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Showing results for tags 'tattoo stories'.
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No names need be said to prevent people catching feelings. But most likely any shops or owners mentioned here would not be enlightened enough to know what the words forum or thread are. Having worked in nothing but street shops, I have seen/worked around plenty of gnarly shit. But none takes the cake of the first shop I worked at. In 99 I got my first job in an armpit of a shop, working the counter for tips and shop experience. I was stoked to have my first foot in the door. This was at a place in College Park MD, right near DC. Owned by a biker whom we will call Sonny, who thankfully was never there. With no exaggeration, he was never out of jail for more than 4 days at a time. Seriously, that was the record while I was there. We had a betting pool each time he was out. We had wall-to-wall carpet evrywhere, including the bathroom, which was also where the handwashing sink was also dirty sink/tubescrubbing sink. Basically walking through the lobby & down the hall with dirty tubes everyday. The tattoo area had years of inkspots decorating the carpet. On the rare occasions when Sonny would be out of jail, he would sometimes come in at after we all left to tattoo friends. The aftermath of this would be coming in the next day to find a dirty setup on someone's station (using all that persons equip), and for some reason he would leave used needles in the top drawer of your station instead of a sharps. One of the best/worst examples was coming to find that he had used someone's ink & had apparently lost the cap; so plugged the bottle by sticking a used bar into it, needle & all. On the days when he was out during the daytime, he would usually come in, take ALL the cash out the till (leaving nothing for change) and hopefully leave ASAP. If he was in jail, he would have his gf/exwife's sister come in randomly clear out every dime, even if bills were overdue & utilies about to get shut off. There were occasions where we had to hide paperwork from him to squirrel the money away to pay the bills to keep the shop open and running. Sadly enough, He was actually better off in jail, where he was in a structured enviroment. With no access to alcohol, which was always related to every arrest, he stayed out of trouble for the most part. Him being locked up actually kept the shop in a somewhat more stable enviroment. We all flew the coop eventually and from what I heard, there was a 'mysterious fire' that most likely happened after he made his insurance was paid up.
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- health code violation
- sanitation
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The who, what, where, when, and why of your latest tattoo? Picture too pls!
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- first tattoo
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what's everyone's opinion on this? i know there are some artists out there that feel that if one artist bases their design off of another artist's work, that is stealing. however, almost every artists incorporates the use of designs that have been used for many, many years. what's the difference to you (if there is one)? since i'm not an artist, only a client, i'm just curious to hear what everyone thinks.
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- custom tattoos
- tattoo artists
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So as I was walking along Venice Beach today, I saw tons of tourists entering a myriad of tattoo/piercing shops. Seeing as most of the tourists were absolute 'tards, I can only imagine what kind of "fun" those artists deal with on a regular basis. Anyways, what's your worst walk-in story? Whether it was an abnormally absurd request or an out of his/her mind customer tell your story here!
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- tattoo artists
- tattoo designs
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Yesterday my friend started his epic-ly massive Phoenix (armpit to half-thigh) over at Invisible NYC by GR. I decided to stop by after work since I close by and he could give me a ride home after. I do have to say that, this is one nice shop! Everyone there was very friendly and my friends tattoo is coming out amazing so far. While I was there watching I ended up talking to Eric Machalovic www.myspace.com/ericmichalovic outside. After talking about tattoos for a little bit I signed up to get one by him. (I getting a tradition skull). I do have to say I loved this shop enough that I will try to get work by everyone there. Just thought I'd share my experience! Anyone else have any good experiences?
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just another saturday night. my co-worker snapped this candid pic as i was about to start a walk-in. enjoy! (mildly nsfw)
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..or getting a tattoo of your kids, better said. I am considering getting a tattoo of, or, about my two boys and I'm wondering if any other parents out there can offer any tattoo design ideas or art advice? I would like to incorporate it as a chest panel tied into my Japanese-style half-sleeve to match the other side that is already done as such. sorry coffee hasn't kicked in yet! Anybody have tattoos of their kids?
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http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7509401
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- comedy
- funny tattoos
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How far are you willing to travel to get tattooed at a certain shop? And what shop? Why do you want to get tattooed that specific shop(s)? Did you already make the trip or is it a trip you are planning?
