Tribute to Micheal Jackson with a Tattoo

Whole world was shocked on 25th June when the ‘King of Pop’ was reported dead.

Micheal Jackson was well-known for his many physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk.

When you think to give a tribute to Jackson what could be better than his signature moves.

The tattoo pictured is inked by Lokesh Verma of Devilz Tattooz, New Delhi, India. Jackson is seen in his signature ‘anti-gravity lean’, for which he was granted U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, used in the music video for “Smooth Criminal”. Though, this patent expired on December 20th, 2005 due to failure to pay its maintenance fee.

That’s a separate story! So, guys what are you waiting for grab something more like Micheal Jackson and ink it to give a tribute to the ‘King of The Pop’.

Dirty effects of face, Tattoo inspired by B.Murphy

Aha! What a tattoo! Anabi has really quenched my thirst for a difference and beauty. Beautiful use of blue, pink, black, green, etc. colors in the tattoo has made bring it here for you guys. Eyes of the girl are telling many stories just need an eye to read them. 😉

Anabi is a Polish tattooist inking his art on the canvas of people’s skin in “Anabi-Tattoo“, Poland.

Don’t miss to see his more tattoo works on our gallery.

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.

A Tribute to HEATH LEDGER by Lokesh

With a hard work of consecutive five hours Lokesh Verma of Devilz Tattooz inked Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight. The tattoo came as a tribute to Ledger.

A word with Tattooist Lokesh of Devilz Tattooz

When you think of a tattooist an image of a funky guy striving to add oomph in his life strikes your mind. Earlier we interviewed to Nick Baxter living a vegan straightedge lifestyle and today please welcome Lokesh Verma of Devilz Tattooz, 35, Basantlok, PVR PRIYA complex, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. He doesn’t like parties and is over five years in tattoo industry.

“There are those who are born artists, others who accomplish their dreams by earnestly toiling behind closed doors. Lokesh Verma is both.” Let’s not stretch his introduction more and we leave you here to read about him yourself.

Disha Singh: First of all Lokesh tell us about the significance of tattoos for you and do you also wear any tattoo?
Lokesh Verma: Tattoos have a lot of significance in my life, I cannot imagine my life without tattoos….I don’t know what would I be, had tattoos been not there….I think I would have been some kind of artist only.

Disha Singh: Who inspired you to take up tattooing as your career and when you inked for the first time?
Lokesh Verma: I always wanted to do something different….took up a lot of part time jobs after I finished school, while doing graduation I did a lot of part-time jobs like at Mc Donald’s and stuff…..also worked as a DJ to earn some money which helped me to buy the Tattoo kit which was very hard to get at that point of time when I was 19…..started tattooing on myself and then friends were interested in my artwork, today here I’m…. going strong everyday, there’s a lot to come.

Disha Singh: Tell me frankly, what is there in tattoos, despite all the pain, that drive people crazy?
Lokesh Verma: I believe tattoos are a kind of identity, people want their own identity and get their unique tattoos done which mean something to them, few people get tattoos just to flaunt around and their designs are mostly off the wall.

Disha Singh: What do you think about the tattoo industry in India? Are you looking forward to make it more popular and acceptable here?
Lokesh Verma: Tattoo industry in India is growing at a rate which was never expected 4 years from now…..I’m doing my best to bring it up to the international level and I can see myself growing with the industry everyday. It’ll take sometime to be at par with the International legendary artists, most of famous International artists have 15+ years so I think after few years we’ll be in their arena.

Disha Singh: How far would you like to take your tattooing?
Lokesh Verma: As I said It’s a part of my life….its hard to tell and set any limits….even the best artists are improving everyday…..only time will tell….it’ll go along with me all the way…..

Disha Singh: Which is your favorite tattoo and why?
Lokesh Verma: The Buddha backpiece is still an old favorite….I’ve worked apprx 18 hours on it but sadly it’s not complete yet……I think 12-15 more hours to go…..it’s my first backpiece and people don’t get huge tattoos here in India so that tattoo is still fun to work on…..the guy who is getting it doesn’t get enough time and I have appointments sometimes so we are not able to complete it fast…..hope to finish that soon.

Disha Singh: Which are the most popular designs you are frequently requested to make and why?
Lokesh Verma: Angels and butterflies…..also a lot of Tribal flash. A lot of people are also getting religious tattoos done now days.

Disha Singh: Do you think tattooing have changed over the years.
Lokesh Verma: A lot……initially I used to get a lot of Tribal tattoo requests which had no meaning….just to flaunt around……now more people are getting meaningful tattoos done which is a positive change.

Disha Singh: How much do you charge, approximately, for a piece of art?
Lokesh Verma: It depends on the intricacy of the piece so it varies a lot.

