Welcome to Northern Ontario

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Shannon Larratt

Jason Rice and Dale Mathias were sitting around the shop one day at Pricked Tattoos in Lively, Ontario (near Sudbury), talking about how about the meaning behind different tattoos and also how not every tattoo needs a meaning (“Fuck You, That’s Why!”). They started tossing ideas around, Jason drew up this insane design, and not long afterwards Dale was tattooing “The Ball Sac Cat” on his shin. So now Jason can’t go outside in public with shorts on any more — luckily up in the frozen wasteland where he lives, unlike tropical Toronto, they only have four days of warm weather per year so it’s not a big loss.

fuck-you-thats-why

I’m With Stumpy

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Shannon Larratt

I absolutely love tattoos with a sense of humor, and it seems like amputees really have what it takes to sell a good joke tattoo. In this case, as featured on the US Marine Corps flikr page, ‘U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Redmond Ramos, a corpsman, displays a tattoo that reads “I’m with Stumpy” showing his sense of humor Nov. 14, 2012, during the first Wounded Warrior Pacific Trials at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, Hawaii. Ramos deployed with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, to Sangin, Afghanistan in 2011 where he stepped on an IED, resulting in the loss of his leg. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth)’

im with stumpy

Previously:

Googly Eyes FTW

Posted on September 23, 2012 by Shannon Larratt

I’d say 100% of the time when I see microdermals added to the eyes of a tattoo, it transforms the tattoo from something potentially tough looking into something hilariously goofy. I’d say 99% of the time, that is not at all the intended consequence, and the wearer is blissfully unaware that they’re a little silly looking. The wonderful thing about this example, pierced by old BME friend Joeltron of First Blood (firstblood.com.au) and tattooed by Naepier “Kooky and Spooky” Jenkins (naepier.com), is that for once the whole thing works — and works so well — and is actually supposed to be in that wonderful self-aware 1%.

Click for the big uncropped version.

Let’s have some fun

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Shannon Larratt

Before I read comics in bed or turn into a wolf or whatever it that I do at night when I walk away from the computer, I want to wrap up the day with a couple of fun, light tattoos since it feels like everything I’ve posted today has been so serious. First, on the left, a hilarious tattoo by Josh Herrera of Skin Factory in Las Vegas. It’s a Zom-Bee. Get it? Zom-BEE!!! Hahaha. Love it. And to the right of that (and of course you can click’n’zoom ‘em both) Deryn’s super-cool Back To The Future themed 88 MPH tattoo with a flux capacitor symbol next to it to really give it geek cred, done by Charlie Coppolo. This makes me miss my Delorean. Wish I’d never sold that car (actually, I traded it for my 650HP supercharged ’74 Corvette, which had its charms as well).

OK, I can’t stop myself from squeezing in a “serious” tattoo as well because it’s just so striking. Here’s a big black piercer sleeve, halfway up the arm, completely engulfing the forearm. What I love about it is that it’s been capped off not by the normal straight lines, but instead has been graphically “faded” using nice bulky halftones, giving it a unique and modern appearance. Then the top half (I assume these are the same arm anyway!) was capped off with a maze-like piece of pixelated geometry that steps away from the swastika patterns and other sacred geometry that we’re so used to seeing in these types of pieces. This particular sleeve was tattooed by Yaroslav Gorbunov of Maruha Tattoo Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Iron Fist of Stalin

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Rob

It is said that Joseph Stalin ruled Russia with an Iron Fist. So who better than Stalin to represent one of the favorite activities of the notorious Jersey.

And in case the placement seems odd to you, here’s where it’s located.

As anyone who has been to an East Coast BME event can attest, if there’s fisting going down, Jersey is sure to be involved in some way, shape, or form.

It’s a fine line between love and hat

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Rob

Putting aside the fact that Veal amputated part of her finger, she’s someone who just loves to have fun with her modifications. So when her dad jokingly suggested that she get “Love” and “Hat” tattooed on her knuckles (below her “High Four” tattoo), she went out and got it done.

Matt and Lester from Holy Cow in the UK did the tattoos, Veal did the amputation, and her niece did her nails.

I like turtles

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Rob

And these turtles really like each other.

According to Sagie from Walk the Line Tattoo Parlour in Karlstad, Sweden, the inspiration for this tattoo came from a somewhat famous youtube video.

Eye Spy…

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Rob

Now you’ve got to be asking yourself, what could possibly be so interesting that I’d need to open up my horribly outdated copy of photoshop?

Well, lets put it this way. I couldn’t decide if it counted as a wildlife tattoo or not, but it definitely is some kind of animal.

This interpretation of a scorpion was done by Jackie Rabbit, Star City Tattoo, Roanoke, VA.

The Wedding Ring

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Rob

Ahh, the wedding ring. That timeless symbol of commitment between two individuals in love. If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ve probably heard many sayings about the importance of the band. How the circle is unbroken, just as the couple’s love for each other will be. How it can signify the vows and promises, uniting the two together. Regardless of the specific meaning that the couple places on the wedding ring, there is no denying that the tradition of the wedding ring has been around for centuries.

Originally a European tradition, it has now carried itself all around the world. There are even different forms of etiquette regarding the rings which vary from region to region and culture to culture. A relatively new spin on the tradition of the wedding band, is the wedding band tattoo. Unlike a ring formed of metal, a tattoo is a permanent reminder of the commitment one has for their partner. We’ve all heard the superstition about getting a loved one’s name tattooed on their body is the kiss of death for a relationship, yet the myth doesn’t seem to apply to wedding ring tattoos.

The one thing that makes a tattoo ring much more significant than a traditional metal band is that the ring itself can be completely customized. So while jewelers can be extremely creative in their designs, tattoos aren’t limited by the physical properties of metal, which means you can get some beautiful designs. Take this design from Sailor Dani from Mutiny Tattoo. It is an exquisite example of just how wonderful and joyous a wedding band tattoo can be.

ring

Ok, so maybe that last paragraph was a little tongue-in-cheek, but you have to admit, you did giggle a little when you saw the tattoo.

Everyone needs their own booty call

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Sean Philips

I have gotten a bunch of emails and a few messages on IAM asking if I had quit writing for modblog. Of course not. I honestly plan to keep doing this so long as Rachel wants me here. However, since Rob’s here to pick up my slack and I am also involved in other blogs and projects that demand my time, I am limiting myself to post what I consider to be exceptional photos truly fitting of modblog. In fact I wasn’t going to post anything today, until I saw this tattoo that could redefine tattooing puns as we know them.

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