A tattoo is a form of body modification where a design is made by inserting ink, dyes and pigments.: October 2018

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Tattoo Legends and Major Talent – Bay Area Tattoo Convention Does it Again

If you were lucky you spent last weekend at the Bay Area Tattoo Convention marveling at the unbelievable amount of tattoo talent contained in a single room. If you were really lucky you are still healing and recovering from getting tattooed by some of the most talented tattoo artists in the country/world. And if you are like me, you went home feeling like you got to participate in a well run, perfectly planned, and thoroughly excellent tattoo convention and now it’s time to flip through your phone and look at all the pictures you took and count up your fancy business cards and stickers (I got 17).

The conference featured a tremendous amount of serious artists hard at work on equally serious collectors, (be sure to check out Horitomo State of Grace and BATC Instagrams for tons of great pics). I checked in on Friday night just after the doors had opened and it was already filled with collectors, fans and artists – many of whom were already hard at work. The floor was well organized and intimate enough that you could cruise around and take a close look at all the excellent flash, portfolios, books and other tattoo related goodies. The vibe was friendly, welcoming, and professional. There were so many prominent artists in the hall it was hard not to stare and be a general pest (I was maybe 74% successful) and the overall sense of community was evident. Sure I could drone on (and on) about what a great convention the BATC is, how friendly and helpful Taki is, and how much I enjoyed myself – but I have to go organize my sticker collection, so instead here a few snapshots. See you next year BATC – well done!

(center) Miki Vialetto (right) Taki – 2 guys who know a thing or two about organizing tattoo conventions

legend much? Don Ed Hardy and Kari Barba

Don Ed Hardy showing a fan his tattoos

TTTism Booth – proud major sponsor of BATC

Russ Abbott killing it. Or maybe killing that guy. Good way to go.

Shige making his only US appearance. And no that guy is not flipping me off – he is checking his phone…I think…

Jeff Gogue making magic. If you could speech bubble those guys what would they be saying? “I’ve died and gone to tattoo heaven?” Ooo that’s terrible – post something better in the comments.

Make sure you follow the Bay Area Tattoo Convention on Instagram to see more great pictures from this year’s convention and so you will know when next years conference will be – you won’t want to miss it!

A big thank you once again to Taki and Roman for putting on such a great show.

The post Tattoo Legends and Major Talent – Bay Area Tattoo Convention Does it Again appeared first on The Tattoo Tourist.

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Sunday, October 7, 2018

Suicide Prevention Flash Event at Aces Over Eights, Petaluma CA

Aces Over Eights – Suicide Prevention and Awareness Flash Event

This past Sunday there was a lot going on in Petaluma CA. There was a sizable antique fair in the quaint downtown, lots of tourists wandering about, a couple of baseball games on TV (being closely watched by fans at the charming Bleacher Critic -retail store complete with bleacher seats and large screen TV), pithy political signs in the window of the Sonoma Coast Surf and Skate, lots of cute dogs on leashes and people watching. But the real action was over at Aces Over Eights – an old school tattoo shop owned by Jimmy Bruce and Cody Holyoak and tucked right in the heart of downtown Petaluma.

A number of years ago Jimmy decided to help out a friend that was hit by some unexpected vet bills. He created a raffle with tattoos as the prize and although sadly the dog in need had died he was able to donate that money to local animal shelters. The giving back didn’t stop there, however. Jimmy continued to hold events to raise money for different animal charities for the next 4 years but last year he branched out. After the devastating fires that ravaged Sonoma county, last October Jimmy and his crew decided to up the ante and hold a walk up flash event and donate all the proceeds to help victims of the Sonoma fires. They tattooed non stop from noon to almost ten at night, tattooing close to 100 people and raised a serious chunk of money to boot.

Jimmy, Nick and

This year Jimmy and Nick Rodin – a resident artist at the shop- turned their altruistic attention to a cause that is sadly close to home for them both. Suicide has touched both Jimmy and Nicks lives in a very personal way and together they decided to make this years event about supporting suicide awareness and prevention. With a solid track record of organizing charity events, Jimmy and Nick were able to gather a group of talented artists to assist the members of their own team with the goal of tattooing crisp, beautiful tattoos on as many people as they could in a day. They ended up with 11 artists total (hey they should form a baseball team!) and altogether they tattooed 47 people and raised a staggering $11,300 with tattoos and donations combined. Participating artists had two great sheets of flash to work with or folks could even bring their own flash to get tattooed.

Greg Rojas at work

Tattoo by Greg Rojas

I was proud (and lucky) to snag a spot and got my very first piece of flash (instead of large-scale ) by Daat, owner of Santa Rosa Tattoo.

Tattoo by Daat

I was particularly impressed by how well organized this event was. It was obvious it wasn’t their first rodeo but holy hell – they started ON TIME! They had waivers, people contacting attendees by cell phone and getting them in the shop so that everything could roll smoothly, they were so well organized. Background support kept stations clean and stocked, Amy’s Kitchen set up a portable lunch station. The shop atmosphere was one of calm, focused professionalism. I was truly impressed. And a sharp, expertly applied tattoo in under an hour for a worthy cause? Are you kidding me?!

Aces Over Eights, Jimmy, Nick, and the entire team show us what a civic-minded, well-run shop staffed with dedicated artists that care about their community can do. My hats off to Aces Over Eights and the entire roster of artists (and extremely important support staff!) that made this meaningful event a possibility and a roaring success. Be sure to check out the participating artists Instagram and give these generous souls your business if possible. Contact Aces Over Eights if you would like to donate to their Suicide Prevention and Awareness event – they know all the right people to send your much-appreciated donation to. And by all means, if you find yourself in Petaluma check out this tiny shop with a big heart of gold.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1-800-273-TALK (8255)

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS – Give these artists some love…and some business!!!

Amber Fowler