Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Finale)
By Victor Farinelli Well, the end is finally here. In the two-episode finale of this season of Ink Master, I have been left wondering the meaning of life. Well no, not really, but it has a good ring to it. Our contestants are finally whittled down to the last four. In the first of the two episodes, the contestants did not have to do a flash challenge. It was straight to the elimination challenge. They had to demonstrate all the different aspects of tattooing to see who gets to go to the live finale… (more…)
Carl Zimmer: Science Tattoo Emporium (The Jokes Physicists Tell About Chemists)
Carl Zimmer is a blogger and writer for both The New York Times and Discover Magazine, which also hosts his blog, The Loom. Zimmer writes on a wide range of scientific topics. He is the author of 12 books, the most recent of which is Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed. When Zimmer asked on his blog how many scientists out there had tattoos, he was inundated with photo submissions and commentary, which he has collected into the neat book you can see and order below. It’s our pleasure to share some of them… (more…)
Jay Brown: Coeur d’Alene’s Blue Rose Tattoo – An Interview with Robert McNeill (Part III)
By Jay Brown In Northern Idaho there is the lake town of Coeur d’Alene, actually more of a city than a town. In the sea of tattooing these days, some of the old timers really shine through as great tattooers as well as incredible artists, one of those is Robert McNeill. I recently got a chance to stop in to see him at his studio on 4th Street right in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene. Blue Rose Tattoo is a clean, comfortable shop, with lots of incredible artwork adorning the walls, all of which is either Japanese or American Traditional tattoo designs, all painted by Robert. And speaking of painting, Robert is incredible at that, pin-ups I think being one of his strong points, but he can do anything, all in all Robert is one of those artists that can create on skin as well as he can on paper or canvas. So after we were done with the hellos and the pleasantries, we got down to the interview, which wound up being 43 minutes long, so I am gonna edit things, cause I don’t have enough pictures to go with that many pages, and that’s a lot of pages so we’re gonna trim it down a bit, although it was a great interview all the way through, but we’re not writing a book, but I digress… Yes, so the interview. I hope you enjoy… [Editor's Note: Jay's interview, due to its length, will be broken into three weekly installments, this is Part III of III.]
Vice: Tattoo Age Thom deVita Episode V (VIDEO)
In the final part of Thom deVita’s Tattoo Age series we have to cover a lot of ground. So please sit back and prepare to go from the days before tattoo artists wore gloves while working to Thom’s current life as an artist. Enjoy. [More info on expanded page]
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Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 11)
By Victor Farinelli It is getting down to the wire. Just a few more episodes to go until one of the contestants gets a $100,000 paycheck they have to pay taxes on and a feature in Inked Magazine. “Inked.” I hate that term. It is just as bad as “human canvases.” Hey man, I am going to go down to the tat shop and get inked! YOLO! Then, I am going to go watch The Hobbit! FRODO! (more…)
Jay Brown: Coeur d’Alene’s Blue Rose Tattoo – An Interview with Robert McNeill (Part II)
By Jay Brown In Northern Idaho there is the lake town of Coeur d’Alene, actually more of a city than a town. In the sea of tattooing these days, some of the old timers really shine through as great tattooers as well as incredible artists, one of those is Robert McNeill. I recently got a chance to stop in to see him at his studio on 4th Street right in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene. Blue Rose Tattoo is a clean, comfortable shop, with lots of incredible artwork adorning the walls, all of which is either Japanese or American Traditional tattoo designs, all painted by Robert. And speaking of painting, Robert is incredible at that, pin-ups I think being one of his strong points, but he can do anything, all in all Robert is one of those artists that can create on skin as well as he can on paper or canvas. So after we were done with the hellos and the pleasantries, we got down to the interview, which wound up being 43 minutes long, so I am gonna edit things, cause I don’t have enough pictures to go with that many pages, and that’s a lot of pages so we’re gonna trim it down a bit, although it was a great interview all the way through, but we’re not writing a book, but I digress… Yes, so the interview. I hope you enjoy…[Editor's Note: Jay's interview, due to its length, will be broken into three weekly installments, this is Part II of III.]
Vice: Tattoo Age Thom deVita Episode IV (VIDEO)
In the new episode of the Thom deVita Tattoo Age series we explore the neighborhood in which Thom live and worked, the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We also go into the types of tattoos Thom did, and what it took to talk someone into getting tattoos that were a little out of the norm. [More info on expanded page] (more…)
Tattoo Culture Magazine: Sailor Jerry Tattoo Contest
Courtesy of Tattoo Culture Magazine: Tattoo Artist Magazine’s sister publication Tattoo Culture Magazine (TCM) is running a contest on Instagram from now until Dec. 28th, 2012. For prize eligibility and more info please follow TCM on Instagram: http://instagram.com/tattooculturemagazine.
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 10)
By Victor Farinelli
Just when I start to think that some of these cats are humble and are willing to learn, then they go say some arrogant stupid shit. The show starts off with Jesse fucking saying, “You know what coasting is? That is what I did for the Japanese challenge… I would rather lose for doing me than win for not doing me.” Then why the fuck did he want to be on the show? It’s not some fucking highfalutin serious goddamn art exposition. It is a fucking game show. Period. End of fucking explanation. I will take “Douche Bags” for $200 please, Alex. At the end of the season the winner gets a paycheck they have to pay taxes on. If you got into this for any other reason than the money, and being on TV, you are fucking fooling yourself. You do what you have to do to play the game because at the end of the day, that’s all this is… a game. If it was not on Spike, it would be on the Game Show Network… (more…)
Jay Brown: Coeur d’Alene’s Blue Rose Tattoo – An Interview with Robert McNeill (Part I)
By Jay Brown In Northern Idaho there is the lake town of Coeur d’Alene, actually more of a city than a town. In the sea of tattooing these days, some of the old timers really shine through as great tattooers as well as incredible artists, one of those is Robert McNeill. I recently got a chance to stop in to see him at his studio on 4th Street right in the heart of downtown Coeur d’Alene. Blue Rose Tattoo is a clean, comfortable shop, with lots of incredible artwork adorning the walls, all of which is either Japanese or American Traditional tattoo designs, all painted by Robert. And speaking of painting, Robert is incredible at that, pin-ups I think being one of his strong points, but he can do anything, all in all Robert is one of those artists that can create on skin as well as he can on paper or canvas. So after we were done with the hellos and the pleasantries, we got down to the interview, which wound up being 43 minutes long, so I am gonna edit things, cause I don’t have enough pictures to go with that many pages, and that’s a lot of pages so we’re gonna trim it down a bit, although it was a great interview all the way through, but we’re not writing a book, but I digress… Yes, so the interview. I hope you enjoy… [Editor's Note: Jay's interview, due to its length, will be broken into three weekly installments, this is Part I of III.] (more…)
Vice: Tattoo Age Thom deVita Episode III (VIDEO)
In part three of Thom deVIta’s epic Tattoo Age series, we take look at his personal history and how he came into tattooing. We also hear from tattoo legend Angelo Scotto on the history of tattooing in New York City… [More info on expanded page] (more…)
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 9)
By Victor Farinelli
This week’s episode opens with Sarah bitching about the judges not giving her a good honest critic. I call bullshit. The judges have actually done a pretty good job of telling this motley crew what they did wrong and what they need to improve on. I have been in a lot of shops in my years and have observed a lot of apprentices on their road to Tattooville, and I have seen some who have been torn new assholes for the tattoos they have attempted to do… (more…)
Depot Town Tattoo: Toys for Tats 2012 (VIDEO)
By Dawn Cooke This event is about donating a toy to a child in need. Every year around Christmas Depot Town Tattoo holds a toy drive. Front Street Tattoo, Mike Emmets shop in Traverse City, Michigan does the event also every year. Clients bring in a toy valued over $15 bucks and get a tattoo valued at least 50. We usually do 100-120 tattoos that day. We do this as a way to give back to the community. The toys go to Carrot Way Community Center for low income families who are struggling to get on their feet. They also go to Methodist Children’s Orphanage to kids who don’t have parents and kids who live in foster care… (more…)
Vice: Tattoo Age Thom deVita Episode II (VIDEO)
In the second part of the Thom deVita Tattoo Age series we focus on the touching and often hilarious relationship he has with Nick Bubash. Thom and Nick met in the early 1970s and soon after Thom started to tattoo Nick, he also started to teach him how to tattoo. Over the past 40 years their relationship has gone way beyond tattooing, or even art for that matter, but they still continue to create together… [More info on expanded page] (more…)
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 8)
By Victor Farinelli
Ink Master is a train wreck and Sarah Miller is the engineer. As I said in my last post, she needs serious mood stabilizing medication. She is a shitstorm of manic depression. This episode is not different.
