So many people turned up for the New Zealand Tattoo and Art Festival at New Plymouth's TSB Stadium this weekend it will be coming back every two years.
Thousands of tattoo enthusiasts and people watchers poured through the stadium where 140 tattoo artists, performers and rock bands had taken over. Organiser Brent Taylor of Oni Events said the turnout exceeded expectations. "It's been unreal. We have had through far more people than we ever expected. All of the artists have been working steadily through the weekend. They have all made money and made some good contacts in the industry," Mr Taylor said. The festival showcased the best New Zealand and international tattoo artists with 100 booths featuring live tattooing, piercing, art exhibitions and live entertainment. Wellington's Sarah Crossly arrived at the festival with plans to track down a design for her first tattoo. "I have always wanted one but I have never known what to get so I'm looking for something different," she said. Ben Scoot, of New Plymouth, said he had been looking forward to the festival for months. "I haven't got much skin left," a heavily tattooed Mr Scoot said, "I'm sure I can find a place for something new." As well as getting ink, people were also treated to four live bands and dangerous stunts. "People really enjoyed the juggling chainsaws and all the feedback I have had has been good," said Mr Taylor. He said the charity skateboard auction also hit the mark, raising about $6000 for the Taranaki children's ward at Taranaki Base Hospital. 
Getting tattooed with a flower stands for enjoy, or higher specifically a pure love. Really should be point, about the 16th century, a rose was inked on folks condemned to loss of life, so would be recognized instantly if he or she actually escaped the gallows. Even so, these days the rose is usually inked as synonymous with cherish and passion. High of the skin icon meaning of this flower concerns the rose being a flower that is given throughout passionate events. Because of this , a rose is sometimes tattooed on someone to clearly show their adoration for some man or woman. It is not likely the coincidence which the rose tattoo is easily the most popular of all tats picturing blossoms, and much more so, because men are acquiring tattooed with flowers too. Just like a rose tattoo signifies true love as well as purity in the west, a skin icon with a lotus flower stands for identical factors inside the eastern. A tattoo together with the lotus flower, even though, gives with it a bit more symbolism. This specific skin icon additionally represents magnificence, benefits, lot of money, enlightenment, and peace. In the event that you decide yourself a perfect lover, you may need to possess a tulip tattooed in your arm to represent fame as well as passionate cherish. However, if you are a self conscious and timid individual, the violet tattoo is great for you.Finding inked using a flower can offer these kinds of distinct explanations along with being very beautiful and stylish. The flower tattoos is as small and dainty or as significant and strong as you wish. Whichever flower you choose, maybe it’s a rose, a lotus, a violet or any other your skin icon can say specifically what you would like it to.
Cats are incredible creatures and for some also simbolizes independence but when it comes to getting Ink encrusted in our skin to achieve a design there is a few things one has to keep in mind. For instance, choosing a unique design or custom made work is assential in order to avoid having something everyone else already have. Be creative, don't just choose what you normally see on other people.You might like tigers or black panthers but that don't mean the have to be posing or positioned just like the rest. You can have a reputable artist assist you on coming up with a creating that will only belongs to you, and having the kind of work that will make you proud not embarrased. If you're into pop culture, then you have to do research and try going to the best artist you can find since you will need someone who can capture emotions and expressions and translate them into that piece of artwork.Accuracy is important and one has to keep in mind that a well done job is priceless, so don't try going to the best artist and ask for a discount of simply don't expect going to just someone because they charge you a cheap price for something you will regret later on. I always recommend people to see the best artists, pay for quality, be creative and get custom made work. Being unique is what make us stand out in a crowd.
