Inked Talk

Today I noticed a group of Myspace pages dedicated to the eradication of what they call “tattoo discrimination.”  One page in particular was very well composed, with blogs about tattoo discrimination in the workplace, social discrimination, and general gripes about how people with tattoos are treated unfairly in society because of their ink.   The site sums up its mission statement by saying that “as tattooing has become more mainstream, we are still not finding work or we are forced to cover up our expressions of art and life. We need an end to the discrimination that we are forced to face on a daily basis.”

As a tattooed person, I don’t feel that way at all.  And I know I’m not alone in my sentiments, am I?

Every day, each one of us perceives the people we meet in different ways, and we draw conclusions about them based upon those perceptions.  We think things like “that blonde has a great body,” or “the new guy at work really needs to iron his shirt,” or “the waitress has fake fingernails.”  Those are all perceptions based entirely upon visual cues made in less than a moment, and we can and do draw conclusions about those people that we see based upon how they present themselves to the world.  Why wouldn’t tattoos be a part of that visual perception?  More importantly, don’t we as tattooed people accept that and perhaps even want it that way?

When you choose to tattoo your body, you are making a bold choice on a number of levels.  First and most immediately, you are choosing to inflict pain and stress upon your body for no medical purpose.  Second, you are choosing to incorporate a design in ink onto your body that will remain a part of your body for the rest of your life.  Third, you are making an alteration to your body that, if visible to the general public, will be a part of the perception that people form about you.  None of these things should be a surprise to anyone who has a tattoo.  We recognize them and accept them before even thinking about getting tattooed.

On a personal level, I would love to display my tattoos while I am at work.  I would love to get tattoos across my knuckles and on the backs of my hands.  However, I work in an extremely traditional profession, and I just don’t see that ever happening.  Frankly, I’m not sure I’d want to.  It would require such a shift in traditional thinking that it would be the ultimate mark of tattoos’ transition from the outside to the mainstream.  I don’t think I want that.  More importantly, I recognize that just as I have the right to tattoo my body, my employer has the right to say that I need to cover my tattoos while I am working.  I’d never suppose that my rights to get tattooed eclipse my employer’s rights to set out the terms of my employment, and if I did feel that way, I have the option of renegotiating those terms finding other work.  Forced “acceptance” of my tattoos in the workplace seems like a ridiculous option to me.

I don’t believe that most tattooed people want a hard and fast halt to tattoo “discrimination,” nor do I believe anything of the kind is possible.  Even if workplaces were forced to do away with dress codes that require tattoos to be covered up, that would just scratch the surface of the discrimination perceived by the group with the Myspace page.  I don’t want to force anyone to accept me.  Either they get me, or they don’t.  If they don’t, its their loss.

As one of America’s most well-known architechts, Frank Lloyd Wright may seem like an unlikely influence for tattoo designs.  However, the philosophy behind Wright’s “organic architecture” - the harmonious convergence of the natural and the artificial - actually goes hand in hand with the very concept of body art.  Some of Wright’s most recognizable and distinct work is found in the windows and doors designed and created in his more famous houses. While Frank Lloyd Wright tattoos aren’t exactly commonplace, there are some beautiful examples of these unique and amazing tattoos.

The Coonley Playhouse in Illinois features some of Wright’s most famous stained glass designs.  Even people with just a passing knowledge of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work are likely to recognize these famous pieces:

One tattoo enthusiast used the Coonley windows as a basis for an amazing upper arm piece, and the effect is quite stunning:

Wright’s Tree of Life design with its straight lines and strict symmetry is another very distinct and easily recognized piece:

While the design has been simplified, it is easy to see that the Tree of Life design was the inspiration for this upper back tattoo:

While it is clearly a gem among Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts, the Dana House in Springfield, Illinois is relatively lesser-known design among his major works.  Nevertheless, the Dana House may be the consummate Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie style showcase, featuring the trademarked organic components.  One Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiast found the door design of the Dana House to be an excellent inspiration for his calf tattoo:

Frank Lloyd Wright approached architechture in a way that allowed for complete harmony between the natural and the artificial, the wild and the manmade.  Well designed tattoos allow for a similar affinity between the flesh and the design.

