Let’s face it: we all love something that’s free. Especially when it links to something we’re actually interested in. Well, podcasts can be just that! However, for some reason they’ve really gone under the radar in the tattoo world. Here’s how to get to know tattooing even more from the comfort of your comfy computer chair, all for free. Also, an included review of the most popular podcasts after the jump…

Okay, a quick run- down for those of you totally unfamiliar with podcasts: podcasts are sound clips or videos that can be played on your computer or mp3 player. They’re not compatible with all mp3 players, so if you want to download them to listen to on the bus, make sure your mp3 player can play them first!

Downloading a podcast is actually quite simple. You can find handy information from Apple about doing so here, if you’re not too sure.

Okay, onto Tattoo Art Podcasts!

There are a lot more tattoo- related podcasts than you’d expect! Simply searching for “tattoo” can bring them all up for you. Since there are so more, I thought a quick review of the Top 5 would be easiest (you can always add in your favourites in the comments).

TLC’s Miami Ink Tattoo Talk

This one’s by the Discovery Channel, and features Ami James and Chris Garver talking about tattoos- except, they’re not. The only two podcasts they have are dated by three years, and talk about the show, not tattoos. Don’t be fooled, give this one a miss.

Tattoo Collector’s Magazine

Now, this is more like it! Tattoo collector’s podcast is a video podcast, which featues tattoo artists such as Mike Malone and Oliver Peck, as well as a bunch of great tattoos and music. There’s still a really limited amount of podcasts, but I think they’re still worth checking out in your spare time- especially the Gypsy Queen one from the 12th of October!

Learn How to Tattoo

Let’s not even go there. Only a dick would watch podcasts about how to tattoo and then go out and do it. I have no idea how podcasts named “Branding Class” and “Tattooing School” even got approved by Apple, but they don’t sit well with us here at Tattoosday UK.

Motion Ink: Tattoo Artists and Artwork

Motion Ink’s podcast seems pretty cool, but it’s once again dated. This is a podcast talking about certain Motion Inked- led projects from a while ago, mainly, but it does have a really friendly tone. The podcast throws in a plethora of name- drops that you might want to look into, aided with pictures so that you don’t miss the name of that shop you just heard. Really good if you want to hear about some tattoo artists that you may not have heard of.

We’re going to skip past the next two on the list- one’s an audiobook, the other has no podcasts in it!

Inkpod

This one’s an effort from Mountainside Tattoo and Graphic Arts, featuring a lot of footage of the actual tattoo process- as usual, not the drawing and preperation, but that’s forgivable. The podcast I saw was a lot like the speed- tattooing videos you sometimes see online, which is always a fun way to pass 5 minutes- for that, I’d say it’s recommended!

It seems sometimes with tattoo podcasts, it’s a bit of a hit-and-miss area. However, if you see something that you really like, it’s worth the effort since it’s free! Podcasts are a good way to educate yourself a little further on tattoo art if you’ve spent all your wages and love to learn.

Ghost Hunters, on Syfy.

I’ve noticed something really vexxing in the world of television: networks copying each other’s shows. This is hardly new, of course. The Flintstones, for example, was basically a Stone Age retread of The Honeymooners. But it seems to have reached really annoying levels lately.

I’m talking about the fact that there’s at least two cake decorating shows out there (Cake Boss on TLC and Ace of Cakes on the Food Network), at least two “ghost hunting” shows (Ghost Hunters on SyFy (and its two spinoffs), Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel, and I’m pretty sure at least one on Discovery and one on History, but I don’t recall the names), at least a couple tattoo shows (L.A. Ink and Miami Ink, on TLC and Inked on History), and multiple “blue collar” jobs shows (Deadliest Catch, Pawn Stars, Ice Road Truckers, Swords, Roughnecks, Ax Men and others).

The not-at-all similar Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel!

This is a really sad situation. First off, most of these shows air on networks that haven’t got anything to do with the show’s subject matter. What the hell does something about people driving trucks on the ice have to do with history? But I’ve made that complaint before.

Much worse is the incredible lack of creativity these copycat shows embody. It takes no real effort to look around at someone else’s hit show and say, “hey, we can do that, too!”

I dunno. We the audience deserve better than this crap, but I know they wouldn’t make it if we didn’t watch it. I’m not sure who is more damned by that statement.

