You can find Richie at our Rochelle Park studio
Come by our Rochelle Park studio off of Rt. 17 South, and make an appointment with any of our artists!
Tattoo of the month: Richie
Come by our Rochelle Park studio off of Rt. 17 South, and make an appointment with any of our artists!
Graffiti girl Solveig Barlow hailed as 'the new Banksy'
A 10-year-old girl has taken the graffiti art world by storm with a series of spectacular creations ... but don't compare her to famous graffiti artist Banksy.
Primary school student Solveig Barlow has been described as as “the young Picasso of street art”, and compared to satirical street artist Banksy, whose work sells for up to $896,266.
Solveig has created more than 20 legal works on walls around Brighton, Sussex, and has earned a legion of fans along the way.
She started painting at age eight and is now regularly seen meticulously spray-painting walls on a patch of wastleland near her home.
But Sloveig has pleaded for people to stop comparing her to famous graffiti artist Banksy, saying their creations are very different.
“I don't like being compared to Banksy because what we do is different. I do graffiti and he does stencils,” she said. “It's not the same thing.”
Solveig isn’t the only person annoyed over comparisons with Bansky, whose murals have made him a cult figure in the art world and whose customers include Christina Aguilera, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Many bloggers have criticised comparisons of Solveig’s work with Banksy’s.
“She's great and definitely has a very particular style and talent, (kinda relax panda-esque) but this is nothing like Banksy's work,” one commenter said.
Sloveig said she had been overwhelmed by the public’s response to her work.
“I never set out to become known - it just happened,” she said.
Her aim is to create graffiti works that stand out from the crowd.
“I love to make pieces that are as crazy as I can make them. I have no plans to stop so watch out for me.”
Temporary Butterfly and Flower Tattoo Designs
Tattoo design with a butterfly on a beautiful little flower, this design is perfect for young girls who like the sexy dress.
Kait, On Her Own Two Feet
While passing through Borders at 2 Penn Plaza, I spotted Kait's feet, both tattooed on their outside edges. She graciously allowed me to take pictures of both pieces.
On her left foot is a green bow, inspired in part by the fact that she is known where she grew up for always having a bow on her, whether it be in her clothing or in her hair. It's her trademark, of sorts, and the tattoo insures that she'll never be "bow-less".
Her right foot bears the following inscription:
"Think Happy Thoughts" is a tribute to her friend Max, a graffiti artist, who passed away a year or two back. The script is in her own hand, in emulation of a free-form style that reminds her of graffiti.
Kait has five tattoos in all, including two surnames inscribed on the insides of her wrists. One is the last name of her adopted family, and the other is the surname of her birth mother.
All of her work was done at Big Joe & Sons Tattooing & Piercing in White Plains, New York.
Thanks to Kait for sharing her tattoos here on Tattoosday!
The Tattoosday Book Review: High Voltage
As a viewer of the cable show Miami Ink, I watched with great interest when Chris Garver brought his friend Kat Von D. into the shop as a guest tattooer in the show's early days. Kat's portrait work is phenomenal, and she is an extremely charismatic person.
The problem with reality shows like Miami Ink, its spin-off L.A. Ink, and the A&E Series Inked, is that the producers feel, and perhaps rightfully so, that a show filled with tattoos is bad for ratings. When I was getting my second tattoo, in 2005, I asked my tattoo artist, Peter Cavorsi, what he thought of these shows. He shrugged and said "too much drama" and told me he didn't watch them. He struck at the core of the tattoo shows' problems: the purists in the tattoo community generally are frustrated by the fact that the personal relationships often overshadow the occasional tattoo. Fans of the shows will tell you: drama drives ratings.
