Victor

My parents were anti-Tattoo to the Max. My folks would have flipped out and ruined my Teen life more than they already did if they knew I had tattoos. I started getting tattoos at 15 years old and wore a t-shirt from the shower to my room, while I was at my parents home (even after I had moved out and just visiting lol), until I was 19 or so. Just made life easier for everybody.
Being in your parents face about your tattoos is not always the best approach, especially when they are hostile to the idea. Everyone's situation is different I guess and we each have to make that call commensurate to the situation we are in.
Supportive parents get to know what is going in their children's lives, draconian parents are left in the dark and their own illusions, lol.

My parents were anti-Tattoo to the Max. My folks would have flipped out and ruined my Teen life more than they already did if they knew I had tattoos. I started getting tattoos at 15 years old and wore a t-shirt from the shower to my room, while I was at my parents home (even after I had moved out and just visiting lol), until I was 19 or so. Just made life easier for everybody.
Being in your parents face about your tattoos is not always the best approach, especially when they are hostile to the idea. Everyone's situation is different I guess and we each have to make that call commensurate to the situation we are in.
Supportive parents get to know what is going in their children's lives, draconian parents are left in the dark and their own illusions, lol.

I was waiting at the bus stop and had this fella saw "wow your Tattoos are great they must be outside tattoos". Having never heard the term "Outside Tattoos" before, I naively asked, what does that mean... It was explained to me, to me that when a guy gets tattooed inside Jail or Prison, those are called "Inside Tattoos" lol. So the quality of Tattoo Art on my body bespoke professional enough to merit the term Outside Tattoos. A compliment that I will accept.
Anyway, the general quality of Tattoos around Nova Scotia, where I live is so low that it is hard to distinguish between Inside and Outside Tattoos. I am happy my Tattoos stand out as Quality enough to be "Outside Tattoos", lol.

I was waiting at the bus stop and had this fella saw "wow your Tattoos are great they must be outside tattoos". Having never heard the term "Outside Tattoos" before, I naively asked, what does that mean... It was explained to me, to me that when a guy gets tattooed inside Jail or Prison, those are called "Inside Tattoos" lol. So the quality of Tattoo Art on my body bespoke professional enough to merit the term Outside Tattoos. A compliment that I will accept.
Anyway, the general quality of Tattoos around Nova Scotia, where I live is so low that it is hard to distinguish between Inside and Outside Tattoos. I am happy my Tattoos stand out as Quality enough to be "Outside Tattoos", lol.

I was waiting at the bus stop and had this fella saw "wow your Tattoos are great they must be outside tattoos". Having never heard the term "Outside Tattoos" before, I naively asked, what does that mean... It was explained to me, to me that when a guy gets tattooed inside Jail or Prison, those are called "Inside Tattoos" lol. So the quality of Tattoo Art on my body bespoke professional enough to merit the term Outside Tattoos. A compliment that I will accept.
Anyway, the general quality of Tattoos around Nova Scotia, where I live is so low that it is hard to distinguish between Inside and Outside Tattoos. I am happy my Tattoos stand out as Quality enough to be "Outside Tattoos", lol.

Stockings is a better and more appropriate terms than Leg Sleeves.. what about rocking Tat-Slacks, lol.
or
Ink Tousers,
or
Art Britches

I was waiting at the bus stop and had this fella saw "wow your Tattoos are great they must be outside tattoos". Having never heard the term "Outside Tattoos" before, I naively asked, what does that mean... It was explained to me, to me that when a guy gets tattooed inside Jail or Prison, those are called "Inside Tattoos" lol. So the quality of Tattoo Art on my body bespoke professional enough to merit the term Outside Tattoos. A compliment that I will accept.
Anyway, the general quality of Tattoos around Nova Scotia, where I live is so low that it is hard to distinguish between Inside and Outside Tattoos. I am happy my Tattoos stand out as Quality enough to be "Outside Tattoos", lol.

I was waiting at the bus stop and had this fella saw "wow your Tattoos are great they must be outside tattoos". Having never heard the term "Outside Tattoos" before, I naively asked, what does that mean... It was explained to me, to me that when a guy gets tattooed inside Jail or Prison, those are called "Inside Tattoos" lol. So the quality of Tattoo Art on my body bespoke professional enough to merit the term Outside Tattoos. A compliment that I will accept.
Anyway, the general quality of Tattoos around Nova Scotia, where I live is so low that it is hard to distinguish between Inside and Outside Tattoos. I am happy my Tattoos stand out as Quality enough to be "Outside Tattoos", lol.

I have a collection of Tattoos from a variety of artists over the years. One thing that I have realized if some artists are visually stuck in a particular style, so it takes them some hard work to expand into other styles. If a guy does Oldschool all day long, somehow his Portraits, Biomechanical and Realism all look Oldschool. So be warned.
If you found someone who is trying to expand their Tattoo visual range, then they should probably give you special experimental rate until they prove themselves. It could work out good for both of you and if they don't nail it, well you both went in with eyes wide open, and no one will be surprised by anything.
Some artists stick to a particular style because they are good at it, and when they wander off into other styles that may not work out for them. It takes a lot of hard work to master a style so be patient and heads up.

