Jaycel Adkins

Hello, One of the first series of videos I saw, in fact, the series of videos that lead me here were posted by Jeff Gogue from his guest spot at Yellow Blaze in Yokohama a while back. Has some cool tattoos (skulls, Venetian Mask, etc.) by Jeff, a close look at some of Shige's clients full body tattoos, specifically on Tomo (apprentice) and Juichimen Kannon (client), and start of Jeff Gogue's backpiece by Shige. I personally was taken aback at seeing those two tattoos 'LIVE' rather the just photographed, but I'm a newbie. Also, a cool sense of being in Japan: dining out, visiting gardens/temples, fancy toilets, etc. Did a search and didn't see that anyone had posted them, so thought I would, in case anyone missed them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhamIk9fOtM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ0oIVXBpSI&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvtwAaDKeHk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUKT5gPZZ1s&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCtevZx6yJ4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63RrtkFQvTQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyIAy_xivbU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euyFbd1yssU *Please let me know if it's not cool to post these as embeds, or better to have them posted as links, will make corrections, if needed.

I live just outside of Jacksonville, it's still the South, but it's okay, the Beach considers itself a different place, always thought the North part of Jax Beach had a Jimmy Buffet kinda vibe, but the South part is Ponte Vedra, where they have the Players Championship for Golf, pretty upscale.

Is it bad taste to note that this happens the same time as season premiere of LA INK? *pouts* Whatever happened to true love? Also: Is Kat Von D even considered a good tattooist, anymore.....if ever?

Hello, Thank you for the welcome! Alanna and Lochlan, here is a link to the website for what was....Plan B....of my business, still doing cakes when asked to, strictly wedding cakes, though. http://etiquetteofchocolate.com/ Dari: Great to hear another contrarian is around. I'm sure I will stay in check, by virtue still learning and reading...there is SO MUCH to get your head around. Best

Hello Everyone, Obviously, I'm a new person here and wanted to introduce myself properly to such great artists and enthusiasts of tattoos. I own a small business in the food service industry that has gone through about seven different iterations to it's current form, while trying to weather the 'interesting times' the economy has been experiencing the past few years. I'm a great lover of craft, anything that is made by hand/mind where you get better over time, is just something I have so much respect and admiration for. I'm a big believer in the 10,000 hour rule of mastery and am trying to get myself on that path, through fits and starts, naturally. I type more than I talk, so my apologies up front to everyone if I post something on your thread/topic/blog and you get flashbacks to those dreaded five paragraph essays from high school. My hope is to better educate myself about tattoos and tattooing while sometimes participating on any subjects where I feel I have an opinion/insight that would be interesting. I'm a contrarian by nature, so I don't mean any disrespect to anyone if I end up disagreeing with them, it's just a reflex, but I hope to express it as a gentleman and not as a jerk. Favorite artists: So far..... Tim Hendricks: the Brownie Hawkeye camera and orchids piece he did for his sister that appeared on his and her blog....so classy. Shige of Yellow Blaze: Was the first tattoo book that I bought and going through it just broke my brain! The full body suit of Yoko Uki and her story, IN HER OWN WORDS!! And the hybrid Neo-Tribal/Hanna Mask that appeared in his profile in INK lead me to start saving money and making long term plans. Valerie Vargas: Whose work I was introduced to via this forum, her 'gentladysleevefinished' filled me with so much glee that I had to stand up and take a short walk before coming back to my laptop, so polished. Makes me wish I could swipe Tiger Woods NetJet account and just refresh her twitter hoping someone cancels, then...ZOOOMMM....across the pond I go! Colin Dale: I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan, and his Nordic Dragons and style of Dotwork was something I never encountered before, until I got a great deal on Marisa Kakolulas Black Tattoo Art book. The tattoos do look like they are floating. Many other artists whose work I can spend hours just staring at, but the above four, hopes one day to sit in their chairs. Found the site, via looking for interviews of tattoo artists on youtube. Has watched/listened to the interviews of Kore and Tim multiple times, Grade A Awesome.

