Hi-Tech Tattoo to test Type 1 diabetes

Anne Trafton, MIT News Office : Christine Daniloff

Several pricks into your finger to track your blood sugar level can be little painful but more a hassle. You might sometime wish for a machine which could be attached to your body and immediately detects your glucose level. Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on carbon nanotubes that could be injected under the skin to reveal blood glucose levels.
Paul Barone and Prof. Michael Strano are working on a new type of blood glucose monitor that could not only eliminate the need for finger pricks but also offer more accurate readings.

Strano and Barone’s sensing system consists of a “tattoo” that’s designed to detect glucose, the nanotubes are wrapped in a polymer that is sensitive to glucose concentrations. A wearable device roughly the size of a wristwatch shines infrared light through the skin and onto the nanotubes, which fluoresce when in contact with glucose, thus displaying the patient’s glucose level.

The researchers plan to create an “ink” of these nanoparticles suspended in a saline solution that could be injected under the skin like a tattoo. The “tattoo” would last for a specified length of time, probably six months, before needing to be refreshed.

Claims are high and it seems pretty useful for those suffering from type 1 diabetes but is it possible to re-etch a tattoo on the same place where first tattoo is done? Or new skin area will be required, if this happens then one fine day you’ll have to switch back to contemporary blood sugar testing device. I think best is to eat healthy and exercise well to keep yourself away from these tattoos. Be more living and etch some real colorful tattoos 😉

Source: MIT

Kat Von D geared up with her High Voltage Tattoo Book

Darling Kat Von D, has again come up with new venture other than tattooing though about tattooing…am I confusing you? I don’t think so. You remember last year in May she brought out her Make-Up Line and this year she is ready with a book called, High Voltage Tattoo, which she claims, is a window into the world of tattooing through her eyes.

Book appears to be a real treat to eyes and in it you will also see the tattoos Kat has done on the likes of Bam Margera, Kerry King of Slayer, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, Anthrax, Alkaline Trio, Eagles of Death Metal, Margaret Cho, Jeffree Star, Jamie Thomas, Steel Panther, Fireball Ministry, Nikki Sixx, as well as some of her never before seen final tattoos on her all time fave clients!

Let’s see what introduction they give for the Book:

“High Voltage Tattoo is a graphic perspective on today’s global tattoo culture by Kat Von D, star of The Learning Channel’s L.A. Ink and one of the most talented and popular artists working today. Designed in a style that is reminiscent of a handmade Gothic journal with its red padded cover, ornate typography, and parchmentlike pages, it throws the door wide open to tattooing culture in the way only an insider like Kat can.

High Voltage Tattoo traces Kat’s career as an artist, from early childhood influences to recent work, along with examples of what inspires her, information about the show and her shop, her sketches, and personal tattoos. The book goes deep into tattoo process and culture: readers can see up close the pigments, the tools, and the making of complex, even collaborative, tattoos.

With a foreword by Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx, the book features images and stories about celebrities, rockers, pro skaters, and everyday citizens, including Slayer’s Kerry King, Anthrax’s Scott Ian, Margaret Cho, Jackass’ Bam Margera, David Letterman, and many others. It profiles and showcases the work of artists Kat has selected from all over the world, her interviews with people who have compelling tattoos and stories, and amazing images of extraordinary tattoo work. Numerous portfolios throughout the book showcase a range of relevant subjects, from the black and gray portrait work for which Kat is famous to a popular tattoo theme, such as the rose or biblical images. There is a knockout ten-page full-body spread of Kat—clad in a yellow bikini and seven-inch, rhinestone-studded red stilettos—that catalogs in detail all her personal tattoos on her front, back, left, and right sides—even her hands and head.”

High Voltage Tattoo, By Kat Von D
will be available January 20th in bookstores nationwide,
as well as on The Official Book Tour launching January 18th, 2009.

