Sean Herman: Tattoo Collectors (Part III)
By Sean Herman
This past Hell City I was fortunate to tattoo three different collectors. Collectors are a whole different breed of client getting tattooed. They are passionately pursuing specific tattooers, and getting pieces to signify the work from that tattooer, no matter what the subject matter of the piece is. That always makes it an honor to tattoo a collector. During the weekend I had some people who were close to me tell me, “Hey, you keep going on about how awesome it is that they love tattooing, how about you write a blog about the collectors, like the one’s you write about tattooers.” She was right, why didn’t I think of that. Genius. After Hell City, I decided to get a few of them together to tell us their stories, I hope you enjoy… [Part I] [PartII]
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Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age Valerie Vargas Episode III (VIDEO)
In the last part of our Valerie Vargas episode, we take a closer look at the tattoo power couple that is Stewart Robson and Valerie Vargas. When we began shooting this piece, we didn’t know how close these wonderfully talented artists were and found ourselves pleasantly surprised by their shared pleasure in tattooing. P.S. Be on the look out for a little Valerie Vargas bonus part coming out later this season. Enjoy.
[More info on expanded page]
Sean Herman: Tattoo Collectors (Part II)
By Sean Herman
This past Hell City I was fortunate to tattoo three different collectors. Collectors are a whole different breed of client getting tattooed. They are passionately pursuing specific tattooers, and getting pieces to signify the work from that tattooer, no matter what the subject matter of the piece is. That always makes it an honor to tattoo a collector. During the weekend I had some people who were close to me tell me, “Hey, you keep going on about how awesome it is that they love tattooing, how about you write a blog about the collectors, like the one’s you write about tattooers.” She was right, why didn’t I think of that. Genius. After Hell City, I decided to get a few of them together to tell us their stories, I hope you enjoy… [Part I] (more…)
Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age Valerie Vargas Episode II (VIDEO)
Second installment of Tattoo Age’s Valerie Vargas piece is now live! We take a closer look at Frith Street, the tattoo parlor where she works, and its owner, Dante DiMassa. Valerie also gives us insight into her development as a tattooer and why London will be her home base for the foreseeable future
[More info on expanded page]
Sean Herman: Tattoo Collectors (Part I)
By Sean Herman
This past Hell City I was fortunate to tattoo three different collectors. Collectors are a whole different breed of client getting tattooed. They are passionately pursuing specific tattooers, and getting pieces to signify the work from that tattooer, no matter what the subject matter of the piece is. That always makes it an honor to tattoo a collector. During the weekend I had some people who were close to me tell me, “Hey, you keep going on about how awesome it is that they love tattooing, how about you write a blog about the collectors, like the one’s you write about tattooers.” She was right, why didn’t I think of that. Genius. After Hell City, I decided to get a few of them together to tell us their stories, I hope you enjoy… (more…)
Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age Valerie Vargas Episode I (VIDEO)
Valerie Vargas grew up in Scotland, but has lived and worked in London for the last five years. You can find her at Frith Street Tattoo in SoHo, where she’s known for doing the prettiest “lady heads” in the world. Valerie has only been seriously tattooing since 2007, so she’s proof that talent and hard work will never fail you.
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Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age Season 2 Trailer (VIDEO)
Courtesy of VICE.com: In this season of VICE’s acclaimed show, we travel the world to feature different artists from all ends of the tattoo spectrum, including Valerie Vargas of the UK, Mutsuo of Japan, and Thom deVita of New York City. Each artists’ episodes will include three installments, airing every Wednesday on VICE.COM. First up – Valerie Vargas, whose first installment will air next Wednesday, September 12th.
