In September of 2008, former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and famed Los Angeles DJ, DJ AM, were in a plane crash together in Columbia, South Carolina.  Both DJ AM and Barker escaped the crash with serious injuries, but the four other people on board were killed.  One year later, DJ AM’s body was discovered in a New York City apartment.  He’d died of a drug overdose.

Barker and DJ AM had been close friends, playing live shows together in which Barker played the drums and DJ AM manned the turntables.  The pair released an album that was available as a free download, but it seemed just as things were getting going musically with the two, DJ AM’s life was cut short.  Barker is certainly no stranger to tattoos – the guy is covered in the them and so recently, six months since DJ AM was found dead, Barker has had a new tattoo done in memory of his friend.

The tattoo is on Barker’s thigh and it was done by the super awesome tattoo artist, Mister Cartoon.  The work itself features the words “In Memory of DJ AM” and shows an angel in prayer in the clouds.  A great way to honor a friend who’s passing was no doubt very difficult for Barker, but also for the world of music as well.  Plus, you just can’t go wrong with a one of a kind Mister Cartoon tattoo.  Rest in peace, DJ AM.

Okay, so I recently sent some love and tattoo info to the good people of Portland (still haven’t figured out if you’re Portlanders or Portlandians – feel free to write in and tell me which is the right one) and I like to think of myself as a pretty fair guy.  Because of this, I’m going to try and regularly let people know if something worth knowing about that is tattoo related is going on in their city.  I won’t stick to just the American cities, either – so for you people out there who might be reading this from somewhere out there in this vast world of ours, I’ll do everything I can to keep my tattoo related news going strong beyond all borders.

However, as it currently stands, my next bit of tattoo news does happen to take place in the USA.  So for all you tattoo hungry folks out there in Milwaukee – are you Milwaukians?  Milwaukers?  Milwaukateers? – I have a little bit of info for this coming St. Patrick’s day.  If you’re Irish and proud of it, then you should know that Milwaukee’s very own Super Star Tattoo (712 S. 2nd St.) is offering $25 shamrock tattoos this St. Patrick’s day (that’s March 17th) from noon to 8pm.  Just don’t show up drunk – in which case you’ll probably want to head there as early as possible so that you don’t have to curb your St. Paddy’s day drinking.  At any rate, Happy St. Patrick’s day and good luck with the tattoos, Milwaukee people!

Writing for Tattoo Blog, I’m constantly seeking out different tattoo artists to do a little profile on and also, I’m looking for tattoo artists that will blow me away with their skills.  What I’ve learned along the way is that wow, there really are sooo many rad tattoo artists out there doing their thing, getting little to no exposure along the way.  Possibly the best thing about finding these tattoo artists is that feeling I get when I discover someone that I didn’t know about – that feeling that I get when I see someone’s art and it just blows me away.  That’s a really amazing feeling and the fact that I can regularly experience it is just a huge testament to all the talented artists out there currently owning the tattoo world.

So yeah, once again I was rocked by someone’s art while looking for a tattoo artist to profile and that someone is Kore Flatmo.  A native of Los Angeles, California, Kore has been tattooing for 18 years.  In 1999, he opened up PluraBella Tattoo Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Along with his wife, Brenda, Kore has been running a top notch tattoo studio, thanks in no small part to his pure talent.  Rich in detail, smooth, clean lines and chalked full of the sort of realism that only a artist who is well in control of his craft can provide, Kore’s work is an inspiration to tattoo artists and the tattooed alike.  Go through his online portfolio and randomly click on a tattoo and I assure you that not one of them will be anything less than superb.

In his bio on PluraBella’s website, Kore writes that he hopes he’s tattooing for 30 more years yet.  Well Kore, you’re not the only one.  Keep it up, man and thanks for being such a great example of what a real tattoo artist’s work looks like.

If there are any Portlanders out there – is that what people from Portland are called, Portlanders?  Is it Portlandians? – and you happen to be in the market for a new tattoo, well then do I have a deal for you.  If you’re not a Portlander or a Portlandian but you still happen to be in the market for a new tattoo, well I’m sorry, I don’t have any sort of deal for you at the moment.  I’m terribly sorry.

Anyway, Mikal Gilmore and Traci Manley own and operate Portland’s very own New Rose Tattoo.  The shop opened in the fall of 2009 and for some reason that I can only chalk up to sheer generosity and niceness, the duo are offering $80 tattoo gift certificates for New Rose at half price.  So basically, you can buy an $80 gift certificate for $40.  Nice, huh?  BUT!  If you are a Portlander/Portlandian currently in the market for a new tattoo and this New Rose Tattoo deal sounds great to you, be warned: there are only 9 – count ’em – 9 gift certificates left at this super fantastic discount rate and the gift certificates are limited to 3 per customer.  Once they’re gone, they’re gone.  So act fast and get tattooed!

