Fraud in Tattooing

I’ve been talking to an old friend that’s a tattoo artist who’s pretty straight-shooting and no-bullshit in his attitudes about some of the trends we see among top artists these days. The one that I whole-heartedly agree with is this tendency to fill portfolios with pieces that couldn’t possibly heal well, but look great fresh. Tattoos that look incredible the day they’re done — bright color realism with almost no black-shading is a good example of stuff that often turns into a faded out nothing in time — but looks like garbage when it’s healed. I’ll quote some of what he said, keeping things anonymous because I’m not looking to point fingers here.

There is a very ugly tendancy today in tattoo business of taking pictures of fresh tattoos, doing realism that will look like shit in twenty years — or in four months even — and going from convention to convention, making 100% black money, with no touch-ups, no follow-up of clientele. Those are the most famous artists in the world. I have no problem doing tribal [edit: he is referring to an image I posted of a “less than inspired” tattoo that I spoke ill of] for people who ask. If I can’t change their mind, I’ll do it. It allows me to keep cool pricing for everybody, to keep tattoo art something it SHOULD remain, that is, a POPULAR art form.

You can build up a realistic tattoo that is stable — P*** A*** and J*** G*** can do it, so it’s possible, but when you see older tattoos from D*** or S*** [edit: he’s naming top artists here and I don’t need another lawsuit], it’s nowhere that impressive. As a matter of fact, the “convention” tattoo artists don’t give a fuck, at least, a solid majority of them don’t. When you work mostly in your shop, you see people again, and therefore you can’t afford to mess up that bad. I would even say that *** *** Inks, as a whole concept, are just done for that — put in a single-pass easy color that will look cool till you’re paid, took your photo, and took part in the “Best of Day” competition… but it’s just the worst shit I’ve ever used. It’s a whole culture that is taking over, and it’s a shame, because everybody feels forced to adapt to it.

I agree whole-heartedly. Although I can’t say whether “convention artists” doing these pieces that fail once they heal are willfully committing fraud when they fill their portfolio with fresh pieces that look nothing like the healed examples, but that is what it amounts to, intended or not. I want to show the example that my friend shared with me. This is a fresh tattoo on the left from a well-respected artist, and on the right, the same tattoo not long afterwards. And to be honest, this example isn’t even that bad. I’ve seen loads of tattoos that fresh look world-class — I mean, the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen — from “name brand” tattoo masters, that look like scratcher garbage when healed.

If a tattoo artist’s portfolio contains nothing but fresh photos, consider it a warning sign — to say nothing of being paranoid about Photoshopping to pump up saturation and levels. And if your tattoo artist can not show you well-healed examples of their work, they are not someone you should be going to. You do not have the luxury of wearing a photograph of the fresh tattoo. You will be spending your life with the healed version, and if it doesn’t stand up to what you were expecting, it is you that will suffer. Insist on seeing healed photos!

tattoos-dont-always-last

Click to see that picture a little larger of course.

Edit/Update: Because I am sick and tired of people STILL claiming this is deception on my part, here are screencaps from Facebook showing both images in the tattoo artist’s gallery, full unedited versions, including the name of the artist. They may well have pulled the images by now, but these screen caps are accurate. Damn all the haters for dragging the artist’s name into this, because that was never the point of this.

proof-fresh proof-gallery-1 proof-gallery-2

proof-healed proof-unedited-fresh proof-unedited-healed

260 thoughts on “Fraud in Tattooing

  1. Oh and I just want to be clear that this is NOT a blown-out photo on the right. I’ve cropped it to hide some other tattoos and details, but they are all clear and crisp and have full depth of levels/saturation, so I feel confident that both images are an accurate representation of how the tattoo looked at the time.

  2. Oh and I just want to be clear that this is NOT a blown-out photo on the right. I’ve cropped it to hide some other tattoos and details, but they are all clear and crisp and have full depth of levels/saturation, so I feel confident that both images are an accurate representation of how the tattoo looked at the time.

  3. Oh and I just want to be clear that this is NOT a blown-out photo on the right. I’ve cropped it to hide some other tattoos and details, but they are all clear and crisp and have full depth of levels/saturation, so I feel confident that both images are an accurate representation of how the tattoo looked at the time.

  4. Oh and I just want to be clear that this is NOT a blown-out photo on the right. I’ve cropped it to hide some other tattoos and details, but they are all clear and crisp and have full depth of levels/saturation, so I feel confident that both images are an accurate representation of how the tattoo looked at the time.

  5. Wow the one on the right looks godawful and you can bet that the client paid top dollar for the pleasure! The fade has affected the proportions of the face too, all in all I feel really sorry for this guy and bet he’s pissed as hell with the result.

  6. Wow the one on the right looks godawful and you can bet that the client paid top dollar for the pleasure! The fade has affected the proportions of the face too, all in all I feel really sorry for this guy and bet he’s pissed as hell with the result.

  7. Wow the one on the right looks godawful and you can bet that the client paid top dollar for the pleasure! The fade has affected the proportions of the face too, all in all I feel really sorry for this guy and bet he’s pissed as hell with the result.

  8. Wow the one on the right looks godawful and you can bet that the client paid top dollar for the pleasure! The fade has affected the proportions of the face too, all in all I feel really sorry for this guy and bet he’s pissed as hell with the result.

  9. Can you explain how exactly this happens? Is it from the use of the white ink and then it fading out? I don’t understand.

  10. Can you explain how exactly this happens? Is it from the use of the white ink and then it fading out? I don’t understand.

  11. Can you explain how exactly this happens? Is it from the use of the white ink and then it fading out? I don’t understand.

  12. Can you explain how exactly this happens? Is it from the use of the white ink and then it fading out? I don’t understand.

  13. Shannon this is something you and I can agree on…..I see it far too often. Contrast is key, but wash out heals are bad…and far too often, by the far too “famous”

  14. Shannon this is something you and I can agree on…..I see it far too often. Contrast is key, but wash out heals are bad…and far too often, by the far too “famous”

  15. Shannon this is something you and I can agree on…..I see it far too often. Contrast is key, but wash out heals are bad…and far too often, by the far too “famous”

  16. Shannon this is something you and I can agree on…..I see it far too often. Contrast is key, but wash out heals are bad…and far too often, by the far too “famous”

  17. Omm, looks like right side tattoo loose darkness and gain in some areas??.

    If you calculate red theeths from hair to the right, eight on the right side tattoo and nine on the left side tattoo.

    It’s not a same tattoo..

  18. Omm, looks like right side tattoo loose darkness and gain in some areas??.

    If you calculate red theeths from hair to the right, eight on the right side tattoo and nine on the left side tattoo.

    It’s not a same tattoo..

  19. Omm, looks like right side tattoo loose darkness and gain in some areas??.

    If you calculate red theeths from hair to the right, eight on the right side tattoo and nine on the left side tattoo.

    It’s not a same tattoo..

  20. Omm, looks like right side tattoo loose darkness and gain in some areas??.

    If you calculate red theeths from hair to the right, eight on the right side tattoo and nine on the left side tattoo.

    It’s not a same tattoo..

  21. Is this so for all tattooartists ?
    You have some top realism tattooartists like Nico ( or Niko ) and Mike Devries , are these all faiding overtime ?
    That’s something i’d love to see if there’s a difference between artists ….

  22. Is this so for all tattooartists ?
    You have some top realism tattooartists like Nico ( or Niko ) and Mike Devries , are these all faiding overtime ?
    That’s something i’d love to see if there’s a difference between artists ….

  23. Is this so for all tattooartists ?
    You have some top realism tattooartists like Nico ( or Niko ) and Mike Devries , are these all faiding overtime ?
    That’s something i’d love to see if there’s a difference between artists ….

  24. Is this so for all tattooartists ?
    You have some top realism tattooartists like Nico ( or Niko ) and Mike Devries , are these all faiding overtime ?
    That’s something i’d love to see if there’s a difference between artists ….

  25. i dunno….i see spacing in the hair that is different…..and one of the blood drips is longer on the second… are you sure the second isnt just a shit copy cat? I have sleeves that are 10 yrs old, have no outlines, and are realism and look as good as the day i got them.

  26. i dunno….i see spacing in the hair that is different…..and one of the blood drips is longer on the second… are you sure the second isnt just a shit copy cat? I have sleeves that are 10 yrs old, have no outlines, and are realism and look as good as the day i got them.

  27. i dunno….i see spacing in the hair that is different…..and one of the blood drips is longer on the second… are you sure the second isnt just a shit copy cat? I have sleeves that are 10 yrs old, have no outlines, and are realism and look as good as the day i got them.

  28. i dunno….i see spacing in the hair that is different…..and one of the blood drips is longer on the second… are you sure the second isnt just a shit copy cat? I have sleeves that are 10 yrs old, have no outlines, and are realism and look as good as the day i got them.

  29. I’m so glad I gave up on this site years ago.

    This should not apply to everyone. I’ve seen some killer photo realistic tattoos 10+ years old and they still look great

    What we should really be looking at is getting the work done (realistic, traditional, etc) by an artist who is experienced on working ink properly into the skin.

  30. I’m so glad I gave up on this site years ago.

    This should not apply to everyone. I’ve seen some killer photo realistic tattoos 10+ years old and they still look great

    What we should really be looking at is getting the work done (realistic, traditional, etc) by an artist who is experienced on working ink properly into the skin.

  31. I’m so glad I gave up on this site years ago.

    This should not apply to everyone. I’ve seen some killer photo realistic tattoos 10+ years old and they still look great

    What we should really be looking at is getting the work done (realistic, traditional, etc) by an artist who is experienced on working ink properly into the skin.

  32. I’m so glad I gave up on this site years ago.

    This should not apply to everyone. I’ve seen some killer photo realistic tattoos 10+ years old and they still look great

    What we should really be looking at is getting the work done (realistic, traditional, etc) by an artist who is experienced on working ink properly into the skin.

  33. nevermind…just saw the overlay thing Shannon….jesus…..i dont understand how something could get so washed out like that?!?!?!

  34. nevermind…just saw the overlay thing Shannon….jesus…..i dont understand how something could get so washed out like that?!?!?!

