RockelMan

planning to start on my back next fall, Tibetan style, kicking around ideas still. In my dreams, with unlimited time and money, I'd move to NYC for a while and have it done by Yoni Z at NY Adorned. Reality is that I'll have it done here in LA (which is pretty good too :)).

You can learn a lot more from doing 200 thoughtful (but quick) sketches, than you can from 20 amateurish (but clean) drawings. It's rarely the goal in the beginning to be able to tattoo what you produce.
It seems sensible to blame the lack of a formal apprenticeship but there's no excuse for verbatim copies of custom tattoos.
In my non-existent apprenticeship I learned to not copy whole compositions, but to try to understand the way design and layout problems were solved by my favourite tattooers.
It's crazy because there's so much great tattooable flash that's cool to tattoo.

i remember during the full length of my apprenticeship i had to draw pretty much all designs for the shop i was at, so that got me up to speed on the basics of initials, tribal, traditional and japanese style stuff, none of it awesome by any stretch of the imagination but it helped me understand reference and how to use it

the problem is in my opinion is that just because there are more and more tattooers everyday the ratio of hard working creative and original ones are falling off.. part of self promotion is you have to make yourself and your work public. if not no one outside your town would really get to know your work. its obvious valerie is an amazing tattooer, with that comes all the no tallent as clowns who rip everyones shit off. i think its sad that people arent just willing to sit down and learn to draw a girl head with an animal head of their choice. instead to rip it off. then there is the part of a customer wants the exact thing. fine . try to steer them away but if they are persistant dont fucking publish it on the internet.... i love how people are called out on it...

haha, that woman also has the butterfly i did on El Wood's arm. i remember seeing this a while ago, think a customer pointed me to it over twitter. i dont really know what to say on the matter other than i think the biggest shame is for the owner of the original tattoo, they put their trust and money on that piece to have someone else get a nastier cheaper version.
ive had a couple of customers bring up this point after seeing a bad copy of their own tattoo online and the only thing to say on this matter is that at least you got the original and best.
i havent crossed words with customers that pass through frith st who wear bad copies of my work, i stay away from it and leave them to get tattooed by the other guys. i assume that when i open up my book at some point the people who wish to get work by me will, and the ones that keep getting cheap copies wont.
a while a go i finished a black and grey girl/tiger head backpiece and i remember stumbling across another artists website with a tshirt they designed and selling with a near enough tracing of the original design i did for my customers back with a tweak or two. ive since had the fortune to speak to said artist face to face and tell them how unhappy i was about it but they didnt apologise and instead chose to lie about it. but whatever, i told the owner of the backpiece and he was at first upset then kinda laughed about it thankfully.
I def post less and less work online, not purely through these type of happenings but they certainly do not help. my newest funnest work is now printed in photograph form and added to my physical portfolio at work/conventions. it is sadly a very much double edged sword, i just try to toe the line and not disappear entirely.

people think that the internet is the same as looking at flash in a shop, most people are clueless to the many things in every aspect of life. don't give it too much thought either way. there are things that happen every day that are far worse and more harmful that most of us live in denial of because of these periphera distractions. do good, focus on positive things, progress, and let the rest of the world devolve. i can't prevent rain from falling but i can provide myself with a pleasant refuge from the rain.

I try not to pay attention to bad tattoo sites and direct copy stuff. The nature of my work means I don't see copies of my work anyway.
I obviously see copies of Valerie's work daily, sometimes even in our shop, but one of my favourite things is to see a copy traced from a magazine/photo/printout of a tattoo. So the distortion or perspective on the photo is tattooed on someone but the distortion is exaggerated. So if it's a gypsy girl, it winds up super elongated and narrow.
You can see a little of it on the copy of Stefan's wolf on page 1 of this thread. Particularly on the curve of it's head.
When it's super pronounced, it cracks me up every time.
We get the tattoo we deserve, I guess.

This used to annoy (and flatter) me, but not so much anymore.
Now I find it more strange than anything else. I have seen 4 or 5 versions of that wolf/rose, and I don't understand why. The customers could have just asked their tattooer to draw something similar, and I'm sure everyone would be happier.

