Tattoo Video Magazine

T-Shirt Designs - Photo Shoot

2009-03-22T23:07:00.008-04:00

Model - Katy Gandy
Photos - Scott McCool

Great Water Landing - Photos of US Airways

2009-01-23T11:13:00.005-05:00

There are plenty of photos on the news, but these are upclose. Taken from the tugboat that worked this crash.

If I'm every in a "water landing" I want this pilot, wouldn't you?

How to Get the Perfect Kanji Tattoo You Truly Deserve?

2009-01-17T10:58:00.001-05:00

Kanji was originated from Chinese Characters.

Kanji is the term for Chinese characters that are used in the Japanese language. There are two different types of characters that are used in written Japanese: kana, which includes the types of writing known as hiragana and katakana, and kanji. All written Japanese evolved from written Chinese, and were modified to create the different sounds of the Japanese language. Kanji in Japanese are typically characters from the Chinese language that have been adapted to mean Japanese words. The meanings in Chinese and Japanese can be the same but pronounced differently, or they may have entirely different meanings. Some kanji were developed in Japan and are not seen in the Chinese language at all. Still other kanji are written in different forms but have the same meaning.

Japanese Kanji Tattoos VS Chinese Symbol Tattoos.

The Kanji Tattoos you have seen in the tattoo parlor or anywhere else are actually Chinese Symbol Tattoos, when you are planning to get a Kanji Tattoo, Choosing Chinese Symbol Tattoos instead of Japanese Kanji Tattoos, Why? Japanese Kanji only have hundreds of writing symbols which evolved from written Chinese Symbols, You can not get whatever you want to express by using Japanese Kanji. Whereas, Chinese Symbols have about 4000 year history and there are 47,035 Chinese symbols in Chinese Kangxi Dictionary. Put it simple, You can get whatever you want to express in Chinese symbols.

How to Get a perfect Kanji Tattoo you truly deserve?

My Name is Yingying, I am a Chinese tattoo artist, and have been helping the western people get their Kanji tattoos for three years. Kanji have a complex beauty as well as individual meanings. People who get Kanji tattoos are often drawn to this. Unfortunately, the flip-side is that there are a lot of Kanji tattoo Mistakes. I have personally seen such elementary mistakes as Kanji being tattooed backward and meant something else other than intended. My goal is to help people explore the beauty and complexity of Kanji safe in the knowledge that they are dealing with the professional. Why many western people make mistakes with their kanji tattoos, the main reason is because they made no preparation before inking and just walked into a tattoo parlor without knowing what they would get. And then their Chinese tattoos became the permanent source to embarrass them. Yes, they can get their tattoo removed, but removing unwanted tattoos is a very expensive, lengthy and painful ordeal! You are wise to research your best possible options before going through with it.

First: you need to find a pro to do the translation, instead of anyone who speaks Chinese. The Chinese symbol (Kanji) has a time span of 4000 years and a geography span across countries like China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It simply takes knowledge and expertise to do the translation well.

Second: the Chinese Symbols need to be custom designed by writing them into Chinese calligraphy. Your body deserves Chinese calligraphy art, NOT kanji writing! Chinese calligraphy is not just Chinese kanji writing, neither just writing well. It is an art that can display spirits. People can feel the mood, feeling, thought from the calligraphy. Having a Chinese calligraphy tattoo is a love and a respect of yourself. Moreover, Custom designed kanji Tattoos also include stencil outline. Most people don't realize that every tattoo design has a matching stencil. To apply tattoos on the skin, the tattoo artist needs both a good clear reference of the actual design, and well drawn stencils (line drawings) as the "blueprint" for the actual tattoo. When inking, your tattoo artist will use stencil outlines to trace the artwork onto your body. Stencil outlines are vital for inking kanji as it can prevent tattooists from making mistakes while inking.

Something I thought interesting. Any comments?

Lower Back Tattoos - Why Are They So Popular?

2009-01-13T11:41:00.002-05:00

Lower back tattoos have been steadily growing in popularity since the early 1990's. But since the millenium the growth in the number of these tattoos has been explosive.

And part of the reason for this surge in popularity is the general growth in the number of women who are getting tattoos. Lower back tattoos are almost exclusively worn by women and the fact that women account for an estimated 65% of all new tattoos goes part of the way to explain this modern trend.

Beyond that, tattoos placed on the lower back are widely regarded as a symbol of a highly sensual woman. Careful choice of design can help to highlight the curves of the female body, from the curve of the lower spine, to the hips and the top of the buttocks. And as such, placement of tattoos on this area of the body has become a way for women to celebrate their curves and express their sexuality.

But apart from the sensual aspect of these designs, there are many advantages of placing a tattoo on the lower back.

1) Long Lasting

The skin around the lower back is less likely to stretch in the event of weight gain, whether due to normal weight fluctuations or pregnancy. This is a major advantage as it reduces the risk of tattoo designs (especially symmetrical designs commonly used for lower back tattoos) becoming distorted and stretched.

2) Visually Flexible

Lower back tattoos are also extremely flexible in terms of visibility. A revealing top or low cut trousers will help to display the design to the world, while a quick change to more formal attire will easily conceal the wilder side of your personality. This flexibility is an important consideration for people who have to present a more sombre appearance in their professional lives.

3) Highly Personal

A lower back tattoo is a highly personal piece of body art. Not only does it sit on a semi-intimate part of your body, the design can be created to match the shape, size and flow of your curves. This helps to reflect your individuality and greatly increases the chances of ending up with a design that's completely unique.

4) Wide Choice Of Designs

There's a wide range of designs that can be incorporated into a lower back tattoo. For example, you could select a celtic design, or go for a floral motif, or how about a tribal design. In fact, almost any v-shaped, symmetrical design can be used, so the options are virtually endless. This allows you to search for a design that's full of personal meaning and expresses part of your personality.

For example, as the lower back is a recognized chakra point, it's closely connected with the flow of spiritual energy. So a tattoo that consists of energy radiating from the design represents someone who is full of energy and vitality. Alternatively, a floral lower back design is a sign of beauty and fertility.

However, this location for tattoo placement carries one major disadvantage. The lower back is generally recognized as one of the most painful areas of the body to have tattooed. Fortunately, women are better at tolerating pain and discomfort.

Yes, it's official, most women have a higher pain threshold. According to numerous tattoo artists, women are much better than men when it comes to dealing with the pain of getting tattooed. Nobody knows why.

It could be due to gender based expectations. Men like to think that they're macho and can withstand pain. This rather cavalier attitude causes them to underestimate the pain level and pass out as soon as the needle touches their skin.

On the other hand, women tend to anticipate the pain more accurately, helping them to avoid nasty surprises and maintain a higher level of tolerance.

And finally, while lower back tattoos are now widely accepted in many parts of the world, there are still some places and communities where they're regarded as a symbol of promiscuity and low morals.

Although this is a rather minor issue for most people, it's worth bearing in mind if you live in a particularly narrow minded part of the world or are overly concerned with what other people think of you.

Ultimately, your choice of tattoo design and placement is up to you. All that matters is that you find a combination which makes you feel good and has the ability to stand the test of time.

Hart And Huntington

2009-01-13T11:26:00.004-05:00

CASINO ROYALE
The Palms Casino, made famous by MTV's Real World, is now home to the Hart & Harrington Tattoo Company. The shop opened with performances by Good Charlotte and Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys. The event was earmarked by a fashion show featuring designs from Jaime Pressly. This is the first time a Las Vegas casino has housed a tattoo parlor and is the first official location of Hart & Huntington.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
Who are Hart & Huntington anyway? Well the idea falls to a masterminding venture with Palms owner, George Maloof and a couple guys with the last names of Hart and Huntington. Carey Hart is an extreme sports freestyle motocross legend and John Huntington is one of the country's premier nightclub promoters. Huntington is responsible for creating big parties, including two of the largest in the country - Club Rubber and the Pimp ?n Ho Costume Ball.

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP
Behind the scenes, the tattoo company has three state-of-the-art tattoo stations. Guests are free to choose from the "flash" (pre-drawn artwork on the walls) or they can customize their own designs to fit their personalities. A private guest station for VIPs is also available. The entire place feels like a lounge complete with antique leather-covered walls, a custom surround sound stereo system and luxurious seating. Djs are regularly featured in the shop as are some of the countries premier tattoo artists.

BANKER'S HOURS
Casino banker's hours that is. You can get a Hart & Huntington tat between the hours of noon and midnight Sunday through Wednesday. Noon and 3 AM, Thursday through Saturday.

OPEN PALMS
The Palms Casino is heralded as one of Las Vegas' hippest resorts. A 95,000 square foot casino, spa, salon and 14-theatre Cineplex are just part of the $265 million dollar resort. A lavish, "Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome" styled night club dubbed, Rain in the Desert or just Rain for those in the know, boasts a dance floor with shooting fire. The Skin Pool Lounge gives you more than one reason to take a break from the gambling and the Ghostbar on the roof will give you the swankiest view Las Vegas has to offer.

QUIVERING HANDS WANT TO KNOW: THE TAT ARTISTS AS FOLLOWS:

THOMAS PENDELTON
At the ripe age of 20, Thomas Pendelton began an apprenticeship with the world famous, Bert Grimm?s tattoo parlor under the wing of well known artist, Rick Walters. From their he as worked in several of the most popular and respected shops in the industry, including - Kari Barba's Outer Limits and Erick Maaske's Classic Tattoo.

BEN CORN
Ben Corn has been doing this for more than seven years now, he got his start apprenticing with Roger Blankenship at Almost Brothers Tattoo shop. Since then he has been with Big Bear Tattoo and Body Graphics. He specializes in bold Japanese tattoos and has had the privilege of tattooing several celebrities and professional athletes with taste for his style.

CLARK NORTH
Clark has been through some tough times during his career, in the space of about three weeks his mother passed away and he lost his left eye. Emerging from the trauma with gray hair he is now continuing his life long art of decorating the body's largest organism with intricate style and design.

BIG E
Eric Pele is Big E. He's known for his bold tattoos, both in color and black and grey. His ready made designs, known as "flash" are extremely popular choices. His melting Superman logo is sure to gain you some attention. If you're looking for something cool, then Big E is your guy.

"Art is a very personal thing. It's ultimately up to each individual to express his or her personality on their body, I just help bring what's in someone's mind out for the world to see!" - Eric Pele

DEJAH NOT A DJ
Dejah studied with Jason Grant at Trust Tattoo in Arizona and has been at this for over half a decade. She's worked for O.C. Ink, Sick & Twisted and Skinworks. Certified to do permanent cosmetics under Susan Church, Dejah is also a master in color and realism with her work.

