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INKEDblog takes you beneath the skin of today's tattoo culture. Our mission is to celebrate tattooing as a modern art form which incorporates art, fashion, style, and pop culture. While paying homage and respect to the past, we look to present a contemporary take on the present and future of skin art.
Thursday Aug 31, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Ophidiophobia
"Once when I was a kid, I was doing some work for my grandmother. I was about ten years old, and taking the shingles off of her roof. I worked on the roof for a while, and then suddenly–¬¬¬ I slipped and fell off!
The roof sloped down to a little hill. I rolled down the hill, fell in a pond, and unbelievably, into a nest of snakes.
I don’t know what kind of snakes they were. Probably not poisonous because I didn’t get sick or bitten or anything, but it was crazy. I had snakes in my hair, in my shirt, in my pants…
I was an ordinary ten-year-old kid, and this scared the hell out of me. I was screaming and freaking out. It still creeps me out to think about it.
Ever since then, I have had a big fear of snakes.
The artist who does my tattoos, Scott from Twenty-First Century Tattoo, is a friend of mine. A while ago we went to this bar and were just hanging out when he brought a little Live snake out of his pocket. It scared the crap out of me!
Some time after that, I told him I wanted a snake tattoo. I guess I wanted to somehow take control over the fear that I had.
I’m still afraid of snakes, but I really like my tattoo…"
| Thursday Aug 31, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Mother
"This is my fist tattoo and I got it around November of 1996 in my living room. There was this guy from Seattle who would come down and do tattoos, and he was a good artist.
When I got this one, I hadn’t seen my mom is about two years. We were both just busy, I guess. I was a senior in college at that time.
I didn’t intentionally show it to her until the next March. She wasn’t very happy; in fact, she sort of freaked out. She kept talking about the permanence…
I told her that I could have gotten a flaming skull, and I think she kinda chilled out after that. Her exact quote was “It’s your arm”. True enough.
My sister told me I was an idiot and that I’d regret it, but I never have. I still really like it.
In fact, I’m going to go get a tattoo next week. I’m not sure what I’m getting yet, but it’s the first time I’ve had any extra money laying around for a long time."
Thursday Aug 31, 2006
Dear INKEDblog: Are Tattoos Okay for Donor Recipients?
Dear INKEDblog,
I have liver failure from cirrhosis and am in the process of getting on the transplant list.
I've been told that tattoos are absolutely verboten for both people in my position and for donor recipients.
I'm curious though because other than hepatitis risk, I have seen and read nothing about tattooing that would interfere with liver function. Moreover, from what I have heard, hepatitis risk is basically alleviated by good artist hygiene, and professional tattooing practices.
Should I bag it and say, "you've had a enough bad luck already", or are tattoos just getting an undeserved bad rep?
–Wilber
Dear Wilber,
This question briefly stumped us at INKEDblog. We called Dr. Adeline Kell, from ‘A Better Choice’, to get a medical opinion.
Dr. Kell told us that there are several factors at work here. First of all, when you are on the list to receive a donor organ you must be ready to receive the organ at anytime. When you get a donor organ, you immediately begin to take immune suppressing medication.
While on immune suppressing medication, any abrasion, cut or puncture has a higher capacity for infection. Because of this, even at the cleanest tattoo studio, you might run the risk of a later infection simply from the exposure of your healing tattoo to the elements.
Secondly, Dr. Kell told us that the transplant list is meant to be as an objective a process as possible. Because of the limited supply of donor organs, the patients that are most likely to survive are generally the recipients of the organs. The reasons for this are clear, if a patient dies because of a controllable situation; they could literally be risking the death of another person who needed the same organ.
In all likelihood, the risk associated with a tattoo is quite small. However, the possibility of the associated risks makes a tattoo an unwise choice for a person in your position.
Thanks for the question; we wish you the best.
– INKEDblog
Wednesday Aug 30, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Green Tara
"This tattoo is an image of the goddess, Green Tara. Tara was the mother of Buddha, and there are several different versions of her including White Tara, Red Tara and Gold Tara.
I was raised Catholic, and am now not a religious person, but a spiritual one. Buddhism is more of an interest for me than a dominating religion. My name is actually Tara, and my parents named me that because of the link with the word Earth, or Terra, in Latin.
I was introduced to the Buddhist name Tara by my stepmother, who was also interested in spiritual matters.