For the eighth consecutive year, Atomic Tattoos is hosting their Toys for Tats toy drive benefiting the local U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. The goal of the program is to collect as many new unwrapped toys for needy children of all ages so they can experience the joys of the holiday season.Every person who brings in a new unwrapped toy with a five-dollar value or greater to their local Atomic Tattoos location will receive a $20 Atomic Tattoos gift certificate. The toys are given to the local U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation and distributed to local families in need within each community.Since Atomic Tattoos launched this community responsibility program in 2003, they have received and donated more than 15,000 toys that have helped brighten the holiday season for over 5,000 families in Tampa and Orlando, FL and Milwaukee, WI. Each year the total number of toys collected has increased significantly and the public participation has been tremendous.We believe that local businesses have a responsibility to contribute and donate directly to their local communities, states COO Clay Montgomery. Throughout the years, the generosity from our customers has been amazing and touched all of us. We have had customers drop off everything from video game consoles to custom-built bicycles.The Atomic Tattoos Toys for Tats campaign runs November 15, 2010 through December 24, 2010. Toys can be delivered during business hours at any of Atomic Tattoos fifteen locations. Ultimately, to me, Toys for Tats truly represents the ultimate spirit of giving because an anonymous person is brightening the holiday season for a child they will never know, Montgomery concludes.Atomic Tattoos is the largest and fastest growing tattoo retail brand in the $2 billion-a-year tattoo industry and has been selected for the past three years as one of Inc. Magazines 5,000 Fastest Growing Companies. Atomic Tattoos retail stores are located throughout Tampa Bay, Orlando and Milwaukee. For more information, please visit the companys website at http://www.atomictattoos.com.
Contact Information:Stephen Cannon Atomic Tattoos Phone: 727.518.7819 Fax: 727.518.7801Email: info@atomictattoos.com
Whats with Bollywood stars that they are so obsessed with getting “inked”? Is this a new found Fab thing or just a Hollywood inspiration that keeps waving B-town time and again? Whatever the case our actors nowadays are not shying away from getting under the needle and having a Tattoo sketched on them! Kets have a look at who’s sporting what and for whom? Lets start with our very own Saif Ali Khan. Unlike other actors Saif has never shyed away from displaying his affection for Bebo! To such an extent that their relation had just started of and he got his lady love’s name tattooed on his arm. The tattoo had been in the thick of many jokes though, but Saif carries the art with utter royalty! Esha Deol, though less known for her acting and more for being the brand ambassador for water purifiers, seems very religious and believes in portraying her spiritual sentiments through tattoos. Esha has Gayatri Mantra inked on her upper back. She definitely needs spiritual help for now with her career in Bollywood at least.Munni A.K.A Mallaika Arora Khan too has gotten herself a nice tattoo on her lower back which reads “Angel”. The tattoo looks awesomely artistic and has definitely not made her “Badnaam” for now! Sanju Baba can undoubtedly be called the king of all tattoo sporting superstars in bollywood. Yes, Sanjay Dutt supposedly has such an obsession for this art form that he has tattoos engraved all over his body. Unlike others he knows exactly what to get engraved and where. His well worked up and toned body looks swashbuckling under the almost half inked body. Lately he got Manyata’s name inked on his arm! There are many more who have got themselves Tattooed.
For the better part of five decades, people with chronic health problems or severe allergies have worn MedicAlert bracelets to alert emergency staff to their conditions. But now there's a new trend, with some people turning to medical tattoos. Emma Bortolon Vettor, 19, is one of those who has a tattoo to tell the world she has a medical condition. The tattoo names her condition (called chronic adrenal hyperplasia) and the medication she needs in case of an emergency. Vettor says that after years of going through plenty of MedicAlert bracelets and chains, she decided a tattoo on her arm would be the best way to ensure she's always properly identified. "I find I lose my bracelet, and they tend to break. So why not have a tattoo?" she says. She says the tattoo cost her about $150, while her MedicAlert registration carries a $39 annual fee. But Vettor also remains registered with MedicAlert and has her registration number included in the tattoo, just in case. Charles Brisbois also replaced his metal bracelet with tattoo ink. He's allergic to penicillin and can only receive Type "O" negative blood. He also doesn't like wearing jewellery and kept forgetting to put on his medic alert bracelet. So he decided to design his own tattoo. "Tattoos aren't for everyone but if you are into tattoos, it's a great idea," he says. "It never gets lost. It's always with you." Heather Myles is the tattoo artist in Guelph, Ont. who designed the tattoo Vettor received. They picked the left arm because it's the same arm that a MedicAlert bracelet is typically worn on. It's also located in an area where health workers would normally insert an IV line. And they say they made sure the lettering could be easily read. "As long as you keep the font large and clear, it should hold up for a long time," says Myles. But some are not comfortable with the new trend. Robert Ridge of the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation notes that there are not guidelines on what information the tattoo should contain. Nor does a tattoo offer the other benefits of a MedicAlert registration, which includes a hotline that will give emergency staff detailed medical information. "It may not work as intended to and it may not provide link back to the medical files, with MedicAlert," he says. He thinks a medical tattoo could work as a complement to his company's service. "But it's not nearly as well known as the usual bracelet or necklace. An emergency responder may miss it in an emergency," he says. Some emergency workers say they don't care for the medical tattoo trend either, agreeing that they're not trained to scan a patient's tattoos, looking for medical information. But Brisbois says he doesn't regret his tattoo. He says his penicillin allergy is not something that will ever change throughout his lifetime and he says his tattoo is large enough that he doesn't think anyone would miss it. Emma says while she still wears her medic alert bracelet when she travels – "You can never be too cautious," she says -- she knows that her tattoo is an alert she will never lose.
