Body Art 2009

Meet James “Woody” Woodford!

Olga — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:14:27 +0000

If you’ve ever spent any time in England before, most likely you’ll know of a small coastal city called Brighton, a little less than an hour from London. Brighton is a place where losing several days having a good time is pretty much a given. It’s quite fitting then, that a very cool tattoo artist like James Woodford lives in a very cool city like Brighton. James works at Into You Tattoo, a shop which already has gained quite a reputation for the quality of its tattooers.

James Woodford tattoos what to me looks like a broad range of styles, often on their own and often melded with another style in some sort of weird hybrid that always comes away looking damn good.

Classic American, Japanese, portraits, black and grey…Woodford does them all but manages to hang a very unique and well, just pleasantly twisted style on everything that he touches. He particularly loves to tattoo Star Wars tattoos as well pretty much anything to do with tanks. Thankfully however, Star Wars and tanks are far from being the only thing that James Woodford tattoos.

Check out Woodford’s tattoo portfolio here, which contains all the work that he’s done since March 2003. There’s also an interview here that he did fairly recently with Big Tattoo Planet.

Tags: big tattoo planet, black and grey, brighton england, brighton tattoo, classic american, Inspired, into you tattoo, James Woody Woodford tattoo, Japanese, meet James Woody Woodford!, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, tattoo blog tattoo artist profile, Tattoo Pictures, Workforce

Tattoo Troubles

Olga — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 01:14:24 +0000

A Texas tattoo artist is recovering this week after he was robbed and shot shortly before midnight on August 4th. Baytown tattoo artist, 42-year-old Gary Spratley, was ambushed by two unidentified assailants after he turned up at the Village Lane apartment complex to give a tattoo to an unidentified inhabitant who resides in the complex.

The robbers managed to get away with Spratley’s tattoo equipment, which he claims was worth ,000, and he was also shot in the shoulder. Police arrived and found the wounded Spratley, who was not able to identify his attackers. However, it is believed that at least one of the attackers fled the Village Lane apartment complex in a white Ford Crown Victoria.

At the risk of sounding petty and insensitive, perhaps this incident is further proof as to why tattoo artists should be required to be licensed to work at studios. I mean really, wandering around at midnight with a bunch of tattoo equipment in order to do a tattoo on someone in their apartment? It just sounds like you’re asking for trouble. No disrespect to Gary Spratley because, well, that really sucks that he got shot and lost all his gear, but the incident would have been far less likely to have occurred had Spratley worked in a legitimate shop with legitimate hours.

Still, I could be all wrong on this. For all I know, Gary Spratley does work from a studio and was only out doing a favour for a friend. But based on the information that I have on this case, it just seems to me that it’s yet another reason for a change in the laws that govern – and protect – tattoo artists and their clients.

Tags: Baytown texas, Gary Spratley, Health Risks, News, Stories, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, Texas tattoo artist shot, Workforce

Meet Amanda Ruby!

Olga — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:12 +0000

Given that I regularly profile so many different tattoo artists here on the Tattoo Blog, I just realized today – and found it quite surprising, actually – that I can’t remember the last time (if ever) that I’ve done a profile on an artist who more or less sticks to black and grey. To me, black and grey tattoo work is like black and white photography – it enriches the image and gives it a whole other worldly and highly unique texture. Naturally this only occurs when the art is done well, which is why a good artist becomes all the more memorable when they clearly have a strong command of the black and grey tattoo.

Amanda Ruby has not been tattooing for long. In fact, throughout the years while many tattooists were honing their skills in apprenticeships or as lowly scratchers in dingy basements, Ruby was working in advertising, her art typically gracing brochures and covers. She spent the first 21 years of her life in Zimbabwe before finally deciding to move to England. After bouncing from job to job for a while and really not finding the enjoyment from her art that all artists naturally crave, she ended up in Folkestone, working a rather unexpected apprenticeship at Squid Ink. Within 3 months of this apprenticeship, Amanda did her first portrait and the rest, as they say, is history. That was 2 and a half years ago. Not long ago at all and certainly not a long time to be tattooing for.

Regardless of the short length of time that Amanda Ruby has been tattooing for, her black and grey work is really nice stuff. In her own words, Amanda likes to mix pattern work with realism – a style she feels is genuinely her own and one which she hopes to continue to improve upon. She works with a constant eye on what can be improved, what works and what doesn’t and always seems to be thinking ahead in terms of getting better as a tattoo artist and providing the best work possible for her clients. Check out some of Amanda’s wonderful black and grey work and consider popping into Squid Ink if you’re ever in the Folkestone, Kent, England neck of the woods!

