We got sent a couple copies of the new Ed Hardy DVD, and were a bit nervous when we got the glossy dvd box with free temporary tattoos… would this be about Ed Hardy the artist or about a glittery clothing line by Christian Audigier? After watching I have to say it was a really well done documentary on Ed Hardy as not just a tattoo artist, but truelly an artist of multiple mediums. With a run time of 75 minutes, it really was a quality documentary with only a snippet of Ed Hardy the brand (a weird 2 minute commercial tossed in the middle). It really paints a beautiful picture of the evolution of an artist.

Clip from the documentary:

There was a lot of talk about Ed Hardy’s non-tattoo work and after browsing around I found that a lot of it can be viewed in San Francisco. Some of Ed Hardy’s Work over the last 50 years:

Summary
In 1955, most ten-year-old boys dreamed of growing up to be firemen or jet pilots. But young Don “Ed” Hardy had the wild idea of becoming a tattoo artist. He saw his calling in the mystical images of pierced hearts, flaming eyeballs and bloody skulls. After graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute, Hardy rejected a scholarship to Yale University to pursue his childhood obsession: tattoos. Today, he is revered as the godfather of modern tattooing as well as a respected painter, author and publisher

Today will be my final entry for the tattoo blog.  I might return one day in the future, but for now, I’m signing off as a tattoo blog blogger and venturing out into the wild, wonderful world.  I will be in search of crazy people with beautiful tattoos and beautiful people with crazy tattoo skills.  They are out there and I will find them.  However, for now, I will focus on this one final blog post and try to make it the best yet.  I think I’ve come pretty damn close actually, because it would be hard to find a better tattooist for this final artist profile than Lina Stigsson.

Originally from Sweden (a country that has no shortage whatsoever of amazing tattooists), Stigsson has been living in Amsterdam, Netherlands for ten years and counting.  She went to school at Amsterdam’s Rietveld art school and went on to work for another amazing Amsterdam tattooist, Rob Admiraal.  Today Stigsson can still be found at Admiraal Tattoo and like any great artist, her work seems to continually get better and better.

Mixing a Classic American style with a somewhat Asian feel to it, Stigsson’s tattoos explode with colour and depth.  There is an unbelievable smoothness to everything she does, giving her tattoos the look of a painting or a sketch, but with the thickness and contours of a well placed tattoo.  Though Classic American is a style done by many tattooists the world over, looking at Stigsson’s portfolio, I don’t feel like I’ve seen this all before.  She’s absolutely got her very own original style and that makes Lina Stigsson a tattooist worth seeking out.

Tribal tattoos have been around for thousands of years and they range from very different styles and meanings depending on where you go and which tribes you encounter or study.  I myself have spent a decent amount of time looking into the different meanings of different traditional types of tattoos, but it was only today that I actually encountered a tattoo that signifies that its bearer is a cannibal.  Yes, you read that correctly - a tattoo that signifies that its bearer is indeed the type of person who eats human flesh, aka a cannibal.

How do I know this?  Well, unfortunately, there has been a cannibal attack on the French Polynesia island of Nuku Hiva and it has been revealed that the man suspected of the attack has a tattoo of the Kaioi tribe below his left shoulder.  31-year-old Henri Haiti had acted as a guide for 40-year-old German traveller Stefan Rami, taking him into the jungle to hunt for goats.  Haiti is a guide, registered with the local authorities.  But Rami never returned from the goat hunt and his charred remains were later found at a campfire site by authorities.

‘Fears that outdoor fanatic Mr Ramin had been cooked and devoured erupted after his charred remains were found on a campfire on Nuku Hiva following a goat hunt.

Although locals described their shock at the island being linked to cannibalism, a picture of Haiti revealed that he sports a tattoo of a Kaioi warrior on his left shoulder.’

This story is just plain crazy and at present time, Haiti remains on the run.  Locals claim that there would not be any cannibals on their island and that such a thing has long since gone out of fashion.  Yet it’s difficult to deny that cannibalism is indeed a possibility given Haiti’s tattoo, signifying his connection to the Kaioi people.  I guess it’s true that some tattoos are more dangerous than others.  I would recommend not getting too close to anyone who has a tattoo like Haiti’s and my sincere condolences go out to the family of Stefan Rami.

