Yesterday I acknowledge the quickly approaching arrival of Christmas.  I also put out word on a nifty calendar for that tattoo/woman lover that may be on your Christmas gift list.  Well, today I thought that I might as well continue with my Christmas gift recommendations, but this time maybe recommend something that could be bought for that special lady or ladies who are into tattoo.

Okay, well maybe this gift doesn’t have so much to do with tattoo, but it does have something to do with the widely admired first lady of tattoo, Kat Von D.  When she isn’t promoting her books or tattooing or running some kind of music festival or appearing on television or selling her own custom designed line of food processors (okay, I made that last one up),  The D also has a pretty lucrative cosmetics deal going with cosmetic super stars Sephora.  The most recent addition to the Kat Von D line at Sephora is what is known as the Kat Von D Tattoo Chronicles Palette, which basically gives any willing girl the goods to pull off the whole Kat Von D look, or whatever other look they might be going for.

‘This set contains:
– 1 pair False Eyelashes
– 12 x 0.02 oz Eyeshadows in Tijuana, Taxidermy, Hollywood, Peanut, Redemption, Solitude, Heartkiller, Baudelaire, Monastary, Poe Blue, Nite Owl, Lemmy
– 3 x 0.01 oz High Voltage Primers in Skin, Stellar, Smoky
– 2 x 0.17 oz Double-Ended Saint/Sinner Rollerball’

I don’t really understand why this set is called the “Tattoo Chronicles Palette” when it has nothing to do with tattooing other than the fact that its namesake is a world famous tattoo artist.  Then again, I guess that’s enough right there.  More likely than not, if you know someone who this would be a perfect gift for, they won’t be worried about the name or asking what it’s all got to do with tattooing.  They’ll just be pumped to have a small piece of Kat Von D’s style at their fingertips.

With Christmas quickly approaching, it’s definitely time to start picking up some gifts for friends and family.  Since you’re reading this, I would assume that you like tattoos and that most likely you know people who also like tattoos.  I know, I know, how do I figure these things out, right?  Well, let’s just call it intuition.

Anyway, if you’re shopping this year for a fan of tattoos and women, then what’s better than tattooed women?  Not much, I’d say.  Which is why I would recommend picking up a new calendar put out by the Montreal, Canada based Tail 514.  In the words of its creators, the Tail 514 calendar can best be summed as follows:

‘This calendar was born from the heinous pow-wows of Danny Girl and Jenn Elliott. Joining forces the ladies formed a band of slick misfits on the island of lost boys and Tail 514 was birthed.’

There you have it.  The end result is a calendar that challenges the typical notion of what a pinup girl is supposed to look like.  The majority of the women in this calendar are tattooed, some of them are tattoo artists, some are designers, some actresses, some comedians – its a very mixed bag but all in all, the calendar delivers with some not-to-be-messed-with ladies.

‘Traditional Pinup photography is always cheesecake. The subject is always available, obtainable and prime wifey material. There is something about these buffed over, squeaky clean images of women that make our skin crawl.’

Got someone on your Christmas list who would love this?  I’m sure you do.  Check out the models and some of their photos here as well as order the calendar itself.

Whenever I do the artist profile here on Tattoo Blog, I come away with knowledge about a new tattoo artist that I previously had no knowledge of.  That’s a great thing, as I love seeing new work and learning about new artists.  Every once in a while though, I come across an artist whose work knocks me so heavily on my ass that all I can do is repeatedly wish (to no avail) that I could travel to whatever city or country it is that this masterful artist tattoos from and immediately if not sooner, get tattooed by them.  It sucks to want something that you can’t have any time soon, but in the end I guess it’s the price one has to pay for learning about beautiful things.

In case you haven’t guessed, this week it’s the work of Lea Nahon that has made me want to drop everything and catch the next flight across the Atlantic to Belgium.  Or is it France?  Or England?  It’s actually quite hard to tell with Lea, because apparently she splits her time between three different tattoo studios in three different countries: La Boucherie Moderne in Brussels, Art Corpus in Paris and Brighton’s Nine studio.  It’s hardly surprising that Lea would be in such demand, given the originality and quality of her tattoos.

Working primarily in black and grey, Nahon has developed a style that’s reminiscent of comic books, retaining the simple fluidity of pencil sketches.  I don’t like to use the word simple in this context, however because Nahon’s work is anything but simple.  A more accurate description would be that Nahon maintains a deceptively simple manner of creating tattoos that I for one, can’t take my eyes off of.  They are beautiful works of art in every imaginable way, each one playing up a different angle or a different take on something that would otherwise be perceived very straight forward by a lesser artist.  Even her portraits aren’t quite portraits in the traditional sense and that in itself makes them so much more intriguing.

