I don’t care if Monday’s blue

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Rob

So here we are. It’s the middle of August, and you can start to feel the summer fading away. Sure we’ve got a few weeks of sun and fun left, but then fall will be upon us. School is starting up again, patios won’t be open, and the days will start getting noticeably shorter. Now don’t get me wrong, I love the fall. It’s easily my favorite time of year, but the end of summer always make me sit back and contemplate those warm summer days and nights.

Maybe I just have a case of the Mondays. Actually, no, I think I’m just overtired. C’mon, there’s still a few weeks left, I still have time to go camping, sit out on the patio with friends, maybe make the trek down to the Canadian National Exhibition to get some Tiny Tom doughnuts. Lots of things to do. So who cares that it’s monday? I sure don’t.

Then again, if you are feeling kind of blue because of the end of the weekend, maybe you can sympathize with this guy..

blue

InkEverything uploaded this image last week along with a large collection of portrait tattoos. Some of them are really fantastic, so if you’ve got some time to spare this morning head on over and check them out.

Hypothetically speaking, if I were to be suffering from a Blue Monday, what would be a good way to get myself out of the funk?

Who wants to win something?

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

As you probably guessed by looking at the big banner to your right, Tattoo Hollywood is happening next weekend (Aug 20-22).

Well, I opened up my inbox this morning and to my surprise I was given a sneak peek at some of the prizes being given out for the “Best of Day” tattoos. Now I was sworn to secrecy about the prizes, and I think there was some sort of non-disclosure agreement in there, but I skimmed over that part to get to the pics.

Now from what I understand, each day will have it’s own “Best of Day” contest, in addition to all the other contests happening. The winners of the “Best of Day” will each get a prize. The tattoo artist will get custom built machine from Lucky Supply, while the recipient of the artwork will walk away with a shiny trophy.

Now I haven’t had a chance to see the trophies, but the e-mail that I was supposed to keep private happened to have some pictures of the tattoo machines. The question I’m now faced with is: Do I share the pics with ModBlog readers and jeopardize my job, or do I keep the pics hidden and have the ModBlog readers hate me for making a post talking about something, and not showing it.

Well seeing as how there are more of you, you guys win. Just don’t tell anyone I posted these. I don’t want to get in trouble.

8_5_10tall

8_5_10qall

8_5_10nall

8_5_10kall

So, if you’re in or around Los Angeles next weekend, definitely head on over to The Grand Ballroom at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel to check out the show. You could walk away with some cool swag. And who doesn’t like free swag?

Cupcakes!!!

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

Can someone do me a favor? Please explain to me how cupcakes became so insanely popular in the modded community.

I don’t get it, which probably has to do with me not really ever eating them. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I dislike them, I just have never really ate anything sweet. But what I lack in the eating of cupcakes, I more than make up for in the baking of them. I’m the go-to guy for most of my friends when they need something baked up, which oftentimes is a batch of cupcakes.

Now I know you’re probably expecting an awesome image of a tattooed cupcake, but did you really think I would go for something so obvious? C’mon, when I put the icing on a post do I ever just slap on some pre-made Betty Crocker crap?

skull

The devil’s food cake is in the details. At first glance you probably just assumed this was a simple skull and crossbones tattoo. Well look deep into those eye sockets and you’ll see where the buttercream filling is.

L8ness uploaded this image yesterday and it definitely shows how the little details, like the right color sprinkles, can make a project stand out.

Now I’m sure those who are cupcakely inclined have a few recipes to share. Or at least someone can explain the popularity, which I’m guessing probably has to do with the taste. Maybe I should do some kind of ModBlog contest where the winner gets a batch of cupcakes made by me. Do you think anyone would even enter it?

In the end, it’s all about satisfaction

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.”
-Margaret Thatcher

John Joyce uploaded a couple of images from what I can assume to be a recent cutting that he did. What caught my eye wasn’t the scar itself (although it does look great), but it’s the look on the woman’s face when she’s staring down at the finished product.

I’m sure most of us have been in this situation before, when you’ve sat down for a procedure, be it tattoos, scars, piercings, etc, and after the artist is finished you finally get a look at the culmination of goal. That feeling of satisfaction that what you had imagined in your head was finally realized on your body. You can tell in the image that she is very happy with John’s work. Whatever the story may be behind the piece, you can see in her face the satisfaction.

