The single largest problem posed to modern tattooing isn’t technically or even artistically based, it’s a philosophical one.  Today it’s possible to find artists that can render photo-realism and surrealism that was thought to be impossible as little as ten or fifteen years ago.  We’ve come light years in aftercare and disease prevention with the implementation of universal precautions and cross-contamination prevention redundancies that border (or transcend) the compulsive.  So what, you may ask, is the greatest threat to modern tattooing?  You are.  Anyone with a tattoo really, even good ‘ole wildo.

I’ll never forget when Pamela Anderson declared that she got Hep from a shared tattoo needle (though Tommy, the sharer, denies having the disease) and I had to answer questions regarding that assumption for months in the shop.  What about Angelina’s ‘Billy Bob’ or Johnny Depp’s ‘Winona Forever’?  Tattoo regrets by celebrities are well documented and publicized.  While I don’t think that the die-hard tattoo collector is at all influenced by these revelations, these aren’t the people I’m worried about to begin with.  I’m more concerned about the first time the right pastor’s/councilman’s/lawyer’s kid gets a crap tattoo and some self-righteous jackass takes it upon themselves to start a one person war on tattooing in some small town.  It happens.  So we should all do our best, beyond the obvious reasons, to avoid tattoo regrets.

The logic behind this is that anyone with a tattoo, good or bad, becomes an ambassador for the art.  As such, I’ve tried to be conscentious in regards to how I deal with people who don’t like or understand tattoo;  and I’ve done my best to prevent situations where I believe customers, coworkers, friends, and strangers (anyone reading this) that could lead to tattoo regrets.  Simple things like stay out of dirty shops and avoid tattooers you don’t get along with, don’t get joke tattoos or lovers’ names, these are easy suggestions that almost any laymen can tell you.  What they can’t tell you is the world of hurt you’re in if you get a tattoo that you’ll hate in three years.
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Brandon Bond is my hero.

The man from Smyrna, Georgia is not only an absolutely amazing tattoo artist (he was voted Tattoo Artist of the Year in 2005 and 2006. A look at any of his work will have you knowing why) but also a proactive philanthropist, saving the lives of pitbulls who would otherwise be left for dead. 

Brandon – who has recently used his own hard-earned cash to found All or Nothing Pitbull Rescue – has been working closely with local pitbull rescue organizations for over a decade and has successfully managed to save over two-hundred dogs through in-home fostering, rehabilitation and adoption.

When former Atlanta Falcons NFL douchebag quarterback Michael Vick was convicted and sentenced to 23 months in prison for his involvement in a disgusting dogfighting enterprise, Brandon’s had a hand in the rescue and rehabilitation of three of Vick’s fighting dogs. His journey with these dogs was chronicled in the documentary VICKtory to the Underdog, Hell and Back – the proceeds of which go straight back into the hands of Georgia’s pitbull rescue organizations, ensuring that more of these dogs from sorry situations will be able to live happy, healthy lives in loving homes. 

Brandon has industriously combined the All or Nothing Tattoo brand, the tattoo community (i.e. YOU hint hint), his clients and his cause and has managed to raise awareness and some much needed cash for pitbull pups in need. The heavily trafficked All or Nothing Tattoo website promotes the studio’s fundraisers and charity auctions (such as this one) and sells calendars and Stranglehold items benefiting pitbull- and animal-welfare groups. 

Check out the links above and educate yourself. Consider adoption instead of purchase or breeding. And donate! A little goes a long way.

  This January, from the 9^th-11^th, Singapore will acknowledge the rapidly growing world tattoo community with its first ever tattoo show.  Quite progressive indeed for a place where things like gay sex, porn, chewing gum and spitting are still illegal.  To celebrate this acknowledgment of the a-changin’ times, artist extraordinaire Chris Garver will be the convention’s ambassador.  

So far, it looks as though things are shaping up quite nicely for the event.  Artists such as Paul Booth, Bob Tyrrell and Robert Hernandez as well as over 140 others from 25 different countries worldwide will converge on Singapore to share ideas, art and good times.

In addition to all this, convention organizers are also offering a couple of pretty decent contests for attendees.  International ticket holders for the event have the opportunity to enter a draw for a 3 day, 2-night stay at the five star Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel.  The deadline for the draw is December 10^th, with the winner being announced the following day. 

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Everybody gets bored at there job… and what better thing to do than to pick on the recently hired apprentices who clean the toilets of your shop… Cinnamon Challenge, Tasering, Getting Kicked in the Nuts, Shot with BB Guns, Girly Halloween Costumes on Dudes… (6 videos below)

Seran Wrapping Apprentice at Inspired By Ink

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“Twilight” took a giant bite out of the North American box office over the weekend, selling an estimated $70.6 million in tickets… If you know of any other Twighlight related tattoos to this book please post a comment below….

The famous work of Sailor Jerry has been on display at the U.K.’s Cargo Bar this week. The show featured life size stand ups, full artwork and video clips on the life of Norman Collins, aka Sailor Jerry.

For those of you who don’t know (if there is such a person) Norman Collins was a revolutionary tattoo artist considered by some to be the father of the modern tattoo art form. He was the first person to use purple in his tattoo designs. He created needles that rooted pigment with less damage to the skin, and he was one of the first artists to use surgical quality tools. His style was a mix of pin up girls, iconic sailor images and dark humor that has inspired tattoos for decades.

