Squint on a Million


Well folks, as September draws to a close, so too ends BME’s world-famous Knuckle Month. As we’ve learned, publishing photos of knuckle tattoos brings out the tough customers, so let’s celebrate the commentariat’s vitriol with this offering from Tye, sporting the Queen’s script by Lila Way at True Grit Tattoos in Burlington, Ontario. After the jump, Tye mugs for the camera, just because. So long, Knuckle Month.

42 thoughts on “Squint on a Million

  1. ok, ive got a question and im not trying to be an asshole but why on earth do people get their neck and knuckles tattooed before getting sleeves, or even hand tattoos , it looks ridiculous imo.

  2. Dan – why not? It’s not like you get your knuckles (or neck, or whatever) done because you ran out of space – you get ‘em because you *want* ‘em done.

  3. I understand what Dan means, I’ve heard from dozens of old timers that that used to be the case, you get your knuckles or throat bombed when you run out of “prime real estate.” Not saying that I agree either way, but it isn’t necessarily an argument without foundation.

  4. the way i feel, until you have 75+ hours of ink and other visable art, you havent earned the knuckles or throat, but in the end you gotta do what makes you happy

  5. And I think that you shouldn’t be able to get your septum pierced until after you’ve stretched your earlobes to AT LEAST 1/2″. Otherwise, you just haven’t earned the septum in my opinion.

    /SARCASM

    I guess I must have missed that chapter in the “Tattoo Rule Book”.

    My bad.

  6. Damn.. Guess my crack about not getting a subincision until you’ve split your tongue will be a lil late. Oh well.

    But yeah. There’s no set rules on tattoos and when you can get them or how you ‘earn’ them. Last I knew, tattoo artists aren’t scout masters handing out badges. Though they may offer you a camping trip with one sleeping bag if you work it right.

  7. The idea that you have to “earn” tattoos via living up to some other person’s made up bullshit is downright silly.

    The easiest way to ruin a tattoo for yourself is to take it too seriously.

  8. Hey, if you look on the right you can see some ink on his arm so may well have “earned” that ink.. jusss sayin

  9. Since when was body art up for discussion where someone wants to place a tattoo or anything for that matter on ***their own body**!! You add things to your body where you want them, not where others think you should have them!! Maybe you can go check out my page and tell me what ive done wrong because i have visible tattoo’s and no sleeves..YET! Obviously this pisses me off..if you haven’t noticed!!

    PS. i love the knuckles!!!

  10. I disagree with Cutthroat and areku. I took Tattoo 100 in college and chapter 1 of the Tattoo Rule Book clearly states that one must follow a strict order or operations when getting tattooed in order to maintain conformity in what is meant to be an individualistic subculture.

    Just kidding, you guys are right. Zacklove is wrong and probably doesn’t have any tattoos.

  11. I do understand the ‘earning’ side of things. Quite a few artists won’t do the visible work unless you already have a reasonable coverage. My current artist wouldn’t do face normally but i already had large coverage. Im guessing its a good way to ensure commitment to ink rather than loads of just turned legal kids getting it as a fad an regretting it 5 minutes later. Oh an that is very nice script i love it. 🙂

  12. The only thing you have to earn is the money to buy, drugs to trade, or oral sex skills to convince the tattoo artist to give you the tattoo.

  13. i don’t understand where people get this notion that they need to have extensive tattooing to be “allowed” to get their neck/hands tattooed.
    i had someone FLIP at me because i got a huge chest piece because i should, “have a sleeve first, then maybe something else, THEN a chest tattoos is okay.” that’s ridiculous. if i wanted to get a tattoo on my face first, who cares? of course those tattoos are the most regretted, but i can promise everyone if i got a tattoo on my face tomorrow i wouldn’t regret it. and i only have 3 semi-large tattoos.

    there is no “order to get tattooed in”, just get the tattoos you love! the end.

  14. Although i have my full neck and full head without sleeves i do partly agree with the people saying you should have a fair amount of coverage before going on to such public skin.

    Its not a conformity issue its a life issue.

    I know tye and he doesnt fit into this because hes been in the industry for a long time so yeah.

    The problem a lot of people miss is how much this kinda thing can change your life. You jump into having neck or hand tattoos without properly understanding the repercussions can really fuck you in the long run. Having a lot of hours on your body already, having visible work previously, or having been in the industry, or something along those lines really should be guidelines of when. People should do what makes them happy and i think building towards very visible unhideable type ink is a good idea.

    Theres always going to be exceptions i just see people everyday, “i want my neck tattooed” “hey can i get mega cock on my knuckles?” when they are freshly 18-19 with no other tattoos. Yeah its cool but its something that should come as you have your life relatively sorted out, or it can really wreck it.

    All that said i waited til 25 (and about 150 hours on my body) to really get visible with my work and have had nothing but really positive experiences with it.

  15. ok am I retarded,, I have no idea what it suppose to say. Its not my fault though, I never learned to read. And I refuse too. So can someone please tell me what its suppose to say? Also I think you can get any tattoo at any time as long as you can still work afterwards. I mean if I was a trust fund baby, my whole body would be covered.