LACEY
Even though her mother and grandmother are both artists, 28 year old Lacey came into tattooing more from the lifestyle cultural angle. It was a kind of retaliation and liberation from her stodgy upbringing in a small Utah town. For her tattooing is a creative and holistic endeavor. As she says, "A blending of some physical pain with the desire of your soul to be permanently marked, along with some mental control, makes you feel very alive".

INK'D
AE now runs a hidden camera at the shop, called "Ink'd". A reality show that records conversations between the customers and artists as well as documenting the ongoing dramas with the staff operating Hart & Harrington Tattoo Company.

PS: Interviews with Cary Hart in Volume 36 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Coming Soon!

Cirque du Soleil - Art in Motion

2009-01-12T15:53:00.004-05:00

For a number of years now I had heard about Cirque du Soleil. And every time another person told me about their experience with this unique and bold performance art, my curiosity soared to new heights. Typically when this happens with a book, movie, or play, I tend to be let down by the actual experience because of course I have built up the actual product to epic proportions in my mind.

Not so in this case! While in Las Vegas recently, I was finally able to experience first hand the Mystère production of Cirque du Soleil, and was totally blown away by the brilliant creativity and execution of this fabulous show.

The most fabulous show on earth- I've read this description of the circus so many times in reference to the magical aura of this entertainment venue, but as a product of the culture of post WW II technology with its entertainment saturation I've never felt the awe described in literature that say someone growing up in the Great Depression might have felt peeking through the canvas of a tent that housed a fat lady or tattooed man.

I was aware during the performance that I had not experienced this type of childlike awe in quite some time. Starting with the Opening or Taiko, our senses were overloaded with performers crawling straight down walls like lizards. Leaping acrobats, beak faced birds, oversized babies and errant clowns who irreverently tossed the audience's popcorn and pulled people out of their seats.

The costumes and colors in themselves were provocative. The high-tech scenery surpassed any special effects that might be used in a video production, and the physical skills of the performers stunned me. I literally could not take my eyes off the Hand to Hand musclemen, brothers Marco and Paul Lorador from Portugal, who performed a hand and body balancing act that I wouldn't have believed possible without the trick of the camera, if they hadn't almost been close enough to reach out and touch. Their grace and strength seemed superhuman as they balanced each other, every muscle in the human body working in total harmony with the other.

Then there was the Chinese Poles, The Aerial Cube, the Bungee, the Korean Plank, Trampoline and Fast Track, and the Aerial High Bar. And this is only one of half a dozen themed productions that are equally distinct and imaginative. In Las Vegas alone you can see "O," "Love," "K?," "Zumanity," and "Mystère." And there are eight other productions that travel around the world as well.

It all started in 1982, in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, a charming, rural area popular with artists, art collectors and tourists. A group of young street performers, the Club des Talons Hauts (the High Heels Club) began to hatch the idea of organizing an entertainer's festival, the Fête Foraine de Baie-Saint-Paul, which was the precursor of what was to become Cirque du Soleil. Guy Laliberté, an accordion player, stilt walker and fire-eater, dove into business to organize and plan the growth of the young company, creating one of the most amazing entertainment venues for a global stage.

Yes, I encourage you to see this show, this fabulous show. Put it on your A list of things you want to do in upcoming months. You will not be disappointed.

Arm Twisting Time!

2009-01-12T15:45:00.005-05:00

Scott McCool, Executive Producer

OK time to check out the Tattoo Video Magazine and see all the great DVDs available. Great interviews, conventions, funny stuff, great pictures of tattoos from some of the greatest tattoo artists... and more.

These make great gifts for artists! Many shop owners play these in their shops, both for the other artists and their customers. Take a chance, you might just learn something...

Thanks for all your support -- Scott

Bowery Stan tells you like it was...

2009-01-12T15:39:00.005-05:00

Philadelphia Eddie & Bowery Stan

Learn your tattoo history from the "one and only" 'Bowery' Stan Moskowitz!

He tells it like it was... Stan talks about his mentor William Jonsey Jones... the rough life of a 13 year old boy growing up in the bowery... Battles with the board of health and lots more...

Special guest - Lyle Tuttle, joins in and tells us about his start and tattooing Janis Joplin, plus his run in with John Lennon. Amazing stories, told by the amazing artists who lived them.

Full 90 minutes on DVD of tattoo history... like it really was -- colorful and insightful. Check out Volume 11 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Thanks for your support.

Bowery Stan

Stan and Scott

John Mills - Inkaholics Tattooing

2009-01-12T15:00:00.027-05:00

John says his main goal with this studio is for it to be a super clean and friendly environment. He feel that his business is very personal and requires a lot of attention toward making his clients feel comfortable, with the artist and the choice they have made with their tattoo or piercing.

You will always see new design sheets for tattoos and he is continually adding to his large selection of top quality replacement jewelry. He take great pride in his efforts to continually perfect his shop, his people and his own personal skills.

So, if by chance you find yourself in Monroe, North Carolina sometime, come by and see them.

John Mills at work

Some of Johns Tattoo Work

TC Mills, Artist, Piercer and Shop Manager

Edward Lee and some of his work

I want to give a special thank you to,'Bowery' Stan Moskowitz. We have got to know each other over the last few months, and I really look up to the man. I can sit and listen to him tell stories for hours, and I have and I love it. He has been very supportive of the Art Intensity Network's Tattoo Video Magazine, and understands the importance in documenting the history of tattooing on video for the future generations to learn. I feel it is an honor to know Stan and get the opportunity to sit and listen to him and his friends tell it like it was.

Stan set us up with interviews with Philladelphia Eddie and Coney Island Fred while we were in Florida this time, and you can see that on the Volume 11, of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

Before we left to come home, Stan gave me a "Jonsey Brass Mentor Machine" that he built and wanted me to have. It means the world to me. I hope you other tattoo artists out there get the chance to spend some time with Stan, Eddie or Fred. They have so much to teach us about the history, if you are willing to listen. -- John Mills

Bowery Stan Moskowitz

11th Annual Marked For Life - Female Tattoo Artist Expo

2009-01-12T14:43:00.009-05:00

Only two days home and off again to another show, first stop is Monroe, NC to pick up my buddy John Mills, he owns Inkaholics Tattooing & Body Peircing. ( free plug ) it takes about 8 hours to get to his shop. We got up on Thursday morning and John drove the rest of the way. 10 more hours. (John got us lost for 2) Thanks Map Quest..not!

John Mills helped us on this trip

We arrived in the general area of the hotel, but have trouble finding the exact hotel due to all the road construction everywhere. We end up driving right into Disney World, at like 11:00 at night. We spun around and got out of there and finally found the right spot!

The convention was held at the Radison Hotel, so it's pretty nice. The building wraps around a swimming pool area in the middle of the hotel. Plenty of restaurants and bars for food & drinks.

Deana Lippins has put on this show for 11 years now, and it gets a great response from the female tattoo community. Female tattooers from all over the world attend the convention each year.

Deana Lippins

We want to thank Deana for all the hospitality, she hooked us up with a booth and a room to do interviews in and to take photos for Prick magazine and well as others we write for, so look out for that.

The footage we shot from this event is in Volume 14 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. We got some great interviews with some great tattooers, plus lots of photos of great tattoos to show you.

For now here's a few of my pictures from the show!

John interviewing Stan

Miss Debra and Stan

Sister Mike from the Drag Booth

All Things Elvis Art Show

2009-01-12T14:34:00.004-05:00

Held at The Loft - Atlanta, GA, hosted by - Tom Depriest & Ink Monkey Productions

Tom Depriest and the King

Ahmed

Chris Hammer

Ed Madigan

Trader Bob

Richmond Tattoo Festival

2009-01-12T12:26:00.015-05:00

As you walk in the entrance to the hotel you see a wonderful collection of old tattoo machines, photos and other antique tattoo equipment. all provided by artist and historian Mike Skiver. Each year Mike takes his time placing each piece carfully on display for everyone to enjoy, he does this all for free. He say's "It makes his Kharma Good".

Check out Volume 12 of the Tattoo Video Magazine to see the complete coverage of the convention and more!

Tony Olivas tattooing Tammy of Tattoo Magazine

Shauna and Tony

Scott Calcatera

Jack Rudy overseeing operations

Bexx

Chris Longo

Jesse Smith and friend

Deano Cook

Tim Kern

Shane O'Neil

Jason McCarty

Tom Painter and Chris Longo

Dave Martinez

Jon Hunter

The Party Crew

1st Annual Cincinnati Tattoo Expo

2009-01-12T12:06:00.006-05:00

Just a few pictures of our friends...

We want to thank everyone for the hospitality, and showing us great time. Hats off to Tramp and Brian for picking this city for their roster of fantastic shows. We will be back next year for sure, so should you!

Amazing video for a future volume of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Keep you posted.

Shawna and Tony Olivas

Tramp and Tom Painter

Tom Depriest and Jeremiah

Mike Skiver

Mike Dorsey

Larry Brogan

Dave Bollt

Damon Conklin

Cereal Killer

Carl Murray

Carl, Judy and Scott

Billy Easton

Billy's Bling

7th Annual Philadelphia Eddie's Tattoo Arts Convention

2009-01-12T11:13:00.021-05:00

The Original Crazy Eddie

The show was held at the Philadelphia Convention Center, downtown across from the Reading Terminal Market. If you've never been there you really missing out. The market has all the food vendors you could image, all under one roof. It takes up almost a city block. It's my favorite spot in Philly.

We stayed at the Hilton across the street. Lots of things to do and sites to see nearby to keep folks busy... overall not a bad location.

Eddie, Stan and Freddie made themselves available throughout the weekend to talk with folks and pose for pictures. They even autographed copies of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

Check out Volume 11 and you'll get these guys telling their stories. If your an artist, you should have these in your collection. You should know where you came from and who paved the way for you in this business. It's all about respect, and these gentlemen deserve it.

Crazy Eddie and Bowrey Stan

Coney Island Freddie and Scott McCool

Annette Larue was there tattooing. She appears in Volume 7 and is on the cover too.

Annette Larue

Another attraction at the show was a girl getting a custom paint job on her chest. She gathered a little crowd, as you would image.

Another highlight for us was Micro-Wrestling! Midgets beating each other up... good times. We got lots of video of that and a few good pictures.

We got a great interview with Lyle Tuttle. We spoke briefly in the past, but this time we got into some detail. Wait to you see the DVD.