Just get a tattoo and watch how it ages.
If a tattooer has large work in their portfolio, such as backpieces etc, it's a pretty safe bet that some of it will be at least a year old.
Most of the problem here comes from the fact that once we've finished a tattoo, particularly with one-shot tattoos, we rarely see it or the client again.
Some of the photos on my website or blog have healed work next to the fresh stuff.
Thomas Hooper occasionally posts photos of his work when it's settled into the skin.
If you're talking about colour portraits, they look like shit 5+ years later unless they have a strong outline and plenty of black. There's many reasons for tattoos to look like tattoos.
Another way is to visit conventions and see what people with healed tattoos look like. Remember: look but don't touch.

I take immodium before doing anything most of the time. The last thing you want is to shit your pants.

Already have my first four appointments of the year booked--two in January, two in February. More shading on the back piece. Hopefully, some color soon.

I've also got an appointment on the 6th, with Scott Sylvia
Getting a girl head/rose combo on the top of my forearm
Also heading to Chicago and New York in late Jan and early Feb so hope to get something from Mario Desa a few thngs from the dudes at Smith st

i really want to get a Kuniyoshi image of a Suikoden warrior pinning down a wild beast, done by someone from State of Grace. trying to decide if i should get it on my arm, thigh, rib/stomach, or back.

I usually think its best to get your tattooer to source great reference material.
Most of us (tattooers) spend a great deal of time/money/effort collecting source material or information for our tattoos.
Some of us even do it away from the internet.
But in the interests of not poo-pah-ing a discussion: Try searching the internet for reference material that ISNT a tattoo. Adding the term 'tattoo' to a google search is like initiating a shit-filter where it only delivers the worst possible images.
Good luck.

I have an appointment booked for the 6th of Jan
For 2012 I will have my sleeve completed (hopefully 2-3 more appointments) by Shawn at Ink studios. After its completed, I think I will take a small break from getting tattooed for a few months (5 or 6) so I can save up again for what I have been planning out to have done for my legs so its just a matter of hooking up with my artist of choice and get started!
It is going to be tough to figure out which leg to start first. . .

Xam, sometime next summer-ish (I'm about 10 months in to the waiting list) - Skull with crown of thorns and a snake, maybe a couple of other bits too depending on finances and what not at the time.
Hoping to get a couple of bits at Smith St. when I go to New York for a friend's 30th next August. Also hoping to get more done by Chad Koeplinger, probably when he's back in London.
Waiting for Valerie Vargas' waiting list to open up... which I guess may still probably put me in somewhere 2013.

should be starting my back.....I think I've settled on the rough idea and Tattooer(s) I want to have at it.........
BTW, very impressed with some of the tattooers and ideas in this thread, thanks for sharing everyone. I look very forward to seeing the tattoos!!!

I'll be finishing my tiger and panther backpiece with Stewart Robson and then getting him to do my ribs. Also getting something from Todd Noble on my left leg and I'll be hopefully heading to the bay area convention this year. I've decided my legs are going to be lots of small tattoos as my torso is pretty much filled with big pieces (apart from my ribs which will be getting sorted asap)

In February I'm booked in with Ching from East Tattoo to finish my backpiece ... Just a half-day should do it.
My right arm half-seeve is a bit of a mish-mash- most of it is by a deceased Irish artist, barring an oni head by Mo Coppoletta on the inside. Ching has measured to bring it down into a full sleeve, to be done either during another European guest spot or else around / at the London Tattoo Convention. We've discussed a big hannya mask, but it's up in the air - the only thing I've specified is that I want big contrast and something that is readable from a distance.
I've got my name on a list for an appointment with Chad Koeplinger when he's back in Ireland - date to be announced as far as I know. Got a few ideas for this but nothing concrete yet. If I could get him for two appointments I probably would take them.
When I'm in Chicago I'm thinking of getting a nautical star / north star compass on my right knee. Chris Smith has done a homeward bound on that same leg and I would likely go back to him, but I've been following Nick Colella and Mario Desa on their instagram accounts too...
...And my GF is starting her backpiece with Shige in Japan in November - four sessions...

Getting virgen de guadalupe "live vs" on right ribbs and "death vs" on left by Mr Nice Guy.

i secretly hope that this thread spirals into a competition to see who'll be the first to get tattooed in 2012.

My only plan for 2012 is to continue and hopefully finish my backpeice and get something on my foot by uncle allan in February. For right now that's it, but if someone of interest does a guest spot here in Japan I could be getting something else.

i would like to have mike wilson do one of my knees and scott sylvia do the other. The last spot left on my arms is being saved for boltz. i hope all of those can happen in 2012. running out of space.

I just want my dueling Sylvia/Corbin pieces to come to fruition. That's all for this year. I went overboard this year.

You do realize we all hate you now right?