A while back I did a blog on the draconian tattoo laws in the state of South Carolina. All though I consider most of them to be more than a bit over the top in their anal retentiveness, one that really stuck in my craw was the legal age for getting a tattoo, 21.

Now as I stated before, having to have parental permission to get a tattoo at the age of 18, 19, and 20 seemed more than a little ignorant to me. I can see that kind of law for the legal age of drinking, but for getting a tattoo? PUHHH-LEEESE!

Well, it seems that I’m not the only one who thinks that one particular law is more than a bit stupid. Recently the president of the Senate in South Carolina stated it is unconstitutional to treat 18-year-olds differently than other adults with the only exception being the legal age of consuming alcohol.

Another S.C. politician said, “If teens are old enough to join the military and defend their country, they’re old enough to get a tattoo.” He also stated that he thought the tattooing law of being 21 to get some ink was a bit too old.

Well, thanks to forward thinkers like this, and the efforts of the tattoo artists who put up with miles of crap to tattoo in S.C., the state senate is sitting down to change the law to the legal age of 18.

So, all you tattoo fans in South Carolina get ready. Soon the law will be made far more reasonable and you will have the opportunity to be treated more like the adult your supposed to be. Just remember to think before you ink, Gang.

Now that certainly falls into the category of good news!

A 41-year-old Singapore man has been sentenced to two years and ten months in jail after he aided in the forced tattooing of his friend’s wife in August of 2006.  The husband of the woman was sentenced to a three year jail term in 2007, having conceived of the plan to tattoo his wife as punishment for what he believed to be unfaithful behavior on her part.  In addition to the prison sentence, the 41-year-old “freelance” tattooist will receive six strokes with the cane.

The attack took place after the woman arrived at the apartment of a friend early one morning.  There she found her husband and his friend waiting for her.  The woman was shoved into a bedroom by her husband, at which point the husband and his “freelance” tattooist friend held her down, gagging her with a towel and tying her legs and arms to the four corners of the bed.  The husband of the woman then sat on her legs as his friend went to work with the tattoo gun, branding her breasts, abdomen and forearms.

11 laser surgery sessions later and the woman still has a long way to go with regards to removing the tattoos.  In addition to this, the tattoos were not professionally done and as a result, there will be many scars and a certain amount of skin damage.  There are no photos available of the woman’s flesh, but from the sounds of it, the results of this brutal attack are most likely not too easy to stomach.  Abuse is never a pleasant subject, but when the abuse is done with a tattoo needle, the scars are both mental and physical.

The sentences themselves also seem relatively light for a country such as Singapore, where strict adherence to the law is no joking matter.  But the idea of this scratcher getting six licks with the cane that Singaporean justice enlists is also a pretty brutal punishment.  If you’re not familiar with the caning punishment, the canes pictured below are actual canes used for this um, procedure.  The prisoner is bent over and whipped across the bare ass.  Hard.  I’ve seen these canes in person as well as the set up for the entire operation, and let me tell you that six lashes with that cane will make mister scratcher wish he’d never been born.

Crazy world.

For anyone who actually pays attention to what I write on here, you may remember back in December when I wrote about how tattoo artists and clothing are going to be the next result of the tattoo’s mainstream status.  Tattoo artist created clothing isn’t exactly barreling down runways in Milan and Paris, but that certainly doesn’t mean that its appeal isn’t growing.

Take for example the latest side project of tattoo artists and Miami Ink stars Darren Brass, Chris Garver, Yoji Harada and James Hamilton.  For these four talented guys, it’s all about the babies.  That’s right, their new line of clothing, Ruthless & Toothless, focuses on “onesies” (those one piece things babies wear, for any of you out there who have no clue what a onesie is).  That’s not all though, in addition to the aforementioned onesies, Ruthless & Toothless also sells baby T-shirts, dresses, hoodies and beanies.  Everything is small and designed with providing stylish clothes for babies in mind.  A quick look through R&T’s first clothing line has me thinking that all of this is well…pretty rad.