  35. nevermind…just saw the overlay thing Shannon….jesus…..i dont understand how something could get so washed out like that?!?!?!

  36. nevermind…just saw the overlay thing Shannon….jesus…..i dont understand how something could get so washed out like that?!?!?!

  37. Vincent, absolutely not. There are lots of tattoo artists who can put in great tattoos that last. If you want to know whose work lasts, ask to see healed examples.

    Lily, yes, these two pictures are the same tattoo, taken about 4 months apart as far as I know.

  38. Vincent, absolutely not. There are lots of tattoo artists who can put in great tattoos that last. If you want to know whose work lasts, ask to see healed examples.

    Lily, yes, these two pictures are the same tattoo, taken about 4 months apart as far as I know.

  39. Vincent, absolutely not. There are lots of tattoo artists who can put in great tattoos that last. If you want to know whose work lasts, ask to see healed examples.

    Lily, yes, these two pictures are the same tattoo, taken about 4 months apart as far as I know.

  40. Vincent, absolutely not. There are lots of tattoo artists who can put in great tattoos that last. If you want to know whose work lasts, ask to see healed examples.

    Lily, yes, these two pictures are the same tattoo, taken about 4 months apart as far as I know.

  41. i guess this is why the sailor jerry stuff will never fade bc that imagery always looks amazing years down the line bc of the bold line? Ive been getting a lot of trad black and gray and bold line work in hopes that 30 years from now they will look aged, bt not sad and faded like this. thanks for heads up abt healed pics vs. no healed. i had no idea.

  42. i guess this is why the sailor jerry stuff will never fade bc that imagery always looks amazing years down the line bc of the bold line? Ive been getting a lot of trad black and gray and bold line work in hopes that 30 years from now they will look aged, bt not sad and faded like this. thanks for heads up abt healed pics vs. no healed. i had no idea.

  43. i guess this is why the sailor jerry stuff will never fade bc that imagery always looks amazing years down the line bc of the bold line? Ive been getting a lot of trad black and gray and bold line work in hopes that 30 years from now they will look aged, bt not sad and faded like this. thanks for heads up abt healed pics vs. no healed. i had no idea.

  44. i guess this is why the sailor jerry stuff will never fade bc that imagery always looks amazing years down the line bc of the bold line? Ive been getting a lot of trad black and gray and bold line work in hopes that 30 years from now they will look aged, bt not sad and faded like this. thanks for heads up abt healed pics vs. no healed. i had no idea.

  45. I have a tattoo that has no outlines and was never a bold tattoo. Years later, it still looks just as good as after it was first healed.

  46. I have a tattoo that has no outlines and was never a bold tattoo. Years later, it still looks just as good as after it was first healed.

  47. I have a tattoo that has no outlines and was never a bold tattoo. Years later, it still looks just as good as after it was first healed.

  48. I have a tattoo that has no outlines and was never a bold tattoo. Years later, it still looks just as good as after it was first healed.

  49. Remarkable. I saw the picture and headline and thought it was going to be about a rip-off – I never would have guessed them to be the same tattoo.

    Is it to do with the technique or inks used in this ‘realistic’ style that makes it so impermanent? And what sort (if any) of legal comeback would the customer have in this case?

  50. Remarkable. I saw the picture and headline and thought it was going to be about a rip-off – I never would have guessed them to be the same tattoo.

    Is it to do with the technique or inks used in this ‘realistic’ style that makes it so impermanent? And what sort (if any) of legal comeback would the customer have in this case?

  51. Remarkable. I saw the picture and headline and thought it was going to be about a rip-off – I never would have guessed them to be the same tattoo.

    Is it to do with the technique or inks used in this ‘realistic’ style that makes it so impermanent? And what sort (if any) of legal comeback would the customer have in this case?

  52. Remarkable. I saw the picture and headline and thought it was going to be about a rip-off – I never would have guessed them to be the same tattoo.

    Is it to do with the technique or inks used in this ‘realistic’ style that makes it so impermanent? And what sort (if any) of legal comeback would the customer have in this case?

  53. I say that’s not the same tattoo – the shape of the “nose”, the eyes and even the hair on the right side of the head look totally different

  54. I say that’s not the same tattoo – the shape of the “nose”, the eyes and even the hair on the right side of the head look totally different

  55. I say that’s not the same tattoo – the shape of the “nose”, the eyes and even the hair on the right side of the head look totally different

  56. I say that’s not the same tattoo – the shape of the “nose”, the eyes and even the hair on the right side of the head look totally different

  57. Thanks for the informative post. I’m thinking of getting my first tattoo and had no idea to even consider this possibility. Thanks for making me more aware.

  58. Thanks for the informative post. I’m thinking of getting my first tattoo and had no idea to even consider this possibility. Thanks for making me more aware.

  59. Thanks for the informative post. I’m thinking of getting my first tattoo and had no idea to even consider this possibility. Thanks for making me more aware.

  60. Thanks for the informative post. I’m thinking of getting my first tattoo and had no idea to even consider this possibility. Thanks for making me more aware.

  61. I have to play devil’s advocate here for just a moment….Yes, I agree an artist should have some healed photos, but how can we be certain that an artist is solely to blame for how the healed tattoo looks? Aftercare is uber important. The best tattoo artist can do the best tattoo ever, but if the person doesn’t care for it right during healing or after (aka going tanning) the artist is in no way responsible for the failure of the piece.

  62. I have to play devil’s advocate here for just a moment….Yes, I agree an artist should have some healed photos, but how can we be certain that an artist is solely to blame for how the healed tattoo looks? Aftercare is uber important. The best tattoo artist can do the best tattoo ever, but if the person doesn’t care for it right during healing or after (aka going tanning) the artist is in no way responsible for the failure of the piece.

  63. I have to play devil’s advocate here for just a moment….Yes, I agree an artist should have some healed photos, but how can we be certain that an artist is solely to blame for how the healed tattoo looks? Aftercare is uber important. The best tattoo artist can do the best tattoo ever, but if the person doesn’t care for it right during healing or after (aka going tanning) the artist is in no way responsible for the failure of the piece.

  64. I have to play devil’s advocate here for just a moment….Yes, I agree an artist should have some healed photos, but how can we be certain that an artist is solely to blame for how the healed tattoo looks? Aftercare is uber important. The best tattoo artist can do the best tattoo ever, but if the person doesn’t care for it right during healing or after (aka going tanning) the artist is in no way responsible for the failure of the piece.

  65. I noticed this trend quite a few years back, with hopes of it dying a quick death. So sad it didn’t.

    We have an “artist” in my area that made his name on these, and his popularity has spawned a plague of these locally from copycats looking to get over quick. “Good from far, but far from good” tattoos I call them, very paint by numbers in their execution.

    Such a shame, cause the concepts are killer and could be crushed by a legit artist.

    Makes the phrase “A solid tattoo” ring louder more now than ever.

  66. I noticed this trend quite a few years back, with hopes of it dying a quick death. So sad it didn’t.

    We have an “artist” in my area that made his name on these, and his popularity has spawned a plague of these locally from copycats looking to get over quick. “Good from far, but far from good” tattoos I call them, very paint by numbers in their execution.

    Such a shame, cause the concepts are killer and could be crushed by a legit artist.

    Makes the phrase “A solid tattoo” ring louder more now than ever.

  67. I noticed this trend quite a few years back, with hopes of it dying a quick death. So sad it didn’t.

    We have an “artist” in my area that made his name on these, and his popularity has spawned a plague of these locally from copycats looking to get over quick. “Good from far, but far from good” tattoos I call them, very paint by numbers in their execution.

    Such a shame, cause the concepts are killer and could be crushed by a legit artist.

    Makes the phrase “A solid tattoo” ring louder more now than ever.

  68. I noticed this trend quite a few years back, with hopes of it dying a quick death. So sad it didn’t.

    We have an “artist” in my area that made his name on these, and his popularity has spawned a plague of these locally from copycats looking to get over quick. “Good from far, but far from good” tattoos I call them, very paint by numbers in their execution.

    Such a shame, cause the concepts are killer and could be crushed by a legit artist.

    Makes the phrase “A solid tattoo” ring louder more now than ever.

  69. these are two different tattoos.. its not the same tattoo.. the one on the left is the first one, and the one on the right is a copied one by a less experienced tattooer.. just look at it closely, certain things aren’t even shaped the same…look at the teeth.. not the same amount.. the shading inside the nose.. the one on the left has light shading inside but the supposed healed one on the right side, the shading inside the nose is dark.. which would have healed lighter than the one on the left.. even the shading on the bottom right side of the jar.. the shanding is clearly different, even the structure of the hair in that area…. TWO DIFFERENT TATTOOS… which is another thing going around in the industry… hacks copying more experienced tattooers pieces……

  70. these are two different tattoos.. its not the same tattoo.. the one on the left is the first one, and the one on the right is a copied one by a less experienced tattooer.. just look at it closely, certain things aren’t even shaped the same…look at the teeth.. not the same amount.. the shading inside the nose.. the one on the left has light shading inside but the supposed healed one on the right side, the shading inside the nose is dark.. which would have healed lighter than the one on the left.. even the shading on the bottom right side of the jar.. the shanding is clearly different, even the structure of the hair in that area…. TWO DIFFERENT TATTOOS… which is another thing going around in the industry… hacks copying more experienced tattooers pieces……

  71. these are two different tattoos.. its not the same tattoo.. the one on the left is the first one, and the one on the right is a copied one by a less experienced tattooer.. just look at it closely, certain things aren’t even shaped the same…look at the teeth.. not the same amount.. the shading inside the nose.. the one on the left has light shading inside but the supposed healed one on the right side, the shading inside the nose is dark.. which would have healed lighter than the one on the left.. even the shading on the bottom right side of the jar.. the shanding is clearly different, even the structure of the hair in that area…. TWO DIFFERENT TATTOOS… which is another thing going around in the industry… hacks copying more experienced tattooers pieces……