It’s also little wonder that Nahon comes up with such a creative and original spin on tattooing, given the life that she’s lead and the places that her life has taken her.

‘“I was born in Paris and it was there that I grew up. As a child, I was really interested in the circus and enrolled in circus school where I studied for five or six years, during which time I learnt how to walk the tight rope and perform equestrian stunts. I loved my time there and there was no question in my mind that I would mould a career for myself in the circus. Unfortunately circus school is expensive and my parents eventually decided that it would be better for me to study a more conventional prospectus, so I was sent to regular school where I stayed until the age of fifteen at which time I went to art school.

After graduating from art school, I embarked on a movie-making course at university. That didn’t go too well as the students decided to boycott the university in the hope of gaining better facilities, so we just stood there for two months, campaigning. I then went on to study musical theatre, eventually hoping to become a dance teacher.”’

I myself am a firm believer in diversity in an artist’s life greatly affecting their work.  It’s an unconscious effect, but one that exists none the less.  Still, work like Lea Nahon’s isn’t solely the result of a diverse background.  Without a doubt, there’s plenty of talent involved.  All I can hope is that one day soon I’m fortunate enough to have some of that diversity and talent tattooed on to my own skin.

Probably the most common and most annoying excuse for being anti-tattoo is the one about how your tattoos will look when you’re older.  This is completely ridiculous for numerous reasons and I don’t really want to get into them here and now.  I’ve actually gone into them in the past and if you’re truly dying to know what I think about the whole thing, then you can go here and read, read, read.

It’s not often though, that there’s an opportunity to read what someone who has actually grown older with a tattoo has to think about their tattoo now that they’re officially considered “old”.  Huffington Post journalist Denise Vivaldo got her first tattoo when she was 27, by Lyle Tuttle in San Francisco.  She’s now 60 and in this article she recounts getting her first tattoo, her reasons for it and what she thinks about the entire concept of tattoo in 2010.

‘To me they are very personal. To each his own. I work with cookbook writers who are grandmothers and have tattoos. In my circle of friends, I know everyone from rappers to Lutherans with tattoos. For crying out loud, who’s to know, maybe the Pope has a tattoo. If he does, I hope it’s the thorny crown; I love that kind of visual…’

It’s an interesting read and one that just goes to show that the concern about potentially regretting a tattoo as you age is irrelevant.  Everyone has their own reasons for being tattooed and their own lives to live.  To say that we’re all grouped together in this “dilemma” of growing old and being disappointed with how our bodies and our tattoos will ultimately look is to speak ignorantly about a future that no one can predict.  Ageing is a part of life, as are tattoos.

Few things can help mark the beginning of a new life than a tattoo.  I have always believed and continue to believe that you are never too old and it’s never too late for any sort of change in your life.  I’ve also always believed and continue to believe that whatever it is you do for a living during your life, the most important thing is not how much money you make, but that you’re happy doing it.  Chasing after the things that compel you or the dreams that you have is not a cliché.  No way, it’s the only way to live.

Although I don’t know her personally, I have a strong feeling that 36-year-old Goh Ee Koon knows a thing or two about following your dreams, and how it’s never too late for a major change in career.  Goh worked for nine years in the publishing industry in Malaysia before one day calling it quits.  She packed up her gear and set off for America, where she met her future husband (and tattooist), Randy Phelps.  While in the US, Goh’s interest in tattoo grew, especially once she landed a job at Phelps’ Augusta, Georgia based tattoo studio: Ink Tattoo.

‘“I learnt everything from the bottom up, including a year of apprenticeship mopping floors and answering phone calls, to studying and drawing tattoo art, and learning the proper, sterile methods for tattoo set-ups,” Goh said.

“I also learnt about practising aseptic techniques — a set of specific practices and procedures that are performed under sterile conditions while ensuring I complied with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards on health and safety assurance.”’

Now back in Malaysia, Goh has recently opened her very own tattoo studio, Kuala Lumpur’s US Skin Grafx with her husband Randy.  Together they are set to take on the Malaysian world of tattoo and I couldn’t wish them more success with their venture.  It’s very inspiring to see someone like Goh who knew what she wanted and went out and got it.  As for US Skin Grafx, Kuala Lumpur happens to be one of my favourite cities on the planet and the next time that I’m there, I’ll definitely be popping in to check out the shop.  Until then, the best of luck to Goh and Randy!

When it comes to getting tattooed, I myself have never had any sort of infection or problems after the deed is done.  This is most likely because I go to reputable and professional tattooists whenever I want work done, but sometimes no matter how good your tattooist is, infections can occur.  This doesn’t necessarily have anything at all to do with the artist.  If you don’t follow the artist’s after care instructions with regard to your tattoo, then you can very easily be heading for an infection or other problems with the skin.  I once had a tattooist tell me to never, ever expose my tattoos to the sun.  Okay, it makes sense that sun will fade your tattoo, but come on!  Never expose my arm to sunlight?  Not going to happen.