Disha Singh: Please throw some light on your tattoo parlor and also share how you approach towards a piece of art.
Lokesh Verma: My studio is a compact studio, the approach is very conventional and basic…..but we do a lot of custom pieces….I like to draw unique pieces for the clients….I love free handing too….we trace the stencil by hand…..no thermal fax, it makes the tattoo easier to do when you know the flow and curves of your stencil….I’m tattooing for five and a half years now and I’m at this place since the last three years…..I opened up with my friends who were planning to open a beauty-spa that time, I was looking for a tattoo studio, we collaborated….all went well….now the work is increasing everyday so we are planning to renovate and make it lil’ bigger so that I and my assistants/students can work easily….

Disha Singh: As we have seen many people in India get tattoos by road-side tattoo hawkers. We know this is risky and please can you reveal some facts which should be kept in mind about tattoo ink/machine before getting tattooed whether it is a hawker or a tattoo studio.
Lokesh Verma: I’ve seen a lot of bad tattoos and few of the studios also do the road-side job….so its very necessary for people to check the work of the artist before they get inked…there is no other way…you cannot rely on anyone…see it yourself,, I know about few wannabe artists who show you someone else’s work just to get the client, so make sure you see some live work if possible…..also make sure the needles are opened in front of new and 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 its clean and hygienic….do a lot of research before you tattoo anywhere.

Disha Singh: Your words for newbies in this industry?
Lokesh Verma: As Chris graver said “ ITS EASY TO BECOME A TATTOO ARTIST BUT ITS VERY HARD TO BECOME A GOOD ONE” The only thing you need to start anything is passion for that work, for tattooing if you have passion try to find a good mentor, if you are not passionate about a thing like tattooing and just seeing the money part of it……just forget it, money comes a lot later, when you are established your work speaks for itself, you have to give your days and night into it, there is no substitute for hardwork.

Disha Singh: And, finally, who is Lokesh in flesh and blood?
Lokesh Verma: I’m just another 25 year old guy who is chasing his dreams everyday and proving myself everyday, when I drive back home after work I feel I did better then yesterday but still very far from where I want to be…..everyday I’m struggling to be like my idols Chris graver, Alexander dallier, Brandon bond, Sean Herman, Josh woods, Guy and Hannah Atchinson, Anil gupta, Paul booth, Bob tyrrell, Katherine V drechenberg and many more……I look at their work whenever I find time (which I rarely find)….I don’t like to party a lot and my idea of partying is to sit at a friends place, cook with friends (as I don’t like to eat out also) and have fun.

Thanks Lokesh for sparing your precious time for PiercingsNTattoos.

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.

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!

Meet Tattoo Industry’s Grandma at Art N Body

The big grandmother of tattoo industry Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand has joined hands with Art N Body, Williamsville, NY. It is a one stop to ensure your choice of body art as well as clothings from various eminent brands like Ed Hardy, Sailor Jerry, Suicide Girls, Affliction and Black Market and more.

Kate has been tattooing since 1971 in all styles whether custom or classic. She has worked with Sailor Jerry Collins of Hawaii, Don Ed Hardy, Jack Rudy, Bill Funk and many others. Very soon you’ll see her personal clothing line hitting the store.

Know more about her new apprentice, Art N Body, from the following interview.

Disha Singh: Can you take me through the evolution of Art N Body?

Shanghai Kate: Art N Body was conceived in the Buffalo region to give the public a new and better idea about tattooing. As tattooing becomes more mainstream, we felt there was a need to satisfy more mainstream clients who were not satisfied with the options they had in the past. Tattoo Shops have had a somewhat less than satisfactory image and there is room for improvement and we wanted to be the leader in that movement. By placing our shop in a suburban setting, we hope to draw clients that normally would not visit a traditional “tattoo shop” in an urban area, while still being located where tried-and-true tattoo clients would still visit.

Our goal was to offer the highest quality tattoos and piercings as possible. After all, if the quality of the work is substandard, sales would suffer. Along with the highest quality of work, we would offer the highest sterilization protocols. Our shop would exceed all local, state and Federal standards, as well as OSHA regulations. All artists would be fully licensed and would continuously attend health related seminars. Along with the tattoo and piercing services, we would offer a great number of tattoo-based clothing lines and accessories for our clients to purchase in an upscale retail environment. The store would also sell artwork by local artists of all kinds as well as music by local musicians.

Disha: What’s an ideal connection for you, between you and your client I mean?

Kate: To develop a harmonious long-term relationship while offering the highest artistic completion of their projects performed with the best state-of-the-art technological advances under the safest protocols known. We want to preserve the client’s vision while adhering to the body’s dictates for the best result over time. We want our clients to feel comfortable in a friendly atmosphere while maintaining a strong professional attitude.

Disha: You say you’ve “combined cutting-edge equipments and sterilization procedures with a comfortable, creative environment,” can you please detail it? For the benefit of our readers.