  72. these are two different tattoos.. its not the same tattoo.. the one on the left is the first one, and the one on the right is a copied one by a less experienced tattooer.. just look at it closely, certain things aren’t even shaped the same…look at the teeth.. not the same amount.. the shading inside the nose.. the one on the left has light shading inside but the supposed healed one on the right side, the shading inside the nose is dark.. which would have healed lighter than the one on the left.. even the shading on the bottom right side of the jar.. the shanding is clearly different, even the structure of the hair in that area…. TWO DIFFERENT TATTOOS… which is another thing going around in the industry… hacks copying more experienced tattooers pieces……

  73. count the teeth. this is 2 different tattoos, also look at the amount of black on the right side., again not the same. the real problem is people ripping off someone elses tattoos and not producing the same results

  74. count the teeth. this is 2 different tattoos, also look at the amount of black on the right side., again not the same. the real problem is people ripping off someone elses tattoos and not producing the same results

  75. count the teeth. this is 2 different tattoos, also look at the amount of black on the right side., again not the same. the real problem is people ripping off someone elses tattoos and not producing the same results

  76. count the teeth. this is 2 different tattoos, also look at the amount of black on the right side., again not the same. the real problem is people ripping off someone elses tattoos and not producing the same results

  77. Application is key, thats for sure. Yes, the pic on the left looks impressive, but it’s obviously not fully saturated to have that “holding up” look in the future. BTW, if you work in a tourist destination, it’s hard to get healed pics when 90% of your clientelle are from somewhere else. Another thing that’s not being mentioned- as She Dreams of Ink brings up- how do we know the client took proper care of the tattoo during the healing process? It actually looks like it got quite a bit of sun-damage during those precious few weeks following the procedure, or perhaps a dip in the pool on a hot day was involved 2 days after the procedure. Sometimes there are allergic reactions to whatever product the artist recommends, and the client just keeps using it without following up with the artist. There are plenty of variables to consider for sure, not necessarily at the hands of the artist alone.

  78. Application is key, thats for sure. Yes, the pic on the left looks impressive, but it’s obviously not fully saturated to have that “holding up” look in the future. BTW, if you work in a tourist destination, it’s hard to get healed pics when 90% of your clientelle are from somewhere else. Another thing that’s not being mentioned- as She Dreams of Ink brings up- how do we know the client took proper care of the tattoo during the healing process? It actually looks like it got quite a bit of sun-damage during those precious few weeks following the procedure, or perhaps a dip in the pool on a hot day was involved 2 days after the procedure. Sometimes there are allergic reactions to whatever product the artist recommends, and the client just keeps using it without following up with the artist. There are plenty of variables to consider for sure, not necessarily at the hands of the artist alone.

  79. Application is key, thats for sure. Yes, the pic on the left looks impressive, but it’s obviously not fully saturated to have that “holding up” look in the future. BTW, if you work in a tourist destination, it’s hard to get healed pics when 90% of your clientelle are from somewhere else. Another thing that’s not being mentioned- as She Dreams of Ink brings up- how do we know the client took proper care of the tattoo during the healing process? It actually looks like it got quite a bit of sun-damage during those precious few weeks following the procedure, or perhaps a dip in the pool on a hot day was involved 2 days after the procedure. Sometimes there are allergic reactions to whatever product the artist recommends, and the client just keeps using it without following up with the artist. There are plenty of variables to consider for sure, not necessarily at the hands of the artist alone.

  80. Application is key, thats for sure. Yes, the pic on the left looks impressive, but it’s obviously not fully saturated to have that “holding up” look in the future. BTW, if you work in a tourist destination, it’s hard to get healed pics when 90% of your clientelle are from somewhere else. Another thing that’s not being mentioned- as She Dreams of Ink brings up- how do we know the client took proper care of the tattoo during the healing process? It actually looks like it got quite a bit of sun-damage during those precious few weeks following the procedure, or perhaps a dip in the pool on a hot day was involved 2 days after the procedure. Sometimes there are allergic reactions to whatever product the artist recommends, and the client just keeps using it without following up with the artist. There are plenty of variables to consider for sure, not necessarily at the hands of the artist alone.

  81. There was a mountain of debate on Facebook about this, with a lot of people claiming they were different tattoos. They are not. For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).

    Anyone saying these are different tattoos, you are wrong. That’s a sad comment in a number of ways. First it’s a sad comment on people’s reasoning skills and understanding of how tattoos heal — to me, because I understand tattoos, I can EASILY see these are the same tattoo. Second it’s a sad comment on how badly this tattoo failed. Third it’s a sad comment on how common shit copies are. But the fact remains they are THE SAME TATTOO.

    If anyone wants to message me for proof, I’m happy to provide it.

    And if anyone wants to get a laugh out of the TRAINWRECK of a conversation on FB, here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151159524787170&set=a.41995722169.50020.558577169&type=1

  82. There was a mountain of debate on Facebook about this, with a lot of people claiming they were different tattoos. They are not. For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).

    Anyone saying these are different tattoos, you are wrong. That’s a sad comment in a number of ways. First it’s a sad comment on people’s reasoning skills and understanding of how tattoos heal — to me, because I understand tattoos, I can EASILY see these are the same tattoo. Second it’s a sad comment on how badly this tattoo failed. Third it’s a sad comment on how common shit copies are. But the fact remains they are THE SAME TATTOO.

    If anyone wants to message me for proof, I’m happy to provide it.

    And if anyone wants to get a laugh out of the TRAINWRECK of a conversation on FB, here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151159524787170&set=a.41995722169.50020.558577169&type=1

  83. There was a mountain of debate on Facebook about this, with a lot of people claiming they were different tattoos. They are not. For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).

    Anyone saying these are different tattoos, you are wrong. That’s a sad comment in a number of ways. First it’s a sad comment on people’s reasoning skills and understanding of how tattoos heal — to me, because I understand tattoos, I can EASILY see these are the same tattoo. Second it’s a sad comment on how badly this tattoo failed. Third it’s a sad comment on how common shit copies are. But the fact remains they are THE SAME TATTOO.

    If anyone wants to message me for proof, I’m happy to provide it.

    And if anyone wants to get a laugh out of the TRAINWRECK of a conversation on FB, here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151159524787170&set=a.41995722169.50020.558577169&type=1

  84. There was a mountain of debate on Facebook about this, with a lot of people claiming they were different tattoos. They are not. For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).

    Anyone saying these are different tattoos, you are wrong. That’s a sad comment in a number of ways. First it’s a sad comment on people’s reasoning skills and understanding of how tattoos heal — to me, because I understand tattoos, I can EASILY see these are the same tattoo. Second it’s a sad comment on how badly this tattoo failed. Third it’s a sad comment on how common shit copies are. But the fact remains they are THE SAME TATTOO.

    If anyone wants to message me for proof, I’m happy to provide it.

    And if anyone wants to get a laugh out of the TRAINWRECK of a conversation on FB, here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151159524787170&set=a.41995722169.50020.558577169&type=1

  85. Krystof – The way we know it wasn’t the client’s fault is that the healing is consistent. It’s not patchy or cracked like you’d have if someone got it wet and picked scabs and so on. More importantly, look at the healing in the eye. That’s the biggest tell. Anyway, I don’t have the energy to explain this again here, I’ve literally explained it a good hundred times in the last few days via messages and posts, but follow the link above for a lot more info that explains clearly how this happened.

  86. Krystof – The way we know it wasn’t the client’s fault is that the healing is consistent. It’s not patchy or cracked like you’d have if someone got it wet and picked scabs and so on. More importantly, look at the healing in the eye. That’s the biggest tell. Anyway, I don’t have the energy to explain this again here, I’ve literally explained it a good hundred times in the last few days via messages and posts, but follow the link above for a lot more info that explains clearly how this happened.

  87. Krystof – The way we know it wasn’t the client’s fault is that the healing is consistent. It’s not patchy or cracked like you’d have if someone got it wet and picked scabs and so on. More importantly, look at the healing in the eye. That’s the biggest tell. Anyway, I don’t have the energy to explain this again here, I’ve literally explained it a good hundred times in the last few days via messages and posts, but follow the link above for a lot more info that explains clearly how this happened.

  88. Krystof – The way we know it wasn’t the client’s fault is that the healing is consistent. It’s not patchy or cracked like you’d have if someone got it wet and picked scabs and so on. More importantly, look at the healing in the eye. That’s the biggest tell. Anyway, I don’t have the energy to explain this again here, I’ve literally explained it a good hundred times in the last few days via messages and posts, but follow the link above for a lot more info that explains clearly how this happened.

  89. Shannon: It’s surprising the number of “experienced” tattoo artists that can’t tell they’re same. Although given the language which they use, it shouldn’t be too surprising. I seriously got a headache trying to decipher the text-talk that some of them are using.

  90. Shannon: It’s surprising the number of “experienced” tattoo artists that can’t tell they’re same. Although given the language which they use, it shouldn’t be too surprising. I seriously got a headache trying to decipher the text-talk that some of them are using.

  91. Shannon: It’s surprising the number of “experienced” tattoo artists that can’t tell they’re same. Although given the language which they use, it shouldn’t be too surprising. I seriously got a headache trying to decipher the text-talk that some of them are using.

  92. Shannon: It’s surprising the number of “experienced” tattoo artists that can’t tell they’re same. Although given the language which they use, it shouldn’t be too surprising. I seriously got a headache trying to decipher the text-talk that some of them are using.

  93. there is no way these are the same tattoo. Just like other people said, count the teeth, look at the structure of the nose. You say you “know tattoos”, well your credibility just went down the shitter. The one on the left is obviously a horrendous copy of the one on the right.

  94. there is no way these are the same tattoo. Just like other people said, count the teeth, look at the structure of the nose. You say you “know tattoos”, well your credibility just went down the shitter. The one on the left is obviously a horrendous copy of the one on the right.

  95. there is no way these are the same tattoo. Just like other people said, count the teeth, look at the structure of the nose. You say you “know tattoos”, well your credibility just went down the shitter. The one on the left is obviously a horrendous copy of the one on the right.

  96. there is no way these are the same tattoo. Just like other people said, count the teeth, look at the structure of the nose. You say you “know tattoos”, well your credibility just went down the shitter. The one on the left is obviously a horrendous copy of the one on the right.