Tags: amanda ruby tattoo artist, England, folkestone kent, meet amanda ruby!, squid ink, Stories, tattoo artist profile, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, Tattoo Pictures, Workforce, zimbabwe

Rites of Passage

Olga — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:09 +0000

Hey, not to generalize, but tattoo artists can certainly behave as a responsible and progressive lot. Sure there’s crummy tattoo artists out there who aren’t really doing anything for anyone other than a few crummy flash tattoos now and then, but hey, that’s a very minor percentage of the artists out there. In truth, tattoo artists are continuously working to push the boundaries in everything from their art to the methods in which their art is portrayed and displayed.

Enter the Rites of Passage Tattoo and Arts Convention, taking place this 2011 from the 28th to the 30th of January. What truly separates ROP from other tattoo conventions is the method and intent of the entire gathering. Rites of Passage isn’t just about seeing phenomenal tattooists under one roof and hanging out. I mean, it is about that but it’s also about so much more.

“The Rites of Passage Festival aims to take you on a journey to lands forgotten and cultures undiscovered to re-explore the real reason people get tattooed in both the modern and ancient world. In doing so, it celebrates not only the creative energy that links us to ourselves and each other as a modern tribe – it enables us to explore how we can reconnect with our natural environment in the same respectful ways as our ancestors, and re-establish the balance our Earth needs for its survival while we go about living our modern lives.”

In layman’s terms, this is a festival and not just a tattoo convention. It intends to create a dynamic between the natural environment, artists and the people who appreciate tattoo art. There will be music, public speakers, various types of performers as well as visual artists. The best part about the entire festival however, is that it’s doing its best to ensure that the entire event is 100% organic. By that they mean that the festival will showcase as many organic and eco-friendly products that they can. Organic produce, eco-friendly tattoo products, recycled goods, it’s all going to be a major part of what Rites of Passage is all about. Plus, in addition to all the great stuff that will be found at the festival, it’s nice to know that 100% of the profits from Rites of Passage will go toward buying agricultural land which will then be replanted with virgin rainforest. Not bad at all, right?

Oh yeah, one last thing that I forgot to mention: the entire festival takes place in Melbourne, Australia, which means that come January you’ll most likely be itching to get out of the winter weather and hit the gorgeous summer weather that Australia is known for. Plus, Nick Baxter is going to be there – I mean…do you really need any more of a reason to go???

Tags: Conventions, eco-friendly tattoo products, Inspired, melbourne australia, News, Nick Baxter, organic products, Products, rites of passage tattoo convention, Tattoo Artists, tattoo blog, Workforce

Inkstanbul

Olga — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:07 +0000

No doubt about it, tattoos have the ability to deliver very political messages. This has always been the case and it certainly will always remain the same. Recently in Turkey however, a specific political tattoo has really grown in popularity with those who oppose the current direction that the Turkish government seems to be heading.

According to this article, people all over Turkey are visiting Tattoo studios, many of whom don’t particularly like tattoos, simply to show their support for a growing movement that wishes to keep church and state separate. As a matter of fact, sixty-percent of the people who come into Instanbul’s Inkstanbul Tattoo shop (gotta love that name), have no other tattoos.

What do all these people want tattooed on their bodies and why? Nothing more than the signature of Turkish politician Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, tattooed as “K. Ataturk”. Ataturk was the founder of the secular Turkish state and a well respected innovator in terms of Turkey adopting more of a European approach to everyday life. Today many feel that the secular way of life is in danger of being edged out in favour of a more Islamic republic.

“The Justice and Development party (AKP), the current ruling party in Turkey has its roots in political Islam, and has exacerbated fears among opposition secular members that the party holds long-term plans to transform the country from its secular establishment to an Islamic republic.

“Just like it happened in Iran,” Arti said. “They got rid of the shah and it became more religious and conservative. AKP is trying to do the same in Turkey.”

The increased frequency of young Turks asking tattoo parlors for Ataturk’s signature, “K.Ataturk”, tattooed on their bodies comes as a reaction to the upcoming June constitution referendum in Turkey. ”

Though I don’t know a lot about this situation in Turkey, I find it really interesting that people are willing to tattoo themselves in opposition to a melding of church and state. I know that in my own country people would never commit such a dedicated move to express their beliefs. Not only that, but I’ve seen many different forms of protest in my life, but I’ve never seen something like this. Good luck to them and their cause.

