With the resurgence of interest in tattoo art these days it isn’t any wonder that the number of great tattoo magazines has really grown. There was a time when you really had to look to find a magazine about tattoo art, and for the most part they were done as studies of tribal art or other cultural views. Not so today, now tattoo art is part of the landscape and a magazine like Tattoo Revue is a great example of where many of these magazines excel.
Tattoo Revue is part of a new brand of tattoo magazines that celebrates the art of the tattoo by really focusing on live tattoos. These great tattoo magazines are crammed with tons of great pictures of the latest flash from around the world. There are spotlights on some amazing artists, interviews with celebs who sport those flashy bits of flash, and of course the obligatory photos sent in by readers of their own tats.
The latest issue has a look at the Coney Island Tattoo Shop, an article on the Elegant Skin Contest in Colorado plus a spotlight on Latino Artists including Chuey Quintanar, Charlie Mendez, Peque and more.
Lots of skin fans I know love to pick up as many mags like Tattoo Revue as they can when they are considering getting a new design. It is one of those mags that have tons of pictures of tattoos, so you can’t help but get inspired paging through it. Not a lot of thoughtful in-depth reporting, but that’s okay. There are other tattoo magazines out there for that sort of thing. But if you want a magazine that just loves to publish tons of great tattoo photos, then Tattoo Revue is the place for you. A little raunchy from time to time, but all done in fun, because, hey! That’s the way we roll!
Everyone has their first one – their first boy/girl friend, their first kiss, their first heart broken and their first tattoo. While I am probably not the person to give advice on the first three – I can certainly tell you what you need to do to ensure that getting your very first tat is a wonderful experience.
If your heart gets broken, well time can mend that one. But a botched first tattoo follows you around for the rest of your life – haunting you. Of course, the obvious decision to avoid this situation is that you have to do some preliminary work. So take some time to find out more about the tattoo studio you have chosen for your first tattoo.
Health Considerations
Is the shop clean, do they tattoo artists look clean and neat? You need to remember that this place will be sticking needles into your body, you want to look at the autoclave and be sure they know the current spore count. Don’t mess around with this, it is important! Watch them do a tattoo, observe several times and different times of day how they proceed with each client. Inks should be poured into separate cups and unused portions thrown out after.
Needles should be shown before being used, and if not sterilized in the autoclave, then disposed of properly. Many tattoo parlors are moving to disposable needles, and some are also moving into the Neuma machines which are completely autoclave, making the whole thing cleanable.
Artistic Considerations
While you are in the shop watching how they interact with their clients, check out their portfolio of designs. Do you see plenty of designs you love? If everything you see looks either not well drawn or not the style of art you want, don’t use the place for your tattoo. But if you do see art you love, find out which artist at the shop (if there are more than one) did the ones you love. Don’t be surprised that they are all done by one guy. Talk to the artist about what you want to do. Attitude will also tell you if you want this place to be “the first one”. If the artist acts like you aren’t worth talking to or you are a bother, then walk away. You want to put your skin in the hands of someone you feel a connection to, and trust. Nothing less will do.
Above all, avoid getting a tattoo in someone’s home but don’t always go by price either. Just because it is some fancy place doesn’t mean they can give you what you want. By the same token, the cheapest place might be cutting the wrong kind of corners. So pick your studio out carefully.
Man! Lil’ Wayne has so many tattoos, that going into the meaning of all of those tattoos could probably take more time and space then we have here. I mean, this guy has tattoos in places I didn’t even think were real places! But seriously, it is really quite awesome just how much this dude has gotten into the idea of completely telling the world just who you are by what you have tattooed on your skin. It seems like every event and important concept in the guy’s life is right there for everyone to see. There are quite a few of them, and I by no means believe I have all of them here. But here is what I have figured out, so far. Heck, by the time you read this, he will probably have gotten a new one, and held a press conference to explain it.
Face and Neck Tattoos-
He has nine stars tattooed across the left side of his upper face, along with a flower that is on the inside of his ear.
On his neck is the logo for Young Money Entertainment, his label that he owns. He also has the phrase “Soo Woo” which is a slang gang phrase.
The word “Weezy” is tattooed on this neck, which is his nickname. He also has a “W” tattooed on his neck – because this is his favorite letter. Which makes sense, I prefer my own initials. I just don’t have them tattooed on my neck.