Kat Von D.'s popular success is not due solely to her skills as a tattoo artist. I am not saying she isn't talented. She's immensely talented. But I admire her just as much, if not more, for her ability to parlay a dramatic turn of events (her conflict with Miami Ink's chief protagonist, Ami James) into what is appearing to be an empire. Kat Von D. may be a great tattoo artist, but she's also a hell of a business woman, as evidenced by her shop's success in L.A., her show's ratings, and her successful side
projects, like the Tattoo/Music festival "Musink," her cosmetics line atSephora, and, most recently, her book High Voltage Tattoo. In other words, Kat�s not just an artist. She�s a brand.
People generally either love Kat Von D. or hate her. She has a devoted fan base and a huge following. She is indisputably the most popular tattoo artist in America. But with success of such magnitude comes detractors. The tattoo community has always been a very close-knit, insular, society. Tattoos have never been so popular, and there is significant resentment among "old school" tattoo aficionados, that trendiness breeds sell-outs, and a dilution of the purity of tattooing as an art form.
Personally, I understand this sentiment, but at the same time, I admittedly am part of the handful of people who are riding the wave of tattoo popularity. Tattoosday was in-part inspired by the Miami Ink phenomenon. My knowledge of tattooing was limited when I got my first two tattoos. I am much more knowledgeable now than when Tattoosday was "born" a year and a
half ago, but I hardly think of myself as an expert, nor do I pretend to be. I am just writing about what interests me and ultimately, in its purest form, that is what Kat Von D. has done with her book High Voltage Tattoo.
This, ultimately, is a first for Tattoosday. It is a bona fide review. Have I sold out the original concept behind Tattoosday? Hardly. I am just writing because that's what I do, like a tattooer tattoos because that's what they do.
So let's take a look at the book, which any L.A. Ink viewer knew was coming, as the story behind the book was one of the many episodic plot lines in the show.
First and foremost, let me first say this is a beautiful book. The production value reflects the care that went into its engineering. The first printing has a thick padded cover (the second printing reverted to basic hardcover with dust jacket) which enhances the feel of the book. The pages are thick and bright with colorful graphics and photographs. For the simple fact that the book has on display so many beautiful tattoo images, it is worth the list price, purely for its aesthetic value.
Drilling down into the contents, High Voltage Tattoo offers a great introduction to not only Kat Von D., but to the art of tattooing in general, perfect for the average person looking to know more about tattoos.
The 175-page project is built around the High Voltage motif which has inspired Kat Von D.'s shop in West Los Angeles.
The five sections of the book are named after AC/DC songs: "Highway to Hell," "Let There Be Rock," "Back in Black," "If You Want Blood, You've Got It," and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". Each chapter takes on another aspect of Kat's journey, from her biography, to the genesis of High Voltage Tattoo, to a portfolio of portraits, to a section profiling some of Kat's work, and ending with a brief selection of artists who have inspired her.This is certainly geared to the Kat Von D. fan, but there is something for everyone. Most compelling is her biographical chapter that gallops through her career, astonishing considering she is celebrating her 27th birthday today (March 8, 2009). We only get the highlights, which is understandable because what is often underplayed and lost on television, is that the life of a tattoo artist may seem glamorous and exciting, but there is an insane amount of hard work and tedium involved. At the same time, the most interesting biographical tidbits seem glossed over. I was very curious to get more of her take on the whole conflict with Ami James. To her credit, she doesn't take any real shots at Ami, and doesn't exploit the drama, despite the public's appetite for such controversies.
Aside from her biography, I really enjoyed the small section on tattoo machines. It certainly gives the reader a better understanding of the basic mechanics and the variations in design. It's not just a tool that gets plugged in and runs. Kat's rudimentary introduction paints a broader base on machine knowledge than one normally sees.
Another fascinating part is the several pages devoted to her own physical canvas. She catalogues her tattoos and answers the burning questions about her ink and their provenance.
I especially like her "yearbook" leg, the left limb on which her friends and family have tattooed their marks. It shows a lack of pretentiousness that is appealing to me, at least; that she is not all about the perfect piece in the perfect spot. It drives home the point that many tattoo snobs
don't get: the meaning behind the tattoo more often than not outshines the quality. And that's completely okay.
