Not long after getting my Leaseyourbody.com tattoo advertisement on my neck, I started emailing more websites. One of the websites I emailed was GrownUpGeek.com. I had googled tattoo advertising and saw that GrownUpGeek had advertised on another man in the past, I thought they might want to advertise on me as well. I emailed them, and the owner of the site emailed me back right away.

GrownUpGeek.Com is a website that offers help to help beginners in many subjects and even has a forum section dedicated to tattoos. The owner is an awsome person and I am very happy to be advertising for him. As you can see from the photo they are advertising on my lower back.  GrownUpGeek.com is my 8th permenent tattoo advertisement. So far GrownUpGeek.com is the latest website – company to advertise on me. Wait until you see my next post about the next 2 websites to advertise on me, ones going on my forehead the others going on my chest.The deal has allready been done. I Have an appointment for those tattoo advertisement on the 10th.

It’s not a pageant without “Wild Cards”, these two ladies, we chosen by the executive powers that be, these ladies are also invited back out to compete at the 2010 Title Miss Tattoo Pageant.

Wild Card awards are given to contestants that display in some way the various character traits; 100% overall throughout the weekend, and in some instances, touch the crowd, the judges, or the crew in an indescribable, but notable positive way.

Janice (on the right) is a NY Gem, she is an independent, strong willed, outspoken, beautiful woman that is very much a family girl. The entire weekend she was smiles, and sparkles, always wanting to lend a hand, or help out in any way. I love a team player, and she was the first wild card nod at the show.

Ashley HIll, was the second, (on the left), taking a wild card home for her no holds barred honesty and soul bearing while reading a self written poem, “What you don’t know about me”. She had most of the crowd in tears along with most of my staff, gotta love a well written woman. She is an amazing woman, and there was no way I was letting her go home without a Pin.

And there you have it the top five women from the 2009 Providence Pageant. I will be posting some good group shots and a few funny ones from that weekend at Rock the Ink. It was a great time, and I can’t wait for October.

xoxo,

Jen

We talk a lot about the popularity and impact of tattoo culture here on the Tattoo Blog.  It’s always interesting to keep tabs on what’s going on in the industry and what new and sometimes crazy turns that the tattoo world is taking.  In addition to all this, we regularly talk about the conflicts between those people who still view tattooing with a narrow minded outlook.  One thing that we haven’t really talked a lot about however, is the conflict that can exist when religious beliefs clash with a desire for having tattoo work done.

Keen fan Fatima Butt, a 37-year-old mother of 8 from Accrington, England, knows all about that.  After pop superstar Michael Jackson’s death earlier this past month, Keen fan Fatima, who is a huge (and I mean huge), Michael Jackson fan as well as a Muslim, decided like many other fans around the world, to have a memorial tattoo done.  This shouldn’t be a big deal and in fact, having tattoo work done in memory of someone can be a very therapeutic manner in which to deal with grief.

Unfortunately, the religious world doesn’t always see things this way.  The tattoo on Keen fan Fatima’s left arm was quickly spotted by family, friends and devout Muslims at her local mosque.  Keen fan Fatima was then branded as a “sinner”.

‘”In the mosque the immam spoke to my husband about it and that led to other people have been telling me about it and saying that it is wrong.

“I don’t understand what the problem is, I’m not hurting anyone. I have loved Michael Jackson all my life and I wanted something to remember him by.

“I work hard and look after my family, I am a good Muslim a tattoo doesn’t change that.”‘

The problem is that Islam prohibits the worship of idols as well as the alteration or “mutilation” of your flesh in any manner.  Tattooing Michael Jackson on her body is therefore considered quite a major sin in the Muslim world.

It’s not my place to judge anyone’s religion or its practices, but what really amazes me here is that Keen fan Fatima actively chose to disobey her religion in order to have a tattoo done.  If that doesn’t attest to the phenomenal growth of the popularity of tattoos, then I don’t know what does.  It also goes to show how important the art that people have tattooed on their bodies is to them.  Some may call it a sin, but others will call it a very personal and intimate decision. In my eyes, Keen fan Fatima has done what she feels is best for her.  I for one don’t think she’s a bad person and I think the decisions she makes are entirely her own.  I wish her all the best in both her life and religious pursuits.

I know that for most people when they think of India they either think of cheap labor, a third world country, or some cool Sanskrit script ink. Well there is a lot more to the Land of the Mystic East than meets the popular eye. The latest cool thing to come out of India? One hell of a cool Website all about tattoos.

Think I’m kidding? Not so, Kimosabe.