I guess there can be a mixture of information about tattoo after care and it’s possible that some people might be a little confused or perhaps apprehensive about their newly acquired tattoos.  So who do you ask?  Who knows the most about it all?  Well, it’s safe to say that if you’ve gone to a decent and reputable tattoo artist, that you can listen to what they say and follow their directions and things should be just fine.  Sometimes though, tattooist do disagree about after care policies, so the uncertainty can still continue even amongst artists.  I would say however, that if you really want to know the skinny on this sort of thing that it’s best to find out from a doctor.  After all, doctors know a lot of stuff and it’s safe to say that when it comes to skin and infections, doctors know more than any tattoo artist.  No offence, artists.

That being said, if you’ve just had your first tattoo done or your first piercing and you’re a little bit uncertain about what’s going on with your newly acquired body art, it might be a good idea to check this bit of information out from the Medscape website.  Then again, if you didn’t listen to your tattooist when he or she told you what you can and can’t do with your skin after getting pierced or tattooed, chances are you aren’t going to listen to what a doctor says either.  None the less, this stuff is important to know, so whether you’re going to get some body art done or you’ve already had some done and the surface area is now turning a frothy white colour, you might just want to check this information out.

This weekend, while looking for something to do, I stumbled upon The Tattoo Project.  The Tattoo Project was an exhibition of portraits by 12 Vancouver photographers, held over the weekend on Granville Island.  The portraits were all of tattooed people, most of whom were quite heavily tattooed with some really good artwork.  The photo shoot itself took place over 3 days, 100 models were used and by the time the exhibit came to an end on November 29th (it ran from November 26th-28th), a documentary film on the creation of The Tattoo Project, called coincidentally enough – The Tattoo Project – had been shot.  In addition to the 12 Vancouver photographers who had their work on display, there were also a few pieces by Lyle Tuttle, a truly legendary tattooist who really needs no introduction.

While the exhibit itself was free of charge, there were calendars for sale which featured the work of the 12 featured photographers, the proceeds from which went to the Ray-Cam Community Centre in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

As for the exhibit itself, well, despite being quite small, there really was some good looking photography on display.  There were a variety of tattoo styles being represented here on the models, and this is where I had a bit of an issue with The Tattoo Project.  Yes, I can understand that 100 models were used and that keeping track of every artist who tattooed them would be a difficult task, but I still think it would have been possible and far more interesting if the names of each model’s tattoo artist(s) had been listed beside each portrait.  By not doing so, I felt that a whole section of contributing artists were being ignored.  After all, it was called The Tattoo Project, wasn’t it?

Which brings me to my next (smallish) complaint: The Tattoo Project lacked a cohesive element, something that brought these models and their wonderful body art together for a purpose.  While looking at the portraits I couldn’t help thinking Okay, so these are photos of tattooed people…and?  What is the purpose of the exhibit?  To be fair, I do understand that these people were photographed as the photographers saw them and in that sense, the public was being treated to the point of view of the photographers in relation to the models and their tattoos.  Yet somehow, that wasn’t enough.  It seemed to me that there was such a deep wealth of beautiful artwork present in The Tattoo Project’s small space and the full potential of it all simply wasn’t realised.

In the end however, I did enjoy the exhibit for what it was and I truly appreciated the variety of the tattoos, some of which like the East Van tattoo (above) truly speak to what living in Vancouver is like.  With Vancouver’s rather heavily tattooed population, I would very much like to see more of this sort of thing on a somewhat regular basis – more exhibits with varying themes and interpretations would be a true delight.  The majority of people I spotted strolling around inside the exhibit were tattooed as well – two of which had full facial tattoos – so I know that I’m certainly not the only one who wants to see more of Vancouver’s tattooed side.

The moment that I laid eyes on the tattoo work of Fred Laverne, I was hooked.  Everything about it drew me in: the sharp, full use of colour, the quality of the images, the overall smoothness of the designs and their ability to practically leap off the skin.  In fact, looking at Laverne’s work I was reminded of the Disney film Mary Poppins.  Several scenes in that film, if memory serves me correctly, had old school animation painted directly on to the live-action frames.  The end results were chubby blue birds and other Disney-esque beings floating around the heads of Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews.  It’s that sort of colourful otherworldly existence that the tattoo work of Fred Laverne brings to our live-action world.  And FYI, it’s rad.

