Tattoo thread

[Scott Dolan]

Blurry pic due to my decrepit digicam:

[Scott Dolan]

Just got that one on Saturday. My wifes name and my sons name are in there, though they may be harder to pick out due to the shitty pic.


So how about it? I'm sure I'm not the only tattoo fanatic around these parts.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Never had the urge to mark my body up with ink but one of my brothers has seen fit to put all manner of UCONN basketball tributes in the form of tattoos on his body. No, UCONN is not his alma mater. One of my sisters as well as my daughter are also tattooed. Nope, never considered it but think it's a pretty cool art form as long as you don't go overboard to where you look like someone who forgot to leave town along with the carnival..........

[Douglas]

I like the carnival tatoos. Never wanted one though.

[Gary Sisco]

I have two a friend put on me years ago, '79. A coyote on my right bicep and a crashing swallow falling through a cloud (a detail from a Dali painting I was admiring at the time) on my left. And everyone in the band at the time got a green dot from the same guy. I'd forgotten about that until a couple of weeks ago when I was hanging out with one of those guys, waiting for our turn to play. I couldn't find it for days, it's faded so much. I can only see it in daylight, now, but I found it, eventually.

I've regretted marking the body more than once through the years but at least they are easily covered if I want them to be.

Whoever you are, they don't look so great with age. There was a laundromat once in a long-ago neighborhood where I lived, that was run by a biker couple in their late '50s. It was far from pretty seeing her sagging tatoos on laundry day. Wasn't much prettier seeing his, far's that goes.

There was a young woman musician out there on that last gig who's been digitally photographing old tatoos on her tour. She has one now of my coyote.

Whatever I think about having marked myself like that, I may still one day get the Rounder motto "Bound To Lose" done in my small letters under my coyote.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by Scott Dolan

Blurry pic due to my decrepit digicam:

Dolan, did anyone ever tell you that your head is oddly shaped?

[Scott Dolan]

Did I ever tell you how much I will enjoy kicking you in the ass one day?

[walto]

[Ron Thorne]

I've never considered getting a tattoo myself, but appreciate the artform.

I have a good friend who is a world-class tattoo artist here in Anchorage. I learned a great deal about this ancient art from knowing him and handling his radio advertising in the 70's-80's. He's pretty much retired now, having turned over his business to his adult son. He opened his business in 1975, and still does an occasional tattoo by special request.

My friend, Larry, is also a very talented jazz guitarist. One of his tattoo specialties was Japanese-style imagery, at which he truly excelled. Another specialty was covering botched/amateurish work.



Here's a link to a recent article on Larry's studio, including a photo of his son James at work, a young man we've known since birth.

Larry has a nearly complete "body suit" of art, largely Japanese-style.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Ron

Another specialty was covering botched/amateurish work.

That's currently what I'm undergoing.

The one I just had done covered up KEL(which is what everyone called my wife back in the day)which I had done myself over 19 years ago.

I became addicted to tattoos in my mid teens and have more than I'd like to admit that were either done by myself or a good friend of mine.

2 down, 3 to go.

Ron, I haven't read the link you posted yet, but when I was getting my tat done this weekend I was discussing the artform with the artist that was doing mine. He made an excellent point when he said that in the old days you mostly had tattoo shops that had hundreds, if not more, stencils decorating the walls. And that simply laying a stencil over skin and tattooing over the top of that was always a good sign that the tattoo "artist" wasn't about shit.

A great point. He has NO stencils on the walls, and does everything from scratch. And his partner did one on my leg a few months back based solely on what I told him I wanted. Excellent tattooists, and excellent artists.

Based on what little I saw of your link, I'm assuming that is exactly what that guy is.

Great tattoo artists are as hard to come by, and decide on, as a great doctor.

[Ron Thorne]

Scott, the following quotes from a newspaper article should tell you all you need to know about my friend, Larry, with respect to his talent and integrity.

"Allen is skin-and-ink royalty, trained under tattooing legends like the late Cliff Raven, of Hollywood. His client list includes members of Bon Jovi, Judas Priest and Jacques Cousteau’s crew."