Tags: AKP Turkey, Inkstanbul Tattoo, Inspired, Islamic republic, Istanbul, Justice and Development Party, K. Ataturk, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk tattoo, News, Stories, tattoo blog, Turkey, Workforce

Tiny Tats

Olga — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:05 +0000

Using tattoos in the service of advertising for a product is nothing new. We’ve seen it time and time again, but it’s at least nice to see that just as tattoos and the tattoo scene itself has been allowed to evolve and transform, so too has the method by which tattoos are now being used in advertising.

What I’m talking about is a new advertising campaign for a line of Pilot brand pens. The point of the campaign is to illustrate (no pun intended) exactly how fine of a tip that these pens have on them. In order to do this, the Barcelona based Grey Agency have taken to tattooing Lego people. You know Lego people, right? Those tiny little guys that you used to play with when you were a kid? Yup, those ones. The end results are nothing short of amazing – even if tattooed Lego people isn’t something that gets you excited – you’ve got to admit that the work is really quite impress given the size of the er, canvas that the artists had to work with.

I must add however, that if you think this kind of stuff is cool, it’s really nothing compared to the stuff that the multi-talented Dr. Lakra has been doing for years. If you ask me, the Grey Agency full on stole Dr. Lakra’s thunder here. I don’t know too much about the Grey Agency, but me thinks that at least one person there was more than a little familiar and inspired by the work of the great Dr. Lakra. Check out the Doc’s work here and see for yourself.

Tags: Ads, Dr. Lakra, grey agency barcelona, lego people, News, Pilot pens, tattoo advertising campaign, tattoo blog, tattooed lego people

Tattoo For One?

Olga — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:03 +0000

The topic of scratchers brings out a lot of different opinions from a lot of different people. It’s fair to say that it’s a highly contentious subject with some feeling that scratching is a valid method by which to become a tattoo artist and others (myself included) who are of the opinion that scratching is just plain unacceptable.

However, probably the biggest challenge facing those of us who want to eliminate scratchers from the tattoo scene is the easy availability of tattoo machines on the internet. If you’ve got access to the internet and few spare bucks, you can have a tattoo machine delivered to your front door in a mere matter of weeks. From that point onward anyone can tattoo all they want.

Despite this easy access to tattoo machines and the alive and well scratching scene, I’m not really so interested in talking about that this time. What I am interested in talking about is whether or not it should be legal to tattoo yourself with equipment bought on the internet, with no professional training whatsoever. At the moment in England, that very notion is causing a bit of a controversy. Tattooing one’s self is becoming a bit of a trend, according to an article at BBC News.

“The law says you can tattoo yourself, but tattooing others must be supervised by a licensed premises. Both tattooist and client must also be over the age of 18. The regulations aim to ensure health and safety procedures are followed, with the correct kit and equipment used.”

With the rising popularity of DIY tattoos, many people are calling for a change in the law that will make tattooing one’s self – DIY style – illegal.

“Many have been done with kits bought over the internet for as little £60, they say. Environmental health professionals fear that amateur tattoos have a high risk of infection, and are calling for them to be banned.

“If it is cheap and cheerful, it is going to be nasty,” says Andrew Griffiths from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

“I don’t think they should be available at all because I think they present a great risk. If it is possible to ban them then I think that is what we would like to see.”

Now, there are of course, at least two sides to this argument. On one hand it could be said that banning people from tattooing themselves prevents health problems, and the spread of blood born diseases. On the other hand, it could be argued that no one has the right to tell people what they can or can’t do to their own bodies. Tattooing others without proper equipment or training is certainly out of the question, but I do think the question needs to be asked, is it okay to tattoo yourself regardless of your ability or experience? What do you think?

Tags: Andrew Griffiths, bbc news, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Dislike, diy tattoo kit, Health Risks, News, Scratchers, Scratchers, tattoo blog, tattooing yourself

SpongeBob Rash Tats

Olga — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:00:15 +0000

Summer is of course, one of the best times for tattoos. People are showing more skin so there’s more opportunity to check out other people’s art and there’s just something about hot weather that makes people want to get a new tattoo. But while all the real tattooing is going on for us adults, we often forget about the little people out there who love showing off their tattoos in the summer as well – even if these tattoos are not of the permanent variety.

Yes, I’m talking about temporary tattoos again. Granted, temporary tattoos are nowhere near as interesting as real tattoos. Sure thing, there’s no argument there at all. However, I figured that surely there are tattooed people out there with children and that this piece of news could be of some use to them.

