I want to state up front if you are under 18 please do not go to the websites listed in this post of mine.

 Not long after getting my GrownUpGeek.com Tattoo advertisement, I once again started contacting websites. I thought about it and decided to email a different kind of website. I started emailing you guessed it adult websites, or porn websites. I am not going to lie, I have watched porn. Heck I still do. What man doesn’t?  Hopefully my fiance is not reading this, or I am in trouble. Sure my passion is helping people but I have a wild side also who doesn’t?

      So I started emailing adult – porn stars that were my favorite. I emailed Evelyn Lin, and Minka they are two of the most famous Asian Porn stars in the business. First Evelyn Lin emailed me back. Evelyn Lin is an awsome person I gotta start off by saying that, she really is. She said my email asking her if she was interested in tattoo advertising on me was one of the most interesting emails shes received.  She also said she was interested in advertising on me. She choose my chest to advertise on. I am going to be getting that tattoo advertisement this week. The only thing I am waiting on is my tattoo artist. The studio where I have recived all my tattoo ads is very busy and are generally booked up 3 weeks out.  I am very excited to advertise for Evelyn Lin and LoveEvelyn.com. I will post photos once the advertisements are finished.

        It was not long after Evelyn Lin choose to advertise on me that Minka emailed me back. She has an awsome website called MinkaXXX.com. I am going to be honest here I enjoy going to her website very much. Minka is a very nice person as well. So far everyone I have advertised for have been really nice people. I have been very lucky. Minka let me know that she was interested in advertising on me.  I asked her what location she would be interested in advertising on. No, I know what your thinking she did not choose that area. She choose my forehead.  MinkaXXX.com was the first website to advertise on my face, but she wont be the last to advertise on my face there is more to come!

If, like me, you like all things tattoo and like the idea of helping out at the same time, then the Ol’ Doc has something that may be right up your ally.

Everyone, I’m sure, remembers the devastation that hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused to New Orleans, but besides the terrible loss in humanity and real estate there was an unseen side to the trouble those two storms caused. Something that most of us rarely think about, but personally, I think we need. The unseen cost was to literacy.

Perhaps the greatest boon to America that Benjamin Franklin created was the public library. The ability to read, and have access to knowledge and the great literary works of mankind are often taken for granted by us. Our public libraries have been a part of our heritage for so long that most of us tend to leave them in the back of our collective memories. Yet they too suffered greatly from those two storms.

Enter The Texas Library Association. As a part of their efforts to help rebuild libraries that are still recovering from the damage without passing the buck off to the taxpayers they have created a 2010 calendar called, “The Tattooed Ladies of TLA.”

That’s right, tattooed librarians. If the thought of a librarian having tattoos is something of a shock to your system, then that alone should show you just how far the beloved art of tattooing has entered into mainstream Americana.

The calendar is an 18 month view fest , starting with January 2010, of the charms and often concealed art of  21 women of the Texas library community. The Tattooed Ladies represent both urban and rural libraries; public, school, academic, and special libraries. You’ll meet seasoned professionals and passionate lay advocates, retired librarians and library school students.

As you can see from these few photos of the models, some of these girls have been hiding some killer ink under that business dress.

So if your sick of those predictable calendars with cute puppies and nature photographs. Your purchase will help secure the future of Texas libraries and allow  you to spend 18 months getting better acquainted with these fascinating and dedicated women of Texas libraries. Not to mention you’ll be helping to keep literacy alive and well.

The 40 page calendar, priced at $20,  is printed in full color on glossy stock (pages are 8.5 high by 11 wide). That’s less than .50 a page, and I believe you will find it well worth it. Who knows, you could be laying your hands on a future collectible in the world of Tattooing.

Peace out, Gang! 😉

I know that temporary tattoos don’t exactly get the blood pumping with excitement over here at the Tattoo Blog, but even the most hardcore tattoo enthusiast has to admit that a temporary tattoo has its time and place.  I know, I know..I can pretty much hear the collective grumblings of  What the hell are you talking about, Mike?  But hear me out on this one.

When it comes to children (or “kids” in layman’s terms), anyone who has spent more than at least 30 seconds with them knows a couple of things.  One: that kids have extremely short attention spans and really like to wander and often as a result of these wanderings, end up getting lost.  And number two: conventional society and the “law” tends to frown on tattooing kids with real ink.  Just ask Enrique Gonzalez, if you don’t believe me.

