NavyDavy

Anyone know of a tattoo shop in Iwakuni/Horishima, Japan? Or a shop near there? If so, can I get an address or the easiest way anyone could find it. I have a friend stationed there and wants to get some work done. Please let me know.

If you enjoy this show, you should also check out Marcus Kuhn's The Gypsy Gentlemen. Pretty dope I think. Here's the website. Marcus Kuhn's - The Gypsy Gentleman - Home

So I've been painting designs now for over 3 years using Watercolor, FW Liquid Acrylic and Pelikan Ink on Arches (green cover) paper. Is it common or standard practice to spray them with a gloss cover to make them last longer or preserve them better? Or is it a "thing" to just give them "That SHINE!" All my artist friends I've asked don't do this, but I was looking at another friends artwork and its glossy. When I asked him if he used the spray gloss, he just said, "It's one of my secrets and I aint sharing." The work looks pretty cool with the gloss but I don’t know..... So, I know it's an individual thing, but does spraying them with the gloss make the design lose its Old School Feel or Street Credibility?

Bound by Ink is okay. The first issue was probably the best. The ones that followed were a little on the bland side. The featured artist interviews have been pretty dope, but the lifestyle section of that magazine has been a MISS with me. Inked hasn’t really done anything to me. It doesn’t motivate me to draw or anything. Thumbs down. Skin-N-Ink was making a pretty cool come back, but then the last 2 issues have been poo. Then again, every other month is a hit and miss with this magazine. Urban Ink is just garbage, they'll put any celebrity who has tattoos as the main article and its not even about tattoos half the time. Rebel Ink is the same company, so the above statement applies to this magazine. Lowrider Arte has recently added more tattoo artist to its ONLY article in the magazine. The quality of artwork in the magazine is horrible though. I wouldn't want an article of myself in a magazine that has drawings submitted by a 4 year old. (That's what actually happens). A magazine I recommend, that has nothing to do with tattoos, but is an excellent tattoo reference is Teen Angel Magazine. But... You have to go online (ebay) and buy the old, I mean... old versions. Back when the locked up Vatos were submitting for Pen pal requests. The prison art back in those days was the SHIT! If you buy the current Teen Angel magazines, it's pretty much like buying a Lowrider Arte magazine. Tattoo and Tattoo Flash are definitely the most consistent. Some issues are good, some issues are just plain crap. The Flash section is Shit! Not "The Shit" but plain "Shit!" Savage and the other mags Tattoo puts out are just plain obnoxious. To my taste Tattoo Life, Tattoo Energy and Total Tattoo are the go-to magazines. Most of the articles are usually well written and have great content. They cover all the worthy conventions and the tattoo pictures are by far the clean and crispiest!

Which Tattoo magazine would you say best represents the Tattoo Industry/Community? Let's see, you got INKED, INKED(GIRLS), TATTOO, TATTOO FLASH, TATTOO SAVAGE, TATTOO ENERGY, TATTOO LIFE, TOTAL TATTOO, BOUND BY INK, SKIN DEEP TATTOO, SKIN-N-INK MAGAZINE & TATTOO ARTISTS MAGAZINE? I'm sure there's more, but just to ask my question, I'll use these... So I go to Borders or Barnes & Noble and in the Special Interests section of the magazines, I come to the tattoo setion. I pull a few out, find a seat and start perusing them... In all the magazines, I see some pretty great work, but in others, just junk! Then there's a few that have a mixture of great work and horibble work next to eachother? I don't get it. Are magazine companies just hurrying up to make a deadline and send them to the printers? I know the editor is the ulitmate final decision of who makes the print and who doesn't... but doesn't he want the customer to fall in love with the product? Do editors think its a good idea to have great work next to shitty work? Does the price even justify the product? Some magazines I don't feel like paying $12.99. That's a CD! But NO! $12.99 for 60 pages some okay work, but mostly shitty, 10 pages of commercials, 3 weak articles on why Skulls, Ships, Dragons etc.... are cool???? I don't know man. What do you think?

Is there or could there be too many Tattoo Artists these days? Or could there never be enough?

Lochlan, I'm currently stationed in the Point Loma/Pacific Beach area of San Diego, CA. Thanks for your comment too. Also, I have uploaded some of my artwork to the gallery here on Last Sparrow. If you get a chance, please check it out and comments/critiques are always welcome. Thanks. NavyDavy.