The last time I felt that way was pretty recently. I had the final sitting on my most recent piece, just some touchups really, but I got off the table, stood up, and looked at my arm. There’s the moment you feel where you have a wave of relief wash over you, at the same time a moment of sadness hits as well. You’re elated the work is done, but also sad that this shared experience you had with the artist is finally at the end. It may be that feeling that drives so many of us to continue to be modified. The sense of control over our bodies, and the ability to share something so personal with someone that you may barely know. A bond that forms that you will never forget.

So while John will move on to his next client, the time spent with this woman will be forever etched into his mind. As for the recipient, she has something not only etched into her mind, but also her body.

scar

Eat your heart out Q-Bert

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

There are days I really love writing for ModBlog. This is one of those days. The reason today? Well, I’ll let the picture speak for me.

cubes

I woke up this morning to find this image, and MANY more like it uploaded by Vincent Hocquet from Beautiful Freak Tattoo in Belgium.

I know I posted an image of a geometric blackwork tattoo last week, but to have a flood of images like this hit the galleries isn’t something that happens every day. One of the key features of these photos is they’re all obviously professionally done. The images are crisp and clean, and really make the tattoos pop.

As for the tattoos themselves, the mixture of isometric designs combined with the natural elements (flowers, wings, etc) really works well in these pieces. I’m reminded of one of my high school science classes where the teacher spent an entire class showing how math and nature are tied together. Fibonacci sequences are present in animals and plants, complex geometric designs can be seen in micro-organisms, and I won’t even get started on crystal growth patterns.

It’s one of those things that really make you think about the world at large. Did we as humans come up with these mathematical equations, then discover them in nature later on, or as a collective species, do we have some form of primal ties to the natural world, and came up with math based on a collective shared knowledge passed down through DNA. So while flowers and animals have these equations hard coded into their DNA, and therefore evolved into the structures that we see today, do we as humans take a different approach to this same ingrained knowledge and express it through our math and science.

I suppose we’ll never really know for certain, but it is something to ponder while you’re procrastinating in your last few hours of work before the weekend.

How do you stop a runaway bride?

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

Simple. Propose to her when you’ve got a hold of the rope connected to the big metal hook in her chest.

When IAM: Trinket‘s boyfriend proposed to her, that’s exactly what he did.

As the story goes, Trinket decided it would be a fun afternoon to take her boyfriend to Hangman Suspension‘s 3rd annual Twisted Cedars event. Little did she know that when she was in the middle of a pull, her boyfriend had planned some fun of his own. As you can see by the picture, he made sure that there was no way for her to run away when he dropped to his knees to propose.

Luckily for him, Trinket said yes, and they now have a moment they can “hang” on to for all time. The image below shows the exact moment he proposed, “suspended” in time for everyone to see. (I apologize for my horrible use of puns. I don’t know what’s with me today.)

proposal

I’m sure this isn’t the first time this happened. How did you propose/get proposed to? Or even better, how would you propose to your significant other? And I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that says the guy HAS to be the one to propose, so ladies, how would you do the deed?

Looking for a place to hang out?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rob

A couple of events are coming up in the next couple of weeks that you may want to check out.

First up, this weekend is the 15th annual South Florida Tattoo Festival. While I can’t vouch for the quality of their website the Sun Sentinel did a great summary of the event if you wanted to check it out.

It’s that time of year again, when the inked, pierced and earlobe-plugged gather to show off their bodily canvases. More than 30 tattoo artists will appear at this event, which will feature burlesque-suspension and fetish shows and appearances by Black Sabbath’s Vinny Appice, Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain, ex-WWE champs Titan and the Nasty Boys, and the Broward County Derby Girls. Proceeds will benefit the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. On Sunday, check out the Hot Rod Car Show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It costs $25 to register a ride the day of the show.

Location: Deerfield Beach Hilton, 100 Fairway Drive Time: Noon-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday; noon-7 p.m. Sunday Cost: $15 per day or $30 for a three-day pass Contact: 954-343-5585 or Sofltattooexpo.com

Honestly, I’d be willing to drive down there just to see Knobbs and Saggs duke it out with some locals. Plus they’re giving their proceeds to a kids hospital, so you’d be able to help out some kids and have a fun weekend.

Now while you may not be in the Florida area this weekend, in a couple of weeks SuspenDC is having their get-together Sunday September 19th.