- 58 replies
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- 222 tattoo
- tattoo artists
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I posted something about this in the intro forum, but I figure it's more appropriate here. I first met Mike Wilson when I was a teenager. I think 16. He was a few years older and not yet tattooing. We became friendly, and as he moved from apprentice to tattooer and I moved from little pieces to big, he started doing the occasion piece on me. My second tattoo from him was a back piece. Outlined and shaded in one bigass session. But years later.... after I moved to Philly.. Mike did my foot. He was guesting at Kadillac tattoo and dropped his business card in my mail slot when he got into town. (Not much of a texter back then, apparently. hah) So I head up to Kadillac and we decide to do a Free Mason monkey with banana pentagram on my foot. He draws it on, Eric closes up the shop and heads home. He's about 3/4 of the way done when he realizes theres no more nitrile gloves left in his box. Or in the shop. It's after midnight, and there's no drug stores open to buy new gloves. And I'm very allergic to latex. Like hospital allergic. So we're racing the clock to finish the tattoo without having to change gloves one last time. We discuss finishing it the next time he visits. We discuss what would happen if he wore a latex glove. Finally... when changing gloves became an absolute necessity... We wrapped the fuck out of his hand with paper towels and prayed to god I hadn't made any bad lifestyle choices in the last few months. 15 years of friendship made us a little more comfortable with the bad idea that we were doing.
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This year I attended a tattoo convention. It is an annual convention put on by a group that has both tattooists and enthusiasts as it's members. One night during the convention they have a dinner and you are often seated at a table with people that you don't know. This one shop from the Midwest owned by a tattooer with a single name - like Cher -had a huge entourage with him and had two large tables put aside to accommodate the group. He and his senior group sat at one table and all his younger, newer tattooists were seated at the other. As luck would have it , Don and I were also seated at this other table. This other group wasn't particularly pleased to have us at their table. Imagine being a great aunt and uncle at the kid's table at Thanksgiving. Now, between us, Don and I had more time tattooing then all the 8-12 other tattooists sitting at both tables- put together. I say that, not to boast, but illustrating the scene. I'm pretty social and tried to engage the group in conversation but it was a real strain. One girl there, said her forte was lettering. I said how much I admire " so and so's" lettering, and everybody at the table said "who?" I explained that "so and so" does beautiful lettering in the style of " so and so" and they said "who?" I further explained that " so and so" just had an interview in Tattoo Artist Magazine that was really worth reading and they said "what magazine?" I came away from the evening with the realization that the love of tattoos, tattooing and it's history - was no longer enough to bind a group of people together. That I might as well be at a table of brick layers or chiropractors.
- 15 replies
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- tattoo artists
- tattoo history
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/denise-vivaldo/my-tattoo_b_785159.html As food and traveling seem to be many of our, LSTers, favorite things to do besides getting tattooed here's some food threads on Last Sparrow Tattoo for you to jump in on: Favorite Restaurants Food and Drink List Man Vs. Food Foodies Tattoos and Chefs
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- bad tattoos
- girls tattoos
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Anyone have any fun stick & pokes to share? I couldn't find a thread on this topic, but if there is one, a link would be greatly appreciated.
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Not neccessarily the first zap you got, because I am sure I'm not the only one here who couldnt or didnt get one the first time they went in a shop. My friend took me to a Peter Tat2 on Long Island in '90, where she had got a dragon around her thigh and was going back for a consultation for her next one. There were 2 people working when I went in; where my friend introduced me to Eddie & Alex. Eddie was working on the most amazing thing I had seen in my life up to that point; a entire ride/side panel of a crawling tiger that is still to this day indescribably awesome. What I saw there was worlds above the average crap I saw on all my punk & skinhead friends. Alex was the hottest woman I had ever seen. Not just because she was a cool punkish sorta chick with cool tats, but she was really beautiful. We chatted for a while, and by sheer coincidence, they had just moved up to LI from Baltimore, which was where I was headed in less than a month to go to school there. Excellent first time impression. At that time I did not realize that not all tattoo artists were so awesome and talented. Being 17 and broke I wasnt able to get a tattoo, but I was hooked instantly. A year or 2 later I find out through a tattootime book who they actually were and it boggled my mind that I had met 2 serious heavy hitters and had just assumed they were regular tat folk.
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"I quit!" how to stay friends when you leave a shop...
Lizzie posted a topic in Crazy Tattoo Stories
I haven't met many people who have success stories leaving their shops for others or to open up. Even when things are done in the shop owners benefit, and with the utmost respect it goes pear shaped too often. Any tips on how people here did it? I'd love for anyone to not go through the ex communication I have in the past. And why do we think this happens? Are we really that scared that we're going to lose our clientele to the new guy? Or is this just part and parcel of a linear career where one shop trumps the next until you're happy and settled? I would ask that any responses here obviously don't make any negative mention of former employers. This isn't what this post is about: moreso to help people "quit better" and more respectfully...- 19 replies
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- tattoo artists
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Heard today from a friend that he was asked to try out for "New York Ink." I don't know if this is a new thing that they've tried before in NYC.. maybe everyone could make some sort of cable tv death pact or something.
