If a tattoo virgin stumbles upon a parlor, he or she may quickly realize shop talk can be hard to understand. Select key words and phrases are as common as tribal tats to typical parlors. This wayward language is intrinsic to the tattoo industry and, over the years, both artists and collectors have become fluent in the native tongue. This inked dialect is what we dub tattoo slang.
A noob (newbie or tenderfoot) is sure to get lost in this ocean …
While the body art industry is highly visual, tattoos are not always images.
Though we often associate tattoos with pictures or symbols of particular objects, there is a growing population of word tattoos. From bold words to statements to live by and quotes to admire, with or without accent images, word tattoos are increasingly popular in the modern age of self expression.
There is a great range of word tattoos and each tattoo features specific type fonts or lettering styles. …
An employee who is heavily tattooed. Images likely to surface are that of a bouncer, mechanic, Carny, or a Mcdrop-out. Thanks to white-collar professionals who have white-hot bravado coupled with artistic balls, stereotypes surrounding tattoos in today’s workforce are not only being challenged, they are being altered.
A hat goes off to these 20 tattooed professionals who are making big figures, and a difference, in today’s corporate world:
Dave Kimelberg: Dave works as both a photographer and corporate lawyer in Boston. …
Getting inked for the sake of your religious beliefs is a large cross to bear, if you will.
It is a commitment that subjects the tattooee to more judgment and possible controversy than any other tattoo choice. Wearing your religion on your skin takes resounding faith, unshakeable conviction, and yes, balls. But it is refreshing and in fact admirable in these days of the prolific slut-stamp and lifeless tribal sleeve to see folks stepping out of the ink herd and …
Not long ago, when tattoos had yet to sprout like crabgrass on the bodies of our friends and loved ones, publicized photographs of tattoos and tattooed folks were scant at best.
Tattoo magazines were few, the Internet was still learning to walk, and tattoo photos that did surface were typically flat and featured poorly inked, head-banging youth or old-school aficionados whose once discernible, pectoral sailor maiden had since turned into a smudgey, re-entry club stamp.
But times have changed. Sure, there are …
We are fully aware that tattoos were initially associated with criminals. Thanks to the realizations of modern society, tattoo designs nowadays are as normal as pierced ears.
But back to that early association of tattoos to gangs and criminals, it somehow follows that tattooing is quite a normal routine done inside prison cells. There, in the absence of appropriate materials and sterilizing tools, a prison tattoo machine (tattoo gun) has been created. The homemade version of the real deal accomplishes …
Hip-Hop is a culture made up of prominent figures that express themselves in extreme fashion with respect to virtually every aspect of their lives.
No matter what they do, these rappers never cease to project their own story, striving to remain interesting in the ever saturated rap game. From media interviews to advertising campaigns and personal ink style, these performers all know and embrace their role as icons in the hip-hop scene.
From The Game to the non-stop Lil …
Designer John Galliano unveiled tattooed stockings for his spring 2004 collection for Christian Dior.
Lucien Pellat-Finet offers cashmere sweaters and diamond watches brandishing tattoo skulls in NYC for $1,200-$3,500.
The exploitation of a counter-culture, when its monetary value is discovered, is painfully inevitable - but, the sole blame is not always on the hoitey-toiteys. Legendary tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy said of designer Christian Audigier, “This guy is at ground zero of everything that’s wrong with contemporary civilization. However, if he …
For centuries, the tattoo industry has been dominated by men - for both the pitcher and the catcher, if you will. Body art has certainly undergone a modern renaissance, and some of the best tattoo artists in the world are now women. And many a tattoo collector attest that there is nothing sexier than having an incredible female artist penetrate your skin with her ink stick.
The following 25 women, in no particular order, are some of the most …
Taylor Reeve is a San Diego native now living in Long Beach, California. She is just 23-years-old, but has already accomplished more than many artists do in a lifetime.
From her expanding personal ink style to her graphic canvas paintings, coveted slip-on shoe fashions, extreme sports gear designs, and new steel artistry, Taylor overlaps the tattoo industry with fashion, art, and lifestyle - all while keeping her cool, looking good, and never, under any circumstances, stopping the parTAY.
I say, she …