These are indeed two problems, but now thanks to Washington D.C. native Virginia Lu, the dangers of children getting lost and the legality of tattooing them has been sidestepped just enough to make everyone happy.  Lu has come up with Tottoos, temporary tattoos which can be custom made to include your child’s phone number.  The Tottoo, which reads “If I am Lost, Please Call _________” can also be made to specify medical alert needs as well as any potentially serious allergies that a child may have.  Prices and quantities of Tottoos vary, so if you’re interested in purchasing some, it’s best to just head over to the site and see exactly what’s available and for how much.

There you have it.  Temporary tattoos redeeming themselves in quite a good way.  I actually think this sort of temporary tattoo identification could really work for those nights when you have just a bit too much fun at the pub or club.  A “Put Me In A Taxi” temporary tattoo or a “Call My Girlfriend/Boyfriend ________, I’m Only Going to Get In Trouble If I Stay Out Any Later” could also really come in handy for slightly more mature “kids”.

Name: Heather Hammond

Age:22

Occupation:Hospital administrator, Q103-Radio promotional model,Molsen-Coors/Miller promotional model.

Newest Tattoo:A Marilyn Monroe zombie face on my right thigh. It’s a fix from what it was before!

Favorite Tattoo and Why?: Well I love all of my tattoos and its hard topick but I would say my favorite is the anchor on my right calf that says “GMa GPa.” It’s for my grandparents who are still alive and I got it to honor them for being my anchor in life. I have learned so much from them. They raised me and I owe a lot to them for helping shape me into the person I am!

Tell me a funny story about a tattoo or piercing situation…: hhhmmm a funny storey huh? Well….the funniest thing would probably be when someone came up to me and asked me if I was wearing a fake sleeve tattoo. You know…one of those sleeves you get from the costume store to make it look like you have tattoos. I laughed and said I hope you’re joking…but the guy was totally serious and I had to prove that they were real! Needless to say I have never had anyone ask me that before!! It’s not like it was a costume party!!! 🙂

Every now and then, a tattooed celebrity will come forward and bemoan the fact that they ever decided to get tattooed in the first place.  It happened with singer and actress Brandy and most recently, singer and on again off again TV personality Kelly Osbourne has stepped up to tell anyone who cares that she hates her tattoos.

“Don”t get tattoos, please, because you hate them when you get older. I hate them.”

Osbourne went on to explain that many of her tattoos were decided on while she was drunk.  Now that she has gone through rehab several times, she is living the life of a sober person and can admit that her tattoo decisions were not the most well thought out plans.

Kelly Osbourne had a drinking problem and made bad decisions with regards to tattoos?  Hard to believe that Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter could turn out so troubled.  Kelly even trashed the keyboard tattoo on her forearm, which I personally quite like.  Again, she blamed it on the drink.

Perhaps Kelly has people’s best interest at heart when she tells absolutely everyone not to get tattoos.  No offense to Kelly, but the only life lesson that anyone should consider taking from her is to not let yourself get all messed up with the booze.  Anything beyond that kind of reeks of hypocrisy and condescension.  Not every person is going to have the same experiences as Kelly had and just because she got all messed up for a few years and got some tattoos that she now regrets is not the fault of tattoos.  It’s her fault.  Coming out and telling people not to get tattooed because they’ll hate it later on is tantamount to her coming out and telling everyone never to have a drink because they’ll turn into raging alcoholics.  Some people actually think their decisions out logically and rationally and one person’s experience isn’t always the same as another’s.

I for one have probably had my tattoos for just as long as Kelly Osbourne has had hers and I don’t regret them in the least.  I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.  So thanks for the advice Kelly, but I think everyone’s doing just fine without it.  Maybe you should have taken your old man’s advice on this a while back…

.

While following our own Billy the Billboard’s adventures in ink, which I find very interesting by the way, as well as thinking about the recent posts that Mike, (Mjones), made about literary tattoos. I got to thinking. Long story short, Ol’ Doc got off his ass and drug out the research tools. Just to see what else may be out there in the world of literary and advertising tattoo work.

Imagine my surprise when I found a tattoo that combined both elements in one neat little package.

Granted, there are dozens of Tattoo magazines out there. Skin and Ink, Savage, Tattoo Flash, Skin Art, and so on. The list of magazines grows almost daily and so does the competition for the tattoo communities dollars. Well, the ones we aren’t hording for our next tattoo, that is.

