Good news for those of us out there who maintain an interest in keeping up the push to have tattoo studios registered with health authorities.  One more city has joined the ranks of the registered as Toronto, Canada decides that it’s time for the city’s tattoo studios to be organized and accountable for the work that they do.

‘Health Canada provides what’s called infection control guidelines and cities have to inspect all spas and tattoo parlours once a year. But outside of these annual inspections, it’s a self-regulating industry and Toronto Public Health has decided that’s not good enough.’

Though this new regulation, which will most likely cost tattooists $300 for the first year of registration and “a few hundred dollars” each subsequent year has yet to become law, it should only be a matter of time before it does.  I wasn’t exactly surprised when looking at the comments below this article to find that most people were relieved that such a regulation was finally being adopted.  It’s actually kind of mind boggling why this isn’t done everywhere right now.  I mean, if I had to venture to guess, I would say that the vast majority of people in the tattoo industry are in favour of something like this and I would probably say that %100 of the general public also supports it.  It’s kind of a no brainer.

‘Currently in Toronto, only hairdressers and barber shops have to be licensed. Public Health believes licensing tattoo and piercing studios will help reduce the spread of diseases such as hepatitis.

Part of the problem is that health inspectors can currently only inspect known spa and tattoo parlour locations.

“We aren’t necessarily aware of them all,” said Barbara Yaffe, director of communicable disease control for Toronto Public Health. “Sometimes we find out about them through a complaint, at which point it’s late.”‘

Furthermore, governments stand to profit from this and we all know how much governments love to take money from people.  If I had one complaint about this whole thing it’s that I think the renewal fees they are proposing are a bit steep.  If the license costs $300 for the first year and subsequent years cost “a few hundred dollars” to renew that license, doesn’t that just sound like tattooists will have to annually dish out around $300 to stay registered?  What about simply charging less to renew after the initial year is over?  Or what about a system based on points in which the more points each studio receives during a yearly inspection, the less they have to pay to renew their licenses each year?

Whatever is decided in the end with regards to licensing fees, this is a great step forward.  Now if only other health authorities in Canada would follow suit.  Actually, now if only other health authorities around the world would follow suit.  All in due time, I guess…

The tattoo as a memorial for a deceased loved one is probably one of the most poignant forms of tattoo a person can have done.  It’s an outright commitment to remembering the deceased person and honouring them for the role they played in people’s lives.  I personally believe it to be one of the best, if not the best method for creating a bond between the deceased and the living.  No doubt it’s got to be a great comfort to the person who has their deceased loved one’s name or image tattooed on their body.

As many times as I have seen or heard of someone getting a tattoo of a family member or friend who has passed away, I’ve never been aware of someone who was responsible for another person’s death getting a tattooed reminder of that person.  I’m sure that I’m not alone in thinking that such an act just doesn’t sit quite right, even if the intention was genuine.  I think something like this can do more harm than good.

20 year-old Australian George Petrou died in May of 2009 while being driven home by his best friend, Petros Ttofari.  Ttofari had been driving his car at speeds “upwards” of 85km/h in a 50km/hr zone when he crashed into a pole, killing Petrou.  Grieving in his own way for his friend, Ttofari had Petrou’s name tattooed on to his leg.  This act however, did not sit well with Petrou’s family.

‘Koula Petrou said though Petros Ttofari claimed to be devastated by the death of her son George, 20, he had shown no remorse and had simply “partied on” as if nothing had happened.’

‘”He can take the tattoo of my son’s name off his leg,” she said. “He doesn’t deserve it. I don’t want my son anywhere near him.

“He has caused tragedy … he hasn’t missed a beat of his life.”‘

Meanwhile, Ttofari has been sentenced to 2 years in prison for the incident, with a non-parole term of 10 months.

If you ask me, there are many ways in which a true artist can be measured: devotion, practice and respect of their craft certainly have their place, but there are also lesser talked about aspects of an artist’s process that are very often clear insights into how talented an artist actually is.  Perhaps that all sounds a little convoluted or esoteric, but I believe it to be true.  I think that an artist like Timothy Hoyer offers a clear glimpse into his natural ability not through his artwork itself (though it is really, really, really nice stuff), but through his admission that he has no set plan in terms of colour scheme when he works and that he waits for a little voice to kind of keep him going forward.  In other words, Hoyer relies on his gut and all I know is that any artist who can rely on their gut is an artist who is fully aware at all times of what he or she is doing, whether consciously or subconsciously.

‘The color scheme of a tattoo is something I try not to think about too much beforehand, because it always seems to work best when I just go on instinct. I always know what kind of general feeling I’m going for and, of course, I make sure I have a thorough understanding of what the client wants. As I’m working on something, there’s always a little voice that tells me what the next color is, what’s going to work. If I let go and just follow that, things work out the best. I know lots of people that work the opposite way – that like to have everything planned before they start. This is just what works the best for me. I have to get out of the way and let the tattoo take on its own life. If I try to plan things too much, it seems to drain the energy out of it.’

