dawn cooke | TAM Blog

ROC City Tattoo Expo 2013

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… (more…)

May 10, 2013 | Categories: conventions, entertainment, photos, pictures, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo conventions, tattooing, tattoos, travel | Tags: brad fink, Chad Ramsay, conventions, danny reed, dawn cooke, Doc Cooper, Henry Rodriguez, Jeff zuck, jet, jet love hate tattoo, Johannes from Black Stallion, justin shaw, krooked ken, love hate tattoo, Mario desa, mike bennett, Mike Rennie, photos, pics, pictures, rochester ny, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo convention, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, travel | Leave A Comment »

Dawn Cooke: Jesse Stark Fundraiser

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… (more…)

February 28, 2013 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: ann arbor, art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, fundraiser, Jeff zuck, jesse stark, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo culture, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 2 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: 15 Great Artists’ Pictures From Instagram

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… (more…)

January 21, 2013 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, frank carter, Heather Bailey, Jackie Dunn-Smith, Jeff zuck, josh stephens, julio avila, justin shaw, krooked ken, mark cross, michigan, miss arianna, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, professor falcon, Ron Wells, rose hardy, stefan johnsson, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo culture, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, tim beck, Xam, ypsilanti | 1 Comment »

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…)

December 3, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, fundraiser, photos, pictures, tattoo, tattoos, Video | Tags: charity, christmas, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, fundraiser, michigan, photos, pics, pictures, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooing, toys for tats, ypsilanti | Leave A Comment »

Dawn Cooke: Ask Not What Your Culture Can Do For You, But What Can You Do For Your Culture

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… (more…)

November 1, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo culture, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 6 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: Freedom

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… (more…)

September 18, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 3 Comments »

Tattoo Artist Magazine Digital Issues and Video Downloads Available

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… (more…)

September 11, 2012 | Categories: collectible, entertainment, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: aaron bell, aaron coleman, Adam Barton, adam shrewsbury, Adrian Lee, alex binnie, Alex Reinke, android, androinds, Bill Canales, Bob Roberts, Borris, Chad Koeplinger., Chris Dingwell, Chris O'Donnell, chris trevino, chriss dettmer, Chuck Eldridge, CIV, craig driscoll, dan smith tattooer, Dan Trocchio, Dana Helmuth, daniel albrigo, dawn cooke, digital books, digital magazine, digital media, doug hardy, download, Eric Doyle, Ernie Gosnell, Filip Leu, Frank Lee, Grime, grime AWR, hanky panky, Henk "Hanky Panky" Schiffmacher, henk schiffmacher, henry lewis, Horitomo, Horiyoshi III, hunter spanks, interview, iphone, issue #4, issue 2, issue 3, itunes, jason brooks, Jason Kundell, Jason Mcafee, jeff gogue, jeff rassier, Jeff zuck, jim rosal, Joel Long, Jondix, juan puente, katie sellergren, keith underwood, kurt wiscombe, Leo Zulueta, Marcus Pacheco, Mario desa, Matt Arriola, matt shamah, Mick Tattoo, Mike Dorsey, mike malone, Mike Rubendall, Nikko Hurtado, noon, oliver peck, photos, pictures, Robert Atkinson, Sabado, Sabine Gaffron, Sailor Jerry Swallow, Scott Harrison, scott sterling, scott sylvia, shawn barber, shige, sid stankovits, smart phones, Steve Byrne, steven moore, TAM, tam #4, tam 2, tam 3, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine #4, tattoo artist magazine 3, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo artist magazine issue 2, tim hendricks, tim lehi, tom storm, Tony d' Anessa, tony hundahl, trevor McStay, Uncle Allan, Wido de Marval, will lollie | Leave A Comment »

Tattoo Artist Magazine Goes Digital! (Issues #20 and #21)

