Tag Archives: tattoo

By Dan Henk I’m sure some are going to take offense to this, and that is really not my intent. This is just what I have observed to be true over my 15 years of tattooing, and what I think the best options are. So, what am I talking about? The current trend towards, and elevation in public opinion, of so called “hyper realistic tattoos”. I’ll start out by saying, that many look amazing. Some even better than what similarly exalted oil painters produce. I was first offered an apprenticeship at 19, and turned it down because I thought all tattoos were basically old school designs. I liked them, and wanted to be covered, much like some of the rock stars I looked up to, but I really wanted to do comics and book covers. I didn’t think you could do anything nearly as realistic and artistic in tattooing. Fast forward eight years later, and I had attended art school, interviewed with book and comic companies, and was living in NYC cranking out illustrations and paintings on the side while I worked a food service job to pay the bills. Comics paid very little, and were very restrictive about what they wanted you to draw. Book and magazine publishers paid more, but only wanted work very occasionally. I had started to get more heavily tattooed, and I had now seen the work of people like Aaron Caine, Guy Aitchison, and Tom Renshaw. Then a tattoo artist, a friend of my ... Read More »

  Russ Abbott and Guy Aitchison are gearing up for a major collaboration, which will be webcast live this October 22-23 from Off The Map Tattoo in Easthampton, Mass., where you’ll see biomech, ornamental and dimensional graphic elements fused into something totally new. The first session’s webcast will be free to the public, where you’ll be able to observe the unfolding of a major leg piece, and can submit your questions for the artists through the TattooNOW chat feature. The second day’s session will be for professionals only and will get into the in-depth technical aspects of the project, from layout to machines to rendering techniques. Tune in to TattooNOWtv.com on Oct.22 to check it out, or you can sign up in advance for the paid seminar. Advance tickets are $175, and tickets sold during the event will be $200. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn from two of the industry’s leading educators in a single high-powered event! The good folks at Wacom will be giving away a free tablet on the 23rd!  Don’t miss out! To purchase tickets, go to: http://www.tattooNOW.com Starts at Noon eastern time. and can submit your questions for the artists through the TattooNOW chat feature. The second day’s session will be for professionals only and will get into the in-depth technical aspects of the project, from layout to machines to rendering techniques. Tune in to TattooNOWtv.com on Oct.22 to check it out, or you can sign up in advance for the paid seminar. Advance tickets are $175, and tickets sold during ... Read More »

By Nicki Kasper What was the inspiration for the World Wide Tattoo Conference, and who’s idea was it in the beginning?  The project WWTC (WorldWideTattooConference) was conceived in 2011. The original idea was to get together different talented Tattoists in an itinerant multicultural context who would travel around the world, stopping over in significant European and American spots to share and offer their expertise and personal views of their work to the global tattoo community. The initial idea was mine. This year’s conference is in Venice, Italy… Where have previous conferences been held?  Did you find that each event had a different vibe? 2014 is the year to get back to the origins… After the first edition of Rome 2011, the WWTC is going back to its home country, Italy. So far the WWTC has been held 5 times, once in Europe and once in the States alternatively: 2011 was in Rome, April 2012 was the turn of Chigago, then September of the same year in London… 2013 was in Boston and 2014 will be Venice (actually it is in Mogliano Veneto, 10 minutes from Venice). Each edition had definitely a different vibe, specially if we distinguish between Europe and the US, but I guess the most distinctive one was the atmosphere perceived in London, as this conference was much rougher and wilder than the other ones, being it held in the same premises of the 8th London Tattoo Convention and just before the very same convention.   How has the conference progressed ... Read More »

By Nicki Kasper How long have you guys been tattooing? Where are you from?  What shops were you in before opening Ten Thousand Waves?    Robert: We both started tattooing in 1992… I grew up in Santa Clarita, North LA.  I’ve worked in many shop throughout my career, Melrose Tattoo, Royal Tattoo in Denmark, Dragon Tattoo in Holland, Eternal Art, The Tattoo Room, and last but not least, The Dolorosa. Jojo: I started tattooing back when there was no internet hahah. I am born and raised in the high desert of Southern California and recently have moved out closer towords Los Angeles. I began tattooing at Psycho City Tattoo in Lancaster CA. Under Mike Pike, where I worked for my first 16 years. Then Pike and myself opened American Made Tattoo near Edwards Air Force base, but we had to leave due to the military downsizing and local economy shift, then I ended up in Santa Clarita at Eternal Art Tattoo for almost 3 years until now. What made you decide to partner up on a shop?   R: I had been looking into locations for a new studio and Jo happened to call and said he was looking for a change… I told him I wanted to open a studio and asked him if he wanted to do it together, he said yes and here we are. J: We both discussed having a shop together for a few years now and the timing seemed right, so we went for it. Tell us a little ... Read More »

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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