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 …

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 …

So what does it take to get the word out about your artwork?

Alive and booming in the 21st century, thousands of tattoo artists across the world are making their mark in their clients’ skin, and technology has pulled through to the aid of their work.

With the help of Myspace.com, Rankmytattoos.com, inkednation.com, inkedmag.com, and bmezine.com, artists are getting the word out on their work in more ways than one. Many artists even have their own personal websites …