She had a number of books on Buddhism, and I naturally followed the stories containing my name. I was very intrigued by Tara because of her compassion and her motherly qualities.
I got this tattoo in ’99 when I was about twenty-six. I got it at a shop called Electric Rose, in Seattle, Washington. At the time, I knew that I wanted to be a mother some day, but it is something that has become increasingly important to me as I get older.
Now, I have two stepchildren and a baby on the way. I am three months along. I look forward to having Tara continue to guide me with her beauty, her compassion, and her beautifully maternal nature."
Wednesday Aug 30, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Swan Song
"My best friend and I met in the second grade. He was an Asian kid, and we had a funny, kind of competitive relationship that lasted until the day that he died.
We were competitive with everything. Whether it was basketball, sports, or life, we were always trying to one up each other.
We always stayed close through the years. About ten years ago, when he was twenty-six, he had finally gotten it all together. He moved out of his parent’s house, got a killer job and had his first girlfriend.
That night, he died in his sleep. I guess he had some sort of heart problem that no one knew about. It was a huge surprise for everyone.
This tattoo is the first tattoo that I ever got. It is the Led Zeppelin picture from the album, Swan Song. I went in to get a tattoo for him, but I wasn’t sure what to get. I saw this picture up on the wall, and realized that it was perfect.
The picture looked a whole lot like me at the time. I had long hair, and was a nude dancer, so I was naked a lot. I figured that with this tattoo, when I died, I could go up there and be competitive with him again some day. I know we’ll meet up.
A few months after that happened, my dad passed away. I thought about getting another angel, but I figured the one I had would work for both of them."
Wednesday Aug 30, 2006
INKED Tonight on A&E
Here's a preview of tonight's episodes of INKED on A&E:
Tonight at 9:00pm - "Crossing the Line ”
Dizzle is the "Old Faithful" of H&H--always there, always apprenticing, and always likely to erupt in a fit of push-ups at Twig's command at any moment. But when he pushes his mentor a little too far, Dizzle gets more than he bargained for.
and then...
at 9:30am ET - Tat and Rap
He calls himself J. Dizzle, says it's his "rap" name. Only thing, he's never even recorded a rhyme. So until he does, the guys at H&H are going to call him by his given name--Josh. Enter Carey...who agrees to give Josh a shot at getting his name back and sets him up with Big B, Carey's assistant who just happens to be an internationally known hip-hop star. Big B also happens to be a very big man, who has little patience for people with a sloppy work ethic and no talent. Can "J. Dizzle" beat the rap or will Big B have to beat it out of him? Meanwhile, Joey starts apprenticing Jenn but the brakes get put on when Carey finds out the new guy is schooling the new girl without his permission.
** INKED on A&E is a sponsor of INKEDblog.com
Tuesday Aug 29, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Native Dreams
"I got the Dream Catcher part of this tattoo about seven years ago. I’m of Native American descent, and both my parents are Sioux from the Lakota tribe of Pine Ridge. The Lakota tribe comes from the Western half of the Dakota’s. When I was a kid, jobs were sometimes hard to find, and we moved all over the country. I lived in twenty-two states. Luckiest kid in the world, traveled the whole country and my dad paid for it…
My mom was a homemaker, then she went to school to design missiles and satellites. She had top secret clearance from the government. There’s probably Still some satellites hanging around up there in the sky there my mom mighta had something to do with…
The Dream Catcher is a tattoo that honors my family. The men in my family have always been incredibly close. Male bonding, you know? My own dream came true when I had my son. The war bead in the dream catcher represents him.
Though I got the tattoo for my son, I got it at a time when my dad wasn’t living close by. I was really missing him a lot, and thinking about how much I loved my boy.
With the flag tattoo, I sat down with my wife and told her I wanted the flag draped with no wind, across my arm and around the Dream Catcher. She actually drew it up for me, and then I took it to Jason Bradbury at Atomic Art. See http://www.atomic.ws/. Jason is a great artist, and he cleaned the picture up and did the tattoo.
I got this American flag right after 9-11. For me, we’re all Americans but being a Native American gives me a unique outlook on being American. Everyone else is a transplant; I’m a Native. Both of these tattoos have to do with my heritage and my love for this country. Although I gotta say, I love my country, but I don’t trust my government…
Tuesday Aug 29, 2006
Every BODY Hs a Story: Outsiders
"The Outsiders is a bike club that my friends and I are in. We have around a couple hundred members and my brother was one of them.
