Hrubarb

i don't have a pic of my skull that cris cleen did but it's up on his blog. skull/butterfly morph...
this one done by a local guy is freekin rad.

here you go lochlan. the face and hands are finished on the mary! i should have a picture as the tattoo is 4 years old.

here you go lochlan. the face and hands are finished on the mary! i should have a picture as the tattoo is 4 years old.

here you go lochlan. the face and hands are finished on the mary! i should have a picture as the tattoo is 4 years old.

chain links making a late year charge... not mad at it, yet.

i have about 20-25 tattoos from the guys at smith street. 7 were planned and the rest came off the walls for the most part. getting tattooed there is the best/most fun tattoo experience every single time.

Besides the thievery and praying one of my 18 month old twin boys never get something from a piker like this, this shit is so under any talented artist it should't even be on his/her radar. This is some piker bullshit and not worth the keystrokes. Non of these "customers" are smart enough or willing to spend enough to get a real tattoo. So they are really not taking money out of your pocket. If anything these pikers will eventually learn something about tattoo culture, quit and become a paying customer.
Every field has it's pikers. These guys are not on your radar and should not get under your skin.
With respect,
George

Besides the thievery and praying one of my 18 month old twin boys never get something from a piker like this, this shit is so under any talented artist it should't even be on his/her radar. This is some piker bullshit and not worth the keystrokes. Non of these "customers" are smart enough or willing to spend enough to get a real tattoo. So they are really not taking money out of your pocket. If anything these pikers will eventually learn something about tattoo culture, quit and become a paying customer.
Every field has it's pikers. These guys are not on your radar and should not get under your skin.
With respect,
George

Besides the thievery and praying one of my 18 month old twin boys never get something from a piker like this, this shit is so under any talented artist it should't even be on his/her radar. This is some piker bullshit and not worth the keystrokes. Non of these "customers" are smart enough or willing to spend enough to get a real tattoo. So they are really not taking money out of your pocket. If anything these pikers will eventually learn something about tattoo culture, quit and become a paying customer.
Every field has it's pikers. These guys are not on your radar and should not get under your skin.
With respect,
George

Theres a killer Bob Roberts black widow posted on the Smith Street blog ,and for me his spiders set the standard .Heres some cool Scorpions ,the black and grey ones from Katie Sellergren.

I have many unplanned tattoos due to sometimes just hanging out at a shop and/or swinging by to say hello with a few hours to kill and before I know it I'm getting tattooed. Way different from how I thought getting tattooed was supposed to be when I started. I thought you had to plan it out and it had to mean something but soon learned this was societies myth. At some point I just realized/learned the random tattoo is often times the most meaningful and fun.
For instance, getting out of class early now on Saturday so going down to the SF tattoo convention to say hi to some friends and introduce myself to some LSTers that I haven't met...no appointments like I wanted to do but didn't think I was going to make it due to school so just an idea of people I'd like to get tattooed by and if they have the time I'm going to let them have at it...........try to collect a bunch of small tattoos....

i have about 20-25 tattoos from the guys at smith street. 7 were planned and the rest came off the walls for the most part. getting tattooed there is the best/most fun tattoo experience every single time.

i have about 20-25 tattoos from the guys at smith street. 7 were planned and the rest came off the walls for the most part. getting tattooed there is the best/most fun tattoo experience every single time.

There is nothing cooler in my mind than a place you know you can walk in and get a top notch tattoo that day. Same reason I love Chicago Tattoo Company. My wife wants to go to New York next year just for fun little does she know my ulterior tattoo motives. Also there are so many people in New York doing such amazing large scale stuff, I don't think I would run out shops to go see on my visit.

It is funny that Smith Street has been mentioned in both responses to this thread. I think they set out to be the premier street shop in the world, and I would say they have accomplished it.

Reading @slayer9019's List thread got me thinking about all the great un-planned tattoos. Maybe you popped in and decided on something else, maybe it was a goofy day at the shop, hell, maybe you were wasted and don't even remember your tattoo and it was a complete surprise the next morning.
What comes to mind for me, I'd just met my buddy Jake when was doing a guest spot where I was working the counter and we started bullshitting, and he said he'd be down to tattoo me, so I asked him if there was anything he'd been wanting to do. He said he hadn't gotten to do much Japanese themed tattoos, so I said go for it. Next day he had an Oiwa head drawn up, I said, "Fuck yeah," and he probably said something like, "Fair dinkum mate, wallaby damned," and he put it on that night. Fun times, great dude, and now he's coming to my wedding!
My leg was pretty much empty at that time! Here's the photo. It was incredibly nice of him and just a good goddamned time.

rock of ages done on a friend's dad. late 40s/early 50s. i believe it was done at Dad Libertys' in Scolley Sq, Ma.
i posted a couple of others in the "old tattoo photos" thread.

here you go lochlan. the face and hands are finished on the mary! i should have a picture as the tattoo is 4 years old.

chain links making a late year charge... not mad at it, yet.

chain links making a late year charge... not mad at it, yet.