We also met up with Anthony Riccardo from NJ at the show. We first met in Atlantic City when our booths were next to each other. A reral nice guy and fine tattoo artist as well.

Scott McCool and Lyle Tuttle

Scott and Anthony Riccardo

Jason McCarty in the other chair for a change

Jeremiah and Shannon ahad to leave on Saturday night to gety back to work and to take care of the dog. I stayed over and hung out with Boog until Monday.

Sunday night we went to dinner at Ruth Chris Steakhouse... very nice. About $800 nice. It's always my favorite time of the show... the end... and to get to hang out with some of the coolest people I've ever met and to eat good food, that's cool too!

Check out the Tattoo Video Magazine. Get your season box set. They're great tp play in the shop. Your customers will love them. And you'll support a good work too. Special pricing for Season 1 and 2. That's 20 hours in each season... thanks.

St Louis Old School Tattoo Expo

2009-01-12T10:47:00.013-05:00

The St. Louis Old School Tattoo Expo was held in the City Museum located at 701 N 15th Street, St Louis, MO.

You'll find more in Volume 20 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Get your copy today. Thanks for your support.

We had an fantastic time at the show, the building was insane. Big Thanks to Bill and Lyle for allowing us to be a part of this incredible tattoo event!

Lyle Tuttle

Bill Demic

There was so much to see and do, and some folks even managed to get tattooed.

Even Lyle Tuttle did a tattoo at the show

Blossum's Tattoo by Nate of All Star Tattoo

Big Gus

Ben Miller

Beau Vernon

Bald Bill and Jeanie

Tattoo icon Bev "Cindy Ray" Robinson of Australia along with Gus Wagner were inducted into the Tattoo Hall Of Fame at the show. It was also Bev's birthday and some of the artists got her a cake and some presents.

Billy and Cindy

Tom, Cindy and Mike

Cindy and Sharon with presents

Cindy and Sharon with the cake

Induction of Cindy Ray

New York Vacation

2009-01-11T17:02:00.008-05:00

After a long stretch of shooting tattoo shops and conventions, it was time for a little vacation with the family. We went to New York City and to Niagara Falls.

Suzi from Buford Travel hooked me uop with a great deal on rooms. We stayed at the Roger Smith Hotel on 47th Street. It was close enough to Times Square and all the other spots we wanted to see.

We took thwe subway to Battery Park and caught the ferry over to Liberty Island... took the whole Statue of Liberty tour.

Nothing like NYC or Niagara Falls... awesome places. Will share some pictures with you. Enjoy.

All American Tattoo Festival - Sacramento, CA

2009-01-11T16:39:00.009-05:00

YES, there are two Scott McCools in the tattoo industry. The editor of Savage Magazine and Scott McCool, producer of the Art Intensity Network's Tattoo Video Magazine. It's funny to see peoples reaction when we give them our business cards. I guess it's true, we are brothers from different mothers. We seem to have alot in common, We both like Harleys, we both have Scorpion Tattoos, we both like to eat, it's crazy!

We got some good interviews and footage with some of the heavy hitters that were at the show. Look for coverage of this show in Volume a future Art Intensity DVD and an article by the other Scott McCool with my Photo's in a future issue of Savage Magazine coming soon.

Easyriders V-Twin Bike Show - Pomona, CA

2009-01-11T16:23:00.007-05:00

You'll see more of this show in Volume 13 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Click on the link and take a look at all the issues of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Special packages of Season 1 and 2 available for only $99. Saves you 50%. Thanks for your support.

There was a real nice display setup with Indian Larry's bike right in front. He will me forever missed.

Jay Allen, owner of the Broken Spoke Saloon
Indisputably!The World’s Biggest Biker Bar

Mario Barth's Biggest Show on Earth

2009-01-11T16:11:00.006-05:00

More in Volume 9 of the Tattoo Video Magazine Get your copy today. And thanks for your support.

Need more "ass" shots, of course

Doug

Always a "girl" photo or two...

The Mrs Mario...

Sage

Satan's SideShow

Shorty Long

Doug

Spider Webb

2nd Annual Rock of Ages Tattoo Festival

2009-01-11T16:03:00.003-05:00

This was another successful show put on by Billy Eason and his BIRD Ltd crew. First, we want to thank Billy and Ben for helping us out and making it a very productive evening for us.

We got some great interviews from Hunter Spanks, Billy Murran (from Italy), John Hunter, Paul Duhey, Jesse Smith and Donny Hawley.

Porkchop was also lucky enough to be included in the Art Fusion Project where he worked side by side with Soba, Boog, Billy Murran, Ben, and Jesse Smith.

Art Fusion Project

Donny

Matt "Porkchop" drawing in the Art Fusion Project

VideoScott (me)

More in Volume 8 of the Tattoo Video Magazine. Get your copy today. And thanks for your support.

The Inkslingers Ball - Hollywood, California

2009-01-11T15:58:00.004-05:00

See more coverage of this event in Volume Seven of the Art Intensity Network's
Tattoo Video Magazine.

Matt, Karyn and Bob

Karyn

Roxy

Freewind

3rd Annual Washington DC Expo

2009-01-11T15:47:00.009-05:00

See complete coverage of this event in Volume Seven of the Art Intensity Network's
Tattoo Video Magazine.

Scott and Matt in Washington, DC

Scott, Matt and Jeremiah

Tony and Tom

Brian and Cindy

Damon

Dave

Deano Cook back piece

Deano Cook at work

More Deano Cook

Even Santa...

Go Smack Alice - Hey It's a Band!

2009-01-11T15:15:00.010-05:00

GO SMACK ALICE, with Jay Powell, a local band, hosted a tattoo appreciation night at the Old Town Bar & Grill in Winchester, VA. Co-sponsored by the Art Intensity Network, producer of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

It started to sleet around 7pm, so it looked like the show might be a bust. I called Jay to see what was up at the club, and he said the people were coming in already... the show was on!

Reese Scruggs

Allen Lind

Randy Bryant

It turns out that the Winchester, VA crowd don't care about no stinking sleet or snow... they want to part and they did!

You may recognize Jay Powell from his photos in some of our published articles. Jay has been a contributor to the Tattoo Video Magazine for awhile now. He likes going to the tattoo conventions with us and takes the photos for the magazine.

He also will play guitar and sing at a drop of a hat, if you let him. He will rock your ass!

This night turned out very well. The place was packed and they just kept coming in.

We met some folks (Paula and Kenny) who were very proud and eager to show off their "Tom Painter" tattoos they have. As most of you know, Tom Painter has been tattooing for almost 30 years and owns Body Art Tattoo Studio, in Berryville, VA. His son, Jason McCarty, is known as the human xerox machine. They are sought out tattooers around here.

Tom Painter appears in the Tattoo Video Magazine in Volume 2 and son Jason in Volume 3. Be sure to check it out. Get your copy today. There is also a shop tour of Body Art Tattoo in Volume 6.

GO SMACK ALICE rocked the house for sure when they did their tribute to Dimebag, they crowd went off as they played a few pantera songs. It was cool! The crowd was tatally into it.

The crowd was into the whole tattoo thing and were glad to show us their ink and talk tatoos in between sets. Big tahnks to the Old Town Bar & Grill and for the crowd who braved the weather and came out and showed their support!

GO SMACK ALICE consists of: Jay Powell, songwriter, lead vocal and guitar. Reese Scruggs, lead guitar and backup vocals, Randy Bryant, bass and backup vocals and Allen Lind, drums.

Urban Art Tattoo - Mesa, AZ

2009-01-11T15:00:00.006-05:00

Porkchop

Porkchop and Sage

Check out Volume 4 of the Tattoo Video Magazine for more on Sage and Urban Art Tattoo.

Japanese Dragon Tattoo Meanings

2009-01-10T13:26:00.002-05:00

The Japanese dragon is one of the most popular mythological creatures picked for inking and a classic choice for a tattoo design. It is usually depicted as a wingless, heavily-scaled snake-like creature with small clawed legs and a horned or antlered camel head, and is associated with sea, clouds or the heavens. Japanese dragons tend to be much more slender and fly less frequently than the Chinese counterparts. The breath of the Japanese Dragon changes into clouds from which come either rain or fire. It is able to expand or contract its body, and in addition it has the power of transformation and invisibility. This is merely a general description and does not apply to all Japanese dragons, some of which have heads of so extraordinary a kind that they cannot be compared with anything in the animal kingdom.

According to most sources, the Japanese dragon is closely related to the Chinese counterparts, with the exception that the Japanese dragon has only three claws, while that of the Celestial Kingdom (China) has five.

Tattoo artists have taken the art of the Japanese dragon to amazing new levels. Whether you want a full back design or a half sleeve design, you will find an incredible gallery of amazing designs to choose from. They can be in color, or black & white. The dragon tattoo may appear with sea wave or clouds or pearls. If the dragon claw holds an enormous magical pearl, which has the power to multiply whatever it touches, the "pearl" symbolized the most precious treasure: Wisdom. Ancient Dragon lore and illustrations have inspired many of us to select a dragon tattoo because that design represents how we feel about ourselves -- strength, wisdom and freedom...

The popular locations for inking Japanese dragon tattoos.
Japanese dragon tattoos can wrap around the body and flatter the contours of the body, full body and full back dragon tattoos are quite common, and the most popular location is half sleeve, the body of the dragon wrap around the upper arm and the dragon head extend out the upper front, just above the heart. Because of the long shape of the dragon, it also suited for inking on arms and legs.

Where to Find Perfect Japanese dragon tattoo designs for Inking?
After all, getting an awesome Japanese dragon tattoo that perfectly flows with your body is what makes you feel proud. Am I right? There are many good reasons to get an awesome Japanese tattoo and there are many ways to screw it up. The most important thing to find a perfect Japanese tattoo is to take your time browsing through numerous tattoo collections before you settle the one for inking.

"Good Time Charlies Tattooland" - Home of Jack Rudy

2009-01-10T13:11:00.014-05:00

Walking into Tattooland is like walking in to a piece of living tattoo history. If these walls could talk - and in a way, they do. You can virtually follow Jack's career just by closely studying the flash. Not to mention the collection of hand drawn promo posters from tattoo shows long past.

Tattooland is the text-book definition of the "old school" street shop. All the artists work in a centralized area with flash encircling "the pit."

Tattooland - The Pit

Jack Rudy and artists Lil Roy, Mr Lucky, Chris, Antonio, Chuy, Brandi, Stan, Bucky and Big Jeff all bring their flavor to the mix of influences and styles that makes Tattooland such a diverse environment. If you are ever in the Anaheim area, you definitely want to stop in for a history lesson. Or if piercings are your game, you can stop next door and visit Koolsville where their friendly, knowledgeable staff can help you with your every need.