Last week Inked Talk featured John Paul “JP” Bertrand’s attempt at breaking Oliver Peck’s world record for the most tattoos completed in a 24-hour period.  The tattoo attempt was made yesterday, October 23, 2008, but Bertrand failed to beat Peck’s record of 415 tattoos within 24 hours.

Crowds gathered outside of Key West Ink to get a free tattoo as a part of the record attempt.  Even the rain after nightfall couldn’t keep the enthusiastic crowds away from Key West.  Participants could choose from one of four simple designs, which is what Bertrand feels kept his efforts from reaching the 416 tattoos needed to break the record.

A picture from the Key West Ink website shows the early-day crowd.

Bertrand completed 371 tattoos, which is an average of 15.5 tattoos per hour for a full 24 hour period.

“It’s hard to focus in 24 hours on four different things and make it flow fast,” Bertrand commented.  He plans to make another attempt at the record in the future, but he will feature just one tattoo design in order to streamline the process.

Whether you love or hate the Suicide Girls (warning: the SG site is NOT work safe or child safe. Take the appropriate precautions before clicking!), you have to admit that there was some genius behind the concept: the website featured tattooed and pierced semi-nude girls with alternative fashion tastes and charged people for the privilege of looking at their photos. Add some interactive forums and limited original content, and the Suicide Girls website was worth the price of admission, which was a monthly fee charged to your credit card. Admittedly, Suicide Girls was essentially just a specialized softcore porn site, but quite honestly, it was a lot of fun.

Suicide Girls enjoyed relatively limited popularity until the site and some of its girls were featured on HBO’s Real Sex. Then the Suicide Girls site exploded, and with fame and fortune came a lot of drama which ultimately cost the SG site a number of their most famous girls as well as a lot of fans.

While some of the drama has died down, there is definitely something different about the current incarnation of the Suicide Girls website. Namely, the girls. A visit to the SG site today shows not the pierced, inked and dyed beauties that made the website famous. Instead, the site features regular, plain women, women you’d see at the grocery store, on the bus, or in college classes. Women who look like the women on nearly every other soft porn site on the Internet.

What happened, Suicide Girls?

Sure, there are some tattooed beauties remaining on the site, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at the site’s main page. With a few, rare exceptions, so many of the girls on the SG site look like everyone else.  Pretty, but common.

Maybe SG’s initial success was due to the fact that it was so different, and once different become mainstream it loses its edge. As things like tattoos and piercings become mainstream, the very definition of “alternative” changes. Suicide Girls certainly has changed, but its change has been to something far less extreme and far more mainstream.

I, for one, miss the old Suicide Girls.

Six months ago, Inked Talk shared the story of James Burns, a man who was selling a spot on his body for a permanent, tattooed advertisement.  Having fallen on hard times, he hoped that some corporation would bid on his eBay auction and offer him a hefty sum to place their corporate logo on his body.

Another story of body space for sale has come to us from the UK.  This time, Adam Vollans has auctioned off space on his arm for a charity.  His grandmother, who battled emphesyma for six years before passing away earlier this year, was the inspiration for his philanthropy.  Adam raised £900 in his quest, and the tattoo space sold for £250.

The winning tattoo?  Mr. Martyn Gilleard offered the highest bid and opted to have his name, “M Gilleard” tattooed in bold English script on Vollans’ arm. It probably wasn’t quite what Vollans had in mind when he conceived his auction idea, but he went with it unflinchingly.  Understandably, some men may be uncomfortable sporting another man’s name prominently and permanently on his skin.  Vollans, however, kept a positive attitude.  “”I now have got a bloke’s name tattooed on my arm - but then again it’s better than having a lass’s name, as my girlfriend Louise would go mad.”

Tattoo artist Steve Degg of Scorpio Tattoos in Selby did the two hour tattooing session for free.

Vollans, who lived with his grandmother and watched her health deteriorate over time, thinks she would be proud of him for his unique contribution to charity.

There has always been some romantic mysticism associated with pirates and pirate lore, and the popularity of the Pirates of the Carribean movies has amplified the pirate love in recent years. Of course, with this popularity has come a rising interest in pirate-themed tattoos, from pirate maiden pinups to treasure chests, and of course, Jolly Roger flags.

