briankelly

i met scott harrison at an art opening he had in berlin a while ago. we were talking about neck tattoos, and he said, "neck tattoos are for posers, don't do it", though he has his own neck tattooed. i think a lot of people are in a rush to look tough and cool and get those spots done to prove it. in general, i think people with the neck, face, and hands tattooed are retarded.

i'd noticed a long time ago that uncle allan often signs his work. which i thought was a little weird, but i think it's also been going on forever.

i just saw this and the mention of berit from tatau obscur and felt like i had to say something. while i don't think i would get tattooed from her, she needs to be respected partly because of her history in berlin. she was one of the first tattooers in berlin to actually know how to draw and helped break the hell's angels control of tattooing by simply refusing to pay their protection fee. jan and fide from fuer immer both worked at tatau obscur before opening their own studio. she is one of the older tattooers in berlin and everyone respects her, including lars uwe who some would think is one of the greater tattooers in this country. she might not be well known, and her style might not be everyone's cup of tea but tattooing in berlin wouldn't be what it is without her.

yeah, leg sleeves has to be the most stupid term ever. when's the last time you woke up, put on a shirt, shoes, and a pair of leg sleeves and went to work?

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.

I agree that lip tattoos are a joke and a pain. But i dont mind them as much since Dan Jackson showed me a trick. have the customer flip his own lip tight over a toung depresser. easier surrface to work with. and hammer it in.

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.

Amund Dietzel tattoo done in 1956, 55 year old tattoo still makin the the guy smile.

i was riding the tram the other day with a guy who had two full sleeves of this sort of thing. i think it looks good if the style is adhered to for the whole body, while it is not my thing and i did sit there being very critical of it in my own head. i was thinking things like, that red will never hold up, but he did have a portrait of a womans face in the work that did look quite nice in a technically well done way, and i am of the belief that all tattoos are going to look like complete shit in the future anyway. i try not to bash the work of other's who styles i dislike, because opinions are like assholes. i really don't like noon's work, but i shared an apartment with him and his son in new york for a few days, years ago, and he is a nice guy.

i was riding the tram the other day with a guy who had two full sleeves of this sort of thing. i think it looks good if the style is adhered to for the whole body, while it is not my thing and i did sit there being very critical of it in my own head. i was thinking things like, that red will never hold up, but he did have a portrait of a womans face in the work that did look quite nice in a technically well done way, and i am of the belief that all tattoos are going to look like complete shit in the future anyway. i try not to bash the work of other's who styles i dislike, because opinions are like assholes. i really don't like noon's work, but i shared an apartment with him and his son in new york for a few days, years ago, and he is a nice guy.

i was riding the tram the other day with a guy who had two full sleeves of this sort of thing. i think it looks good if the style is adhered to for the whole body, while it is not my thing and i did sit there being very critical of it in my own head. i was thinking things like, that red will never hold up, but he did have a portrait of a womans face in the work that did look quite nice in a technically well done way, and i am of the belief that all tattoos are going to look like complete shit in the future anyway. i try not to bash the work of other's who styles i dislike, because opinions are like assholes. i really don't like noon's work, but i shared an apartment with him and his son in new york for a few days, years ago, and he is a nice guy.

i think it is strange that the tattoos are "by famous artists", even though they are all made by some pretty big names in tattooing.

I have some pretty bad ones I will never mess with ,because of association. one of them is by the late Eric Hogan. he was by no means a great friend , more like someone I knew, But I will always remember him, His mother would probably appreciate this. During these times that seem sometimes like a "cool" race, we need to remember the whys and hows people have always gotten tattooed. As a tattooer/ist we ,especially street shops, face it everyday. those silly reasons mean something to those not in the know. your Moms love, your children's love, you went somewhere, you freed yourself, don't forget. They aren't just cool. Last evening I put stick figures holding balloons on a woman's foot, I tried to put them on with all the professionalism that i could. If those don't meet anyone's ideas about what good art is or what a cool tattoo is,it doesn't matter. she talked about how she went to a different shop and they were rude about it. I did a good job, she was happy, I got to eat dinner doing something I want to do,not something i have to do, Im not cleaning toilets ,Im not a Walmart greeter. not that good hard work isn't respectful , Its that I'm lucky and hopeful today. And yes I will try and give them the best stick figures they need. I do love me some "regular people".

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.

no matter what you do, and no matter the quality of work, that tattoo is always going to be backwards. it sucks to make beginner tattoo mistakes on your hand.

no matter what you do, and no matter the quality of work, that tattoo is always going to be backwards. it sucks to make beginner tattoo mistakes on your hand.

This is a tattoo by Ross Ferrie, taken from the logo of the first shop he owned "The Pinup Parlour" in San Jose circa 1994. Chris Conn worked at the shop for awhile and created this logo for the shop. Ross has the original hanging up by his station and every once in awhile people insist on getting it. There have been different variations over the years but this is the original.

from my understanding, the term "freehand" really does mean to use no stencil and no drawing, but to just freehand onto the flesh. drawing an image onto someone and tracing it is not really freehand. sometimes i get customers that ask questions like, "did you freehand this tattoo?" while looking at pictures of my tattoos, because they've heard the term and want to seem like they know some stuff about tattooing. they also seem to think that freehand is better than using a stencil.

from my understanding, the term "freehand" really does mean to use no stencil and no drawing, but to just freehand onto the flesh. drawing an image onto someone and tracing it is not really freehand. sometimes i get customers that ask questions like, "did you freehand this tattoo?" while looking at pictures of my tattoos, because they've heard the term and want to seem like they know some stuff about tattooing. they also seem to think that freehand is better than using a stencil.

Absolutely Brian. Her artistic ability and dedication to the craft of tattooing is undeniable. She is clearly pursuing her own path that is not making concessions to trends and popularism, and is carving her own way through her profession. I have a huge amount of respect for her work and her uncompromising attitude to the field. Obviously not everyone working with modern styles of non-traditional tattooing are the same, and it would be narrow-minded and ignorant to lump them all together. I think Berit is a great example and even if you don't like her work, her approach and dedication is worthy of respect.

i just saw this and the mention of berit from tatau obscur and felt like i had to say something. while i don't think i would get tattooed from her, she needs to be respected partly because of her history in berlin. she was one of the first tattooers in berlin to actually know how to draw and helped break the hell's angels control of tattooing by simply refusing to pay their protection fee. jan and fide from fuer immer both worked at tatau obscur before opening their own studio. she is one of the older tattooers in berlin and everyone respects her, including lars uwe who some would think is one of the greater tattooers in this country. she might not be well known, and her style might not be everyone's cup of tea but tattooing in berlin wouldn't be what it is without her.

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.

i'm only posting my own tattoo, because henry did it first. this is one i did on an east berliner. you can't see the dolphin jumping in front of a sun, but that is behind the shark.

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.

i don't know if she did the right thing, all i know is that there is no crying in tattooing.