- 76 replies
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- tattoo artists
- tattoo stories
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I started doing Iyengar yoga a few months ago, I have scoliosis and I'm a tattooer so my back is fucking SHOT. After a few weeks, I felt like a new man. Pretty remarkable how much better I felt almost immediately. I've ben going a few times a week pretty consistently now, I find that not only am I physically feeling better but I'm also a lot more mentally focused. I highly recommend it. The real shit though, like Mysore or Iyengar style, not that jazzercize bullshit they do some places. Any of you other dudes into it?
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- dari sylvia
- iyengar yoga
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Sometimes, a tattoo wouldn't be funny or strange all by itself, but sometimes they don't match the projected or visible appearance of the person who's wearing the tattoo. I'd love to see some more examples. Here's mine, courtesy of Kreayshawn: "
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- bad tattoos
- funny tattoos
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gougetheeyes started a great thread not too long ago about dating and tattoos, and id like to further it abit. I know Ive heard many a story of romances starting in tattoo shops, weather it be between artist and customer, or even between co-workers. In the spirit of the soon celebrated Valentines Day, I was hoping some of you could share such stories, or maybe even offer an opinion of weather such things should be permissible...
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So when writing a tattoo post recently I had this idea to start a new game like a "Where's Waldo" type game for tattoos. So rather than trying to find a guy in a hat with glasses and stripes I thought we could post a picture of a tattoo and let everyone take a swing at what the mistake(s) of a particular tattoo are. This is not too pick on people but to remind us as customers and tattooers to double and triple check the stencil before we get tattooed because bottom line as the tattoo consumer if we give the go ahead after looking in the mirror or what have yous the tattooers tells you to do it is our, the customers, mistake. So to kick it off, here is a tattoo, "Man's Ruin", on the inside of one of my arms. It was hard to get a good picture but this should work if not let me know and I can try to get an even better picture of this tattoo mistake. Let the tattoo games begin....heckle on...
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- bad tattoos
- tattoo artists
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Kat Von D's California home destroyed by fire Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D is mourning the death of her beloved cat and the loss of her life's possessions after her California home was destroyed by a fire on Sunday night. The "L.A. Ink" star, who is dating Sandra Bullock's ex-husband Jesse James, logged on to her Twitter account on Monday to share the devastating news. Posting a photo of the feline, she wrote, "my house burned down last night with my cat inside... R.I.P Valentine, you will be missed." As WENN went to press, Von D had not shed details on what caused the fire or if she had been home during the incident.
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- celebrities
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I posted this as a blog by accident, but seeing as how I'm soliciting your stories, too, I think it's better as a thread. Scott asked for stories, so here's mine. There was a guy in Austin in the early 90s who tattooed out of his house for years. He wasn't bad, and the price was definitely right (I think he charged $60 an hour). He didn't have an autoclave; he used a pressure cooker, instead. Sounded good enough for me. Right after I got my first tattoos, I knew I was hooked, but I also knew that I was poor, so I went to see him about getting more work. I looked through his book (which included a cover-up over a peace sign that said "I WOULD'VE TAKEN A BULLET FOR JOHN LENNON" under it) and found a Haida Indian dogfish shark design that I liked. I'd seen some of his tribal and thought he did a good job on it, so I booked an appointment with him. I showed up at the agreed-upon time and he stenciled it on. Then he grabbed a 3-round, which he proceeded to do the entire 3.5-hour tattoo with. You can see part of it above the gypsy cat in this pic: The best part: towards the end, one of his friends stopped by. He'd just come back from Amsterdam and was telling my artist all about it. Then he said, "Hey...you ever smoke hash?" My artist said, "No--but I'd be down to try!" So with my tattoo almost finished, he proceeded to take a smoke break and hit some hash for the first time in his life. He did the last half hour of my tattoo uber-stoned. I'm sure lots of you have better stories, ones involving Walkman motors and guitar strings, so please share them.
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- bad tattoos
- home tattoos
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http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7509401Funny as hell..
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- nightmare clients
- tattoo artists
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For all the Last Sparrow Tattoo hardcore fans this Friday in Brooklyn filming for the new Madball video "All Or Nothing". Check the attached and go buy the new album!! While we are at it, favorite Madball song? Favorite Madball show memory? Madball tattoos?
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- all or nothing
- bands
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From February 11-13, 2011 the Milano Tattoo convention will be held so..... -Who's going? -Who's going to get tattooed? By who? -Who's going to tattoo? If you are tattooing, how can people make appointments with you? -If you are traveling there to tattoo, will you be guest tattooing anywhere before and/or after? If so, where and how can people make appointments? -Who's going to have a table? -Anyone wish to document it for Last Sparrow Tattoo Forum and write some blogs with pictures? Maybe even some video? -And anything else you wish to share about the upcoming event please feel free to contribute........ Thanks!
- 5 replies
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- tattoo artists
- tattoo collector
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