain was all that was left for me the rest of my days, I'd just pull a Hunter S. Thompson and not live like that anymore. Chronic pain over a long period of time can fundamentally change your personality.
But, anyway I went ahead and I got the back piece started on June 30th, 2012, and about once a month thereafter I'd go in for another 3 hour session. For those 3 hours I'd know getting tattooed was going to hurt worse than my back and pelvis was that day, when it was gonna start hurting, about how much it was going to hurt, and then, when I'd had enough, I could say "Stop, I've had enough."
Long story short, I got the back all finished, touch-ups and all around January 20th 2013. Ironically (hipsterism!!!) I was reading Tamblog shortly thereafter and saw one of the health posts and discovered Piriformis Syndrome (look it up on wikipedia folks, it ain't fun), turns out that's what I have. It can be fixed with exercise and physical therapy, and I'm now on the road to recovery. I ain't out of the woods completely yet, but I'm getting there. I feel much better now and I've buried Hunter completely.

My back piece experience so far. Hmmm, where to begin...
Both empowering and humbling is my best description.
Empowering, because despite after always admiring the full back pieces I'd see in tattoo magazines in the 80's and 90's, then, especially here on LST, I never in a million years thought I'd ever be able to do it. But, this year, at age 46 I started mine on June 30th. I had it built up in my head that it would be the most painful experience of my life, and was so worried that I'd have to quit halfway through, but then I saw the stencil on my back and I was like "It's so awesome. Cool, so what if it wraps around my ribs and goes collar to waist, I can do this."
Well, I did do it.
It wasn't easy, but I made it through the outline (Shit tons of lines, but he got it on me in 3hrs 40mins.) Yeah, it was painful as Hell. I knew going in what I was about to put myself through, and went in with my head in the game. All of the shading and coloring has been painful as hell as well, but I always see progress, and it keeps me stoked for the next time. I'm about halfway done now at the 17.5 hour mark, taking it in 3 hour or so chunks, plus random tattoo of opportunity times.
Humbling, because all the other tattooers and clientele at the tattoo shop doing my back, and other people that have seen my back piece are now like so reverential of it (think "Whoa, Dude, how the Hell did you do that?")
I feel like all I did was just lay there and take it because I REALLY, REALLY wanted a ROA back piece.
Once it's finished I'll get get to wear this motherfucker till they put me in the ground and I'm worm dirt.

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Review of the book is here: Wabori: Traditional Japanese Tattoo | The Japan Times
I can't wait to read it myself

Nobody in the world cares about my tattoos. But I really like them.
I've got a bird friend on my shoulder who will be with me always. Poor little Squeaky, the real bird, died when I was away. I never got to say good-bye and now I don't have to because Squeaky is always there on my shoulder.
I've got a story of hiking a long trail on my leg. If I ever get Alzheimer's I will probably at least remember that experience since it's right there on my leg to remind me of all that I saw and did out there.
I've got big blue roses. Lots of color. I was hated and criticized mercilessly all my life for being ugly but now I have pretty colors on my skin to make me happy.
And finally, my butterfly. First time I went to a tattoo shop the artist there told me of giving an old lady a tattoo of a butterfly on her arm because she had always wanted one. There are so many things in life I've always wanted to do and it took me a while to realize that someday never comes. Do it now. And even though a barely-graduated apprentice did my butterfly, he cleverly mirrored the motif of the leaves of my roses and tied it all together. I feel like I carry a flower garden and a little bit of spring around with me wherever I go.
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.

Keeping it sweet and simple.



My name is Natasha.
Natvenom is where I identify myself, so please address me by it <3
My nickname is also a promise I made to myself to become a professional tattoo artist. :o
& &
I reside in Miami, FL. My love for art lead me on this journey. I'm 21 y/o.
I believe in equality and freedom from the labels of society.
Video games, cartoons, rap/hip-hop, culture, spirit science, and fat fluffy kitty bellies!
(Me in a nutshell)
& & &
To scratch the surface of my personality, I'm friendly, open-minded, well-rounded, passionate, and very silly.
It's my pleasure to introduce myself. Good vibes ! +

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

Just finished my first session with Tomo from Yellow Blaze.
Super sweet dude with a magic touch. Plus the place itself is incredible - located just up the road from Yokohama's Victorian-era studios where all the Euro(-trash) royalty got inked in the 1800s.
Got a few weeks for the ink to settle and then back for the colour...

I got this from Chad Koeplinger earlier this year. I love it, and I want to share it with you:

Yokohama is a trip and a half. Bill Burroughs used to rave about its underground scene in the '50s - plus there's a great Kurosawa movie set in its seemy underbelly. A lot of it has become gentrified in the past few years but there's still enough to keep you in trouble.
@RoryQ - the next time you make it out this way, drop me a line and we'll go out for a drink...

Tomo's work is really striking if you like that style, then cool, but do you ever see yourself getting some real traditional Japanese work done? You have a great opportunity to do so living in Japan, would be so awesome if you could get some work done by a tebori master.

@tattooedj Welcome to LST and please keep us updated with how it goes! Poster @RoryQ has been getting tattooed by Tomo and the pictures he's posted on his progress are pretty spectacular.

Yep, I'm starting to know my way around Yokohama. Some nice bars, friendly locals... feels easier to get your head around compared to Tokyo.