Virgin Megastore Hollywood & Highland
6801 Hollywood Blvd 105
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Thursday, 1/22 @ 7pm

Virgin Megastore
2 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
Friday, 1/30 @7pm

Tattoo artist, Kat Von D, will be signing copies of her book, “High Voltage Tattoo.” Purchase your copy beginning 20/1/2009 at Virgin Hollywood and receive a wristband that guarantees you a spot in line to have your book signed.

*While supplies last. 1 person per wristband. 1 wristband per purchase.

Book Release dates: Read the rest of this entry »

Art Theft – Help!

Read on Allen’s blog that Canvas Los Angeles, the boutique and gallery of the tattooer arts, was robbed on December 12th. Thankfully, none of the gallery’s staff were injured, but sadly, two pieces of artwork were stolen. The two pieces stolen were by Alex Garcia and Guy Aitchison.

This was a truly despicable act. It’s a violation, pure and simple, without any justification whatsoever, and it’s an insult to both the art and tattoo communities. Theft of any sort is inexcusable, but when you steal work from an artist, you steal the thing they produce, and you rob them of their livelihood.

What we want more than anything else is simply for these pieces to be returned. If those responsible for this theft bring the paintings back, or if they are otherwise returned unharmed, Canvas LA will not press charges. All we want is for the pieces to be returned to the gallery — this is really just a matter of supporting our community, plain and simple.

The gallery will be offering a $1000 cash reward for the return of each piece, revealed Guy’s newsletter.

“Minty Fresh Death” is oil on masonite while “AutoMech #2″ is acrylic on canvas. Both paintings are approximately 8×10 and were framed at the time they were stolen. Please keep an eye out on eBay and anywhere else you may see art for sale or displayed, and report anything you see to info@canvasla.com. Thank you all for your help and support.

Rejuvi: A painless Tattoo Removal formula

(Image Credit: Dailymail)

Getting rid of tattoo regrets is made easier with the introduction of a cream called Rejuvi, which is injected into the skin in much the same way as the ink is injected into the top layers of the epidermis to create the tattoo. Here, instead of ink a specially formulated cream, Rejuvi, that bonds with the original tattoo ink and attempts to draw it to the skin surface.

However, Rejuvi Labs claims that a tattoo may sometimes be completely removed in just three or four sessions let’s see what people have to say after they use it, till then we can just wait and watch. The formula is less painful than any other tattoo removal methods.

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Goggles and Glasses Announces New Line of Tattoo Sunglasses

Recently, Goggles and Glasses revealed a new line of Vintage Tattoo Sunglasses. Body art and eyewear meet in an inksplosion on these glasses. The new line features artwork inspired by popular vintage tattoo flash. There are seven design styles, each available in two to three different frame colors. The artistic decoration on the frames displays either a dragon, eagle, panther, or fish. Another design available showcases a skull, with either a purple flower, a rose, or a checkered pattern. These tattoo-imprinted sunglasses are quickly becoming the hottest eyewear trend across the nation.

The tattoo industry has gained increased popularity in the past decade, contrary to what used to be the case. In 1936, Life magazine approximated that 6% Americans had at least one tattoo. The number of Americans with tattoos is shown to nearly triple to 16%, when a Harris Poll was done in 2003. In the United States alone, there are approximately 20,000 tattoo studios in operation, with a new one being added to that number every day, according to a U. S. News & World Report article. Among Americans with tattoos, 34% said having a tattoo has made them feel sexier.

GogglesandGlasses has over 1,000 unique sunglasses, reading glasses, novelty glasses, ski goggles, padded motorcycle glasses, polarized fishing glasses, Orange County Choppers, Blues Brothers, and classic style sunglasses. There is hardly anything you would want that you could not find here. GogglesandGlasses is a multi-channel retailer that sells on sites such as Amazon, the internet, and Ebay. GogglesandGlasses is physically located in Locust Grove, Arkansas (Pop.16) and ships approximately 15,000 orders per year.

Sir Winston Churchill, the inspiration behind Angelina Jolie’s film tattoos

As our country’s great wartime leader, Sir Winston Churchill has received too many tributes to count.

