Smorgasgeorge

A crew-esque tattoo. Not flashy, but I like it.

dirtjump132

I'm in the middle.

eurotrash666

proud po'tater farmers you three.

summerinside

I'm down with the tats, but the plastic beer cup?!?

jetbike

Other one what?

First sitting I think?

jetbike

Yep, my wife is asking nicely that I not get anymore ink.

I'd like a bit of posada, maybe a back-piece or something.

Still she is letting me buy a track-bike, so quid pro quo.

It just means our baby will not be fed this week.

Red Riding Hood

Wow, they are amazing! If my partner said no more tattoos I would laugh in their face! But it's a part of my life, maybe more so than some!

jetbike

I think she's very aware of one-day waking up next to 'the illustrated man'.

She also knows I'm very impulsive. It's helpful to hear her point of view - plus I respect her, she's intelligent and my best friend. Awwww....sigh.

It might be difficult to share your life with someone with PUNX NOT DEAD etched into your forehead.

arevalo

Jeff Soto is theeeeeeeeeee jammers.

ryand

whenever i go back to philly, i usually go and hang out at my friends tattoo shop in new jersey. sometimes my girlfriend will come and she is now convinced that she wants a chest piece. its nice to know that she is into the same things i am, but i think she is also afraid of waking up next to 'the illustrated man.' she likes the work i get done, but i think she wants me to not be completely covered by 30. its ok, we are working on my feet/legs right now and i always wear jeans, so most people dont even realize how covered i am.

Red Riding Hood

Haha, I respect that. I am not impulsive with any of my tattoos. My latest one I've had drawn up for 5 years before getting it done.

Red Riding Hood

Bah, there is such a stigma people attached to being tattooed. I'm not some sideshow freak, I just have tattoos! The first one I got was on the inside of my forearm. Why do people get tattoos that require covering? Why even get it in the first place, are you ashamed!? If you are serious about getting a tattoo, get it, and show it! People let their job or conservative people around them tell them it's not okay to have tattoos. People around the world have been doing it for centuries for many different reasons, I feel like the people who get drunk and get stupid **** (and feel dumb about it later) make people think we are all like that. "Don't you know how expensive they are to be removed!?" "What are you going to do when you are a mom?" That is a great one I hear all the time. What the 'ell do you think I am going to do? Beat my kids and tell them the tattoos made me do it?

Sorry, that was an insane tanget. I wasn't targeting that to anyone here, but I hope that you guys can relate. (ryand, your girlfriend obviously isn't one of those people who are the jerks!) A lot of the people around me LOVE my tattoos, but everyonce in a while I run into some a*hole who feels like he has something to say. I am much nicer to them in person, though I shouldn't be.

GirlAnachronism

I am terribly impulsive with my tattoos, and I like it that way. Most of them I've gotten within a few days of thinking of them (well, started anyway, some have taken a few sessions to finish). Some day I will take photos and post them here, I swear.

ryand

i don't get tattoos places where they can be covered, right now we are simply working on my legs and feet. i have the city seal of rochester, ny tattooed inside my left arm and there is going to be a toulouse lautrec print inside the left. i already have most of my body planned out, but my artist wants to finish certain things before starting anything else. i have no shame in being tattooed and upon request will show anybody any of my tattoos.

i just hate when they ask if it hurt.

SpiderMike

I ignore the tat haters. Everytime I ask if they want my opinion on how they live.

The hurt question, man its been a long, long time. It has been replaced lately with "How much would your friend charge for a tat?" And of course they have clue what they want in the first place, but they want a price.

Just the other night, my new neighbor's comment is now my favorite. And at the sametime he has created a new category of people... of sorts. "The newbie/bargain collector that is related to an young artist" Nothing prepared me for his line of questioning. Who did the work, how many I have, how much does he charge..., I answered in hours and gave the hourly rate. . He then showed me his only tat (upper arm tribal dragon cherry bomb flash I think), that had showed someone needs to work on their outlines. Told me it was his cousin that did it, and I should go to him for my next one, cuz he doesn't charge as much. I thanked him for his opinion, and then asked him for any other factors of my life he had figured out for me.

ryand

i love people that ask how much he charges. because my response is i dont know, he doesnt charge me. i buy him dinner. i never start getting tattooed until about midnight.

yeah, pretty intense line of questioning. you should never take price into consideration for a tattoo though. i wish more people realized that.

SpiderMike

Waiting til midnight to get work, heh I'm right there with you. My artist is actually an friend I've known since high school. I pay in helping him out at the shop, getting supplies, getting him ordained, and in DVD's for his movie collection. I always just tell people how many hours, and his hourly charge and then his minimum for small stuff.

My first tats were not done by him. The first was a comprise in design, the second was the artist's first attempt at black wash. My buddy covered the first one, and fixed the second... and giving me an earful in the process. I keep needing to remember to put before and after photos in my wallet for the "price before ability" people.

hopefully I'll get back in the chair soon, I want my right leg finished.

ryand

ah, you to are the shop *****? "wanna clean my tubes?" are words i hope to never hear. ha.

i love 16 hour days at the shop. get there at 11, start getting work at 12, leave when his hands hurt too much to want to keep tattooing anymore.

Learn_not2burn

I'm working on getting my first tattoo planned out right now, on the inside of my bicep. The only thing stopping me right now is my sweet grandmother. She told my dad that there were only two rules in her house," No tattoos, and no funny babies."

I know once I get my first on the inside of my bicep (It's going to be pretty large), I'm going to end up getting a half sleeve, because the first kinda breaks the dam.

ryand

just get a tattoo of a funny baby.

ok, that was a joke. my gram is the sweetest lady ive ever met, and that being said, she is always very understanding in the decisions that i make. she wanted to hit me for my piercings, but she just smiled instead. im sure your grandmother is a sweet lady, but if you think she seriously wouldnt talk to you or allow you in her house, id say dont do it. i couldnt live with my gram being mad at me. damn, now i want to go back to new york and visit her.

SpiderMike

Shop B**ch, nah. I'm more old friend that will play a couple games of pool after a hard day of work. I help him clean tubes sure, but that usually happens when we are catching up or asking one another for advice. My buddy takes the equipment and cleaning seriously. "New friends" wanting to be a shop B**ch are limited to carrying the tray or stamping the packages if they are lucky. When I'm there and helping, I'm usually his barrier from the drunks rednecks, gangstas wanting the "praying hands that are different than the rest" and fake ID's.

ryand

ha. i just sit around and watch movies, order food, and every here and there clean tubes on busy days. either way, anybody working at the shop will refuse to deny that you are a shop ***** if you do any kind of work for free. ie- answering a customers questions, cleaning tubes, or running to rite aid to get drinks for the artists when youre going to get yourself a drink anyways. its really just the artists busting your balls more than anything.

gally99

i got my neck finished...



now i'm just itching for the blood to wash out of the gray...

kennykaos

heres one of mine, i think its the best one for now.

dirtjump132

tight leafs