Flash Your Tattoo » body art

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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Super Talent Nikko Hurtado

Tattoosue — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:19:28 +0000

I was going through some of my old tattoo magazines and ran into a great article about super talent Nikko Hurtado. Many of you may be familiar with this artist as he’s known worldwide, but if you’re not – I’d be happy to turn you on to his work.

Full-color photo realistic is about the only style he does now although he says he’s willing to do any type of tattoos. He also does a lot of painting and drawing. His goal is to try to capture the emotion of the person in any medium he uses.

After working out of Ignition Tattoo in Apple Valley for quite a few years, Nikko opened his own studio, Black Anchor Collective, in Hesperia, California. It premiered in early 2010 and also boasts an art studio featuring photography and painting exhibitions.

Visit his website to see more of his paintings and tattoos.

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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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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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A Fan for Drake Shows Her Love

Tattoosue — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:07:40 +0000

Kevin Campbell, the now infamous tattoo artist who inked this woman’s forehead, said the woman came into the shop completely ready to get “Drake” tattooed on her forehead. He got the impression she actually thought it out. She felt strongly about where and what and even brought in a sample of the font she wanted. Drake is a rapper.

Campbell noticed that the woman’s excitement quickly went south once she saw the tattoo. Second thoughts perhaps? Guess she’s schedule to come in for a second sitting and get the lettering filled in. Because that’s just what she needs – is to make it more prominent.

Wonder if she’ll show. I think she’s more likely to keep an appointment at the laser tattoo removal clinic.

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Zombie Boy Transformation

Tattoosue — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:47:05 +0000

Zombie Boy is a Montreal-based fashion model who you may recognize from the startling tattoo work that covers the majority of his body and face. His intent is to look like a rotting corpse. This transformation has actually turned into a couple of working gigs for Genest. This year he joined Lady GaGa in the ‘Born This Way‘ video and now he is being used by Dermablend for advertising purposes.

Removing and covering up tattoos has turned into a big business. The advertising big shots at Dermablend came up with a winner when they choose Rico Genest, who is better known as Zombie Boy, to advertise their tattoo covering product. Check out the video.

Print Tattoos!

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It’s Tatman!

Tattoosue — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 21:52:50 +0000

Well, I’m not into watching sports on TV but my husband loves it – so last night a baseball game was on and I glanced up from my reading to see fans holding up signs that were plastered with love for “Tatman” – almost sounds like a Superhero. This quickly got my attention.

He was one of the most popular players in last night’s game – he hit a grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers – and that’s why people were holding up these signs for Ryan Roberts of the Arizona Diamondbacks. His nickname stems from his many tattoos. The man is covered with tattoos from his neck to his toes.

I think high profile, successful sports figures like this are the type of public figures that will help change the negative attitude some people have about tattoo work. The 31 year old Roberts says he gets tattoos to show what inspires him. A lot of his fans are intrigued with his body art and the better he performs in the playoffs, the more inquiries he’ll receive — about his body art and about his performance on the field.

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