Jack Rudy -- Celebrating 30+ years in the Tattoo business!

Jack the King

Tattooland is located at: 2641 W. Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801 Phone: 714.827.2071

Tattooland

Jesus on the door

Jack's truck

On the wall at Tattooland

Working hard

Jack Rudy

Jack Rudy

Jack Rudy

Jack and Gil Montie

Jack's machine

Lil Roy at Tattooland

"Good Time Charlies Tattooland" -- Home of Jack Rudy.
In Volume 8 of the Tattoo Video Magazine you'll see interviews with Jack, Little Roy, Lucky, Lucky, Rob, Stan, Antonio, Brandi & Alex. See all the history on the walls of Good Time Charlie's Tattooland. Get your copy today. Thanks for supporting Tattoo Video Magazine.

Tattoo Voodoo Expo

2009-01-10T13:00:00.007-05:00

Here's some pictures from the Tattoo Voodoo Expo:

Annette Larue

Gil Montie's Beaumont Crew

Frankie and Dr Dave

Billy Jack

Budo Tattoo Crew

Gil Montie

Judges take a look

Nice wings

Shane Monti

Ying Yang

See more in Volume10 of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

Gold Coast Tattoo Expo The Hilton Palm Beach Airport West Palm Beach, FL

2009-01-10T12:56:00.001-05:00

www.goldcoasttattooexpo.com

Well, I flew in to Fort Lauderdale airport Sunday, it was 32 degrees when I left home at 5:30am in Virginia, and 80 degrees when I got off the plane... awsome!

Steve Kinder and his wife Brenda, our friends from H2Ocean, were kind enough to pick me up at the airport. They took me to lunch and then we drove to the Gold Coast Convention to check in with the goings on there.

It was a small show, but the artists seem to have done pretty well.

I met up with Rich and the boys from Kingpin Tattoo Supply, they were there selling our DVD's for us and doing quite well, also talked to Gil Montie and he gave me the offical invite to come and tour his shop. He says "I'll show you why we call it Tattoomania." We will be scheduling that real soon.

Talked to Deano Cook for a few minutes, shot some footage and took a few stills, it was fast but, I got some good stuff.

They had a Rockabilly band that was really good and I must say the soundman did a great job, the system was perfect.

12th Annual Richmond Tattoo Arts Festival

2009-01-10T12:26:00.001-05:00

Another successful show put on by B.I.R.D. productions and Sacred Heart

I got in Thursday at 6:30am to help put the rooms together for the show. Billy and his staff -- Ben, Bexx, Scott, Jon, Racheal, Troy & Drew and I'm sure a few more I'm forgetting showed up and all got busy.

Lots of details go into these conventions, from the plastic under all the booths, to electric service to be run to each one, as well as registration tables, vendor booths & setting up the art gallery, and another hundred details. It’s a lot of fun though, and I enjoy helping out when I can.

Billy has got a system, and he knows what he wants. Just don’t fuck it up and you'll be OK. Seriously though, Billy is the coolest guy, I have total respect for the man. He is an icon in the biz and I enjoy listening to his story’s and his words of wisdom. He has a lot of knowledge of the tattoo business and I have learned a lot from him already.

Tony Olivas is also a legend in the game, and I always enjoy our conversations together. You can see an interview with Tony & Porkchop that we did recently available now in Volume 5.

The place was filled with great artists from all over the country, with lots of the big guys were there. In one row alone sitting side by side, was Jack Rudy, Deano Cook, Bob Tyrrell, Hannah Aitchison, Guy Aitchison, Michelle Wortman, just to name a few.

Jeremiah sat down with Chris Longo and Ed interviewed Shahn Anderson, I got some great Jack Rudy antics, it was a fantastic show!

This lucky collector was only one of the many tattoos I got to see Guy work on thoughout the weekend, he stayed busy the whole time.

Amazing to watch him do his thing.

I hung out with Bob for a while as well as Hannah, they will be traveling to Berlin, Germany this week to attend a tattoo convention there. Wish I could go... but, that will come in time.

The spectator turn out was great in Richmond this year, it seemed like all the artists were working constantly, and doing some awesome tattoos. Many awards were givin out as usual and we took some great photos and got plenty of footage.

I shot footage of Deano Cook & Miami Burgess working on some amazing back pieces, and one of Deanos newest paintings was in the art gallery on display. A 5 foot by 5 foot canvas of a sea turtle, with crazy detail.

Deano has some outside projects that are truly amazing. He just completed a mural on a building that wrapped the entire building, a warehouse the size of an airplane hanger. He used a cherry picker, a airless spray rig, a car sprayer and a one and a half inch paint brush. He said it took 16 days to complete. The results were like a giant fish tank just standing in a field. The size of one whale was 105 feet tip to tail. He tells me that he has a another large scale mural in the planing stages right now and that I will be able to film that one.

Little John was also there, and had a special mission to accomplish. John’s friend Otto the woodman recently had a leg amputated and they auctioned off a large Otto carving to help raise money for his medical expenses.

Pat Sinatra was the lucky recipient of the Statue. How she got it home on the plane I have know Idea, it must have been over 6 feet tall.

Good luck to you Otto! hope to see you at a show real soon!

We got some excellent interviews, Dennis Dwyer, Shahn Anderson, Lourcifer from Last Rites and many more.

Be looking for the entire coverage of the Richmond Show, coming soon in a new issue of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

See you at a show real soon!

Scott McCool

Bob Tyrrell

Shahn Anderson

Guy and Michelle

Scott and Hanna Aitchison

Andrew and Tom

Mike and Loureifer

Dennis Dwyer and Jeremiah

Chris and Jeremiah

Billy and Cat

Little John Bury

Jon - Capitol Art Tattoo

Body Art Tattoo Studio

California... Am I Dreaming?

2009-01-10T12:14:00.000-05:00

Well another show to do and like always I'm still packing at 1am, no sleep. Just waiting on Jeremiah to get to my house so we can drive 2 hours to the airport. Its now 3am in Virginia, we drive to Dulles airport outside Washington DC. Park the car in the extended parking lot, take the shuttle to the terminal, and realize I left my cell phone in the car. Without it we are screwed. I freak out and send Jeremiah to the gate to wait, while I beg a bus driver to rush me back to the car. Shitty way to start the trip.

Franco of El Toro Inkhouse

We finally get off the ground and headed to California. We flew into Ontario Airport Thursday, you could see snow on the mountains, it was colder in California than it was where we just came from. Before leaving for the west coast this time, I called and made arrangements with Franco of El Toro Inkhouse to do a shop tour of his place for our video. He tattooed Dennis Rodman and Travis Barker of Blink 182, to drop a name or two. Well, I got to tell you, Franco hooked us up.

I called him when we landed and He sent a driver in a black E-420 Mercedes to pick us up at the airport. Big Pimpin all the way! We were getting hungry, so he made a call to have a friend of his meet us for lunch, it turned out to be Seth Enlsow, the moto cross daredevil guy. Seth said to meet him at a new mexican food restaurant that had just opened. So within an hour of us arriving in CA, we were hanging out with Seth Enslow having lunch.

Seth also owns a tattoo shop at 1530 Chapman Ave, in Orange, California. We were on a tight schedule already, so we promised to go to his shop at a later date. But, Seth rocked and it was cool as hell to meet him and hang out for a bit. And, the food wasn’t bad either!

We eventually made it to El Toro Inkhouse at 23532 El Toro Rd,in Lake Forest, California. It was very nice. The Shop is owned by Franco Vescovi and Sean Reynolds.

It has really cool track lighting, an inside waterfall flowing over a beautiful airbrush wall, an art gallery of paintings hanging around. They have private tattoo studios and piercing rooms, it is clear that they have put a lot into the place, There’s even money laying around on the floor.

A complete video shop tour with interviews with Franco and his Crew will be available on DVD real soon.

Sean Reynolds

Archie in his bar station

Jennifer Cassidy - Piercer

Body Art Tattoo Expo - Pamona, CA 2005

2009-01-10T11:48:00.000-05:00

We checked into our hotel, which was a little wierd. The desk clerk said there was another name attached to my bill that I didn't know, Dave someone. We got it removed and I gave her my card with my cell number on it in case she needed to rech us. We scoped out the room and headed on over to the convention. The entrance to the show was next door, not so bad normally, but it won't stop raining. We get into the show, thanks to ol buddy Zach (one of the promoters), who we had been talking with on the phone about coming out and covering the show for them.

It was BIG to say the least. it was accually in two different buildings with food vendors in the courtyard between them. Which was a great idea, had it not been raining. We had a river going on in-between the buildings you had to cross. With my camera it was not fun. There must have been over 250 booths, they said over 24000 people came through the door. Even with the heavy rain, mudslides and an earthquake, the LA crowd came out for the show. At the same time, in another building, Easyriders Bike Show was going on.

I got a call on my cell from the hotel, saying another Scott McCool was trying to check in. I said, yes there is another one, he runs Savage magazine, I have never met him, but he might be here. They went by our credit card mumbers to separate us and all was OK... That explains the whether, 2 Scott McCools in the same town, at the same time, and staying in the same hotel even. If we accually meet and are in the same room, it would create a paradox.

Video Scott McCool - Billy - Savage Mag Scott McCool

Here's a sample of pictures from the expo:

Need glasses... was seeing double!

Art and Scott

Art and Freewind

Art and Freewind

Now that had to hurt!

Marked For Life - All Female Tattoo Expo

2009-01-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

This expo was in Kissimee, FL and hosted by Deana Lippens.

EDDIE, STAN & FREDDIE

The biggest and best highlight for me was spending time with these guys... and learning all the tattoo history.

Lollie - She's on the cover and an artist too!

2009-01-08T15:56:00.000-05:00

Check out her website at: www.inkjunkys.com

Here's Lollie on the cover of Season 1 and 2. These DVDs make great gifts. You can order them at:

www.TattooVideoMagazine.com

Thanks, Scott

Angel Tattoos - How To Find The Perfect Design

2009-01-03T17:04:00.001-05:00

Angel tattoos are one of the most popular designs for both men and women. Part of the reason is the wide range of styles and designs that can be used to represent these spiritual characters.

Symbolism also plays an important part, as these designs can represent many important values, such as peace, beauty, spirituality, good verus evil etc.

