hawk

Damned good rant, thank you. To those that "don't get it", if we have to explain it ya wouldn't understand it.

Direction/evolution is unpredictable, people getting tattooed, or the people choosing to pursue tattooing as a career will grow like a balloon up to 2015, by 2018 the ballon should burst which answers the question of, the influx of tattoo artists peaking still growing. I'm applying past history of peaks and valleys of popularity/acceptance to American cultural tattooing.

Mike Dalton at Chicago Tattoo Company, JUST DON'T ASK HIM FOR "BREATH" IN WHITE INK ON YER WRIST! hehe...

There really is a need for a "tattooed people of WalMart" site. And believe it or not, my local WalMart boast's 3 "pro tat artist's"....underground of course because they are full time employee's of Walley World. And even they have the "award wining" thing on their Facebook last I looked.

OMG...............

Yes I am and my God is bigger than your God!

Wow! The auctions net was more than 3400.00 bucks! It actually stands as proof that information is valuable and in turn proof that tattooing has importance and a legacey. I only hope the info isn't hidden away from the masses.

My critique of the article in simple as, we will always be judged by the uninitiated even though those in the upper level on the Board of Directors of such high profile companies sit at their meeting tables with tattoos covered by armani suits are making marketing decisions on policy and protocol for the lower level. The situation is laughable because of the "middle road" the lady attempts to straddle but ultimately "judge not lest ye be judged" is not yet to be found in management paperwork. For what it's worth, here's my summery; [Nikki Bell was confronted by staff and told to leave the Newcastle store where she had spent three hours to helping a North East children’s cancer charity with a bag pack.The 23-year-old was told her appearance wasn’t in keeping with the company’s policy to look “acceptable” and “smart”.] Just how "acceptable and smart looking" are the bald, gaunt, weak, emaciated children that M&S are looking to help? The objective of the "fund raiser" is much more tawdry for the "image of the company" dog and pony show they wish to portray than the tasteful tattooed arm. This is not to mention that I never seen an obese educated woman serving drinks in a casino... [Following the humiliation in the busy food hall, Nikki, of Tynemouth, North Tyneside, who has floral tattoos down her right arm, spoke to a manager who said she was being “irrational”.] How typical of the elite to use such words and quotes, much like "agree to disagree" is no agreement at all and should net the user a punch in the throat. [Today M&S apologised for causing any offence. A spokesperson said: “M&S Newcastle regularly welcomes and supports bag packing days in-store, with the charity raising over £1,000 on Saturday alone. It was certainly not our intention to cause offence.”] Neither was it Nikki's "intention" to cause offense and I'm surprised they only quoted how much they raised for charity only once. [but Nikki said: “I’ve had tattoos since I was a teenager and not once have I been treated like a criminal. I sometimes get people looking at me because my tattoos are unusual, but I still dress quite girly and I was dressed really smart that day.] Trying to be tasteful and tattooed can often net differing opinion. And as to the criminal treatment, welcome to the world of tattooed. [“For me to feel like I have offended anyone by being the person I chose to be is just horrible.”] Mkay..... [but then was approached by a woman supervisor. She said: “She asked if I had a cardigan and I said no so she just went ‘I’m going to have to ask you to leave’. She said tattoos were against company policy] That Woman is some poor bastards Mother-in-Law.....

Kaila, Love your intro and honesty about selection, wish I had more people like yourself entering my shop. You seem more educated of common sense and are polar opposite the more common patron with the beliefs of "what? No stars with the fancy cursive of the word TRUST on my wrist?" type. Glad you found this site and that you choose wisely and not shop for a tattoo like picking out or from the "Hot Topics" supplies of glass encrusted chrome plated crap. Your a minority among patrons of tattoo shops these days. This site has much of the most balanced of info and lends more to the greater good and "real" of tattooing. Your choosing to post proves here lends more cred to the site. Welcome and to summerize the above, "Yer cool and help keep it real up in here!"

No kiddin! some will stink when they wiggle, lol. Picture a trash can ful of non skid butt plugs should this "take hold", ha! This is tooo much, sorry. Damn, there could be a full page on these "one liners". "Honey, I got you a gift certificate for a tattoo so you won't have to finish without me anymore, when I'm done I'll call ya". Debbie Harry's "Call me" song just got a new makeover. Seriously though, electronic nerdia vs. the dermis, Nokia may find some setbacks. Slayer said it best with the patent comment. I still can't help but laugh.... I just pictured a stripper, standing still, chewing bubblegum while her tassles are spinning from vibrations on her tity tats to some striptease ringtone, DANG!!!!! I need help...... .

