No Need For Temples


Hoo boy, so, I was honestly just kidding yesterday when I mused about the possibility of Nelson Mandela being dragged through the mud by some commenters, but sure enough, it literally took only a single post before a political flame war broke out. Hey, fine. I guess Mr. Mandela is a more polarizing figure than I’d anticipated. But you know, I do so enjoy a challenge, and this gorgeous portrait of the Dalai Lama was too good not to share, but I’m curious now—what sorts of terrible, unseemly revelations will be unearthed following its posting? Did he buy an HD TV, but hasn’t yet sprung for an HD tuner? Has it been weeks since he’s emptied the dehumidifier? Is he hiding a Kenyan birth certificate? Don’t let me down, folks.

(Beautiful tattoo by Dave Allen at Preying Mantis Tattoo in Lakewood, Colorado.)

Tattoo Hollywood, BME’s first tattoo convention, is coming to Los Angeles from August 21-23, featuring contests, prizes and some of the best artists from around the world! Click here for more information.

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The Truth It Becomes You


Positivity parade! This expertly rendered Nelson Mandela portrait/inspirational bust comes all the way from Cape Town, South Africa, and more specifically, from Rob Turner at Freestylers Tattoo Lounge in said city. There’s a lot to like here; this is really lovely work of a figure who’s probably one of the players on the world stage least likely to tarnish his own legacy any time soon. That said, I’m looking very forward to the revelations in the comments that he sold poison milk to schoolchildren or uses leaded gasoline or collects Jonas Brothers memorabilia or whatever.

Tattoo Hollywood, BME’s first tattoo convention, is coming to Los Angeles from August 21-23, featuring contests, prizes and some of the best artists from around the world! Click here for more information.

An Unspeakable Dawn


What’s that, ModBloggers? You’ve had a rough day and need a bit of a pick-me-up? Well, as luck would have it, here is the most mind-destroyingly adorable thing you’ve seen in a while. That up there would be Faye (previously), positioned next to a tattoo that looks a little familiar, wouldn’t you say?

My boy, Waldemar, made for Valentine’s Day this drawing of me (then still on paper). A couple of months later, when he was bored, he decided to tattoo his masterpiece on his upper leg.

There, isn’t that better?

Tattoo Hollywood, BME’s first tattoo convention, is coming to Los Angeles from August 21-23, featuring contests, prizes and some of the best artists from around the world! Click here for more information.

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And That’s The Way It Is


Ever since Michael Jackson died/was killed/got beamed back up to the mother ship/whatever, we’ve worked tirelessly to bring you the very best in tattoo portraiture to honor, poke fun at and generally remember the man and his music. Well, with the publication of this outstanding piece by Denis Prevost of Live Once Tattoo in North Bay, Ontario (on a 50-year-old client getting her second tattoo ever, no less), we’re going to close the book on ModBlog’s dogged pursuit of King of Pop pieces; we think this is a fine note on which to go out. Wouldn’t want to become too predictable, right? Right.

And with that, we’ll leave you for this evening. See you tomorrow, folks.

Tattoo Hollywood, BME’s first tattoo convention, is coming to Los Angeles from August 21-23, featuring contests, prizes and some of the best artists from around the world! Click here for more information.

A Children’s Treasury of Dead Celebrity Tattoos


As everybody knows, celebrities have been dying constantly lately, because they are probably under attack or particularly susceptible to some sort of terrible monster flu that we lesser folks are not important enough to be murdered by or something along those lines. BME has been doing its best to keep tabs on these doomed creatures and the grotesque memorial tattoos that follow, but holy smokes did we just hit the mother lode, as Jeremiah at Good Life Tattoos & Piercings in Akron, Ohio, just wrote in to inform us that Brian McFadden, also of Good Life, has just done a series of portraits of our favorite recently deceased famous people, and, sure enough…he has, indeed.

First up is noted auto-erotic asphyxiation-enthusiast David Carradine, seen above as a grasshopper, because, hey, why the hell not, with a conveniently placed rope in case you didn’t get the joke already.

As luck would have it, there is nothing particularly vulgar about this Farrah Fawcett piece, aside from the masturbation insinuation, which…yeah, we guess that is still pretty crude, now that we think about it.

Say hey, Billy Mays! We’re not entirely sure why he’s on a cupcake but at least he isn’t beating off.