En parodi på Miami Ink, London Ink och LA Ink. En raggare vill minnas sin sjunkna Volvo 740. Lysande!

http://rapidshare.com/files/120710373/miami.ink.s06e06.hdtv.xvid-gnarly_jls101.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/120710353/miami.ink.s06e06.hdtv.xvid-gnarly_jls101.part2.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/120710485/miami.ink.s06e06.hdtv.xvid-gnarly_jls101.part3.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/120710344/miami.ink.s06e06.hdtv.xvid-gnarly_jls101.part4.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/136024140/GoLeech.org.MI.S06E11.HDTV.XviD-aAF.part1.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/136024144/GoLeech.org.MI.S06E11.HDTV.XviD-aAF.part2.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/136024190/GoLeech.org.MI.S06E11.HDTV.XviD-aAF.part3.rar

http://rapidshare.com/files/136024077/GoLeech.org.MI.S06E11.HDTV.XviD-aAF.part4.rar

Magnum, P.I. (1980-1988)

Thomas Magnum is employed on the Hawaiian estate of a wealthy absentee whose owner’s name is Robin Masters. The estate is run by Jonathan Higgins and Magnum is private detective whose cases frequently have a humorous overtone and always just enough danger.

Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) wears a Rolex GMT Master Watch.

.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000-)
.

CSI is a spin-off of the CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The series is an American crime drama television one that trails the investigations of a team of Miami-Dade forensic scientists as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths and other crimes.

Nick Stokes (George Eads) wears a Rolex GMT Master II Watch.

.
Miami Ink (2005-2008)
.
Miami Ink is a reality show focusing on a Miami Tattoo parlour run by a group of Tattoo Artist who are friends. All of them are highly skilled.

Ami James wears a Breitling Super Avenger Chronograph Watch.

.
The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)

After retrieving the philosophical stone at an auction but losing his girlfriend, the librarian Flynn Carsen has a breakdown. Flynn travels to New Orleans and he has a crush on a French singer (Simone Renoir).
.

Flynn Carsen (Noah Wyle) wears a Cartier Santos Watch.

.

Man vs. Wild (2007-)
.

Man vs. Wild, also called Born Survivor: Bear Grylls or Ultimate Survival, is a survival television series hosted by Bear Grylls, on the Discovery Channel. In the United Kingdom, the series is shown on both the Discovery Channel and on Channel 4.
.

Bear Grylls wears a Breitling Emergency Watch.

.

1st Singapore Tattoo Show  – Revisited – already over 300 artists have registered to take a booth for Tat2 2010 – Singapore’s Second Tattoo Show – returning are crowd Favorite’s Chris Garver, Miami Ink, USA & Bob Tyrrell, Night Gallery, USA – Tat2 2010 Show Ambassador will be Kim Saigh from LA Ink Fame – so what will be in store in 2010 – more will be revealed soon by the show’s brainchild Kirby Lian…

Kirby Lian STS & Chris Garver, Miami Ink

Here is lasts years show roundup and tattoo contest winners revisited…

Last year’s inaugural Singapore Tattoo Show ended on Sunday, 11 January 2009 with just over a total of 14,000 one-day and three-day passes sold, bringing the total number of attendees to 15,000 who attended the 3-day convention held at Singapore Expo from 9-11 January 2009. The show saw people from all walks of life, as well as a few thousand overseas visitors who flew down especially for the show.

The show saw an exhibitor line up more than 120 tattoo studios and 16 tattoo vendors from various countries, showcasing various tattooing techniques using machines and traditional tools and boasted an exciting programme featuring a body art-bikini fashion show, HPI drifting competition, Harley Davidson showcase, tattoo photography showcase, Art Fusion, live band performances and a daily tattoo contest (results below).

Well-known tattoo personalities Paul Booth of Last Rites Tattoo (USA), Chris Garver of Miami Ink (USA), and Bob Tyrrell of Night Gallery (USA) were at the Singapore Tattoo Show 09.

Kirby Lian, the brainchild and organizer of the show says, “I am very pleased with the outcome of the convention. Tickets sales were brisk from the start on Friday and we even had families and parents with toddlers attending the show. I’m glad that the show has achieved one of its objectives in educating the public on tattooing and the tattoo industry.”

“From the response we have achieved, we are considering doing a bigger and more comprehensive show in 2010,” added Debra Tan, co-oganiser of the Singapore Tattoo Show 09, “So look out for details in October 2009!”

+++

For daily updates and Tattoo Industry News join in the conversation at http://facebook.com/TattooPride or join the growing international social site Tattoo Pride for Tattoo Artistry http://tattooartistry.ning.com

+++

About the Organizer – www.tattoo.com.sg

This young start-up company combines vision and passion for the tattoo artistry, bearing the charter to change the social norms associated with the permanence of this art form. Behind the company is a team comprising a professional tattoo artist-entrepreneur with 7 years’ industry experience and a marketer formerly from a multinational company. Having developed a wide network of global tattoo artists whom many are considered close friends, this team aims to promote the tattoo industry for the appreciation and commercialism of tattoo art. For more information please visit www.tattoo.com.sg.