So what’s a publisher to do if; one, you are a new magazine vying for a spot in the public’s eye? Two, if you only have a couple of issues under your belt?

If you happen to be Swedish tattoo magazine, Tare Lugnt, you have your third issue tattooed on some kind hearted soul’s leg, then put it up on your website for all to read. That, of course assumes you can read Swedish.

Now, it’s unclear at the moment whether the man with the ultimate collectors issue was paid for this service, (it is, after all, a budding magazine), or even who the proud owner of the third issue is. Though there has been some speculation that the leg in question belongs to Blogger/Artist Marc Stromberg.

What is clear is that this has to be the ultimate marriage of literary tattoo, advertising, and one hell of a publicity stunt. I mean, what better way to promote a tattoo magazine than to make an entire issue a tattoo? Not a very long issue, granted, but a definite statement.

About the only thing I could think of that could possibly top this would be for one of the corporate giants to pay Billy the same amount they spend for a Superbowl spot. Which I, for one, would like to see happen. They could put him in all sorts of magazine advertisements, or a couple of TV spots. How cool would that be?

Peace out, Gang! 😉

26-year-old Julia Seizure has managed to fit a lot of great stuff into her life.  Born in Hong Kong, Julia had the remarkable experience of growing up in London, England as well as Hong Kong.  This continuous exposure to contrasting cultures, colours, fashion and lifestyles no doubt influenced her pursuit in later years of two foundation degrees in art and make-up.

After apprenticing under UK based tattoo artist Jay Parker, Julia began her tattoo career in London.  Soon enough however, Julia made the decision to return to Hong Kong, where she opened her very own tattoo studio called Star Crossed Tattoo.

Star Crossed has proven to be quite popular with locals and visiting tattoo seekers alike, thanks in no small part to Julia’s own skills and the talent of the other artists she has working alongside her.

Specialising in custom and colour tattoos, Julia’s work has a very broad range, although looking at her gallery, there does seem to be a particular large percentage of flower and bird tattoos.  There’s nothing wrong with that though, because she does it so damn well.

Most recently, Julia has just returned from the Norwich Tattoo Covention, in Norwich, England where she was busy doing tons of tattoos (and tons of bird tattoos, from the sounds of it).  If you want to keep up with Julia and her work, you can do so by checking out her blogs here and here (though the former seems to be updated far more regularly). Aside from that, her tattoo skills can be booked (far in advance), by email or phone at (+852) 6256 0217 or (+852)3427 3820.

Not long ago I did a piece about how tattooing equipment should be as regulated as the artists are. Well, if that one didn’t convince you that this is a real problem in the tattoo community which should be addressed, maybe the story of this jerk will.

George “Hook” Jerutis, 54, a tattoo artist in Joliet Chicago was arrested this year for tattooing a four year old. Yep, you heard me right, (and believe me I’m not too thrilled with his nickname, either), a toddler. This isn’t the first time the self taught scratcher, he doesn’t deserve the title tattoo artist, has been in trouble with the law over tattooing minors, either. According to the Joliet Herald News he was previously arrested in 2001 tattooing a 13-year-old and two 15-year-olds.

In the “I have only three functioning brain cells.” department, what got this jerk busted this time was a picture he posted on his “Learn to Tattoo” website of him putting a real tattoo on a four year old. Again, you heard me correctly, a “Learn to Tattoo” website that promises to make anyone a tattoo artist, complete with a certificate that you can wipe your dumb ass with, via an online course!

George freely admits on his site that he, “…decided to buy a Tattoo kit and start Tattooing.” Not only that, but, “Well I thought the next logical step was to share what I have learned over the last 26 years. Just another way to give back. So I wrote a Tattoo Textbook and got it copyrighted  with the Library of Congress. I will use a electronic version of the book for the Online Apprenticeship.”

If this guy isn’t a walking poster child for why the supply industry needs to be regulated, I don’t know who is.

He even goes so far as to deride tattoo schools where you actually have to be there in order to learn, and even has the nerve to call it “Common Sense.” Too bad he doesn’t have any himself.

“There are a lot of Tattoo schools out there and they cost a pretty penny to go to ( any where from$1200.00 to $2000.00 for 3 days). You will learn the fundamentals, but you have to travel to them. Here is one you can stay at home with and learn at your own pace.”