In the three years that I have been writing for Tattoo Blog, I’ve seen a lot of different things, a lot of strange things and a whole lot of interesting things.  But something that has continued to occur in numerous places around the world is crimes against tattoo shops and their owners.  From bombings to robberies to outright violent attacks, tattoo shop owners have all too often faced off against no shortage of crazies.  I don’t know why this is the case - sometimes I think that some criminals rather stupidly believe that a tattoo studio is an easy target to steal a lot of money from.  Fortunately, something else that I’ve noticed about crimes against tattoo studios is that quite often the criminals don’t get away or are brought to justice - either directly by the tattoo artist himself or by the police and court system.

Most recently, I’ve come across a new attack on a tattoo shop.  This time it took place in Leominster, Massachusetts at the New Addiction Body Modification Tattoo Shop.  In September of 2010, 33-year-old Satron Pridgen and 29-year-old Alexander Rivera turned up at the tattoo shop and attempted to rob owner Joshua Richardson.  The robbery failed and Pridgen shot Richardson four times with a .32 calibre handgun.  Rivera also had a weapon, though it was only a pellet gun.

‘Mr. Richardson was shot in the hand, buttock and arm, and suffered a graze wound of the scalp, according to Mr. McHugh, who said the victim’s left ring finger had to be amputated because of the hand injury.

The court was told Mr. Richardson was in a struggle for his life with the would-be robbers and the holdup attempt destroyed his business.

Mr. McHugh said Mr. Pridgen admitted being inside the tattoo shop at the time of the shooting, but told police he was there to try to buy marijuana. The prosecutor said Mr. Richardson denied marijuana was for sale on the premises and none was found by police.

Mr. Richardson told investigators that Mr. Rivera, a childhood friend, had been pestering him for some time to broker a marijuana deal for him, and that Mr. Rivera and Mr. Pridgen, whom he did not know, showed up unannounced at his shop on the day of the shooting, according to Mr. McHugh.’

Well, for his stupidity, Satron Pridgen was sentenced to 10-12 years imprisonment yesterday.  Meanwhile, Alexander Rivera is still awaiting his trial.  Glad to see that justice was done here and that Pridgen did not get away with what was essential a completely senseless crime.  Nearly killing someone over some weed and a bit of cash?  Enjoy prison, dude.  And let this be a lesson to any other would be criminals out there thinking that a tattoo shop is an easy target.  Tattoo artists are tough as hell, kids.  Leave ‘em alone!

In the grand scheme of things, the progressive nature of a children’s toy probably doesn’t really have that much impact on the world.  Still, some children’s toys are bigger than others and some are so iconic that even as we grow from childhood into adulthood, they are still just as instantly recognisable as ever.

That’s the case with a new collector’s edition of Barbie that has recently been released.  The doll, designed by Italian-based, Japanese-inspired brand Tokidoki features a Barbie with a whole lot of tattoos (at least by comparison to past incarnations of the doll).  For some, this is a great step forward for children to be able to gain exposure to tattoo and in this way, lessen the negative impact that society so often places on tattooed people.  Tattooed parents especially can see the benefit in their children gaining additional exposure to the art form.  But there are always the naysayers and in this case, they seem to be striking out at all the old, well trodden stereotypes of tattoo…

‘One commenter, on the Ms Twixt website for parents of Tween-age girls, wrote: ‘Encouraging children that tattoos are cool is wrong, wrong, wrong. Mattel why not put a cigarette and a beer bottle in her hand while you’re at it!”

‘Another, named Jerry, added: ‘I think it is horrible and sends the wrong message to young people. In no way should a tattoo be honored. It is a lifetime brand which will fade and droop over time as the skin ages.’

Not quite sure how tattoos equate alcohol and cigarettes, but whatever, that person is clearly delusional.  And as for the person who stated that tattoo should never be honored, well I don’t think that narrow minded, ignorant parents should be honored and for this reason, his comments mean absolutely nothing to me.  These comments certainly don’t reflect the average consumer either, as the $50 limited edition doll has completely sold out.  This is a great thing and I’m very glad to see hope for a future where the children of today don’t view tattooed people as anything different or shocking or associate any sort of criminality with tattoo.  It might just be a doll, but it’s also a doll with a whole lot of power.