Tattoo 5. Com is based in New Delhi, India, and let me assure you it is a class act in every sense of the word. Not only do they feature in depth articles about tattoos, but all aspects of tattooing as well. (Except for the “How to” crap. Sorry scratchers.)

Articles not only include nearly every form of tattooing you can possibly conceive of, but also articles about the best placement of certain tattoos, existing trends in tattoos, and a depth of information to men and women about the various styles in the tattoo design business.

According to a spokesperson for the company, “We hope to enrich your knowledge about tattoos and make you enjoy the experience of getting a tattoo and also knowing more about it”.

Add all of this to a gallery that can get you lost for hours in some of the most flamboyant styles and tattoos that these old eyes have seen anywhere and you have all the makings of one hell of a good place to be both informed, and entertained. The Website also talks about temporary tattoos and the various inks used in the business, both natural and synthetic. In fact, the amount of information will just floor the reader.

If you have some time to kill, or are just wondering where would be the best place to put that new dragon tattoo you’ve been thinking about, give them a look. At the very least I’ll guarantee it will spark your imagination and, maybe, give you some food for thought.

Peace out, Gang! 😉

So another pageant, another set of “Royalty”…

To the left we have our top three ladies from the Providence Pageant, these ladies advance to the finals for the 2010 title pageant, and they also rock!

We have (starting at the left) Angelique Price 2nd runner up, Jennifer Pantuosco Crowned Overall Winner, and then the lovely Rebecca Lore our first runner up.

These women are excellent examples of Miss Tattoo material. And I couldn’t be happier with the results.  They worked their asses off to be the “best” the could all weekend, and the hard work paid off as they all captured crowns and tiaras.

Angelique is a tattoo artist, a mother, and a wife.

Rebecca is a lighting professional for music productions.

And Jennifer is a professional Nanny, mommy to a cute french bulldog, a wife, and an avid equestrian.

Look for the Wild Card Winners in the next post. Until the next pageant, keep it pretty!

xoxo,

Jen

London Bellman seems like the sort of guy who should be tattooing in Hawaii.  Or Fiji.  Come to think of it, London Bellman seems like the sort of guy who should be tattooing anywhere tropical.  This is because Bellman’s art is bursting with references, themes, moods and the overall aesthetics of the sea, exotic flora, fauna and just the right amount of Tiki.

Though he was born in the Pacific Northwest, Bellman grew up in Redondo Beach, California and spent his summers on Whidbey Island in Washington.  It makes sense how this mixture of coastal towns and lush vegetation had its own sort of impact on Bellman’s style.

“My summers as a youth were spent on Whidbey Island in Washington and this instilled in me a deep appreciation for the green forests of the Northwest, which paralleled my love of the sea I was nurtured on.”

Bellman returned to Oregon for good in 1993, settling in Portland and opening his own tattoo and art studio: Atomic Art Studio.  From here he has produced work that’s as sunny and warm as any tropical locale, despite being in the heart of a place that gets more than its share of rain.

Being a fellow Rain Coaster myself, although a slightly more northern one, I’m afforded a great sense of escape just by clicking through Bellman’s online portfolio.  But the work is about more than escape; there’s an evident true love for his surroundings in the art, as well a really nice laid back feeling that typically comes from tropical and lush environments.

Keep up the great work, London!

I have a confession to make. I don’t Twitter. It’s not because I don’t have the time, (which being a writer, I don’t), but because a lot of what gets put on there is just plain frivolous, self-serving crap in my opinion. I really don’t care if someone is sitting on their patio, or if they just made a “nummy sandwich.” So freakin’ what? But, this is not my only reason.

My biggest reason for not getting involved in the Twit crowd is it becomes all too easy to make a fool out of your self, (I can do that all on my lonesome, thank you.), or get your ass in hot water fast. Especially if you are a celebrity, or wanna-be celebrity.

Take the latest casualty of the Twitter craze, NBA pro Michael Beasley. In his bid to up his popular presence, and maybe get a juicy endorsement contract with one of the several corporations that cater to sports fans, he had to post this picture of his latest tattoo on Twitter. No doubt hoping that the self endorsement as “Super Cool Beas” would actually make him look like he really is “Super Cool.”

I’m sorry to say that the plan backfired with a vengeance. Not only did the resulting subsequent Tweets come back as less than favorable, to be kind about it, but it seems that every one was more interested in what appeared to be a small bag of “da kine” that accidentally got into the shot as well.

See what I mean about making a fool of yourself?

The result? Word came out a few days later that because of all the speculation about what definitely appeared to be marijuana next to him, Michael Beasley checked into a Houston-area rehab clinic with former NBA player John Lucas. I’d about bet that the NBA itself had more to do with that decision than “Super Cool” did.