+++

Tattoo Contest Winners 2009

Tattoo Contest results: 9 Jan 2009

Best Sleeve Tattoo:

Tattoo Magic, Australia, Geordie Cole

Best Leg Tattoo:

Night Action Tattoo, Taiwan, Wu

Best Cover Up Tattoo:

Imagine Tattoo Studio, Singapore, Aelvin Lim

Tattoo Contest results: 10 Jan 2009

Medium Tribal/Celtic Tattoo:

1. Night Action, Taiwan, Ping

2. Night Action, Taiwan, Ping

3. Think Tattoo, Singapore, Elson Yeo

Medium Black and Grey Tattoo:

1. My Tattoo, USA, Jess Yen

2. Tiao Fang Tattoo, Taiwan, Fang Chun Suen

3. Tsai Da Long Tattoo, Taiwan, Tsai Da Long

Medium Colour Tattoo:

1. Dow Jenn Tattoo, Taiwan, Cheng Yuan Sheng

2. Visual Orgasm, Singapore, Joseph Siow

3. Night Action Tattoo, Taiwan, Mr Wu

Tattoo of the Day:

Skin Label Tattoo Studio, Singapore, Sam Wei Ming

Tattoo Contest results: 11 Jan 2009

Back Piece Tattoo:

1. Lion King Tattoo, Taiwan

2. Dow Jenn Tattoo, Taiwan, Zhao Jun Ji

3. Night Action Tattoo, Taiwan, Yu Fu Lien

Most Realistic Tattoo:

1. Imagine Tattoo, Singapore, Aelvin Lim

2. Night Action Tattoo, Taiwan, Yeh Ting N

3. Visual Orgasm, Singapore, Joseph Siow

Large Colour Tattoo:

1. Dow Jenn Tattoo, Taiwan, Zhai Jun Ji

2. Lion King Tattoo, Taiwan

3. Night Action Tattoo, Taiwan, Yu Fu Lien

Large Black and Grey Tattoo:

1. East Tattoo, Taiwan, Zhou Wei Long

2. My Tattoo, USA, Jess Yen

3. Fly Back Tattoo, Singapore, Jerry

Tattoo of the Day:

Tattoo Mangon, Germany, Patrick Frank Huettlinger

One day I walked into the room and Pauseliveaction Junior was watching an American show where some scuzzy-looking types were tattooing people. I was alarmed – was this fit viewing for a pre-teen?

The show was Miami Ink, and it turns out that it is appropriate viewing, and it’s brilliant. It’s particularly brilliant if you like very tattooed men, which I do. The narrator and owner of the tattoo shop in which it’s set is shaven-headed former Israeli army officer Ami James – and what a lovely man he is (and v-e-r-y easy on the eye). The programme benefits richly from the regular shots of him topless. It’s so we can admire the artwork, of course, but the canvas is pretty darn nice as well.

On Miami Ink we don’t just see the tattoo artists at work (and they are artists, all of them absolute geniuses at what they do), we hear the reasons their clients want a tattoo, what it will mean to them and why they choose a particular design. For some it’s just that they like having illustrated skin, but for many the tattoo will be a memorial for someone they’ve lost, or a celebration, or a way of marking a life transition.

It’s not just tattooing, it’s flirt therapy as well. Ami James could (and probably does) flirt for Florida, in the way only a man who looks like he could kill you with his bare hands but is as gentle as a lamb can do.

Miami Ink

Ever since we got Sky+ last week, I’ve been loving LA Ink & Miami Ink! Kat Von D is just gorgeous, and she’s the inspiration for this blog. These pictures are the ones that inspired me- Kat Von D & Kat Von D2

I usually don’t like full sleeve tattoos, but ones Kat has looks sexy. It’s mainly on men that I don’t like, and I’m not really fond of colour tattoos. If you haven’t seen some of the tattoos that Kat has designed, you need to google the shows- LA Ink and Miami Ink, and google her too She is a very talented artist, and if/when I decide to have a tattoo (which will be a while) I’d love to have it done by her, but it would cost a bomb… and she’s in America! lol

I tried finding tattoos inworld that are like the ones she has but I couldn’t find identical ones. I did find some similar, but typical SL I didn’t have enough layers to wear them  :( There should be more than just pants and underpants! It was a mission to find face tattoos, but then I remembered I had the freebie stars from Kittylicious that I got when Fashion Mode mall opened. Thinking about it now I could have tried drawing the tattoos on her in Photoshop. Nevermind.

I tried to make Evie look similar to Kat, but not exactly the same. Kat has long dark hair, and this is pretty much the only one I have that looks similar. I even gave her eyebrow shapes like Kat has! lol The tattoos are the same concept- full body ones, but different designs. The armbracer is not something Kat wears, but I thought it looked cool so added it anyways.

So these are the pictures I have created, hope you like them.