Though I’ve read time and time again that tattooists have not been affected by the current economic downturn, I still have a hard time believing it.  Even if it were 100% true, the fact of the matter remains that economies around the world are turning to crap and people everywhere are starting to really feel the sting of it all in some way or another.  So maybe tattooists themselves aren’t feeling too much of an effect of the crummy economic times, but it seems like someone in Houston, Texas either can’t afford to buy their own equipment or has just realised that there is easy money in pawning off stolen tattoo gear.  Whatever the truth is, it ain’t good either way.

In July, Cynthia Courtney’s small shop on the East Freeway was ransacked. Thieves ran off with $18,000 worth of tattoo equipment.

Just last weekend, two tattoo shops were targeted. Rene Garcia, owner of Big City Tattoos in Southeast Houston, reported the theft of $3,000 worth of machines and supplies. Another shop on Westheimer also reported a burglary. The two separate surveillance cameras show a car of similar style leaving the scene of both crimes.

All I can say is that I hope the tattooists who were ripped off have insurance.  That is so essential to all tattooists who run their own studios that I can’t emphasise it any more than I already have again and again on this blog.  INSURANCE!  And, if these artists don’t have insurance, then I really feel for them.  I guess all that can come out of this is a stern warning to all other tattooists in the Houston area to batten down the hatches and guard your gear.  If you don’t have insurance and you have a tattoo studio in the Houston area, do whatever you can to make sure your stuff stays safe.  Good luck!

Perhaps the most important aspect of being a lover of art - whether that art is music or fashion or painting or tattoo - is the ability to recognise a new and different approach and to appreciate it for what it is.  In other words, the ability to move forward in taste and appreciation is essential to having a broad and on going appreciation for art.  It’s fine to like one particular style or one particular genre of any given art form, but sticking only to that style or genre limits the extent to which new art can grow and flourish.  In other words, don’t just eat potatoes if there’s a whole table full of food, sample it all.

Tattoo artist Bugs (aka Pascal Jarrion) is exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to experiencing something new.  Mixing styles of painting with tattoo isn’t any easy thing to do, but Bugs is not afraid to try.  And that’s a great thing because the end result of his mix of cubism, art deco and classical art creates tattoos unlike anything else out there right now.  That may or may not be your thing, but the point is that Bugs is an original in his field of tattoo and it makes looking at his work all the more interesting once you get into his style.

Hailing from Perpignan, France, Bugs attended fine art school, then made his way to London, England where he decided to open a small tattoo studio.  According to Bugs, in London “there were chances for a career which were not available in France at the time.”  Bugs stayed in London, operating his studio for six years.  In 2005 he moved to Los Angeles and currently calls LA his home.  In addition to his tattoo work, he also paints and sculpts, with exhibitions literally all around the world and back.

Check out more of Bugs’ stuff here, as well as a video interview here.

If you ask me, there are too many businesses (and particularly corporations) that simply take from communities and give absolutely nothing back in return.  This is not a healthy model for a strong and unified society.  Many times before we’ve seen tattooists who have offered up charitable donations to various causes.  This is always great to see and typically, these charitable donations go to disadvantaged children, those suffering from illness or worse.  As undeniably important as those issues are, it’s also nice to see someone contributing money to schooling for children of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds.

On October 17th, Irish tattooist Shane Sunday is going to be donating all his profits for the day from his tattoo studio Alternative Ink in the Northern Irish town of Holywood to the Holywood Steiner School.  I had never heard of the Holywood Steiner School prior to reading this article, but after a little bit of investigation, the school sounds like a pretty cool place for kids.  Part of the Steiner-Waldorf schools that exist around Europe, the Holywood Steiner school is a place for children to be educated in what is probably best described as an unconventional school system.  Actually, this blurb directly from the Steiner-Waldorf site probably best explains it:

‘Steiner schools are always co-educational, fully comprehensive and take pupils from 3 to ideally eighteen. They welcome children of all abilities from all faiths and backgrounds.

The priority of the Steiner ethos is to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment where children can find the joy in learning and experience the richness of childhood rather than early specialisation or academic hot-housing. The curriculum itself is a flexible set of pedagogical guidelines, founded on Steiner’s principles that take account of the whole child. It gives equal attention to the physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of each pupil and is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of the child’s development. The core subjects of the curriculum are taught in thematic blocks and all lessons include a balance of artistic, practical and intellectual content. Whole class, mixed ability teaching is the norm.’