The St. Louis Old School Tattoo Convention returned over the weekend. The event featured three days of tattooing and presentations from some of the best tattoo artists from around the world. There was even a special guest appearance by Jason Voorhees II. All proceeds from the events will go to the Lyle Tuttle Tattoo Art Museum's Building Fund.
If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo but have some doubts about it, remember that before adventuring you should keep in mind certain basic aspects:1) Choose the best combination between the design and size of the tattoo: there are endless images to put in your skin: drawings, letters, symbols, tribals… however, not all of them will look good in just any size. The rule is, the smaller you want your tattoo to be, the simpler the chosen image should be. This is simply because complicated drawings will become less clear as more reduced is the size of the surface dedicated to them; that is, if a drawing has many lines and the tattooist has to make it at a very small scale, two lines could become one, or a dot could come to occupy much more proportional space than it did in the original picture. So, the design will probably lose virtue and the result won’t be the best.2) Choose the most adequate part of the body: there are certain “risk zones” that is better to avoid, the most common being the thighs, the abdomen, the breasts, and in some cases the biceps. Why? Because these areas tend to vary in size: if you gain weight, if you lose it, and the same with muscular tissue… when these parts change their size and the skin tightens or loosens, the design can lose its original shape. If you choose these types of areas, the most convenient is to get a simple drawing, for example a tribal, and avoid above all pictures of faces or bodies. Also keep in mind the hair matter; because to tattoo you they will shave you, and when the hair grows back it could ruin your design.3) Always remember that a tattoo is a permanent mark: tough as we know there are many methods to remove a tattoo (later on we will examine some of them), when getting rid of a tattoo the zone in question can suffer changes such as hypo or hyperpigmentation, or the ink may not disappear totally and leave unwanted and unsightly markings. It is extremely difficult that the area remains as if the tattoo had never existed.4) Don’t choose the design lightly: very often this is the reason by which after a certain time people decide to eliminate them. In general, you will be more satisfied if the tattoo has some personal meaning, if it expresses some aspect of its bearer’s personality, or his ideas, goals, likes, convictions.5) Don’t drink alcohol before getting your tattoo: this could provoke excessive bleeding.6) Always check out the sanitary aspect very carefully: this is probably the most important thing to have in mind before getting tattooed, you must make sure BEFORE any needles touch you that the place’s and the personnel’s hygiene and the instruments they use are appropriate. The syringes must always be taken out of their hermetic wrapping right in front of the customer’s eyes, the personnel must wear latex gloves, the place must be totally clean and it should inspire total trust. Remember that you could get very serious diseases if the conditions aren’t adequate: hepatitis b, hepatitis c, bacterial infections and mycosis, allergic reactions, malignant lesions such as melanoma and skin cancer, leprosy, psoriasis and even AIDS. It is chiefly important not to take these precautions lightly, for your health and your life are at stake.Lastly , remember that if you’re not completely sure, there’s no need to hurry… and if you are, be sure to clear any doubts before deciding, and, once more, as our most important piece of advice, take a very good look at all the correspondent hygiene measures. Good luck!