No shit, Sherlock. In case you didn’t know learning the art of tattooing is a hands on thing, not something you can distance learn like one of those cheap learn at home accounting courses that won’t hold water with any degree.

Think that George’s course is a bargain at $500.00? Think again. Basically the “Apprenticeship” is just his book with a couple of online “tests” thrown in to make is seem like your not paying that price for his book. Personally, I have serious doubts that his book is worth $500.00. I also have to wonder what advice it gives for tattooing minors? Give ‘em a lollipop and tell ‘em not to squirm so much? Anyone stupid enough to fall for this scam is a sucker in their own right.

Police believe there are other children in the south suburbs with Jerutis’ tattoo ink under their skin, and they want to know how many. Any parent who suspects his or her child was tattooed by Jerutis is asked to contact the Shorewood Police Department.

At least if he gets what he deserves this time, he’ll have a way to make a living behind bars.

Now if you all will forgive me…I have a sudden urge to puke.

I swear that I’m not deliberately trying to provoke reactions on controversial subjects this week, but I saw this story in the news today and I felt that I had to comment on it.

I don’t watch UFC or any of that M-1 kind of stuff.  Doesn’t interest me and I’ve got better ways to spend my time than to watch two meatheads beat each other senseless.  Plus, all these ultimate fighter guys look a little too much like the type of dudes who used to turn up at punk gigs when I was a teenager, drunk off their asses and looking to fight anyone who was foolish enough to make eye contact with them.  But I digress…

The problem here is that one of the fighters who fights M-1 fights, Toni Valtonen, has a rather large Nazi tattoo.  Nazi tattoos, in this bloggers opinion, are the worst of the worst, the vilest of the vile.  Not only do they represent something entirely abject and objectionable, but they also do absolutely nothing positive for the image of tattoo artists and the tattoo community as a whole.

When questioned about his Nazi tattoo, Valtonen had this to say:

“I had a crazy and rebellious youth, I made some faults in my past and I am not proud of these marks. I regret that I ever had these tattoos made. Nowadays I am a dedicated family man and professional athlete, and I am not involved in any politics whatsoever.”

That’s fair enough, I suppose, but none of that changes the fact that getting the tattoo removed would be the intelligent thing to do.  People have the right to get what they want tattooed on their bodies, but when that tattoo advocates hatred and murder, well…then I think that one sort of forfeits those rights.  It seems to me that everyone should be free to do whatever it is that they want to do, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone else.  Last time I checked, Nazism harms others.

Like I said before, these sorts of tattoos shine a negative light on the tattoo community.  I personally don’t understand the artists that will willingly tattoo these sorts of images.  A friend of mine tattoos in a rather Yakuza saturated area of Shinjuku, in Tokyo.  Over the years she has forged some friendships with the Yakuza gangsters in the area.  She has also tattooed many of them with overtly fascist and anti-foreign images and phrases.  When I asked her why she does it, she told me that she simply loves to tattoo and that by refusing to tattoo the Yazkuza men, she is passing judgement on their lives just as they pass judgement on people of other nationalities and races.  She felt that passing judgement is what causes hatred and she maintains that she doesn’t want to be a part of that.  It’s an interesting manner of looking at things, though I can’t help feel that to indulge racists, fascists and thugs with the tattoo art of their choice is only adding to the problem.

Regardless, anyone who gets something like a swastika tattooed on their body should have to deal with the consequences.  I guess until he decides to get his Nazi tattoo removed, Toni Valtonen will have to deal with the negative backlash of being labelled a Nazi or a Skinhead.

Name: Angela La Jeunesse “The Cupcake Pin-up”

Age:25

Occupation: Cake Artist and culinary arts major

Newest Tattoo: my cupcake pin-up on my right calf
Favorite Tattoo and Why?: my favorite tattoo would beeeee…hmmmm….this is a hard question because they all mean so much to me….i think it would have to be my miss wild card crown….it is my chest piece and rightfully so because miss tattoo holds a very big place in my heart.

Tell me a funny story about a tattoo or piercing situation…funny tattoo story? uhhhhhh i guess it would have to be my theigh piece i got it done the day before good friday and then i went on a 11 mile pilgrimage with my family…at the end of the walk my roses on my tattoo were so swollen i started calling them my leg boobs