Frankly this tattoo was a bit of a disappointment. It’s also the reason you shouldn’t be afraid to be really specific with your artist.

I wanted a Piece of Heart from the Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. It’s a glowing heart inside a larger, heart-shaped crystal. My plan was to get the red heart in the center, then get the outline of each facet. I was going to come back for another session later and fill in the difficult blue/green shading. I thought that I was REALLY SPECIFIC with my artist; it turns out he had a totally different idea of what I wanted. I’m not sure how but he got the impression that this was going to be the only sitting ever, I wanted absolutely no color, and he should shade in the crystal in depressing black that makes the whole thing look like an emo, goth spiderweb.

I did double-check the stencil, and he had drawn the lines I wanted him to draw in the tattoo. He did not explain that the lines he’d drawn were merely guides to himself to know where to shade the crystal.

I keep telling myself this is fixable. I’ll go in for my second sitting (sooner rather than later) and get color added over the gray, and it will be the tattoo I originally wanted. It’s just a lesson. I didn’t want to be annoying and bug him and be really picky and particular. And now I have a tattoo that is basically the invert of the tattoo I actually asked for.

Placement of the tattoo is inspired by Care bears. Every Care Bear has a heart high on their right butt-cheek, canted slightly left. So that’s what I got. Now that I have it, I call myself Snark Bear.

The quality of the tattoo is, I think, amazing. The artist did an excellent job doing what he thought I wanted. This was simply a failure of communication.

We are starting a new Japanese Hanya Mask tattoo pictures section on the site feel free to link to your favorite tattoo pictures in the section this page is dedicated to Hanya Mask tattoos.

Filip Leu
The Leu Family’s Family Iron Street Shop
36, Avenue de France
1003 Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone/Fax: +41 21 624 87 08

Filip Leu
The Leu Family’s Family Iron Street Shop
36, Avenue de France
1003 Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone/Fax: +41 21 624 87 08

Grime
Skull & Sword
3415 Cesar Cavez
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.552.42897

Jason Brooks
ROCK OF AGES TATTOO 2310 South Lamar
Austin, Tx

Tim Hendricks
Saltwater Tattoo inc.
Costa Mesa, CA US

After reading Dr. Hook’s post on food themed tattoos, I decided to post something that continues on with the theme of food and tattoos.  Well, it seems that as is increasingly becoming the case with tattoo artists, the art is finding its way on to more than just skin.

Minneapolis tattoo artist Mike Tofano has designed a complete set of dessert plates and mugs for Jessica Rust Designs – a Minneapolis based, small batch specialty ceramics shop.  Tofano’s sets include four mugs, four dessert plates or a complete set of both, and can also be personalized.

So I’m thinking that maybe all those people that like to get food tattoos will also be tempted to pick up a set or two of coffee mugs or maybe even some dessert plates.  While this kind of stuff might not exactly be everyone’s cup of tea (pun intended), I love the fact that it exists.  It’s just another side of the ever diverse tattoo culture, making its way along for all sorts of folks.  I think this kind of stuff makes a wicked potential wedding gift for tattooed couples that you may know.  Who wouldn’t enjoy finishing off a tasty piece of chocolate cake only to see good tattoo work on the plate beneath the crumbs?  Cake and tattoos?  What is better than that?

Not only is this stuff cool, but it’s also really interesting to see tattoo art make its way into the world of tea parties and cake eating sessions.  It’s almost as if every few months yet another tattoo related product is released into new and often unique demographics.

Could tattoo artist designed condoms be far off?  Or a tattoo artist designed socket wrench set?  Only time will tell.  All I know is that now I want some chocolate cake…

I don’t watch TV, so I don’t really have any concept of who is cool or whatever on channels like MTV or VH1.  But I found this article today about how VH1 has hired Daisy de la Hoya to blog for them about tattoos on their blog.  Each week, Daisy will choose her three favourite tattoos which can be sent in by people like you, and you, and you over there, too.  VH1 takes submissions of personal tattoo photos from, I’m guessing, people that would be Daisy’s fans and who want Daisy to potentially say nice things about their tattoos.  All right!  Oh yeah, there’s only one problem…who the hell is Daisy de la Hoya?

