Gloomy Inks

The smiling baby in this picture is Lovetta Wagner, daughter of Gus and Maud Wagner. She never got a tattoo either. Talk about willpower! And Millie Hull's sign...

The smiling baby in this picture is Lovetta Wagner, daughter of Gus and Maud Wagner. She never got a tattoo either. Talk about willpower! And Millie Hull's sign...

That sounds a little overly dramatic but I am surprised how my recent tattoos have made such a difference.
My first tattoos were gotten in my late 20s. I'm in my late 40s now. Like most people I didn't know much about the differences in quality between tattooers. The tattoos I got were not very good and overall it was a disappointing experience. I went almost 20 years before ever getting another tattoo.
I commemorated an achievement with a tattoo about 3 years ago. It was large and prominent which scared the crap out of me. I still haven't told my mother! But during these three years this tattoo has actually made my life better. People stop me on the street to ask about it and it lets me reminisce about the achievement. Because it has been such a positive experience I decided I would cover up my old crummy ones.
I recently covered up my shoulder with a nice bird and wow, that has made a difference. When I wear certain shirts, the bird's face peeks out from the neckline. It's fun to shop now with the idea of how to show her off. I have gotten a lot of compliments. A lot of people without tattoos will tell me that they don't like tattoos but they like my bird.
I'm currently covering up my ankle with giant blue roses. I was nervous to see how big they would be but so far, even unfinished, they seem to be changing everything. I am no longer ashamed of my ugly old tattoo. If anything my new tattoo improves how I feel about my body. I'm female and big-boned, kind of a weight-lifter body type, and it's a definite difference to feel good about the appearance of my body. I feel more confident and pretty. I kind of feel like I got my leg back.
Am I the only one to have this sort of thing happen?
P.S. My bird is in my images and the flowers will go there once they are finished.

This may be a weird thread but what the hell. I've always been interested in people who are tattooed who are in a relationship with someone who is not tattooed at all. Unlikeyourown's feminism and tattoos thread got me thinking about this.
So a.) are you in one and have you been in one? b.) Have you thought about this or noticed a change in preference since you've gotten older..? and c.) do you feel like there would be any kind of disconnect there? It seems like such a personal thing as opposed to say, an interest in old typewriters, I wonder if it would make any difference at all. I'm guessing not, since I know people in these relationships.
When I was younger (and only had a few tattoos) I used to not be into girls with tattoos at all. Now I think I'd only be into tattooed ladies.. as evidenced by my tattooed future wife.
Does it ever make a difference? Anyone??

Cindy Ray deserves a mention, yes?

Paul Rodgers. There, I said it. But Paul Rodgers got his first tattoo on the John Robinson Circus from this man, Mr. Chet Cain. I can't say who did his work, or if it was hand poke or no. Although at least part of it may have been done by Gus Wagner. I'd almost bet my life, but then you'd think about it and see how cheap I am...
I can't find anything flash wise from Cain at all, so if any one has a dusty old flash sheet sitting in a cardboard box in the closet of their shop with his name on it, post it please.
Oh, Gus Wagner got struck by lightening while working on his roof. Hand of God? That's why I don't do roofing.
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OH yeah, I forgot. Those shorts are made from a circus curtain. Many tattooers back in the good/bad/disease ridden carny days also were attractions. I've seen the cut down curtains on Ted Hamilton too, so I figure it was pretty common to add just a little more look to your act, even though now a days no one would blink an eye to a full shirt.

Paul Rodgers. There, I said it. But Paul Rodgers got his first tattoo on the John Robinson Circus from this man, Mr. Chet Cain. I can't say who did his work, or if it was hand poke or no. Although at least part of it may have been done by Gus Wagner. I'd almost bet my life, but then you'd think about it and see how cheap I am...
I can't find anything flash wise from Cain at all, so if any one has a dusty old flash sheet sitting in a cardboard box in the closet of their shop with his name on it, post it please.
Oh, Gus Wagner got struck by lightening while working on his roof. Hand of God? That's why I don't do roofing.
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OH yeah, I forgot. Those shorts are made from a circus curtain. Many tattooers back in the good/bad/disease ridden carny days also were attractions. I've seen the cut down curtains on Ted Hamilton too, so I figure it was pretty common to add just a little more look to your act, even though now a days no one would blink an eye to a full shirt.

