Tag Archives: tattoo

by Nicki Kasper Tell us a little bit about yourself… Where are you from? How long have you been tattooing?  What shop are you in now? Etc… I was raised in Florida, ended up in NYC where I’ve been for the past 10+years. I began tattooing just about 9 years ago and have been at Three Kings in Brooklyn for the last 6 1/2.  How would you describe Victory Cult, and what was the inspiration?  I’d call it sort of a sophisticated street wear brand. I grew up skateboarding and playing in bands, so I’ve always had a strong inclination towards graphics and the merch game. When I began tattooing It was just a natural progression to carry that on. With this project, I have begun with the basics (t-shirts,hats,hoodies,etc.), but I aim to eventually expand that scope. I also wanted to create a project that would treat the artists involved respectfully. I know a lot of us tattooers have been approached by companies that look at us as cheap labor, so I’m just trying to keep this all in the family and have everybody treated correctly. You know the old adage, if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself.   How long did you sit on the idea before you decided to get it rolling?  Probably not long enough. Haha. I had always thought it would be fun to create a proper brand, but I had never taken the idea all that seriously. It took a ... Read More »

Orge Kalodimas’ love and devotion on geometric tattoo led him to his recent book publication “Solstice Mandala”. Orge spoke to HeartbeatInk Tattoo Magazine about his transition from realistic to geometric tattoo, the reason why he “avoids” colour, how he met with Sake, his influences, his preference in European tattoo and tattoo’s future which he finds auspicious. How and when were you initiated into tattooing? I have done a classic full apprenticeship for two years, from 2005 to 2007 alongside Sake. I watched him, drew all day long, mopped and swept the studio, cleaned the tubes, set up the tattoo machines – the whole package. I also answered the phones and booked appointments. I was basically the first receptionist at Sake tattoo. I have been here since the first day the tattoo shop opened in 2005. It was just the two of us to begin with and then the crew gradually grew. What do you think made Sake believe you were ready, once you completed your two years? That’s his to know (laughs). Look, up until that happened, I did a lot of tattoos on me, as well as on two of my best mates. I began gradually and did letters in the beginning and generally “easy designs”, like everyone does at that stage. In my opinion, that is how someone will appreciate the gravity of this work and prove that he can do it for the rest of his life. Because these things are kind of confused these days… That’s why ... Read More »

Readers have been getting in touch about their experiences of terminated job interviews, losing out on promised promotions and leaving jobs because of their tattoos. It followed a Magazine article which asked whether discrimination against people with tattoos should be banned in the workplace. Here are some of their stories. ‘I was told I’m a bad example to children’ I’m 35 and quite heavily tattooed. I had a job as a mid-day assistant at a school. I was taken on having tattoos and facial piercings which during the winter months was fine as I was covered up, but when the summer arrived my arms were on show. I was promptly issued with a “standards of dress” guide. It said that visible tattoos and facial piercings were not setting a good example and should be covered up. This was the first bit of communication I had received during my job. I was good at my job and the children seemed to like talking about my tattoos. I did start a bit of a campaign but I didn’t want to work in an environment that said because I have tattoos and a piercing I cannot do the job. After a week or so I went to see the headmaster and resigned with immediate effect. He had called me in to have meetings with personnel over the issues I had raised, but I didn’t feel I wanted to work in a place that discriminates against tattoos and piercings and I don’t believe I should have ... Read More »

By Jason Sweet http://freaksandgeekstattoo.com Professional associations; most professions have them. Tradesmen have unions, Doctors have the American Medical Association, Dentists have the American Dental Association, the National Basketball Association, the Professional Golf Association, The American Motorcycle Association; the list could continue for many pages. Tattooing has two professional associations of its own. The National Tattoo Association (NTA), and the Alliance or Professional Tattooists (APT). This article is part one of two, regarding tattooing’s own professional organizations. Part One will focus on the Nation Tattoo Association.   Some members of the NTA are members of the APT as well, but the two groups are distinctly different in focus and therefore deserve individual attention. Read More »

Hand tattoo artist Horihide is one of the few tebori practitioners who remain, as body ink carries a stigma in Japan and young apprentices are few. GIFU, Japan — Hidden away in the backroom of a modest apartment in this central Japanese city, one of Japan’s last remaining hand-tattoo masters is preparing his tools. Over the last four decades Oguri Kazuo has tattooed notable geisha and countless yakuza, members of Japan’s notorious mafia. Today, the 79-year-old artist, known professionally as Horihide (derived from “hori,” meaning “to carve”), is working on a client who is a little more subdued. Motoyama Tetsuro has spent hundreds of dollars, traveled thousands of miles and waited more than three decades for a session with Horihide. The Japanese-born American software manager wanted the master’s ink in his skin — a living legacy for a dying art. With old masters passing away and young apprentices lacking the patience to learn the painstaking craft of tebori (hand tattooing), many followers believe its days are numbered. “If you know the master, why would you want to work with someone else?” asks Motoyama, 62, who first received the outline of a dragon by Horihide on his right shoulder in the 1970s. Motoyama lost touch with the master — who works only by word-of-mouth introductions in backdoor locations — before the work was complete. Last November, after a 30-plus year search, he finally located Horihide and traveled back to Japan from his home in Cupertino, Calif., to finish the piece. Japanese tattoos are steeped ... Read More »