Credits:

Hair-  Mirai ‘.+*Daie*+. Chocolate latte’

Skin- [PF] ‘Raine <Toffee> Crush’

Bikini- Mauloa ‘Mauloa bikini BK + Point tattoo’

Jeans- Vette’s Boutique ‘ Beaten Jeans’

Chest Tattoo- Platinum Tattoos ‘Cheeky Devil Chest Tattoo’

Body Tattoo- Kanival ‘83. Moon Night’

Face Tattoo- Kittylicious ‘Fashion Mode Freebie’

Earrings- [glow] Studio ‘OMG! earrings’

Arm Bracer- IrEn ‘Gift Arm bracer’

Miami Ink
site for Miami Ink on TLC, the TV show about the hardest-working tattoo shop in South Beach. Watch videos, view confessionals, see pictures of tattoos, and

Miami Ink Photo Slide Shows
Miami Ink tattoo galleries … Miami Ink. My First Home. Police Women of Broward … out all the incredible tattoos of the Miami Ink artists and user submitted

Miami Ink | TattooFinder’s Tattoos-101
Miami Ink. Inked Magazine. Events. Celebrity Tattoos. Personalities. Shop Profiles … The MIAMI INK series brings four old friends together to run a tattoo parlor and

Miami Ink – Miami Beach, FL
Get details on Miami Ink – Miami Beach, FL, at Citysearch – over 1 million user reviews & editorials about local businesses.

Aqui este video de los tatuajes japoneses:

Estos tatuajes estan basados en imágenes de acuarelas, grabados y libros ilustrados populares de aquella época,el resultado final para la larga persistencia de dolor sería un tatuaje de mucha belleza. Para comprender plenamente el Horimono japonés es importante comprender su historia y antecedentes, y es igualmente importante para seguir preservando la tradición a sus espaldas.

I borrowed the title for this post from (Ret.) Army Cpt. Mark Brogan’s blog. I had the immense honor of meeting and photographing Mark and his wife, Sunny, during the Hearing Loss Association of America’s convention in Nashville in June. I found him (and Sunny as well) to be very candid, friendly, sweet and remarkably resilient. Mark shared his story (along with scars and his amazing Purple Heart tattoo, courtesy of Miami Ink)—it was a humbling experience for me. Mark was a guest speaker and the cover subject of our September 2009 issue of Hearing Loss Magazine, which just arrived in my mailbox today. Mark just turned 29 on August 31. Happy belated birthday, Mark!

He was a United States Calvary Officer in A Troop, 4th Squadron 14th Calvary, 172 Stryker Brigade Combat team, deployed from Fort Wainwright, Alaska to Iraq to lead a platoon of infantry soldiers. A TBI (traumatic brain injury) survivor, Mark was wounded while on a foot patrol in the Al Anbar Province in Iraq, on April 11, 2006. In addition to the injuries to his skull and arm, his right eardrum was perforated and he has severe-to-profound hearing loss. He wears hearing aids in both ears. Here is his incredible journey from intensive rehab to reconstructing his life, excerpted from his blog:

4/14/2009

Alive Day

The 11th of April, a day of no meaning for most of the world sans a select few. Three years ago I was unknowingly about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. I don’t remember knowing what the actual date was. Dates begin to blur together after several months of daily operations with no weekends and set work days. They just become another number in an operations order letting you know when you’ve got to execute your mission.

I remember the cool crisp air and “moon dust” that swirled around our vehicles as we headed into the town for our mission that day. The horrors that my men were to witness that day were forever deleted from my memory. I would stay in a comatose state for the next 18 days. Somewhere in the hazy surreality, I began to slowly realize my new reality. That day would change my life forever. During a patrol I led my patrol on, a suicide bomber strapped with three mortars walked around a corner in a market. He killed one of my soldiers and injured two, including myself. I was terribly hurt. My soldiers thought there was no way anybody could have survived such a blast. My skull had been penetrated by shrapnel and my arm nearly severed. Later during my evacuation in Germany they would discover shrapnel in my spinal cord which they assumed would cause me to be a quadriplegic.

My wife was called with the worst of news. Come to Germany and make a decision, he is most likely not going to survive and if so he would be comatose for life, quadraplegic, lose his arm, etc. She firmly told them, “you bring him to me, then I will make the decision.” Once I arrived in D.C., she believed that I was going to be all right and I pulled through.

___________________________________________

You can read the rest of Mark’s post about his injuries here. Mark and Sunny recently participated in the Veterans Retreat Introduction to Aviation and Flight Training course. Read Mark’s entry for the “Heroes in Paradise Best Vacation in the World” contest here. Mark was medically retired in 2007. He is a veterans’ advocate and a commander in the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Chapter 356 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Read a downloadable pdf of Barbara Kelley’s feature article on Mark Brogan by clicking on the link below:
Mark Brogan Feature