". . . James Allen, is an artist at the studio as well, although his father wouldn’t hire him until he put himself through art school."

[patricia]

I have never seen so many tattoos as I have since I moved to Calgary.

Gary mentioned something that young women should consider, particularly a young woman I know. She, as a gift, chose to have a tattoo of a delicate fairy on an open flower which extends from just above the back of her knee to where really short shorts would end. Now, the tattoo itself is beautifully crafted and quite lovely. However, the back of many women's thighs don't age well. There's a diabolical thing called cellulite which is more likely than not to make the beautiful tattoo less attractive than it is right now than when she is forty or so. The same tattoo on a less age deterioration prone area would have been a good thing, I think.
As Gary says, tattoos don't age well. So, arms, upper arms, shoulders and lower backs are a safer bet, IMO.

That said, there are some very good tattoo artists here, with some very original art being done.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Tattoo of the day......

[rollhead]

One of my girlfriends.

[Gary Sisco]

Jimmy -- Youch! That one on the head hurt.

I had a kid at the shelter where I used to work who had his entire face and neck, all around, tatooed, and had about six pounds of metal in his face, including some that was training his earlobes to stretch.

"I can't find a job, anywhere."

"Really?"

[Root Doctor]

http://www.tian.cc.nyud.net:8090/snltattooremoval.mov

[Gary Sisco]

Good one.

[clinthopson]

The number of tattoos on a person's body are in inverse ratio to their intelligence.

We contribute thousands of dollars a year to a tattoo removal program for former gangbangers.

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by clinthopson

The number of tattoos on a person's body are in inverse ratio to their intelligence.

You buying that, Gary? Ron?

[Rob C]

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

Jimmy -- Youch! That one on the head hurt.

I had a kid at the shelter where I used to work who had his entire face and neck, all around, tatooed, and had about six pounds of metal in his face, including some that was training his earlobes to stretch.

"I can't find a job, anywhere."

"Really?"

I thought for a while about getting a tattoo, but could never think of a picture I'd want on my body for the rest of my life. But what I really don't get is people with the stuff you describe, on their necks and faces (I see neck tattoos a lot, especially). I always think, "I hope you like minimum wage...."

[cookie]

I thought about getting a tattoo when I was a kid. It seemed like such a bad girl thing. But by the time I had enough bread and freedom to get one, everyone was doing it. I still think about getting one from time to time, but in the end, I choose not to because I'd feel like I was just going along with the crowd.

[Chris D]

A female friend calls the lower-back women's tattoo a "hag tag."

[Scott Dolan]

And, from what I've heard, that is the most painful place to get a tattoo.

Some cute little thing was getting one there while I was getting mine on Saturday. The faces she made were classic!

[Noj]

No tattoos for me, I'd get sick of the design. IMO the best tattoos have intricate designs which are well-designed in terms of negative and positive space, with careful consideration given to placement on the body. The tattoo should be rendered in a manner which makes it clearly legible, with color employed sparingly. Anyone who wants something permanently etched into his or her flesh should spend a whole lot of time researching the design and coming up with artwork which will satisfy his or her tastes for a lifetime. Avoid getting something which will be a source of regret!

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Today I saw somebody with a tattoo on the nape of their neck that read Proverbs 30:20 in big block letters. Quite ugly. Well, at least he doesn't have to look at it............

[claude]

You mean you wouldn't hire this vision of loveliness:

[Rob C]

Originally Posted by Chris D

A female friend calls the lower-back women's tattoo a "hag tag."

I've been doing yoga occasionally, and have observed that at least a quarter of the women in every class have these.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

[Scott Dolan]

Originally Posted by Rob C

I've been doing yoga occasionally

Namaste.

[Monte Smith]

Originally Posted by Chris D

A female friend calls the lower-back women's tattoo a "hag tag."

That's the one that makes me feel like I'm ogling a herd. Always nice to celebrate your individuality by getting branded like every other mammal. I'm sympathetic to clint's comments, but I don't think that tattooes indicate a lower intelligence. Just bad choices about where to doodle.