The show ain't over til the last second, or so I suspect. The interesting thing about this era is that there ARE values placed on such items and good money too. To figure a railroad train set sold for a couple of bucks back in 1925 and someone is willing to pay 1500.00 or more today, it sets a "fair market value" for this particular date in time, markets rise and markets fall, the trainset doesn't interest me for 10 dollars. The actual market size for these items on tattoo's may be very small but the excitment over the discovery is awesome. At one time not so long ago there were people that would not recognize tattooing as an art form and now in 2012 we have galleries upon galleries. I realy hope that the winner will share the info, I would donate it to the Archives, not to mention it would be tax deductable. It's like finding a T-Rex in yer back yard and before you see it assembled ya find out some guy with lotts of money in China bought it and you'll never see it. I have machines and other items that I plan on donating to Henk and others when I get my ticket punched, but I have been sharing what I find with whoever shows interest. Good valid evidence is hard to come by for tattoo displays, books, etc.

Jade, I hoped you checked out all 4. awesome history.

More amazing history found at some garage type sale on EBay! Damn good thing people aren't tossing out literature as this find of 1910 shows a good catalog of info, from lining and shading machines to hand poke from the Prof. H.W. Rebec of Cedar Rapids Iowa. This seller on Ebay has 4 different catalogs, one from "Bucky & Walters" , Bucky taught Charley Barrs to tattoo and Charley was of age when Custer lost on the battlefield in 1876. Just found it amazing that such a catalog would turn up with a such equipment when to this date we have never seen a catalog of/from Charlie Wagner. If you stroll through their literature you can read mixing formula, single needle liners and flat shaders of #12 pins, switchboards and rheostat's back in 1910 and the machines are not the "doorbell" but the dual coil like we still use. Kinda makes a person wonder what direction supplies came from and the suppliers that suppliers went through to then stamp their name on something. Like most discoveries it can often lend to more questions than answers. Thought this worthy to post as the literature from the seller was posted last night and anybody can do a search on the items from the same seller and collect the info from the pic's or maybe want to bid but the info is awesome to some of us who have such interest on the historical side of tattooing. Whoever gets these items should forward the info to the Tattoo Archives if they don't have it already The link is : 1910's antique tattoo artists supplies machines PRICE LIST CATALOG H. W. REBEC | eBay Hope the photo's uploaded well, just 4 but anybody careing to brouse the auctions while they are up there should take the time to have a look. Shareing is Careing, ha!

Jake has had these anger problems ever since Ned Beaty told him he would regret that movie in showbusiness.....

Yes, and the the dermis itself is the determining factor, painting on cardboard shouldn't be expected to last like painting on canvas.

It has always been an accepted standard that a well executed tattoo done by a pro should be expected to last 14 years before "renewal" but I have watched my own work and it appears that my pigment for color work is holding up the image at 22 years but I learned to mix when I apprenticed and it also was many years before I had every color in my spectrum noodled out for longevity. So in answer to the question of how long a customer can expect before renewal is 14 years as the accepted atandard, but many will be content with the way it will deteriorate with their own selves as an image, black outlined and shaded being the ultimate holder of that image. Hope this helps answer you Tassos and it is one persons opinion.