But he’s never been commemorated quite like this before.

Angelina Jolie has revealed that two of the tattoos she acquired for her latest film Wanted – about a secret society of assassins who try to make the world a better place – are a homage to the Second World War Prime Minister.

The words in gothic script on her upper arms come from a speech Sir Winston made on the day he took office in 1940.

In an interview for US television, Miss Jolie said: ‘We tried to focus the tattoos on themes that would be related to this sense of justice.

‘From Churchill’s speech, “We have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” I had “Toil” and “Tears”.’(Read More at Dailymail)

A word with Iconic tattooist, Nick Baxter

Nick Baxter one of the iconic figures of tattoo industry was interviewed by Piercingntattoos.com to reveal his mind and soul inside and outside the tattooing world. He’s not only a tattooist but an actor, a painter, photographer as well as a writer. He’s the most eligible bachelor in the tattooing industry, who’d not like if you won’t wish him on his birthday i.e. on 5th September 😉 Born at New Haven, Connecticut, now plans to move from Transcend Tattoo, CT, to Austin, Texas, with his friend and fellow artist Jeff Ensminger, Dallas.

This winner of many tattoo convention awards: best sleeve, tattoo of day, etc., will be now seen off and on in CT. Let’s hear more about him in his own words in this interview.

Disha Singh: It’s been about eight years in the tattoo industry, how does it feel and how have things changed regarding your inking over the years?

Nick Baxter: Being 8 years into it feels great, I feel like I have accomplished so much of what I originally set out to do. I love having a network of friends and colleagues whom I travel the world with, work on fun art with, help inspire, and be inspired by. Pretty much everything has changed since I started, it’s completely different now‹a lot has changed in the industry, too, it’s really exploded in popularity and talent level. However, in some ways nothing has changed – I still feel like I’m just me, doing what I love to do, just like always. I till have so much to learn and experience and I still feel young, and like a beginner at times, because there are still many goals I haven’t reached yet and aspects of my art and technique I want to improve.

Disha Singh: How did it feel when you did the first tattoo?

Nick Baxter: It was completely nerve-wracking. I was scared and excited, and overwhelmed with all the things you need to remember to do while tattooing. It felt great though, I had a real sense of accomplishment.

Disha: What’s the inspiration behind your creative tattoo designs?

Nick: It could be anything, really. Life in general is inspiration, all the experiences and memories and emotions and thoughts and interesting things that comprise it. I try to tap into whatever type of inspiration I need for the particular project I’m working on.

Disha: Who are some of your influences, inside and outside of tattooing?

Nick: I have many influences and try to be eclectic, so it’s hard to form any kind of complete list, so just a portion of them I can think of right now are Salvador Dali, J.P. Witkin, Simen Johan, Mark Kessel, H.R. Giger, Guy Aitchison, Tim Hawkinson, Nikko Hurtado, Cindy Sherman, Richard Estes and all Photorealist painters, Charles Santarpia, Megan Merrell, Todd Schorr, Alex Grey, Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, Ron English, Eric White, Leonardo DaVinci, Adrian Dominic, Jeff Ensminger, Russell Mills.

Disha: In a true sense you are an artist who paints body and canvas, as well as a photographer. Please can you throw some light and reveal yourself in all these different roles?

Nick: These are all different aspects of my one driving creative energy. I get to express different parts of myself in each medium, and explore different themes and concepts. I also get to develop and refine different artistic disciplines and physical skills, or crafts. My painting and photography is very meticulous, refined, almost clinical in its approach to technique and subject matter, which appears often to be the opposite of those qualities‹very organic, warm, visceral. My tattooing is more spontaneous, loose, and holistic in its approach.

Disha: You have received many awards, what are the memorable conventions you’ve gone to and is there any target in your mind to be achieved?

