Hello Happy Pitbulls

Right at home in SF

Here's some observations so far:

1. Even large institutions have the same issues with their sites that I face at work with ours
2. Usability people have cool glasses and tattoos
3. San Francisco is more overpriced than I remember

I am right at home listening to Howard Stern on Sirius over the Web!  Finally, the two channels are streaming audio.  I listened all night.  Definitely more entertaining than the news.

Last night we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf (but took the cable car back). Walking down Columbus I had a brief flashback to my very first tattoo - inked at the legendary Lyle Tuttle shop.  Maybe I need another one : )

Hmmmmm.  Now I'm thinking....

Why don't I set off the airport metal detector?

I just read an article on InkedBlog about the quantity of metals in tattoo pigments. I'm wondering how I'm not able to have magnets stick to me with the amount of ink I have going on.

Sometimes these things are better left unsaid or unread.

File under: tattoo

Happy Stuff for Happy People

My buddy Steve Cerio from New York has a really great website. His artwork is totally whimsical and fun. He's a bit of a kook, and I have talked to him about 5 times since I moved away from NY, but something made me go back and check out his web page lately and I wanted to share.

I love the little flash splash page he has here: check it out !

Random trivia fact: Steve designed the first tattoo I was going to get (and I'm glad I didn't). It was a cartoon squid. I think I still have it somewhere. I'll have to dig it up and scan it...

Steve's done a bunch of illustration work and comics too. I have some of his original black and white ink stuff. This was back in the day before anyone used computers. Way back in the stone ages. Oh, the stories I could tell....

Finishing What I Started

When I when to Bill Liberty Tattoo to see about designing a coverup tattoo for my way-too goth dragon tattoo I didn't really know exactly what to expect. This is what I started with.

I brought in a bunch of magazines with images that inspired the design: koi, lotus flowers, colors, flames, ocean waves, japanese design, etc. I had also gone out to Bill's website and got some similar tattoos and printed them up. I left a deposit and they said they would call me when the design was done. When I came back about a week later, which wasn't really that long considering I had to wait a month for an appointment, I LOVED the design. Then by good fortune, there was a cancellation which allowed me to get in much earlier for the first appointment. I was amazed at how much I got done in the first 2.5 hour session.

What I did learn is that 2.5 hours is WAY too long to sit for a tattoo -- at least for me. There were some real tender spots.

Anyhow, here's what happened by the end of the first session:
I've since had another two hour session to add most of the color.

I am going back today to finish the job. I haven't quite gotten around to take pictures with the color added. I'll have to get Mike to take some before we get started today.

I'm not looking forward to the session, but I am looking forward to finishing. There's some pretty tender spots in your shoulder and the backs of your arms!

Gotta get motoring....and wake up Mike!

Fishy Fish is Itchy!

Hydrocortisone, ice packs and Lubriderm...the cure for what ails me

I'm on day 5 and I've had big hunks of dead blue skin falling off. The itching is almost unbearable, but I'm going to survive. I still have a big rash from where I had saran wrap over the weekend, so I won't be doing that next time.

I took some Benadryl and grabbed the ice pack and I'll be going to bed fairly early. I crashed last night during the Casino and missed Six Feet Under. I still have to catch up from when I missed it this weekend while seeing Weird Al .

I think I might name Fishy Fish Blinky...since he only has one visible eye

Fishy Fish - The first look

Here's what the first couple of hours produced:

The birth of fishy fish

Phase 1 Complete

Friday I went in for the first phase of my cover-up of the super-goth dragon I got in LA right before Roberto's wedding in 2001. Here's the before picture.

Here's the initial stencil before Bill started tattooing:

We got all of the outlining done and added alot of the wave color, but after 2 and a half hours I had enough. I'll post the after pictures when I take some. I've pretty much finished the oozing ink stage, but it's still pretty sore and red and swollen. It's about to enter the scabby stage and the little hairs growing back are starting to get itchy.

New Ink in 2004

Fishy Fish in memory of Blauser

I've had this idea for a new tattoo for a while. It would have flames and water and the Japanese kanji for dog. We went to the All American Tattoo Convention in Sacramento last June and checked out the local artists (and seriously considered getting work done by a guy from Italy just so I could say I have a tattoo from a guy from Italy). We met Bill Liberty from Liberty Tattoo in Sacramento and talked to him about doing a cover up on my very goth dragon tattoo on my left arm. We talked about doing a koi fish, which Brent Patton, who did my bad kitty and sunflower tattoos, had recommended for me a while back.

I started doing research and collecting images and a few weeks ago I brought all my inspiration to Bill to see what he could come up with. He traced the dragon and the spiral tattoo on my back and said he'd call in a couple of weeks. I went in today, right after getting the Prius! The drawing is AMAZING! The koi is cool and the tail is right on and the kanji is worked in so I will have a fitting tribute to the boy. I will document progress here.

The first session is scheduled for 7/23 (and I am leaving work early to go get it!)