He joined a long time ago. Even before me. The Outsiders are just like another family, everyone takes care of each other, and what needs to get done gets done. I have also been president of this club during my membership.
My brother, Robin, had this same tattoo. He developed bone marrow cancer and died. I knew I wanted to get one like it, but in our club you need to get permission from all the members before you get a tattoo of the name of the club.
They all gave me permission, but I waited two years before getting it. This is a tight bond, in memory of my brother, and also a sign of the connection between myself and the other guys in The Outsiders. If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us, but we are there for each other. Whatever needs to be taken care of, gets taken care of.
I got this done at Family Traditions Tattoo Studio."
Monday Aug 28, 2006
"Seen At The Clubs" - Photos by Mark The Cobrasnake
More from Marc here.
Monday Aug 28, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Family Band
"When I was growing up, I was greatly influenced by my grandmother who was a member of the Native American tribe, Nez Perce.
Native American symbolism ruled in our family, and it was a point of honor to respect these symbols and give them their correct due.
I got this tattoo about six years ago. I had gotten married to the most wonderful woman in the world, and I decided to give a token of my skin to those of my family who held that reservoir of strength for me.
The top of this tattoo is a symbol of the sun, the moon and a star. In my culture, this celestial embrace is the symbol for family, something I have never taken lightly.
The band all the way around my arm represents the eternal nature of this connection. On the inside of the band is a Native American version of a dragon. This represents strength. Because no matter how wonderful and strong your family is, you still need the strength of your own will to carry you through your life.
I got this tattoo at Vertigo Tattoo. It has certainly stood me in good stand. Not only am I still married, but also I have a baby now. That will continue the legacy from which I came."
Friday Aug 25, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Road Runner Gets Caught
My wife and I are dog groomers at a pet store called Animal Crossing. She has been a groomer for longer than we have been married, but I started to go into business with her when we got married. This was about seven years ago.
She has had that tattoo on her leg of the Road Runner for a long time. I’ve spent quite a lot of time thinking about that tattoo… She says she got it because she was always fast, I say it’s because she was so good at getting away!
We actually met about eighteen years ago, and were always very attracted to each other. Unfortunately, one or both of us were always married every time we came across each. This seemed to happen over and over for years and years.
The first time we saw each other single, well, that was it. We lived together for about a year, and have been happily married since then.
I got this Wile E. Coyote tattoo last week. I had wanted a tattoo there for a long time, though I wasn’t sure of what to get. My dad was a great big fan of Wile E. Coyote, and always took us to see those cartoons. In a way, I’m kinda keeping my dad around with this tattoo.
Of course, the tattoo has a double meaning too. Wile E. Coyote was Always chasing the RoadRunner just like me. The thing is, in our story; the RoadRunner got caught…."
Thursday Aug 24, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Aries
"I met my best friend when I was in third grade and she was in second. We have been best friends ever since then.
We have also been roommates for quite a long time now and gone through a lot of living together. She has been a surrogate mother for two different families, and I lived with her during that time. She does not see the children, but the parents sent her pictures of them.
When I first decided that I wanted to get this tattoo, we wanted to get one together. She ended up becoming pregnant soon after that, and the doctors said that it was best to wait for at least two months after giving birth (to TWINS), before she got her tattoo.
I had wanted to get this Aries tattoo for at least a year. I love being an Aries. Aries people are bull-headed and stubborn. They are set in their ways, just like me.
The actual symbol for the Aries id a ram’s head, but I didn’t think it was exactly what I wanted. I want something more feminine. I had Wade, from Raven tattoo draw out this floral pattern to encircle the word Aries. It was a great thing to wait for my friend to get this tattoo with me. Everyone always compliments me on it, and I am really proud of it."
Thursday Aug 24, 2006
INKED This Week on A&E
Here's a preview of upcoming episodes of INKED on A&E:
On Sunday, August 27 at 11:00am - "The Proposal and the Impersonator"
A surprise engagment begins the day at H&H, but not before Jesse tattoos the young lovers names in Thai. Lacey's parents come in to get some family ink and leave smiling. Clark does a portrait for Scott to memorialize his late fiancé Dana and Lacey tats Steve, a Cher impersonator who gets a crystal on his forearm.
and then...
at 11:30am ET - "Rockers & Ribbons"
Jeph from emo-core band "The Used" gets a unicorn tattoo by artist Josh while Monica gets a bird tattoo from Matt Victor. Karsten & Courtney get tattoos to symbolize important people in their lives and Liz gets a ribbon to mark her organ transplant experience.
