Tattoos based on literature: A website

This website is focused on tattoo that are based on literature. Such as Shel Silverstein, Harriet The Spy, and Peter Pan..
The use of child literature as inspiration for tattoos has become a very popular occurrence. I think this is because people feel comfortable with the idea of childhood memories as a permanent part of their body.
I found out about this website about two weeks ago when I went into a Boarders book store after class one day..
A young employee walked up to me, she recognized my tattoo's Galatea and Pygmalion reference and  that my Alice In Wonderland tattoo was from the early version of the tale- the one my grandfather read as a child.
Comment!!! What do you think of lit tattoos, are they silly??

Literature tattoos: 'The Word Made Flesh'

Borneo's Disappearing Tattoo Tradition Documentary..

"From halfway around the world come two adventurers who will stop at nothing to see for themselves what's left of Borneo's once glorious tattoo traditions. Forging their way into a country that was home to perhaps the fiercest head hunters the world has ever known, these two Canadians are hot on the trail of some of Sarawak's last remaining tribal tattoo masters. A small hand-tap tattoo, of only a few square inches, takes many hours to pound into the flesh with a needle on a stick.... "

The link that follows is one of 6 YouTube clips from 'The Vanishing Tattoo Documentary'..
All six can be found on YouTube :)


The Vanishing Tattoo Documentary

Dakota's tattoo in process..

Dakotas 1st Tattoo/ Sleeve Interview by Nina

http://www.geekytattoos.com AND a note about my pictures.

http://www.geekytattoos.com/

This website is supposed to be for geeky tattoos. While some are geeky most of them just suck. At least that's my opinion. I feel like this sit is a good representation of American tattoo consciousness, or whatever you would call it.. What I mean is, a lot of them are logos, common images, and are reminiscent of some sort of capitalistic mentality.  I think if we took pictures of tattoos from places with a more sacred tattoo tradition they would be much more awesome. What do you think?


NOTE: CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE TO SEE DETAIL

Jon Clue tattoos Dakota

So, I for the life of me could not get Jon Clue to answer any of my questions, he is very difficult and likes to be impossible. Last night, my friend Dakota and I took a cab to Jon Clue's apartment/tattoo studio/ bachelor pad in Bushwick for her appointment to get her FIRST tattoo. Which happens to be a rain forest sleeve. O__O

We get there, Jon is finishing editing the drawing of the outline (because we complained about a phallic flower and ball-like protrusion), and then I begin to try to sneak in questions about how he began as an artist and how he refers to his art/tattoo style. I ask "Did you do art as a kid?", he just says "No." and laughs. I call him an asshole and tell him that its not for the blog that it's just me asking him.. he responds "You're creepy why are you interviewing me?" He likes to make me frustrated. 

I ask him what he considers his art.. he answers "I don't consider it, I don't even think about it, you wont get any normal answers out of me." I told him that I didn't want normal answers, just for him to answer however he felt.. he rolls his eyes and I call him an asshole again. He likes it. He puts the stencil on Dakotas arm, here are two pictures of it, pre-tattoo.

Dakota is obviously really nervous and excited. She has NEVER had a tattoo before, she has had a lip ring that she got re-pierced once.. I hype her up, tell her she's tough and she can do it, and show her more pictures of Jon Clue's work. I explain to her how rare it is for someone to get their first tattoo drawn  by an amazing artist. How rare it is to get a sleeve outline as a first tattoo. She is a crazy lady for doing this, her parents are going to be in SHOCK! She needs a couple of drinks and a cigarette and then the four hour tattoo session began. As Dakota is getting tattooed, I talk (a lot) and DJ awesome tunes and we all vibe, Jon keeps bitching about how he's jealous that he cant drink with us, I tell him to shut up and work ;)

 Dakota handled it like a trooper. The middle of her arm around the elbow and tender area where the arm bends was the hardest. She laughs when the pain gets to be too much, she demands a couple of shots.

Mizu is hanging out with us, hes being such a good kitty, for once, probably because he was kind of sleepy from just waking up from a nap..













And here it is! The outline of the flowers are red.. that isn't [all] blood.

We wrap it up in plastic wrap and tape it, I tell her how to take care of it (with antibacterial soap and aquaphor), and we go to a bar a couple of blocks away and meet up with Dakotas older cousin Anderina, who has been sending Dakota supportive and hilarious text messages the whole time, for example, "Aye mami! Dakota has bigger cojones than I do!".. after the bar we went home.

I have a video interview of the pre-tattoo jitters, but Im trying to figure out how to upload.. I can't save it because I don't have Pro, so ill figure it out and put it up soon!

Here is a link to Dakota's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=517302701

Tattoo Artist Jon Clue

Sick? Yeah. You'd better believe it. 

Jon Clue does tattooing as a side job, to earn a little extra cash. His career as an oil painter has allowed him to really explore his style. 

Here are two of his oil paintings. They are large canvases. 

 

 

What's awesome is when I met Jon it wasn't to be tattooed. We met on Myspace (yeah, I know), and I looked at his art and was absolutely speechless, which is the normal reaction I have learned from showing him off to friends.. Well, either that or they can't shut up. 

He invited me to come hangout at his place, with him and his cat Mizu, who is a hairless Sphinx. Mizu is vicious in the cute way, he stalks guests and makes many attacks during a conversation.. But watching Jon Clue hug and kiss him makes it all okay. 

Even if you're totally against tattooing, because its permanent and you think its stupid, or its against your religion or because "how will you look when you get old?!", or whatever.. there is no way you can look at this work and say that it isn't amazing art. 

 Here is the savant at work, lol, but really.. He's an awesome guy. Very down to earth, humble, focused.. I always feel lucky to be his friend :) 

China..

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/22/sports/olympics/0824-TATTOO_12.html

While tattoos have become more readily accepted in American culture (something like 40 percent of Americans have some kind of body art), in China they've been taboo in the true sense of the word, and are just beginning to be understood..

Why do you think that is?
How do politics affect ideology surround the idea of being "individual" and "self expression"..?

Slideshow: Oldschool sailor tattoos

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/05/22/arts/20090523-tattoo-slideshow_index.html

POST COMMENTS!

Do you dig?

God Bless America

Georgiya's random immediate thoughts

Tattoos are definitely permanent. I haven't gotten one yet. If I get one I would get it during a time period in my life that is really glorious, so that besides the message (or complementarily to the message) the tattoo also reminds me of that time period.
I think I would be down to get a tattoo that means Faith, in an ancient human language, like Sanskrit. Faith is really all you have in life, ever, if you have anything.
Tattoos are so popular, it's hard to be creative enough to not feel like a conformist by getting one.
But I do really like them and their ancient legacy.

~ G.

Sossy Gorman's History of tattoos in ancient cultures..

Here is a link to another YouTube video of an American Tattoo Historian, jk..LOL  What do you think? Is he full of it or does this demonstrate the American perspective of tattooing.... http://youtu.be/cKbqwybmNsU

Japanese tattoo art

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7zEwCtA_T0

Samoan tattooing significance

http://youtu.be/2H8RUg25UPk