Tattoo artist Johannes from Black Star Tattoo in Massachusetts works to complete a piece on the leg of Josh Hymer from St. Charles Sunday afternoon on the last day of the Saint Louis Old School Tattoo Expo, held at the Holiday Inn Select in downtown St. Louis. The expo lasted for three days and featured local and national tattoo artists as well as seminars and retail items.
Body Modification. The term can have weird and scary implications for people who have no personal interest or experience in the subject, and it can be all too easy to judge or malign its participants and practitioners. But in reality, to willfully modify one’s body is to take part in a culture and tradition that spans class, race, and human history like nothing else.In the simplest terms, “body modification” means to deliberately alter one’s physical appearance, though people usually assume the phrase applies only to such practices as tattooing and piercing or the more esoteric branding and scarification. However, all one has to do is look at society’s present definition of aesthetic to discover that almost all of us engage in some form of bodymodding or other. For instance, it would be pretty hard to find a woman these days who doesn’t have her ears pierced, and one of the most involved, long-term, and committed types of body modification, bodybuilding, is not often even considered to be so. And, of course, surgical body modification has become extremely common in the form of cosmetic surgery, but that’s rarely considered shocking or odd unless the procedure goes wrong or the resulting aesthetic is outside of the socially accepted standard of beauty.In every group of humans in known and recorded history, there have been members who modified their bodies. The reasons behind their choices vary widely, even within a single society. In many cultures around the world, social status, group affiliations, and wealth are advertised with jewelry and adornments; in others, deeper meanings are behind the punctures, scars, and tattoos they wear. In certain African cultures, for instance, rites of passage successfully completed are denoted by scarrings all over the face and body, painfully administered by the practiced hand of an elder or religious leader, the discomfort bravely endured by the new initiate, and the marks worn proudly ever after. In some groups of people in India and Southeast Asia, genital modifications are sought after by devotees of the arts of love, and desired and preferred by their partners. And, of course, in almost every culture there are modifications that are done purely for aesthetic reasons–adornment and beautification of both sexes and all genders, striving towards an accepted goal or standard of human perfection within their culture.So, with all that said, let’s look at some of the history and present practices of a few of the more common (and uncommon) body mods.PiercingIt’s a commonly accepted misconception that body piercing is a relatively recent trend or fashion, but ear piercing, of course, is incredibly common in almost every culture throughout history, with a huge range of legends, myths, and meanings behind the jewelry worn and its placement. Nostril piercing has been documented in the Middle East as far back as 4,000 years. The fashion continued in India in the sixteenth century, and is still widely practiced there to this day. Both ear and nostril piercing and jewelry are mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 24:22, Isaiah 3:21). And piercings in other parts of the body, such as labret or lip piercings, are widely practiced often in the form of enlarged piercings and lip discs. Tribes across Africa, in Southeast Asia, and in North and South America all participate in lip piercing.And today, of course, all of these types of piercings are still practiced in the West, though the primary motivation behind them is aesthetic adornment and enhancement.TattooingTattooing, as we know it, can be documented as far back as 3300 BCE as seen in the discovery of Otzi the iceman in 1991 and ancient Egyptian mummies bearing tattoos of animals and various creatures. The practice, however, is believed to have originated over 10,000 years ago. The mechanics of tattooing have changed a bit over the years, and the pigments and inks used have wildly improved in recent times, but whether hand-tapped, poked with a single needle, or administered with the telltale buzz of a modern tattoo machine, the basic reasons behind the choice to become tattooed haven’t changed much in all that time: fashion, function, or just to make a statement of some kind.People have also been forcibly tattooed to identify them permanently as criminals or undesirables in society, and that associated stigma of tattooing as “lowbrow” or undesirable still exists in the