Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Tattoosday #1: Introducing Tattoosday

Hello BillyBlog readers!

Behold a new feature that may or may not be a regular feature here....I'm calling it "Tattoosday". And I'm not saying I coined the phrase, others have done so elsewhere.

Here's the goal.....every Tuesday I'll post a tattoo or two, along with some or a lot of back story.

The exercise is interesting on many fronts....I hope the casual reader will find it brain-tingling and entertaining. Similarly, I hope to have fun producing the weekly post dedicated to body art. But not just any body art. I aim to photograph, with the permission of the inked, of course, tattoos that I find cool, and give a little story behind them.

I hope to meet some interesting people, perhaps boost a little readership, and ultimately entertain the readers.

However, I have to start out with a little bit of cheating. The first tat belongs to a co-worker, Sephora Uddin (the one that gave me the CBGB book for my birthday).

Here it is:


What is it?

A Hindu om symbol.

Is this her first tattoo?

Nah. It's her third of five. Her first is a lotus blossom on lower back. Her second is an angel on her shoulder. Her third is a Hindu swastika on the back of her neck.



Her fifth, and latest, but probably not her last, is on her second toe (the one next to the "big" toe, or hallux) on her left foot, three lines representing the Aquarius symbol.

For the record, I have only seen this one and the swastika.

When and where did you get it?


New York Hardcore Tattoos, October 2005

Why?

"The aum or om symbol is sacred in Hinduism and Buddhism, and I find it comforting. It reminds me that I am aspiring to wisdom even if I don't succeed."

So, there you have it. The inaugural tattoo on Tattoosday here at BillyBlog. It should be interesting to see what else I can come up with from strangers, or if I have to revert to friends to help me in this project.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Bittersweet...

In the latest issue of International Tattoo Art Magazine, (the one with Ozzy on the front), two of my tattoos were published. Unfortunately, only one of them was correctly identified as mine. Crazy thing is, last month, they posted some big, tribal tattoo, and said that I did it. What is going on over there at ITA????
Anyway, thanks to Bethany and Heather for coming to me and asking for custom tattoos, and having great ideas for me to work with.

Sunday, July 29, 2007



Relentless Gallery Art Show went well, they had a great turnout, I met tons of rad people, and handed out lots of propaganda. I had three paintings up, none of them sold, but it was more important networking and getting my name out in minneapolis more. My favorite part of the show was seeing Roma di Luna, but they ran out of cd's before I got to them. damn.

Friday, July 27, 2007

New Sticker


Here's a preview of the newest sticker in production.
I ordered 500 of them today, and should have them within a few weeks.
They are 4.25 inches tall, perfect for bikes and whatnot.
I'll be sure to post about them again once I have them in my hands.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

another week

Work's been fun, home's been good.
Finishing up my paintings so I can deliver them tomorrow for the relentless gallery show on Sunday.
Tomorrow is also the deadline for this weeks Sketch for Fecal Face, with the subject being "simplicity". This is what I came up with, Can't get much more simple than that.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Relentless Gallery


I have some new paintings in a show next Sunday, the 29th, in Uptown, Minneapolis.
Their website is
here
Above is the little graphic i did for their flyer and website.
It's an outdoor party, with lots of art and music. 11 artists, 10 bands, a stage, beer, food, etc, all for $5.
They have a noise permit, and say the show is from 10 am to 8 pm.
I'll post pictures of the paintings after the show is over, so I don't ruin the surprise.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Goldfish


Mabye it's unamerican, but I think goldfish are way hotter than koi fish.
Like that? That shit is funny. Unamerican. ha!
But really. Way hotter.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Scratch artist

Hyperspace Studios is asking for contributions from tattoo artists for a book called "Scratch Artist". The medium is those scratch boards, and the pun being a "scratch artist" is an insult for a tattooist that doesn't do quality work, or scratches people's skin with needles. I was quite amused.
Anyway, I did this piece for it, and am sending it off tomorrow.

Also, if you're on myspace and friends with my shop, Identity Tattoo, you must have received the message about Lucky doing $13 Friday the 13th tattoos. It was obscenely popular, and when I left at 8:15 tonight, the man was still going strong. I drew up a fun design I'll be offering the next time it comes around. Hope you all shattered your share of mirrors today.