As we discussed previously, we think the jury is still out on the acceptability of pieces of art portraying ol’ MJ as a dead person. This would typically be a pretty cut-and-dry case, but seeing as he shot to international fame largely due to a video in which he played a damn godless zombie, well…you can see our dilemma. Whatever, we’ll allow it.

And finally, the dead celebrity who started it all, Academy Award-winner Heath Ledger, seen here as the murderous Joker, albeit crossed, for some reason, with Krusty the Klown, who, as far as we know, is not a murderer (yet?). In conclusion, hopefully this will be the end of the untimely deaths of celebrities, points of light among us to whom we should aspire to be, the end.

BME Shop is holding a 20-percent-off sale on most items this week until midnight on Thursday, July 16! Click here for details.

Easy or Impossible


As is likely well known around these parts, ModBlog has a proud tradition of tattoos celebrating both the work and many faces of Salvador Dali. This is a tradition we would like to continue, and, hey, we like to think that this handsome portrait of the man by the shit-kicking Nikko Hurtado at Ignition Tattoo in Hesperia, California, is a fine addition to an already impressive canon. “But Jordan,” you ask, “what kind of man wears such a fine portrait of such a gleefully mad artist?” All your questions will be answered after the jump.

Do we know who it is? Well, no. But he’s wearing his summertime clothes, and on a scorcher like today, that’s just good thinking.

Peace be with you, ModBloggers. Until tomorrow.

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Step Into My Web


Hello there, ModBloggers! On the off-chance you’re not outside enjoy this lovely weather, well, here’s the chilling, steely visage of Neil Patrick Harris to scare you off your computer. Just look at him! Those eyes are a window to a soul darker than midnight.

(Tattoo by Aaron Is at Studio XIII in Cocoa Beach, Florida, while at a convention in Augusta, Georgia.)

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The Only Difference is the Distance


Ahoy-hoy, ModBloggers! Hope your Saturday is treating you well. I’m just in and out at the moment, but I wanted to quickly share this gorgeous portrait of Dave‘s. It’s not of anyone in particular, but, as he explains:

I, like so many of our community members, have been totally fascinated with tribal cultures and their ideas of body art and beauty. In all simplicity this tattoo is my way of paying homage and showing people what body modification means to me and showing where my roots in this industry lay.

From a technical standpoint, I’m very curious to see how the huge amount of white holds up in the long term. I’ve got high hopes, though—I really love the look of this piece.

Enjoy your day, folks, and go on, gimme some fresh new eyes.

(Tattoo by Daniel Jones at Asylum Studios in Salem, Virginia.)

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Endless Elsewhere


Ahoy-hoy, ModBloggers! Hope the weekend finds you well. Sorry for the late post today—Internet at the manor has been a real kick in the dick all day. Anyway! Here’s some fine portraiture work by Josh Reynolds from Cannibal Graphics in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. What can I say? I’m a sucker from Day of the Dead/pinup/Virgin Mary iconography. (Which we see all the time, believe me.)

Oh, and one more thing…

If you’re in Toronto, the Seven Crowns gents, George and Matt (above) are hosting a gallery showing of tattoo art at Rocky Raccoon’s! I’ll be there along with resident BME photo magician Phil Barbosa, so come on out and say hello, etc. Here’s the info:

On Saturday, May 30th we’ll be holding the “Monsters, Martyrs and May-sterpieces” show at Rocky Raccoon’s, 2579 Yonge St. in Toronto, a study in fantastically terrifying and disturbingly cheerful art pieces from the tattoo world. We will be displaying our own art as well as that of local tattoo artists, and would love for everyone to come and check it out. The event will start around 8pm, and there will be cheap drinks and free food, along with music by Sarah B. and other features that promise to tantalize and…you get the idea. Come out and celebrate art with us.

Frozen on the Boundaries


Admittedly, I’m woefully out of touch with cyberpunk anything, so pardon me if I’m missing a reference here and just projecting my own experiences, but is this not a dead ringer for Samppa? I mean, it is Samppa, isn’t it? The photo comes to us from Goldust and was taken at the Moscow Tattoo and Bodyart Festival this year, so hopefully we’ll get some much-needed clarification here. Whether it’s him or some other grilled-up cyborg, though, it’s damn fine work.

And, after the jump, and not-so-ambiguous tribute to another artist who is no stranger to seeing his likeness engraved in others.

This cutting of Emilio is by Martin Page, who was also responsible for the implants in this 3D portrait of Emilio from a little while back. (No relation, of course, to this glorious monument.)

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