Nick: I’ve always loved attending the Hell City tattoo conventions every year, because they are really well put together, organized, fun, and especially accommodating to the artists. I don’t have a target in my mind to achieve at conventions aside from just having a good time and producing some good work if I can.

Disha: What’s your imagination like? How long will you sit and think about a tattoo design before you actually ink it? Do you just bang it out in one shot or do you chip away at it on paper until it’s perfect and then on skin?

Nick: My imagination is a constant back and forth tug of war between the right and left brains, opposing urges for order and rationality and structure, and the opposite attributes of chaos, feeling, intuition. It’s like a never ending lottery-ball machines I definitely feel like I think too much. My tattoo conception process usually involves much more thinking at first than actual drawing. I’ll picture things in my mind, then look at reference materials for ideas and inspiration, then when I sit down to draw it usually gets completed all at once. I don’t bother with making the drawing perfect, in order to allow myself the freedom to create more on skin, and leave the tattooing process open to intuition and spontaneity.

Disha: Are you a perfectionist? Are there any tattoos, paintings, etc. that you wish you could change?

Nick: I am, for better and for worse, an unrelenting perfectionist. There’s a saying that makes me laugh at myself that goes: Perfect isn’t good enough. I analyze everything after I do it and always find something I could improve or try to do differently.

Disha: How much do you charge for a piece?

Nick: I charge an hourly rate for tattoos, and my paintings are reasonably priced as far as fine art prices are concerned, considering the amount of time and effort I put into them.

Disha: What are your likes and dislikes?

Nick: I like the outdoors and nature, creativity, positivity, problem solving, meeting challenges and goals, learning, nice people, animals, hardcore/punk music, freedom, living a vegan straightedge lifestyle. I generally really dislike any form of coercion and violence in order to control other people, or animals, as well as war and fighting, intolerance, suffering and despair, and all those associated ills of the world.

Disha: How did the idea of becoming a tattoo artist come to your mind? Were your parents comfortable with your decision to become a tattoo artist?

Nick: I was always fascinated by body art because it was rebellious, somewhat mysterious, and a really unique way to express yourself. I started to become interested in pursuing it in my mid-teens, and my parents were very unsupportive of that at the time. I think they were uncomfortable with me being a tattoo artist at first, but once they saw that it could be a legitimate, respectable career that could do positive things for me and my life, their opinions changed drastically. Now they support and respect me.

Disha: What we see Nick doing when he is not tattooing?

Nick: Usually I’m making some kind of other art, like painting, drawing, photography, or writing. I also like to experience the outdoors, play sports, read, listen to music, go to hardcore/punk shows, go to art galleries and museums, eat awesome vegan food, meditate, hang out with my cats and human friends.

Disha: Which machine and ink do you use?

Nick: I use mostly Pulse tattoo machines, and 3 brands of tattoo inks: Eternal, Starbrite, and Unique.

Disha: What do you think about FREEDOM -2 ink?

Nick: I’ve never tried it, and haven’t heard much about it. It seems like a great idea. I don’t have much interest in it as of yet, but I am curious to see if it works and if it stays looking great over time.

Disha: Finally, what suggestions do you have for the newbie in the industry and especially to those who want to get tattooed?

Nick: For new tattooists or apprentices, I recommend to stay focused on your art at all costs, be willing to put hours of every single day into study and practice, and stay disciplined. Be honest with yourself and develop a good sense of self-critique. Be hungry for knowledge, but don’t be too proud or afraid to go back to basics whenever necessary, whenever you feel stuck, or frustrated. For potential tattoo collectors, I recommend to be patient and do your research and homework first. You can read an article I co-wrote just for new tattoo collectors, at this address: http://www.offthemaptattoo.com/get-the-perfect-tattoo.html

Thanks for your precious time Nick, it was great to know your better!

Please don’t miss to check out some of his mind blowing tattoo piece at our image gallery.

