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Just wanted to say thanks again to those that gave me advice - two days work now done and I feel very sore, but happy. Found a bra that could go into a halterneck, which was perfect for my back today, and I have just tucked my vest strap into it.

I have a consult with Thomas Hooper next Friday and my next visit with Kore Flatmo the following week. Cant wait!

Got the peonies put in last week :)
My artist took this right after the session, it's from her instagram:

Read this: WHO calls for urgent action to preserve power of antibiotics and make new ones | Society | The Guardian
I'm not a fan of antibiotics unless your limb is about to fall off, too many doctors prescribe them happily for little reason, specially when it comes to tattoos that they think look 'infected'. the more you take antibiotics the more they wont work when you really are in a life threatening situation. your tattooer (if reputable) will always know more about this stuff than a doctor, it is weird that it looks like this 16 days on but i'd keep what youre doing up. Keep it clean and dry untill it begins to feel better.
Many moons ago i had a very problematic foot tattoo on myself, it took over 4 weeks for it to be fully healed, and some times it takes a longer than expected and sometimes it looks worse than others. Take care!

I really like this comment, and if this hasn't happened for you yet, don't worry and keep looking, whether it's at tattoos, other types of art or whatever reference moves you. And then let your artist take it from there. There really is no rush. I think I might know how you're feeling in that some spots might bother you more than others (even if, like me, you are largely blank) - for instance, I feel a little weird with the back of only one calf done. Sometimes I feel a pressure to work on that area next. But I'm going to sit on it for a while and get other tattoos elsewhere.

Linework is generally very easy to heal. At most, if you have itching, a tiny amount of lotion might be helpful. Ointment/lotion is really more for when you have large areas of tattooed skin, and even then, not much is needed. Your body will heal it on it's own if it's clean, anything you put on it is just to keep it comfortable for you, or to keep it from getting overly dry.

@ThatGuy, your back piece is really amazing, I'm surprised you don't just walk around with your top off anyway ;)

@peaceridge I have a calm faced tiger on my left arm, you can see it on my profile page gallery. I love it!!!!!!!! That tiger is serene for the moment but will spring into action if anyone messes with her ;-)
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Please try and not let me stunningly beautiful bum distract you from the artwork :)
10 hours in total, so quick quick this time and I am glad! Some of the arse is brutal, specially where the cheek meets the thigh.....
Victor said doing bums is awful, the skin is too soft and for him its not a very good place to tattoo but we are happy with the results.
We still have a largish gap for the centre of my bum but we will just fill that next year with just a few shaded bits and pieces. We also have the back of that thigh to do next year. Maybe add a devil horn to the devil hound.
My arse is red raw and swollen so sorry for the pics. :)

I think there is a certain nuance that gets lost in discussions about cultural appropriation. There's a difference between cultural exchange (e.g. Western people getting Japanese-style tattoos) and cultural appropriation.
There's more to it than just, "did this design come from another culture?" That alone isn't offensive. Does this design have specific spiritual / cultural significance that is lost on outsiders (the Maori Tā moko)? Is this tattoo inaccurate in a significant way that shows a lack of respect for the culture (Native American women in a headdress)? Is the subject of the tattoo from a cultural group that is subjected to oppression or violence today in a manner depicted in the tattoo (gypsy head tattoos [beheading], Native American pin-up girls [sexual assault])?
From what I understand, dreamcatcher tattoos generally aren't offensive because they don't have a specific spiritual meaning and have been given to outsiders for decades. Whereas a sexualized woman in a headdress is offensive because the headdress had specific cultural meaning and because Native American women are subjected to sexual assault at an incredibly high rate.
Deciding what tattoos you're comfortable getting is a very personal choice... I would not judge anyone here or speak badly about anyone's tattoos. I am only critical about what I would get on my own body. Even if I don't fully understand why a tattoo is offensive to members of a culture, I prefer to err on the side of respect (even if it's "over-PC") than offense.
Sorry this got so long, and sorry in advance if I offended anyone. This is something I have thought a lot about.

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, the problem with cultural appropriation is not simply borrowing from another culture. The problem comes from an imbalance of power in that relationship. When a dominant group starts appropriating the sacred traditions, symbols, icons, and cultural artefacts of a subject culture, then it is not uncommon for those in the subordinate group to be offended by that use of their heritage. Some will care more than others, and some will care not at all. That said, I think the issue of power relationships between groups has been missing from this discussion. The use of other groups symbols may cause insult or offense, regardless of intentions. Some don't care, others care a great deal, and likely many have never even thought about it.
Do whatever you like, and get whatever tattoos you want. I have no horse in this race, and I don't care what anyone gets tattooed or who tattoos them. I have a sugar skull that many would consider appropriative. I'm simply trying to highlight the root of the debate about cultural appropriation.

I'll agree with Graeme, Yann is well known in Mtl and does good work in his style. You shouldn't sweat it too much, when you friend gets tired of this piece he can still get a giant solid black panther blasted over everything. Third time is the charm they say.

Just wanted to say thanks again to those that gave me advice - two days work now done and I feel very sore, but happy. Found a bra that could go into a halterneck, which was perfect for my back today, and I have just tucked my vest strap into it.