My parents were anti-Tattoo to the Max. My folks would have flipped out and ruined my Teen life more than they already did if they knew I had tattoos. I started getting tattoos at 15 years old and wore a t-shirt from the shower to my room, while I was at my parents home (even after I had moved out and just visiting lol), until I was 19 or so. Just made life easier for everybody.
Being in your parents face about your tattoos is not always the best approach, especially when they are hostile to the idea. Everyone's situation is different I guess and we each have to make that call commensurate to the situation we are in.
Supportive parents get to know what is going in their children's lives, draconian parents are left in the dark and their own illusions, lol.

A myth is a widely held but false belief or idea.
The Tattoo scene is so backwards, right now it is like the wild west where anything goes. On one hand, the right of personal freedom and self-direction demands that anyone should be able to tattoo if they want to, but it really it should be the on par with a hobby painter who practices painting to gain skill, then when their work is of sufficient quality, they put on a few shows and take on professional commissions if their work is worth it. If they are good enough, they can paint full time to support themselves professionally. Anyone can buy paintbrushes and paint supplies. Just owning paint brushes does not make someone a professional painter, that leap in reasoning is unreasonable. A professional painter is someone who has technical skill within that medium and artistic vision sufficient to produce art, even still there art is only in demand if they produce something worth having.
Also anyone should be able to play music if they want to, but it should be the on par with a hobby musician who practices to gain skill, then when their work is of sufficient quality, they put on a few shows and maybe record a songs and if they are good enough they get signed in a record deal and can be considered a professional musician, again only if their work is worth it. If they are good enough, they can play music full time to support themselves professionally. Anyone can buy a guitar and play music. Just owning a guitar does not make someone a professional musician, that leap in reasoning is again unreasonable. A professional musician is someone who has technical skill within that medium and artistic vision sufficient to produce original music or skillfully replay someone else’s music, even still there music is only in demand if they produce something worth listening to.
Unfortunately the myth of the professional Tattooer has taken hold and we are all suffering for it. Tattoo equipment does not make a professional. What makes a professional Tattooer is the combination of three things: (1) thorough trade specific medical and hygiene understanding for everyone’s safety; (2) Technical proficiency in use of Tattoo equipment and application techniques; (3) visual arts background to comprehend reproduction or creation of visual art projects. Without all three of the above, it is a recipe for permanent disaster.
Really great Tattooers become proficient in all three qualities and then push the boundaries of each, producing safer, longer lasting great art for their clients.
No two artists are the same, each has a unique combination of taste and experience that potentially allow for a creative rendition of even familiar subjects which may wonderfully unique or masterfully refined and precise. Each Tattooer should be measured by their accomplishments, held responsible for their actions and praised only when deserving.
The cure to bad tattooing is twofold, an educated public making conscious choices and educated Tattooers who strive for perfection and mastery of tattoo art and application.
Supporting Tattooers who deserve your support makes more of them, alternatively supporting bad Tattooers makes more of them too, so think twice about who you commission for your next art project, the consequences affect us all. Each time you support an artist who deserves it, there is one more good tattoo in the world, which helps to reshape society’s collective view on the Tattoo Scene for the good of us all. The black eye on the reputation of tattoo was created by a bunch of seedy characters and can be slowly erased by the decisions each of us make and who we support for applications of Tattoos.
Here in Nova Scotia Canada the tattoo Scene is quite a circus, I made a similar post on our local Nova Scotia Tattoo Forum:
http://home.novascotiatattooforum.ca/index.php/topic,749.0.html
...but have had no response as of yet.
What say you World Tattoo Scene?

My parents were anti-Tattoo to the Max. My folks would have flipped out and ruined my Teen life more than they already did if they knew I had tattoos. I started getting tattoos at 15 years old and wore a t-shirt from the shower to my room, while I was at my parents home (even after I had moved out and just visiting lol), until I was 19 or so. Just made life easier for everybody.
Being in your parents face about your tattoos is not always the best approach, especially when they are hostile to the idea. Everyone's situation is different I guess and we each have to make that call commensurate to the situation we are in.
Supportive parents get to know what is going in their children's lives, draconian parents are left in the dark and their own illusions, lol.

