All seriousness about tattoos aside, all respect for another person’s taste on hold, sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade.  I don’t know anyone who hasn’t seen a truly crappy, cringe inducing tattoo on someone before, a tattoo that makes you take notice and just ask aloud “What the hell were they thinking?”  Sometimes, it’s nice to just sit back and laugh at the truly idiotic tattoos that exist out there.

Sound good?  Well, if it does, then you need to take a trip over to Loltatz, a blog that posts photos of utterly crap tattoos and then proceeds to add captions that are pretty much hit or miss in the humor department.  It doesn’t matter though, because once you start checking out these tattoos, you won’t even need the captions to make you laugh.  A word of warning however: the stuff on there is definitely not safe for work, so unless you have a really cool boss or you are the boss, then I’d wait until you get home to laugh at other people’s bad taste.

The blog can also be quite educational.  For example, I had no idea that amongst the realm of horrible tattoos, penises seem to be the single most popular image.  Not only penises, but penises in a variety of strange hybrids and situations.  The “Cockstrich” in particular, is a rather interesting mix of Renaissance art and Napoleonic military might.  Perhaps after looking at some of these tattoos you may find yourself asking who these people are and why it is that they’ve done what they’ve done to themselves.

That’s okay.  You won’t be the only one.

Nothing ever stands still in today’s world. No sooner has tattooing reached an acceptable level of respect in the world of art, one long overdue I might add, then they come out of the woodwork with new ideas to completely change the face of the art. How come I don’t see them trying to rearrange the face of oil and watercolor painting?

The latest bid to change the art into something more science fiction, programmable tattoos. Tattoos that you can not only change the color of, but the design itself. Sheeesh! I may be a bit old fashioned, but I had always thought that the whole appeal of a tattoo was the commitment to permanency. The main reason for the “Think before you ink” tag.

Sound far fetched? Well it’s probably not as far off as you would think. All you have to do is become something of a cyborg. Why is it that all these science types are bound and determined to make us a combination of human and machine? Maybe “Resistance is futile.”

Robert A. Freitas, Jr., a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing in California has the idea that you could implant a display just under the skin so the light was visible through it on your hand or arm. This display, reported in Cryonics magazine, would have billions of light-emitting nanobots that can move around to spell words or make other images in the display. All you have to do to control it is tap yourself like a keyboard. This “nano-skin” polymer film was recently displayed by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Not into the idea of having a implant? No problem. Popular Science showcased a speculative design that is bonded to the surface of the skin. A matrix with conductive microrods is applied. Then an electromagnetic field used to align the microrods by placing a pad over the skin until the matrix is dry. A second layer of digital ink is applied in a matrix over this, and then another layer of conductive microrods is aligned at right angles to the first.

This all makes the display component for a low-power Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). The WPAN’s pocket-sized server would then be capable of synchronizing with a Wi-Fi enabled PDA device and allow for the uploading of images. I have to wonder what a computer virus would do to the components at this point, or what kind of spy ware you could upload onto your body. Think tracking you on the web is a pain in the ass to your privacy, imagine what new programs can do by tracking your life through your programmable tat?

I’m sure there are quite a few people who think a programmable tattoo would be the bomb, and I’ll leave that, as well as the headaches it can very well cause, up to those who want it. For myself, I’ll stick with my traditional indelible ink. I’m not that interested in allowing “the powers that be” a new way to access my life, nor in becoming Borg…Klingon, maybe…but not Borg. 😉

Live long and prosper, Gang.

With art collectors paying mega bucks for back pieces, tattoo themes showing up in modern graphic styles, and clothing popping up all over with tattoo inspired motifs, it is not difficult to say the line between tattoo and mainstream art is growing thinner by the day.

Enter Churchfield and Seth Leibowitz, owners of Artform, a combination Tattoo Studio and Art Gallery in Lower Burrell, PA. These two entrepreneurs are determined to totally erase the line between tattoo art and so-called fine art once and for all.

The walls of the foyer are a gallery of art for sale that covers one of the widest range of tastes imaginable. Ranging from traditional oil and water colors to photography. The themes cover the usual round of landscapes to the decidedly more interesting “lowbrow” styles that have lent themselves so well to the art of tattoo over the ages.

Don’t expect the tattooing to be much in the way of traditional flash, either. Just like their gallery they make it a point to do the individualized custom work that has raised tattooing to such a lofty status over the past couple of decades. As Churchfield put it, “…there’s no straight lines on the human body. You need to design to fit onto the individual.”