When women get an angel tattoo it's often an indication that she is calm, patient and places more emphasis on the health of her soul. She believes that confidence is a more attractive form of beuaty than any outward physical appearance. The angel tattoo is also a sign that she is a loyal friend who goes where needed to protects others.

On the other hand, men who get an angel tattoo often want to represent a different set of values and beliefs. Self styled bad boys often use sexy angel designs to show their masculinity and their sexuality. In fact many men claim that their angel tattoos have helped them to attract women. Alternatively, angel tattoos are used by men to pay tribute to a woman who has played a major part in their life or a woman they have strong feelings for.

However, angel tattoos can be designed to represent many different aspects of life and death. Some of the most common angel tattoo themes include;

Religious/Spiritual

Angels are seen as the link between Heaven and Earth. The word angel comes from the Greek word for messenger or "one who is sent" and as such are often shown as God's messengers who are sent to protect mankind from evil.

The fact that the three biggest branches of religion (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) all make reference to angels is perhaps part of the reason for the popularity of these designs. Tattoos often depict angels as delicate, winged sprites hovering over something to provide protection. These guardian angels which many people believe are send to protect humanity are often shown watching over children.

Love

Angel tattoos often show angelic cherubs who are the messenger of love. The most well known example of this is Cupid who uses his bow to shoot through the hearts of people, making them fall in love with each other. These tattoos generally consist of a decorative heart with an arrow through it, often with the name of a loved one in the center and Cupid the cherub floating above the heart holding his bow.

The Struggle Between Good And Evil

Angels designs are often used to show the constant fight between good and evil. These are depicted in a number of different ways.

1) The Archangels: These seven angels are the closest to God, the devine messengers that form the link between Heaven and Earth, humans and God.

The design of Michael (one of the most well known archangels) is shown wearing body armor and holding a sword with his wings open ready to lead the Archangels against Lucifer (also an archangel who has gone over to the dark side).

2) Fallen Angels: These represent the battle between God and Lucifer. These designs often show angels with torn wings or horns or both. Alternatively, they depict a brooding looking angel with a broken or bloddy sword in their hand. The feeling of darkness is often achieved by the use of darker colors and heavier inks.

3) Angel/Devil: Designs that incorporate both an angel and the devil are one of the clearest representations of the fight between light and dark. This contrast between good and evil gives the tattoo artist a wide scope for creativity. They can have the tone of the design leaning towards the dark side, the light side or equally balanced between them.

If your tattoo artist is good enough, it may be possible to achieve a design that can resemble both good and bad depending upon your own personal interpretation or mood at any particular time.

Ultimately, only the owner of an angel tattoo truly knows what it represents to him or her, so make sure that you take time to choose a design that you're happy with.

Ancient Mayan Mummy Proves A Tattoo Is Forever

2009-01-03T17:00:00.001-05:00

Evidence of the extraordinary longevity of tattoos has finally been discovered, in a mummified Mayan female whose panoramic tattoos have lasted almost two thousand years.

Tattoo artists were ecstatic at the discovery, immediately citing the mummy as proof that once you’re lucky enough to have a tattoo, you can forget about upkeep.

Curiously enough, the mummy’s bones revealed what at first appeared to be dichotomous lifestyles. She was apparently motherly, because bone evidence revealed that she had given birth to a child, but a variety hardly motherly clubs were also found buried with her.

An archaeologist explained the seeming duality of tender sentiment and weaponry by stating, “My theory is that she went to the grave, regretting the tattoos and asked to be buried with clubs so she could ward off any evil spirits who might arrive to apply even more tattoos.”

10th Annual Motor City Expo

2009-01-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

Tramp Welker and Brian Everett have done it again!

The 10th was the biggest ever! The new facility was off the hook. The Detroit Renaissance Center, over 70 floors towering over the water. Awesome views in all directions!

View of Canada From our room in Detroit

We had a booth this time, selling the videos and pushing some of the bands that help us out on the soundtrack. Jeremiah released his new CD at the Detroit show.

Tom Painter tattooed "Freedom" on Jeremiah's back, which became the name of the album. Everuone loved it. You can order it here.

Jeremiah and Tom Painter

Yes, Frankie and Dr Dave were there with us. Frankie helped us out in the booth as well as passed out some awards with our old buddy Carl Murry, who was handling the emcee duties and keeping the tunes rolling throughout the weekend.

Dr Dave was busy inking all weekend. Dave even tattooed Frankie's autograph on one crazy fools arm. She wrote "Fuck You" and signed it. Then wanted Dave to sign it too, and he did.

Frankie and Carl Murray

Frankie with Sick J and Dr Dave

Frankie and Shannon

Frankie and fan

Carl and Frankie

The convention floor had around 100 tattoo booths and vendors from all over the country.

Bob Tyrrell hung out with us for a bit too. Frankie wants Bob to tattoo her, but he was booked up for the weekend. So we'll be off to his shop to get it done, and we'll be sure to include it in an upcoming volume of the Tattoo Video Magazine.

Bob Tyrrell with Frankie and Dave

Dave Bolt -- Tattoo by Bob Tyrrell

Jeremiah's sister, Shannon Lesko, also came with us and worked in the booth. She was very helpful and managed to sell quite a few DVDs and CDs for us. Rock on girl!.

Shannon Lesko

Our booth was positioned across from David Bolts booth and Shannon had her eyes one one particular piece of art that David had painted. By the end of the weekend, she was taking an autographed Dave Bolt home with her. She was very happy! Thanks, Dave.

Frankie helping with the awards

We also has a good talk with local tattoo artist Chico, who has some real nice back pieces show up along with some big sleeves. All very beautiful work. It's nice when the collectors come to the show and support their artist, and his people are hard core!

Chico with his baby girl

Tim and James

Dan Marshall

Deano Cook

Done by Deano Cook

For 10 years, this show has consistantly fulled in the biggest artists in the game.

Guy Aitchison

The 10th Annual Motor City Expo is features on Volume 16. Order it now.

Tom Painter and the "girls"

Shannon and Tom

Best of Show

Brian and Frankie

Comments from Josh Thomas

Josh Thomas, Kansas City, MO

Then across the way you had The Art Intensity Network booth set up. Everyone running the booth was not only very friendly, but they had great knowledge of the industry they are promoting & great rapport with all the artists. Their videos are wonderful giving you not only an insight to the biggest tattoo conventions, but they also allow you to get to know the artist behind the work. If you have a favorite artist or one you would like to have place a piece on you, you're sure to find them on an interview on one of their many DVD's. Every volume is packed with awesome footage & they're worth every penny. The team from Art Intensity are definitely a fresh breath to an industry that needs exposure so that everyone can realize that tattoos are one of the greatest forms of art & expression that we can enjoy.

As far as the show itself, the DJ Carl Murray was funny & kept it fresh, the convention room was huge and packed wall to wall with booths & merchandise, the artists were all super friendly, and the people who attended were really cool
creating a big family like atmosphere. If you haven't been to a big convention, this is one to check out next year. See you there!

1st annual Space Coast Tattoo Arts Festival

2009-01-03T12:58:00.000-05:00

Tom Depriest - Cocoa Beach

Just 15 months ago, he was on his death bed, and today with the help of his friends he has managed to pull off one of the most successful conventions I've ever been to.

The booths were sold out in 3 days. Tom's idea was to have a Tattoo Show with a twist. He also wanted to help his friend Ray Thunderhawk, who runs a sanctuary for endangered and mistreated animals.

The Event was full of extras, not normally seen at a Tattoo Convention. Ray Thunderhawk brought some of his Big Cats to the Show each day and would explain what his mission was.

They had hula dancers and live bands, a bon fire on the beach and even Surfboard painting going on. The weekend was packed full of activities for everyone.

They managed to raise some money to help feed the animals and Tom say's he's going to do even more in the future. wait to you hear his plans for next year. You dont want to miss it!

The 1st annual Space Coast Tattoo Arts Festival is featured in Volume 17. Check it out.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Bob Tyrrell did a guest spot at Artistic Bodyworks before the convention

Ed Madigan's new tattoo by Bob

Bob' s Leg - tribute to Dimebag

Tony Olivas also did a guest spot at Artistic Body Works before the convention

Ed and Greg with Bud Pearson

Abe and Jespa of Tinta Cantina hanging out by the pool

Frankie and Billy Jack seemed to get along...

Hula Dancers were a big hit with the guys

Tom, Billy, Tony & Ed with Wicasa Wakan and Ray Thunderhawk

Baby Charger - 8 days old

Frankie with Tanka

Billy Jack with Dr Dave

Chris Longo, Tom Painter and Mike Skiver

The Party Crew

Frankie with Jason Willis

Ed enjoying himself at the show

Deano Cook with Bob Tyrrell

Frankie with Lori Brown

Frankie and Shannon Lesko working the booth

Host Shop Crew - Artistic Body Works

Join us in supporting this non-profit organization, all donations go to the feeding of the Cats and to maintaining their sanctuary. Want to see more? Thunderhawk is featured in Volume 18. Order it now.

Thunderhawk Big Cat Resue
PO Box 184
Sharpes, FL 32959-0184
www.thunderhawk.org
321-637-0110

Season1 & 2 Now Available

2009-01-02T17:04:00.000-05:00

Season 1

Season 2

I've packaged the first 10 volumes in a box set (Season 1) and the next 10 (Season 2). You'll save 50% if you purchase the box set. These make a great gift for your favorite artist. Thanks for your support.

9th Annual Atlanta Tattoo Festival

2009-01-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

Here I am at the booth in Atlanta

I'm sure there's a story to go along with this pictures, and when I find it, I'll update this post. Thanks again to everyone who purchase our DVDs and help us keep doing this. Be sure to check out the store at www.TattooVideoMagazine.com and see the Season 1 & 2 box sets. These make great gifts.

Tina with Jeremiah

Sharon and Mary

Brandon Bond with Jeremiah

Chuck

Larry

Tom

Shawn and Pat

Jack

Jeremiah and Mary

Mike Dorsey

Looks What Happens at Tattoo Conventions!

2009-01-02T11:25:00.000-05:00

Hollywood Gill " The Drill" Montie was married on Saturday June 11th 2005 to Desiree Kleypas At The Houston Hot Rod Tattoo Convention by Rev. Billy Tinney

Photo's by Billy Tinney

Finding A Lot of Memories - DRAWIN' THE WILD CARD 2005

2009-01-01T16:26:00.000-05:00

Here's some more stuff from the archives --

I got home from the long road trip on June 6th, One of my daughters graduated High Scool on the 9th, and then I left for the Atlantic City Convention on June 10th.