It took me a little while to find out exactly who Daisy de la Hoya is and why anyone would care what she thinks.  Turns out that Daisy was the runner up on Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels.  Although that title sounds suspiciously like a porno, it was actually a reality-dating program on VH1.  She’s currently the star of another VH1 reality program called Daisy of Love (also not a porno).  Why am I telling you this?  Well, I just wanted to assure you that VH1 has picked someone fully qualified to give opinions about your tattoos.  So rest easy, friends.  Rest easy.

Personally, I’d rather have Oscar de la Hoya tell me that my tattoos were rad than Daisy.  I don’t know why VH1 chose Daisy over Oscar, but I do know that if someone is going to send photos of their tattoos anywhere, it should be to me, right here at the tattoo blog.  Why?  Well, plainly put I actually have a degree in judging the awesomeness of tattoos.  I went to the prestigious Tattoo Judging Academy in Cork, Ireland.  So I’m set.  I may never have been involved in anything that also involved Bret Michaels, but I’ll still be able to give you the single best ever judgement of your tattoo work.

I guess that if you really are a Daisy de la Hoya and you want her to judge your tattoos, I should tell you that you can do so by heading here.   

Think that misspellings only occur in Kanji tattoos, Arabic tattoos, and my posts? Well I’m afraid I have some bad news for you chuckles. It happens more often than anyone would like to admit, and can cause some hilarious results with the spelling nazis out there.

There is really very little you can do with a misspelled tattoo once it‘s been indelibly inscribed into your hide, other than get it covered up. So it is probably a good idea to spell check that stencil before you get into the chair. The stencil can be corrected, your tattoo can’t. So don’t be shy about letting your artist know the stencil is misspelled. He’s not going to get all bent out of shape, and will be more than happy to fix the stencil.

Another way to get a misspelled tattoo is to be a complete asshole and piss your artist off. Deliberate misspellings, as well as some other tattoo skulduggery, as been a hallmark of the angry artist for as long as the art has been practiced.

Deliberate, or not, tattoo misspellings can happen to everyone, including celebrities. For example:

Hero’s beauty Hayden Panettiere has been recently showing off the misspelled ““Vivere senza rimipianti” running down her side. The actual spelling of rimipianti is rimpianti. Coincidentally, the Italian phrase means “Live Without regrets.”

Soccer star David Beckham has a misspelled tattoo of his wife’s name.

And we all ready know about Rihanna’s faux pas with the now famous Sanskrit tattoo.

This also happens in English, though, if you think you are safe there. I’ve seen misspelled quotes, “Tammie” spelled “Tammy” to the chagrin of the client who didn’t check first. As well as many other English spelling mistakes that weren’t even noticed until a few weeks later.

So remember to check that spelling before you commit to the ink. Unless you want a memorial tattoo that reads, “Loving spouse and fiend” permanently embedded in your otherwise sweet tattoo.

Piece out, Gang. 😉
(Yeah, I did that on purpose.)

Being multi-talented seems to be a vocation for thrash metal drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil. Not only is he the drummer for the veteran metal band KREATOR, but he has recently opened his own tattoo studio in Essen, Germany under the name Carnap Ink Corporation.

To be honest, Reil has some real chops on both the drums and the tattoo machine. As can plainly be seen here.

Tattooing and all forms of Metal have gone hand in hand from the get go, and seeing Some of the work Jürgen is doing in his shop only solidifies the connection. Able to do everything from intricate tribal designs to some killer new school, it would seem that Jürgen will not be tied to any one medium for expressing himself.

While not having any plans at the moment to leave his position with the band, Jürgen is more than a little excited with his new venture, and putting as much of himself into his art as he does into his music.

Not long ago a new fad, as some have called it, in tattooing began gaining ground. A bacon tattoo blog that Ange posted here on Tattoo Blog recently seems to have been the tip of the cupcake. To say the least. So, with your permission, I’m gon’na piggy back off that great post and continue with the broader emerging scene of food tattoos.

