Chin up!

I love these sad looking old school ladies, from Rachi Brains

Day of the Dead Buddha design

This is a work in progress for possible chest piece that I may actually go for one of these days. In keeping with the advice I got as far as what I should do if I want to get into tattooing...the answer? "Get lots of tattoos!"

I am definitely learning a lot this way. Spending time in a tattoo shop, watching other people getting tattoos, and watching carefully as mine get done, I am really learning a lot!

New work on my right arm sleeve tattoo for Brother John

I just got back from another session with Dave at The Dutchman Tattoos in Vancouver. He did about 3.5 hours of intense deep shading on the already existing line work that he did last time. I expected him to get farther along, but he is really digging in to the shading, adding a LOT of amazing details, really working it.



The newer work really blends beautifully with the piece Dave did last year on the top of my forearm.



The area around the spinal cord has an amazing amount of detail, the black areas behind the boney bits have another whole level of subtle designs working in the black areas....



This session left my arm very, very red with inflammation. Interestingly, a lot of people have said they really like the red colour, and I am considering asking Dave to add some red after the black shading has healed.

Painted Lady

This is a gorgeous take on the day of the dead ladies, by Tony Ciavarro.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

A pinup overload from Danylo Stefan.

Back To Reality

Classic stuff from Cecil Porter, his others can be viewed here.

Toy Glory

The blogs second barbie, from Nikko Hurtado.

The Best Tattoo Design - Tribal Tattoo

In the world of tattoo designs there are thousands of potential tattoos to choose from. Each and every day, there are new designs added to studios and online tattoo websites. Tattoos are becoming more and more popular these days, making the designs all the more important. Although flowers and other designs are popular, tribal designs seem to be among the most common. In other words, tribal designs are considered as the best tattoo design.

The one thing that sticks out with tribal tattoos is the innovation. Tribal tattoos feature unique artwork, with most being more or less solid black with no other colors. Tribal can have several different meanings as well, as it all depends on the image that the artist is trying to bring to life. Tribal can either be a design that the artist already had or the artist can take your feedback and do the entire tattoo freehand as he goes along. Experienced tattoo artists can normally do great work freehand – as it gives you the ability to make changes as he goes along.
Some of the most popular designs with tribal tattoos include skulls and letters. Unique designs are also very popular, especially those that wrap around the arms or the back. Tribal can be put virtually anywhere on the body, just like any other tattoo. Depending on the tattoo design you have in mind, it may take quite a few hours before the artist has finished. With the larger tattoos, you may need to come back to have the work finished.

Before you decide to get a tribal tattoo, you’ll first need to decide on the design. If you don’t have an idea in mind, this can take you quite a bit of time. You can look online for some ideas, or look at some of the already made designs at your local tattoo studio. If you see something that you like but you want to be a bit more creative, you can always add to the design. For example if you see a tribal skull design that you like, you can make it bigger or change just about anything in the tattoo design that would make it unique for you.

If you want the entire tattoo to be unique and creative, you can always have your tattoo artist draw the entire tattoo from scratch. You can give input as well if you want, to ensure that the design matches what you have in mind. Drawing a custom tattoo can take anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the size and detail of the tattoo. Tribal tattoos that have a lot of detail can be a bit complex, both to draw and to tattoo. No matter what you have in mind for your design – you can rest assured that it can be accomplished with tribal design tattoos.

Famous Tattoo Designs

Tattoos are a common thing these days. They are more popular than ever before. Research has shown that nearly 1 in 4 people have at least one tattoo. There are many designs to choose from, giving people a chance to be creative. Below, we will take a look at some of the most famous tattoo designs.

Tribal tattoos are among the most famous designs. They have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and they are always evolving and becoming more and more complex with their designs and styles. Tribal tattoos can either be the traditional black style that cover the arms and the legs or the more colorful styles that can cover every area of the body. The colorful, more modern look is becoming more and more famous when compared to other styles.

The “old school” styles of tattoos are also popular. Anchors and things like that are making a great comeback these days and not just with sailors. These styles were very common and very popular back in the 60s. They are rapidly gaining their popularity back, as females and males are getting anchors and swallow designs tattooed on them more and more.

Lower back tattoos are the most common for women. The lower back is one of the most sexual and sensual areas on a women, making the ideal spot for a tattoo. Tribal designs are the most popular, although flowers, dragons, and other symbols make great tattoos as well. The lower back offers plenty of natural curves as well, which can make for an innovative tattoo. Often times, women tend to include tribal that spreads, covering the base of their hips as well.

Dragon designs are another popular type style of tattoos. They were popular in the past, and are now starting to get their popularity back. There are a lot of different dragons to choose from, including the mythical dragon and ancient Chinese dragon. Dragons are great on the chest for males and the back for females. Dragon tattoos can be virtually any size, although most males tend to have them cover one side of their chest or the upper region of their arms.