When Lil’ Wayne closes his eyes, you can see the words “Fear” and “God” tattooed on his eye lids. Very cool, but man that must have hurt! Also, the “C” on his “third eye” above his nose bridge refers to both his mother Cita and his last name – Carter.
Chest and Arm Tattoo-
Up on his shoulder he has the words “life’s a Gamble” tattooed, with a pair of dice hovering above the phrase on his shoulder. That one should be obvious – his words to live by.
He has this brick wall that snakes across his stomach, just above his bellybutton, with the name of the street he grew up on “apple & eagle” in graffiti across the brick.
There is a giant wing spreading out on the side of his chest – must admit it is awesome and I have no idea what it stands for.
He has a very cool tat on his right arm that is a tribute to his Dad “In Memory of Rabbit:It’s Up to Me” and above that on his triceps, he has a stylized cross. I like to think they are connected.
He of course had probably a hundred more, just too many to even begin to count! But these, you must admit, are some of the coolest ones.
I saw recently on one of those advice columns where some teenagers were discussing whether tattoos were a fad that was going away or not. It seems like an unusual thing to discuss, but when you really think about it, not that surprisiing.
The kid that was asking had a friend who at the grand old age of 22 had not gotten a great tattoo design yet (oh the horrors!) and said that the reason he didn’t have one was that he felt that youth tattoo is a fad and are something that was going out of style. It seemed an odd thing to say to me, I feel like tattoos have actually grown in popularity until now they are almost a part of the culture, at least in America.
The answer given was a good one. Tattoos are a personal choice, and getting one based on whether they are considered a popular thing to do is not exactly the best reason to have one. I agree that if you have a tattoo, get it because it is something you really want to have, not because it is the popular thing to have right now. It seems to me that tattoos have been a part of the sub-culture for over twenty years now, plenty of time to have gone from “fad” to simply an expression of that particular person.
So what are your thoughts on this? Why did you get your first tattoo? Are tattoos now here to stay or simply a part of today’s fashion and destined to fade away?
I guess those Kiwis really are a group of bold people – because not only are they a country where tattoos are almost a part of the tribal background, but now they are encouraging people who come to see the horse races to show off their tats!
A local horse race called the Kindergarten Stakes at the Young Quinn Raceway in Wyndam New Zealand has recently announced that they will have a tattoo contest as part of their Family Day Celebration at the track. When asked about the decision, Lindsey Beer who is a promotions officer for the Southern Harness Racing Association explained that many people who come to the track have some beautiful tattoos and this gives them a chance to show them off.
The whole idea came about because a member of the Wyndam committee had been visiting another race track where they were having a body art competition and he thought of it while watching the judging. He brought the idea to Kindergarten and they decided it was a perfect thing to include on their Free Family Day celebration.
They will be giving away a voucher for a local tattoo parlor as the main prize and hope that this will entice plenty of the local race fans to enter the contest.
Anyone who has ever seen the tattoo work of Angelique Houtkamp can’t help but be impressed at the delicate combination of historic influence and the bold elegant linework. The Dutch tattoo artist has made a name for herself with her highly original reinterpretation of the old-style school of tattoo flash that was largely inspired by sailor tattoos. If you have ever seen old posters from the 20s and 30s you will recognize many of the images that have influenced her work.
Lucky for those of us who can’t make the trip out to Holland, Angelique’s tattoo art has been made available for us through a couple of books. Both of these books not only give us a look at her gorgeous tattoo art, but also a glimpse into her world. They are both truly magical looks at an amazing and original artist whose work transcends the basic tattoo design and takes on a mystical imagery that can transport you to a new dimension.
Tattoo Darling is the first book of her work and not only shows off her amazing tattoo art but also lets us explore her fine art paintings in both watercolor and oil. Also included are interviews and commentary from folks such as Sunny Buick and Gemma Jones. It is filled with all finds of amazing pictures of a wide arrange of tattoo art, paintings and just plain inspirational photos that will have you wanting to jump a plane to Holland tomorrow!
The second book is titled Tattoo Mystique is a wonderful follow up to the introduction to Angelique work, with a more of her dreamy tattoo art and lots of little snippets of her life and the area in Holland where she lives and works. A great book for inspiration and anyone who just loves this amazing artist and the innovative design she brings to her tattoos. You are going to be so knocked out by this book you just might want to order two, one to enjoy and one to use for brag rights to all your friends!
As if this isn’t enough cool – Billabong is doing a line of t-shirts based on her designs as well, and have release this wonderful little introduction to Angelique and her artwork in a short video clip. Check it out: