[OT] Tattoo artists I like a lot

I don’t have tattoos - and I don’t plan on getting any. However, this is art. It’s pretty amazing art too. The links you posted show some excellent tattoo art. I prefer the black and gray work as opposed to the color - as I think the black will hold up over time.

Whoever did Charles Manson's forehead. Now that is some quality work.

^LOL Literally, I'm on the shutter right now and I'm sure the guy in the next stall is thinking pretty low of me right now.

Vince has made me lol twice today. This one is pretty good - lol!

I knew about your military service - but I was unaware of your interest in photography. It’s good to have hobbies when you are retired from service.

Tats are a personal choice and personal choices should be respected. I respect the choices made by others, but I still don't like them. They are wonderful compared to nose rings though. Jesus fucking christ Kendall that's why I ignored you at desires Tuesday.

Reasonable position. As I mentioned, I'm not thinking I'll make anyone a tattoo convert.

I agree with the well done tats in a single black or green color. I've also seen some with a second color (red?) used as a accent / highlight / drop shadow color and sometimes that works if executed well.

Contrast that with some low class people who get tats that end up looking like a child putting stickers all over a school notebook or Dennis Kucinich bumper stickers all over a Ferrari.

Thanks for sharing, @Call.Me.Ishmael.

Okay. So. We recently had a tattoo convention a couple months ago in Jacksonville, and I'm mildly perturbed that none of these artists came to it. All of their work is gorgeous.

Of course, I got a good laugh when I saw the 'tribal vagina' piece in Sarah Schor's portfolio.

Many tattoo artists tour extensively, so there's always a chance someone top notch will land wherever you are (at least for a while).

Also, a fair number of the tattoo artists I like are European. They tour over there, but not as much over here. For whatever reason, the style of black and gray tattooing that I really like is centered in Russia, specifically St. Petersburg. Not sure why, but it's the predominant style there.

I am willing to travel to get a great tattoo, but going to Russia gives me pause in the current political climate.