** INKED on A&E is a sponsor of INKEDblog.com
Wednesday Aug 23, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Cars and Girls
I got these tattoos about eight or nine years ago. First the one on my right calf, then the second one on my left. I had known a lot of people with tattoos, and I thought about what I wanted for a while. I must have been about twenty-nine or thirty when I got these.
I ran across this book of art by Robert Williams, who is very famous in the tattoo world. There was one thing I knew I always wanted– a woman with a car… Robert Williams’ art has that in spades.
I took the book to a friend, Paul, at Infinity Tattoo, and told him to find an image with a girl and a car that he liked. On my right calf, the tattoo is a little simpler, the image was a black and white one, and Jesse colored it in. He drew the tattoo out from the picture.
It took about five hours to get the work done on each side. I guess I wasn’t very surprised about my pain tolerance, but the people at the shop were. Five hours is a long time to go on a tattoo…
After I got the first one, I knew that I wanted another pretty quick. When I got the second one, Jesse filled in the background more than in the first. I got my girl, and I got my car. "
Tuesday Aug 22, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Parental Photo
This is a portrait of my parents, taken on their wedding day in 1980. I got this tattoo about six or seven years ago after my grandmother gave me the picture. I had never seen a picture of them together before.
You see, my dad died from cancer when I was five. For a lot of reasons I don’t want to go into, by the time I was sixteen, I wasn’t living with my mother. She refused to go to the doctor, and ended up dying of pneumonia when I was just sixteen.
When I got this tattoo, I was living in a house with a guy that did tattoos. When he cared and was working hard, he did wonderful tattoos, but if he wasn’t in the mood, he did a horrible job. I’m actually getting one of the ones he did before covered up today. In the house, we called him ‘the basement dweller’.
As soon as my grandmother gave me this photo, I knew I wanted to get it as a tattoo. I told the guy in the basement (put the fear of God in him, really) that he had Better do this one well. My parents look so peaceful in the picture. I think the basement dweller did a good job.
People ask me about it all the time. I look a lot like my mother, and sometimes people think that it’s a picture of me.
Tuesday Aug 22, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: the sacred heart of mother
During my college years, I didn't get along with my mom very well. I think a lot of it started brewing around the time that my mom turned 50 and decided to finish her own schooling and become a teacher. I was very proud of her for this, but it put us into a situation where we were sharing classes at community college. It was kind of a novelty for the first week or so, but you can imagine how cool it became to be a guy in your early 20's sitting next to your mom in math class. "Did you get your homework done" takes on a whole new meaning when your mom has been assigned the same thing. Compound this situation with the fact that independence and getting out of the house was at the forefront of my mind... it was basically the perfect storm. That year we both said a lot of things that we didn't mean, or maybe things that we did mean at the time but later regretted.
I ended up leaving to go to a university in the fall and finally got to live in the same town as my long distance girlfriend (who is now my wife). So the independence problem was being resolved, but probably not so much the relationship with mom. I majored in art and graphic design, with a lot of focus on serigraphy (screen printing). When studying art history in light of screen printing, you learn a lot about pop artists like Warhol who worked with appropriated images and collage.
So I had this idea for a particular assignment that would combine a couple images. The first being a classic image of Christ from the side of a prayer candle. I owned one of these candles, which itself was a point of "discussion"
with my mom. Being raised baptist, she didn't see any need for such an object in the house. I assured her that I didn't plan on praying to it and I only enjoyed it for its cheesy aesthetic value and she pretty much let it be.
The second image was mom's senior portrait. The photo always stuck in my head as very iconic, as if it belonged in a stained glass window... or on the side of a candle. I don't know exactly what my motivation was to do it. I think partly there was this sarcastic attitude of "look at my mom, the saint".
When you screen print, especially once you get the hang of it, there's a lot of time to think. Once the initial design is done, you have to print each color individually. This one was 9 colors, and it took about an hour for each one.