Kate: We have spent the first year of our growth investigation and pursuing the best hospital-style sterilization components to incorporate into our “clean room.” Our artists are well versed in all the latest protocols and study Universal Precautions on a routine basis. We spare no expense in keeping a store of single-service, preventative safeguards in the studio and our products for tattooing are the best, most investigated items on the market. Including our inks, needles, tubes, machines. We have our fingers on the pulse of what’s new out there and continue to purchase and grow with the best our industry has to offer. We spend time investigating the newest developments. At the same time, we don’t want our clients to feel they’ve entered a “hospital” or “clinic” . . . one look at our photos shows a relaxed and gorgeous interior geared toward fun and bright retail items. It’s a store where you can come to shop, search and learn. While we’re deadly serious about what we do, we don’t want to browbeat anyone into anything. This is a great business. We want to have fun.

Disha: Art N Body opened its doors one year back. Looking down the line, what are your hopes for the space and business?

Kate: We have so many great ideas to bring into fruition. We can’t let too much out of the bag but, while our first year in business has been fraught with lessons and paying dues, we think the worst of it is over. We believe in our shop and concept and what we want to do and we think the community will respond because we have some great things on board.

Disha: How do names like Ed Hardy, Jerry Sailor, Suicide Girls, etc. are associated with you.

ArtNBody: Some of the names you mention are directly linked to our shop because we have Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand working for us now and she spent the earlier part of her career working with Sailor Jerry, Ed Hardy and others. This is an incredibly personal connection, no other shop in the world can make that same boast. She is intimately involved with both of those names and she brings her own collection of images with her. And we expect to develop a Shanghai Kate clothing line in the future in the same grain as the aforementioned names. She also brings with her many personal stories and books . . . and we expect to include these in our future marketing. The other names are direct off-shoots of the very popular Hardy and Jerry empires. We do carry their line and we look to other cutting edge clothing to incorporate in the future.

Disha: There are various artists under one roof. Do you guys push each other to grow as artists? Or, be honest, you’re just too busy competing with each other?

ArtNBody: We very much push each other to grow and become better at what we do. We are not competitors. We believe that may have been the climate of the past, but we now live in an age of communication. Why would we harbor secrets or techniques to use only in our own little cubicle when we could all work more smoothly, more enthusiastically and more efficiently if we all share? Competition can lead to price gouging within the team, that leads to paranoia and turf guarding that leads to the sociopathic personalities we’ve all come to know and love in some of the less progressive shops. That is really OLD School and we want to be the wave of the future. Sharing creates fun creates money creates happy artists, happy clients and a wonderfully informed public.

Here, are the names of the crew members of Art N Body:

Shanghai Kate Hellenbrand, The Manager

Bob Bieber

Heidi Serth

Loren Webster

John Erickson

Sarah Grabowski, Retail/Counter

Bill Robins, Chief Operating Officer

Check out our Image Gallery for some selected Tattoos from the great Tattoo artists of Art N Body!

A look at Manic Tattoo Studio

Manic Tattoo Studio is owned and operated by tattoo artist Chris Oppenheim. There are other artists also available here to provide you with their services. You can etch as well as poke yourself at Manic.

Chris has been tattooing since three and a half years.

When we asked him to throw some light on the Manic Tattoo Studio he replied:

“Manic tattoo is a relaxing, clean environment with flat screen tv’s, digital portfolios, and thousands of designs to choose from. Manic also has quality merchandise and specializes in body piercings. Manic tattoos is located at 2821 Churchville road in Churchville Maryland. Chris and the artists at manic will design any custom piece and portraits are also available.”

You can have a look at a few more Tattoo works of Chris Oppenheim of Manic Tattoos at our gallery or you can click here.

Kat Von D Sets Guinness World Record for Tattoos

Kat Von D makes her way into the Guinness Book of World Records for inking most tattoos in a 24 hours period.

On Friday noon she sat down for a contineous session of 24 hours to ink 400 tattoos at her High Voltage Tattoo parlor. Without food… without cigrette… and with just three breaks… she made the Guinness World Record for a cause as the money collected on the event will be donated to Vitamin Angels. The tattoos cost 20 bucks, and every 20 saved 80 kids from going blind. 400 x 80 = 32,000 kids, she said.

“During the entire 24 hour period, i never ate, and kept my consumptions of liquid to a bare minimum, to make sure i wouldnt have to stop tattooing to go to the bathroom at any point. i put on nicotine patches, so i wouldnt take any cigerette breaks. And during the entire 24 hours i took a maximum 3 breaks of no more than about 3 minutes, to drink an energy drink closer to the end, and to change into sweats at another point and stretch my hands which were starting to ache pretty fuckin bad.”

She also Apologized for inconvenience and Thanked all for being so supportive in realization of this record.

(Photo of the LA tattoo by Ali Miller for LAist.com)

Congrats Kat! 🙂