September 6, 2012 | Categories: collectible, entertainment, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: aaron bell, aaron coleman, Adam Barton, adam shrewsbury, Adrian Lee, alex binnie, Alex Reinke, android, androinds, Bill Canales, Bob Roberts, Borris, Chad Koeplinger., Chris Dingwell, Chris O'Donnell, chris trevino, chriss dettmer, Chuck Eldridge, CIV, craig driscoll, dan smith tattooer, Dan Trocchio, Dana Helmuth, daniel albrigo, dawn cooke, digital books, digital magazine, digital media, doug hardy, download, Eric Doyle, Ernie Gosnell, Filip Leu, Frank Lee, Grime, grime AWR, hanky panky, Henk "Hanky Panky" Schiffmacher, henk schiffmacher, henry lewis, Horitomo, Horiyoshi III, hunter spanks, interview, iphone, issue #4, issue 2, issue 3, itunes, jason brooks, Jason Kundell, Jason Mcafee, jeff gogue, jeff rassier, Jeff zuck, jim rosal, Joel Long, Jondix, juan puente, katie sellergren, keith underwood, kurt wiscombe, Leo Zulueta, Marcus Pacheco, Mario desa, Matt Arriola, matt shamah, Mick Tattoo, Mike Dorsey, mike malone, Mike Rubendall, Nikko Hurtado, noon, oliver peck, photos, pictures, Robert Atkinson, Sabado, Sabine Gaffron, Sailor Jerry Swallow, Scott Harrison, scott sterling, scott sylvia, shawn barber, shige, sid stankovits, smart phones, Steve Byrne, steven moore, TAM, tam #4, tam 2, tam 3, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine #4, tattoo artist magazine 3, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo artist magazine issue 2, tim hendricks, tim lehi, tom storm, Tony d' Anessa, tony hundahl, trevor McStay, Uncle Allan, Wido de Marval, will lollie | Leave A Comment »

Dawn Cooke: Top 10 Ways to Balance Family and Career

By Dawn Cooke
In this fast paced, competitive world, how does a parent balance a career with the many other obligations of family and life? It’s not easy! It definitely requires planning and some sacrifice. There are so many things going on around any given person at any given time today in our world. It can be easy to become bombarded by media such as news, Internet and television. It can feel like the world is flying past you in fast forward while you are struggling to check things off of your list. Meanwhile your list of things to do grows and grows… But I found a few things that really help me manage all the tasks I have as mother, shop owner, artist, tattooist and wife… (more…)

August 22, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, how to, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, how to, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 1 Comment »

Dawn Cooke: Laws and Money

By Dawn Cooke
Leave it to me to write about the less exciting things about tattooing. This might just be one of the more important subjects I could have the honor of making you think about. With more popularity for tattooing comes more attention from the government. This means laws and money. I can talk about Michigan specifically and explain to you all what’s happening here… (more…)

July 20, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 2 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: I Hate to Burst Your Bubble!

By Dawn Cooke
Lately, I have had some cynical views toward the state of tattoo culture and pop culture in general and I have had to apologize for affecting sensitivities. So I have been researching, writing and thinking about why I feel this way. The phenomenon of counter-culture becoming popular culture has been written about quite a lot. If you are interested in this topic the book, Nation of Rebels is a good one. What I see, is that we have an overly competitive narcissistic consumer culture that has really negative effects on individuals and on society as a whole. A person can get swept away by the tide if they aren’t careful. I have come dangerously close too many times personally… (more…)

June 25, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 6 Comments »

4th Annual ROC City Tattoo Convention: On the Road in Rochester, NY

By Jimmy Perlman
Unfortunately I don’t get to most tattoo conventions anymore. I know and hear about tons of great shows all over the world. Fact is, I work in a field that has me traveling between six and nine months a year so when I’m home from work it would be a real shit move to tell my wife and kid “alright now I know I was gone for a month working but I’m gonna go to this city for the weekend and hang out with some friends, have a good time and get tattooed.” (more…)

May 15, 2012 | Categories: entertainment, photos, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo conventions, tattooing, travel | Tags: art, brad fink, Bruno, Chad Soner, Clifton Boggs, conventions, danny reed, dawn cooke, Ezra Haidet, Greg Christian, Henry Rodriguez, Ian Dana, Jason Phillips, Jeremy Swed, jet love hate tattoo, jimmy perlman, Joseph DiProjetto jet, justin shaw, Keet, krooked ken, Marie Sena, Marina Inoue, photos, pics, pictures, Rennie, roc, roc city tattoo convention, rochester ny, Skye James, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, tony derigo, travel | 2 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: Ladies, Ladies! Art Show 2012

By Dawn Cooke
I just wanted to tell everyone about a really cool art show you should check out if you are in NY or if you’re going out to the Convention. This should be really fun for both guys and gals to attend…

