There have always been tattoo boys throughout history, often they got work in a circus or place like a circus to show off their tattoos. In many ways, it is almost a tradition to have someone in every era that is considered “the tattoo boy” of his time. I guess we could say that Rick is The Tattooed Man for our time. And instead of a circus, it’s the world of music video that has become the platform to show that off. But then, there are some that say that rock videos are like a circus, so it may just be the perfect place for the 21^st Century Tattooed Man.

Personally, I could sit all day and check out the gorgeous tats that this man has covering every inch of his lovely body. I mean, when you do for a living what this guy does, you have to be in great shape. Because when the tattoos are out in all their glory there is nowhere to hide the body. You know they would not look as good if he wasn’t in such obviously great shape.

And for those who always kinda wondered what the guy looks like without the tattoos on his face, German style magazine Schon has done us the favor of using makeup to show us. I always thought he probably had to have great bones to pull off this amazing look, but who knew?

So enjoy my friends – because Zombie Boy or Rick Genest is still hot!

Anyone who looks at a skull, a real skull, is both repelled and drawn to it at the same time. Who was the person that had this skull? Why is this skull here in the first place? There are always so many questions, even if it is a really old skull in a museum we want to know more because in this skull, at one time, resided everything that made that person who they are.

So it is no wonder that the skull has become the one symbol that you see everywhere in tattoo art. There are grinning skulls and flaming skulls and ones with flowers in the places where they should have eyes.

 Skulls show up on tattoos from across the ages, on old sailors and on young girls. Who hasn’t at some time considered that classic skull and crossbones for their own tattoo? But no matter what kind of tattoo you are thinking about getting, a skull is bound to be one of the considerations.

 Here are some really great skull tattoos that we think show off just what the potential could be for this classic tattoo symbol.

So if you have a skull tattoo – share. If you are thinking of getting a skull tattoo, do you know what you want? I would love to see a ton of really great skull tattoos here, shared amongst the tattoo community on this website.

Mitch is a freelance artist whose work has been published in magazines such as GQ, The New York Times, Time, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker and Juggs. He’s also known for creating art work for advertisements for business giants such as Coke, McDonalds, KFC, Kellogs etc. In addition, he has exhibited his art work in galleries around the world including New York, Hollywood, Germany and Tokyo.

Anyone familiar with Mitch’s work will know that he is, without doubt, the master of old fashioned tattoos, pop art, and kitsch. This book is a collection of his best work – good quality pictures of his addition to the industry, all bound together with a soft cover. If you are contemplating getting a tattoo and are looking for some novel ideas – you’ll find them here. If you are a first timer and are not yet certain if tattoos are you’re thing then perhaps the reviews contained in this book might help you make up you’re mind.

Even for those old-timers in the industry, this book is sure to be a great buy. It gives you a whole different perspective (Mitch’s perspective) to some commonly used tattoo symbols and art. You’ll find all kinds of interesting art – ranging from cupid with a gun to a sexy looking beatnik kitty!

For all those ardent fans, ‘Tattoos by Mitch O’Connell’ will make a fantastic collector’s item.

This book will make a fantastic addition to any that is interested in vintage or old school type of tattoos. You will find designs from some of the masters in the tattoo industry like Sailor Jerry, Ed Hardy and several other popular artists. The book offers its readers a wonderful collection of ideas for tattoos. Whether you’re simply looking for inspiration for your next tattoo or just some history behind the body art, you’ll find it here.

In her book, carol explores a whole century’s worth of icons, motifs and designs from all walks of life in that era when tattoos were more than just a fashion statement. They were the symbol of a revolution, a symbol of the beliefs that people held close to their hearts. All styles of tattoos – from those typically seen in circuses and carnivals to those usually seen on sailors and in the navy – can be found in Vintage Tattoos: A Book of Old-School Skin Art.