  97. Y’all are seriously retarded. These are obviously different tattoos.
    How blind are you really Shannon? Get a little ink in your eye?
    Id love to see your “proof” of these being the same.
    BME has seriously gone down the drain. never coming back.

  98. Y’all are seriously retarded. These are obviously different tattoos.
    How blind are you really Shannon? Get a little ink in your eye?
    Id love to see your “proof” of these being the same.
    BME has seriously gone down the drain. never coming back.

  99. Y’all are seriously retarded. These are obviously different tattoos.
    How blind are you really Shannon? Get a little ink in your eye?
    Id love to see your “proof” of these being the same.
    BME has seriously gone down the drain. never coming back.

  100. Y’all are seriously retarded. These are obviously different tattoos.
    How blind are you really Shannon? Get a little ink in your eye?
    Id love to see your “proof” of these being the same.
    BME has seriously gone down the drain. never coming back.

  101. I concede that they could be the same but only with a touch up. that isn’t purely a healed photo, if they are the same he has been back into it. black doesn’t pop up out of nowhere.

  102. I concede that they could be the same but only with a touch up. that isn’t purely a healed photo, if they are the same he has been back into it. black doesn’t pop up out of nowhere.

  103. I concede that they could be the same but only with a touch up. that isn’t purely a healed photo, if they are the same he has been back into it. black doesn’t pop up out of nowhere.

  104. I concede that they could be the same but only with a touch up. that isn’t purely a healed photo, if they are the same he has been back into it. black doesn’t pop up out of nowhere.

  105. Shannon would you extend the ‘fraud’ comment to scarification artists who generally keep a majority of only fresh cuttings in their portfolios and where the final product is often difficult to foresee as a desirable outcome?

  106. Shannon would you extend the ‘fraud’ comment to scarification artists who generally keep a majority of only fresh cuttings in their portfolios and where the final product is often difficult to foresee as a desirable outcome?

  107. Shannon would you extend the ‘fraud’ comment to scarification artists who generally keep a majority of only fresh cuttings in their portfolios and where the final product is often difficult to foresee as a desirable outcome?

  108. Shannon would you extend the ‘fraud’ comment to scarification artists who generally keep a majority of only fresh cuttings in their portfolios and where the final product is often difficult to foresee as a desirable outcome?

  109. now we’re crying over tattoo-convention-frauds…..but what about the travelling bodmod “artists” that ask big $ to leave you with unfinished mods, never healing, never replying emails, not believing my pics etc etc…..i’ve had 2 unlucky encounters but heard nothing but silence from this board lol …..

  110. now we’re crying over tattoo-convention-frauds…..but what about the travelling bodmod “artists” that ask big $ to leave you with unfinished mods, never healing, never replying emails, not believing my pics etc etc…..i’ve had 2 unlucky encounters but heard nothing but silence from this board lol …..

  111. now we’re crying over tattoo-convention-frauds…..but what about the travelling bodmod “artists” that ask big $ to leave you with unfinished mods, never healing, never replying emails, not believing my pics etc etc…..i’ve had 2 unlucky encounters but heard nothing but silence from this board lol …..

  112. now we’re crying over tattoo-convention-frauds…..but what about the travelling bodmod “artists” that ask big $ to leave you with unfinished mods, never healing, never replying emails, not believing my pics etc etc…..i’ve had 2 unlucky encounters but heard nothing but silence from this board lol …..

  113. Damn, that facebook discussion is a total clusterfuck. I can’t believe how many people have ignored previous comments before posting. That said, the difference between the healed and fresh is insane, and something I’d have never considered before.

  114. Damn, that facebook discussion is a total clusterfuck. I can’t believe how many people have ignored previous comments before posting. That said, the difference between the healed and fresh is insane, and something I’d have never considered before.

  115. Damn, that facebook discussion is a total clusterfuck. I can’t believe how many people have ignored previous comments before posting. That said, the difference between the healed and fresh is insane, and something I’d have never considered before.

  116. Damn, that facebook discussion is a total clusterfuck. I can’t believe how many people have ignored previous comments before posting. That said, the difference between the healed and fresh is insane, and something I’d have never considered before.

  117. “For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).”

    Not true! I asked politely multiple times, and haven’t seen proof.

  118. “For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).”

    Not true! I asked politely multiple times, and haven’t seen proof.

  119. “For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).”

    Not true! I asked politely multiple times, and haven’t seen proof.

  120. “For every person I sent them proof (the uncropped photos, and showing them the pictures in the artist’s portfolio as he added more work over time).”

    Not true! I asked politely multiple times, and haven’t seen proof.

  121. My big pet-peev is artists that cover dark, and even black tattoos up with light, even white tattoos. These artists must know full well that when healed the old tattoos will show. In essence they just added to the mess, but all they care about is getting paid. You can only go darker, never lighter. Unfortunately too many artists forget or even ignore this rule…..

  122. My big pet-peev is artists that cover dark, and even black tattoos up with light, even white tattoos. These artists must know full well that when healed the old tattoos will show. In essence they just added to the mess, but all they care about is getting paid. You can only go darker, never lighter. Unfortunately too many artists forget or even ignore this rule…..

  123. My big pet-peev is artists that cover dark, and even black tattoos up with light, even white tattoos. These artists must know full well that when healed the old tattoos will show. In essence they just added to the mess, but all they care about is getting paid. You can only go darker, never lighter. Unfortunately too many artists forget or even ignore this rule…..

  124. My big pet-peev is artists that cover dark, and even black tattoos up with light, even white tattoos. These artists must know full well that when healed the old tattoos will show. In essence they just added to the mess, but all they care about is getting paid. You can only go darker, never lighter. Unfortunately too many artists forget or even ignore this rule…..

  125. So I am not convinced that this is one and the same tattoo. I admit loss of white and gray color, from poor care and sun. But black, lines? And why is the section between the right eye and nose “after healing” darker? P. s. Sorry for my “Google” English)

  126. So I am not convinced that this is one and the same tattoo. I admit loss of white and gray color, from poor care and sun. But black, lines? And why is the section between the right eye and nose “after healing” darker? P. s. Sorry for my “Google” English)

  127. So I am not convinced that this is one and the same tattoo. I admit loss of white and gray color, from poor care and sun. But black, lines? And why is the section between the right eye and nose “after healing” darker? P. s. Sorry for my “Google” English)

  128. So I am not convinced that this is one and the same tattoo. I admit loss of white and gray color, from poor care and sun. But black, lines? And why is the section between the right eye and nose “after healing” darker? P. s. Sorry for my “Google” English)

  129. Rob, was it really necessary to get all uppity on here and make fun of peoples comments, as well as tattooers? Your comments were childish in my opinion.

    Oh, and text talk is no different than the short form i used in university for notes. Its a time saver and i enjoy it. Why u hatin’??

  130. Rob, was it really necessary to get all uppity on here and make fun of peoples comments, as well as tattooers? Your comments were childish in my opinion.

    Oh, and text talk is no different than the short form i used in university for notes. Its a time saver and i enjoy it. Why u hatin’??

  131. Rob, was it really necessary to get all uppity on here and make fun of peoples comments, as well as tattooers? Your comments were childish in my opinion.

    Oh, and text talk is no different than the short form i used in university for notes. Its a time saver and i enjoy it. Why u hatin’??

  132. Rob, was it really necessary to get all uppity on here and make fun of peoples comments, as well as tattooers? Your comments were childish in my opinion.

    Oh, and text talk is no different than the short form i used in university for notes. Its a time saver and i enjoy it. Why u hatin’??

  133. The “healed” photo is not the same tattoo as the freshly done. I agree with a lot of what the poster is propagating, however the supposed evidence renders the entire argument invalid.

  134. The “healed” photo is not the same tattoo as the freshly done. I agree with a lot of what the poster is propagating, however the supposed evidence renders the entire argument invalid.

  135. The “healed” photo is not the same tattoo as the freshly done. I agree with a lot of what the poster is propagating, however the supposed evidence renders the entire argument invalid.

  136. The “healed” photo is not the same tattoo as the freshly done. I agree with a lot of what the poster is propagating, however the supposed evidence renders the entire argument invalid.

  137. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  138. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  139. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  140. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  141. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  142. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  143. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  144. A well known and respected tattooer did a pinup on my exwife, years ago. The portfolio pic he took of it was stunning. Crisp, full of color and detail. The healing was atrocious. He overworked the skin so thoroughly that it became a blurry scarred up mess less than six months after it was done. After that experience, we started noticing that all of this guy’s healed work was sort of jacked up.

    She went up to another well known well respected tattooer for a piece and by coincidence he used to work with the first artist. He looked at it, half frowned and said “yeah. I’ll fix this for you. I have a lot of experience fixing his stuff”.

    Both are still booked up, respected tattooers. Funny how it all plays out sometimes.

  145. Why is there shading from the nose to the left hand side eye 4 months later which wasn’t there on the freshly finished piece? Those 2 pictures aren’t even close to being the same work.

  146. Why is there shading from the nose to the left hand side eye 4 months later which wasn’t there on the freshly finished piece? Those 2 pictures aren’t even close to being the same work.

  147. Why is there shading from the nose to the left hand side eye 4 months later which wasn’t there on the freshly finished piece? Those 2 pictures aren’t even close to being the same work.

  148. Why is there shading from the nose to the left hand side eye 4 months later which wasn’t there on the freshly finished piece? Those 2 pictures aren’t even close to being the same work.

  149. First off it’s really difficult to tell digitally how a tattoo over time changes. Take the above example with the zombie face for instance: one photo is obviously fresh but looks like it was taken inside, vs. the second outside which offers very different styles of light. I have photos of me outside in the sun which make even the hard-outlined tattoos of mine look very faded when in fact they are still very dark and much darker than my much more color-centric and bio organic styled tattoos. Also, you can just snap a quick shot or you can “prepare” for the shot by shaving your arm, putting on moisturizer to make it look much more saturated.

    I definitely do think there’s a point where certain tattoo artists get into doing detail and lack of outlines that are pointless once the piece is healed. Even some tattoo artists that do a lot of outlines “going over” black lines over and over again for multiple session pieces sometimes I just want to say – it’s not going to get anymore black! That said I’ve seen great color-only pieces that are fully healed and up to 8 years old look really great, and others loose all their vibrancy. I think it has more to do with the use of darker colors and contrast rather than have particularly sharp or simple outlines. Some people just want something more abstract or detailed, but they have to accept that it will change over time.

    Anyways, I guess the moral of this post is to go along with the original article – don’t just go for fresh photos, and consider how much detail is really needed for the piece. To artists: please don’t spend a ton of time working on extremely small details or really subtle shading on darker skin or hairy parts of the body because it’s not going to make a difference once it’s healed.

  150. First off it’s really difficult to tell digitally how a tattoo over time changes. Take the above example with the zombie face for instance: one photo is obviously fresh but looks like it was taken inside, vs. the second outside which offers very different styles of light. I have photos of me outside in the sun which make even the hard-outlined tattoos of mine look very faded when in fact they are still very dark and much darker than my much more color-centric and bio organic styled tattoos. Also, you can just snap a quick shot or you can “prepare” for the shot by shaving your arm, putting on moisturizer to make it look much more saturated.

    I definitely do think there’s a point where certain tattoo artists get into doing detail and lack of outlines that are pointless once the piece is healed. Even some tattoo artists that do a lot of outlines “going over” black lines over and over again for multiple session pieces sometimes I just want to say – it’s not going to get anymore black! That said I’ve seen great color-only pieces that are fully healed and up to 8 years old look really great, and others loose all their vibrancy. I think it has more to do with the use of darker colors and contrast rather than have particularly sharp or simple outlines. Some people just want something more abstract or detailed, but they have to accept that it will change over time.

    Anyways, I guess the moral of this post is to go along with the original article – don’t just go for fresh photos, and consider how much detail is really needed for the piece. To artists: please don’t spend a ton of time working on extremely small details or really subtle shading on darker skin or hairy parts of the body because it’s not going to make a difference once it’s healed.

  151. First off it’s really difficult to tell digitally how a tattoo over time changes. Take the above example with the zombie face for instance: one photo is obviously fresh but looks like it was taken inside, vs. the second outside which offers very different styles of light. I have photos of me outside in the sun which make even the hard-outlined tattoos of mine look very faded when in fact they are still very dark and much darker than my much more color-centric and bio organic styled tattoos. Also, you can just snap a quick shot or you can “prepare” for the shot by shaving your arm, putting on moisturizer to make it look much more saturated.

    I definitely do think there’s a point where certain tattoo artists get into doing detail and lack of outlines that are pointless once the piece is healed. Even some tattoo artists that do a lot of outlines “going over” black lines over and over again for multiple session pieces sometimes I just want to say – it’s not going to get anymore black! That said I’ve seen great color-only pieces that are fully healed and up to 8 years old look really great, and others loose all their vibrancy. I think it has more to do with the use of darker colors and contrast rather than have particularly sharp or simple outlines. Some people just want something more abstract or detailed, but they have to accept that it will change over time.

    Anyways, I guess the moral of this post is to go along with the original article – don’t just go for fresh photos, and consider how much detail is really needed for the piece. To artists: please don’t spend a ton of time working on extremely small details or really subtle shading on darker skin or hairy parts of the body because it’s not going to make a difference once it’s healed.

  152. First off it’s really difficult to tell digitally how a tattoo over time changes. Take the above example with the zombie face for instance: one photo is obviously fresh but looks like it was taken inside, vs. the second outside which offers very different styles of light. I have photos of me outside in the sun which make even the hard-outlined tattoos of mine look very faded when in fact they are still very dark and much darker than my much more color-centric and bio organic styled tattoos. Also, you can just snap a quick shot or you can “prepare” for the shot by shaving your arm, putting on moisturizer to make it look much more saturated.

    I definitely do think there’s a point where certain tattoo artists get into doing detail and lack of outlines that are pointless once the piece is healed. Even some tattoo artists that do a lot of outlines “going over” black lines over and over again for multiple session pieces sometimes I just want to say – it’s not going to get anymore black! That said I’ve seen great color-only pieces that are fully healed and up to 8 years old look really great, and others loose all their vibrancy. I think it has more to do with the use of darker colors and contrast rather than have particularly sharp or simple outlines. Some people just want something more abstract or detailed, but they have to accept that it will change over time.

    Anyways, I guess the moral of this post is to go along with the original article – don’t just go for fresh photos, and consider how much detail is really needed for the piece. To artists: please don’t spend a ton of time working on extremely small details or really subtle shading on darker skin or hairy parts of the body because it’s not going to make a difference once it’s healed.

  153. Its clearly two different tattoos, even with all the “proof” offered its just two different tattoos. Continuing to suggest otherwise is crazy and offensive.

  154. Its clearly two different tattoos, even with all the “proof” offered its just two different tattoos. Continuing to suggest otherwise is crazy and offensive.

  155. Its clearly two different tattoos, even with all the “proof” offered its just two different tattoos. Continuing to suggest otherwise is crazy and offensive.

  156. Its clearly two different tattoos, even with all the “proof” offered its just two different tattoos. Continuing to suggest otherwise is crazy and offensive.

  157. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders? That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done.

  158. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders? That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done.

  159. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders? That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done.

  160. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders? That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done.

  161. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders?

    That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done. People claiming these are different tattoos have absolutely no eye for detail.

  162. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders?

    That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done. People claiming these are different tattoos have absolutely no eye for detail.

  163. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders?

    That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done. People claiming these are different tattoos have absolutely no eye for detail.

  164. To anyone thinking these are different tattoos, CHECK OUT THE MOLE TOWARDS THE LEFT OF THE IMAGE IN THE HAIR ON THIS GUY’S SHOULDER. If these are on DIFFERENT people, how’d they both end up having the EXACT SAME MOLE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE on their shoulders?

    That’s how shitty the artist was! They must’ve covered mistakes with white that faded to later reveal the shit job they’d done. People claiming these are different tattoos have absolutely no eye for detail.

  165. It’s made just that more depressing that both tattoos are one and the same. I was actually unaware that “fraudulent tattoos” were a thing. All of the tattoo portfolios I’ve seen have been finished or fresh AND finished tats (I’m no expert, but they weren’t puffy, red, or shiny-the hallmarks of a new tat). All of my tats (2…I know, wimpy) thus far have been B&W, and I’m afraid to venture into color now because of the unknowns. :/ okay, I’m done with my tangent.

  166. It’s made just that more depressing that both tattoos are one and the same. I was actually unaware that “fraudulent tattoos” were a thing. All of the tattoo portfolios I’ve seen have been finished or fresh AND finished tats (I’m no expert, but they weren’t puffy, red, or shiny-the hallmarks of a new tat). All of my tats (2…I know, wimpy) thus far have been B&W, and I’m afraid to venture into color now because of the unknowns. :/ okay, I’m done with my tangent.

  167. It’s made just that more depressing that both tattoos are one and the same. I was actually unaware that “fraudulent tattoos” were a thing. All of the tattoo portfolios I’ve seen have been finished or fresh AND finished tats (I’m no expert, but they weren’t puffy, red, or shiny-the hallmarks of a new tat). All of my tats (2…I know, wimpy) thus far have been B&W, and I’m afraid to venture into color now because of the unknowns. :/ okay, I’m done with my tangent.

  168. It’s made just that more depressing that both tattoos are one and the same. I was actually unaware that “fraudulent tattoos” were a thing. All of the tattoo portfolios I’ve seen have been finished or fresh AND finished tats (I’m no expert, but they weren’t puffy, red, or shiny-the hallmarks of a new tat). All of my tats (2…I know, wimpy) thus far have been B&W, and I’m afraid to venture into color now because of the unknowns. :/ okay, I’m done with my tangent.

  169. I agree with the comment about an artist’s healed work in their portfolios. The unfortunate thing about grey wash applications is saturation, and just as in color pieces, if the artist has a low saturation level, their work will always heal poorly… I think a lot of artists are either not experienced enough with it, or are afraid to really sink in the saturation of the dark to light scales, as these pieces really don’t come into their own until healed.
    the original pic( that is the one immediately after the tattoo) should look far darker then it will end up being.
    This is the problem with the skull piece that is posted, it was far too light to begin with!!

  170. I agree with the comment about an artist’s healed work in their portfolios. The unfortunate thing about grey wash applications is saturation, and just as in color pieces, if the artist has a low saturation level, their work will always heal poorly… I think a lot of artists are either not experienced enough with it, or are afraid to really sink in the saturation of the dark to light scales, as these pieces really don’t come into their own until healed.
    the original pic( that is the one immediately after the tattoo) should look far darker then it will end up being.
    This is the problem with the skull piece that is posted, it was far too light to begin with!!

  171. I agree with the comment about an artist’s healed work in their portfolios. The unfortunate thing about grey wash applications is saturation, and just as in color pieces, if the artist has a low saturation level, their work will always heal poorly… I think a lot of artists are either not experienced enough with it, or are afraid to really sink in the saturation of the dark to light scales, as these pieces really don’t come into their own until healed.
    the original pic( that is the one immediately after the tattoo) should look far darker then it will end up being.
    This is the problem with the skull piece that is posted, it was far too light to begin with!!

  172. I agree with the comment about an artist’s healed work in their portfolios. The unfortunate thing about grey wash applications is saturation, and just as in color pieces, if the artist has a low saturation level, their work will always heal poorly… I think a lot of artists are either not experienced enough with it, or are afraid to really sink in the saturation of the dark to light scales, as these pieces really don’t come into their own until healed.
    the original pic( that is the one immediately after the tattoo) should look far darker then it will end up being.
    This is the problem with the skull piece that is posted, it was far too light to begin with!!

  173. That is not the same tattoo at all.
    The entire shape is different, there is more black surrounding the dodgy pic, The teeth shapes are different and many other things.
    Since when does yellow get brighter on a healed tattoo? That would be the first colour to drop out.

    You also cant blame a tattoo artist for how a tattoo heals. It is up to YOU – the clients to take care of it during the healing period to make sure it stays nice.

