Tag Archives: dawn cooke

By Dawn Cooke In honor of women’s history month I have compiled a list of women in the history of tattooing. This is not a complete history by any means. There are hundreds of women throughout time who have contributed to the art form and trade of tattooing. Unfortunately a lot of them have gone unaccounted for.  I have tried to find some of the lesser-known women to highlight here however some of the well-known artists have also been included. I have included women with at least 20 years under their belts. I was overwhelmed with the response to my idea to write this article. Some of the women earlier on in history who paved the way for us included several sideshow performers. Betty Broadbent and lady Viola are among the most well known. In the 1930’s Mildred Hull was one of the few women tattoo artists working on the bowery in NY.  The beloved Cindy Ray from Australia, tattooed into the year 2007. These ladies have set our roots and our history is being made as we speak. But here are 20 women, most of whom are tattooing still, who deserve recognition for their contributions! These women tattooed long before social media and Reality television. They may not be masters at social media but they are masters of their craft. Take the time too look into these great artists! (In no particular order.) 1.Madame Chinchilla http://triangletattoo.com 2.Loretta Lue http://leufamilyiron.com 3.Pat Fish http://www.luckyfish.com Read More »

By Dawn Cooke www.dawncooke.net I am speaking to you from deep within the trenches of this silent war. I reside inside of the tattoo community. I’m deep within the middle ranks of those that have lasted over 10 years in the trade. There is a war between the real traditionalists who are true to their craft and the tattoo rock and roll super star wanna-bes. This is more of a mentality than it is a style per se. What I mean is that there are those of us who love tattooing for it’s rich history and the purity of the art form and then there are those of us who only care about what tattooing can get them. Some of us are in it purely for the art sake others are here for an ego boost. So with that said here are the reasons the tattoo community hates reality TV, without being too obvious. Plus some great new artists I have come to know about! These shows and people who make them are missing the point altogether. Tattooing is counter culture not consumer culture. It’s theorized that all counter culture eventually becomes consumer culture. But tattoos aren’t like dollar store trinkets that you throw away in a year, made in some Chinese factory. Tattoos are permanent and what makes a tattoo good is it’s longevity as the skin is aging. They have no idea about the richness of history that is continually being shaped and unearthed regarding tattoo culture nor ... Read More »

By Dawn Cooke I have been traveling on and off since the beginning of my career.  I haven’t always been able to travel as much as some of my peers because I have other obligations that make travel less accessible to me. But whenever I can I try to visit places and often I go where I have friends. True friends in life and in tattooing are hard to come by but as I have learned once you find them they make life so much more enjoyable. There are several reasons that I travel. I go for work, I go for pleasure, I go to network with others in tattooing and I go for inspiration. Nothing pays off more than being inspired by your peers. That’s why instagram is such a big hit! But instead of being glued to your phone get out there and meet all those great artists Face to face!  I recently went to Eagle River Alaska to visit my good friend Deb Yarian. It is a really beautiful place. Mountains, Fresh air, I really got the feeling that people there try to look out for one another. So different from here in metro Detroit where I am from. I have tried to bring a little of that brotherly love back here to Detroit with me.  Being there just really made me look at the world a little differently. People there are somewhat isolated and it seems like it makes they so much kinder to one another. Read More »

By Deb Yarian My recent, internationally distributed book (ha ha), “So You Want To Be A Tattoo Artist?”- Helpful hints on getting started in an exciting career as a tattoo artist, with little or no training or skill, caused quite a furor in the tattoo world. Both seasoned and novice tattooers alike, voiced outrage and indignation at what started out as a joke between my oldest son and me and then evolved into a satirical corporate style handbook. While I understand that people are protective about what they are infatuated with, involved in and devoted to, I was still surprised and amused at the anger expressed by my critics.  Fortunately, there were far greater positive responses and most of my friends and peers, those whom I respect, got it and appreciate the humor. Read More »

By Dawn Cooke This blog is about the intricacies of the client/artist relationship. It’s sort of like any other relationship, only usually interactions happen in relatively short bursts and there are just so many of them. I try to always value this relationship and interaction. I think it is a valuable life experience for both parties, usually… Read More »