What’s more, I admire Hoyer’s quest to take ugly things and make them beautiful or to examine the contrast between ugly and beautiful.  This sort of challenge has always interested in me in all forms of art, not just tattoo and I really appreciate that Hoyer takes the time to work these kind of challenges out through his tattoo work.  In other words, this is an artist who cares – honestly and truly about his work and most certainly, about his customers.  The craft itself seems to be an exploration for Hoyer and it’s never something that he takes lightly.

‘People aren’t used to thinking anymore, they’re taught by television and movies that everything’s black or white and nothing has meaning beyond the obvious associations you make. It all comes down to visual power. I’m concentrating mostly on large projects now, backs, sleeves, bodysuits, etc. I’ve been doing a lot of Japanese tattoos, and I’m really trying to learn about it, trying to crack the code and figure out the right way to draw things. It’s the kind of thing you really have to study, and once you learn a little bit you start to realize that 99.9% of the ‘Japanese’ tattoos you see in American tattoo magazines are totally fucked … and it’s because people didn’t have the respect to realize that these images are drawn a certain way for a reason and you can’t just do it ‘your way’ and have it look right. So they end up tattooing cherry blossoms with 4 petals, backwards wind, and water that looks like piles of dirty tube socks.’

Through his own desire to push himself and his work into different directions, Hoyer has forged his way into the tattoo industry as an artist who isn’t categorised as being from one particular or another.  His images blend and highlight different styles, while maintaining an entirely original appeal to them all the while.  In addition to this, Hoyer’s style and approach help to create an appeal for a specific type of client: one that trusts the artist to explore and expand on everything from styles to composition to colours.  He is truly one of a kind and the tattoo community should most certainly count itself as lucky to have him on their side.

If you’re interested in contacting Timothy about some tattoo work, you can do so by getting in touch with him at his studio, the Alive Gallery in Richmond, Virginia:

Alive Gallery
16 S. Auburn Ave.
Richmond, VA 23221
(804) 254-9006
email: alivegallery@hotmail.com

I’ve always been somewhat intrigued by people who lead straight edge lifestyles.  Growing up, I spent a lot of time at punk rock shows and a lot of my friends were a variety of punks in bands as well as straight edge.  Thinking back on it all now, it seems kind of strange that not many of the people I knew had tattoos.  That’s not to say that everyone who is straight edge or into punk music would naturally be tattooed, but tattoos are certainly now a part of the straight edge lifestyle.

It’s also interesting to me to see an article written online explaining this subculture to people who normally would have no clue at all about it.  Back when I was a teenager, no one was explaining anything to anyone outside of the subculture itself about the straight edger lifestyle.

So I’m curious.  I can’t help but wonder that perhaps today’s mainstream appeal of tattoos is also aiding to bring lesser known sub-cultures to light.  It’s a great side effect of tattoo’s popularity, if you ask me.  After all, the more that people understand about the things that they don’t know, the better off everyone is, right?  And what’s more, people who are punk/straight edge are all too often judged by their appearance rather than the things that truly matter.

It might seem kind of stupid to people out there who are completely familiar with the straight edge lifestyle or who are heavily tattooed to see an article like this one, but if you ask me, hey, it’s all good.

If you’ve ever spent any time in Thailand, then you already know that Buddhism is a very large part of the Thai culture.  What you’d also know if you’ve ever spent any time in Thailand is that a lot of things clash with the very often ascetic Buddhist lifestyle.  After all, Thailand is known for many wild aspects of its tourism and whether you’re in favour with these things or not, the fact remains that the Thai people are generally very easy going and tolerant of people doing what they want, when they want, as long as it doesn’t include disrespecting the king or the national religion.

I’ve known people who were tattooed in Thailand, but I myself have never taken that plunge in the land of smiles.  It doesn’t surprise me however, that thousands of tourists get tattooed there every year and many of these tourists are getting tattooed with images of the Buddha.  The practice of getting a Buddha tattoo in Thailand may be coming to an end, however, if Thai Culture Minister Niphit Intharasombat has his way.

‘Culture Minister Niphit Intharasombat said in a statement that his ministry has been receiving complaints from residents that tattoo parlours are etching sacred images of Buddha and other religious images onto the skin of non-Buddhist visitors across the country.

“Foreigners see these tattoos as a fashion,” Niphit said in the statement posted on his ministry’s website on Thursday. “They do not think of respecting religion, or they may not be aware” that it can be offensive.’

This of course, is total and complete rubbish.  I’m uncertain of how exactly Mr Intharasombat knows that the foreign visitors who are being tattooed with sacred images of the Buddha aren’t Buddhists themselves.  Is he going up to each and every one of them after their tattoo session and asking?  Highly doubtful.