The two are also self professed hygiene fanatics, and go the extra mile to ensure their clients safety from blood-born pathogens. Since Pennsylvania has few regulations Churchfield and Seth adhere3 to the regulations that govern Ohio, as well as the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. Everything is disposable. Each client gets new, unused, needles and tubes.

Since it’s opening last year Artform has staged several fundraising events, including a benefit for animal rights activists, Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley in February that netted over $1000 in donations. A cancer benefit is planned for the 9th of May this year.

So if you are looking for that killer custom piece from a couple of artists who define the word, or just something cool to hang in the living room. Make some plans to give Artform a visit around May 9th. Either way you’ll be helping out a great cause, and get a gander at a true tattoo art gallery.

Research scientists at the New Jersey based Freedom2 Inc. have developed a new product called “Infinitink”, which is a black tattoo ink designed specifically for people who might one day want to have their tattoos removed.  The ink doesn’t exactly rub off, but its removal takes far fewer of those (apparently) painful laser removal appointments.  Tests showed that a tattoo was completely removed after 2 laser sessions, whereas a typical tattoo can take up to 20 visits before it disappears.

All right…So uh, anyway, is anyone excited?

Okay, okay, I won’t be a downer on this one.  I mean, on one hand, knowing that your tattoo can be removed relatively easily if need be could be a comfort for some people.  Sure, that could be the case…but I don’t know, there’s something about this idea that strikes me as really well…lazy.  Call me crazy, call me stupid, but in my eyes a tattoo should be a big decision.  Yes, I agree that not everyone sees it as a big decision, but those people shouldn’t be rewarded for their inability to take responsibility.  Do we really need to relegate the tattoo to something frivolous, something with junk-food-easy- answer status?  What’s that?  Your Star Wars back piece tattoo doesn’t seem as cool as you thought it was ten years ago?  Too bad.  Make better choices next time. It’s all part of growing up.  Why are scientists always busting their asses working on stuff like this, anyway? Where’s that fucking cure for cancer already?

I know, I know…this will end up being a good thing.  Right?  Right?

Mister Cartoon is not the sort of guy who seems content to simply stick to one thing.  Growing up in San Pedro, California, Cartoon began his career as a graffiti artist then quickly moved on to a multitude of various jobs: illustrator for Hustler magazine, designing hip hop group album covers, creating custom car murals, gang inspired graffiti backdrops for film and magazine advertisements and eventually, tattoo artist.

His tattoo work itself has received its share of spotlight thanks to the work he’s done for mainstream rap artists like OutKast, Cypress Hill, Eminem and 50 Cent, as well as pro basketballers such as Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz.  

In addition to Cartoon’s tattoo work, he’s also designed a limited edition Nike sneaker which Nike claims is among its most coveted releases in their history.  As if all this weren’t more than enough work and attention for one person to handle, Imagine Entertainment co-chief Brian Grazer has signed a deal to produce a biopic on the life of Mark Machado, aka Mister Cartoon.

Yet through all this, it’s especially strange to consider how many tattoo artists come from a graffiti background, and how big of a role graffiti played in their personal style and like Mister Cartoon, their current success.  The tattoo artist can be celebrated by the mainstream now, everyone’s okay with that, but somehow graffiti art is still a criminal offense.  It makes you wonder: if reality TV can stomach a half hour of people getting tattooed and if we live in a time when a tattoo artist can be a media darling, then will it be much longer before those forms of media and entertainment are turned on to the work of graffiti artists?  All in due time, I guess.  For now we’ll just have to wait and see how well a Hollywood film about a crazily successful tattoo artist does at the box office.

As many of you out there well know, it is something of a trend to have a motto, or personal message tattooed in Chinese characters. It may, however, surprise you to know that in China there is also a new rage in tattooing that mirrors this. Having the message tattooed in English characters.

While the art of tattooing has been around in China for almost a thousand years, with the first recorded tattoo being done on the back of famous general Yue Fei, as a rule tattooing has been traditionally looked down on in China. Especially since the Communist takeover. Soldiers and police officers must be ink-free. Sports stars rarely have them, and employers discriminate against those with tattoos, thinking tattoos are more for criminals. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

But it seems that no matter what culture you grow up in the art of tattoo just won’t stay down. In recent years, even in the oppressive atmosphere of a controlling government, China has seen a boom in the tattooing industry. Scores of parlors have opened in Beijing, mostly in back alleys and privet residences.

While this leaves the art totally unregulated, so far the Chinese government is doing little to stem the tide. In effect giving a “blind eye” acceptance to the newly burgeoning tattoo scene. Let’s hope that when they do take an interest it’s the right one. Not another Tiananmen Square fiasco.

As it stands now tattooists in china can hardly keep up with the demand with people under thirty wanting Western designs, and those over thirty wanting more traditional Eastern motifs. Appointments have to be made months in advance. All in all it is rather encouraging to know that the art is gaining ground there. All that is needed now is regulation and training to ensure both the quality of the art, and the safety of the clients.

Still, considering the hilarious mistakes that have been made in the past by Western artists misinterpreting the meaning of Chinese symbols, I have to wonder. How long will it be until we will have to let some poor sap know that what he thinks says “Good Luck” on his bicep actually says, “Gay Luke”?

All kidding aside. It’s good to see that the phenomenon of tattoo gaining in acceptance as a unique art form is truly world wide.

It would seem that the good times for scratchers is about to take another hit. This time in the state of Minnesota. As things stand at the moment all you need in much of the state to open a tattoo studio is the cash to get started. No training, no license, just the equipment and a list of potential victims…..Uhhh, clients.

A recent bill in the State Legislature not only looks to change all of that, but has also raised both the support, and anger of the states estimated 750 tattoo artists. Well maybe not all of them tattoo artists. As far as I, or anyone else who has taken the time and money to be properly trained will tell you. If you just picked up a machine and started fucking people up, you sure as Hell don’t have the right to call yourself a tattoo artist. You’re a scratcher, plain and simple.

Ryan Welles, a former tattoo artist from Duluth, Stillwater and upstate New York expressed it quite well. “That there’s not more of a groundswell of understanding, that this boom industry is completely unregulated — to me, it’s difficult to comprehend.” I couldn’t agree more, especially in today’s world of communicable diseases, and all the hard work artists have invested in getting the art of tattoo to the general acceptance level we currently enjoy.

To it’s credit, a number of cities and counties in Minnesota, such as St. Paul and Hennepin County, do have ordinances and tattoo artists there are required to follow Federal occupational-health and safety regulations. For the large part though the state as a whole is wide open to the scourge of unscrupulous scratchers, who are only interested in getting in the back door of a boom industry without having to pay their dues.

According to the Star Tribune: “The bill would mandate standard health-related practices for artists and require training and inspections. If local regulations met or exceeded the bill’s requirements, providers would be exempt from the license requirement but still subject to inspection.” Thank God!

As anyone who is a tattoo artist will tell you, there are health concerns to getting a tattoo. Heaven knows we have relayed more than enough horror stories about the terrible results of scratching here at Tattoo Blog to more than make the point. Let’s face it, a careless scratcher can give you something that Ajax won’t take off.

I also know all the whiney arguments that the scratchers use to make it sound like they are being discriminated against. Personally, I call BULLSHIT! If they cared about the art as much as they claim to, they would pay their dues and bust their ass to get the training they need to become a real tattoo artist. When you really love something, not a single force on Earth can keep you from it.

I applaud Minnesota for finally getting off it’s duff and putting some regulation in place, and double kudos to the cities and counties there who had the foresight to already have some regulation. Trust me guys, you won’t be sorry you stepped up, and the art of tattoo will get a big boost in the right direction.

Peace out, Gang.

Pop superstar Rihanna has just got some new work done – it’s small but it’s there! The crooner reportedly flew New York based tattoo artist, BangBang, out to Los Angeles to ink the half dollar-sized gat on the side of her ribcage. It doesn’t look like there is too much detail in the piece that would require funding the artist’s cross-country trip but, hey, not all of us have money to burn.

Rihanna was hesitant about placing her new tattoo a bit higher, between her shoulder and armpit, due to her Cover Girl contract. Uh, as of the lastest news flash, doesn’t Cover Girl manufacture a hot little product known to many as MAKEUP?

It’s got to be one of the single most popular tattoos amongst punk rockers and musicians who paid attention to the early 80’s hardcore scene: Black Flag’s black bars.  Hell, even if you don’t have a single tattoo on your body, if you’ve ever spent even five minutes in a punk club at some point in your life or hung around with punks, metal heads, skaters, surfers, stoners or even jocks, then you’re pretty much guaranteed to have known or seen someone with the iconic four staggered black bars.  It’s a legendary design that honors a legendary band.