Life on the high seas was too precarious to think that the pirates’ flags were all uniformly black with the famous white skull and crossbones.  While pirate Edward England’s flag was the traditional “Jolly Roger,” there were many, many variations on that basic theme. Pirate crews distinguished themselves by the flags they flew, and they were very aware of the messages that they could convey with just a few basic symbolic images.

French privateer Emmanuelle Wynne’s flag used the traditional skull and crossbones but also included an hourglass. A similar flag was used in the movie Cutthroat Island. While both the skull and the crossed bones are clearly symbolic of death, the addition of the hourglass suggests that time is running out or that death is looming.

Flags with wings, or raised glasses (a toast to death), or even dancing skeletons (dancing with death) have been noted historically.  A pierced heart was another popular image, symbolic of a crew that has no mercy. Pirate John “Calico Jack” Rackham’s flag used crossed cutlasses instead of crossed bones, which signified his willingness to fight.  While pirate ships are said to have flown no flag or a misleading flag when hunting, they would raise their pirate flag when close enough to attack their intended victim. A well thought-out pirate flag, combined with the reputation of a particularly merciless crew, could strike fear into the hearts of those unfortunate enough get involved in a pirate encounter.

When choosing a pirate tattoo that incorporates the Jolly Roger, careful consideration can be given to the design.  The historical variations in the pirate flag provide an excellent starting point when contemplating a tattoo that incorporates a pirate flag, and from there the possibilities are endless.

The Guiness Book of World Records contained a number of tattoo-related records, including the most tattooed person (Lucky Diamond Rich of Australia is 100% tattooed), and the longest tattoo session (held by Stephen Grady and Melanie Grieveson of Australia at 43 hours, 50 minutes).

Kat von D brought a lot of attention to the Guiness Book’s world record for the most tattoos given in a 24-hour period by attempting the record on her show, LA Ink, in December of 2007.  To make the record, she needed to produce 400 tattoos, which she did by tattooing a stylized “LA” on 400 people within a day’s time.

Her record was relatively short lived as Oliver Peck tattooed 415 people at Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas, Texas.  Oliver Peck, who, incidentally, is Kat von D’s ex husband, broke the record on a June 13, 2008 - Friday the thirteenth, for the record.  Lest anyone think that Kat was bitter over having her record shattered, she posted a rather nice blog on her Myspace page congratulating Peck and acknowledging that she knew when she attained the record that Peck would be sure to attept it and beat it soon after.

This week, Key West Ink in Key West, Florida, is going to attempt to beat Peck’s record.  Beginning at 2p.m. on October 23, 2008, tattoo artist John Paul “JP” Bertrand, will tattoo one of a selection of some smaller, predetermined pieces on any eligible volunteer over age 18.  Bertrand will need to complete 416 tattoos within the twenty-four hour span to beat Peck’s record and make it into the Guiness Book.  For more information on Key West Ink’s attempt at the Guiness Book of World Records, visit their official website.  

EBay, the worldwide online auction site, allows sellers to offer their wares to an international market for a small fee. While you can find nearly anything on eBay, the site does maintain a strict list of prohibited items such as alcohol, firearms, adult novelties, food and drugs, to name a few. Most of these restrictions are related to the legality of the item being sold, or to public health and public safety. Despite the size of the auction site, which features hundreds of thousands of items worldwide at any given time, it runs a tight ship as to its prohibited items. EBay does not hesitate to cancel items that fall within the restricted item listings, and repeat offenders may find their eBay acccounts suspended.

In spite of some rather thorough prohibitions, tattoo guns and tattoo equipment remain unrestricted on eBay. In the United States, tattooing is generally regulated by the individual state, with some municipalities having their own licensing requirements. These regulations are primarily motivated by health and safety concerns. Many legitimate sellers of tattoo equipment and instructional DVDs will only sell to licensed tattoo artists, and with good reason. Without proper training on sterilization, cross-contamination and blood-born pathogens, an amateur tattoo can mean more than just bad ink: it can mean a serious health problem.

An eBay search for “tattoo kit” yields nearly 2000 results, many of which claim to include everything you need to start tattooing. Most recently, large number of these kits come from China. While the FDA does not regulate tattoo ink domestically, Chinese-made ink should give pause to even the most cavalier among the inked crowd, given the recent crisis of tainted products coming out of China.