Celtic tattoos are also popular as well. They are mostly seen with those who have a Celtic heritage, although some with no Celtic heritage have them as well. They offer a variety of symbols and designs, providing universal meanings for everyone. Often times they are mixed with tribal tattoos to create a more innovative tattoo.

There are several other types of tattoos out there, although the above are the most common. Tattoos can be very creative and innovative; it all depends on what you want. If you’re looking to stand out and be truly creative – you can always have a professional tattoo artist design one for you.

Best Tattoo Removal - Laser Removal

Research has shown that nearly half of those between the ages of 18 and 40 have a tattoo or several tattoos. The problem here is that a majority of those who have tattoos have later decided that they don’t want them anymore. The biggest complaint to tattoos is dissatisfaction, which has led to a recent increase in tattoo removal. It’s been proven in the past that women research their removal options more than men – due to the fact that men have less of a stigma when it comes to tattoos.

Often times, the ink that is used during tattoos can lead to infection, simply because the type of ink being used isn’t regulation for tattoo parlors. Clean equipment is also essential with tattoo parlors; otherwise someone can end up with hepatitis B, C, and various other infections. There are many serious diseases and other sicknesses that can occur if a tattoo parlor doesn’t keep their materials and parlor clean.

In the event of infection or if someone just doesn’t like their tattoo, there are ways to get them removed. Skin grafting and dermabrasion are good examples of tattoo removal, although the most popular and most common these days is laser removal. For some people laser removal is considered as the best tattoo removal. Laser removal is the fastest and by far the most preferred. With this surgery, the laser being used will zap the metal ions that are found in the pigment of the tattoo, fracturing the ink into very small pieces that the body can easily dispose of.

There are several great things about laser tattoo removal, although there are some bad things as well. In some cases, where infection is involved, the surgery will be a bit different. First, you’ll need to get the infection out of the area before the tattoo can be removed. Depending on how bad the infection is, you may end up staying in the hospital for a few days. For this very reason – you should always make sure that the equipment is clean and sterile before you ever get a tattoo.
Laser tattoo removal can be very painful, depending on the area that you have the tattoo on. Almost all surgeons will use numbing ointment and local anesthetics before they do the removal, so you experience little to no pain. Even though you may think that you have a high tolerance for pain and can deal with the treatment, you may still want to take any type of numbing that you can get.

Before you decide to get a tattoo removed with laser removal, you should always make sure that you choose a surgeon you can trust. Lasers can be very dangerous, and there are always side effects and risks involved. Although laser tattoo removal is certainly an option for getting rid of a tattoo – the best thing to do is think long and hard before you get one to begin with.

Tattoo Safety - How to Get a Tattoo Safely

The process of tattooing involves needles that move at very fast speeds to penetrate the outer layers of the skin. The needles break the skin, and inject dots of ink into the third layer, creating the image of the tattoo design in the skin. Whenever you are getting a tattoo, common sense and a bit of tattoo safety are always the most important considerations.

When getting a tattoo, most people fear getting the virus known as HIV, which can lead to the dreaded AIDS virus. Although many fear HIV, it is just one of the many viruses that can result from tattoos. Staph, syphilis, tuberculosis, and hepatitis are all but a few of the other diseases that can result from tattoos. All it takes is a dirty or unsanitary needle and you could wind up contracting one of the deadly viruses listed above.

Just like other activities, tattooing can be very dangerous. Although tattooing is indeed dangerous, there are ways that you can minimize or eliminate the potential dangers. Each and everyday, tattoo artists have to adhere to a strict code of tattoo safety to ensure that the risk of contracting HIV or any other diseases is little to none.

Professional tattoo artists will sterilize their equipment after each use. They use steam pressure autoclave when disinfecting their tattoo guns and needles. Bleach and alcohol don’t sterilize the equipment; they are instead used to prep the equipment. Once the bleach and alcohol have been used on the instruments, they will then be autoclaved, which will sterilize them.

When the tattoo artist does the tattoo, he should always wear rubber gloves that can easily be disposed of. The ointment spreaders and any type of rags that are used should also be disposable. When you walk into the tattoo studio, the floors should be spotless. In the rooms where the tattoos are done, the working area should always be clean and sanitary.

Before the tattooist starts the tattoo, he should always give each customer a brand new set of fresh needles. Then, he should always dip the needle in a small cap of pigment that he just took out of a large squeezable bottle. If the artist dips the needle into the big bottle, you may very well be sharing fluids with those who have had tattoos from that same big bottle.

Whenever you decide to get a tattoo you should always put safety first. Tattoo safety is very important, as you could otherwise get a disease or a serious infection. Before you decide on a tattoo studio, you should always make sure that they are clean and sanitary. If you get a tattoo from a studio that is dirty or unsanitary, you could wind up on a never ending spiral of infections and viruses.