  174. That is not the same tattoo at all.
    The entire shape is different, there is more black surrounding the dodgy pic, The teeth shapes are different and many other things.
    Since when does yellow get brighter on a healed tattoo? That would be the first colour to drop out.

    You also cant blame a tattoo artist for how a tattoo heals. It is up to YOU – the clients to take care of it during the healing period to make sure it stays nice.

  175. That is not the same tattoo at all.
    The entire shape is different, there is more black surrounding the dodgy pic, The teeth shapes are different and many other things.
    Since when does yellow get brighter on a healed tattoo? That would be the first colour to drop out.

    You also cant blame a tattoo artist for how a tattoo heals. It is up to YOU – the clients to take care of it during the healing period to make sure it stays nice.

  176. That is not the same tattoo at all.
    The entire shape is different, there is more black surrounding the dodgy pic, The teeth shapes are different and many other things.
    Since when does yellow get brighter on a healed tattoo? That would be the first colour to drop out.

    You also cant blame a tattoo artist for how a tattoo heals. It is up to YOU – the clients to take care of it during the healing period to make sure it stays nice.

  177. Shannon Larratt I have to say I fully agree that over working the skin in any case will cause damage and loss of ink… HOWEVER..Shannon Larratt I’m throwing down the bullshit card…. This is clearly not the case here. This is CLEARLY 2 DIFFERENT people here in these photos. The fresh tattoo on the left has many light shading variations where the photo on the right has dark. Also, unless the yellow in the eyes mysteriosly got larger over time and covered over the black anyone can see it’s not the same. Look at the hair, look at the angle of the face, the drop shadow behind the blood in the poor replica where in the fresh, well executed one there isn’t a drop shadow at all… Shannon Larratt this is BULLSHIT!!!! Like I said I fully agree overworking the skin with an attempt to put 10 lbs of shit in a 2 lb bag is just gonna create a mess but at least you could of used an appropriate example!!!
    Worse part is so many people just took your word on this, followed you like the sheep they are and reposted it without even examining the photo. This makes me sick and you just lost all credibility for your cause by doing this. Any moron that can see and has the ability to reason and compare knows those 2 pictures are 2 different people.
    What this post should say is….. This is what happens when you go to an inexperienced artist or a scratcher who doesn’t know a needle from the hole in his ass. The tattoo on the right is a complete atrocity, an utter failed attempt at copying original artwork… GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS & Please….PLEASE check out portfolios before allowing anyone to put ink in your skin.
    Oh yea just in case I didn’t mention this before.. SHANNON LARRATT..
    This is the poorest case of misleading and misguiding I have encountered in a long time! Honestly you are no better than a scratcher who works out of his house that scribbles all over people without any respect or regards to the people or the Tattoo Culture in which I live, breathe and bleed. You Shannon Larratt or a weasel, a rat and the worse type of liar there is.

  178. Shannon Larratt I have to say I fully agree that over working the skin in any case will cause damage and loss of ink… HOWEVER..Shannon Larratt I’m throwing down the bullshit card…. This is clearly not the case here. This is CLEARLY 2 DIFFERENT people here in these photos. The fresh tattoo on the left has many light shading variations where the photo on the right has dark. Also, unless the yellow in the eyes mysteriosly got larger over time and covered over the black anyone can see it’s not the same. Look at the hair, look at the angle of the face, the drop shadow behind the blood in the poor replica where in the fresh, well executed one there isn’t a drop shadow at all… Shannon Larratt this is BULLSHIT!!!! Like I said I fully agree overworking the skin with an attempt to put 10 lbs of shit in a 2 lb bag is just gonna create a mess but at least you could of used an appropriate example!!!
    Worse part is so many people just took your word on this, followed you like the sheep they are and reposted it without even examining the photo. This makes me sick and you just lost all credibility for your cause by doing this. Any moron that can see and has the ability to reason and compare knows those 2 pictures are 2 different people.
    What this post should say is….. This is what happens when you go to an inexperienced artist or a scratcher who doesn’t know a needle from the hole in his ass. The tattoo on the right is a complete atrocity, an utter failed attempt at copying original artwork… GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS & Please….PLEASE check out portfolios before allowing anyone to put ink in your skin.
    Oh yea just in case I didn’t mention this before.. SHANNON LARRATT..
    This is the poorest case of misleading and misguiding I have encountered in a long time! Honestly you are no better than a scratcher who works out of his house that scribbles all over people without any respect or regards to the people or the Tattoo Culture in which I live, breathe and bleed. You Shannon Larratt or a weasel, a rat and the worse type of liar there is.

  179. Shannon Larratt I have to say I fully agree that over working the skin in any case will cause damage and loss of ink… HOWEVER..Shannon Larratt I’m throwing down the bullshit card…. This is clearly not the case here. This is CLEARLY 2 DIFFERENT people here in these photos. The fresh tattoo on the left has many light shading variations where the photo on the right has dark. Also, unless the yellow in the eyes mysteriosly got larger over time and covered over the black anyone can see it’s not the same. Look at the hair, look at the angle of the face, the drop shadow behind the blood in the poor replica where in the fresh, well executed one there isn’t a drop shadow at all… Shannon Larratt this is BULLSHIT!!!! Like I said I fully agree overworking the skin with an attempt to put 10 lbs of shit in a 2 lb bag is just gonna create a mess but at least you could of used an appropriate example!!!
    Worse part is so many people just took your word on this, followed you like the sheep they are and reposted it without even examining the photo. This makes me sick and you just lost all credibility for your cause by doing this. Any moron that can see and has the ability to reason and compare knows those 2 pictures are 2 different people.
    What this post should say is….. This is what happens when you go to an inexperienced artist or a scratcher who doesn’t know a needle from the hole in his ass. The tattoo on the right is a complete atrocity, an utter failed attempt at copying original artwork… GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS & Please….PLEASE check out portfolios before allowing anyone to put ink in your skin.
    Oh yea just in case I didn’t mention this before.. SHANNON LARRATT..
    This is the poorest case of misleading and misguiding I have encountered in a long time! Honestly you are no better than a scratcher who works out of his house that scribbles all over people without any respect or regards to the people or the Tattoo Culture in which I live, breathe and bleed. You Shannon Larratt or a weasel, a rat and the worse type of liar there is.

  180. Shannon Larratt I have to say I fully agree that over working the skin in any case will cause damage and loss of ink… HOWEVER..Shannon Larratt I’m throwing down the bullshit card…. This is clearly not the case here. This is CLEARLY 2 DIFFERENT people here in these photos. The fresh tattoo on the left has many light shading variations where the photo on the right has dark. Also, unless the yellow in the eyes mysteriosly got larger over time and covered over the black anyone can see it’s not the same. Look at the hair, look at the angle of the face, the drop shadow behind the blood in the poor replica where in the fresh, well executed one there isn’t a drop shadow at all… Shannon Larratt this is BULLSHIT!!!! Like I said I fully agree overworking the skin with an attempt to put 10 lbs of shit in a 2 lb bag is just gonna create a mess but at least you could of used an appropriate example!!!
    Worse part is so many people just took your word on this, followed you like the sheep they are and reposted it without even examining the photo. This makes me sick and you just lost all credibility for your cause by doing this. Any moron that can see and has the ability to reason and compare knows those 2 pictures are 2 different people.
    What this post should say is….. This is what happens when you go to an inexperienced artist or a scratcher who doesn’t know a needle from the hole in his ass. The tattoo on the right is a complete atrocity, an utter failed attempt at copying original artwork… GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS & Please….PLEASE check out portfolios before allowing anyone to put ink in your skin.
    Oh yea just in case I didn’t mention this before.. SHANNON LARRATT..
    This is the poorest case of misleading and misguiding I have encountered in a long time! Honestly you are no better than a scratcher who works out of his house that scribbles all over people without any respect or regards to the people or the Tattoo Culture in which I live, breathe and bleed. You Shannon Larratt or a weasel, a rat and the worse type of liar there is.

  181. Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.

  182. Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.

  183. Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.

  184. Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.

  185. Shannon for you to attack the competency of an artist merely by a comment they have left about you or a picture that is undeniably visibly different in many areas is absurd! I am making every effort to contact the owner of the Facebook from which these pics were obtained to indeed find out once & for all the truth of the matter at hand! If I am mistaken I will offer my apologies but if I am not… You Shannon Larrett will look like a fool for not doing your homework…. For the record… I do agree with what your saying about fresh & healed work.. Undoubtedly… Shannon feel free to contact me via email for further discussions on this matter.

  186. Shannon for you to attack the competency of an artist merely by a comment they have left about you or a picture that is undeniably visibly different in many areas is absurd! I am making every effort to contact the owner of the Facebook from which these pics were obtained to indeed find out once & for all the truth of the matter at hand! If I am mistaken I will offer my apologies but if I am not… You Shannon Larrett will look like a fool for not doing your homework…. For the record… I do agree with what your saying about fresh & healed work.. Undoubtedly… Shannon feel free to contact me via email for further discussions on this matter.

  187. Shannon for you to attack the competency of an artist merely by a comment they have left about you or a picture that is undeniably visibly different in many areas is absurd! I am making every effort to contact the owner of the Facebook from which these pics were obtained to indeed find out once & for all the truth of the matter at hand! If I am mistaken I will offer my apologies but if I am not… You Shannon Larrett will look like a fool for not doing your homework…. For the record… I do agree with what your saying about fresh & healed work.. Undoubtedly… Shannon feel free to contact me via email for further discussions on this matter.

  188. Shannon for you to attack the competency of an artist merely by a comment they have left about you or a picture that is undeniably visibly different in many areas is absurd! I am making every effort to contact the owner of the Facebook from which these pics were obtained to indeed find out once & for all the truth of the matter at hand! If I am mistaken I will offer my apologies but if I am not… You Shannon Larrett will look like a fool for not doing your homework…. For the record… I do agree with what your saying about fresh & healed work.. Undoubtedly… Shannon feel free to contact me via email for further discussions on this matter.