By Erika Icon Tattoos and piercings are becoming more accepted as a form of art and expression. They are a big part of the cultural landscape in cosmopolitan cities like Los Angeles. To give you an idea of their rise in popularity here are a few figures. Thirty years ago, 1 in 100 people in this country had tattoos. Now 1 in 10 Americans have them, and one-third of those aged 25 to 30 have tattoos. While society is becoming more liberated and expressive, and piercings and tattoos become part of mainstream culture, some employers are still having a hard time wrapping their heads around body art in the workplace. What are my rights? If your company tells you that you can’t wear piercings or reveal your tattoos at work, they aren’t doing anything illegal. Don’t look to the legal system to protect workers who have body art. The law covers discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, age, nationality, origin and gender. The one exception may be if you’re a Hindu with a nose ring, which could be a religious observation. But there are limits. Your company can’t use tats or piercings as an excuse to fire you. A company can, on the flipside, use it as an excuse not to hire you. I’ll cover more reasons for this later. Many companies have policies that prohibit tats and piercings that are generally outlined in their handbook and/or employee manual. If the policy is new, it may be given out ... Read More »

It’s an image ingrained in the culture of both the United States and countries throughout Central America: the heavily-tattooed, ruthless gang members on the prowl for victims. These inked-up thugs – such as members of the feared Mara Salvatrucha (or MS-13) and Barrio 18 street gangs operating in El Salvador and Honduras – have been blamed in part for the surge in unaccompanied minors streaming north toward safety in the U.S. and have kept border agents busy making sure that none of these hoodlums enter the country. While law enforcement officials in places like Los Angeles and throughout the federal prison system have been studying gang tattoos for years to get a grasp on affiliations and meanings, the countries in Central America have only recently latched on to this practice as violent crime rates spiral out of control throughout these nations. Police in Honduras now claim to have cracked the code on the symbolic meaning of these tattoos even as more and more gang members hide their ink amid a crackdown on gangs in the country. One of the most popular images found on gang members is two hands clasped together and fingers facing skyward in prayer posture. Experts interviewed by Honduras’ El Heraldo newspaper say that this tattoo is not a representation of any religiosity on the part of the gang member, but a plea to “forgive me mother for my crazy life.” “This phrase means that there are normal moments in the life of gang member or a ... Read More »

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By Pete Kasperowicz www.theblaze.com The Food and Drug Administration is warning people that getting a tattoo comes with several risks, including the possibility of being infected with HIV or hepatitis, allergic reactions, and other skin problems. And if you ever decide to remove your tattoo later, the FDA is warning about “pain and high costs.”   The FDA’s warning focused on women who get tattoos for “beauty, self-expression or cultural events.” It explained that tattoos can be done by injecting ink into your skin, injecting henna, or by getting a temporary tattoo. FDA said that because of the risk of infections, scarring or other problems, the FDA “has not approved any inks for injecting into your skin.” FDA has also not approved the injection of henna or hair dye into people’s skin. The FDA said it does not regulate tattoo parlors, but does monitor problems associated with tattoos — problems can be reported by calling 1-800-332-1088. The agency said removing tattoos is not easy. “You may not be able to completely remove your tattoo,” it said. “You could get a scar when you remove your tattoo.” There are other more complicated methods for removing them as well. “Tattoos can sometimes be removed by cutting out the tattooed skin then sewing the skin back together,” it said. “Other times, the skin can be sanded down to remove the tattoo.” The FDA indicated that least painful and easiest to remove option is the temporary tattoo, like the ones found in Cracker Jack ... Read More »

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By Katherine Brooks www.huffingtonpost.com Oh, the tattoo. From an innocuous badge inked ever so carefully on one’s back to a blanket of color flowing from the shoulders to the ankles, the world has proven the tradition of permanently adorning the body with artwork is here to stay. Hidden from sight or paraded in public, designed by professionals or picked and poked by amateurs, humans just can’t get enough of this particular brand of body modification. Take, for example, a Harris poll from 2012, which declared that in the U.S. alone, one in five individuals had chosen to bring needle to flesh. That’s 20% of the adults surveyed, for those bad with fractions. Read More »