The moral of the story? If your out there Tweeting, don’t post pics of your latest tattoos. If you do, make sure you don’t leave your fat sack laying around so that you can get busted by your own carelessness.

In truth, I have nothing against Twitter, Michael, or an occasional toke, and I wish Michael all the best in both his career and personal life. But, Bro. The next time you want to post pictures of your newest tattoo, for God’s sake at least check ‘em out first!

Janice D.
Age: 34

Occupation: Bookkeeper, Family business – Jet Uniform

Semi Prescious Jewel Company Designer, Owner, – Princess Creations

Newest Tattoo: Dogs paws on right side

Favorite Tattoo and Why?: My dogs paws, Cause my girl lived for me. She gave me the best 15 years. As people say dogs are bitches…….well its true and my girl and I were the same. I loved her.. She had to be put down because of bone cancer. And I will always have her paws on me for life. she’ll always be with me. I LOVE YOU, Tiffany !!

Tell me a funny story about a tattoo or piercing situation…

I went to have my nipples pierced and the guy almost dies, he never did large breast before and he was so red and sweating. he is 23 and named “Click”, he was so nervous. He passed out and I thought that I was actually gonna be, but wasnt. I almost killed the poor kid. LOL.  But my ninnys came out great…..But I Had to hold his hand….not for me being in pain because he was so shy and nervous…HAHAHA

It wasn’t to long after I received my Hostgator.com tattoo on my neck, that I was searching for the next website to advertise on me. I googled tattoo advertising and came up with Leaseyourbody.com. This is a website where people can create a profile, list what areas of their bodies they are willing to advertise on with temporary tattoos, and for what price. Companies if interested then contact people via leaseyourbody.com. I emailed the owner of the site, and as you can see from the photo now have Leaseyourbody.com tattooed on my neck. It turns out the owner of leaseyourbody.com owns several other websites and will be advertising them on me as well in the future. It was at about this same time the Anchorage Press contacted me about doing a follow up story on me. They had done a story on me a few years ago, they now wanted to follow up, I said sure.The story they did on me can be found at the link below.
http://www.anchoragepress.com/articles/2009/04/02/news/doc49d3ea855d27b522626130.txt

Reason number four million three hundred thousand and six as to why tattoo equipment sales should be regulated to professional artists only!

Yes. I know that tattoo equipment makers have to make a living, too. I know that scratchers will always find a way to make prison tattoo equipment and do the job anyway. I know that people who want to get a tattoo will find a way to do it. But, damn it; I see no reason to make it easy for them. All it results in is the dragging down of our beloved art, and bullshit like this latest piece of garbage giving the sacred art of tattooing yet another black eye.

According to CBS News, 30 year-old Eugene Eaton was recently arrested for allegedly tattooing minors in exchange stolen property such as laptops and video games, according to Sacramento police. Some of these children were as young as eleven years old. In one case it is rumored that the child’s mother gave permission for the tattoo and that she spoke to Eaton on the phone to give him the correct spelling of a name. A 13-year-old was also been arrested. Police say the teen has tattoos on both arms and his chest.

Sacramento Police Captain Daniel Hahn say this modern day Fagin told them he didn’t know the children were so young, despite the fact that the 13-year-old had his birth date tattooed on his arm. Yeah, right. “Please, Sir. May I have some more?” If bullshit were dollars this reject of humanity wouldn’t need to fence stolen property.

Eaton’s family paints a different picture. Eaton’s brother says only one boy gave his brother a laptop in exchange for a tattoo. He says they didn’t know the laptop was stolen. He also says the boy’s mother gave Eaton permission for the tattoo. Even with the last obvious lie fresh in my mind I still have to say, “So the fuck what?! It is still illegal to tattoo minors, Jerk wad.”

My point? If tattoo equipment were not so easily available to the general public, perhaps incidents like this would not have occurred in the first place. Scratchers think that professional artists want the supply part of the industry regulated just to keep them out. Well, yes, but that is not the only reason. Suppliers who make their product available to anyone with a few extra bucks in their pocket are partially responsible for shit like this, and a hundred other tattoo horror stories that crop up from time to time.

It’s not just about making a buck anymore, Gang. It’s about a way of life and maintaining a level of respect that has taken us hundreds of years to reach. Either we as a community get the message across to suppliers, or we will continue to see such outrages. Believe me, enough incidents like this one and we’ll be back to the good old days of the Lysol and water bucket rinse, don’t change the needle, next customer. (Yes, that last remark was sarcasm.)

Tattooing is now a regulated, professional industry in most of the world. I think it’s about time tattoo equipment suppliers were as well.

Image ©CBS News. All Rights reserved.