I like the idea of a school environment for children that encourages kids to be themselves and to learn at their own pace.  Plus there is an emphasis on artistic content, which is also very important.  Schools like these help kids to see the world in a more open and less regimented vision, and I can certainly see why a tattooist would wish for their child to be educated in such a place.  Shane Sunday’s child has been enrolled in the Holywood Steiner School since the age of six and his desire to give money to the school (which receives no state funding) is an excellent method by which to give back to the community and help push it in a positive direction.

‘Ciaran McElhone, the head of the College of Teachers said: “Parents like Shane are the reason why 35 years since its founding, the school is still a vibrant, exciting and living community.”

“As it receives no state funding, it relies on a range of voluntary activities such as fund-raising, our renowned school festivals, as well as direct hands-on work, like looking after the grounds.

“Along with the money that we get, which is very nice indeed, taking part in the life of the school means that everyone is a part of the highly important work of raising our children.”’

Great job, Shane and good luck to you.  I’d also like to encourage anyone in the Holywood area who was previously thinking of getting a tattoo to head down to Alternative Ink on the 17th and finally get it done.  You’ll be getting what you want and your money will be going to an excellent cause.

Halloween is just around the corner and for some, it is the holiday of the year.  Sure, kids love Halloween - that’s a given, but there are plenty of adults who seem to love Halloween even more than the little trick or treaters do.  I guess it’s fun to dress up like a total fool and get absolutely wasted at your local pub/club, but it can also just be fun to take in the spirit of the holiday and enjoy the spookiness of it all.

So, if you happen to be one of those aforementioned folks who can’t get enough of the Halloween ghoulish times AND if you happen to live in or near Scottsdale, Arizona, then you are in luck.  Scottsdale tattoo shop EZ Tattoo and Body Piercing (which just happens to be Scottsdale’s oldest tattoo shop, i.e.: a perfect place for ghosts and other such spooky things) is offering spooky Halloween themed tattoos from the 17th of October until Halloween for just $31 each.  But the deal isn’t just limited to tattoos, either: the folks at EZ are also offering the same $31 deal on body piercings (excluding genital and surface).  The piercings will include standard jewelry and aftercare.

The tattoos are only quarter-sized, but you can’t really expect a full sleeve for $31, now can you?  If you are interested in taking advantage of EZ’s offer, then you can contact the staff at 480.941.8720 or click on the above link to be taken to their website.

Well, it looks as though the witch hunt has begun.  Only yesterday I wrote about the potential for the situation in Saudi Arabia to go from bad to worse for tattooed people.  As it turns out, yesterday in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh, Colombian soccer player Juan Pablo Pino was arrested for having visible religious tattoos in a local mall.  Apparently, Pino has numerous religious tattoos, but one of his tattoos in particular is a shoulder tattoo of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Saudi religious police were contacted after enraged shopping mall customers noticed Pino’s visible tattoos on Monday.

‘Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the Muslim world, and according to one of the country’s most respected clerics, Nayimi Sheik Mohammed, Saudi law prohibits tattoos, no matter what their form, and every player has to abide with these rules.

The cleric went on to stress the importance of respecting the status of “Sharia” (Islamic law) and that the tattoos must be covered at all times.

Pino, who plays in the Saudi league, has expressed “deep sorrow” for his actions and said he respects the laws of the country. He was released from custody when a team delegate arrived and discussed the matter with the police.’

As I (more or less) basically said yesterday, this is all a whole big pile of bullshit.  It’s downright primitive to arrest someone for having tattoos and even more primitive (if that’s even possible) to arrest someone for having tattoos that imply a belief different to your own.  I mean, seriously - how intolerant can you get?  An added insult to injury is the fact that Pino had to “express deep” sorrow for essentially doing absolutely nothing.  If I were Pino, I would be on the first plane out of that place.  I’m not a religious person, but living in a society that prevents people from believing what they wish to believe is hardly living, in my opinion.  And not that there is any great influx of tourism to Saudi Arabia, but I want to encourage any tattooed people who might be considering a visit to Saudi Arabia at some point in the future not to go until things there change.  I know that this incident has completely changed my mind about visiting the country.  I’d rather spend my tourist dollars in a place where people are treated like people.