I realized it was fireworks, but I didn't see immediately that they were originating with hearts. I like it fine. If it was me, I'd probably ask a good artist if it could be enhanced with some black or something and make it pop a little more. Nothing extreme. Just my opinion. But like others have suggested, wait until it's fully healed before you make any decisions.

personally I think that second link looks like a mess of random stars and lines... but that is what fireworks are. So, maybe it's great?
I understood what yours was when I saw it immediately, I think you have some buyers remorse and cannot really admit that.
This is how you should fix it :D
http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lswtybVsZk1qfp499o1_500.jpg

@ThatGuy, your back piece is really amazing, I'm surprised you don't just walk around with your top off anyway ;)

Just wanted to say thanks again to those that gave me advice - two days work now done and I feel very sore, but happy. Found a bra that could go into a halterneck, which was perfect for my back today, and I have just tucked my vest strap into it.

i remember the feeling i had on my first session of my back when the machine started up and then cut into me for the first couple of lines. i thought, this is completely retarded. i'm never even going to see this thing..

@ThatGuy I know what you are going through. For a long time all my old less good ink was easily covered by short sleeves and shorts. I was happy that it could all be covered. I had an epiphany and realised that why am I not getting what I want due to what I think others might think.
So fast forward 2 years and I now have 3/4 sleeves and chest pieces and in the process of doing backpiece and plans to keep going. I still however have no plans to do neck/hands etc as I myself want the ability to cover it all if I want to and that is entirely my choice.
I was as nervous as hell at 1st having art that is shown in my normal day to day clothing but now I can safely say it is not that a big deal. Some say they don't like it (mainly only parents) but everyone else either doesn't care or you great great comments on your great artwork.
On a whole I can say having visible work has been positive for me and I wish I didnt wait so long to do what I wanted.
Long story short. Do what you want, dont let others dictate where and what you want. Dont get hung up on visible work and what others think as from my experience it wont be as bad as you expect. Even my mother which is possibly the main disliker of my visible work has made the comment while out for lunch "yours are much better than those" in reference to some mediocore work on others.
May not have answered your question but my thoughts are do what you want and where you want. From my experience visible tattoos are not that big a deal.
Cheers.

Soooo, I was trying to take an all-things-tattoo-hiatus until October but the boys were getting tattooed so I thought "Oh, I'll just get a little gap filler from Paul" (like I did the previous day with Bryan Randolph)...and this happened. No really, I can stop whenever I want...

Paul Anthony Dobleman - Spider Murphy's Tattoo, San Rafael, CA

@SeeSea, thanks for sharing - that's all helpful info. I get chilly when sitting for some time, hadn't even thought of that. Off tomorrow to find a bra and a cosy new hoodie.

By coincidence, I have just moved cities to Canberra and realised that I am now living around the corner - literally 2 streets away - from the site where I started collecting my very first proper tattoos in 1996. So I've always travelled to get tattoos.
Back in '96 I travelled from Sydney to Canberra (280km) to get tattooed by a dear friend who was apprenticing with a really great artist called Ex de Medici who's now pretty much stopped tattooing and I think is working on her amazing paintings.
For the last few years I've been travelling from Aus to Switzerland to get tattooed by Filip Leu & Sabine Gaffron, an incredible experience. Filip is starting my backpiece this year and even though it's super stressful getting all this money together to do it, once I am there and we start working it all feels worth it. The advantage also is that he tattoos faster than lightning, and has a very unique approach to large scale work. I've given him a few key elements I'd like and the coverage and I don't think he'll plan & draw the design until our first outlining session! And that's usually with visiting tattooers watching, asking him questions and hanging off his every word. Don't ask me how he does it but it really is watching genius in action.
That said though, the first time I took a regular train and then a little 2 car mountain electric "train" up to the tiny mountain village where the Leu Family studio now is, I was laughing all the way up at where I was travelling to to get a damn tattoo!

We are a Queer positive shop so we have no - NO - shortage of every kind of person from every fringe queer community and it's AMAZING. The other day, a guy said to me "This new album is SO gay." and I replied "YES THAT IS AWESOME!" It felt mututally nice that when someone called something gay the first reaction we all had wasn't like "Oh, really? It's stupid?" LOL
Anyway, as for the massage tables -- STAY AWAY from the ones that have the beams that pull out and you click them into the four corner legs. They're cheap cuz they're week. Try to find one that fold out as simply as possible with as little assembly as those are the ones that I've used for years and had no problem getting REAAAAL big boys and girls on top.
It's a nice thing, too, to be able to tell a client who is scared that they m ight d amage your table by virtue of their weight to, "do their worst." Or similar jokey-type-thing. Really breaks the ice and let's 'em feel like no one gives a shit if they've got a few extra pounds. We just wanna tatttoo em and not judge.

As for the sitting/laying down, I've been asked both - but mostly to lie down when they are working on the shoulder. If it's too uncomfortable let them know.
As for bra - again do what works I'm unable to go braless so I went with the soft tank/ vest under the bra - that and I wore a bra with removable straps so i had one strap on and no strap on the healing side. It takes a bit of trial and error. Good luck!

I sit in a massage chair with my face through the ring. I generally wear a camisole (one of the ones with the boob rack) during most of my back work - I just move it all around to fit whatever part of my back we are working on. For the location you are talking about, you might take one one strap down under your arm pit (I also do that when healing). I generally take both straps down to pull it lower. But since my chest is pressed against the cushion of the massage chair, clothing doesn't move or slide once we start. And I wear a backwards hoodie. Actually, two of them because I get cold easily. Good luck!