None of the eBay auctions appear to be restricted to purchase by licensed tattoo artists, so anyone with an eBay account can purchase a kit and get to work. In fact, many of the kits include a free download or DVD of an instructional “how to tattoo” video.

Given eBay’s apparent concern for health and public safety, the lack of restriction on tattoo kits seems unusual. Perhaps it is a lack of education on eBay’s behalf, or perhaps the issue hasn’t been brought to eBay’s attention in any significant way. Of course, even if eBay was to add tattoo kits to its prohibited product list, anyone with an internet connection can still find a tattoo kit to purchase online, be it on Craigslist or another private website. However, eBay is much more accessible to a worldwide audience, and it offers payment safeguards and protections that other websites do not, making it an attractive place for buyers to go for a tattoo kit. If the tattoo community could convince eBay that the sale of tattoo kits should be restricted in some meaningful way, if not outright prohibited, at least some untrained “scratchers” would have to think long and hard about obtaining and using a tattoo kit without proper training and supervision.

Knuckletattoos is one of those websites that you wish was updated more often.  By no means is that a reflection on its creator - admittedly, knuckle tattoos aren’t as common as tramp stamps or bicep babes, so even the best efforts on such a site are limited by the number of people sporting “job stoppers.”  Knuckletattoos asks its readers to submit photos of their knuckle ink along with stories behind their tattoos, and despite the relative rarity of hand tattoos, it boasts a large and growing collection of images.

Not surprisingly, the vast majority of those on Knuckletattoos.com with tattooed hands are tattoo artists themselves or otherwise work in the tattoo industry.  Of those who aren’t, some mention the fear of unemployability because of their ink.  Others focus on the reason for their ink, and many of those reasons are very moving and reflect personal struggles and accomplishments.  The tattoos range from the utterly frivolous (”I Luv Toys” or “STFU N00B”) to the philosophical (”Half Full”).  By and large, the photos on Knuckletattoos.com are fun, and the stories engaging.

What is the attraction to knuckle tattoos?  Like hand or facial tattoos, any sort of tattoo that cannot be easily concealed signifies a real dedication to being tattooed, or on a deeper level, a commitment to accepting that others will form opinions about their bearer which may be based solely upon those tattoos.  It is a commitment that many cannot, or will not, make.  On some level, those who will not take that plunge may look at these tattoos with a degree of envy, while on the other side of the coin some will look at them with revulsion or a sense of “how can you do that to your body?”  Sites like Knuckletattoos.com serve to remind us that, yes, people who get tattoos on their hands are something other than average and ordinary, and I count myself in the group who looks upon them with envy.

Portrait tattoos are popular as memorials to those who have passed on and as tributes of respect to those we admire. While portrait tattoos in general range from remarkable to mediocre to downright sad, sometimes a portrait tattoo is so unique in its message that it merits mention.

23-year old Jack Newton of Brighton, UK, had Stephen Hawking’s likeness tattooed onto his leg by Stewart Francis at the Angelic Hell tattoo studios in Brighton. Newton admits that he tried to read Hawking’s most famous scientific work, A Brief History of Time, but found it confusing. Nevertheless, he sees Hawking as an inspirational man because he achieved so much despite his physical limitations. Hawking, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or ALS), a condition more commonly called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. At age 21 he was given no more than three years to live, butt he overcame that prognosis as the progress of the disease slowed more than expected. Hawking is confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak unassisted, yet he is universally recognized as a foremost mind in the areas of cosmology, quantum gravity and string theory.

The portrait is underlined, rather oddly, with a line from Monty Python’s Life of Brian: “‘He’s not the messiah. He’s a very naughty boy.”

The tattoo was done in one single seven-hour session, and the likeness is unmistakable. Newton himself is a tattoo artist apprenticing at Angelic Hell. The ink has already won a number of awards at tattoo conventions, and recently made worldwide news in a number of online articles.

In addition to our original content, we at Inked Talk scour the news media for interesting articles and viewpoints on tattoos to comment on and share with our readers. The media is full of talk about tattoos these days, and while not every article or viewpoint merits its own post here at Inked Talk, there are always great articles and websites out there that deserve at least a mention. So once again, it’s time for the Inked Talk weekly roundup of tattoo links. Take a break from your work, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy!