Other elements of the book that are useful are Kat's "dos and don'ts", although a lot of it is common sense. But given the lack of sense some people display, these pointers will certainly spare some artists the grief caused by otherwise clueless clients.
I was a little bit put off by some small features of the book, like her lists of things she�s inspired by and the catalog of items she collects. Whether this was just filler, or something the author thought the fans wanted to see, I would have preferred more artwork. In the grand scheme of
things, how important is it that Kat�s inspired by �The F Word� and that she collects leg warmers?
Another section is devoted to what terminology to use and not use. I knew that the expression "tats" is generally not favored (unless it is) and I was corrected early on in this blog's history not to refer to a tattoo machine as a "gun". But I was chagrined to see the expression "ink," referring to tattoos, as much of a no-no as "tats". There aren't a lot of synonyms for tattoos a writer can use, and I was annoyed to have another one frowned upon. Especially since the three most popular shows about the craft all have "ink" in their title. But I'll get over it.
This is a Kat Von D. Production through and through. You can tell she put her heart and soul into this book, and it's certainly a testament to her perseverance and success.
The worst criticism I have is that she certainly makes herself out to be a craftsman devoted to the art, but she doesn't really dwell on her own faults. She acknowledges that she is still learning, but it's hard to find faults in the rosy facade that she paints of herself. She cautions that one
should never get tattooed while under the influence. Sage advice, but she seems to revel in the fact that a lot of her early work (both given and received) was delivered while in "party mode". But if you can get beyond those small contradictions, then the book is a treat for the eyes and the
brain.
I have tried to paint as an objective review of High Voltage Tattoo as I can. The bigger the personality, the more controversial the figure. If you strip away the small aspects and focus on the larger facts: that Kat Von D. is an immense talent, that she is a savvy businesswoman, and, most importantly, has a devout love for her art, then you should derive immense pleasure from this testament to a career that is flourishing in an industry at the height of its popularity.
Not to mention the fact that she is rock and roll, through and through.
Ratings Widget Added
Hey Tattoosday fans! Check out the bottoms of each post. I've added a ratings widget, so you can vote on the tattoos you like!
Tattoos from the Blogosphere: CoccoRossie's Triple Play
I recently received an email from "Coccorossie" who blogs here.
She checks in on Tattoosday from time to time and offered to share a few of her tattoos.
Since she took the time to share them with me, I thought it was only fair to share them with you.
This "Omerta" tattoo is on her right side, on the ribcage. Omerta, traditionally understood as "Code of Silence," reflects her attitude:
"My omerta tattoo is the code of the mob. It means not to associate with authorities and not to snitch. It was my first tattoo. I got it when I was fifteen."The photo at the top of the post is Cocorossie showing off her tear tattoo. She had this inked for an ex-boyfriend who was shot.
And her final submission was this finger tattoo:
In her words, the " 'love' on [the] middle finger means fuck love." She added, "That one hurt the most."
All of these tattoos were inked by a friend of hers out of his home. As a result, she chose to not give me any further details on the work.
Tattoo purists may turn their noses up at these tattoos. They may not be the most artistic, or most original, but I chose to post them because they clearly carry a lot of meaning for our inked friend and fan of the blog.
For every spectacular sleeve or elaborate back piece, there are a dozen samples of basic, rudimentary tattoos that carry with them vast emotional meaning.
Thanks to Cocorossie for sharing these photos with us here on Tattoosday.
Mario Barth on the History Channel
We've been working with the History channel on this up-coming series and they came by the shop to shoot some stuff with Mario.
Our boy Mike also came by to get tattooed while they were shooting the episode.
Killing it!
Fire Jones... and this piece only took 3 hours!
Our boy Mike also came by to get tattooed while they were shooting the episode.
Killing it!
Fire Jones... and this piece only took 3 hours!
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