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Tattoo Nation Hollywood Premiere October 11th (VIDEO)
Courtesy of Tattoo Nation: On Thursday, October 11th the premiere for Tattoo Nation, the first feature length documentary about the revolutionary style of Black and Grey tattoo art, will be held at the ArcLight Theater in Hollywood. The film traces the origins of tattoo and its explosion into mainstream culture…
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‘Tattoo Nation’ Doc Gets Release Date
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By Greg Kilday | The Hollywood Reporter
Eric Schwartz’s film, narrated by “Machete’s” Danny Trejo, recounts the growth of Black and Grey tattoo art. D&E Entertainment has set Oct. 18 as the nationwide release date for Eric Schwartz’s Tattoo Nation, a documentary about Black and Grey tattoo art. The film is scheduled to play special theatrical screenings in more than 60 cities, following its world premiere in London on Sept. 29 and its Oct. 11 U.S. premiere at the ArcLight Theater in Hollywood… (more…)
Sean Herman: Jeff Ensminger Interview (Part II)
By Sean Herman [Editor's Note: To read Part I of this interview please click this link.]
One of my favorite [stories] from him was the story about him “tattooing” himself. It’s pretty amazing. I think Jeff is one of those great examples of someone who loves tattooing so much, they will do anything to be involved in tattooing… (more…)
Tattoo Nation Movie Trailer (VIDEO)
Join the Nation! http://www.facebook.com/TattooNationMovie — Tattoos used to be 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… (more…)
Sean Herman: Jeff Ensminger Interview (Part I)
By Sean Herman
So what did I do that night? I get home, I got the needle, the india ink, the thread, and here I am trying to poke a cross into my hand. I am like a weenie little kid, and I don’t want to poke myself with needles, so I’m trying to do it, but it just didn’t seem to want to go in. So what made the most sense to me was, ‘How do you INJECT the ink into the skin?’ I couldn’t figure that out. I was like, ‘How’s a needle going to INJECT the ink?’ So the only thing that made sense to me was to get a syringe… –Jeff Ensminger… (more…)
Sean Herman: Jason Reeder Interview
By Sean Herman
So I wanted to do something different with this TAM Blog. The past three tattooers I have featured on here had been tattooing for over 10 years. I think at that point, you are starting to hit your stride a bit. I wanted to feature a different tattooist, one who hadn’t been tattooing for a long time, to get a different perspective on why he was tattooing. With tattooing becoming so everyday, being saturated on television, in magazines, it’s created a different time in tattooing, and I wanted to see if people got into tattooing for different reasons now, as opposed to 10, even 20 years ago. (more…)
Signatures of the Soul – Tattooing Today: Video Project Fronted by Peter Fonda (1984)
Courtesy of NZ On Screen: We have just added to our website Signatures of the Soul, the 1984 documentary fronted by Peter Fonda (directed by New Zealander Geoff Steven) that tracks the art of tattooing from New Zealand, through Samoa and the East L.A. and San Francisco scenes (including interviews with Ed Hardy and Bob Roberts) and on to Japan.
Click this link to watch full video: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/signatures-of-the-soul-tattooing-today-1984 (more…)
Sailor Jerry: Chris Trevino Hold Fast (VIDEO)
Courtesy of Salior Jerry: Chris Trevino is an expert in traditional Japanese tattooing who earned the nickname “Horimana” after studying for five years under the legendary master Horiyoshi III. His elaborate, full-body representations of Asian symbology remind us of the later works by Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins aka Horismoku. Trevino now runs Perfection Tattoo in Austin, TX which was founded by Bob Moreau in the late 70s… (more…)
Sean Herman: Krooked Ken (Part III)
By Sean Herman
**EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the continuation of, Sean Herman: Krooked Ken (Part II)*
Jason Reeder- What’s funny to me (and I actually talk to Sean about this a lot) is to hear you telling a story, and have the same story. You can have the people who burn their bridges and you try hard not to be that person.
Sean Herman- *I am going to interrupt the dialogue really quick: This is where I have to mention that my friend Jason Reeder came with me when I got tattooed by Ken. Jason has been tattooing for a little bit now. He started as a client of mine, and got an apprenticeship after I had tattooed him for a few years. He is a really dedicated, interesting tattooer. The next blog is going to be about how he got into tattooing, so this one gives you a little introduction to him. Now, back to the dialogue…* (more…)
Sean Herman: Krooked Ken (Part II)
By Sean Herman
**EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the continuation of, Sean Herman: Krooked Ken (Part I)**
Krooked Ken- Finally I got to that point where I was like, “You know what, it’s fine, I’ve got a life.” I asked Gary if I could come full-time he said yes and I quit my job and have been tattooing since.