I’m also uncertain as to when and where it was exactly that the Buddha told his followers that his image was off limits.  Anyone who knows anything about Buddhism knows that the Buddha was not a god, nor did he wish to be treated like one.  He was simply a regular man who attained an enlightened state.  He was not an overbearing, magic wielding, egomaniac who threatened his followers with eternal damnation should they not do exactly what he wanted.  How the Thai Culture Minister has this fascinating insight into what is and isn’t disrespectful to Buddhists is entirely beyond me.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Buddhism is that it can be anything to anyone.  It is not dogmatic – although it certainly can be, though there is definitely no “right” or “wrong” way to appreciate the Buddha or the Buddhist philosophy as a whole.

In addition to all this and beyond the whole “religious” argument here, this is at its very core a tattoo issue.  People have been using images of the Buddha as Mr Intharasombat puts it “as a fashion”, for a long, long, LONG time and in many different ways than just tattoo .  Should he really have a problem with the image of the Buddha being used for non-religious purposes, perhaps he should consider taking a walk down Bangkok’s Khao San Road one day and banning the hundreds of street vendors that can be found at all hours of the day and night who are selling everything from T-shirts to candles emblazoned with the image of the Buddha.

In other words Mr Intharasombat, you don’t know what you’re talking about.

I wasn’t initially going to write this blog post.  However, after living for many years in Vancouver, I’m finally leaving, hitting the open road and jumping off into the vast unknown craziness of the world.  For those of you outside of Canada who couldn’t care less about hockey (basically everyone on earth), I’ll just let you know that Vancouver’s hockey team, the Vancouver Canucks, are about to start a playoff series this week against the Boston Bruins for the NHL championship, known as the Stanley Cup.

In Vancouver, this is massive news.  Everyone seems to be unable to think of anything else and the fanaticism has reached massively annoying levels.  That’s why it didn’t surprise me when I discovered this news story about a Canuck fan taking the plunge and getting a Canuck related tattoo.  But he’s not the only one.  There certainly are more fans out there willing to do the same and even more bandwagon jumpers if the Canucks actually win the Stanley Cup.

‘I’m a Canucks fan through and through,” said [Timothy] Simpson, a Vancouver bartender who was born in northern Alberta.

“Supporting the team, there’s a lot of different ways you can do that. By just believing, by getting something like this.”

Simpson is not alone in wanting to permanently proclaim his support for the team.

Canucks tattoos are a regular topic of discussion on Twitter, where prospective supporters discuss design and arrange pacts to get inked.

More than 125 people in two separate Facebook groups have vowed in previous years to get tattooed, and on the “Crazy Canucks Fan Dare Challenge” group, pledges to get tattoos — if the Canucks take home the Cup — abound.’

Now as I previously said, I’m a Vancouverite (soon to be ex), and I’ll let all of you fine people out there reading this in on something scandalous:  I can’t stand the Vancouver Canucks or their fans.  In these parts, that’s a pretty serious thing to say.  People tend to not like it.  The thing is, I would be more than willing to get a Boston Bruins tattoo simply to piss off Canucks fans.  I’d be more than willing to do this, if I actually liked hockey or the Boston Bruins.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Bruin – I hope they slaughter the Canucks – but I just don’t have the passion to get a pro-sports team tattoo.

Anyone out there willing to get a Bruins tattoo?  If so, this is what I’m going to do: if you have a Boston Bruins tattoo or are planning on getting one at any point, or if you know anyone who does, please take a photo and email it to us at Tattoo Blog.  I will gladly post any and all Bruins tattoos on the site for the enjoyment of Bruins fans everywhere.

Whaddaya say?

Temporary lip tattoos?  Did you know about these?  Maybe it means that I’m an out of touch loser because I wasn’t aware of the trend that is a temporary lip tattoo.  Or, maybe it means that I’m actually way too cool to waste my time learning about something as shitty as temporary lip tattoos.  Hmmm…I think I’m going to have to go with the latter option on this one.

Seriously though, I’m not really all that against temporary lip tattoos.  I mean, they certainly aren’t my cup of tea, but they’re also not marketed at me or my demographic.  So that’s cool.  And you’re probably reading this, making a face and being like Why the hell is he talking about temporary lip tattoos?  I couldn’t care less about temporary lip tattoos.  Right?  Sure you are.  But the fact of the matter is that it’s the start of the week and I just felt like easing into things this week.  I’ve got a rough week ahead of me.  I’m moving.  And not like, across the street or across the city.  I’m talking about a cross country move.  That takes a lot out of dude.  So temporary lip tattoos to me – whether you’re for or against them or couldn’t care less – seem at the very least, like a good conversation starter.