But wait!  What’s this?  The R&T guys also plan on selling phone covers for your mobile, something that has been going on in Japan for years and which I’m sure will bode well for Ruthless & Toothless in America.  Aside from that, there’s laptop covers, pacifiers, trash cans and a whole bunch of other stuff that isn’t necessarily related to babies but which is very nicely designed indeed.  Also, the stuff is made in the USA, so for once, labour isn’t being outsourced to some other country where people are paid like, two cents a month for their work.  Although, I can’t vouch for where the clothing itself is made before the main design work is implemented.  Still, as far as R&T is concerned, all their stuff is made in the US of A.

There you go.  Kids are being introduced to tattoo art before they’ve even cut their first tooth.  It really says a lot about where tattoo art currently is with regards to the public, as well as where it’s going.  Some may think it doesn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things.  But it’s hard to argue the fact that many people out there will be eagerly throwing down thirty bucks or more just so that their kid can barf all over a onesie designed by one of the best tattoo artists in the world.  Believe that.

Since I recently went off about the ridiculous comment made by an obvious tattoo hater, (Most of which was so off base fact wise that I had to wonder about just how “informed” the guy really was.), I thought I would take a look at just how far the art of tattooing as actually advanced in recent years. Especially since I was around for most of them.

In the 60’s and 70’s tattooing was just starting to be looked at by many art school graduates as a viable medium for presenting their art, as well as a way to avoid the starving artist routine. Sad to say that since the popularity of tattooing as a viable art form was still in it’s infancy many of the shops then were still the parlor style where health concerns took a back seat. I would also guesstamate that 90% of the clientele were still the military and social outcasts that were usually associated with tattooing.

Although clinical procedures, and sterility of instruments were highly recommended by quite a few of the legends of tattooing, Sailor Jerry for one, most parlors simply didn’t bother. After all, it had worked for years before, why change now? With the public awareness turning to communicable diseases in the early 80’s things really began to change.

Now days, (Especially in regulated areas.), most modern tattoo studios are more aptly described as tattoo clinics with their emphasis on single use instruments, hospital sterilization techniques, and hygiene. Most all of the horror stories are regulated to unlicensed scratchers. And no, you simply can not do the same level of sterility in your living room/basement set up.

Thanks to the influx of talented artists, and gorgeous custom work, the art of tattooing has also now claimed it’s rightful place as an art form with many mainstream U.S. reference works, magazines, and newspapers.

Tattooing won a spot in the 30 volume Macmillan Dictionary of Art in 1996, as well as an extensive treatise on the subject in its 16 volume sister publication Encyclopedia of Religion. The Governor’s Office of California issued an official state proclamation in 1982 declaring that “…tattoo is primal parent of the visual arts… It has re-emerged as a fine art attracting highly trained and skilled practitioners.”

In 1986 Wall Street Journal’s Leisure & Arts column featured a lengthy article detailing the history of the changing tattoo art scene. In 1989, Esquire magazine stated that “Serious artists are joining the ranks of tattooers and their designs are being exhibited in museums and featured in expensive coffee table books.”

Just last year in March USA Today said that, “The once-rebel art of tattooing has achieved mainstream popularity in 90’s America. Today’s typical tattoo studio is clean and comfortable with tattooing areas that resemble medical-clinic rooms. The people who come in on any given day might be students, professionals, even senior citizens.”

What else can I say? I could go on and on, but to steal an old tag line from the 70’s: “We’ve come a long way, Baby.”

Peace Out Gang! 😉

Last week I posted a piece about an Idaho scratcher by the name of Andrew Walthall, who was on the lam after news of him tattooing some 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old and not properly sterilizing his needles, hit the news.  Walthall had been missing since March 6th when a warrant was issued for his arrest stemming from a misdemeanor charge of injury to a child.