Now then, I don’t know about you, but I can appreciate a decent SpongeBob SquarePants temporary tattoo, especially if that temporary tattoo happens to glow in the dark. For their part, kids love it as well. But if you’re a parent of a child who wants to cover his or her body with SpongeBob glow in the dark temporary tattoos, then you’d better take a look at this post over at Montana With Kids.

According to the blog, a mother let her two young boys spend their money on SpongeBob SquarePants glow in the dark temporary tattoos. The boys wore the tattoos for a couple of days, but when the time came to remove them, nasty hives and rashes were left behind in the shape of SpongeBob. Thankfully the kids didn’t require any medical treatment other than an over the counter cortisone cream and anti-histamines, but damn – even that shouldn’t be necessary when all these guys were doing was wearing a tattoo of one of their favourite cartoon characters. We’ve seen a far more uncomfortable and serious burning into flesh from black henna, but black henna isn’t something that kids have as much easy access to as temporary tattoos.

So if you’re a parent, you might want to be a little more cautious this summer about the temporary tattoos that your kids stick on to their bodies. You never know what’s in those things.

Tags: Dislike, Health Risks, kids tattoos, montana with kids, News, Products, SpongeBob Square Pants temporary glow in the dark tatto, tattoo blog, temporary tattoo warning, temporary tattoos, Tips

On the Road

Olga — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:30:20 +0000

Who says that tattoos can only be done on skin? Certainly not Steed Taylor. The New York based artist holds a firm belief in the ability to alter the definition of what exactly “skin” is. Steed sees roads as the skin of the cities in which we inhabit. That’s right, roads – as in the ones you travel down every day.

“If roads are considered the skin of a community, then a road is to the public body what skin is to the private body. If people mark their skin as a means of commemoration, communication or ritual; then a road can be marked for the same reasons.” - Steed Taylor

How does one go about tattooing a road? Well, with paint of course. In fact the entire procedure borrows much from the idea of graffiti, which is fitting as many tattoo artists were once graffiti artists or continue to paint graffiti in addition to their tattoo work. Taylor has tattooed roads in New York City, North Carolina, Arizona and Beijing, China. His most recent work will take place this weekend, July 24th-25 on the 800 block of Vermont Avenue N.W. (between H and I streets) bordering Lafayette Park and McPherson Square in Washington, D.C. The design, a 60-foot-wide, 300-foot-long Celtic knot, will represent community interdependence.

I myself really didn’t think that tattooing could go in any other direction than being what it currently is: a method by which to permanently etch art on to flesh. I guess I was wrong though, because Taylor’s concept for tattooing roads really appeals to me. Imagine a city where the roads were as covered with art as are the tattoo sleeves seen on people. What a very cool look that would be for any city.

If you live in the D.C. area and you’re interested in helping out this weekend with Taylor’s street tattoo, you can get more information on the entire thing by emailing info@galleryplanb.com or steed@steedtaylor.com.

Tags: Beijing, celtic knot tattoo, Inspired, new york city artist, News, road tattoos, Steed Taylor, Stories, street tattoo, Tattoo Artists, Video, washington dc

Latin Lingo

Olga — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:30:17 +0000

Usually it seems that it’s pop-culture or some other popular aspect of the entertainment industry that influences people to get tattooed. Especially now with the massive influx of interest in tattoos. It certainly isn’t very often however, when we get to hear that a certain style of tattoo is influencing kids not to get tattooed themselves, but to study an ancient subject in school.

Sounds strange? Yeah, I know it does. Regardless of how strange it may sound though, this article from England is suggesting that the popularity of Latin in tattoos on celebrities such as David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Colin Farrell and Danielle Lloyd is responsible for a resurgence amongst teenagers in wanting to study the ancient language at school. Hey, I believe it. After all, anything is possible. Obviously such a trend hasn’t really caught on in North America, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen over in England.

The article also goes on to point out the errors in the translations of some of the celebrity Latin tattoos, which might be a good enough reason right there to want to get familiar with the language. I guess if you’re one of those people who has a mistranslated Latin tattoo, it might be better for you if more people don’t start learning to recognize just how mistranslated your tattoo actually is. So watch out bad Latin tattoo people: your Crapie Diem tattoo just might be attracting a few more snickers than ever before.

Tags: angelina jolie, carpe diem, Celebrity, colin farrell, danielle lloyd, david beckham, England, latin tattoos, News, tattoo blog

Body Art 2009

Meet James “Woody” Woodford!

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Tattoo Troubles

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Meet Amanda Ruby!

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Rites of Passage

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Inkstanbul

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Tiny Tats

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Tattoo For One?

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SpongeBob Rash Tats

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On the Road

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