Think before you Ink

Growing Tattoo craze in Himachal Pradesh

A small Om on men’s hands/arms or three dots on ladies’ chins are common marks seen on the skin of our elderly grand parents. These marks called “tattoos” are now gaining skyrocket popularity among the people, especially youth. Just to add some oomph to their lifestyle, masses get themselves etched ignorant about the place and person who is inking them.

Aman Devrani a professional tattooist from Manali, said, “In Himachal we see numerous folks getting themselves tattooed by tattoo-hawkers present in the melas. I remember once I had been to a nearby mela where I asked a tattoo-hawker sitting on the side for a tattoo, he told me a very cheap price and said that he’ll be using fresh needles as a safety measure. When I saw him working on a guy, I found that he did change the needles but ink, gloves, etc. were same. There was no proper sterilisation of the equipments and even the ink used was not of a good quality. This scene of severe health risk sent a chill down my spine!”

It’s sad to know that people are deliberately inviting hazardous infectious diseases to attack them from unsafe methods of tattooing. Many folks are unaware that they can be infected by surface infections of the skin, herpes simplex virus, fungal infections, hepatitis-c, staphylococcus aureus (infected tattoo), and HIV/ AIDS via the use of unseterilized equipments. This is not the end, use of FDA unapproved ink can also result to worst nightmare of allergy.

“Make sure the Inks are branded like Starbrite, Kurosumi and Intenze to name a few and not some cheap quality. See the place yourself and make sure it’s clean and hygienic. Do a lot of research before you tattoo anywhere,” says Lokesh Verma owner of Devil’s Tattooz, New Delhi.

Though, in recent years tattoo industry is gaining great popularity in India. However, the history of tattoos began over 5000 years ago and is as diverse as the people who wear them. It is believed that the word tattoo is derived from two Polynesian words – ‘ta’ meaning striking something and ‘tatau’ which means to mark something.

No wonder tattoos are a new way of expressing oneself and the best expression can be made with good designs and nice colours deep soaked into your skin. For all those playboys temporary tattoo like that of Saif Ali Khan’s ‘Kareena’ can be an option to show their mock-eternal love. Anyways, this is a kind of tattoo to satisfy your desire for a tattoo without permanence. A latest and hottest trend of tattoo art is “Black Light Tattoos” that are almost invisible in daylight but show in great detail in darkness. Though, black light tattoos are more expensive and take longer to ink.

Finally, click here to find some helpful tips to save your precious tattoos from fading.

Oliver snatches Kat Von’s Guinness World Record

Recently Kat Von D announced that she is no longer the Guinness World Record Holder as Oliver Peck, her ex-husband, has set a new record of doing 415 tattoos in 24 hours. Last year in December Kat had done 400 tattoos in 24 hours to set a record of “Most Tattoos in 24 Hours”.

On Myspace she said,

“Oliver, is owner of Elm Street Tattoo, in Dallas, Texas. He is also my ex husband. We were married for 3 years, and unfortunately parted ways about a year ago or so. But that’s where the idea to set this world record originally came from. See, back in 1999 (on Friday the 13th), Oliver set out to set the record for that title, and did 320 tattoos in 24 hours, but didn’t go through the proper channels to make it official, so come December of last year, I ended up setting that record (after asking Oliver)… Even though we haven’t really spoken after the divorce, I am happy to say how proud I am of him for kicking ass!”

There is no doubt about the excellence of Oliver as a tattooist and he has proved it again by this Guinness Record.

Congratulation Oliver!

Piercing Needles ease depression

Where many therapies might prove fatal to cure severe depression, acupuncture appears as an exception in curing severe depression of the people.

A new study made in Sydney has found a marked improvement in a group of people with medicated depression who were treated with traditional Chinese needle therapy for two months.

Kirk Wilson, a researcher at the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Technology Sydney, said:

“What we’ve managed to show is that acupuncture can be a powerful aid to use alongside anti-depressants to help these people…We’re using acupuncture to regulate the energy flow, release pressure and allow everything to move more freely.”

However, western medical practitioners are still skeptical and says that there was no proof the treatment continued to work over time.

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