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April 30, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: Alix Ge Ellie, Amanda Wachob, Angela de Rosette, Angela Smisek, Angelique Houtkamp, Anna Melo, Annie Lloyd, Aoki, Arianna Settembrino, art, Ashley Love, Becca Genne-Bacon, Betty Rose, blog, bloggers, blogs, Brooklyn, Bryn Perrott, Carolina Angel, Cecilia Granata, Cezilia Hjelt, Claire Vuillemot, Claudia De Sabe, Cora Raveyn, Cyn Rudzis, dawn cooke, debra yarian, depot town tattoo, difference between, Elisa Carisi, Emma Griffiths, Esther de Miguel, Federica Di Domenico, Geyer Gillian-Goldstein, guen douglas, Heather Bailey, Hillary Fischer-White, Itoyo Kinoshita, Jackie Dunn-Smith, Jaclyn Rehe, Jamie Ruth, Jamy Carlton, Jeff zuck, Jelena Nikolic, Jemma Jones Karolink, Jen Lohrey Carmean Madame Chan, Jennifer Moffatt, Jenny Lee, Jessica Mascitti, Julie Becker, Karin Schwaiger, Karina Figueroa, Kate Hellenbrandt, katie davis, Katie Gray, Kim Ann Nguyen, Kim Graziano, Kim Marks, Kimberly Reed, Lara Scotton, Leanka Platt, Lina Stigsson, Liser Burlton, Liz Gruesome, Magie Serpica, Malia Sioux, Marina Inoue, Mary Joy Scott-Darlymple, Maya Ventura-Medina, Megan Kargher, Megan Wilson, Mia Graffam, Michele Myles, Michelle Tarantelli-Tron, michigan, Minka Sicklinger, Miss Elvia, Naomi Smith, new york, new york tattoo convention, Nicoz Balboa, nyc tat con, Olivia Zephyr-Sanders, painting, paintings, Paola Robiolio Bose, Pat Sinatra, photos, pics, pictures, Rachel Ann Mina, Rachel Schilling, Sara Purr, Sarah Burden, Scarlet Sinclair, Sofia Estrella Olivieri, Sofia Mesisca, Stacey Martin, Stephanie Tamez, Sunny Buick, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, Tamara Santibanez, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, Thea Duskin, Tracy Demetriou, Tracy Nicole, Tricia Allen, Vale Lovette, virginia elwood, Wendi Ramirez, Wendy Koontz, ypsilanti, Zoe Bean | 1 Comment »

Dawn Cooke: The Tattoo Shop Environment

By Dawn Cooke
My tolerance for suffering and a small amount of self-loathing has always made me able to stand sometimes-intolerable environments. Also a drive and fight against resistance has always been fueled by passion to do my work. To everyday people some of the happenings and things said in the tattoo shop are not PC to say the least, in fact some people might be down right disgusted and offended at most of the things that are said and topics discussed within the shop atmosphere… (more…)

March 22, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 3 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: Why a Tattoo Is Not a Painting, and a Painting Is Not a Tattoo

By Dawn Cooke
This is actually a simple concept really, it’s because they are completely different mediums, if you even consider tattooing an artistic medium. The same way a sculpture isn’t a painting, a drawing isn’t a sculpture, needlepoint isn’t furniture making, a tattoo is not a painting and a painting is not a tattoo.

Many tattoo artists have attempted to combine or blur the lines between the two forms of expression. While these attempts are very impressive to people who know little or care nothing about the tradition and history of tattooing, they can sometimes go against the spirit of the trade or craft of tattooing… (more…)

February 9, 2012 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, difference between, Jeff zuck, michigan, painting, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo art, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 16 Comments »

Depot Town Tattoo: Toys for Tats (VIDEO)

By Dawn Cooke
Toys for Tats is something we started at Depot Town Tattoo two years ago. Our first year 100 people showed up and we tattooed as many as we could. That first year we had no idea it would go down like that at all. The second year was twice the turn out and four of us did double the work. This year there are five of us and we are doing something a bit different. Since we couldn’t possibly get to everyone, we are signing up the first 100 people early starting on December 1st and anyone else who wishes to donate a toy will receive a voucher for $20 dollars toward their next tattoo.

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December 1, 2011 | Categories: art, entertainment, fundraiser, photos, pictures, tattoo, tattoos, Video | Tags: charity, christmas, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, fundraiser, michigan, photos, pics, pictures, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooing, toys for tats, ypsilanti | Leave A Comment »

Dawn Cooke: What is a Tattoo? 6 Other Artists Who Get It!