Half way through the whole process I start realizing the weight of what I'm doing. I'm putting my mom's face on the body of Christ. What am I thinking?
What does this mean? Is this blasphemous? Is God trying to tell me something?
This photo of mom brings a lot to my mind. She would of been a few years younger than I was at the time. She didn't yet know what her life would bring.
The pain of three miscarriages, wondering if she could even have children for seven years before having me. Then spending most of her pregnancy with me laying in bed, praying that God would allow me to live and that I would know and love Him someday. Seeing her this young reminds me of my childhood, when she was my best friend in the world. When if there was ever an example in my life of Christ-like love, this was it. And more than that, I knew that this love never changed. In spite of every fight, backhanded comment, and flippant attitude, this love would endure in spite of it all. I don't know if I could describe the love that Christ Himself has for me any differently.
"The Sacred Heart of Mother" won an honorable mention that year at a student show. I told my wife this whole story of what the image means to me and how I never want to forget it. She said, "You've always wanted tattoos, I can't think of a better idea than this for your first one." I told her that sounded pretty crazy. A year later I had it done on mother's day.
-streeter
Monday Aug 21, 2006
"Seen At The Clubs" - Photos by Mark The Cobrasnake
More from Mark here.
Monday Aug 21, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Casa Sanchez
"There’s this Mexican restaurant in the Mission district in San Francisco called Casa Sanchez. It wasn’t an official announcement or anything, but the word was spread that anyone who got the restaurant logo tattoo would get themselves free food for life.
The problem was that the whole thing blew up- everyone was getting the Casa Sanchez logo. I mean, at Least forty people…
I was probably one of the last people to get the tattoo. It was sort of a weird situation. A friend of a friend knew someone from this German television station who had heard about this deal, and wanted to document it for a show.
I got a call saying I could get a tattoo for free, but it had to be the exact logo. I figured free food for life, it was kinda an investment, who could turn it down?
The German TV station filmed me eating a burrito, getting the tattoo, than going back and eating ANOTHER burrito… It was pretty crazy.
They promised they’d send me footage from the show, but I never got it. If anyone who knows the show in Germany is watching, send an email to INKED!
But, at least I know where my next burrito is coming from…"
Friday Aug 18, 2006
"Seen At The Clubs" - Photos by Mark The Cobrasnake
More from Mark here.
Friday Aug 18, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Heather’s Hotdogs
"Hotdogs have got to be the most hilarious American icon in the world, seriously- hotdogs??
When I was living in San Francisco, I had a bunch of friends who all started coming up with the most ridiculous tattoo ideas we could. It started with a friend who got a tattoo of Barbie, holding Ken’s severed head. As if that wasn’t enough, soon we got someone with Rainbow Bright and a mace, and Strawberry Shortcake with a dagger.
This totally cracked us up. For my birthday, my boyfriend bought me two matching cheeseburger tattoos on my shoulders. This was at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco.
A bunch of my friends then turned to odd logos. One got 7-Up, on one wrist, and 7-11 on the other. Other logo ideas followed suit…
I got the hotdog tattoos about two years ago from a guy named Mod at Tigerlilly Tattoo. He didn’t know me as well as my old artist, but thought it was a cool idea. He drew them out for me, and one of the interesting things is that it fits the shape of my arm so well. They really look good! The mustard squirting out of each end was Mod’s idea…"
Thursday Aug 17, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Living Poetry
There’s a book called The Prophet, that was written in the early nineteen hundreds by a Lebanese-American man named Khalil Gibran. It became very popular in the sixties and seventies as people became open to the idea of spiritualism. My grandmother actually gave the book to my mother as a present, and often, my mother read The Prophet to me as a child. When I was older, she passed the book on to me.
I have always loved the book, and it has been a sort of reference guide for me on life. The section of the book that my mother read to me was the chapter on children. The book is a sort of prose poem and this section begins,
“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls…
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.”
This tattoo is based on the image in that chapter. In the original, The main figure of the archer is male, but I had Autumn Marshall from Icon Tattoo redraw it for me as a female character. I am a doula by profession, which is a woman who aids in births and afterbirth care.
I leave a copy of this book for every new parent with whom I work."