Here’s a brief description of the book from the publisher:
“Tattoos have gone from badges of rebellion to fashion statements fully absorbed into mainstream culture. They are enjoying a renaissance, with graphic designers and artists creating specialty tattoos for a growing audience, unleashing a revival of interest in the bawdy vintage tattoo. Old school tattoos are being rediscovered (sometimes ironically, sometimes not) by a new generation.

Originally embraced by rebels, sailors, and gangsters, these tattoos—broken hearts, naked girls, floral motifs, and maritime emblems—are now showing up on the fashion runway and in music videos. This book chronicles vintage motifs in thematic chapters interspersed with profiles of influential tattoo artists and their distinctive designs: Sailor Jerry Collins, Don Ed Hardy (“the Godfather of Tattoos”), Mike “Rollo Banks” Malone, Bert Grimm, Japan’s Horiyoshi III, and Shanghai’s Pinky Yun.”

Tattoos on the arm have their drawbacks too. Due to their ready exposure to the sun they are prone to fade (or become dull) faster when compared to designs on other parts of the body that are not exposed to the sun as much. But that really hasn’t stopped anyone I know from getting their arms tattooed!

Although arm tattoos are popular among both the sexes, it seems to be the most preferred body part especially among men. Tattoo sleeves (full arm, half arm or quarter arm) are becoming increasingly popular among men. Even women, most of who prefer smaller, simpler designs have begun to take a liking to these sleeve designs. Tattoo sleeves are nothing but a group of similarly themed tattoos (sometimes even one large design) that covers the entire arm from shoulder to wrist.

Tattoos have had a vast historical presence. Throughout our history tattoos have been associated with social and religious rites for which several of our ancient tribes stand as testimony, but as time progressed they were relegated to merely permanently marking people. As people started using them to mark the outlaws of their civilization the practice slowly began to be associated with criminality and immorality. And for this our modern society stands as testimony. Up until a few decades ago tattoos were a tabooed subject in our communities. In fact some countries still prohibit public display of one’s tattoos.

These public biases are slowly changing and tattoos once again being appreciated as an art form. Tattoos nowadays don’t have the same religious significance it used to have. People are now get inked as a way of expressing their true self and for aesthetic purposes.

Some of the most popular designs for the arm include Tribal designs, Celtic knot designs, Cross designs, Japanese or Chinese designs and symbols, Japanese or Chinese Kanji characters, barbed wire, fire, zodiac symbol designs and dragon tattoos. A majority of women seem to prefer the more delicate or feminine tattoo designs such as flower designs, fairy tattoos, star designs and butterfly designs.

As they say, every coin does have two faces and so does this one. So, before you get sucked into the idea, there are some things you probably ought to know! The most important question you should be asking is ‘what makes something glow in the dark?’

By design, all things that glow in the dark contain phosphors. Phosphor is a substance that is energized by light that is visible and radiates that light when in the dark. Although these inks are being used in tattooing (with inks made available from overseas), none of these ‘glowing’ inks have been approved by the FDA (the Food and Drug Administration); and there is a reason why they haven’t been approved!

One of the main reasons these inks haven’t been approved is because they are one of the known cancer causing substances and as you can plainly infer, are detrimental to health. In order to make these phosphors retain more energy (and therefore more visible in the dark), a certain type of radioactive substance is added. You would see this commonly in the manufacturing of high quality watches.

There is another type of tattoo that also glows. These tattoos don’t glow in the dark but seem to glow under black (also known as ultraviolet) light and are made from florescent material. Until very recently UV reactive inks were also made from phosphors. However, there are a lot of commonly used materials that glow under black light.

Black light emits extremely energetic ultraviolet light that is invisible in the light spectrum (and hence the name “black light.”) Fluorescent substances absorb this black light and re-emit it almost immediately. This re-emitted light has a longer wavelength (as some of the energy is lost in the absorption process) and thus seems to glow.

This is the newest technique in body art so far. Although black light inks have been approved for use, it is important to remember that the original idea still remains unapproved by medical authority. There have been numerous accounts of bad skin reaction to these inks that most reputed tattoo parlors don’t offer these types of tattoos.