DRAWIN' THE WILD CARD 2005 -- ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

I arrived at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Saturday, I Picked up my Press Pass and headed inside to Hook up with Chuck Brank of PRICK magazine.

The Show boasted a good 100 booths, they had a great turn out from the fans and collectors.

The Artists all seemed to be working all the time and lots of nice work was being done all three days.

Chuck B. and I shared a booth at the show, It was a good time for he and I to stratigize on some Ideas we've been kicking around.

You will be seeing more from PRICK mag in our videos, as well as more of The Art Intensity Network in PRICK magazine.

Here are a few pic's from the show!

Great set of legs!

Snakes!

Tony J

Modern Body Tattoos & Piercing - Sacramento, California

2009-01-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

I flew into Sacramento, CA to attend the "All American Tattoo Festival. I got there a couple of days early, and was just walking around when I noticed a black and red building. I was happy to see it was a Tattoo shop.

I walked in and started looking at the porfolios on the counter, just then a long haired - big bearded guy asked if he could help me. I said well, I just got into town and don't know anyone and found your shop and hoped I would meet some cool people.

He was very friendly and showed me around his shop. He gave me the inside scoop on the local scene. He explained to me where the convention was going to be held, and accually picked me up at my hotel and drove me there the next morning.

Russ McSwain is the owner and piercer of the shop. He has a variety of artists working there, they all seem to be able to accomplish any style of tattooing you could ask for.

Russ McSwain

This is a full custom shop, all of the artists paint and draw all the time. the art work on the walls is done by the artists that work there. here are a few samples:

And, if your in the Sacramento area and find yourself in the need of some custom tattooing, I hope you will find your way to Modern Body Tattoo, you'll be glad you did. Tell them Scott McCool sent you.

To see the whole shop tour on video, check out the TVM (Tattoo Video Magazine)DVD for complete coverage and their story told by them.

I ran into Russ and his crew at the tattoo convention, and we got to hang out a little bit more. He had some of his artists enter thier tattoo work in the contests.
They walked away with at least 3 --

1st Place Color Back by Alycia Harr

2nd Place large Color by Dave Barnitz

2nd Place best sleave by Alycia Harr

The shop is located at: 2017 I street / Sacremento, CA - 916-930-0689 Hours: Monday thru Saturday - 12noon til 9pm.

Dawn & Russ

Dave Barnitz

Alycia Harr

Mikey Dwitt & Carlo Vela

Tattoo Artist Roster: Dave Barnitz, Mikey Dwitt, Carlo Vela, Alycia Harr, Stonya - Shop Mom, Photographer and Custom Clothing Designer.

Custom Made Wolf Mask by Stonya

Go to www.tattoovideomagazine.com

Looking Thru the Archives

2009-01-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

IRVINE, CA "ROCK OF AGES FEST"
AND JACK RUDY'S TATTOOLAND
The 2nd Annual Rock of Ages Tattoo Arts Festival

by Matthew "Porkchop" Ward
Photos by Scott McCool (Art Intensity Network)

The artists of the Art Fusion Experiment

Jack Rudy

On Saturday, October 16, 2004 my plane touched down at John Wayne airport in Orange County, California at about 3pm. As soon as they announce that it's OK to use cell phones again, I speed dial my partner Scott to let him know that I've arrived and to get the info on the hotel.

Me: "Hey man, I just landed. I should be over in about ..."

Scott: "Good I got you in Art Fusion in an hour!"

Me: "Oh shit!"

My plans of getting some lunch and relaxing for a while before hitting the convention floor are now squashed. It's time to go!

Scott McCool and Matthew "Porkchop" Ward

The Hawleywood Barber

The hotel shuttle picks me up at about 3:15 pm and takes all of three minutes to get me to the Irvine Hilton for the 2nd Annual Rock of Ages Tattoo Arts Festival. I see Scott approaching the shuttle sporting his new slick back "greaser" style hair do from Donnie Hawley of Hawleywood's Barber Shop. We say our hellos and head up to the room. He gives me my press pass and shows me the bitchin' t-shirts show promoter Billy Eason was kind enough to lay on us. We manage to squeeze in a quick lunch and I grab a beer and head for the room where the Art Fusion Experiment is being held.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Art Fusion Experiment, six artists start six drawings and rotate positions clockwise every three minutes for two hours. This is an exhibition developed by Paul Booth, Guy Aitchison and Leo Zulueta as a means to entertain as well as educate. The finished works are auctioned off for charity.

Art Fusion Experiment

Ben from Capital Tattoo's Charlottesville location is in charge of organizing the exhibition and making sure the auction goes off as planned. For this round - the first of the weekend - Ben has assembled a diverse line-up of artists to collaborate. Along with Ben and myself, he has flash master Boog, Soba of Workhorse Irons, Jesse Smith and Billy Murran (from Italy) on deck to get the art on. We hammer away for two hours and have a great time doing so. Once the pieces were finished, we stood back and took in our work. It was quite an experience. Any artist who has not done the experiment should definitely give it a shot should the opportunity arise.

So now that I'm done covering myself in charcoal dust, it's time to hit the convention floor and see what's going down. Billy Eason and his hard working crew from BIRD Ltd. always bring out the best of the best. In attendance were Jack Rudy, Lil' Roy, Juan Puente, Damon Conklin, Tim Kern, Hunter Spanks, Jay Langer, and a host of other great artists. There also seemed to be an over-abundance of children running around which gave the show a sort of light-hearted effect.

Saturday featured a car show with some down and dirty street rods including one from the Beatnik's Car Club's president Jack Rudy. To entertain the car show patrons, a slew of rock-a-billy bands kept the vibe movin'. There was also an array of intriguing merch booths on display.

Rides at the Rock of Ages Car Show

Once we got our bearings, we started in with the interviews. We talked with Hunter Spanks about his painting project in which he started and completed one painting every day for an entire year. He explained that he plans to release all 365 paintings in a book to be made available to the public.

We also spoke with Shawn Duhey of Guru Tattoo, John Hunter of Capital Tattoo, Billy Murran from Italy and Donnie Hawley of the world famous Hawleywood's Barber Shop. Donnie gave us some insight on his unique world, where men can be men and women are not allowed. Donnie runs one of the only "old fashioned" barber shops left in the country. He has also been recruited by celebrities and movie houses to provide his brand of classic men's hair design.

Late Saturday the rain came which slowed things down a bit, but the show trudged on. One more Art Fusion was held on Sunday and then the art was auctioned off. After we wrapped up our interviews, and the show was winding down for the weekend, a big group of us decided to get dinner together at the Benihana around the corner. They were nice enough to keep the place open for us. But then again, how do you say no to a big group of hungry tattoo artists.

Jack Rudy's Tattooland

Lil' Roy and Lucky of Tattooland

Monday morning Scott and I grab a cab and speed over to Anaheim where we snag a hotel room across from Knott's Berry Farm and wait for a call from Lil' Roy. Once we get the call, we agree to meet around 5 pm. Right on schedule, Roy and Jack Rudy himself arrive to shuttle us over to Tattooland for the grand tour.

Walking into Tattooland is like walking in to a piece of living tattoo history. If these walls could talk - and in a way, they do. You can virtually follow Jack's career just by closely studying the flash. Not to mention the collection of hand drawn promo posters from tattoo shows long past. Tattooland is the text-book definition of the "old school" street shop. All the artists work in a centralized area with flash encircling "the pit." Jack and Roy's offices are just off to the sides.

Tattooland

Jack Rudy and his phat ride

We had a great time talking with Jack and his whole crew of "swarthy stewbums." Artists like Lucky, Rob Dringenberg, Bucky and Bradi Collins all bring their flavor to the mix of influences and styles that makes Tattooland such a diverse environment. And you can expect to hear machines buzzing well into the night. If you are ever in the Anaheim area, you definitely want to stop in for a history lesson. Or if piercings are your game, you can stop next door and visit Koolsville where their friendly, knowledgeable staff can help you with your every need. Tattooland is located at: 2641 W. Lincoln Ave Anaheim, CA 92801 Phone: 714.827.2071

To check out the video version of this show, go to www.tattoovideomagazine.com for details. For more about the Rock of Ages convention visit www.birdltd.com.

Tom Painter and Jason McCarty

2008-12-31T18:48:00.001-05:00

BODY ART TATTOO STUDIO

Jason McCarty and his father Tom Painter

Tom Painter at work

Jason McCarty at work

We were filming for our DVD series at last year's Motor City show, and I remember Jason took Best of Day on Friday with a Wolverine tattoo he had started a few weeks prior. When we were filming at this year's Detroit show, and he took Best of Day on Saturday and Best of Show as well. (More from Detroit in next month's issue of PRICK.)

Tom Painter and Jason McCarty are the main artists at their shop, but Jason's apprentice, TJ Link, is no slouch either. He recently tattooed a friend of mine, and it was perfect.

They also do body piercing. Tom has been doing it for a longtime, but now they have Dan Agregaard covering the piercing and running the front counter. He's a great guy and has collected some awesome tattoos by Jason. They have an excellent work ethic and their shop attitude is always fun, positive and professional. My own daughter recently got her first tattoo, and it was Jason McCarty who did it.

TJ Link at work

Piercer Dan Agregaard

Tattoo by Jason McCarty

Body Art Tattoo Studio is about one hour outside of Washington D.C. and about 30 minutes from Dulles Airport. They have clients that fly in to get tattoos sometimes so it's very convenient. The town they live and work in only has two traffic lights, so it won't be hard to find them if you ever get to Berryville, just ask anybody. You will be glad you did.

Body Art Tattoo Studio is open Tuesday through Saturday 10-6, Fridays 10-8 p.m. Appointments in the morning and walk-ins rest of the day. For more photos of their work, check out http://www.bodyarttattoostudio.com/. Body Art Tattoo Studio 8A Chalmers Court Berryville,Va 540.955.0111

You can see more of Tom and Jason's shop on video in the Art Intensity Network DVD Volume 6 Issue. Available now at http://www.tattoovideomagazine.com/

Pictures from first road trip

2008-12-31T18:05:00.000-05:00

Going through the archives and found these pictures from our first road trip in 2004 ...

Scott McCool of the Network at work.

Merle Allin, Porkchop and Mr Sex

Porkchop and myself, armed with little more than a video camera and what we thought was a good idea, made our way to the 2nd Annual Washington D.C. Tattoo Expo all in the hopes of interviewing a few artists for what would soon become the Art Intensity Network's Tattoo Video Magazine.... Now 40 volumes later!