We are now offering Giclee prints on www.TattooCultureMagazine.com. Printed and shipped to you by our friends over at Rebelreprints.com. Rebel Reprints is a fine art printing company that is owned and run by tattoo artists. So this is something to benefit everyone involved cause we are supporting within our industry, and art scene. Rebel Reprints started this to take something back from the BIG business printing companies and give you a higher quality product that someone knows about and cares what your final print looks Like. Read More »

Hey Everyone! We’re very excited to announce the release of Tattoo Culture Magazine #2… and with it, another occasion to do what most believed impossible- to Educate, Entertain & Inspire tattoo fans around the world with articles created by conscious leaders of the professional tattoo community uniquely FOR the public. This is a momentous opportunity, (and in many ways, a responsibility), for our community to attempt to make a positive difference in the tattoo culture, with a key emphasis on mentoring and helping casual tattoo ‘fans’ BECOME educated and aware tattoo collectors. We want millions to learn not only how to recognize and get GOOD  TATTOOS, but also WHO the great tattooers of our world truly are…  Read More »

By johndotcom  There are only two things you need to know about the ROC City Tattoo Expo… 1. If you are a tattooer, this show should be on your tat con list! 2. If you are a tattoo enthusiast, this show should be on your tat con list! Actually, there’s more to it than that… But just like me, that’s the tall and skinny of it… I cannot begin to thank Jet (Joseph DiProjetto, Love Hate Tattoo), Shane Stevens and the whole ROC Crew for making this experience better every time I come to Rochester…  Read More »

By Dawn Cooke Let me tell you a little story about Jesse Stark. Jesse starting tattooing as a young man and like most of us had to struggle to learn the craft of tattooing. Jesse worked in Detroit for a while. When I say he worked in Detroit I mean in the city not the suburbs. He was shot at one too many times there and he left to work in the safer community of Ann Arbor… Read More »

By Dawn Cooke So I screen-shotted some of my favorite pictures from Intagram to share. My intention is to share some great work and give the artists every bit of the credit! I’m doing it to showcase what I consider to be some really great work. I hope you will all agree. One thing I want to make clear is that I am not trying to promote the idea of “stealing.” All artists are inspired by other artists. There’s a difference between being inspired and flat-out stealing. I think it’s important to know the difference. Most images in tattooing have been taken from other sources. It’s always good to know the source if you can, and try to be inspired by art outside of tattooing… and also by life and nature… Read More »

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…  Read More »

By Dawn Cooke I have been thinking lately about how important it is to support the culture and community of tattooing. It seems like a no-brainer, but I noticed that it doesn’t seem like people have any real criteria for the support they do give. It’s almost like people have an odd biased that is based on a “what can I get out of this” attitude. This makes sense since we have such a capitalist environment at play…  Read More »

By Dawn Cooke I hear talk about freedom all of the time. As an artist, my first amendment right is pretty important. The fact that we can share our thoughts freely is something we often take for granted. It’s easy to do because we are taught to believe that we are entitled to be free and we can do or say anything we want in this country. The truth is, that’s not entirely the case. You have to go along with society’s laws and norms for the most part because if you can’t find a productive place in society for whatever reason, society will find a place for you and it might not be a place you would like to go…  Read More »

Because you demanded it… Tattoo Artist Magazine is now available digitally! (To subscribers and professional tattooers ONLY.) We are proud to announce that we will be releasing the entire catalog of TAM for your mobile devices. The issues will be available exclusively through our TAM Pro Store. Each issue will be available to view and save on your iPhone, iPad, Android or tablet device. Once purchased you will be sent a link to download TAM content directly to your device. The issues can be read and stored in iBooks or Kindle Reader. You will also have the option to save on your home computer and store in iTunes… Read More »

Because you demanded it… Tattoo Artist Magazine is now available digitally! (To subscribers and professional tattooers ONLY.) We are proud to announce that we will be releasing the entire catalog of TAM for your mobile devices. The issues will be available exclusively through our TAM Pro Store. Each issue will be available to view and save on your iPhone, iPad, Android or tablet device. Once purchased you will be sent a link to download TAM content directly to your device. The issues can be read and stored in iBooks or Kindle Reader. You will also have the option to save on your home computer and store in iTunes… Read More »