Today I sat down to eat my lunch and turned on the TV.  I’m not much of a TV guy, though (it’s pretty much all crap), but when I saw that The Golden Girls was on, well, hell, I’m not made of stone.  So I started watching the Golden Girls and as I was watching it I started thinking Hey, this isn’t half bad.  There’s still some good jokes on this show.  After it was over, I kept thinking about those zany Golden Girls and I decided that a lot of people liked that show and continue to like that show and that a lot of people probably don’t like to admit that they like that show.  I bet even right now, there’s a couple of you in the closet Golden Girls fans out there reading this, nodding in agreement with my opinions.

Well, after I thought about the Golden Girls TV show, I started wondering if there are people out there who are so into the Golden Girls that they would get Golden Girls tattoos.  And you know what?  There are.  I don’t know why it surprised me so much to discover this, but some people are nuts about the Golden Girls.  This article in particular not only highlights some of the Golden Girls tattoos out there, but also provides a character by character analysis in order to help you better decide which Golden Girl best suits your personality.  If you’re a Golden Girl fan but afraid to admit it, maybe this is exactly the sort of inspiration you need to help you come out and say Yes!  I love those damned Golden Girls and I want to tattoo them on my body!

Then again, maybe you just prefer Alf.

Ahh the video store: home to countless employees who have bigger dreams and bigger skills.  Everyone knows that writer/director Quentin Tarantino used to make ends meet by working in an LA based video store before he stormed the Hollywood scene with Reservoir Dogs. In fact, I’m willing to bet that if you ask any given video store clerk what their future goals are – a great deal of them will tell you that they’re working toward some sort of goal in film or as an artist of some sort.  Video stores just seem to be a nice creative environment for those who want something more but need to make some cash while in the process of working toward that something more. Chris Labrenz of Edmonton, Canada happens to be one of those people.  Although he works in a video store, Chris happens to be a pretty decent artist.  His drawings of characters and images from everything from popular TV shows to horror films and more adorn the walls of the Edmonton based video store Movie Studio where Chris is the assistant manager.  He sold his first piece when he was 13-years-old for $1000 and hasn’t looked back since.  He’s even sold his artwork to the dark lord of metal, Ozzy Osbourne.  Hey, when Ozzy’s got some of your artwork hanging in his home, I’d say it’s safe to say that you’re a success.  Labrenz has taken this success as an artist and moved into the realm of tattoo.  He’s currently apprenticing at Edmonton based tattoo shop Capital Tattoo. Sounds pretty cool indeed.  I’m sure there will be a time in the not so distant future where Labrenz is running his own tattoo studio and transferring that demand for his art on to flesh.  Best of luck to you, Chris.

I think that the vast majority of us can relate to wanting to purchase something in particular really badly but just not having enough cash for it.  Sometimes you have even have to sell off some of your cherished possessions in order to get the cash that you need.  It sucks, but hey, it happens.  Tattoos are no different.  Sometimes you’ve just got to have that tattoo done by that certain artist and no matter what it takes, you’re going to make it happen.

The most important thing to keep in mind when this sort of intense need for a tattoo strikes is that some things are a better way than others for getting that cash that you need.  Example: selling your bicycle, selling your guitar, selling your Xbox, etc…  These are all decent ways to quickly get the cash that you need to help get you set up with that tattoo you’ve been wishing for.

Then there’s just the really stupid way to get the money for a tattoo, like setting up an elaborate ruse through the internet in order to rob someone for cash.  That’s how Christine Lynn Damann of Coon Rapids, Minnesota went about attempting to get the cash that she needed for her tattoo:

According to the complaint, the robbery victim said he met Damann online on Livelinks and was lured to a 6424 Douglas Drive in Brooklyn Park March 3. When he arrived, he was directed to go to the Eden Park Apartments.

The man said he was then confronted by two individuals who punched him, robbed him of his pants, cell phone and other property.

Damn, they took dude’s pants?  Robbing him of his cash is one thing, but taking his pants?  Come on!  Give the poor bastard a break.  Anyway, Damann was caught and later confessed to setting up the entire thing so that she could get a tattoo.  Talk about stupid.  What happened to getting a JOB?  Oh well, at least Damann will be able to get that tattoo that she wanted so badly after all…in prison.