Scott's Cross Country Road Trip

2008-12-30T22:47:00.000-05:00

That was a great trip. It took about 40 days, almost 7000 miles, 40 video tapes and 1000 digital photos. I stopped at 30 tattoo shops and 2 conventions and visited over 100 artists.

I had a great time visiting with everyone and I got to see some awsome tattoos being done. Everyone I met was very nice, I was hooked up at most every stop along the way.
A lot of the times I stayed with the Artist at thier homes,seeing how they live and do what they do on a daily basis.

It was a great learning experience for me, I got a new insight into this crazy world we call Tattoo.

I'll be posting more soon. Check back.

Have you ordered your DVDs yet?

If your a shop owner, I have a special gift for you. Send me an email and I'll send it to you. Thanks.

Cross Country - Road Trip With Scott & the Tattoo Video Magazine Crew - Part 4

2008-12-30T22:39:00.000-05:00

The Westside Customs Tattoos crew: Crazy Bob, Mark Tomac, Richard Baker,
Melissa Baker, Will Anders

In the last issue, Lil'D and I were hanging out with Cleen Rock One at Top Notch Tattoo in Elgin, Ill. When we left there, we went to visit Nick Wiggins of Mark of Cain Tattoo in Champagne, Ill. Nick was cool and took us to see the slammed street rod he's been working on. We shot video of it and his shop for our ongoing tattoo DVD series.

Continuing north, we decided to go see Will Anders in Joliet, Ill.

I met Will in Cocoa Beach, Fla. last year and promised to come visit him some time. He currently resides in Joliet with his fiancee Sara and works at Westside Customs Tattoos. Will has been tattooing since 1984. When he was just 15 years old, he would work on his friends in his bedroom with a handmade tattoo machine.

"My mom didn’t like it, though. My friends would jump out the window when she would come home early," he remembers. "She always knew because of the cigarette smell."

When he was 18, he moved to Denver to start tattooing professionally. He apprenticed under Mickie Kott for two years where he got to work with a lot of great guys like Jason Willis and Tom Depriest, whom he apprenticed. "There are a lot of tattooed faces in Denver," says Will.

After six years there, he moved to South Beach, Fla. and worked with Ami James, eventually making it to Artistic Body Works to work with Ed Madigan for a while.

Will has tattooed all over the country at one shop or another over his 20 plus years in the business. He's also been building custom tattoo machines for over 10 years; so if you need one, you can contact him at rockabillywilly@yahoo.com.

And now Will is in Joliet with his old friend Mark Tomac, owner of Westside Customs Tattoos. Mark is a native of Joliet and has been tattooing for nine years. He likes to do the black & grey creepy stuff.

When we visited Westside they had just moved into their new location. The place was very clean and professional with brand new tile on the floor, new paint, a very large space with five tattoo stations and a private piercing room.

I like the half wall idea. It keeps people out of the work area that don't belong, but still allows them to watch and communicate with their friends getting tattooed.

Will at the counter

Chucho's work

Will and his fiancée Sara

They have a cool neon tattoo machine sign that sets the place off. There is some quality flash and some nice paintings hanging around the studio.

In the basement, they have a break room where they paint and draw. There is also a private bar down there and a TV so its hard to get people to leave sometimes.

They also have Richard Baker working there. He's a great artist and has been tattooing about four years now. He also does piercing along with his wife Melissa, the shop's resident henna artist and piercer. She is also tattooing now. Melissa has been doing henna for eight years, piercing for six and she just did her 27th tattoo.

Another artist that works there, Chucho, wasn't in town at the time, but Mark drove us around the city to look at some of Chucho's artwork anyway. A sculptor, painter and tattooer – Chucho is a very talented guy. Mark tells us that Chucho has been commissioned by the city to do some murals and statues. Mark considers Chucho a big influence on his tattoo career. He showed us murals that Chucho has painted in town over the years. Mark recalls staring at them when he was a kid trying to figure out how he did it. Mark is very proud to have Chucho working with him at Westside.

Richard Baker

Melissa Baker

Mark & Christie Tomac

We passed by the prison while we were driving around. The gate where they shot the scene from the Blues Brother's movie (when Jake gets out of jail, and Elwood picks him up in the old squad car) was right there in front of me; I had to film it myself.

Graffiti art is accepted pretty well here. We saw a lot of cool stuff all around the town of Joliet. It's nice to see a community embracing young artists, instead of considering them part of a gang problem. Chucho also did a sculpture in memory of a fallen police officer that stands in the middle of town.

The weekend we were there it was Cinco de Mayo, so after the shop tour, we got a hotel room in the area and met them later at a bar. I knew right away this was not the spot for me; too loud, and too many people so we left and went to a place called Glory Days where Will's fiance works and got hooked up all night. No one was there when we arrived. It was perfect;we got the run of the place.We played pool, threw darts and partied 'till closing. It was a lot of fun hanging out with the Westside crew.

The next morning, we all met for breakfast at the diner next to the shop. Some of them didn't look so hot, and others were just fine. No names here. Just kidding guys.

We had a great time hanging out with Will and Mark at West Side Customs. They really treated us great and showed us a good time. Thanks for all the hospitality!

Lil'D and I left Joliet and went to Chicago to see Hannah Aitchison at Deluxe Tattoo, then to the tattoo convention in Davenport, Iowa where we saw Lyle Tuttle and a few other friends. In Kansas City,we hung out with Ricco and saw the famous "Freaks on Broadway." Kansas City also embraces the graffiti art scene and we toured the back alleys with Ricco.

The multi-disc DVD set of the entire road trip will be available through Art Intensity Network. Check out the highlights here in Prick magazine.

In the next issue, we're off to Albuquerque, NM – home of Brian Everett, Tinta Cantina & Dave Martinez.

If you are ever in the Joliet area, you should definitely stop by their shop and get tattooed.

Westside Customs Tattoo
650 Ruby Street Joliet, Ill
Call for an appointment: 815-726-7822

Cross Country - Road Trip With Scott & the Tattoo Video Magazine Crew - Part 3

2008-12-30T22:32:00.000-05:00

Cleen Rock One of Top Notch Tattoos

Tattoo by Cleen Rock One

After our visit with Matt Hodel at Trader Bob's Tattoo in St.Louis, Dustin and I headed north to Elgin, Illinois to meet a guy they call Cleen Rock One at Top Notch Tattoos.

It was just starting to get dark as we walked up to the shop. I could see there were lots of nice neon signage around the windows and an old school '32 Ford parked out front. We introduced ourselves to the guys who were out front smoking and they led us to the rear of the shop where Cleen Rock was working.

As we walked through the shop, I noticed it was a bright clean space with a kind of hot rod theme to it all. The walls were covered with hot rod paintings, Big Daddy Ed Roth "Rat Fink" memorabilia, and license plates from all over the country lining the top of the walls.

Cleen Rock One at work

Tattoo by Cleen Rock One

When we finally met Cleen, he was working on a sleeve but found some time to take a break to talk with us for a while. He was very cool and friendly. He reminded me of a young modern day Fonzie from "Happy Days." He's definitely a hot rod guy. In fact, he's the president of the Bare Bones car club and has a 10 car garage around the corner from the shop where he houses and works on his cars.

Cleen showed us around the shop and introduced us to the rest of his staff. His main guy is Erik Thvedt who has been with the shop for four years and does traditional Japanese with a "bold bright kind of thing." Then there's Tony1,one of the apprentices: "He's basically my Mexican connection. I can't speak Spanish. I only know swear words," says Cleen. Tony1 does mainly black and grey and is into portraits and Latino art.

Then we went to the next booth and this big guy with a big beard turns around. "This is Black Jack. He's been tattooing 13 years. He does traditional old school stuff – Ed Hardy, Sailor Jerry kind of thing." His youngest artist is Tim who likes to do new school tattoos. "He has a lot of crazy drawings and he does Asian tattoos too," Cleen says."There are no jokers working here, all my guys are top-notch artists."

Tattoos by Cleen Rock One

They have a wide selection of body jewelry on display as well. Their piercer is named Dras,but he was in Las Vegas at a piercing conference when we dropped by. "Dras is the best piecer I've ever met," says Cleen.

Elgin is Cleen's hometown. He has been tattooing there for 10 years."We are a street shop, but we pretty much only do custom work. All my guys have their own clientele. We will do flash off the wall, but with our twist on it," Cleen adds. He actually apprenticed in the same building back when there was a crack house upstairs above the shop. Even though he doesn't do drugs, he says it was "pretty cool because the crack heads would bring in bags of CDs for $15.00 or a box of Dickies shirts for $15.00. You could buy anything for $15.00. It was great!" Five years later to the day, Cleen opened up Top Notch in the same building.

Cleen showed us all his tattoos, remembering the artist and the story behind each of them. His hands were done by Lucky of Tattooland. Jeff Zuck has done a lot of his tattoos as well. He even has the tops of his feet done – a hot rod zombie by Gunter on the top of his right foot and a bright orange pumpkin on the top of the left foot with the words "LEAD FEET" tattooed across the toes.

While we were in the shop, Cleen's dad happened to be there and told us the story of when Cleen was 18 and came home and said he was going to work at the tattoo shop. His dad said, "Not those guys, they're losers. Your working at the ski lift!" (Cleen used to be a snowboarder when he was younger.) But Cleen stuck to his guns and went to work at the tattoo shop. And we're glad he did! He's got a killer shop with an incredibly talented crew.

If you’re ever near Chicago, you need to go to Elgin and meet Cleen Rock One and his Top Notch crew. There is a casino near by and plenty of hot spots around town to keep you entertained.

For more info visit www.topnotchtattoos.com.

Top Notch Tattoos
216 E. Chicago Street
Elgin, IL
847.695.4906

Cross Country - Road Trip With Scott & the Tattoo Video Magazine Crew - Part 2

2008-12-30T22:06:00.001-05:00

Trader Bob's Tattoo: Matt Model, John Bell, Rob Gesinger, and Joe Alhoff

In our last road trippin' installment, I was visiting with Billy Jack and his Guys in Bowling Green, KY. Just before I left, Billy thought it would be a good idea for his apprentice to ride along with me, so Dustin, aka Lil D, Jumped in to help me drive and to learn some tattoo history on the trip. Dustin is a young artist, hungry to learn all he can about the business and ready to meet other artists. This trip is a great opportunity for him to do that.

Lil D and I headed off to St Louis to see "All American" Matt Model. I met Matt in Cocoa Beach at the SpaceCoast Tattoo Convention. We hung out at Ed Madigan's house after the show for a few days. Matt is a cool guy and funny as hell. We went swimming at Ed's. Matt didn't have a bathing suit, so he went to Wall-Mart and bought a women's one piece and wore that. Funny ass shit.