Sean Herman- What year was that?
KK- I started in ’94.
SH- Did you start working right away at his place?
KK- Yep, worked there a total of 12 years.
SH- Oh shit… (more…)
Sean Herman: Krooked Ken (Part I)
By Sean Herman
Walking into Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, New Jersey reminds me of everything that I love about tattooing. It’s a small space, but it is wide open. The lobby is covered floor to ceiling with flash, some old, some new, but all images that capture your eye. I found myself getting lost, just looking at everything around. Some particular pages caught my eyes that were painted by Krooked Ken, pages he had painted from old Stoney Sinclair designs. I love Stoney’s work, and his attitude toward tattooing, so this put a huge smile on my face, like a giddy kid. The work stations are also wide open, so everyone is involved in every tattoo being done. No matter how many people were tattooing, it could even be just one, everyone there was participating, talking shit and laughing. Everything about the shop was tattooing to me, especially Krooked Ken.
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Jack Rudy Presents: Artist’s Choice Show at Koolsville (Opening Party December 3rd)
Jack Rudy will be hosting his Artist’s Choice opening party on Saturday, Dec. 3rd at Koolsville. Please call the number on the flyer for more information. Some of the attending artists will be Don Ed Hardy, Bob Roberts, Mr.Cartoon, Jack Rudy, Aaron Bell, Filip and Titine Leu, Paul Booth, Von Franco, Keith Weesner and many many more… [Larger image on expanded page]
Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age, Freddy Corbin Bonus Footage (VIDEO)
Courtesy of VICE.com: Bonus footage from the Freddy Corbin series.
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Mike Brown (RIP) Vice Magazine Art Talk (VIDEO)
Courtesy of Vice Magazine: Mike Brown is a tattoo artist who, if you know your history, always comes up when people talk about those who pioneered tattooing in the late 1970s. He worked at China Sea (formerly owned by Sailor Jerry), ground zero for traditional American tattoos, and at the birthplace for black grey penitentiary-style tattoos, Good Time Charlie’s Tattoo Land. His life has had some ups and downs over the years, and they’ve made him a little hard to track down if you’re looking to get a Mike Brown tattoo. But we had the chance to visit Honolulu in January and made sure to stop by the shop Mike works at to ask him about the old days. He still tattoos five days a week, and we’d wager that most people who see him have no idea about his pedigree. His portfolio alone is a history lesson in tattooing, with everything from the most beautiful Cholas, Pin-Ups, mean-ass biker skulls, and touristy sea turtle tats. Mike Brown still does it all, and does so with the most humble manner… (more…)
Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age, Freddy Corbin Episode III (VIDEO)
Courtesy of VICE.com: In the third and final episode of the Freddy Corbin series, not only do we get exclusive footage of the renowned tattooer parachuting at the tender age of 24, but we hear the personal, intimate details of his young life and career – from the early days of his drug abuse, to living in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, his brother’s tragic death, and being petrified of starting a family.
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Thom deVita, Ed Hardy, Nick Bubash Firecat Projects Art Show Opening Review
By John Niederkorn
First off, let me just say that this is not a traditional “review” considering the fact that I’m not an artist… With that said this show was (in my unprofessional opinion) AWESOME! The opening was held on Oct. 28th, 2011 at Tony Fitzpatrick’s Firecat Projects, located quaintly in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, and the only way I can describe the show room is, phenomenal…
Vice Magazine: Tattoo Age, Freddy Corbin Episode II (VIDEO)
Courtesy of VICE.com: In this episode of Tattoo Age, we talk to Freddy about his rise as a tattoo artist -from the day he received an income tax return check in the mail for $75 that he used towards his first tattoo, to the unforgettable 9 a.m. phonecall from Ed Hardy with a job offer. We chat about everything from Freddy’s Rock of Ages back piece to the post-punk industrial period of the 80s, and hear anecdotes of the tattoo greats (such as Ed Hardy, Henry Foldfield, Dan Higgs, and Sonny Tufts) that Freddy learned all his tricks from.
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