Well, several minutes ago I discovered that Walthall was found and arrested at about 6pm on March 15th, by Caldwell, Ohio police.  At the time of his arrest, Walthall had been found hiding in the trunk of a car in a garage belonging to friends.  Aside from being charged with obstruction of justice, Walthall will also be charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Oh Andrew, Andrew, Andrew…this world was not meant for someone as simple as you.  Who the hell hides from the cops with drug paraphernalia on their possession?  Was he passing the time in that car trunk by blazing a nice rock?  I guess those sorts of questions are best left unasked, as they tend to overshadow the even greater question of who gives unlicensed tattoos to underage kids with gear bought off the internet?

Anyway, the most important thing here is that there is now officially one less scratcher out there.  Breathe easier.

Know a great tattoo artist who is good at zombie tattoo pictures and designs? Leave a link to there zombie tattoos in the comments and we’ll add them to Tattoo Blog!

Brandon Bond
All or Nothing Tattoo
2569 S. Cobb Dr., Smyrna, Ga. 30080 – Phone: 770.435.9966

Brandon Bond
All or Nothing Tattoo
2569 S. Cobb Dr., Smyrna, Ga. 30080 – Phone: 770.435.9966

It’s pretty surprising to me that with all the recession talk and money being scarce and jobs being non-existent and what have you, that the US government is actually setting aside money to pay for tattoo removals.  No kidding, Congress’ $410 billion spending bill has been sent to US President Obama and among the nation’s most pressing costs is $200,000 for tattoo removal in the state of California.

Now, I don’t know what any of you out there think about this, but speaking as someone who lives in a country with nationalized health care, I can assure you that this sort of thing would not even be covered here.  It would be termed a “cosmetic procedure” and the cost would come out of your own pocket.  Am I wrong in assuming that people shouldn’t have to pay for other people to have their tattoos removed?

Part of what irritates me about giving a clinic money to remove tattoos, is that they are using some of the money to “educate” students at local schools about the perils of being tattooed.  Then, as if that isn’t bad enough, the organizers of this clinic use the excuse that people want jobs but they can’t get jobs because of their tattoos, so they have to come and get them removed.  Huh?  That to me is not the problem of tattoos, that is the problem of a society that puts far too much emphasis on the ridiculous notion that tattoos are somehow a gauge of a person’s work ethic, skill and moral fiber.  Besides, aside from neck, face and hand tattoos, pretty much every other tattoo can be covered up if need be.  You could work a  9-5 desk job, wear a suit every day and still be covered in tattoos without anyone knowing.  So I’m sorry, the excuse that people can’t get jobs because they are tattooed can be true in some cases, but for the most part I’d have to say it’s a pretty weak excuse to ask for $200,000 worth of tax payers money.

True, the article does go on to say that 90% percent of those coming to the clinic to have their tattoos removed are gang members, but even if that is an accurate statistic, I still don’t think the general public should have to pay for it.  $200,000 could probably be better spent in areas where gangs are prevalent, educating youths about the medical danger and stigma that could result from joining a gang.

Am I wrong?

The military has always had a long-standing tradition of tattooing, far longer than many would guess. From the sacred designs of the Ta Moko of the Maori to the Gulf wars, tattooing has predominated the warrior way of life. Even Julius Caesar commented on the “paint” that the Celtic warriors of Briton wore.

While the Navy has always had a long-standing association with tattoos, it is the pride of the Marine Corps in tattooing that deserves some long awaited and deserved attention.

Short of the afore mentioned Maori, one would be hard pressed to find another group that takes as much pride in both their reputation as warriors, and their ink. If I were to count up the number of military tattoos that I have done, the U.S. Marine Corps would be the winner hands down. At least three out of every five military tattoos that I did went into the skin of a Devil Dog.

The U.S.M.C. emblem was one of my favorites to do, as was the different variations of  the Marine Bulldog, and to a man you could see the pride written in their faces once I had finished. Here was what a military tattoo was all about. Brotherhood, pride, and patriotism. A tradition that I hope never to see the end of.