I wish I had a picture ... maybe not. Anyway, Matt works at the one of the oldest tattoo shops in America, Trader Bobs Tattoo in St. Louis, MO. The shop has been in constant operation since the '30s. It only moved one time do to the fact that the building they were in was torn down to make room for a highway.

Rob Gesinger at work

Allen Thompson

Nate Strautkalns

The Shop is currently owned by Nate and Allen of All-Star Tattoo. They acquired the shop from Honest Mitch's son Mike, who tried to run the shop for a few years after his father died. After a while he realized he needed some help and asked old friends Allen and Nate if they would consider buying the shop. The rest is history, as they say.

We spent a few days with Matt. He took us to a few other shops and we met some of his friends. We also went fishing at a secret spot he knows. He set up a trip with the artists he works with. Everyone caught fish, and I mean big fish, except for Matt for some reason. Lil D caught the most, and he has never been fishing before. We shot footage of everyone, and did some interviewing right there on the bank of the pond. Just like ESPN!

Dustin also wanted to tattoo someone on this trip, so Matt hooked him up. He got to do a hooker and a pimp.

Trader Bob's is located in the ghetto of St. Louis. The street in front is pretty crazy at night. I would suggest a daytime appointment. It's safe enough though. Who wants to fuck with a tattoo shop full of big dudes? Not me.

The artists are friendly enough with the neighborhood folks, and they seem to watch out for the shop out of respect. Bars on the windows and a security system don't hurt either.

Matt broke the rules and showed us the secret room where all of the old flash from the '20s and '30s is stashed. The security is really tight to get in there. We had to go through a couple of booby traps and lots of dark hallways to get to the dungeon were all the gems are kept. There were 1000's of acetate stencils made in the '20s, hand painted signs, original drawings by guys back in the '30s, and even an old machine rack and power supply that I believe Moses used to tattoo Jesus with!

There is some of the coolest old school flash I've ever seen. They have enough stuff to start a museum. The walls of the shop are also covered with original hand painted flash. Most of it has never been reproduced, and it only exists at Trader Bob's.

All the artists that work there feel a sense of pride in their shop. They have a responsibility to protect and to preserve the history that they have acquired. They feel they have an obligation to the artists that came before them to carry on the traditions of the oldest shop in America. The residents at Trader Bob's are fantastic people and excellent artists. They have fun, but are also very professional with the customers.

Nate and Allen are the best guys to take over the legacy. They have a huge respect for the history. They own two shops now, but rarely come to Trader Bob's, due to the fact that Matt Model and the other guys have got it together. They come by and bring food, beer and supplies for the shop. They provide everything the artist's need. They want all the artists to have what they need and they try to make life a little easier so they will stay, instead of opening a shop next door. They pretty much let the artists that work there handle everything themselves.

Ink Well Tattoo: Bard Humes, Matt Model, and Clark Medley

Clark Medley at work

Matt took us to meet some friends of his who have a shop called Ink Well Tattoo. The owners are Clark Medley And Don Wills. When we got there, we just bum-rushed them with the camera and started to interview them before they knew what was going on. Matt thought it would be the best way to do it, since he knew them well enough.

Clark was working on a huge Japanese rib piece. He talked with us on camera while he tattooed, then we talked with the other artists there. They even bought some of my videos. Thanks guys! Don Wills wasn't there at the time, so we decided to go to his house later in the evening.

We went to All-Star Tattoo to visit with Nate and Allen, and meet their other artists. I filmed Matt interviewing the owners. Allen talked with us while he was tattooing, telling us how he got to St. Louis, and about his influences in tattooing.

Matt Model with the All-Star Tattoo staff

Shawn Garrison at work

We met another one of their artists, Carrie, who has been tattooing for seven years. She says, "There's not to much of the ass grabbing going on here. I like that. People come here for the artwork and our friendly attitude. We all have enough business to go around. Sometimes we will pass on a tattoo to the right artist for the job, and it's about the art aspect, not so much the money. I love what I do everyday."

"When you're not working, what do you do?" I asked.

"I have two dogs, a garden, and I like to drink once in awhile. Life is good."

We also talked with Shawn Garrison, who used to work at Trader Bob's. He says it was a rough place back in the day. He had some stories about the old owner, Mitch. "Mitch was a intimidating guy. I worked there for two weeks before I even saw him. He taught me two things. One, never get your hands tattooed, which I did anyway, and two, how to tattoo a penis."

See and hear the whole story in a future video coming soon. I took some photos of the shop, said good-bye, and we skipped out to go meet Don Wills.

Scott McCool with Don Wills

Don is a collector of tattoo stuff. He has hundreds of tattoo machines, plus tons of old flash and paintings to see. He has a beautiful home and art studio, and lives in basically a tattoo museum. He showed us a bunch of old Machines and told us stories about each one. We had a great time visiting with Don. The video tour of his house is amazing.

I hated to leave St. Louis. We were having such a good time with Matt. He made a few suggestions of where we might go next, so Dustin and I headed north toward Chicago. Our next stop, Nick Wiggins of Mark of Cain Tattoo. More about that in the next installment of Road Trippin with McCool.

So much to see and do in St. Louis that I'll have to go back soon. The Old Timers Convention will be held there. I know I'll be back for that. Hopefully I'll have the St. Louis DVD available at that show.

Cross Country - Road Trip With Scott & the Tattoo Video Magazine Crew

2008-12-30T21:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a reprint of some of our road trips in the past... enjoy.

Big Mixx and Rachael

Wes Carter

Billy Jack Gunter tattooing Skinny Deville of Nappy Roots.

It all started at a convention. I was talking with different artists from all parts of the country and they all wanted me to visit them and see their shops.

Planning the trip took longer than I thought, trying to maximize your time in as few a days as possible became a pain. I kept scratching out my calender, and starting over. Things kept changing the route. One guy could do it this time and another couldn't and they were 600 miles apart.

I eventually figured out a basic route which would keep me out filming on the road for 40 consecutive days, about 30 shops and two conventions worth. I loaded up on PRICK mags and DVDs and hit the road.

I started out from my home in Northern Virginia on April 26. My first stop was Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was about a 9-hour stretch of driving without stopping.

You may wonder what took me to Kentucky. Well, the truth is Artistic Encounter Tattoo in Bowling Green is the home of Billy Jack Gunter. We met at the New Orleans show in 2004. We hit it off and then he came to the Cocoa Beach show and helped me there, so I promised him I would come see his shops some day.

I got to town and went straight to the hotel to relax.

Later, Billy and one of his artists, Big Mixx, came to pick me up for dinner. We went to a Japanese steakhouse where the cooks all have tattoos by Billy Jack so the service and the food were excellent. They took good care of us. After dinner we went to a club, everyone there knew Billy too.

Billy Jack owns three shops in Kentucky and is currently opening another one in Dallas,Texas. He is a young tattooer, and is driven to succeed in this game. His artists are all top notch and have good attitudes. They sit around and draw all the time, it makes for a good creative environment to work in.

We went to all three of his shops in Bowling Green, each one has a manager/partner working there and multiple artists and peircers.

Artistic Encounter #1 is located at: 1407 US 31 W. By-pass 270-783-8697. Clint Minnich is the manager of the shop and also tattoos. The other artists are Lil' D, who has a thing for graffiti art and is a natural at lettering; Shelbo, who does nice color work; and Jonnie 2tone is the shop piercer.

Artistic Encounter #2 is located at: 2052 Russellville Rd. 270-746-9856. Wes Carter manages this shop and is an excellent tattooer. Brad Ausbrooks and Doughboy are two other artists that work there.

Artistic Encounter #3 is located at: 2nd street/downtown Owensboro, KY 270-685-5805. Big Mixx is the manager there along with Don Juan Demarko. They take care of the tattooing, and Rachael and Ivan handle the piercing.

He also took me to meet his mentors at Dancing Dragon Tattoo – James Phillips and Chris Pavelch. Billy says he owes it all to both James and Chris for bringing him into the business and teaching him at the beginning and guiding him along throughout his career. James and Chris have a clean shop with lots of flash on the walls. They are located near a military base, so they stay pretty busy. He told me some stories about Billy as you can well imagine. Billy sneered and made faces at some of the shit James was saying, but it was all in fun. James seems to be real proud of Billy Jack and pleased with how far he has come.

We left Dancing Dragon and headed back to Bowling Green. That evening, two of the lead singers of the group Nappy Roots came in to get work done by Billy Jack. They also live in the Bowling Green area. They were getting ready to go out on tour,and needed their tattoos worked on first. Skinny Deville got some tree roots on his shoulder and down his arm and Big V got a needle shooting the words "game" into his veins.

I filmed the process and interaction with the Nappy Roots guys. They were very cool, Big V even took Billy and I out to dinner after the job was done. He's a wild dude, down to earth in a lot of ways, but road smart for sure. We had a good time with Big V.

Then Billy and I went to the recording studio and met up with Skinny D and their engineer Joel. They were previewing some of the new Nappy Roots music. Needless to say, I left with six new unreleased tracks. It's some good shit; it's in my cd player right now!

When I left Bowling Green I had a little extra baggage. Billy Jack thought it would be good for his apprentice, Dustin, a.k.a. Lil' D, to ride along with me to learn more about the tattoo industry and meet other artists, and maybe get to tattoo someone, or at least help me drive. I said okay and we headed off to St. Louis with Lil' D.

Billy Jack is currently in Dallas, Texas building the fourth Artistic Encounter shop, located at 3920 Rosemeade Parkway. Tattooing along with Billy Jack will be Wes Middleton. Shop piercer will be Zach. The shop is scheduled to open this month. You will see all the craziness, cool tattoos and hear the new Nappy Roots music in the Art Intensity Network Tattoo DVD series very soon.
The next Road Trippin’ installment will include a visit to Trader Bob's Tattoo Studio in St. Louis, MO, one of the oldest street shops in the U.S. and home of tattoo artist "All-American Matt" Hodel.

The Journey Begins... Season 1

2008-09-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Season 1 - The first 10 Volumes in a set.

Join us on our continuing journey into the heart of the tattoo world.

Get Up-close and personal with some of the heaviest hitters in the game.

Find out what really happens at some of the biggest tattoo conventions in the country.
We also tour some of the nicest tattoo shops and check out some of the best tattoo artists around.

To See More or to Purchase DVD's go to http://www.tattoovideomagazine.com/