It's courious to me that anyone would be suprised by spiritual and religious tattoos being part of the tattoo world. It is, it's place of origin. Tattooing did not start ouit as a political tool,nor a purely decorative one.
It is in it's essence a way of altering the body to represent the inner life's changes. or as in "Right of Passage Rituals" Passage from one age to the next from childhood to adulthood, from death of a loved one,to moving on passed the mourning stage. It has to do with totemic practices where there is a beilieved passage of the spirits of a Slain enemy or a loved ones energy to the bearer. Get a tattoo like UNcle Bill's? well that is totemism in a modern form without the concious idea that you are calling forth Uncle Bill's energy his "power"in you when you wear this mark.
All great religious forms have had rituals inwhich there is blood letting for instance the Roman Catholic Confirmation has a small slap on the face by the Bishop to confirm you into adulthood and commitment to the church-- IN the old practice this would have been a cut to your face producing blood. "killing of the old self to release the new born soul!" It is the death and resurection and so are all tattoos a kin to this idea. So on and so on Tattooing has always been the tool of the Shaman -- a tool in magical service to the "HEALING" process of the individual.
Early Christians Like the "Coptics" when persecuted by the Romans; and I mean sent to the Lions for sport. They had to have a small crucifix tattooed on the inside of their left wrists --this meant they could enter the secret meetings in hidden places -- and could not be Romans. This practice still exists today.
Most pilgrams to the holy lands of the world collect tattoos as proof they were there. In oour culture there are no clear cut rituals so tattooing reaches into the place of our deepest connection with the fears and desires of mankind to his spiritual self. Athiest or no this is a place where we all wonder the deppest thoughts of why we are here? what is purpose? what happens after death? What is love?
Although you may not be aware of its origin --I'd say most all images relate to this process! Prhaps Not specifically but in the act of Doing or collecting a tattoo you are doing and collecting a spiritual amulet a way of saying you are protected you are Human and you are Mortal.
Anyway that's my two cents!
Shotsie

Jef worked briefly at a shop I was a helper at. That encounter changed how I thought about tattooing forever.
The power, confidence and dynamic look that came with his tattoos influenced me from that day on. Jeff Zuck talked to me once about Power tats. Jef does Power tats.
I have a giant spider Jef did for me at the last Hollywood convention. I'll post a pic soon

.... @gougetheeyes and we would like to welcome him to Team LST!
Thanks for accepting this new title we are trying out. Gougetheeyes will help contribute new content as well as contribute to what is already available. Keep your eyes peeled for more great interviews and........ from him.
If you haven't seen some of the articles he graciously shared with LST check them out:
Mike Rubendall Interview
Grez Interview
Please join us in welcoming him!

That was in August. Since then I've had my thumbs tattooed.
Jade1955 = fickle and fat.

I've known Matt for a good few years now and as much as I like him, I think it's a shame that he's becoming the 'spokesperson' for tattooed people. Part of me is pleased for him that he's found a way to make a living as a mostly respected academic/writer, even with visible tattoos.
But I don't want a spokesperson, especially one who solely views the world from the halls of academe or maybe the fetish club.
While I enjoy and agree with most of his writing, I can't help feeling I read it all somewhere before... maybe 15-20 years ago in TattooTime or International Tattoo Art when Shaw was editing. Ed Hardy already proved to the art world that tattooing wasn't just for sailors and whores.
In an age of high-rating reality shows about tattooing with celebrity tattooers I don't think we need to justify tattooing to the 'mainstream' anymore. No matter how well written or researched it may be.
Some of us want to take tattooing back underground, some of us want to take the high-profile ball and run with it. Whatever people do, it's gotta be more interesting than regurgitating the same tired articles. What's next? "Women can be tattooers too?" Yawn.
As a side note, Mario Desa said (via twitter) recently "Those who call tattooing 'fine art' know nothing abut either."