By Dawn Cooke
Every day I ask myself this question. And if you think I always have the correct answer, I do not. Every tattoo that I do gets me closer to figuring out exactly what a tattoo is. Some of the first thoughts I have when I meet a client lead me to my conclusions about that particular piece. Each piece is different and every piece is a different answer to the question…

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November 22, 2011 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: Andrew Stickler, art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, Fred Pinckard, Heather Bailey, Henry Rodriguez, Lola Garcia, michigan, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, Tim Pausinger, ypsilanti | 9 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: 32 Great Tattoo Artists Everyone Should Know

By Dawn Cooke
This is for the guys…

So I featured ladies-only last time and I didn’t want the guys to feel left out. So I sent messages to all the guys who I admire for their contribution to the tattoo community. Some of these fellows I know personally and some of them I do not but for some reason their work, ethics or both caught my eye… (more…)

October 14, 2011 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: Aaron Hodges, Adam Forman, art, Bill Falsetta, blog, bloggers, blogs, Chad Chesko, Chad Soner, chriss dettmer, Clifton Carter, Cris Cleen, Dana Helmuth, danny reed, David Flores, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, Don Yarian, El Bara, El Carlo, El Monga, Frank William, jason brooks, jason tyler grace, Javier Rodriquez, Jeff zuck, Jon Larson, Joseph DiProjetto jet, Josh Mason, justin shaw, krooked ken, Lupo HoriOkami, Marc Warnick, Matt Arriola, matt shamah, michigan, Mike Emmett, Murray Sell, Nick Colella, Nick Fabini, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, Regino Gonzales, Steve Turner, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, Tomas Garcia, Tomek Szumiec, tony derigo, tony hundahl, Xam, ypsilanti | 17 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: 13 Female Tattooers You Should Know About

I have been making contact with other female tattoo artists. And before you groan, like, “Oh geez… Not another feminist rant… boo!” Give this a chance because I think you might be at the very least slightly impressed or inspired by more than one of these women, I sure am! Please bare in mind the truth that there was a time when it was far more rare to see a woman tattoo artist who could lay down a solid tattoo. These days we are luckier than those who came before us and paved the way. Plus, there have always been terrible male artists also, but they never got that much attention anyway. So the focus seems to have been harder on the ladies. Attitudes toward the sexes are ever-changing…

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September 15, 2011 | Categories: art, entertainment, pictures, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: Annette Larue, Arianna Settembrino, Calamity Jane, Christina Garcia, Cindy Leal, Cindy Stromple, dawn cooke, Deb Brody, deb yarian, Debbie Lenz, Diane Mansfield, Elizabeth Dibois, Jacci Grasham, jen carmean, Jessica Swaffer, Jill Bonny, Karen Rose, katie davis, katie sellergren, Katja Ramirez, Marina Inoue, megan fernandez, megan hoogland, nikki lugo, photos, pics, pictures, stacy ann gards, Stacy Hill, Stephanie Tamez, TAM, TAM BLOG, Tamara Santibanez, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, Valerie Vargas, virginia elwood | 41 Comments »

ROC City Tattoo Expo: On the Road in Rochester, NY

By John
ROC City (now in its third year) had some pretty stiff convention competiton last weekend… ROC City was one of three major US shows that weekend, including the biennial Green Bay show and Hell City PHX. However, despite these shows, a hurricane, an earthquake and whatever other acts of God were thrown in the mix, ROC City definetely put the R-O-C back in rock…

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September 2, 2011 | Categories: conventions, entertainment, photos, pictures, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo conventions, tattooing, tattoos, travel | Tags: Aaron Hodges, adam shrewsbury, brad fink, Chad Ramsay, Chad Soner, Chris Goff (Turbo), conventions, danny reed, dawn cooke, Doc Cooper, Henry Rodriguez, Jeff zuck, jet, jet love hate tattoo, Johannes from Black Stallion, Josh Mason, justin shaw, krooked ken, love hate tattoo, Mario desa, mike bennett, Mike Rennie, photos, pics, pictures, Richard Stell, rochester ny, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoo convention, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, travel | 4 Comments »

Horitaka Talks About the Upcoming Bay Area Tattoo Convention

By Takahiro “Horitaka” Kitamura
It’s already August, and the tattoo convention I throw with Roman Enriquez (Strong Tattoo/45s Forever) is coming up soon! This year the convention in scheduled for October 21-23 and we are returning to the SFO Hyatt Regency. Even with last year’s power outage on Sunday, the hotel is perfect for us and we look forward to a great weekend. Here are some highlights of this year’s show…