Tattooing is and always will be art and craft, it can be performed by either artist's or craftsmen/women but best results come from the learned and schooled of both. Conversations have always continued and will continue of a traditional tattoo vs realism until the larger picture is understood that "Realism" is nothing new and has never been something new, it's purely overthought tattooing forced into the art form of tattoo. This is to say that anyone way back when could execute a realistic cardinal bird, anyone with ability seen in example back to Hildabrant to other examples of flash and pictorial overseas such as Germany, etc. BUT tattooing was meant to be as much as an "everlasting mark"as possible and with this being said, the example for an everlasting cardinal would be the "image" of a cardinal much like the one used by the St Luis Cardinal baseball team. Compared side by side at the same measurements the "stronger" will hold. The "point" being of "tattooing/executing as permanent image as possible" can best be accomplished by executing the "stronger" image so that the all valuable customer, not to be confused with ritualistic cultural tattooing, will not be back in the tattoo shop door 15 years later claiming that the tattoo was not as permanent as they were led to believe. So, for perspective, 2 Cardinal bird's tattooed the exact same size on lily white caucasian canvas, the one tattooed of varying shades of red and fine detail and graduated shades to hold the image and a white glint in the eye, the other the solid red and solid yellow Cardinal held by a bold outline. The human eye can see in both tattoos that it is a Cardinal, one more artistically executed but the other will not only be "observed" as a Cardinal but also a "tattoo of a Cardinal". This is not to say that there is no middle ground as their is a middle ground found in flash examples of people like JD Crowe's not so flat or single dimensional art and example in flesh like Kari Barba has done of late. If you can find Kari's early work in photo form you can see her transition away from "realism to tattooing realism" on that middle ground which she does very well. It's about the difference of having a painting of a flower and a photograph of a flower, of course the photograph will be an exact duplicate of the flower to hang on the wall while the painting will be"the painting of a flower" with much more to behold or capture of the image of a flower and with the best digital camera's we are still buying paintings, ha! When I began there was a great and accepted distinction between tattooist and tattoo artist with no disrespect of either, both if accomplished were held with the same respect but it is never respectful to see someone practicing anything that strays from canvas cloth to human canvas, flesh is the essence of what tattooing is as there has never been an old school as much as there has been logical and practical tattooing with advents of new school attempts of fusion that rarely apply. Artistic craftsmen/women make great "tattoo artist's", craftsmen/women make great "tattooist's". Artistic or not the entering tattooer still has to struggle to become a "Great Tattooer" either way. It's a repetitive process that tattooers have to endure during times of tattooing's renaissance, it is that we have to deal with and get tangled with visionary attempts at evolution to better and higher degree's instead of "Everybody come and get a tattoo! ......i need a new car". ha! For certain we see evolution that is positive and different that will be around for a long long time and this is a good thing, means people are contributing and skills are evolving, once we go forward with things that work like the computer your using right now, we won't see many going back to getting information from a hard wired phone and newspaper no matter how much we may embrace the era.

Can't wait to read it Deb, I'm sure ya did great! Thanks in advance for an article / interview that I know I will enjoy.

Trust in the artist, ya may be surprised at what Chad comes up with in style and with the power behind the traditional aspect and interpretation it may be more powerful than what you have. I think he will ht the nail on the head and he will have allot more incentive and compassion in what he creates knowing that you trust in him. Everything will be just fine, relax and enjoy the ride, then come back and let us all know and possibly see how great it turned out.

Pleased ta meet ya Matt! Your blessed with great parents and destiny, so don't f#%k it up! Ha! Nice chin wiskers I might add... Can't wait to hear,read and see more of ya, folks like you and yer parents help keep tattooing "real" just the best and a blessing.

That was fucking awesome! The final words weigh very heavy with "Every second muthafucker I pass on the street has one, hell my Mom has three" and/add more... Very good insight into whats considered mainstream to mainscream, just gotta love this as a whole and very well done study that begs the question of "who does it belong to" and raises questions as to where will it go. Thanks for the treat Cu_Bu

Something tells me her body probably wouldn't turn my head without tattoos and from engulfing everything she has her opinion on I have to add mine to say that she definitely isn't good enough for a tattoo and will die the prude that she is.....without illustration.

10 pounds and 14 ounces!!!!!! I think the Pope needs to nominate her for Sainthood!! Home birth, What a Gal!! Congratulations to you and the Mrs., it's a beautiful thing to witness/experience and speaking from experience, it truly shows how strong the female species is. Hope she gets the well deserved rest she needs now. Goodonya both! Now get with the diaper thing.....

Thanks RoryQ, we tattooers have to become somewhat dermatologists to round out our knowledge and study books on skin afflictions to know what we are working with or against, such as common things that most of the hosts never knew they had that can be cleared up before the tattoo appointment if your lucky enough to see the area prior to tattooing it. The most common I have encountered that describes that would have to be Mild Ichthyosis, otherwise called "Gator Skin" by the tattooers I've known, it's still a condition of dry skin and Icthyosis Vulgaris IS gator skin as it's severity is what made for the "lizard man" at the carnivals of yesteryear. It's common between young and old and can come and go but I find it most often with men and women over 50 and should it be possible to spot it before the tattoo you can get a smooth surface that will accept the pin and ink much easier than following mottling and trying harder to puncture. It's easy to clear up by showers/bathing everyday and hitting the area with a glycerin based lotion immediately after bathing and bathing twice a day and applying the moisturizer immediately afterward will hurry it along even faster. So to summarize, if you encounter such prior you can do both things, help someone who thinks old age has played out their skin, and also have smooth area that's not so hard on us to tattoo and the outcome will look better. Way back when there were no products like we see today in the lotion isle of WalMart, even Bacitracin remained a prescription drug at one time in the UK due to the lab tests showing results of reaction in small cases of individuals but the chemical makeup of the creams prescribed back when were mixed by the pharmacy and you can still find medical books out there that give the breakdown of exactly how to mix the more simple without fragrance additives. I suppose that today we can Google search for those answers as well.