  189. Wow. I got a fairly detailed realistic tattoo from a respectable artist several years back, and only now looking at some of the poorly healed realistic tattoos can i fully respect his skill (though i always loved the tattoo). Though just to be on the safer side i might stick to a bit bolder imagery from now on 🙂

  190. Wow. I got a fairly detailed realistic tattoo from a respectable artist several years back, and only now looking at some of the poorly healed realistic tattoos can i fully respect his skill (though i always loved the tattoo). Though just to be on the safer side i might stick to a bit bolder imagery from now on 🙂

  191. Wow. I got a fairly detailed realistic tattoo from a respectable artist several years back, and only now looking at some of the poorly healed realistic tattoos can i fully respect his skill (though i always loved the tattoo). Though just to be on the safer side i might stick to a bit bolder imagery from now on 🙂

  192. Wow. I got a fairly detailed realistic tattoo from a respectable artist several years back, and only now looking at some of the poorly healed realistic tattoos can i fully respect his skill (though i always loved the tattoo). Though just to be on the safer side i might stick to a bit bolder imagery from now on 🙂

  193. Wow Shannon, I will say, that statement is incredibly ignorant. I’ve seen tattoos come back to take advantage of the free touch up policy when, during the touch up, they reveal the truth about neglect during the aftercare (swimming is the usual culprit, not just getting it wet, but full on swimming, repeatedly once the realized they wrecked it and knew they could get it touched up), as well as people who used products that they had no business using on a tattoo for healing (One guy mentioned using straight alcohol to kill the germs, and vasolene) and they tend to look much like the tattoo above when healed. I personally tried H2Ocean’s aftercare and had a horrible reaction to it on a piece on my back and had similar results such as above, so don’t sit there and tell me I’m not qualified to tattoo as I’ve been doing it for 13 years professionally and have seen many tattoos come back from many different artists for many reasons, it’s not as open and shut as you assume. Knowing that you founded BME and have opinions like that really took this site’s integrity down a few notches, and that is very unfortunate, as I wonder now what other opinionated things came out of your mouth that I may have interpreted as you knowing what you were talking about.

    “Shannon Larratt on February 7, 2013 at 9:41 am said:

    Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.”

  194. Wow Shannon, I will say, that statement is incredibly ignorant. I’ve seen tattoos come back to take advantage of the free touch up policy when, during the touch up, they reveal the truth about neglect during the aftercare (swimming is the usual culprit, not just getting it wet, but full on swimming, repeatedly once the realized they wrecked it and knew they could get it touched up), as well as people who used products that they had no business using on a tattoo for healing (One guy mentioned using straight alcohol to kill the germs, and vasolene) and they tend to look much like the tattoo above when healed. I personally tried H2Ocean’s aftercare and had a horrible reaction to it on a piece on my back and had similar results such as above, so don’t sit there and tell me I’m not qualified to tattoo as I’ve been doing it for 13 years professionally and have seen many tattoos come back from many different artists for many reasons, it’s not as open and shut as you assume. Knowing that you founded BME and have opinions like that really took this site’s integrity down a few notches, and that is very unfortunate, as I wonder now what other opinionated things came out of your mouth that I may have interpreted as you knowing what you were talking about.

    “Shannon Larratt on February 7, 2013 at 9:41 am said:

    Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.”

  195. Wow Shannon, I will say, that statement is incredibly ignorant. I’ve seen tattoos come back to take advantage of the free touch up policy when, during the touch up, they reveal the truth about neglect during the aftercare (swimming is the usual culprit, not just getting it wet, but full on swimming, repeatedly once the realized they wrecked it and knew they could get it touched up), as well as people who used products that they had no business using on a tattoo for healing (One guy mentioned using straight alcohol to kill the germs, and vasolene) and they tend to look much like the tattoo above when healed. I personally tried H2Ocean’s aftercare and had a horrible reaction to it on a piece on my back and had similar results such as above, so don’t sit there and tell me I’m not qualified to tattoo as I’ve been doing it for 13 years professionally and have seen many tattoos come back from many different artists for many reasons, it’s not as open and shut as you assume. Knowing that you founded BME and have opinions like that really took this site’s integrity down a few notches, and that is very unfortunate, as I wonder now what other opinionated things came out of your mouth that I may have interpreted as you knowing what you were talking about.

    “Shannon Larratt on February 7, 2013 at 9:41 am said:

    Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.”

  196. Wow Shannon, I will say, that statement is incredibly ignorant. I’ve seen tattoos come back to take advantage of the free touch up policy when, during the touch up, they reveal the truth about neglect during the aftercare (swimming is the usual culprit, not just getting it wet, but full on swimming, repeatedly once the realized they wrecked it and knew they could get it touched up), as well as people who used products that they had no business using on a tattoo for healing (One guy mentioned using straight alcohol to kill the germs, and vasolene) and they tend to look much like the tattoo above when healed. I personally tried H2Ocean’s aftercare and had a horrible reaction to it on a piece on my back and had similar results such as above, so don’t sit there and tell me I’m not qualified to tattoo as I’ve been doing it for 13 years professionally and have seen many tattoos come back from many different artists for many reasons, it’s not as open and shut as you assume. Knowing that you founded BME and have opinions like that really took this site’s integrity down a few notches, and that is very unfortunate, as I wonder now what other opinionated things came out of your mouth that I may have interpreted as you knowing what you were talking about.

    “Shannon Larratt on February 7, 2013 at 9:41 am said:

    Any tattoo artist that sees this and blames the client should be INSTANTLY erased off the list of people you’d want to get tattooed off of. Yes, there are ways that a client can damage a tattoo — most often picking at it. However, that has a specific appearance, and it’s not evident here. What we can see in this tattoo is improper layering of ink, which is very obvious in the eyes. Any tattoo artist that can’t see that is not qualified to be tattooing and is in desperate need of an apprenticeship, and any tattoo artist that can see it but denies it is an asshole — it’s difficult to respect someone that blames their own mistakes on the client, whether directly or by proxy.”

  197. may i make a note that for most of this post i am not referring to the specific photo cited, but the quote made by the artist about terribly healed tattoos.

    I have to agree with the tip to look for healed photos BUT as far as holding realism with no black shading, people can do it. not everyone, but i can say from personal experience that i have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS with my customers holding color realism.

    i have worked as a tattoo artist for almost 6 years, most of that time in the same town and i have yet to see a customer of mine require more than one touch up for their color work. and 9 times out of 10 its the fault of the client, not mine. i cant tell you how many times i have asked the customer how they took care of their tattoo only to be met with a detailed list of instructions that their friend who tattoos out of the house told them to do.

    the other thing i feel like i need to present is the aftercare instructions, or lack thereof given by artists these days. ive had many artists tell me not to do anything with my tattoos. whether theyre fucking with me or not, leaving your tattoos alone is NOT the way to go. especially on sensitive areas. i have tried so many different kinds of aftercare and i can tell you that you will not get good results without good aftercare…. also many tattoo aftercare formulas specifically labeled for tattoo aftercare are HORRIBLE for healing tattoos.
    maybe a lot of these fading problems could be almost completely eliminated with a different aftercare policy? just a thought.

    So before we all go pointing fingers at the artist, maybe we should all step back and think like body mod artists. tattoos are not cut and dry. many factors play into how they heal and how they will look for the rest of someones life. and while many of those factors rely on the artist, a lot more rely on how the client cares for their ink. think about it, the artist spends hours with someone and their skin. the collector has YEARS to maintain the quality of their tattoo. thats a lot more work than a lot of people give it credit for. something as simple as tanning regularly for a couple years can HEAVILY discolor a perfectly healed tattoo.

    one last thing, in reference to the specific picture in question, i will agree with shannon on this one that this is a case of poor layering of ink. this particular case is the artists fault. also, most of it was done in grey shades. if you as a tattoo artist dont expect black and grey shades to lighten up like that during the healing process you are completely ignorant. everyone should warn their customers that grey shade ink typically heals 20%-30% lighter than what it looks like fresh. its diluted ink. any time you dilute ink its going to heal lighter. you see this problem with b&g portrait artists a lot. their fresh work looks amazing, but a lot of lighter detail is lost in the healing.

  198. may i make a note that for most of this post i am not referring to the specific photo cited, but the quote made by the artist about terribly healed tattoos.

    I have to agree with the tip to look for healed photos BUT as far as holding realism with no black shading, people can do it. not everyone, but i can say from personal experience that i have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS with my customers holding color realism.

    i have worked as a tattoo artist for almost 6 years, most of that time in the same town and i have yet to see a customer of mine require more than one touch up for their color work. and 9 times out of 10 its the fault of the client, not mine. i cant tell you how many times i have asked the customer how they took care of their tattoo only to be met with a detailed list of instructions that their friend who tattoos out of the house told them to do.

    the other thing i feel like i need to present is the aftercare instructions, or lack thereof given by artists these days. ive had many artists tell me not to do anything with my tattoos. whether theyre fucking with me or not, leaving your tattoos alone is NOT the way to go. especially on sensitive areas. i have tried so many different kinds of aftercare and i can tell you that you will not get good results without good aftercare…. also many tattoo aftercare formulas specifically labeled for tattoo aftercare are HORRIBLE for healing tattoos.
    maybe a lot of these fading problems could be almost completely eliminated with a different aftercare policy? just a thought.

    So before we all go pointing fingers at the artist, maybe we should all step back and think like body mod artists. tattoos are not cut and dry. many factors play into how they heal and how they will look for the rest of someones life. and while many of those factors rely on the artist, a lot more rely on how the client cares for their ink. think about it, the artist spends hours with someone and their skin. the collector has YEARS to maintain the quality of their tattoo. thats a lot more work than a lot of people give it credit for. something as simple as tanning regularly for a couple years can HEAVILY discolor a perfectly healed tattoo.

    one last thing, in reference to the specific picture in question, i will agree with shannon on this one that this is a case of poor layering of ink. this particular case is the artists fault. also, most of it was done in grey shades. if you as a tattoo artist dont expect black and grey shades to lighten up like that during the healing process you are completely ignorant. everyone should warn their customers that grey shade ink typically heals 20%-30% lighter than what it looks like fresh. its diluted ink. any time you dilute ink its going to heal lighter. you see this problem with b&g portrait artists a lot. their fresh work looks amazing, but a lot of lighter detail is lost in the healing.