Until now, it’s been somewhat of a secret society, these black bar tattoos.  I’ve come across people in places as far flung as Tokyo and Bangkok with the tattoo.  It doesn’t matter if two people speak the same language or not, if you come across someone with this tattoo, all you have to do is point at it, nod and smile.  Bingo, you’ve found common ground.  A few beers later and you’re screaming the lyrics to “Six Pack” with your new pal over a plate of nachos.  This tattoo brings people together, and that’s exactly what four guys from Philadelphia have realized.  Stewart Dean Ebersole, Matthew Smith, Todd Barmann and Jared Castaldi are going to be travelling around the USA and Canada in search of everyone with the bars tattoo.  They are photographing these and featuring them in an upcoming book entitled “Barred For Life”, dedicated specifically to the ultimate punk rock tattoo.  The guys are even thinking about going worldwide in further search of the bars, which I personally am all for.  In all the times that I have seen this tattoo on people, no two ever seem to be alike.

If you happen to have the bars tattoo and are currently living in the USA or Canada, then head over to Stewart Dean Ebersole’s MySpace page and send him an email letting him know.  Your tattoo could help be a part of what sounds to be a very cool project.

Punk rock and tattoos, kids…all we need for a better world.

Also, I can’t talk about a better world and not include Kermit the Frog.  Perhaps entirely out of place alongside Black Flag, but hey, Kermit’s always been down with tattoos. Too bad about Miss Piggy, though.  Besides, it’s spring and I’m in a good mood.  Enjoy.

OK. It takes a lot to piss me off, but having the Moral Oral’s run around putting the tattooing and body modification community down for what we do with our own bodies is something that gets my blood boiling in short order. To be short, as long as you are an adult and not hurting anyone else, what you do with, or to your body is nobody’s business. Not mine, not the governments, (or at least it shouldn’t be), and certainly not the “moral” folks out there who seem to believe they have the right to dictate how everyone else is supposed to live.

Case in point a recent article by Joseph Farah that uses the same heading as a book by David Kupelian titled “The Marketing of Evil”. The full title of the thinly disguised, religious right, article with byline is, “Discriminate against tattoos, piercings at your own risk. Employers with appearance codes face lawsuits from ‘body modification’ activists.

Apparently this is a re-print from an article originally posted in Oct. 2006. Close enough since it appears in the World Net Daily, owned by the afore mentioned Farah. Apparently he couldn’t find anything new to write about and decided to re-toss the same disinformation turd at us a second time. Since the article has his copyright placed on it, I have to wonder if he paid the people who’s images he used in the article for that right? All of them chosen, of course, for their extreme tattoos and body mods.

Very little is said throughout the article about the strides made in sterilization , art, or clinical atmosphere prevalent in licensed tattoo studios across the U.S. However there is plenty to say about the “dangers” of tattooing and body modification. All slanted so that it would seem like getting a tattoo is just short of suicidal. Including the suggestion that tattooed skin has so much nerve damage that it is less sensitive than non-tattooed skin.

Worst of all it makes the tattoo community look like the “bad guys” for standing up for our rights and not being afraid to say that we won’t be discriminated against just because we like our art, and our piercings. Neither of which make the slightest difference in the character, or abilities of the person who has them. If you’re a good person, no amount of tattooing is going to make you a bad person, and vice versa.

Isn’t it interesting that those who kept trying to beat it into our heads that it isn’t what’s on the outside that counts, but what’s on the inside, seem to do and about two-face, when it comes to something that doesn’t fit into their “moral code for the masses“.

Look into history and you’ll notice something. Every single time these moral assholes have stuck their noses into everybody else’s business the result has been a disaster much worse than the thing they were up in arms about. The temperance movement led directly to the creation of organized crime. The discriminatory laws, (originally aimed at blacks and Mexicans), against a certain plant has led to the creation of more criminals and destroyed lives than the plant itself could in and of itself.

Not to mention that when you scratch the surface, you will almost inevitably find a skeleton in the closet that dwarfs the “evil” they fight against. To be short, maybe they should remove the beam from their own eyes before they try to pull the speck out of ours.

While I’m not one for lawsuits; I prefer to gain acceptance by character and what’s on the inside, I’ll certainly stand beside anyone who feels the need to fight for their rights in that way. Discrimination based on appearance is wrong and I hope one day we will learn better.