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Tattooing the Pooch

Tattoosue — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:22:06 +0000

This story is related to two of my favorite topics of all time. Dogs and tattoos. It’s a well-known fact that people spend billions on their pets and some individuals treat their animals like family. Haircuts, clothing, and pet pedicures are very common practices.

Now some professional groomers are offering up dog tattoos. They airbrush intricate designs on your pooch using stencils and pet-friendly coloring. They claim that the special dyes they use on the dogs won’t harm their skin and will wash out and fade in time.

Some animal rights groups are against the practice and say it can cause stress for the dog. Personally, I wouldn’t put my dog through the process but that’s me. Some pet owners claim their dogs actually enjoy getting “inked”.

Coloring dogs and cats became popular a few years ago. People liked to transform their pets using clippers and hair dye. Dogs were transformed into panda bears and other exotic animals for the amusement of their owners. Now that process has evolved into doggie tattoos.

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Baseball Fever

Tattoosue — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:06:06 +0000

Yup, it’s spring which means baseball season is here. I can’t say I’m a big sports fan but my husband more than makes up for my lack of enthusiasm. I AM a big fan of Field of Dreams which comes to mind when I see the tattoo work that this baseball fan has collected.

Mike McWain decided to pay homage to the history of baseball with his body. He combined the images of some of the baseball greats of yesteryear along with images of his children. His artwork includes portraits of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

The artwork is done all in black and gray by one super talented artist by the name of Jesse Walsh. Walsh says the publicity that McWain has been getting with his upper body work has resulted in welcomed attention to his artwork.

Visit this site to see a video where McWain explains all of his baseball images. He put a lot of thought and planning in the design and it’s well laid out.

My favorite part is the baseball stitching which was used to frame some of the artwork.

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Tattoos and Drinking

Tattoosue — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:07:25 +0000

France has come out with a study that says that people with tattoos tend to drink more than people without them. Previous studies have claimed that people with body art tend to have unprotected sex and engage in other risky behaviors, oh my! I didn’t put much emphasis on previous studies and this latest one – is even easier to scoff at.

France conducted its study by stopping a total of 3,000 people exiting bars on a weekend. The participants would take a breathalyzer test and the conclusion was that people that had tattoos were more intoxicated than the people without. Is this really considered a “study”?

How about all of the tattooed people that never go to bars? It seems like the results from this study leads to stereotyping. The researchers even went so far as to suggest that parents, doctors, and teachers should consider piercings and tattoos as potential sign of drinking and risky behavior. Bullshit.

My social circle consists mostly of individuals who are middle aged who are done with their drinking days. But most of these friends and acquaintances have tattoos. Most of them multiple since they’ve had years to collect them.

Additional craziness – other “studies” have claimed that people with only one tattoo drink on the same scale as people without tattoos, but people with 7 or more tattoos are more likely to have the riskier behaviors.

Tattoos are too mainstream these days to think any of these studies actually prove anything.

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Kids and Tattoos

Tattoosue — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:28:37 +0000

There’s quite a range of laws regarding tattoos when you look state by state. Usually states will govern what requirements are needed to be a licensed artist and to operate a shop. Most states also lay out the law regarding the customer’s minimum age. Well, silly me, I assumed most states had (what I consider as) reasonable laws in regard to that number. The seventeen or eighteen year old range.
But some states have surprisingly loose and liberal laws and regulations regarding minimum age requirements. I heard of someone here in New Mexico who gave permission and accompanied her 12 years old for her first tattoo. (Cause you don’t have to meet any requirements to be a parent.) Colorado doesn’t have ANY laws regulating minimum age for tattoo shops. Florida requires a notarized consent from a legal guardian. For Delaware and Hawaii – all you need is written consent. Like a teen wouldn’t whip up a counterfeit note to get a tattoo? The rationale for such laws is actually in place to discourage kids from going to unlicensed artists where they may be putting their health in danger.
You might think shop owners would prefer the states with more lenient laws but the truth is many draw the line at inking a minor. Many believe you can’t leave it to a kid to make such an important decision and I agree. Piercings are a different story. I agreed to let both my daughters get tongue rings on their 16th birthdays. But piercings are easy to “undo”. And the “undo” doesn’t cost a dime.

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Cell Phones and Tattoos

Tattoosue — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:57:37 +0000

I can remember the “old days” before cell phones. I remember my first mobile phone. You kept it in the car for emergencies. It was the size of a shoe box and weighed a couple pounds. I’m talking 25 years ago. Then cell phones came about. And now one of the advanced electronics manufacturers is combining two things that young people are infatuated with – cell phones and tattoos. At least that’s how Nokia refers to a new patent they’ve recently submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office..

Nokia has developed ferromagnetic material that can receive alerts from your phone. They’re calling it a tattoo because it can be placed below or above the skin. You can have it implanted under the skin, sprayed, stamped, taped, drawn or applied as a decal.

It is essentially a magnetic vibrating tattoo. It can pick up a signal from a magnetic field and then is able to vibrate the device which is on or under the skin. It would be used to alert the wearer of low battery, received message, received call, and other alerts.

Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a phone person, but do we really need this? And if you have a choice of placing a stamp or decal on your skin instead of inserting it in a tattoo – wouldn’t you lean towards that choice? What a weird feeling and equally creepy idea – having your skin vibrate in a certain pattern to let you know your battery is getting low on your phone. Not for me.

Temporary Tattoo

Tattoo Designs

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Animated Tattoos

Tattoosue — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 18:07:22 +0000

It’s funny to think how tattoos were kept traditional and unchanged for many years. The ink, tattoo equipment, and methods of applying the tattoo didn’t really evolve until its popularity opened up the industry to more people and new ideas.

In 2011, tattoos became animated. Tattoos with QR codes trigger a link to maybe a Facebook or Match.com profile if held up to an iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, etc.

In the first case of tattoo triggered QR code, Karl Marc held a 4 hour live broadcast to an online audience while tattooing the meticulously applied ink to the chest tattoo.

The video shows the tattoo “coming to life”.

Tattoosales.com Coupon Code

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Tattooing His Cat

Tattoosue — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:35:14 +0000

You may have heard of this type of craziness before. Yes, cat owners have tattooed their cats, painted their cats, dyed their dogs, and some people have tattooed pigs. I don’t agree with any of it. Hurting or traumatizing an animal for what amounts to “shits and giggles” is wrong. Tattooing your pet while you have them knocked out – wrong.

Russian tattoo artist Timur didn’t think so. He anesthetized his cat, a hairless Sphynx, for an hour while he tattooed the cat’s chest. Then he posted pictures of the tattoo session and a video of himself doing the tattooing. (I only watched until he was just about to make the first stab with the machine.)

The look on the cat’s face says it all.

Animal rights activists aren’t very happy with Timur and began accusing Timur of animal cruelty. According to the activists every time a cat is put under she loses about a year of her life (has anyone else heard of this?), and because the healing process for the tattoo is very painful. There’s also the fact that putting an animal under is always a risky process.

Why take any chances if you love the cat? And then you take a year of life away, too? Way to go.

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Covering Baldness with Tattoos

Tattoosue — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:28:06 +0000

I always wonder what is going to be the next discovery for tattoo uses. And here it is. Guys that are losing their hair are getting a procedure called “scalp pigmentation”. Over 50 percent of men over 50 years of age are affected by male-pattern baldness. Going bald can be a traumatic transition for some men. They don’t like it at all but now there’s a new option in town.

A company called HIS have come up with the technique. It’s basically creating an optical allusion of a buzz cut for guys that have lost their hair. Different shades of pigment are tattooed in the scalp replicating the density and size of short hairs. HIS is now opening up clinics across Europe and the US and there is no shortage of interested male clients.

Guys like it because it’s more affordable, permanent, and it’s non-surgical. This gives men an alternative to transplants which cost much more.

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Mike DeVries Latest Book

Tattoosue — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Mike DeVries is one of my favorite artists. He’s most well known for his realistic color tattoos. He doesn’t seem to be on any type of ego trip even though he’s tattooed some celebrities and has won over 100 awards over the years.

Macaw by Mike DeVries

He also has a good head on his shoulders for related businesses. He sells his art work, videos, and books. He has tutorial books as well as art books he’s put together. He collects and publishes tattoos done by many talented tattoo artists for you to drool over. One of the books explores tattoos of skulls. This latest book of his focuses on the topic of wildlife. Wild animals are a popular tattoo choice so there is no shortage of outstanding body art in this category. DeVries has put it all together in this attractive full color book.

The tattoo artists who are featured in this wildlife tattoo book are very impressive. The list include: Bob Tyrrell, Roman Abrego, Sweet Laraine, Larry Brogan, Brandon Bond, Eva Huber, and Myke Chambers.

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Auctioning Off Some Skin

Tattoosue — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:47:22 +0000

One woman from New Zealand has been an inspiration for other individuals now offering auctions for picking out – what will be inked on their rears. Tina Beznec, the 23-year old woman, came up with a unique method to raise money. Utilizing a New Zealand auction site, she’s taking bids to auction off a space of 9cm by 9cm on her butt for the tattoo of the winner’s choosing!

Her ad suggests –“advertise your business”, propose to your loved one (I doubt this would be a great idea), “destroy her love life” ( chuckle), get creative! The winner of the auction will receive a framed photograph of the final piece of art. If they’re lucky enough to live in the area, she said it’s OK to observe her getting the tattoo. The auction ends in February and as of today – the highest bid is $12,200!!

Now this idea is catching on and men and women are auctioning off space in the same area. In some cases, these people are strapped for cash and are planning to keep the money, while others are using it as a tool to raise money for a charity they believe in.

For example – Hannah Wesley, a nursing student, is offering the same options as Tina but she’s handing over half of the cash raised to her favorite animal welfare organization, the SPCA.

It’s an easy way to raise money for a good cause and shows that tattooing can be used for good causes.

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