I'm sure you all have at least one good one.

what are your thoughts on the use of slang and terms that folks use to try and make tattooing sound cool? as an example i don't like the use of the terms tat, tats, or tatted up. i think that the word tattoo is cool enough and has always had a certain power to it. there's not really a need to attempt to make it sound cooler or clever by shortening it or adding z's instead of s's. i don't like gun for a tattoo machine either, but do find it amusing when people use it and sometimes i'll say "do you mean a tat gat?"
so are there terms that you do or don't like as well as does it give you an idea of the type of person you're talking to when you hear them use certain slang?

I am tired of hearing this question and I am barely tattooed. anytime one of my TWO tattoos show, it is always the same question. How much it cost and what does it mean. The price part I answer truthfully, they always get sticker shock though. And always the reply is, "Oh my boy did mine for 20 bucks, you should hit him up" as they show me the most messed up cheetah tattoo I have ever seen.
Then they go into this big long tirade about the fact tattoos are supposed to have meaning. "Blah blah blah my tattoo means x, y, z, and for my dead parakeet when I was three and my abandonment issues and how I have become stronger as a person."
Then they stop and ask me if tattoos really hurt, because they have all these tattoos planned but are afraid it will hurt, and they dont like pain!
it gets old, quick. and I only have 2 tattoos. How do you more covered people deal with this kind of bs? I am assuming you get it alot more than I do but honestly, I would feel like punching people if I had way more tattoos to be demanded on the spot to explain, give the cost, then listen to other people's future tattoo plans.
A quick aside, I like telling people how much my tattoos cost, because the ones who want them but hate to pay, it makes them reconsider really getting a tattoo.

Love the thread on Chi tattooing. As a huge geek I love history of any kind, but ever since I got serious about tattooing it's all I can talk about it. Drives my lady crazy all my second and third hand tattoo things.
I've been looking into artists that have not been house hold names, but never the less left a mark. Tex Rowe, Danny Danzl, and Ernie Sutton come to mind right away, and since this was about Chicago, one of the places Sutton worked, I thought I would post a picture of him and his partner Lou Lewis, who he worked with and ran the LA Supply company with. (I have to give credit to shaneenholm for his masterful and pretty darned funny entry on the Pike and Swingates, which proves that the more I know I know diddly. Read it here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/86-swinggates-pike-more-you-look-less-you-know.html)
Mr. Sutton is on the left and Mr. Lewis is on the right. Sutton worked with Tahiti Felix, Sailor Ted Warner and taught Mr. Zeke Owen and Tennessee Dave.
He was also a bank robber from what I understand too. I think his flash book is out there although I haven't picked it up just yet.
If anyone has more information on him let me know. Thanks
For the pic...

For those who are not necessarily going for full-body coverage, do you ever think about the overall look you have as a tattooed person?
Like I imagine many people here, I am an appreciator of aesthetics, and when I consider getting new work done, I think long and hard about where to put it and how it will change the way my body looks in clothes, out of clothes, in swim suits, etc. It might be slightly different for females since we tend to have more variety in the clothes we wear (different cuts, lengths, dresses, etc.), but I do wonder... Do you pay a lot of attention to keeping your work balanced on your body? Do you take into consideration places on your body where you don't plan to ever get work? I guess one approach would be to prioritize the design, and pick the place on your body where that design fits best. Another approach would be to think about where you'd like to have tattoos, and pick designs you like that would flow well in those spaces.
This post is partially inspired by this thread about negative space with tattoos.
I am a huge fan of negative space and have spent a lot of time thinking about the best way and location to place substantial tattoos on my body, with space in between them. Some people might say this is overthinking it, but I can't help it, ha. I've considered putting most of my work on my left arm and right leg, leaving the opposites mostly clear. I've also considered mainly tattooing my torso and leaving my limbs mostly clear. When you think about it, following each of those two patterns would make for a really different overall look.
Maybe as a still-kinda-newbie to this world, I do think about this stuff too much, but I'm still curious as to others' thoughts :)

I have a question about the proper way to go about something, and would like some input. My right arm is about 1/2 covered so far(the bottom 1/2). It was all done by one artist and is actually really nice stuff. I'm wanting to get the arm finished now though. The tattoos that are there already are finished work, I just want to get the rest of the arm covered. I've been going to a different artist recently and I'm curious if I would be an asshole if I had the guy I've been going to recently finish the arm off or should I go back to the guy who did the existing work?
I certainly appreciate any input!

