Tattoos have a long history in various cultures around the world.  Some cultures use tattoos as symbols of a person’s passage into adulthood or manhood.  Some cultures use tattoos to tell stories about the sea and the gods, and some cultures even believe that tattoos have mystical capabilities that can provide the wearer with powers like invisibility and immense strength.  For the most part, the dominant cultures of the western hemisphere only really use tattoos as reminders of important things or fashion.  However, there are some people who would disagree with that statement and argue that tattoos can defy the conventional and actually be life savers.

Take Luke Fisher, for example.  Just 48-hours after the 18-year-old Droitwich, Worcestershire, England resident had his tattoo of a guardian angel with the words “Only the strong survive” completed, he crashed his car head-on into a tree and broke his neck in three places.  Doctors initially believed that Fisher would never walk again, but it now looks as though he’ll need to wear a halo neck brace for three months before taking on 18 months of physiotherapy.  A long recovery period for sure, but Fisher is simply lucky to be alive.

Very much aware of how lucky he is to be alive, Fisher claims that it was his tattoo, his guardian angel that watched over him and kept him safe after the horrible crash.

‘I was meant to be joining the Army, so I had it [the tattoo] done before I went. I also do a lot of dangerous sports, so it just seemed like a good thing to have.

‘I think it definitely helped me in this case – it is quite a coincidence.

‘I just hope it will continue to look over me. I’m having another tattoo on my leg next.’

I don’t want to be the naysayer here and piss all over Fisher’s survival and recovery, but why is it the tattoo that saved him?  If it’s possible that the tattoo saved him, then isn’t it just as possible that the tattoo caused the crash in the first place?  Obviously not, but yet when you think about either option, is it not just as ridiculous either way?  If the tattoo had the power to save him from the crash, why didn’t it go the extra distance and prevent the crash altogether?  Why tattoo???  WHY??

Anyway, I just like to be the Devil’s advocate now and then.  Now harm, no foul.  All the best to Luke and to his recovery.

One of the best things about tattoos are that they aren’t prevalent amongst only one type of person.  Those days where you could tell what kind of a person someone was simply because they had a tattoo are long gone and buried.  Good riddance, too.  There are people from every walk of life, in every type of career who can attest to being in love with tattoos.

Still, despite this expansion and maturation of what it means to be tattooed, some aspects of society still remain stuck back in the days when tattoos were associated with a lower class, lower calibre of people.  It’s only a matter of time before these lingering reminders of the past are done away with for good and it’s people like Jesse Sandlin who are helping to push tattoos further into the mainstream.

Sandlin, a former Top Chef contestant, has just paired up with the owner of Baltimore’s Rosina Gourmet, Jim Lancaster, to come up with a brand new wine bar in Baltimore, Maryland.  From the sounds of things, the wine bar will host a pretty decent selection of wines and cheeses, with much of the food coming from local sources and the cheese being shipped in from all of the great cheese making regions of the world.

So why exactly do cheese and wine matter to people with tattoos?  Well, given that “fine dining” has as much of  a pompous reputation as tattoos have had a negative reputation, it’s very encouraging to see a chef who is serious about her food and relaxed enough to understand that the caliber of a customer is not determined by whether or not they have tattoos.

“Sandlin also said the restaurant will not be a coat-and-tie kind of place.

A person like myself, who has all these ridiculous tattoos, I should be able to come eat at the restaurant where I work at and not feel uncomfortable,” she said. “It will be focused on the quality of food, quality of wine, quality of service, but in a fun, casual atmosphere.”

Whether Sandlin realizes it or not, creating an environment that is serious about food but not about judging people helps to knock down, or at the very least weaken those invisible walls that were so long ago built up around things like fine dining.  Every time a tolerance for tattoos rears its head in a new sector of society, it’s a great thing, something that helps to chip away at misguided notions and makes a motion toward creating a new definition of what’s “normal”.

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been coming across the work of so many good tattoo artists.  I mean good work, like so good that you just can’t stop looking at it, good.  Stuff that blows your mind and then forces you to keep looking at so that your mind will just continue to be blown over and over again.  Yeah…stuff like that.  Anyway, I quietly compile a list of these tattoo artists, tucking them away into my brain for the day when I either have millions of dollars and can afford to travel to see all of my favourite artists and get them to tattoo me, or when one of them is within shouting distance and I have some cash.  Either way.  Most recently finding his way on to my list of favourites is Nick Baxter.  Why?  Because Nick Baxter is fucking awesome.  I’m sorry.  I realize that the language is crass.  And I apologize.  But this guy…man, oh, man, Nick Baxter, you know what you’re doing.