While many of us civilian collectors get our art to make a personal statement, and simply because we love the art in and of itself, the military tattoo holds a special place in the history of tattooing. One that is almost as special as the men and women who serve. It shows their commitment and dedication to keeping us safe in an unsafe world.

While I focused on the U.S.M.C. in this blog to give them some much deserved props, I am not ignoring the rest of our Armed Forces. Each and every one of them deserves our respect and support. I know that there are a lot of tattoo parlors set near our military bases. Mine was not one of them, so perhaps I was in a better position to gauge who was getting tattooed the most. After all, they had to go out of their way to find my shop, and I always cut 50% off of any tattoo that I did for our service men and women.

Still, nothing gave me as much personal satisfaction in my art than when a Marine came into the shop and I was determined to give them my best. (Yes, I did my best for every client, but I was more aware of my desire to do extra special work for our military; especially a Marine.)

So, to all of you out there who are risking your lives in our Armed Services: God bless you all!

And to that special group, The Marine Corps: “SAEPE EXPERTUS, SEMPER FIDELIS, FRATRES AETERNI.”

Stay safe.

There has sometimes been a question as to whether, or not, laws regulating scratching and scratchers is fair. It has even popped up here on Tattoo Blog. Well if the last horror story wasn’t enough to convince anyone that the art of tattooing is better off being regulated how about this one from Australia?

In the Land down Under only the State of Queensland has the regulation to be licensed, unlicensed operators risk a $30,000 dollar fine, and even that was being poorly policed according to Caz Smith of The Professional Tattoo Association of Austraila. As a result cases of Hepatitis B and C had risen to an alarming 277,000 from only 13,000 across the continent within the space of a single year!

Now I have to ask the question that since the Aussies are on the large part unregulated, just who is being treated fairly? Certainly not the poor saps who will have to live out their lives, (short as those may prove to be), with these deadly diseases thanks to allowing scratchers to run wild!

One of the biggest whines that scratcher supporters, (most likely the scratchers themselves), have is the high cost of an apprenticeship. What? You want an artist who cared enough to pay the price to get his own training to give it away to you? This argument is just another case of wanting something for nothing, or damn close to it.

Hell, the reason I had to quit tattooing was because of my deteriorating eyesight. Am I crying about the cost of surgery being too high, or unfair? Hell no! I am doing all I can to get the cash to get the surgery done. Its part of the price I’ll have to pay if I ever want to tattoo again, and I’m willing to pay it. This is on top of what I’ve already paid for an apprenticeship, and getting properly trained. Why? Because the art and the client are worth more than my putting them at risk by not being able to see properly, that’s why!

We pay the price necessary to get something we want more than anything, and it isn’t easy. If your too damned spoiled to do whatever it takes to get properly trained, or too damned lazy, then you don’t deserve to be a tattoo artist in the first place. Which is most likely the real reason you get turned down.

After a few years of dealing with people from all walks of life a tattoo artist gets to be a pretty good judge of character, and if your are a good enough artist, if we see you have the heart to do the work well and give it, and your client the respect they both deserve; most of us have no problem working something out. If you show us that you are just looking for an “easy” job, most likely we won’t give you the time of day. Even if you do have the cash.

Tattooing is not an “easy” job. Tattooing is not something just anyone can do. Tattooing is a very special art form. Tattooing is a highly developed skill that takes a special kind of person to do right.

So are tattooing laws unfair to scratchers? Damned skippy they are, but they are a hell of lot more fair to the people who matter the most. The client and our fellow tattoo artists who had the balls to do whatever it took to become a tattoo artist.

Know a great tattoo artist who is good at celtic tattoo pictures and designs? Leave a link to there celtic tattoos in the comments and we’ll add them to Tattoo Blog!

Anil Gupta
Inkline Studio
62 Rivington Street, #1-B
Bet. Allen St & Eldridge St,
New York, NY 10002
212-228-3393