Flash Your Tattoo

Just when you think that tattoos are gaining acceptance, a story depicting the opposite shows up in the news.  Tattoos profiling and stereotyping is rearing it’s ugly head in Japan.

After a recent musical event in Kobe, a city located in Japan, the local government is considering banning anyone with tattoos from enjoying their beach. This brainstorm is being debated after a few college students were arrested for marijuana possession after a musical concert was held.  It’s not defined in their article whether these particular students had tattoos but this local body of government is intent on cutting back on the number of young people enjoying the beach.  (continue reading…)

Although living in New Mexico has it’s upside, corruption and failure in the judicial system are hard to ignore.
A recent example involved a local tattoo parlor and it’s proprietors. The two men charged in the attack on the owners of this tattoo parlor are politically connected and one of the brothers was even employed as a policeman at the time.

To make matters worse, the two brothers charged also have a brother currently running for sheriff. Just by chance, there was another police officer present getting a tattoo! The charges included battery, assault and criminal damage for the mess they made of the shop.
This week the judge through the case out due to “lost” evidence. Missing evidence included handwritten written statements, a photo lineup and a statement by the officer that happened to be getting a tattoo. Now all sorts of discrepancies are popping up. The State Police spokesman said they never received the evidence in the first place although several witnesses said they gave written statements. (continue reading…)

I wrote about this poor excuse for a father back in April. It was a case where the father and his tattoo artist friend tattooed the guy’s seven year old son.  Just because the kid whined about wanting a tattoo.  On top of that – they give him a gang tattoo – the same gang they belong to. This was wrong on many levels.

Fortunately, the ex-wife eventually spied it on the kid’s hip and called the cops.  The trial ended recently and the father and the artist were given a prison sentence.  A dermatologist is removing that tattoo. (continue reading…)

There’s a new product on the market that will be sure to do well considering the statistics on people contemplating  tattoo removal.  A whopping 17 percent of people with tattoos were considering removing them. In many cases, people are in a hurry or don’t have the money to lay down for tattoo removal.  Cost of laser and other options run well into the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Dermablend Professional has developed a product line termed Leg and Body Tattoo Primer.   It’s easy, it’s immediate, and it’s cost effective.  And if you are part of the remaining 83 percent of us that are happy with our tattoos, then this allows you to keep them but yet “erase” them when needed.The primer is applied under another coat of cover-up sold by Dermablend. The two combine to give a natural blend of color. (continue reading…)

TATTOOED TV – WEBISODE #5 from tattooedtv on Vimeo.

With the huge success of YouTube like videos, we are now seeing other ways video is now becoming a prominent tool in our entertainment and other aspects of our lives. So it’s no surprise we can now get instant gratification and access to a web site that offers webisodes of tattoo reality TV. (continue reading…)

Papa Heller is not a new comer to tattoos but he is not very well known in the United States.  He hails from the Czech Republic but has been a tattoo artist practicing his trade in New Zealand for over ten years now. He’s also lived in the UK and has traveled to Australia and the Middle East. There was an extensive and thorough interview with him in my latest issue of International Tattoo Art.   He studied under an American who owned a shop in Prague.  He says he’s been shooting for more realism and says he’s relying more on references to help with achieving this.  He’s also been trying to incorporate more color into his work. (continue reading…)