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August 19, 2011 | Categories: conventions, entertainment, photos, pictures, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo conventions, tattooing | Tags: aaron bell, Aaron Crocker, Adrian Lee, Andreas Coenan, Andy Johnson, Bay Area Tattoo Convention, Beau Brady, Beppe, Bert Krak, Bill Henderson, BJ Betts, brad fink, Brent Patten, Brian Bruno, Brian Hutflies, Brian Wall, bryan burk, Bryan Randolph, california, Chad Koeplinger., Chad Soner, Chris Brand, Chris Danley, Chris O'Donnell, Chris Paez, chris trevino, Chris Yvon, Chuey Quintanar, Cory Norris, Dan Moses, Daniel Forrester, Danny Boy, danny reed, Dave Moore, dawn cooke, Donavon Kinyon, doug hardy, Eddie Reyes, Edu Cero, Eiland Hogan, Eli Quinters, Eric Gillespie, Eric Jones, Eric Reed, Frankie Mancuso, Freddy Corbin, G. Kosmo, GEORGE CAMPISE, Grez, Grime, Heather Bailey, Henry Dever, Hiroshi Hirakawa, Holly Ellis, Horikiku, Horimasu, Horisuzu, Jason Kundell, Jason Scott, Jeff P, Jojo Ackerman, Jon Hall, Jondix, Josh Palmer, juan puente, justin shaw, Kahlil Rintye, Katie Sellergrent, Kent Smith, kevin LeBlanc, kim saigh, Klem, Lil Roy, lindsey carmichael, Luke Stewart, Mao, Mario desa, Mary Joy-Scott Dalyrymple, Matt Hamlet, Matt Ziolko, Mike Davis, Mike Emmet, Mike Rubendall, Mike Schweigert, mike wilson, Mutsuo, Nate Banuelos, Nick Collela, oliver peck, Orly, Paco Dietz, Paulo Manabe, photos, pics, pictures, Reiko, Richard Stell, Rob Benavides, Rob Struven, Robert Atkinson, robert ryan, Ron Wells, Roxx Twospirit, san fransisco, Sarah Schor, scott sylvia, seth ciferri, Sezuki, Shaun Hanna, shawn barber, shige, Steve Byrne, Steve Looney, Stuart Cripwell, Stuart Robson, Takahiro "Horitaka" Kitamura, Taki, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattoos, The Trufant Brothers, thomas hooper, Timothy Hoyer, Todd Noble, Tomo, tony derigo, tony hundahl, Uzi, Valerie Vargas, Venjamin Jimenez, Wakatomo, Zuno | 1 Comment »

Dawn Cooke’s Body Shrine Book Now Available in the TAM Pro Store

Body Shrine by Dawn Cooke: Told from the perspective of one very respected female tattoo artist, several beautifully written stories about the client/artist relationship. These moving experiences and beautiful photographs tell the tale of an inspiring life…

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August 17, 2011 | Categories: art, collectible, photos, pictures, tattoo, tattoos | Tags: art, body shrine, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, michigan, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | Leave A Comment »

Dawn Cooke: Symbolism

Everything we see has a significant meaning and stands as a symbol when used in any context regarding sculpture, image and even written language. If objects are used in any art context they become symbols just the same as images used in an illustration. This is the reason I believe we are seeing so much usage of symbols with object imagery in tattooing… (more…)

July 6, 2011 | Categories: art, entertainment, photos, pictures, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattooing, tattoos | Tags: art, blog, bloggers, blogs, dawn cooke, depot town tattoo, Jeff zuck, michigan, paintings, photos, pics, pictures, symbolism, TAM, TAM BLOG, TAMBLOG, tats, tattoo, tattoo artist magazine, tattoo artist magazine blog, tattooer, tattooing, tattoos, ypsilanti | 2 Comments »

Dawn Cooke: Art School

Warning: If you do not like opinionated strong-willed women you should not read this blog! Do yourself and me a favor and don’t waste our time.

So what does it mean to go to art school? Most art school students enter college right out of high school. A lot of them have parents who are paying for their tuition. Those who do not have parental support are relaying on loans, grants and scholarships (mainly loans). Those who don’t go right out of high school usually had some life circumstances that prevented them from going to college such as poor guidance, no money or no ambition, just to name a few. (more…)