Thursday Aug 17, 2006
Lori's Tattoo
From Lori, an INKEDblog reader:
"I think the sexiest place a woman can get tattooed is down her side. So, when I decided that I wanted to do a side piece I went to our tattoo artist, Zac Meyer at The Psychodelic Butterfly in Little Rock, and told him what I wanted.
I wanted a grouping of water lillies that started out sketched and by the end was full detail, full colour. He came up with a design that I absolutely loved and was totally one of a kind. After we did the 'original' upper flowers, I decided that I wanted the tattoo to continue down my side and down onto my lower hip. Which is the point we're at now. When it's finished it will start out sketched, go to full colour on the two middle lillies and then back to sketched. Hopefull I'll be able to finish it in a few weeks!"
Tuesday Aug 15, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Rubber Bug
"About five years ago, I was living in San Francisco working for Levi’s. My housemate was friends with this guy, Jesse, who came to stay with us for a while. He and I became friends, and he was a tattoo artist.
Jesse brought all his stuff with him, and was immaculate about sterilization etc. I brought him over a lot of clients, and it turned out that everyday we would have two or three people coming to get tattoos at our house. We would all go out and party at night when they were done. It was fun.
Because I brought him a lot of business, Jesse told me he would do a tattoo for me for free. At the time, I had met this girl in New York and she was coming to stay with me. She wasn’t my girlfriend, more of a fling, but what a great fling!
We went to Chinatown and she bought this weird rubber bug for some reason. After she went home, I told Jesse that I wanted the bug tattooed on my leg…
Some time after that, I visited her in New York. Of course, I didn’t tell her about the tattoo, that would have been creepy. She had a boyfriend by that time, and I wore long pants."
Monday Aug 14, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Clouds
"On my arm, I have a series of cloud tattoos. I got the first three clouds five years ago when I was twenty-seven. In most Japanese tattoo work, the clouds make up the background of the piece, and I found myself interested in using them graphically as a center.
I was born and grew up in Japan, and was always sketching. I am an artist at Temple Tattoo, now. I started on these cloud images when I was about sixteen. Both of my parents were career artists as well.
They met at an art school in Tokyo called Tamabi. My father worked on advertising campaigns where he did illustrations of ‘60’s and ‘70’s movie stars holding pipes (among other projects), as well as selling many abstract pen and ink studies. My mother was an oil painter.
After Tokyo, we moved to a tiny village in the countryside of Japan. I have no idea why my parents made that move. My parents were really kind of hipsters at the time. My mom was the first woman who had smoked cigarettes in that village. It was not great growing up there.
They still live there, but I moved to the US fourteen years ago. For me, the clouds suggest a sort of neutrally and flexibility. They could be anything; they could go anywhere. Like me. I also have cloud tattoos on my legs, and I plan to Never have any other sort of tattoo other than clouds."
Monday Aug 14, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: The Harpies
I got this tattoo two weeks ago and it healed really fast. I got it from Tim at Optic Nerve Tattoo where I work.
The tattoo is of three Harpies, which are Greek mythological part bird/part woman monsters. They are supposed to be really disgusting and mean. I got the idea with a friend of mine one night when we were sitting around getting drunk.
I wanted a new tattoo, and needed some ideas. I have never been really into Greek mythology, but my friend Rhea is. She asked me what I thought about a Harpy tattoo, and I told her I didn’t know what that was.
She started to draw it out for me, and made the birds have chicken feet. We thought it was so funny, we started looking up images of Harpies on the Internet. We found tons of cool ones.
We decided to get these tattoos as matching tattoos, but on opposite sides of our legs so if we stand together, the Harpies are touching…
We gave the image to Tim, who went all out and drew us this crazy sleeve tattoo. We decided that we couldn’t afford it though, and started to work on this image.
He took our printed picture, cleaned it up, and made the lines really distinct. What can I say- best friends forever!"
Friday Aug 11, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Dominguez the Aztec
I got this tattoo about four days ago, but it’s been a long time in coming. I am twenty years old, but I feel so much older. It has been a hard life.
This tattoo says my name, Dominguez, in a custom script that a friend of mine came up with. I met him in art class a long time ago and he is an aspiring tattoo artist and has been sketching forever.
The actual script is based on Aztec writing and the imagery is based on the Aztec Wall of the Dead. The Wall of the Dead is an Aztec story that after a battle, the Aztecs would pile the bodies of their victims into a wall as a warning to their enemies and an appeasement to the gods of war.