minds of many. Despite that, tattoos are enjoying a resurgence of popularity and are very common in modern culture, and for the most part, accepted as the norm.Scarification & BrandingTraditionally, scarification is seen most widely amongst dark-skinned people in equatorial regions-people who tend to have so much melanin in their skin that tattooing isn’t very effective, visually. The “crocodile” people of Papua New Guinea’s Sepik region, several Aboriginal tribes in northern Australia, and the Karo people of Ethiopia are just a few of the many cultures who, to this day, participate in traditional rites involving scarification.In the modern-day Western context, scarification and branding, while markedly less popular than tattooing, are still common forms of body modification, with beautiful end results for many devotees. The aesthetic outcome of a healed scarification, however, has less to do with the artist and more to do with the healing and genetics of the wearer, and that (along with the pain and discomfort of the procedure and healing) will probably ensure that scarification never becomes as common as, say, getting a tattoo.ImplantingThe process of surgically implanting a foreign object beneath the skin is a relatively recent development, but genital beading (or “pearling”, as pearls are a very commonly implanted item) has been common among seaman in the South Pacific and the Japanese Yakuza for several hundred years, although specifics about the history of pearling are rather vague. It is also extremely prevalent in the prison systems of the former Soviet Union and in Eastern Europe. Indeed, it’s still a commonly requested procedure in many piercing studios in the western world, with biocompatible Teflon or silicone beads and ribs replacing the non-sterile and possibly dangerous organic implants traditionally installed. And, of course, in Western society, plastic surgeons implant foreign objects into people every day in the form of breast, calf, and chin implants.Transdermal implants–a surgical implant placed beneath the skin, passing outward like a single-point piercing–have been experimented with by many underground “cutters,” a term for body modification practitioners with a great deal of surgical skill and training who work quasi-legally or illegally performing surgical procedures on select clientele. While somewhat problematic to heal, these forms of implants are still popular with die-hard body mod devotees and in the last decade, transdermal jewelry has been redesigned and procedures refined to the point where one can walk into a piercing studio almost anywhere in the world and acquire a microdermal. Also called “surface anchors,” microdermals are small bases implanted beneath the dermis in a quick, simple procedure with no more trauma than any other piercing. The microdermal’s threaded end then heals flush to the skin, allowing threaded attachments to be worn and interchanged as desired. Metal mohawks of spikes, sparkling gems worn all over the body, and gleaming accents to pre-existing tattoos are just a few ways people are wearing these fashionable implants. However, surface anchors require an ongoing commitment to care and adjusting one’s lifestyle to accommodate the piercing, and therefore, won’t suit everybody, but they are a huge advancement in body modification and wildly popular.HardcoreOther surgical modifications seen in recent times are ear pointing, tongue splitting, and many different genital modifications, all offered by “cutters” and in many cases, by sympathetic board-certified surgeons. But even within the bodymod community at large, these types of modifications are often considered “hardcore,” are generally more unusual (though not uncommon) and are mostly of interest to those body modification enthusiasts motivated to push the boundaries of social acceptance.Body modification has been around as long as humans have lived, and with its rich and fascinating history, the practice is unlikely to die out anytime soon. But despite some lingering societal disdain, modifications, even of the more esoteric variety, are becoming more mainstream and acceptable every day, and the craft behind performing these procedures is being constantly perfected and refined by the artists involved. Professional organizations such as the Association of Professional Piercers and the Alliance of Professional Tattooists promote continuing education to artists to teach new techniques and skills, and educate potential clients as to the risks and benefits of modifications and how best to safely acquire and heal their desired mods. And as new ideas and techniques become reality and traditional standbys are adapted and perfected, it’s safe to say that humans will continue to reshape and redefine themselves by modifying their bodies.