Saltshakers to Flying Pizzas, the people who want to immortalize their fav food are getting it tattooed on. Now there are quite a few who see this as a coming boon for the laser removal crowd, and it could very well be. I’m just not seeing it that way myself. Different folks like different things and there are many still life paintings dedicated to food. So, if the person has a food tattoo and they like it, I see no reason to tell them their going to regret that.

The Tattoo Gods know I’ve had that said about some of my work, and it was only true once. A lover’s name tattoo. The rest stay. I like ‘em!

All that matters in the end is what someone wants to turn into living art. And there’s some damn fine work being done out there. I can’t link you to all of them, but here are some sweet food tattoos from my research. Epicurean Art: Amazing Food Tattoos,by lanne, Dec 31, 2008.

Things like this are one of the reasons I love tattooing. Nothing is sacred. Tattooing covers more tastes, subjects, and all around pure art than any other medium I can think of. Pop Culture, Fine Art, Cartoon, Low Brow; the list is endless……and a hell of a lot less boring for the artist!

Ya just never know what you’re going to get asked to do. Food themed tattoos are just another challenge to be inked with the same skill as the last portrait. As long as the collector loves it, that’s all that matters in the end.

I can’t wait to see what tattoo collectors want next. I’m sure it will be anything but un-original and boring.

This is the Japanese word ‘Satsuki’, which is an archaic word for the month of May. The literal breakdown is, the top means “sprouting crops” and the bottom means “moon”, hence, the month when things start growing out of the ground.

My last name is May. When I lived in Tokyo, this was what people called me. When I sign my name, I add this to the end. I got it to show how important my family is to me (surname), and to show how much I like Japan.

I’m aware that Satsuki is most frequently a female name but it’s not unheard of as a male name.

We are starting a new tattoo pictures section on the site feel free to link to your favorite tattoo pictures in the section this page is dedicated to dragon tattoos.

Steve Moore

Dave Fox
Studio One Tattoo
234 Chester Pike, Norwood, PA US
(610)586-4640


Jason Brooks
ROCK OF AGES TATTOO 2310 South Lamar
Austin, Tx

Dave Martinez
Addictive Ink Tattoos
Albuquerque, NM US
Suite D-2
505-268-5006

Hey, are you always looking for just the right coffee table book?  No?  Yes?  I don’t care either way!  Actually, this particular book does look funny and interesting all at once and how often do you find a book about tattoos that’s funny and interesting all at once?  Not that often, right?

I like looking at great tattoos just as much as the next guy/girl, but really, if I want to see good tattoos, I know which websites to check out, whose galleries to scan through and if I’m really desperate, I can just look at my own.  Ha ha ha ha!  Sigh…

Anyway, the book in question is called No Regrets: The Best, Worst & Most #$%”ING Ridiculous Tattoos Ever and it’s by Aviva Yael and P.M. Chen.  It’s 144 pages of tattoos that can and will make you laugh or just shake your head.  There’s also a forward by comedian David Cross and man, David Cross is just one damn funny guy.

Some folks might not really be interested in laughing at other people’s tattoos, but aw heck, those people need to loosen up.  Laughing at bad tattoos is somewhat therapeutic, I think.  It also never ceases to amaze me what people will get permanently etched onto their skin and this book simply pays tribute to really bad tattoo ideas.  I think everyone knows someone who has a bad tattoo.  Maybe you’ve always been stifling a laugh or two whenever you’re around them.  Well now my friends, you can buy this book and purge yourself of all those deep down repressed tattoo laughs.  Check out a review of the book here.

Incidentally, if you’re about to get a tattoo and aren’t already certain of what it is that you’re going to have done, maybe take a trip over to the Matador Network and read their article on 10 Tattoo Cliches to Avoid at All Cost. I don’t necessarily agree with everything on here, (I personally like neck tattoos) but it’s still an interesting read, at any rate.

Lastly, seeing as how I mentioned David Cross with regards to the No Regrets book, here’s a quick video of David talking about tattoos and then showing his own off.  Enjoy and have a great week.