Patrick Bateman

I've always had the hots for girls with tattoos. Even before I got a tattoo, i was always into these girls. Even more now that I have a few.

Last Sunday I had an appointment with Deno. Got this on the back of my left leg. Sorry if the pic is too big.
@CultExciter - Gave him the SOIA dragon and asked him to do his version of it.

The winner of Tattoo of the month "December" 2014 is @Cork with this spectacular back piece by Dana Helmuth. Congratulations!!

Please PM @steve1461686340 with your shirt info (size and male or female) along with your address.
New contest will be up shortly!

Great tattoos this month, I'm glad there weren't a lot of entries. I was hoping the holiday would work in my favor, haha. I've wanted a shirt for a long time now, thanks for voting for me!!

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

It's very interesting reading everyone's responses. Thanks to everyone for getting involved.
I was never under any pretence that a traditional eagle was a remarkable new idea and I knew full well that Bert's version comes from a long history of traditional flash. As a result of that I certainly don't begrudge anyone for getting one. I'm sure in fact that there are plenty hidden amongst these forums and galleries.
On reflection, and after a bit of common sense, the similarity between the two eagles is not something that worries me that much. I really like mine and will continue to get a lot of pleasure from it. I do however think the issue of copying will be something that keeps raising it's head in this art form we all love, and that's something that it would be interesting to keep hearing people's thoughts on.

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

What's funny, I'm the first one to admit out of all of my friends that I have a problem. I can't stop hahahaha
Yet all my friends are in denial, when I got one they all kinda of fell in and got one too.
Probably the best domino effect ever!!!

What's funny, I'm the first one to admit out of all of my friends that I have a problem. I can't stop hahahaha
Yet all my friends are in denial, when I got one they all kinda of fell in and got one too.
Probably the best domino effect ever!!!

Success! Thanks. Right thigh.
- - - Updated - - -

And the left..

Hey there all, I've been lurking around reading threads, interviews, and videos for awhile now and am finally getting around to introducing myself. My name is Erin, and I've been tattooing at shops in the Hudson Valley of NY for a little over 13 years and piercing for 14 years. I work at Hudson River Tattoo, in Hudson, NY and you can check out my some of my work via the shop's website here or see my most current stuff on Instagram, @LeftyLucille. I'm 33, wife, mother, knitter, and am always interested in art swaps and guest spots.
Thanks for checking out my stuff!

i'm not going to clutter up the board by making a thread for it but.. today i made my first tattoo, and i thought i would share it with you all. i have been apprenticing for a bit and was given my first pair of machines last month. today he let me put this small design on my cousins thigh next to tattoos by all my favorites. was incredibly nerve racking but turned out better than i expected :D

This has given me entirely too much to think about, but I am thankful for the education. I am a newbie, I would say, (20 years old, 5 tattoos, only 2 of substantial size), and I favor the realism style. I am thinking I will have to find a middle ground with my future tattoos because its not that I DISLIKE traditional by any means, it just wasn't the path I intended to take. I must admit, I am probably guilty of drooling over pictures taken of realism style tattoos the day they were finished and holding in my head that "MINE CAN LOOK LIKE THAT TOO!".... yeah.... for a couple years....
I would be curious to see photos of tattoos that sort of fall in between realism and traditional. Or perhaps I have seen many examples and just don't know what to label that particular style. Again, newbie, sorry!
While I'm here, could I trouble some of the knowledgeable ones to identify a style for me? It would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a picture of a "look" I'm rather fond of. Sort of water-color ish, not really? Iddddkkkk. Also, feel free to comment on the expected "lifespan" of those particular tattys.
Thanks guys!

I finished this yesterday and I'm really happy with it. Which isn't to say that it's perfect, because there are a lot of things I'll do differently next time, but it was the best I could do and I'm proud of it.

hi there i live in France, and i had my 1rst tattoo at 56, a sentence Alice Cooper said to me after having worn my red leather vest on stage (then he did at 52 other shows!), i am a professional painter and i paint and draw on leathers or for tattoos!
*
"It is part of the tour now"
Alice Cooper
*
its on my right hand, the one that paint

Home

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

@Patrick Bateman I wouldn't say all realism will age like crap, just most. I would suggest watching this site's newest interview with Brian Bruno and Mike Rennie: Brian Bruno & Mike Rennie Tattoo Artist Interview Video
In it there is a good discussion on the craft of doing things like realism and the ethics involved in it. Bascially, it boils down to how the artist tattoos. Whether it is for instagram fame, competitions, getting that "wow" factor, or putting the client first and designing something that will age and look good in the future. In my opinion, tattoos that age well aren't restricted to traditional and I have seen very fine line black & grey stuff stand the test of time.
This thread (entire site for that matter), works in realigning peoples' expectations with reality. Realistic styles can be done, with certain limitations, and still endure. Probably not the same level of realism that is so commonly attempted nowadays, but still realistic as far as tattoos go. The hard part is finding an artist who is honest AND skilled enough to pull it off.
I'm no artist, nor do I know what or how these things can be achieved in different styles but I have seen it, albeit more rarely.

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

@chrisnoluck
Fuck yeah!
Here is what I got from my friend Adde Ramstedt the other day.

Felt so good to get the other foot done, never more (still need to do sides and toes...) Adde just moved down to Berlin and will be working at Lowbrow Tattoo Parlour for about 6 months. I encourage anyone to visit Berlin, hugely inspirational city with many things to experience and explore. While you're there, get tattooed by Adde too ;)

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

Throwing the hat in. Newbie getting his second tattoo, 4 months after his first.
I got this skull and dagger from Luke Wessman in NYC @ Wooster Street Social.

Hi, my name is Louis aka Grolou aka lobogordo
I´m a french tattoo artist, working and traveling in south america and europe since 8 years ago.
My friend told me about this web, he said it is a good way for meeting new people and making new clientele.
I´m planning to go to Canada in march and I´m looking for some places to guest in USA.
I let you to discover my work, I like to do a different kind of tattoo, a mix of graffiti and street culture, more psychedelic and crazy!
I hope you like it!
If you want to see more, take a look at my instagram : LOBOGORDO

I'm not sure how everybody else started, but I didn't do much research into getting my first tattoo, as I was a 19 year old kid and just wanted something. I got the black flag bars, but the black was poorly saturated and the lines were a little shaky. After that, I got some stick and pokes and some more mediocre tattoos.
One day, I walked into Name Brand Tattoo in Ann Arbor because I thought that they would have a Friday the 13th special. They didn't have the special, but I decided I wanted to get something anyways. I ended up setting up an appointment with Cole Dunn, and I had never made an appointment for a tattoo before, so I was pretty confused right there! The idea of a consultation also confused me, haha. I guess from there I saw that traditional style tattoos could look pretty nice, as I always had the impression that they were formulaic and lame with no meaning.
I'll never cover my early tattoos though!
How did you all get educated about tattoos and different styles?

So far I only have tattoos on my upper legs. Plan on getting more but on either my upper arms, torso and back.
I would like to be able to wear a short sleeved shirt and shorts but none will know i'm tattooed.
Some people ask why, it's because i really don't care if people know i have tattoos or not.
As time progresses, I may change my idea on that but that is how i feel for now.

Not sure if I posted this, but I'm getting tattooed by Linsdey Carmichael during the holiday. Stoked! I have no idea what to get.