Though the waist-cinching garment known as the corset is now primarily associated with the Victorian era, its roots actually go much farther back in history. For as long as humans have worn clothing, it seems, they have sought to manipulate their figures in myriad ways to make themselves more attractive to the opposite sex. Whether a smooth silhouette or a tiny wasp waist was desired, the corset has long been the undergarment of choice, undergirding a dazzling variety of clothing styles. Corsets in the Ancient World Ancient Greek, Cretan, Theban and Minoan societies all display evidence that corsets were worn by both men and women; the Minoans in particular wore them, possibly as support for the waist and back while they participated in various sports. Figurines of goddesses in ancient Crete wear corsets as outer garments. Greek corsets were evidently made of leather, while those of Thebes may have been constructed primarily of metal. There are even mentions of corsets in the literature of the early Middle Ages, and some gowns from the period show a sort of corset construction beneath the bodice. But it wasn’t until around 1400 that corsets really began coming into their own. Corsets in Spain and Italy The powerful Spanish were highly influential on European fashion in the 15th century. Both men and women wore corsets in order to achieve a smooth torso and an upright, dignified posture. During the next century the Italians took corsets a step further, adding a busk beneath the lacing of the corset for a smoother look, then adding a hinged metal cage for extra rigidity. Later in the 16th century, Catherine de’ Medici popularized a corset with a more flexible frame made of steel, which retained the chest-flattening and waist-cinching properties of the garment while lessening the discomfort somewhat. Corsets in France In the middle of the 17th century, the French took the concept of the corset and ran with it; soon corsets were worn by almost everyone, including children just learning to walk. The French, rather than seeking to flatten the chest as the Spanish and Italian fashion had dictated, instead used the corset to force the bosom upward, resulting in a pleasing décolletage. The material of the corset was made stiffer with paste, and the busk was refined, becoming a removable slat usually made of ivory, silver, wood or whalebone. The popularity of corsets in France was only interrupted by the French Revolution, whose ideal of liberty also extended to freeing people from their corsets. For a time French ladies favored flowing, high-waisted gowns reminiscent of the draped robes of classical Greece and Rome. However, by the 19th century the French were tightening their laces once again, getting back into line with the rest of Europe and the United States, where corsets had never gone out of fashion. Corsets in the 19th and 20th Centuries Even as clothing styles waxed and waned, corsets remained, underpinning changing fashions. Corsets for men began to fade, though in the early 1800s dandies wore suits tailored to give their bodies an hourglass shape without the hassle of a corset underneath. For women, though, liberation from lacing was still a long way off. Corsets were worn routinely throught the Victorian period (1837-1901). By the end of the century, despite the abandonment of the “wasp-waisted” look prevalent in earlier times, women still wore newer corsets manufactured to give them a sleek, long-waisted silhouette beneath the more straight-line and Gibson Girl fashions of the 1990s. A smaller waist was always a goal, however, and women laced their corsets tighter and tighter, sometimes to the detriment of their health, trying to achieve and maintain waist sizes well below twenty inches. After World War I, the 1920s saw a change in fashion, with young women abandoning the corset in favour of simple panties, bras and underslips. In 1930 the panty girdle was introduced, a garment consisting of a corset and bra all in one.With the New Look of the late 1940s came the waist cincher, and both it and the girdle remained the foundation of women’s clothing styles until the feminist movements of the 1960s finally freed women from the supposed prisons of their clothing. Though bras are still de rigueur beneath the more casual styles of today, corsets in the modern era are generally only worn by a few enthusiasts in the goth and fetish subcultures.
There is many ways to be able to have an awesome social life and also being able to have a fantastic well paid carrer wich can be translated to "anything in the artistic world", actually there is more ways to achieve the same goals in life. Even though Tattoos are accepted more than many years ago one can find those who still have what some call "a conservative mentality" which I call something else. Most jobs that require Tattoos to be hidden or concealed (Same as Body Piercings or modifications) tend to be those who require their employees to work face to face with the public (customers). A business might not have anything against Tattoos/Body Modifications but they need customers so they can feed their families (if) and also to be able to pay your salary as well. Some business owners might be the conservative ones and simply judge a person based on that person's personal style. A business corporation (for example) might not hire someone because of the tattoos, etc. even if the person is more than qualified for the position, but the same company might hire you for a different position with better pay where you don't have to be stared or treated differently by customers, etc. (That actually sounds better). It is not right for someone to feel less because of their style and there is no need for regrets when you know you can have a great job, dress casual and get paid more than lots of people out there. People have plenty of time to think where they want their tattoos simply because thats what will allow you to have a career path and if that career path is to work around "prude people" (HA) then you should know where in your body you should get the work done.