Nick began tattooing in 2000, at the age of 19.  Though a native of New Haven, Connecticut, he moved to and set up camp in Austin, Texas in 2008.  He’s a painter, a photographer, an artist, a tattoo artist, a strict vegan, a straight-edge (meaning no booze or drugs).  And, he has a pretty dense background in art, making the Dean’s list Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut.

“As an artist I want to create images that inspire people to appreciate the profound and often overlooked aspects of life and the world around us. ”

– Nick Baxter

The main thing about Nick Baxter is that if he can tattoo this well after barely a decade in the business, then the future of tattoo looks pretty bright.  Baxter’s work seems to be inspired by the organic and the natural and by a strong respect for humanity.  At present time he doesn’t work at any particular tattoo shop.  He’s just returned from Europe, where he did some convention work, drew and hung out with friends.  If you want to catch up with him, he’ll be at the upcoming Hell City Tattoo Fest on (May 21-23rd) in Columbus, Ohio.

If you’re really interested in getting tattooed by Nick but can’t make it to Columbus, you can check here on Nick’s website to see how to go about booking an appointment.  Good luck!

Check out Nick’s work!

New Haven Connecticut’s Joe Capobianco is well known to the tattoo world for his spacey/scary/creepy portraits of crazy space girls.  I think that’s the best way that I can describe it.  No offense intended, Joe.  Joe has been tattooing for longer than you, and he does really, really, really cool work.

In fact, Joe Capobianco’s tattoo art reminds me of these little figurine sort of dolls of various manga comic book characters that you can buy all over the place in Japan.  I’m not kidding, they’re crazy popular over there.  But hey!  What a coincidence that I would think of those little figurines that you see all over the place in Japan when I see Joe Capobianco’s tattoos!  Why?  Well, because Joe Capobianco has recently designed one of those little figurines that you see all over the place in Japan!

That’s right, if you’re a fan of Capobianco’s work and you can’t one way or another get to Joe, or you don’t have the money to get a tattoo or whatever the case may be that prohibits you from getting Joe’s art on your body, then you can order one of the limited edition toy figurines, named The Bride.  It’s pretty cool looking actually, and if I had an inch of space in my tiny-ass apartment, I’d probably even buy one.  At any rate, if you’re interested in buying one of these beauties, they’ll run you a cool $75 USD.  You can find them here, at Kidrobot.com.  You can’t however, buy one until May 20th.

If you do happen to live in Columbus Ohio, you can pick one up at the Hell City Tattoo Festival on May 21st, where Capobianco and crew will be on hand for what I’m sure will be a decent release party.

I don’t mean to be a Negative Ned over here, but sometimes I read stuff that is just too annoying and plain stupid to not break out some serious criticism.  That being the case, I feel that there are two types of criticism when it comes to tattoos: those leveled by people within the tattoo industry, i.e.: tattoo artists, people who are tattooed and people who although they may not be tattooed, are generally pretty well informed about the state of tattooing.  These complaints range from tattoo artists who’ve sold out – for example, certain artists who choose to be reality TV stars; criticism of certain tattoos and the work of certain tattoo artists, and of course, the lack of understanding and tolerance for tattooed people by non-tattooed people.

Then, there’s the second type of criticism.  This type is generated by an entirely different group of people, people who more often than not have zero real exposure to people with tattoos (passing a tattooed person on the street doesn’t count as exposure), tattoo art, tattoo studios, tattoo artist, you name it.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but this particular group of people wants things one way and one way only.  (In case you’re still wondering, that one way happens to be a world where tattoos have ceased to exist.)

The author of this article definitely belongs to the latter group of critics.  The article itself explains in ridiculously biased fashion why everyone should steer clear of being tattooed or pierced.  Or at least that’s what it’s trying to do.  In reality it’s more an article about why people shouldn’t get pierced, with a few small tattoo references thrown in for good measure.  Referencing highly obscure incidents and making them seem as though they happen to every single person who gets tattooed or pierced is more than just lazy writing, it’s also irresponsible.  Kind of ironic considering that the author of the article was trying to prove how irresponsible tattoos and piercings are.

“…There have been reports of everything from tetanus to toxic shock after piercing.

And “minor” germs can spread to produce life-threatening infections. Even if you avoid germs, your latest metal or paint work might still cause havoc. Swelling and bleeding are common early on.

Piercings can take ages to heal, especially in the navel, nipple or genitals and can leave nasty scars.”