An anti-tattoo Letter to the Editor at the Daily News Record opines that people who choose to get neck tattoos “are either convicted of a felony or are doing something to get convicted of a felony.” Obviously, that comment didn’t sit well with a few people , as it prompted a number of interesting comments as well as not one, not two, but three follow-up letters. I noted that the paper’s Letters to the Editor on issues like the economic bailout plan didn’t even provoke that much of a response.

Everyone has to comment on whether tattoos are becoming mainstream enough to be accepted at the workplace. This week’s entry come from WSJ.com.

The Omaha World-Herald has a nice piece on rib cage tattoos. The picture associated with the story is great - probably more script than I’ve ever seen on one tattoo, but it looks great.

A tattooed Suicide Girl, Zui, is in the cast of a new reality show called “Paris Hilton’s My New BFF.”

Creative Loafing has a nice article about the statistics on tattoo regret. Well, the question posed is on tattoo regret. The response is a nice historical perspective on tattoos that doesn’t answer the question, but the writer actually makes the whole thing a nice read.

TampaBay.com discussing tattoos with motocross champ Carey Hart.

The entry of tattoos into mainstream culture happened quickly, but in settings where tradition rules the day adaptation has not come as quickly. Tattooed brides who want to cover their ink for their wedding photos have had to resort to dresses that conceal their tattoos, and retail and corporate employees must select locations for their tattoos that are easily covered up while on the job. Cosmetic companies have seen an opportunity in this, and a few have begun marketing concealers as tattoo cover-up makeup.

Not a bad idea.

One brand, Colortration, markets a liquid concealer that claims to be the best tattoo concealer product available.

Colortration offers a $16.00 custom trial kit consisting of six shades that can be tested to produce the best skintone match. The Colortration Barrier Spray, for an extra $17.00, helps the concealer last longer, particularly on areas like the hands which are much more prone to wear. Colortration liquid concealer runs about $35.00 for a 1.35 ounce bottle.

Another product, Tattoo Camo, uses a two-step process for tattoo concealment. The camouflage paste masks the tattoo, while the setting powder prevents it from rubbing off or smudging. Unlike Colortration, which sells its concealer and barrier as two separate products, Tattoo Camo sells its two steps as a kit for $34.95.

Another option for tattoo cover-up is the Ben Nye line of theatrical makeup, including some developed for tattoo concealment. The Ben Nye formula sells for about $7.00 per 0.3 ounce container, which boasts 50-200 applications.

For many, one of the big questions associated with getting any tattoo is how that tattoo will affect others’ perceptions of that person. A bride may hold off on that large back piece until after the wedding so as not to scare grandma, just as the ink-loving office slaves avoid tattoos on their hands, necks and faces so as not to become unemployable in their chosen professions. An effective tattoo concealer really changes the playing field, making previously taboo tattoo locations available so long as they can be covered up when needed.

Historically, the anchor tattoo had a clear meaning: it was the mark of a sailor who had sailed the Atlantic Ocean. The popularity of the anchor tattoo among sailors was certainly understandable: aside from being a “tool of the trade,” the anchor is an obvious symbol of stability and groundedness - two things that a sailor in perilous waters may long for. Over time, regional variations in the style and color of the anchor tattoo developed, each with their own meanings among sailors.

Anchors also have a connection to Christianity. In times when Christians were persecuted for practicing their faith, the anchor (with the horizontal bar beneath the ring) became a secret symbol of the cross - a connection which is certainly not lost in some anchor tattoos.

Today, people of all professions may find some connection to the anchor tattoo simply as a symbol of steadfastness and stability. Some incorporate text or other images with the anchor to give special significance to their tattoo.

The anchor tattoo has proven to be very versatile both artistically and in meaning. There are nearly as many variations on the anchor tattoo as there are people who have the tattoo, and their reason for choosing an anchor are likely just as varied.

If you enjoyed learning about the anchor tattoo, you may also enjoy a previous Inked Talk article on the heart tattoo.