Anyhow, these temporary lip tattoos…Well, apparently this is what happens:

‘Temporary lip tattoos, launched by Violent Lips…Come in the form of your average temporary tattoo, to be applied to your lips by holding a damp cloth over the tattoo for a couple of minutes and there is a variety of patterns to choose from. There are leopard print ones, rainbow print ones and even glitter ones, should you fancy turning your lips into a disco ball.’

What do you think?  All I know is that anyone who criticises this has to stop and ask themselves one question: Would I make out with someone who was wearing a temporary lip tattoo?  That’s really what it all boils down to, I think.  Anyway..coming soon, temporary eyeball tattoos and temporary tongue tattoos.  It shouldn’t be too much longer before we also see temporary tattoos for temporary tattoos.

Okay, enough, I know.

Sometimes I think that maybe, just maybe, I like classic American/traditional style tattoos a whole lot more than I actually realise.  The first style of tattoo that I think about when I think about tattoo isn’t typically classic American, yet every time that I see it done well, I can’t help but seriously admire it.

I guess that I can thank an artist like Brian Thurow for making me love classic American more and more each time that I see it.  Thurow’s work is practically busting right off the skin.  It’s so full of colour and life that I kind of just want to defy anyone not to like it.  On top of all that, there’s some really nice, heavy and very clean lines that really bring the image together.  Basically what I’m trying to say here is that like any great artist, Thurow makes the results of his work appear effortless even though it so obviously is not an effortless task to tattoo this well.

Thurow’s hometown is Little Rock, Arkansas, but he’s in Dallas, Texas now, tattooing at Saints and Sinners Tattoo in Carrollton.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of info about either Brian or Saints and Sinners online (get a website, dudes!), but you can take a look at some of Brian’s work here.

When you hear the name Flint, Michigan, you probably think of a lot of different things.  For me, the first thing I think about is the 1989 Michael Moore documentary Roger and Me.  Moore spends the film walking around a derelict and impoverished looking Flint, examining the effects of the closure of the city’s General Motors factory and the loss of thousands of jobs.  The city came off as absolutely miserable both aesthetically and psychologically.

Oddly enough, today Flint has focused on something entirely different from car production: tattoos.  In a recent study put out by website Totalbeauty.com, Flint was listed as the 4th most tattooed city in America.

‘…The people there perused chat forums and checked public directories in every state. Then they searched cities to see who had the most shops listed per capita, using population numbers from the most recent census.

According to the Genesee County Health Department, in the Flint area, that’s any facility with a Flint mailing address, there are 16 licensed body art facilities. Countywide?  There’s 29.

By comparison, Saginaw County has only eight or nine. Bay County has five and Shiawassee County has three.

The artists at XTC Tattoo in Flint don’t need numbers. They know the city is saturated with shops and with people wanting tattoos.’

I myself haven’t been to Flint since I was about 12 years old.  Obviously it has changed very much since then.  Perhaps it’s time to give it another chance and check out the tattoo scene?  I guess anything is possible.

I wasn’t aware that the UK has a general awards system for their tattooists.  Now that I am, I think it’s pretty cool.  It should be done more often around the world – and by “awards system”, I don’t mean the awards that tattooists win at tattoo conventions.  Don’t get me wrong, those type of awards are great, but I just like the idea that an entire country or group of countries can annually recognise the work of a handful of skilled tattooists.

The 2011 UK Tattoo Industry awards took place in conjunction with the Liverpool International Tattoo Convention and saw such awards as Best Tattoo Journalist, Best UK Male Artist, Best UK Female Artist and Best UK Tattoo Publication handed out.

‘We consider that Tattoo Artists and Tattoo Enthusiasts should decide which artists deserve an award in recognition of achievement in their field.

We consider that Journalists, Photographers, Publications and online resources do an invaluable job in promoting the industry, and the Tattoo scene in general, so it is only right that achievement in these areas should be acknowledged.

Also that Equipment suppliers that supply to only registered artists should be also be recognised for their contribution in preventing equipment getting into the wrong hands.

This year sees the addition of 4 new awards and we continue to do what we can to raise standards in the tattoo industry, give credit where it is due and let the tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts voices be heard.’

Tattoo artist Nigel Kurt from Fun House Tattoos took home the Best UK Male Artist award, while Emma Kierzek landed top honours with the Best UK Female Artist.  Best International Male Artist went to Kyle Cotterman and Best International Female Artist was awarded to Katerina Mikky Volkova.  When asked about his feelings on receiving the award for Best UK Male artist by the BBC, Nigel Kurt revealed that he was “chuffed” with the honour (that means he was very happy for those of you out there unfamiliar with the term).

Congrats to all the winners and an additional huge congrats to the organisers of the Liverpool International Tattoo Convention for getting something like this going!  Check out the complete list of winners and awards given away here.