All I want for Christmas is a new tattoo

and then another and another and another (I could go on forever)

I thought this was quite hilarious!

accurate!

I found this comic made by kateordie on tumblr and thought it was hilariously accurate.

I have a hard time buying a $10 lunch or a $30 pair of jeans but spending a couple hundred on a tattoo is perfectly fine. Funny how that works.

My Latest Tattoo

I got this beauty at the end of July when Immaculate Concept held a flood relief benefit to help the shops that were damaged in the Alberta floods this passed June.

It was done by the incredible Mandy Wendt.

Interviewing Steve Peace

One of my favourite local artists is Steve peace, he owns Immaculate Concept on 17th avenue here in Calgary and also runs the Calgary tattoo and arts festival which has also expanded to Edmonton.

For a story in my news research class our assignment is to get an uncommon look at a common job. The job I picked was no other than a tattoo artist. The tattoo artist I chose? Steve peace.

Within the next week I will be interviewing him and I am incredibly excited to get an inside look into steve peace!

 

Ink from the 50’s

My favourite person in the whole world believe it or not is not a tattoo artist that I greatly admire but is my grandfather. He is the funniest person imaginable and he makes my life. For a news research assignment, I had to write a story based on an observation; I chose how popular tattoos are now. I decided to interview my grandfather so I could acquire the perspective of someone from an older generation, he was definitely the correct choice! My grandpa is 75 years young, and I say young instead of old because he has never let his age been a decided factor for him, he wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle at 70, he did it, he crashed it just as he was backing out of the drive way but he still did it. My point is my grandpa does whatever he wants whenever he wants, he doesn’t care that most people that are 75 are sitting in a rocking chair eating prunes.

lets go back to 1956,this is the year my grandpa got his first tattoo, the first of three. He has a skull and cobra, an M and D and a star, all are faded but still just as fascinating. He told me all about how tattoos were really big bath them with service men, he said that when they got a weekend pass they would often find a tattoo shop and get some new ink. what did his parents think? well my great grandparents didn’t really care unlike most parents today. Though accepted when on service men, my grandpa says getting a tattoo was like going to the pool hall, a little risqué. My grandpa was a frequent pool hall visitor. a bad ass back in the day and a bad ass now.

With the Light of Truth

Dan Smiths book ‘With the Light Of Truth” that I bought today. he signed it too!

A little more on me meeting Dan Smith

Dan Smith is an incredibly talented artist, I have been a fan of his since he first appeared on the show LA Ink with fellow Tattoo greats Kat Von D, Cory Miller and Nikko Hurtado. Dan has so much passion for his work and his lifestyle, he is straight edge, meaning no drugs, no alcohol and no smoking, and he is also a vegan. He has been straight edge for over 15 years and has created a book featuring 60 of the best straight edge tattoo artists in the world including himself. The book is called “With The Light Of Truth. Straight Edge.” and can be purchased here from Dans tattoo shop Captured Tattoo, I know I can’t wait to dive into it. Though I myself am not straight edge, Dan Smith inspires me to be a better person and to live a life that I can be proud of no matter what others may think, he inspires me to live for myself! Next year I will be getting a tattoo from him, I swear! Though its hard to do, something I know well seeing as I have been trying to get an appointment with him at the tattoo festival for the past 3 years, I have high high hopes for next year!

Meeting Dan Smith was definitely the highlight of my day and weekend!

Man that has got to hurt!

Traditional Japanese style tattoo at the calgary tattoo and arts featival.

No tattoo machine needed. A stick like object with needles on the end dipped in ink and then stabbed into you. As harsh as that sounds, it is an incredibly brilliant artform and way of tattooing and is highly respected. I respect the people who choose to get one done because that has seriously got to hurt!

And Jime litwalk just smiled at me. I may be obssesed.