Love the thread on Chi tattooing. As a huge geek I love history of any kind, but ever since I got serious about tattooing it's all I can talk about it. Drives my lady crazy all my second and third hand tattoo things.
I've been looking into artists that have not been house hold names, but never the less left a mark. Tex Rowe, Danny Danzl, and Ernie Sutton come to mind right away, and since this was about Chicago, one of the places Sutton worked, I thought I would post a picture of him and his partner Lou Lewis, who he worked with and ran the LA Supply company with. (I have to give credit to shaneenholm for his masterful and pretty darned funny entry on the Pike and Swingates, which proves that the more I know I know diddly. Read it here: http://www.lastsparrowtattoo.com/forum/crazy-tattoo-stories/86-swinggates-pike-more-you-look-less-you-know.html)
Mr. Sutton is on the left and Mr. Lewis is on the right. Sutton worked with Tahiti Felix, Sailor Ted Warner and taught Mr. Zeke Owen and Tennessee Dave.
He was also a bank robber from what I understand too. I think his flash book is out there although I haven't picked it up just yet.
If anyone has more information on him let me know. Thanks
For the pic...

Hello all. When I was 18, actually my 18th birthday, I sat down, like the mean, and terminally retarded, punker kid I was and I got Black Flag bars put on my inner left, lower arm. I didn't know how to talk in a shop as green kid, and I'm sure I came across looking very foolish. Foolish seems to be my watch word even today. Considering it was in the Speed Stick days I'm just happy I didn't come out of it with 18 tropical diseases.
I didn't know anything about anything. I said to myself, "There is a tattoo shop. I'm gonna get one."
Did I ask to see a book? No. Was there flash on the walls? No. Were they fly by night scammers? You bet you're sweet bippy, but hey, I got my first. Kathy, a former skinhead in retrospect, was kind to me. I'm really happy it wasn't say Tatts Thomas' place, so I didn't get the "shoe factory" treatment when I said, "How does that gun work?"
Kathy explained to me, as she realized I wasn't knuckle dragging mouth breather, well OK not much of, that gun should be eradicated from my lexicon. She told me about the coils, springs, set screw... just enough to wet my whistle.
She even told me a little about capacitors and Charlie Wagner too.
"You wanna hold it?" She asked with a sly grin.
I took the machine and it certainly didn't feel natural, but it sure did feel right in my hand. She waited a second and stomped on the switch and the Superior 8 wrap (I now know from the "chattering skull" set screw) came to life.
Blew my mind right off my shoulders.
"You seem nice," She said, "This is my 'bastard' machine. Figure you'll remember to call it a machine from here on out..."
About 45 min later I had a crummy tattoo, but it was there. Still is, and I took a ton of poo from my parents over it too. But I was the only guy in my class with a visible tattoo, so I had cred. Sorta.
I became a hang around. I ran errands, bought pizza (not that it hurt my feelings), and although I was paying them with my meager dishwasher's wage for apprenticeship that ended when they suddenly, and with out warning shut down, I knew that one day I wanted to be a tattooer myself.

I have never used numbing cream for any of my tattoos. I'm always able to take the pain (most recent painful spots to date being the elbow and elbow ditch), but because I have super sensitive areas where I'm ticklish or get involuntary twitching even at the slightest touch, I wonder if numbing creams help this at all...? About 8 years ago, I started a pretty large piece right in the center of my back and I could NOT stop twitching no matter how much I tried to relax my muscles. That piece is still just an outline and I've always been afraid of finishing it because of the twitching. :( I would love to get work done on both my ribs in the future and I'm pretty ticklish on those areas as well.
Has anyone used numbing creams specifically because they're ticklish?