My name is David Hernandez, but since I’m in the U.S. Navy, people have started calling me Navy Davy. I’m currently stationed in San Diego, CA. I have been actively seeking a proper tattoo apprenticeship, with no luck. It’s okay though, through introducing myself to the local tattoo community and getting tattooed, I’ve been meeting great artists and have gotten nothing but great and encouraging comments on my portfolio. The only issue I’m having is that I can’t devote 100% of the time, due to my Navy schedule being in the way, which I can understand. Also, the problem is that with so many hacks and posers asking for apprenticeships, no one is being taken serious anymore. So when I ask for an apprenticeship after the posers asked, the artists are in the negative mindset and they don’t even take the time to look at my portfolio. It sucks man! Luckily, the few tattoo artists who take the time to look at my portfolio are genuinely impressed, but because of my Navy job being so unsure if I’m moving or staying in the area, they are hesitant to commit. I get it: “Give you my knowledge, and then you bounce,” makes sense why I’m not being considered for an apprenticeship. However, those same artists are cool enough to let me hang out at their shops and share some knowledge with me. I’ve been pretty frequent at some shops paint nights and I’m making great friends in the industry, so I can’t complain. I’m even selling and trading some of my flash! I love tattoos. I love the history. I love the closeness of the tattoo community. I love where it’s going and I’d like to think that down the line, I could be part of a lineage that goes back to the early days of tattooing. I want to take this time and forum to thank some people that have accepted me as an artist and not just another hack. I’d like to thank: - Fip Buchanan of Avalon II, for being the first person to deny me, but actually looking at my portfolio, then recommending I go see Mike Martin, which I did. - Mike Martin of Flesh Skin Graphix and all their crew (Susan, La Green Eyes, Crow and Drew Linden) for all the painting knowledge he’s shared with me and for the great conversations we’ve had. His apprentice Drew Linden, who introduced me to Arches Watercolor paper and a certain website (wink wink). - Luke Wessman at Lucky’s Tattoo, although he’s a busy ass person, he continues to squeeze me in for some chair time and tattoos me for unbelievable prices and his work alone continues to inspire me to pursue a career in tattoo. - Dan O’Brien of Nite Owl Tattoo and his crew (Andre Servin and Nikki), First person to invite me to paint nights at his shop. - Nemo of Midway Tattoo, who believes in me and is willing to vouch for me, only after seeing my flash for 15 minutes. It’s still hard to believe he actually said that, but he did! - Last Sparrow Tattoo for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing forum specifically for the community and industry. Best site ever! So many to thank!!! but I didn’t want to make this long, which I did. So I’ll end it now. Thanks for reading,….if you read this far that is…. -David "NavyDavy" Hernandez

I think it was 2002…. I hadn’t been home for a while from joining the Navy and so when I went home on leave for the first time in 2 years, my brother and I decided to bond by getting a tattoo. We told our mom we were going to the fish/reptile store, which my brother spends a long as time at. 6 hours later after paying a visit to the Tattoo Asylum in Las Vegas, NV. On my forearm, I got a rose and some background work on a recent tattoo I had acquired elsewhere. To hide it, I went to Wal-mart to get a long sleeve shirt to cover it up. I came home rocking my new forearm tattoo, but next thing I know, my mom sees me and gives me a hug, as she pulls me to go talk to my aunt who I haven’t seen in a while, she drags her hand down my arm! So I tried to hold back the cringing, but when she started to squeeze I made a cringe and after she thought about it for…. 15 seconds, she says “Que Chingado! You don’t wear long sleeves, What did you do?” She pulled up my sleeve and POW! That’s how she learned I got them. She was upset for a while, but she got over it. She still doesn’t approve of tattoos and she especially doesn’t like that I’m adding more to my body, but she says, “(in heavy Mexican accent) It’s not my problem, its tu esposas.” Which my wife kind of dislikes, but in the end she sits by me at the tattoo shop while I add some new ones. Haha.

That is a really cool site. I'm actually getting an idea to do my own flash book to take with me instead of the lugging around the massive bulk of pages. Thanks for the site!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs046.snc6/167689_495642395278_195126415278_5883171_1990606_n.jpg, http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1362.snc4/163457_495740630278_195126415278_5883684_1913068_n.jpg http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs079.snc6/168938_495741100278_195126415278_5883687_5752435_n.jpg I got these last night by Luke Wessman. I got the girl version of this panther last September. I've been working with him to get a sleeve complete, but me being in the Navy kind of restricts me from getting a complete sleeve. I'm adding to it little by little though. ANd yes that is the Wu-Tang Clan "W" I can honestly say I don't feel like just a paying customer when I visit Luke, he treats you as if you've been his homey for a number of years. He's given me great advice on my persuit of a tattooing career, he has even given me amazing critiques on my art work. The fact that he took time off to look at my art work is proof enough, he's a real class act.