Among the things that I like about tattoo artist James Kern is that his portfolio has a specific section in order to showcase the hand and foot tattoos that he’s done.  Tattoos and feet are in my opinion some of the greatest spots on the human body for tattoos and the fact that Kern acknowledges this not only with his work but also with a specific spot in his portfolio is pretty refreshing.  Not to mention that the work that he does on feet and hands is pretty damn fine.  Pretty damn fine, indeed.  That’s not to say that all of Kern’s work isn’t pretty damn fine, I just thought I’d mention the feet and hands stuff first.  That okay with you?  Good.

Before James Kern started tattooing full time, he tattooed friends and made his living by colouring comic books.  A pretty cool sideline, and when you think about it, a pretty appropriate one for a tattoo artist in training.  In 1995, Kern graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, then went on to begin his career as a tattoo artist at Chicago’s Milios Salon.  It was while at Milios that Kern met and learned from numerous big names in the tattoo industry, including Guy Aitchison and Kim Saigh.  Kern stayed at Milios for three years, honing his skills and making plenty of friends along the way.  After three years, Kern moved on to the No Hope No Fear tattoo studio.  Today Kern lives in Portland Oregon, still in the No Hope No Fear family, tattooing at its Portland location.

In addition to my own personal fondness for Kern’s hand and foot tattoos, his portrait work is amazing as well (I love the Woody Allen portrait).  All of the black and grey work on display here is phenomenal and when Kern does splash in some colour, things get downright three dimensional.  A superb tattoo artist who deserves all the recognition he can get and more.  So what are you waiting for?  Go check out James Kern’s stuff!

I don’t typically pay much attention to temporary tattoos.  Why would I?  Permanent tattoos are far better, of course.  I’m also willing to bet that the majority of people who regularly visit the Tattoo Blog aren’t really interested in temporary tattoos either.  But you know what?  As it turns out, temporary tattoos are freaking huge business.  Don’t believe me?  Check this out:

Hidden away in the industrial corridor south of Aviation Highway between Palo Verde Road and Alvernon Way on the southside is a one-of-a-kind, international company that generates as much as $20 million a year by temporarily fulfilling people’s desires to adorn their bodies.

“We are the global leader in FUN” reads the sign outside Tattoo Manufacturing Incorporated where they manufacture six million temporary tattoos a day. Extrapolate that to an annual production and the numbers exceed over a billion product units per year.

KA-FRIGGING-BOOOOOM!!!!  Can you believe that?  Over a billion product units per year?  $20 million a year?  That is completely amazing to me and far beyond any of the numbers that I would have guessed that a temporary tattoo company can do.  I think that I grossly underestimated the popularity of temporary tattoos.  Which isn’t to say that I think they’re cool, but…damn, that’s a lot of temporary tattoos.  The Arizona based company is responsible for most of the temporary tattoos that flood the global marketplace each year, and they’re only getting bigger.

On the retail side, TMInternational does business with the biggies — Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Target — and other recognized retailers. They produce tattoos of Disney princesses and millions upon millions of pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness events.

“Our largest single sale was to Kellogg’s cereals a year ago when we printed 28 million temporary tattoos for a promotion in their boxes of Pop Tarts,” Tooker said. And there are other worlds yet to be conquered, he said.  “McDonald’s is on our radar for their Happy Meal. We haven’t cracked that one yet, but we’re trying.”

Apparently their demographic is between the ages of 5-18, which is cool.  I remember loving temporary tattoos when I was a kid, so it’s nice to see that still hasn’t changed.

Billy getting PornHub on face

My adventures in tattoo advertising continue with PornHub.com. This is a really great adult website. They are advertising on my right cheek, Just below my zoozle.com tattoo ad. I now have 9 tattoo ads on my head so far! I am looking for new websites to advertise on me. I think it would be cool to advertise for tattooblog.com. I can see it now Tattooblog.com right on me face, or on my nose or somewhere else.

One of the tattoo ads I did a few months ago has really paid off well for me. I did a tattoo ad for Liberty Tax service. In the deal I advertise for them on my neck and in return I get my taxes done for free for life! I went in and they did my taxes for 2008 and for 2009. If I did not get free taxes my total for doing my taxes would have been $1,400 dollars.

I am now in search of more websites to advertise on my. In the next week I will continue to email websites and companies in the hopes of adding additional advertisements to my body billboard. I made front cover of Bizzare magazine so I am pretty excited about that. They did a feature on me thats in the latest issue. Stay tuned as I become the ultimate human billboard!