  199. may i make a note that for most of this post i am not referring to the specific photo cited, but the quote made by the artist about terribly healed tattoos.

    I have to agree with the tip to look for healed photos BUT as far as holding realism with no black shading, people can do it. not everyone, but i can say from personal experience that i have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS with my customers holding color realism.

    i have worked as a tattoo artist for almost 6 years, most of that time in the same town and i have yet to see a customer of mine require more than one touch up for their color work. and 9 times out of 10 its the fault of the client, not mine. i cant tell you how many times i have asked the customer how they took care of their tattoo only to be met with a detailed list of instructions that their friend who tattoos out of the house told them to do.

    the other thing i feel like i need to present is the aftercare instructions, or lack thereof given by artists these days. ive had many artists tell me not to do anything with my tattoos. whether theyre fucking with me or not, leaving your tattoos alone is NOT the way to go. especially on sensitive areas. i have tried so many different kinds of aftercare and i can tell you that you will not get good results without good aftercare…. also many tattoo aftercare formulas specifically labeled for tattoo aftercare are HORRIBLE for healing tattoos.
    maybe a lot of these fading problems could be almost completely eliminated with a different aftercare policy? just a thought.

    So before we all go pointing fingers at the artist, maybe we should all step back and think like body mod artists. tattoos are not cut and dry. many factors play into how they heal and how they will look for the rest of someones life. and while many of those factors rely on the artist, a lot more rely on how the client cares for their ink. think about it, the artist spends hours with someone and their skin. the collector has YEARS to maintain the quality of their tattoo. thats a lot more work than a lot of people give it credit for. something as simple as tanning regularly for a couple years can HEAVILY discolor a perfectly healed tattoo.

    one last thing, in reference to the specific picture in question, i will agree with shannon on this one that this is a case of poor layering of ink. this particular case is the artists fault. also, most of it was done in grey shades. if you as a tattoo artist dont expect black and grey shades to lighten up like that during the healing process you are completely ignorant. everyone should warn their customers that grey shade ink typically heals 20%-30% lighter than what it looks like fresh. its diluted ink. any time you dilute ink its going to heal lighter. you see this problem with b&g portrait artists a lot. their fresh work looks amazing, but a lot of lighter detail is lost in the healing.

  200. may i make a note that for most of this post i am not referring to the specific photo cited, but the quote made by the artist about terribly healed tattoos.

    I have to agree with the tip to look for healed photos BUT as far as holding realism with no black shading, people can do it. not everyone, but i can say from personal experience that i have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS with my customers holding color realism.

    i have worked as a tattoo artist for almost 6 years, most of that time in the same town and i have yet to see a customer of mine require more than one touch up for their color work. and 9 times out of 10 its the fault of the client, not mine. i cant tell you how many times i have asked the customer how they took care of their tattoo only to be met with a detailed list of instructions that their friend who tattoos out of the house told them to do.

    the other thing i feel like i need to present is the aftercare instructions, or lack thereof given by artists these days. ive had many artists tell me not to do anything with my tattoos. whether theyre fucking with me or not, leaving your tattoos alone is NOT the way to go. especially on sensitive areas. i have tried so many different kinds of aftercare and i can tell you that you will not get good results without good aftercare…. also many tattoo aftercare formulas specifically labeled for tattoo aftercare are HORRIBLE for healing tattoos.
    maybe a lot of these fading problems could be almost completely eliminated with a different aftercare policy? just a thought.

    So before we all go pointing fingers at the artist, maybe we should all step back and think like body mod artists. tattoos are not cut and dry. many factors play into how they heal and how they will look for the rest of someones life. and while many of those factors rely on the artist, a lot more rely on how the client cares for their ink. think about it, the artist spends hours with someone and their skin. the collector has YEARS to maintain the quality of their tattoo. thats a lot more work than a lot of people give it credit for. something as simple as tanning regularly for a couple years can HEAVILY discolor a perfectly healed tattoo.

    one last thing, in reference to the specific picture in question, i will agree with shannon on this one that this is a case of poor layering of ink. this particular case is the artists fault. also, most of it was done in grey shades. if you as a tattoo artist dont expect black and grey shades to lighten up like that during the healing process you are completely ignorant. everyone should warn their customers that grey shade ink typically heals 20%-30% lighter than what it looks like fresh. its diluted ink. any time you dilute ink its going to heal lighter. you see this problem with b&g portrait artists a lot. their fresh work looks amazing, but a lot of lighter detail is lost in the healing.

  201. …actually, if you examine the UPPER NOSE section you will see that it’s NOT the same tattoo. I don’t doubt the fading though

  202. …actually, if you examine the UPPER NOSE section you will see that it’s NOT the same tattoo. I don’t doubt the fading though

  203. …actually, if you examine the UPPER NOSE section you will see that it’s NOT the same tattoo. I don’t doubt the fading though

  204. …actually, if you examine the UPPER NOSE section you will see that it’s NOT the same tattoo. I don’t doubt the fading though

  205. I do wonder if people notice that they ARE the same tattoo, but the second picture has some changes because the guy got another tattoo later on. The second picture has a spider added in underneath it. Counting the teeth isn’t going to help because the lines around them have faded and the shapes have consequently merged and warped.

  206. I do wonder if people notice that they ARE the same tattoo, but the second picture has some changes because the guy got another tattoo later on. The second picture has a spider added in underneath it. Counting the teeth isn’t going to help because the lines around them have faded and the shapes have consequently merged and warped.

  207. I do wonder if people notice that they ARE the same tattoo, but the second picture has some changes because the guy got another tattoo later on. The second picture has a spider added in underneath it. Counting the teeth isn’t going to help because the lines around them have faded and the shapes have consequently merged and warped.

  208. I do wonder if people notice that they ARE the same tattoo, but the second picture has some changes because the guy got another tattoo later on. The second picture has a spider added in underneath it. Counting the teeth isn’t going to help because the lines around them have faded and the shapes have consequently merged and warped.

  209. I can’t believe how many people are saying it’s not the same… The sad thing is the artist went back into the tattoo here and there and still didn’t make it look good. These are the SAME though. Look at the moles below the tattoo, as well as the spiderweb, they all match up.

    It is just poor application… I don’t feel like this is a “well known” artist though. I do know of quite a few of actually well known artists who’s work do heal poorly because of the lack in contrast, but I’ve never heard of this guy until now….

  210. I can’t believe how many people are saying it’s not the same… The sad thing is the artist went back into the tattoo here and there and still didn’t make it look good. These are the SAME though. Look at the moles below the tattoo, as well as the spiderweb, they all match up.

    It is just poor application… I don’t feel like this is a “well known” artist though. I do know of quite a few of actually well known artists who’s work do heal poorly because of the lack in contrast, but I’ve never heard of this guy until now….

  211. I can’t believe how many people are saying it’s not the same… The sad thing is the artist went back into the tattoo here and there and still didn’t make it look good. These are the SAME though. Look at the moles below the tattoo, as well as the spiderweb, they all match up.

    It is just poor application… I don’t feel like this is a “well known” artist though. I do know of quite a few of actually well known artists who’s work do heal poorly because of the lack in contrast, but I’ve never heard of this guy until now….

  212. I can’t believe how many people are saying it’s not the same… The sad thing is the artist went back into the tattoo here and there and still didn’t make it look good. These are the SAME though. Look at the moles below the tattoo, as well as the spiderweb, they all match up.

    It is just poor application… I don’t feel like this is a “well known” artist though. I do know of quite a few of actually well known artists who’s work do heal poorly because of the lack in contrast, but I’ve never heard of this guy until now….

  213. There is a reason why we call it “Traditional”. Because “traditionally” that’s how its done, and how it is supposed to look. The application of a tattoo should never vary, only the designs. When you apply a tattoo accordingly, you are then able to guarantee your work based on the only method with over hundred years worth of collective historical proof that when you are 80yrs old, that is still gonna look like an eagle…yeah, maybe a f*cked up eagle, but you’ll still be able to make it out.

  214. There is a reason why we call it “Traditional”. Because “traditionally” that’s how its done, and how it is supposed to look. The application of a tattoo should never vary, only the designs. When you apply a tattoo accordingly, you are then able to guarantee your work based on the only method with over hundred years worth of collective historical proof that when you are 80yrs old, that is still gonna look like an eagle…yeah, maybe a f*cked up eagle, but you’ll still be able to make it out.

  215. There is a reason why we call it “Traditional”. Because “traditionally” that’s how its done, and how it is supposed to look. The application of a tattoo should never vary, only the designs. When you apply a tattoo accordingly, you are then able to guarantee your work based on the only method with over hundred years worth of collective historical proof that when you are 80yrs old, that is still gonna look like an eagle…yeah, maybe a f*cked up eagle, but you’ll still be able to make it out.

  216. There is a reason why we call it “Traditional”. Because “traditionally” that’s how its done, and how it is supposed to look. The application of a tattoo should never vary, only the designs. When you apply a tattoo accordingly, you are then able to guarantee your work based on the only method with over hundred years worth of collective historical proof that when you are 80yrs old, that is still gonna look like an eagle…yeah, maybe a f*cked up eagle, but you’ll still be able to make it out.

  217. Yet another reason why you have to take care of them and always make sure they are professionally done. No shit that tattoos fade in the future. That’s the whole point of getting them redone so they look better. Everyone knows that color typically is the first thing to start fading, so things look dull.

  218. Yet another reason why you have to take care of them and always make sure they are professionally done. No shit that tattoos fade in the future. That’s the whole point of getting them redone so they look better. Everyone knows that color typically is the first thing to start fading, so things look dull.

  219. Yet another reason why you have to take care of them and always make sure they are professionally done. No shit that tattoos fade in the future. That’s the whole point of getting them redone so they look better. Everyone knows that color typically is the first thing to start fading, so things look dull.

  220. Yet another reason why you have to take care of them and always make sure they are professionally done. No shit that tattoos fade in the future. That’s the whole point of getting them redone so they look better. Everyone knows that color typically is the first thing to start fading, so things look dull.

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