I’m supposedly of Aztec descent but I grew up in a small and racist town. Life was never easy for my brother and I. He and I came to a great separation of beliefs at a certain point. He decided to go into the military and be a traditional American. Me, I opted for extremism and individuality though it has not been easy.
This tattoo for me is about protecting my family. I do not want anyone to ever mess with us again, and I will use the spirits of my ancestry to show this warning."
Thursday Aug 10, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: More than a Muscle Man
"Around 1989, I went into the army after some trouble at home, and was stationed in Germany for a while. After I got out, I started teaching myself to tattoo for about two years. This tattoo, of the muscled man with the small head, is one that I did myself. It was one of my first ones ever. I was about twenty at the time.
For me, it represents all the false valuations people place on the external. They want a better car, better muscles, bigger boobs, nicer teeth and it’s all really bullsh-t. Do you want to end up with all that and still be thinking small little thoughts? No.
After about two years, a German tattoo artist named Kevin Heath took me under his wing, and I did my apprenticeship with him. I started a tattoo studio there, then moved back to the states and started another studio, Tattoo Revolution, in Las Vegas.
I tattooed Jesse’s sleeve, from INKED and also taught Big E (from Ultimate Fighting Championship), to tattoo. Now I work at Raven Tattoo."
Wednesday Aug 09, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Earth Goddess
"I am a healer by profession, and during the first year of my Naturopathic program in 1998, I realized that I wanted to make a life long commitment to this pursuit that I realized would be the foundation for the rest of my life.
On All Hallows Eve, when the veil between the worlds is the thinnest, I shaved all my hair off. It was a huge statement for me. I had always had long hair, and for me, the symbol represented an end of personal vanity and selfhood and an offering to the earth showing my dedication to the healing arts.
Though I enjoyed having no hair, of course, it returned. I began to think about a more lasting symbol for my body. I know myself, and even at that time I knew that in the future (which is the case now), that I would be wearing suits to work, and engaged in the business of healing, not exclusively the art.
I began to think about this back piece, and it is the only tattoo that I have. I worked on the image with Vyvyn Lazonga, from Seattle, Washington for about a year.
We faxed images back and forth until we found one that fit me perfectly. The actually work took us three years to complete.:
Wednesday Aug 09, 2006
INKED Tonight on A&E
Monday Aug 07, 2006
"Seen At The Clubs" - Photos by Mark The Cobrasnake
More from Mark here.
Monday Aug 07, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Fisher Price Record Player
"I got this, and most of my pieces at Lovecraft Tattoo in New Haven, CT. I'm sure that a bright orange record player seems a little nutty. Which is funny because I was trying something new. Up to that point, all my tattoos were family or belief oriented. However, with this one, I went with a different approach. It's my Hot Rod Circuit tattoo. For years, I was weary of getting a band tattoo. I was afraid that if my tastes ever changed I would be stuck with something i hated. However, I realized that Hot Rod, no matter what, would always mean something to me. So I went for it. I decided on a record player because it was simple. I wanted to avoid music notes or something of that ilk. The model for it was an old Fisher Price record player. They are very late 70's, which, for whatever reason, always seemed to fit right in with Hot Rod's sound. I chose bright orange for another simple reason. Aside from being fond of it, Hot Rod since I've been seeing them has used Orange guitar heads and Casey Prestwood occasionally plays a bright orange Fender. I thought it was a nice subtle detail, and in the end the hot orange still looks awesome. Now, for the part that makes it a Hot Rod Circuit tattoo. The words "Cool With Me" is across the bottom of the player. My favorite Hot Rod album is "If Its Cool With You, Its Cool With Me". "Cool With Me" on its own had a nice ring to it. Again, it was a subtle detail. Its not a billboard, and i didnt want it to be. It's more for me than anything else. But overall, its a great piece and I get lots of compliments about it:
Thursday Aug 03, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Skyline
"I grew up in Chicago until the fifth grade. After that, I moved to Portland, Oregon. Though I lived in Portland, I still had all the rest of my family and many friends in Chicago.
We visited Chicago every summer, and I maintained my deep roots there. I have one friend in particular whom I have been close with since I was in kindergarten.
I am a painter and artist, and the last time I was there, my friend and I decided to get a tattoo together. I sketched this image out and we both got the tattoo.