SuspenDC is a flesh hook piercing and suspension event. You can get to feel what it’s like to have temporary hook piercings. You can suspend from the piercings. You can watch or support others in their experience. Piercings are done by professional piercers and suspensions are rigged and performed by experienced suspension teams. hough the event is scheduled to run about 8 hours, space is limited for the number of flyers. If you are going to get hooked, be on time to the event to make sure you can reserve a time slot to be pierced/suspended.

Now I know that the term “hanging out” can be a little vague. So here’s an image of Iamdan showing you exactly the right way to hang out.

suspend

Today’s Iron Chef ingredient: INK!!

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rob

I’ll admit that I love the Iron Chef. Both the original, and the US version. Heck I even watched the specials hosted by William Shatner. So it should come as no shock that I think this story is pretty cool.

While frat guys have their secret handshakes and makeout parties, the modern-day chef has chosen a little more permanent insignia of their brotherhood: tattoos. This distinguishing feature pops up on plenty of chefs both nationally and locally, bringing a touch of rock-star flare to the back of the house. Tattoos — whether used as a means to cover up scar tissue from years of kitchen work or a means to pick up chicks – are as much a part of today’s chefs uniform as a toque or an apron.

You can check out the rest of the gallery here.

The last time I was in Kansas City, I had dinner at a fantastic pizza place that had some great vegan pizzas. I can’t recall the name of it right now, but I’m sure someone in the comments section can enlighten me. If you do get a chance to hit up this pizza place, I highly recommend getting a pizza with mushrooms, garlic, and roasted potatoes. I’d drive down there again just to eat that pizza.

Any ModBlog readers chefs? Or just someone who likes to cook? Got any tips/recipes to share?

Can get by with a little help from my friends

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rob

My favorite Aussie newsfeed submitter Botexty sent me in this story of a community pulling together to help someone close to them.

Mrs Hearnden suffered terrible injuries when she fell from a cliff in Dubrovnik, breaking both her arms, her jaw, hip and rupturing internal organs. Her kidney and spleen were removed and she faces many more operations. She and her husband, Gareth, were just a month into a five-month world tour when she fell 14m on to rocks last Monday.

This Friday, Tanya’s cousin and tattoo studio manager, Stacey Todd, has asked tattoo artists at 100 tattoo studios throughout the country to ask clients to donate the cost of a tattoo. She has asked tattoo artists to contribute designs to a book, the online sale of which will help pay the family’s expenses.

Everyone makes mistakes, right?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rob

ModBlog reader Brendan sent me this link of a news story NBC posted recently. It seems that a plastic surgeon has invented a “new surgery” that can reverse the process of stretched ears.

When Daniel Bocchino was 16, he started stretching his ear lobes, expanding them until he had an inch-wide hole in each lobe. But by the time he was 19, he was so over the piercing trend known as ear gauging. He removed the thick plugs from his lobes and slathered the holes with all kinds of weird ointments and creams, hoping the stretched-out skin would just shrink back up. But that’s not how it works — once that hole is stretched any wider than 6 millimeters, there’s no going back.

Glatt, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Morristown, N.J., says he’s seeing more people — mostly young people, and mostly men — who started gauging their ears as teenagers and are now joining the military, seeking a professional job or, like Bocchino, are simply over the fad, and are trying to figure out how to fill that hole back up. The surgery takes about half an hour per ear, and costs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000, which Bocchino paid for himself with the money he makes as a tattoo artist. He says he’s happy about the results — the worst part of it all was probably telling his parents he regretted gauging his ears in the first place.

So it seems the good doctor, and the reporters at NBC have found a way to save all of the people with stretched lobes from the future embarrassment of facing the world when this silly fad is over.

Excuse me while I slam the palm of my hand into my forehead.

Color me shocked that a news outlet wouldn’t do research into a story before going to print with it. Aside from the obviously degrading language being used towards those with stretched lobes, there’s also the fact that the article is claiming that this doctor is the first person to figure out how to “fix” the lobes, and charges quite a bit for the reconstruction. It’s ok NBC. Everyone makes mistakes.

For those of you who don’t feel that your choice of modifications is part of a fad, then kindly enjoy this image of a woman who is obviously upset with her lobes and is regretting ever having stretched them. You can see the sadness in her eyes that tell the story of how the only job she can get because of her lobes is that of a cutlery rack.

forks

Seriously. That’s the saddest face I’ve ever seen. There’s no way I could make a mistake about that. Could I?