After discovering Laverne’s work, I headed over to the website for his Menton, France based tattoo studio, Voodoo Lab.  Despite receiving a full dose of Laverne’s stuff, I unfortunately wasn’t able to come away with a lot of information about the man himself.  My French isn’t quite up to snuff and the entire site is in French (I think this has something to do with Laverne being French as well as living and working in France), but I managed to learn that Menton, France is on the Cote d’Azur and that it’s a charming little city known for lemons and maybe some dogs and some roses made out of paint?  Uh, it’s probably best not to take my word for it, but it does still sound (and look) like a really cool place.

Take the time to look through Fred Laverne’s portfolio.  I’m not a betting man, but if I was, I would bet that you’re going to love what you see.

Like most people who enjoy and appreciate tattoos, there aren’t too many places on the body that I’m not really interested in seeing some ink.  Okay, the inside of the lip and pretty much anywhere on the face don’t have much aesthetic value, as far as I’m concerned – but hey, that’s just my opinion.  I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who love and value a good inner lip or facial tattoo.  Whatever turns your crank.

If you ask me, one of the nicest spots for a tattoo is along the ribs.  We’ve all seen this tattoo done to varying degrees of success many times before and although I think it’s a great place for a tattoo, it has always somewhat frightened me.  Okay, sure…I probably sound like a bit of a pussy right now, but hey man, the ribs have got to hurt more than most other places on your body.  In fact any tattooist in his or her right mind – if they’re being honest with you – will unanimously agree that getting tattooed along your ribs is quite a painful place to be tattooed.  Not only that, but the skills of the artist have to be pretty decent to make things come out just right.

So, I was pretty surprised to come across this article advocating not just rib cage tattoos, but rib cage tattoos for women because they’re pretty.  I’ve got to agree, the tattoos (well most of them, anyway) that are photographed and included with the article are indeed very nicely done and they work very well along the lines of the women’s bodies, but damn – you really don’t see more hardcore forms of tattoos like those along the rib cage explained and encourage.  Hey, I’m all for it, but it’s still surprising to me.  The article also goes on to provide some good tips to people who are considering getting tattooed along the ribs.

‘Aside from aesthetics it is also useful to think of some other factors that can influence your decision. First since this area is a highly visible one you should consider what are the chances of getting bored with the design. If you are easily bored and like variety yet you are really eager to get a tattoo perhaps a less visible area would be a better choice. Although not a general rule, a tattoo that evokes strong feelings is one of the best choices for the area as it increases the chances of being satisfied with your choice over the long term.’

I remember when the popular choice for a girl’s tattoo was the ankle.  My tattooed female friends were proud of themselves for getting something small like that done.  As time goes on, things just get bigger and better and some people want to jump headlong into the hardcore stuff.  Great to see, but if I can add a couple words of advice, all I have to say is to always make sure your artist is up to snuff.  Do your homework and then grin and bear it.  Good luck.

Just incase you were wondering or happen to care, tattoos in languages other than English are among some of the most popular types of tattoos out there right now for a lot of people.  I myself have a rule never to get a tattoo in a language that I don’t speak.  This is for numerous reasons, none of which really seem to matter here and now…

Anyway, I think it’s safe to say that a hell of a lot of people don’t know how to speak the language that a particular tattoo on their body may be written in.  This leads to mistakes.  For example, the Kanji tattoo on your back that you thought means “Strength” actually means “Penis” and stuff like that.  Okay, it doesn’t always happen quite like that, but there are still plenty of mistakes made when it comes to getting a foreign language tattoo.

That’s why the internet based Translia is doing some pretty decent business as of late.  The translation service is used by many who intend to have foreign language tattoos done.

‘Due to the delicate nature of tattoo translation, the staff at Translia offers clients a TEP? translation service that is the most highly respected in the language translation industry. TEP? utilizes multiple translators for each individual translation project, in order to ensure that it is unanimously stamped with a seal of approval. Translators work separately to translate the word or phase and then their translations are compared in order to determine whether or not they agree. The multi-translation process increases the customers’ guarantee that the inked phrases they bear are 100% accurate. The TEP? process is particularly useful for clients requesting Latin translation, as this antiquated language is not commonly in use and is therefore more likely to suffer incorrect translation. Although Chinese and Hebrew translation requests are currently in high demand at Translia, Arabic translation and Japanese translation services are also popular.’

Getting a professional translation service to translate your tattoo might seem a lot of work, but if you think that, you might want to consider the option of getting a bad translation of something that will stay on your body forever.  In addition to providing you with a perfect translation of your intended tattoo, Translia also sets customers up with a free downloaded text file of the translated word(s) so that you can bring the exact translation to your tattooist and avoid any problems getting it right.  Prices start at $1 per tattoo translation, so it’s not like you’re going to be throwing down some serious cash.  A buck is a pretty decent price to pay for the security of knowing you’re getting exactly what you wanted.