Thank you for that.
My beef with Government regulations, is that they merely charge money for registration and fines for things that were perfectly lawful beforehand. Despite regulations, you can read about how many horror stories come out of so called regulated New York shops, it is frightening.
We have to take responsibility for ourselves and stop relying on the false hope of government security blanked for protection. Mr Frankling once said "Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither" and I agree. Take responsibility for yourself.
Besides Health regulation have nothing to do with skill in tattoo application or Artistic merit.
There is another quote which is interesting and relevant “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” When the public is educated on Tattoo basics, ie what to look for in a good Tattoo and Tattooer, you no longer need to tell someone where to get a good clean, solid, artistic tattoo, because they will be able to choose (making an educated choice) the right artist for them and their project, for the rest of their life.
Public education is the cure, not just a bandage stuck over a problem that lingers.

Yes that would be practicing on your friends, as a hobby until you get good, not opening up a Store front claiming to be a "Professional Tattoo Shop".
(2) To peterpoose, strickter laws do not stop bad artists, doing crappy dirty tattoos. Hence the need for an educated public regulating the Tattoo Scene by each decision they make.
As for everyone else...
Assumption is a problem with the modern tattoo scene which is inundated by TV and media propaganda created to push tattoo products and artificial hype, to generate more consumers.
Saying that People deserve the tattoo they get used in a negative connotation, is a generalization fraught with logical issues,: such as “that guy got a bad tattoo - he should have known better, so he deserves what he gets”, when the reality may be that the person by chance/randomly walk into a location where a bad artist happens to be - assumption is the problem.
On the other hand, does someone deserve to get a good tattoo when they by chance/randomly walk into a location where a true artist happens to be and end up receiving a good quality tattoo - using the same assumption as the above paragraph?
Thinking of this another way, do people deserve to be defrauded of their money or valuables, merely because they trusted someone. When people are taken advantage of, it is the fault of the person seeking to gain from that relationship, motivated to lie, cheat and steal, from the victim. I do not think a victim is at completely at fault, for being robbed, it is the robber who has the motivation and responsibility of taking from the intended victims. It is human nature to trust others and hope for the best, that is how confidence men operate, using human nature against the victim.
On the other hand this is an open market where the rule of the day is “buyer beware”, unfortunately people do not realize it, as a consequence of media propaganda.
So when innocent victim Joe Blow walking into ACME PRO TATTOO SHOP and ask for something nice and walks out with a horror show tattoo, that looks awful, as in sketchily done, bad placement, wrong size for the body area, and on and on and on... The problem there, is bad Tattooers who are preying on the innocent assuming public.
The cure for that, is to educate the public, so they are not so easily mislead. Dispelling the myth of the Professional Tattooer, may jog people’s consciousness out of the blind consumer mentality and realise that it is a “buyer beware” experience.
Free-will is a bitch, we are responsible for the choices we make, but at least we can make educated choices.
Someone who researches artist, and their work, then seeks out the best artist for their particular art project, ie. the right tool for the job, deserves a good tattoo, but that does not always mean they will get it.
The person who ignorantly walks into any tattoo shop, thinking they will get something good, because they are unaware of the pitfalls and the tattoo scene at this time do not deserve a bad tattoo though they may get it.
Just because you have a good tattoo, do you deserve it?
I think everyone deserves to have a good tattoo.
When I started getting tattoos there were no forum like this, to gain understanding and insight into the Tattoo Scene, Tattoo art and Tattoo Artist, it was really the dark ages. We have an opportunity now to direct the Tattoo scene into a good place, where educated people can make educated choices.
The cure from bad tattoo applicators / Tattooers is public education, but then again there is the saying " you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink", but at least offer the water, hence this thread.

Preaching to the choir means I am in good company.
Sometimes stating the obvious is good to generate a dialogue on the subject, which may not be obvious to some.
I though I would post my thoughts and get feed back, which I am, thank you everyone.

If someone could make a Squid V. Eagle V. Dragon V. Snake V. Panther V. The Grim Reaper , lol that would be tight, and by tight I mean awesome over-do chaos. Why not go completely over the top with the Battle Royal idea. It would be Battle "Royal with cheese"! It would have to be a Filip Leu full back-piece or not at all. Anyway thought I would throw that out there, to break things up a bit.
I do love the concept of the big predator battle and will have to plan one for myself. My fist choice of three Biggies would be Tiger V. Eagle V. Snake.

Lol. Thank you for that, it was funny.
Every little bit towards education and information helps nudge the Tattoo Scene in the right direction, farther away from the clutches of the leaches who are ruining it for all of us.
Sincerely Idealist Victor...

If children know that their parents are supportive of what they want to do, the lines of communication stay open and parents can hopefully help their kids make better choices in life. Kids are going to get tattooed if they want to, anyway, 18 or not, whether their parents support it or not. Some people are mature early in life and can think things through and make good decisions on a lot of matters, tattoos or otherwise. Some people will make bad decisions their whole life. The number 18 is arbitrary at best, there is no magical age of maturity. When somebody thinks they are ready, they will get a tattoo, 18 or not, and realize the consequences of that decision. Hopefully they do not start with a face tattoo.
I would let my kid get tattooed before 18 and I would help them get an awesome tattoo.