Thank you for this thread, has been lucky to avoid the comments going around about Amy Winehouse. When people are snarky and nasty I remember this monologue by Craig Ferguson about Britney Spears, obviously this is more serious situation, but strikes the right notes, then and now:

Hello Mr. Capobianco, Thank you for posting a reply to my questions. As is the nature of most things, your answers lead me to think of more questions! I very much appreciated your point of view concerning my questions, particularly in regards to the following: effect of supply/demand on the tattoo industry Like most of the public, I mistook the growth of tattoo culture in the general public's awareness to be translated into more clients overall for everyone. But, it appears to have just forced a sort of 'death of the middle' cycle, where 'popular' tattooers at the top of the pyramid are able to support themselves via long wait lists, merchandising, etc. that are an outgrowth of 'fame.' Then at the bottom of the pyramid, you have all the people who are recent 'scratchers', who are opening fly by night shops, 'home-based' businesses, etc. Then you have artists in the middle, who are good to great, in terms of craft getting out-branded from the top and then undercut in terms of pay, from the bottom. In terms of volume of work for graduates of trade schools vs. tattooists, that point is spot on, once I started to think about the brass tacks of it, prompted by your reply. My hope had been that people seeking out to be tattooed would be much better informed, given the exposure the public has had to what great tattoos look like via the internet and yes, even the Ink shows on the network Who Must Not Be Named. Using those shows as an example, how someone can see the quality tattoos put out by a Chris Garver, Tim Hendricks, or Corey Miller and then get some of the tattoos that have been linked to in relation to this 'school' is jaw-dropping. and how far short current 'schools' fall from even the levels of professionalism found in other arts and trades. edit: I want to acknowledge that I know that you are against the idea of schools, period. What follows are my own thoughts. I think that any school should be accredited in some fashion. The fashion is where I think this notion of tattoo schools ultimately falls to pieces, probably, like you state, given ego and the ole mighty dollar. While I think that you are right, that a fully-accredited tattoo school that is a stand alone, like the Culinary Institute of America is, in the field of cooking, is a bridge too far. But there could be a middle ground, by having tattoo artists partnering with local art schools/colleges/universities in some form of an interdisciplinary program where an apprentice could learn some fundamentals: health concerns, anatomy, drawing, etc. and then an internship in a shop for six months or a year. That gets them to an Associates of Arts Degree. Then to get their Bachelors, they have a traditional apprenticeship in a shop that ultimately results in producing a portfolio that's graded by both professors and tattoo artists. I'm sure that many tattoo artists will immediately reject such a notion as outside interference, etc. But, while everyone has been concentrating on the school and instructors, I do believe some of the students have entered the school for reasons that are not entirely mercenary, namely, bad apprenticeship experiences. For some it is a cop-out, I'm sure, but I'm sure that it's not a cop-out for all. In terms of barriers to entry, I think that four years of schooling, namely the length of time and the cost, since college isn't cheap, anymore, though with accreditation, hopefully school loans can be utilized can serve as a sort of gut-check. Not to be presumptuous: but, in the end, for tattooers and the tattooed, what matters is the quality of the tattoo, period. edit: But I think you are 100% right that the idea of, as someone else has pointed out, creating a 'puppy-mill' that churns out people who think they now can tattoo every two weeks is the death of tattooing. But I think it might be a symptom of another problem, namely the current state of apprenticeships. edit: I think that if the fundamental mode of teaching in tattooing in breaking down for the vast majority of the field, for a host of reasons, then freezing apprenticeships, while alleviating the harm of a surplus of 'tattooers' will likely not fix the underlying problem that has lead to the rise of tattoo schools, namely poor apprenticeships. I think there certainly are people who are interested in not paying dues by going to schools, but I think most people want to be respected in their field and by their peers, it's just human nature to want that. Again, thank you for your posts on the issue of schools and for replying to my own questions, which you answered in a great manner. My apologies for the long comment.

Wow, s/he reminds me of Hoyt's mother in True Blood.

Hello Mr. Capobianco, Thank you for posting your thoughts about this topic here. I am not a tattoo artist, but I am interested in your thoughts about the following parallel, which I think is a valid one. There are numerous arts/trades, whose knowledge was once only passed from parent to child, master to apprentice, whether in a family business or guild/association. Areas such as painting, drawing, medicine, carpentry, baking, cooking, dance, etc. etc. Eventually, each of these arts/trades formed schools or were subsumed into traditional university or colleges. I do not believe that transition has devastated those arts/trades. If someone can learn how to cook and feed people in a school setting, why, in principle could someone not learn to tattoo in a school setting? People learn to become doctors, soldiers, lawyers, physicists, etc. in a school setting. But tattooing can only be properly learned in a Master/Apprentice relationship? I have not seen this show, so cannot speak to it specific merits, but as an overall guiding principle for the craft of tattooing: Why is the master teaching an apprentice relationship the only valid way of passing knowledge in this particular craft? Could a school be crafted that would offer a valid way to pass along tattoo knowledge? In my own profession, cooking, I think that a merging of the two, schooling and apprenticeship would seem a promising path to take. Thank you again for your post. And thank you for your own contribution to tattooing, I think you have a beautiful and enduring style.