Tattoos are forever, even the bad ones. Some of the most facepalm-worthy bad tattoos are those that incorporate bad spelling. Bad art can be a matter of opinion, but spelling is something that is easy to double-check and when it’s wrong, it’s wrong. Some incredibly misspelled tattoos have found great fame on the Internet, including a previous post here on Inked Talk.

One famous tattoo typo took on a life of its own. The infamous “Chi-tonw” tattoo actually spawned a few copycats. Most people who are unlucky enough to sport bad ink don’t have the luxury of being able to say that they are trendsetters, but the original Mr. Chi-Tonw has that claim to fame for his poorly-spelled ink.  Even with that fame, there’s little doubt that he would prefer a properly spelled tattoo.

Inked Talk doesn’t intend to call out an artist who has the misfortune of creating a poorly-spelled tattoo, but a tattoo flash book at the Milwaukee Tattoo Convnetion had a glaring typo on an otherwise cute piece of flash, and that inspired today’s piece. (Protip: pluralization of a word does not require an apostrophe.) It’s one thing to make a typo on a detailed or wordy tattoo:  the work was likely done within a relatively short period of time, and let’s face it - sometimes you can look at your own work time after time without catching an error. Like the famous  brain-teaser below, sometimes it takes a second, third or fourth look before a mistake becomes obvious:

A flash book seems like a different animal entirely, though. Unlike a tattoo which can be discussed, roughed out and stitched in within a span of a short sitting, a flash book, theoretically, is assembled over time with plenty of opportunities for review between conception and publication. Sadly, that one glaring typo really clouded the rest of that artist’s work.

Carpenters say “measure twice, cut once.” I think there’s some analogy in there for tattooing.

The Brew City Tattoo Convention was in full swing this weekend.  Inked Talk takes a look at Milwaukee’s only annual tattoo convention

The Good:

There was a lot of great body art on display.  From the artists’ samples to the ubiquitous flash books to the ink being done at the convention to the attendees, tattoos were literally everywhere.    Japanese traditional tattoo aficionados were treated to the work of North Star Tattoo of New York City.  Sailor Jerry fans just had to delight as it seemed that about every other booth was hawking Sailor Jerry flash or Sailor Jerry inspired work.  Body jewelry booths, though far fewer in number than the tattoo booths, presented an amazing range of jewelry not typically found in the average body piercing shop.

There was more to do than shop and gawk at the ink.  Performance artists ranging from burlesque to suspension and music put on shows throughout the day and tattoo artists gave seminars on technique, for a fee.    Tattoo contests were open to all, with enough categories to ensure that everyone who wanted to could display their ink for the judges.

The Bad:

With all of the good, there were some negatives as well.  The most glaring problem was the space in the main hall, particularly during the tattoo contests.  The artists and vendors were set up in the main room of the convention, which is also where the tattoo contests were being judged.  This caused a huge amount of congestion at one side of the room which made it difficult for people who weren’t interested in the judging to move around and look at the artists’ work.  The sheer amount of people watching the tattoo contests combined with the room arrangement made it difficult for most people present to see the tattoos that were being judged, so sadly unless you were a judge or were lucky enough to be right near the judging area, you missed a lot of the contest.  Due to the number of people wanting to participate in and view the contests, they would have been better held in a separate room instead of clogging up the already busy main hall.

The Weird

Granted, weird should be expected at a tattoo convention, but when something stands out as truly weird it merits mention.  I need to preface this by saying that I love to see the nude female form nearly as much as most red-blooded men do, and my mention of this at all has absolutely nothing to do with me being offended.  I was far from offended at anything I saw on Saturday.  The “tits for t-shirts” contests are fun for everyone involved, and if a woman wants to show off her goodies in exchange for some freebies, good for her and good for those lucky enough to watch.  While the convention did an adequate job of making sure that the children present weren’t close to the action for these contests, these contests were probably better kept in an age restricted area of the event to ensure that the convention doesn’t get negative attention from the community that hosts it.

In all, the event was a lot of fun with plenty to do and see.  If you couldn’t make it to this year’s convention, you can still see a lot of the great ink by visiting Black Sheep Photography’s photo gallery from the convention.  Lynn Allen of Black Sheep was in attendance for the entire convention and got some excellent photos of the whole event.