For years people saw tattoos as a sign of rebellion. A middle finger salute to the rest of the world. Outlaw bikers got tattoos. Sailors on leave in Singapore got tattoos. Lifers in the joint got tattoos. But now in the United States one out of every three adults under forty has a tattoo! So what happened? How did tattoo go from something that was put on you to an expression that comes from within you? Tattoo Nation tells the story of a few people who helped transform the world of tattoo, and the way we think about tattoos, forever. This is the true story of the ink revolution.
By Michelle Salemi (Original story appears at: http://variety.com/)
Skin artwork was not a sign of rebellion but camaraderie at the L.A. preem of D&E’s doc “Tattoo Nation” on March 28.
“There’s just such great soul in these tattoo artist, and then if you have the talent, pass it on!” tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy said before the Arclight screening.
Actor Danny Trejo, whose tattoos include a family portrait of his children on his back, gets asked a lot about his ink: “People ask me if my tattoos have hindered my career. I say, ‘For the first five years of it.’ I played inmate number one. The only thing I heard the director say was ‘Danny, take off your shirt.’ “ (more…)
By Kent Smith
When approached by Eric Schwartz and John Corry (the director and producer) of Tattoo Nation over a year ago, we knew they were on to something good. While they were not apart of the industry, we knew they were doing this movie the “right way.” Eric had taken his time and developed a story that encompassed the true black and grey history of tattooing…
By Sierra Colt Recipe:
Four motivated artists, four trusting clients, and a little favor from the tattoo gods. Ink Fusion is a new creation from Bearcat Tattoo Gallery in San Diego, CA. The idea is to take four willing clients and four artists all trusting of each other and do four separate collaboration pieces all at the same time… (more…)
By Pep Williams
Yesterday I had a chance to see a private screening of Tattoo Nation with the creators of the film: the directors, producers, editor and so on. There were only nine of us in the screening to view it so it was very cool to be invited for a pre-screening of the film. All I have to say is this film is an amazing piece of art and history… (more…)
By Paul Dobleman:
So I’ve been tattooing assholes for the last year, I’m over it and moving on. As much as I’d like to blog about my opinions I think that’s all fucking bullshit and no one cares. I’m all about having a good time and this is more my speed. As tattooers a lot of us have been through some weird stuff, drugs especially… (more…)
By Paul Dobleman:
I’d like to thank everyone who participated and sent in an asshole story, it’s been a fun year tattooing you assholes. Cheers to everyone who reads these, hope you like next year’s project… Psychedelic Stories!
The last asshole… December’s asshole of the month is Stuart… (more…)
By Thomas Morgan
What up y’all, for those who don’t know who I am, my name is Thomas Morgan from HB Tattoo in Southern California. As most of you already know, on November 21st the Amsterdam Tattoo Museum was taken away from all of us, doors locked forbidding access and collection taken hostage! The Amsterdam Tattoo Museum is the first museum that is totally dedicated to tattooing. It shows the world’s largest tattoo collection, collected by Henk (Hanky Panky) Schiffmacher. Fighting tooth and nail along side of Henk is his lovely wife Louise ‘The Queen’ Schiffmacher. In the midst of their year-long battle to save the Museum, Louise recently got news that she has liver cancer and needs a transplant. (Letter from Louise: http://ow.ly/gQj7f.) Now they need our support more than ever. That’s where we come in! We have recently teamed up with an Non-Profit Foundation based here in Huntington Beach, CA called “Fxck Cancer” a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Together, I think all of us in the tattoo community, along with Fxck Cancer can raise the funds needed to help out Louise, Henk and the Foundation… (more…)
Courtesy of True South: True South will be having an online auction of original art, prints and tattoo machines beginning Jan. 15th to help raise funds for our friend Woody who was recently in a mountain biking accident. More info to come. Artists works from: Tim Hendricks, Josh Arment, Jordan Teear, Erik Gillespe, Jason McCaffe, Todd Nobel, Nick Colella, Eric Perfect, JoJo Ackermann, Carl Hallowell, Matt Arriola, Bubba Reeves, Oliver MacIntosh, Tom Moser, Eric Jones, Ross Nagle, Dave Cavalcante, Lindsey Carmichael, Jud Ferguson, Thomas Kenney, Jon Miro, Beau Brady, Greg DeHoot, Little Linda, Dan Smith, Carlos Rojas, Chris Stuart, Juan Puente, Ben Mack, Raking Light Projects and more… (more…)
In honor of Tattoo Age’s Thom deVita episode, VICE is holding an art show and sale at Mike Rubendall’s Kings Ave Tattoo shop in NYC from January 11th-13th. Thom’s one of a kind creative rubbings from tattoo stencils, art boxes, signed books, and more will be available for purchase. The legendary artist himself will also be present to talk about his art and Scott Harrison will be tattooing Saturday and Sunday… (more…)
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] (more…)
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…)
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…)
Courtesy of The Craft and Folk Art Museum: The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) presents a conversation with tattoo artists Jack Rudy and Freddy Negrete and photographer Edgar Hoill about the history and significance of the black and grey style of tattoo that was born in East Los Angeles on December 2nd, 2012. Freddy Negrete will also be doing a live tattoo demo before the talk… (more…)
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…)
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…)
By Paul Dobleman: 
By Michelle Salemi (Original story appears at: http://variety.com/)
By Kent Smith
By Sierra Colt
By Pep Williams
By Paul Dobleman: 
By Thomas Morgan
Courtesy of True South: True South will be having an online auction of original art, prints and tattoo machines beginning Jan. 15th to help raise funds for our friend Woody who was recently in a mountain biking accident. More info to come. Artists works from: Tim Hendricks, Josh Arment, Jordan Teear, Erik Gillespe, Jason McCaffe, Todd Nobel, Nick Colella, Eric Perfect, JoJo Ackermann, Carl Hallowell, Matt Arriola, Bubba Reeves, Oliver MacIntosh, Tom Moser, Eric Jones, Ross Nagle, Dave Cavalcante, Lindsey Carmichael, Jud Ferguson, Thomas Kenney, Jon Miro, Beau Brady, Greg DeHoot, Little Linda, Dan Smith, Carlos Rojas, Chris Stuart, Juan Puente, Ben Mack, Raking Light Projects and more… (more…)
In honor of Tattoo Age’s Thom deVita episode, VICE is holding an art show and sale at Mike Rubendall’s Kings Ave Tattoo shop in NYC from January 11th-13th. Thom’s one of a kind creative rubbings from tattoo stencils, art boxes, signed books, and more will be available for purchase. The legendary artist himself will also be present to talk about his art and Scott Harrison will be tattooing Saturday and Sunday… (more…)
Courtesy of The Craft and Folk Art Museum: The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM) presents a conversation with tattoo artists Jack Rudy and Freddy Negrete and photographer Edgar Hoill about the history and significance of the black and grey style of tattoo that was born in East Los Angeles on December 2nd, 2012. Freddy Negrete will also be doing a live tattoo demo before the talk… (more…)
By Molly and Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura 
Thanks for your support!