This ladies and gentlemen, is little more than fear-mongering.  Am I trying to say that these things can’t happen?  No, of course not.  But I can guarantee you that more people die each year from automobile accidents, drugs and alcohol or domestic disputes than from tattoos or piercing.  In fact, I can guarantee you that more people die each year from A LOT more threatening things other than tattoos and piercing.  Why the author feels the need to discourage people from getting tattooed isn’t exactly clear, but one thing is very clear: it’s okay to criticize the tattoo world and everything that goes on within it, but if you’re going to do that, you might want to try to at least get a glimpse into that world before you go spouting obscure statistics as if they were as common place as snow in winter.

I really hope that anyone who is considering a tattoo doesn’t allow their mind to be made up by the type of cheap, shoddy journalism on display in the aforementioned article.  If you really want to get a tattoo but aren’t 100% sold on the idea yet, wait until you are.  Or better yet, get real information from tattoo artists and hell, even talk to a doctor if you’re worried about effects to your health.  There are tons and tons and tons of reputable tattoo artists out there and believe me, caring about your health is their business.  But don’t take it from me, do your own research.  Just don’t believe everything you read when it comes to the negatives associated with tattoos, because there’s negatives associated with everything.  Do your research, take your time, be smart, keep an open mind and everything will be fine.

Everyone it seems, is aware of the current and continuing popularity of tattoos.  Yet why then, are so many of us with tattoos or those of us planning to get more tattoos so hesitant to have tattoos done in a easily visible spot on our bodies?

Lately I’ve been thinking about getting a new tattoo.  All of the tattoos that I currently have can easily be covered with clothing.  This time however, I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo on my wrist – a far more visible place that can’t easily be covered.  Yet when I started to think about it more, I started to think that maybe someplace completely visible isn’t the best idea.  But why?  I’m self-employed, I work from home – so what’s the problem?  Why should I still be even the least bit hesitant about where my tattoos should go?

Apparently, I’m not alone. This article states that 72% of adults (both young and old), don’t have visible tattoos.  Now just for a minute, throw aside all those inevitable questions about who the 72% of adults were and how and when and all that and consider that this statistic most definitely marks the effects of years of people being forced to be frightened of getting a tattoo in the “wrong” place.

Thankfully, these concepts of getting the tattoo in the wrong place are beginning to change.  Unfortunately, there’s most likely going to be a lengthy hangover from the times when getting tattooed was some sort of subversive act.  That then, is the reason why I myself am hesitant about getting a tattoo in a visible place.  I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried about how people will judge me.  But not any more.  I’ve made my decision: the tattoo will be on the wrist.  It’s time to leave that era of being bossed into not getting a visible tattoo behind.  Visible tattoos all around!  Go on, do it if you haven’t already.  It’s time to force a move forward.

There’s nothing new about a parent wanting their child to one day follow in their footsteps, career wise.  It happens all the time; family passing on the tricks of their trade to family.  Though it’s a common enough concept for most trades and lines of work, you don’t often hear about tattoo artists passing on their legacy to their sons or daughters.  But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen.

Thirty-six-year-old Blane Dickinson runs his own tattoo studio called Inkaholics Anonymous from his home in Penmaenmawr, Conwy, Wales.  He’s more or less like any other hard working family man, except that in his home, he’s not the only tattoo artist:  Blane’s 3-year-old daughter Ruby is currently being apprenticed by Blane himself.

For her fourth birthday this coming October, Blane will be giving his daughter a miniature tattoo kit, specially designed and made for small hands, shipped all the way from the United States.  Blane wants his daughter to contribute a tattoo of a spider to his leg.  Ruby currently takes “tattoo lessons” after nursery school and practices at her father’s shop with a toy tattoo kit.

It’s really not that surprising that something like this should happen.  You see it all the time with sports or music or even painting.  As long as there’s publicity to be had, people far and wide are always too eager to foist their kids into the limelight.  In this case however, if Ruby truly enjoys tattooing, then I guess this is the best way to learn.  Far better that she be doing this now under her father’s supervision than ordering equipment off Ebay when she’s 14 and scratching in some dingy basement somewhere.  Of course, that could still be a possibility even with her dad’s training, but it seems far more likely that as Ruby grows up she’ll learn a respect for tattooing, thanks to her father.  At least I hope that’s what her father’s teaching her.

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for photo-realism.  Scenes of the earth and animals and the ocean in particular, are all some of the greatest genres of tattoos currently being done.  When you find one of the few tattoo artists who can do the photo realism style some justice, then remember who they are.  Write their names down, if you must, but remember all the same.  The exceptionally good ones are few and far between.