The popularity of Sailor Jerry’s work continued long after his death and has seen an influx in recent years. From retro tattoo work to material goods; Sailor Jerry is everywhere. You can find him on the rum bottle he endorsed- Sailor Jerry’s Rum, on clothing, playing cards, purses, even shoes. Read the rest of this entry »

My girlfriend, at 27, is finally ready to tattoo her pale and virgin skin. This in itself isn’t particularly interesting since, I’m sure if you looked at it statistically, it’s likely that every 2.3 seconds someone somewhere is popping their tattoo cherry. What’s interesting about her plunge is that she’s currently living and working in Busan, South Korea.

In South Korea, tattooing is considered a medical procedure and it is illegal to give anyone a tattoo – for pay or otherwise – without a medical license. Unsurprisingly, less than ten doctors in the country perform tattoos on their patients and every single one of those ten limit their tattooing to tattooed makeup – natural-looking tattooed eyebrows, eyeliner, lip liner and the like.

Non-M.D. tattoo artists caught tattooing are often arrested, fined, convicted and can face sentences as severe as lifetime imprisonment (this is a terrific example of the punishment not befitting the crime). Tattooing itself is not illegal in the country per se but in 1992 a judge set precedence when he convicted one tattooist with practicing medicine without a license, having nothing else to hold to the guy. That verdict laid the groundwork for the climate and attitude we find in the South Korean legal system towards tattoo artists today. 

Part of the reason the 1992 verdict has held up is the country’s general attitude towards the practice. During the Chosun Dynasty, thieves and criminals were branded with a big ol’ tattoo on their foreheads. Korean gang members have also adopted the practice of the Japanese yakuza, getting tattoos to symbolize gang unity and loyalty, fostering this pervasive belief that tattoos were solely things of criminals and gang members and therefore are not to be sported by the law-abiding members of society for fear of affiliation. 

I’m sure you’re not at all shocked to hear that Korea’s suppression of the tattoo community and the general public’s disdain for it hasn’t stopped a few edgy Koreans from wanting tattoos and artists from performing them. The taboo has given them a dangerous, black-market appeal. Tattooists have been forced underground – into back rooms, basements, backyards, etc. – making it difficult to provide the necessary sterilized, hygienic and safe conditions to prevent the transfer of dangerous diseases and infections. The laws have also driven the cost of receiving a tattoo sky-high – in the thousands of dollars – as artists don’t want to put their asses on the line for little pay. 

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“Oh, the games people play now;
Every night and every day, now.”

In case you haven’t guessed by now, I’m a rather old fart, and I tend to be a bit crotchety at times. I do like quite a bit of the newer music, Nickelback, Ben’s Brother, etc,etc. Like most old timers I still tend to listen to the old stand by’s that I grew up with, though. That old Mac Davis hit for one, and it brought back a bit of the past for me.

As some of you know, most tattoo artists tend to have a rather wicked sense of humor. Probably because it goes with the territory. After putting up with whiners, people who want a tattoo, but don’t know what they want permanently engraved on their skin, and the inevitable goof who let some scratcher buddy of his practice on half his arm then wants you to cover it up for less than the price of your smallest piece of flash. Well, you either develop a sense of humor, or you become a mean son of a bitch. Considering the humor of tattoo artists, it’s most likely a bit of both.

Naturally artists tend to check out their history. We love this business and get rather deeply involved in every aspect of it we can. My own collection of books contains “Stony Can Do It”, “Sailor Jerry”, and the original printing of “Spider Web”, just to name a few. Many enthusiasts can claim just as extensive collection of reading material, but I noticed over the years that it is usually the artists who dive in a bit deeper. So some of you might know the original story that led to this slightly different display of my own warped sense of humor.

At a shop I worked at in Pennsylvania we had accepted an apprentice. The kid could draw well, and was doing a stand up job of all the other duties such as making needles, maintaining the machines and serialization procedures. Tattoo area and instruments. He did, however, have the apprentice disease of constantly asking when he could do his first tat.

Now most of the time this is just overlooked, or brushed off with a, “As soon as we think your ready.”, or, “As soon as you can find someone dumb enough to let you practice on them.” Another option is, of course to have the apprentice practice on his own legs. Putting a design on yourself, upside down, is great in many ways. It gets you use to learning just how much pressure to apply to the work, and doing a piece of flash upside down gets you use to really concentrating on what the hell you are doing. Read the rest of this entry »

The U.K. Telegraph is reporting that Pascha – a twelve-story German brothel that houses over 120 sex workers – recently put up posters offering lifelong free entry to the club as well as discounts on lap dances and the like, for anyone stupid enough willing to have the brothel’s name tattooed onto their arm in relatively huge, bright blue script.

The people at Pascha admittedly didn’t really expect to find people willing to get a huge, blue PASCHA tattoo in exchange for the waiving of the 5 Euro admission fee (they obviously didn’t hear of the genius who got the huge BlackBerry tattoo for a free BlackBerry Storm). I’m sure you’re not shocked to hear that already over forty men have committed to some Pascha ink and the brothel’s tattoo artist (?!) is working overtime to “keep up with the demand.”

Pascha, the largest and arguably the most famous brothel in Europe, has a reputation for hilarious and ridiculous advertising gimmicks. According to the telegraph’s article, the brothel made headlines in 2006 when, in an attempt to attract international clients during Germany’s World Cup, it hung a huge banner advertising itself and its services that contained all the flags of the competing nations – including those of Iran and Saudia Arabia. Naturally, Muslim groups were pissed.

Last year Pascha advertised an “afternoon special” for senior citizens so dear ol’ grampa could have a cheap lunch, a matinee and a hooker too.

Click here to read the Telegraph’s article