The tattoo is of the Chicago skyline. It means a lot to have my other home on my arm to look at any time I want.
I just turned eighteen, and this is me and my friend’s first tattoo. I have already decided on a second one though- the Portland skyline. I’m working on my drawing already!"
Thursday Aug 03, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Family Dragon
"My grandfather is an unusual man. I love him very much, but he is sometimes hard to figure out…
One of my earliest childhood memories is a story that he told me. In the story, he told me that once, he was underneath one of those huge Chinese dragons that you see in parades. He told me that his cigarette smoking was the thing that made the smoke come out of the dragon’s mouth, and he was the head of the dragon.
I never forgot it. Every time that I saw him or any reference to a Chinese dragon I always thought of my grandfather, blowing smoke through the dragon’s nose…
Later I asked him about this story and he doesn’t remember telling me. He says it never happened. I will probably never know, but when I was nineteen or twenty I started thinking about a Chinese dragon tattoo.
I finished it about a year ago and I’m twenty-seven now, so I took quite a long time to make my decision. I went to an artist named Pedro at Optic Nerve Tattoo. I am an artist as well, and though I generally sketch, I am also interested in watercolors.
Pedro suggested a watercolor style for my dragon, and if you notice, there are few real outlines, and a lot of gray shading.
I showed my grandfather and he thought it looked pretty good!
Wednesday Aug 02, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: Van Halen Memorial
"This tattoo is based on the logo for Van Halen and it’s a memorial for my late husband, Mike Huffman. We were married for a number of years, and we were both total rockers. He was kind of a metal head.
Before I knew him, he had a drug problem, but wasn’t a drug user during our marriage. Unexpectedly, during a very tragic period in his life, he tried drugs again and fatally overdosed.
I thought of a number of memorial expressions to celebrate Mike’s life. Before his service, I searched through pictures to find one that best showed his vivacious spirit. In the one that I found, he was wearing a Van Halen tee shirt.
As tattoos had been part of what we did together, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to get a tattoo. At first, I wanted to get it in a very visible place, but Matt Reed, my tattoo artist, talked me into putting it somewhere a little more private. Since it is such a personal subject, I am very glad I followed his advice.
In the tattoo that Matt drew out, instead of the V H, for Van Halen, it is M H, for Mike Huffman. I like that most people think it is simply a Van Halen tattoo unless I choose to share the story with them.
My friends and I also put a memorial bench for him in Rockaway Beach, which was a place that he liked to spend time."
Wednesday Aug 02, 2006
Every BODY Has a Story: V8
I’ve had a lot of different interests in my life, but until the last few years hadn’t decided exactly what I wanted to focus on. After I met my wife, everything seemed to click into place.
I decided that I wanted to be a mechanic, and started going to school to get my degree. Before that, school was never something I enjoyed very much and though getting this degree wasn’t exactly a piece of cake, I really like the work that I’m doing.
When I got this tattoo, I was in Seaside for a vintage car show that I go to with my family every year. I decided to get this tattoo at a tattoo studio in Seaside. It was more about my career in auto mechanics than a reflection of the car show.
I finished my degree this past June, and now I’m working on BMW’s at Pacific Motor Sports. It’s like the best biggest box of Legos, ever!
Wednesday Aug 02, 2006
INKED Tonight on A&E
Here's a preview of tonight's episodes of INKED on A&E:
First, at 9PM/8C, "Mud, Sweat & Tears"
Katie, the receptionist has got a bit of a crush on Dizzle. But she's not sure how to express her feelings for him. So Katie decides that the best way to win his heart is to pin him down, literally. It starts with a flirty dare and talk of who would whip who in the mud pit at Gilley's. But then things really get serious when a pro-wrestler rolls into the shop for a tattoo and Katie and Dizzle end up getting down and dirty.
and then...
At 9:30 PM/8:30C - an encore airing of "Jumping the Gun"
Jerome agrees to let Lilly apprentice, on the condition that she get her own equipment to practice tattooing. Short on funds, the only thing Lilly can think of to raise money is to sell some of her art--to which she is very attached. She is forced to decide between hanging on to pieces of her past, or selling them to move into an art form for her future. Dizzle's position in the shop takes an interesting turn when Carey and Big B surprise him with a new set of wheels.
** INKED on A&E is a sponsor of INKEDblog.com
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