Fortunately, Deano Cook is one of the aforementioned “exceptionally good ones”.  His images of underwater and coral reef life are hypnotic, calm and expertly rendered.  If you love the ocean and want to show that love in a tattoo, Deano Cook is absolutely your man.  Of course, it certainly helps the situation that Cook is an outdoor enthusiast.  He fishes, scuba dives and works on his other passion in life, underwater photography.  Even Cook’s home has two salt water fish tanks, further proof of a man whose genuine passion for the beauty of the sea motivates the day to day work that he does.

I’ve only wanted to improve myself from day one of learning to tattoo. For me, the desire to learn never ends. I try to give people what they want, and people certainly want very different things, so I’ve learned to accommodate. When you broaden your horizons you can only improve. I’ve also found that when I learn in different mediums and forms of art, I can almost always apply these findings to my tattooing.

– Deano Cook (Prick Magazine)

Cook began tattooing in 1993 and by 1994, he had opened up his own tattoo studio called Psycho Tattoo, in Atlanta, Georgia.  Jump ahead 16 years and Psycho Tattoos has three different locations within Atlanta: the original in Marrieta (where Deano can be found), one in Sandy Springs, and one in Douglasville.

Deano, if I ever get to Atlanta, I’m coming to see you.  Take a look at Deano Cook’s portfolio here.  Do yourself a favour and look at it in full screen mode.

When people get tattoos, often they don’t stop to think about the commitment that they are making.  The commitment of having a certain image or even a person’s name is not one that should be taken lightly.  Now, before you start getting all worried that I’m lecturing you (come to think of it, before I start worrying about me lecturing you), I do have to say that a little foresight can sometimes be a really good thing.  But what can you do?

Well how about I tell you?  Sound good?  All right then.  If you are trying to decide how a particular tattoo design will look on a particular place on your body, you might want to pay a visit to Obsessive Ink.  Basically the idea over there is that you can create a virtual you and for the low, buy now price of $1.99 (USD).  You can upload a photo of your face so that the virtual you can be more personal.  You can also upload your own tattoo design and place it wherever you want to on the body – except for the genitals.  Seriously.

The guy who wrote this blog post about Obsessive Ink argues that maybe it’s just as simple to get a temporary tattoo in the spot that you are thinking about getting the real tattoo.  Of course, he misses the point that you can upload your own tattoo design so that you can see how it looks on your body.  Buying a temporary tattoo is not personalized.

That’s not to say that I think Obsessive Ink is all that amazing, either.  It’s a good enough idea for what it is, but what it all comes down is that people make a lot of money off stuff like this, meaning there’s a market for it, meaning that the reason for this is that people don’t want to end up like the people who have tattoos that they hate/are embarrassed of.  So people get curious to know whether or not their idea for a back piece featuring Kenny Rogers is as rad as they initially thought it was.  (For what it’s worth, that is as rad as you thought it was.)  You can hardly blame them.  And hey, even if you don’t plan on actually getting the tattoo, it’s always fun to see how your designs would look on someone. (Without scratching.)

Sooner or later, some people just want to get rid of their tattoos.  Everybody has their own reasons, I guess, but if you ask me, most of the time it’s just a damn shame.  I go out and see crap tattoos on people every day, yet somehow those people are never the ones who are going and getting rid of their crap tattoos.  They literally could be doing a favour to everyone who has trouble looking at lame or otherwise shitty tattoos, but they just don’t bother getting rid of them.  Sad, really.

Now I hear that rapper 50 Cent has decided to get a whole whack-load of his tattoos removed.  If you’ve ever seen a photo of 50 Cent, then you’ll understand what I’m saying when I say that dude’s got quite a few tattoos.  This is an outrage!  What’s next, Lil Wayne announcing that he’s getting rid of his tattoos?  Outrageous I tell you, simply outrageous.

50 Cent, who lost a bet to Kanye West in 2007 over album sales, has made the career altering decision of trying to focus more on acting than the rap game.  For this reason, he needs to get rid of some of his tattoos, as having fewer tattoos will not only help him land more acting roles, but will also cut down on the amount of time on set that he has to spend in the make-up chair getting his tattoos covered up.  Hey 50, you know what else will help you land more acting roles?  Actually being able to act.  Zing!

Yeah, I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that 50 Cent plans to get rid of most of his tattoos or the fact that 50 Cent will now be appearing in more films.  Did anyone see Get Rich or Die Tryin‘?  Yikes.

…And you thought tattoos could be painful.