  16. I would tell you, Sick, but then you would refuse to read it and we would be back at square one, wouldn’t we?

    As to PiercerDan, the point you bring is something which I can understand, as it’s a valid one and all. However, the people who started the whole chain of ‘you have to earn it’ seem to think that no matter what, everybody should get.. I dunno. Maybe a 72 hour minimum? Either way. Several days in the chair before you even touch your hand. Which is kinda.. Long.

    Plus,shocker, I violated that law with my last piece. It hits the back of my hand. Oh no!

  17. haha, whatever let people get whatever mods they want when they want.

    but will someone tell me what his knuckles say? at first i thought it was ‘dumb luck’ but the longer i look at it the less i can figure it out,

  18. Areku the point piercer dan made was pretty much what i was trying to say just mine was more sleep deprived lol the studio i work at, we do have people come in at least a couple of times a week asking for the most visible places or the dumbest stuff on their knuckles. One of our artist said he had a girl ask him to tattoo ‘daft twat’ on her knuckles just because she hit her head on a cupboard, an needless to say she fell into the 18-19 no or very lil tattoos group (though i hate to stereotype) so to say having earned the right to have certain areas done is not really right but to at least show understanding around the work an the area it is to go would be a better way to go, i mean whats everyones idea of a tattoo artist? Is it someone who just inks an doesn’t care so much bout the client so will let them do what they want even if it may be extremely stupid (like the girl i mentioned) or should they help advise on work that would still be what the client wants but with actually caring an maybe steering them away from doing something that could be quite obviously regretted a few weeks later. I hope that made better sense this time lol im still very tired.

  19. To all the comments about hours and what it takes to get what you want worked on I have this to say. They are ONLY tattoo’s, big boy artwork starts with a scalpel or a blowtorch. IAM:Beachnut

  20. It’s funny everyone’s freaking out.
    Tye’s a piercer and does sideshow art!
    He has sleeves. Scar work. Stretched lobes. 4ga (I think?) nostrils. The best pointed ears I’ve seen.
    So its funny that people are jumping the gun and saying he isn’t “modded enough for knuckle tattoos”.

    I think its stupid when a 16 year scalpels their lip to 1/2″ and tattoos their face while still in high school and then bitches about not being able to get the job they want, but that’s a totally different rant and I’m also not pointing anyone out there, I’m generalizing.

  21. what the fuck you got earn any ink and all thats shit and you goot have a certain number of hours the first tatoo i got was on my neck and it was the day i turned 18 a year later no regrtes and in ten years no regrets cant stan dtalk of old guys goin on about earnin ink i have my chest done and my neck and home made tatoos on my arms since im 15..do what you do but know why your doin it thats all…

  22. i like “earning” my mods.
    but i dont like being told what to do or living within other people’s rules, so i have my own ideas of what it takes to earn certain things. like no hand ink until i own a shop/biz. no neck/ face until i have my my kids and can be a good father, etc.
    also, i dont think my idea of what earns what should ness apply to others., but it does seem like alot of folks jump on the bandwagon and try to be more “hardcore” my going str8 to the forearms, hands and neck.
    but, to each thier own bodies…

  23. haha i love the assholes who think im talking about this man in particular, im talking about people whos first tattoo is on their hands or throat, in that case they have made a serious decision without putting time into the art and taking on other pieces before getting the “hardcore places”
    am i wrong? maybe, but if im not the right person to say so than who the fuck are you to say?

  24. To me, it seems lihe he is being sarcastic, making face and having “Dumb Idea” tattooed in a place where “kids” usually think it would be a great idea.

    Other than that although I’m all for freedom of choice, it is usually wiser to wait with very visible tattoos because a person with no ink/little ink simple isn’t used to every day life with such things on the long run and it is much better to regret a small dragon on a shoulder than who knows what on your neck/nuckle. It’s more about experience rather than discrimination.

    Going straight for the neck or knuckles these days is just pretty trendy and most of the time it looks like they want to imply that they have more/want more but started in the most obvious spot that looks cool with a shirt on.

    Then again, they are free to do whatever I want. If it were me tattooing, I doubt I’d tattoo an 18 year old’s knuckles.

  25. what are you guys talking about with this “earning” your tattoos? since when do you have to earn your ticket onto the bandwagon? if you start putting all kinds of harsh restrictions on who can follow these fads, then i’m not sure there are going to be enough dumb shit phrases getting permanently inked onto people for goofy whims.

  26. also, you can talk about how getting art is supposed to be purely individual journey, but there is the reality that you can’t put this art on yourself. in reality, (john donne) these decisions and their consequences are a complex dynamic between the individual, the tattooer, and the communities into which they are received.

  27. Is it just me, or does it also look like there’s some white ink/UV ink on his left forearm?

  28. Anyone who says that certain tattoo areas need to be “earned” is probably just annoyed that they didn’t think of doing those areas first. Anyone can do whatever they want when they get a tattoo. It’s nobody’s business. Instead of being glad that more people are getting tattooed, some people seem to be jealous.

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