marley mission

@NotUrOrdinaryM sure thing - lots of very knowledgeable folks here so you may have some more recs coming - I'd also go on IG and start looking at work - granted seeing a fresh tattoo on IG doesnt replace seeing that healed piece on the skin - but you'll get a good idea of whats out there - good luck and keep us updated 

the latest lowdown thread is awesome and i absolutely think the interview section should be mandatory viewing

welcome

btw

http://instagram.com/matt_made_this

awesome - I'm in jersey too - lots of great tattoo artist here

you know - there is a guy in Asbury - Matt Dunn - Old Glory - he did some pieces on me that were based off the art of David O'Keefe

it was as if the pieces jumped off the canvas and onto my skin

He did such a great job and is one of the nicest tattooers I've met

I think Matt would love to kill a piece like this for you

that said - there are many great artists in NJ and surrounding area

have you been looking at anyone's work on IG? that you like

welcome - that'll make for a weird tattoo - which i love!

first question - where ya livin? that will help with the artist recomendations

you are definetly looking at it too closely

which i know i do too sometimes with a new tattoo

especially when its located so prominetly on the forearm

my first impression was that i liked the tattoo

i know you have identified some areas you are concerned with

areas where you believe some ink might have dropped out

or possibly not been tattooed completely

first i would say dont look so close

the tattoo has a nice impact

bold readable impact

second give it a little more healing time

especially with a forearm piece

for me they take awhile to completely heal

third and most importantly

remember - its a tattoo - on skin

it will never be perfect

but also - it doesnt need to be perfect to be awesome

as for the additional work

and wether or not to choose another artist

thats up to you

maybe discussin your concerns with the artist who did this piece would be a good course of action

some folks might advocate inquiring about touching about those areas you are concerned about it

i'm not a big fan of that idea typically but if more work is being done on this piece by the same artist they might also been considering this aspect moving forward

anyway - keep us updated and welcome 

@Morrigan its all good - only your mother has any control over her emotional state and perspectives - I'm 45 and my father doesnt like my tattoos - though he wont say as much to me - you gotta live your life and do what works for you - partly i think there is a generational issue at play - if it was me - i'd be straight forward - 'mom i love you and you dont have to love my tattoos but your frustrations with what i do with body wont have any influence on what i will continue to do with my body' - end of story

@Padji he is just finishing up his 50 state tour - he is in NYC today and I think NJ tomorrow - he post on his IG on the reg regarding his whereabouts - god bless dont know how he travels so much - here's hoping he settles down near jersey one day :)

@Dopesmoker welcome - your collection sounds pretty awesome - throw down some pics - lots of great tattooing on the east coast - check out the interview section if you havent already

@Ross

wishing you luck man - my only thing I would add is that for some reason my forearm tattoos were among my longer tougher heals - keep us updated - welcome

@Ross well you're 3 months post tattoo so that seems quite a long time for the peeling to be still occuring - as for what i take away from the pic i would say it looks like a bit of scarring in that linework - thats just my opinion from looking at a picture on the internet - and like i said - not the end of the world - i have various areas of scarring in my tattoos as well - some other folks might be able to weigh in with their thoughts as well - you're still looking to get some shading and color in this piece correct?

@Ross how long ago was that pic and how long after the last session was that pic - just trying to understand the timeline - I'm thinking that its healed man - but that you've got some scarring - not the end of the world - some spots have been tough healing spots for me - in particular the forearm areas

when in doubt leave it alone

i dry heal all my tattoos now 

they all heal eventually

you want free tattoos and dont care if they suck

be careful what you wish for Ern

snakes!!

resisted the urge to get tattooed this weekend at the Walker Stalker Con that my daughter and I attended in central jersey - the tattooers that were there seemed quite busy most of the time - but we were pretty busy meeting the cast, attending panels, etc - was an awesome time for both of us - you can see the many pics on my IG

@polliwog sounds great! I'll hit you up with my cell# as we get closer - as of now I am probably doing the quick turn around back to jersey that evening - my appt is a 3-5 spot - but always got time for a beer  - but I am toying with alternate plans that have me staying in Boston overnight - was actually thinking about going to Rhode Island and seeing about setting up something at Torchbearer for the following day - I don't think the funds will accomodate pursuing that though at this time

my daughter and I have 2 days of Walker Stalker Con here in Jersey - she (14) is beyond excited - and I am too - never been to any convention like this - should be madness :)

the itch is most likely from your hair growing back in

doesnt last forever

just part of the process

great feedback - i guess thinking about it i do have some specific feedback

first i like @Graeme line of thinking with the poll

i think once the month ends - you put up the poll and allowing a voting to occur - makes the whole process much more like a contest - i know myself there were probably plenty of months when I 'liked' all the tattoos posted - which kinda made it like i didnt vote at all i guess

second - i wouldnt worry about themes and categories - when the contest was stopped one of the main issues was lack of posting particpation 

i do think it should be opened up to all tattoos though - clean slate - of course from that point a tattoo should only be allowed to be entered one time 

also i think that each member should be limited to one post / entry per month

i do think its ok to post the tattooer - hey - we are gonna know who did it anyway as most people also post in the lowdown where it is customary to post the artist name

now - are large pieces gonna have an advantage - maybe

are pieces from favored tattooers gonna have an advantage - maybe

but who cares - its all in good fun

let the games begin :)

glad to hear this news

I don't know what to suggest regarding rules - I kinda liked the way it had previously worked - I'm sure some others would have some feedback but I'm just glad to see the return of some fun competition!

i wont be making it to montreal this year - not gonna work timing wise for me - but i will look to make it happen in 2017 - sounds like it will be a great time with a top selection of artists

thought i posted a response to ths but now its gone? meh

anyway - you're good - complete healing takes a month, 6 weeks

thigh tattoos always a tough heal for me but sounds like you are doing fine wih yours

they all heal eventually

go bigger

8/29 with Todd Noble at Redemption

little bit of a hike so it might become a tattoo / Fenway / overnight man tour type of thing...if I can convince a buddy to join in :)

either way - I'm getting tattooed :)