This episode was the black and gray challenge, and the special guest judge was Mr. Freddy Negrete. The twist this time around was that they had to work in teams. For the flash challenge, the contestants had to create an image on scratchboard. Since Tatu Baby was the winner of last week’s elimination challenge, she got to pick the teams for this flash challenge. She stuck Sarah with Mark “I got one foot out the door” Matthews. The other teams were Clint Cummings with Jamie Davis, Steve Tefft with Sebastian Murphy, and Tatu Baby with Jesse Smith… (more…)
Vice: Tattoo Age Thom deVita Episode I (VIDEO)
Thom deVita began tattooing in the late 60s in New York’s Lower East Side, when the practice was illegal. He quickly began to forge his own styles, drawing influence from Puebla Indian designs to Lord and Taylor shopping bags. In this episode, we hear from Ed Hardy, photographer Clayton Patterson, Nick Bubash, Scott Harrison, John Wyatt, Angelo Scotto, Bubba Reeves, Robert Ryan, and more, as we unfold Thom deVita’s epic story…. [More info on expanded page] (more…)
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 7)
By Victor Farinelli
A long time ago in, in a galaxy far, far away… a girl needed lithium. Sarah Miller needs some serious medication. One minute, she is bouncing off the walls she is so excited, the next she is about to kill herself. She displayed this so well in this episode: The Star Wars challenge… (more…)
Jay Brown Provides Inside Look at The Northwest Tattoo Museum
By Jay Brown
The Northwest Tattoo Museum is a project that was started almost two years ago when in a conversation it was suggested that there needs to be a tattoo museum in the Northwestern US. In answer to this call myself (a longtime tattoo artist of 24 years at the time) and avid hoarder of everything tattoo, and my fiancé Jennifer DeRose, who is an anthropologist/archaeologist decided to take on the challenge. I then dug out my collection of tattoo machines, old flash and other stuff I had piled up over the years while Jennifer started building the database for the museum’s collection… (more…)
Workhorse Irons Builder Gathering 2012 (Final Compilation Video)
Workhorse Irons Tattoo Machine Builder Gathering 2012 featuring SOBA, Seth Ciferri, Cory Rogers, Mike Pike, Chris Smith, Chris Quidgeon, Marv Lerning, and Special Technique’s Ugly Bill, plus a guest visit from Bill Waverly.
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Carl Zimmer: Science Tattoo Emporium (Metol)
Carl Zimmer is a blogger and writer for both The New York Times and Discover Magazine, which also hosts his blog, The Loom. Zimmer writes on a wide range of scientific topics. He is the author of 12 books, the most recent of which is Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed. When Zimmer asked on his blog how many scientists out there had tattoos, he was inundated with photo submissions and commentary, which he has collected into the neat book you can see and order below. It’s our pleasure to share some of them… (more…)
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 6)
By Victor Farinelli
Let’s celebrate the land of the free, home of the brave with GUNS! Sorta like banjos, only different. Episode VI was “all about attention to detail,” Dave Navarro emphasized. For the flash challenge, the contestants had to carve an image into the stock of a gun. Guns owned by real, meat-eating, beer-bellied, heart-diseased ‘Mericans! Where’s my Rascal scooter? (more…)
Vice: Tattoo Age Valerie Vargas Bonus Footage (VIDEO)
While we’re waiting for the premiere of Tattoo Age’s Thom DeVita killer episode, we just released some Valerie Vargas Bonus Footage. Vargas takes us to meet the legendary English tattooer Lal Hardy who has been tattooing since 1975 and is generally considered to be one of the people who elevated tattooing in the UK in the 1980s.
[More info on expanded page]
Victor Farinelli: Ink Master Review (Episode 5)
By Victor Farinelli
Before I get started on the recap, I want to rattle some cages. There is some gab on the inter-webs about the contestants on Ink Master “stealing” tattoos from other artists. Don’t know if it is true or not, but some interesting tidbit came to my awareness that is kinda funny. Not funny: “ha-ha,” I mean funny “hmmmm.”
On Episode IV, Trey “Big Daddy” Benham did a piston with flames on his client’s arm for the new school challenge. It was a decent tattoo, one of the better ones I have seen of that kind of idea. Well, buzz-buzz, the inter-webs start throwing around the suggestion that this was actually taken, almost exactly, from a tattoo that was done by one of last year’s contestants, Jeremy Miller. So like the old “You Make the Call” segment on Monday Night Football… well, yeah; you make the call… (more…)
Crystal Morey: William Thidemann Interview
By Crystal Morey
I just spent a couple weeks in Colorado, participating in the Paradise Gathering giving seminars and at Kaze Gallery in Denver, and I got a chance to sit down with one of Kaze’s owners William Thidemann. I love talking to William. His world is wonderfully black and white and he filters it through a well thought out canon of ethics that centers on respect and hard work. It is incredibly refreshing to come home to the states and find that it isn’t all reality TV and triple Big Gulps, there are still people there working to improve their lot and who inspire growth in those around them. William’s demeanor impressed me… his door seemed to be open to anyone who comes in earnest, be it a hot mess needing to cover up her old lover inspired tattoos, or younger tattooers looking for help with compositions and design. He was like minor royalty… ha-ha, like a duke. The Duke of Denver! But seriously I appreciate his pragmatic view of the world and his steadfast dedication to the code he lives by. Interviewing him was a treat… (more…)
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