Ink Master, Season 2, Premieres Tonight on Spike TV

If you're new to Tattoosday, you may not know that I was a "human canvas" on the second episode of Ink Master's first season, which aired earlier this year in January.

My tattoo (and accompanying story) appeared here.

I know there's a lot of hand-wringing about "reality" tattoo shows, but my position is this: if there's a chance to see quality tattoo work on TV, I'll watch it, even putting up with the drama, real or not.

As we head into Season 2, check this trailer:

SPIKE
Season 2 Trailer
www.spike.com
Spike Full Episodes Spike Video Clips Spike on Facebook

Like in the first season, there are some artist competing who I've never heard of. But there are also those whose work I have been fortunate enough to feature here on the site.

Most notable is Lalo Yunda of Sacred Tattoo. Lalo's work has appeared on Tattoosday the most, which makes sense since he is a New York-based artist. His work appeared most recently here and here.

There'a also Katherine "Tatu Baby" Flores, whose nickname has raised eyebrows among more serious tattoo enthusiasts. I do know know that when I featured one of her pieces late last year here, I was impressed.

Since last year's winner, Shane O'Neill, had also appeared on Tattoosday here and here, I'll go out on a limb and predict that Lalo Yunda will be this season's winner. Call it the Tattoosday blessing!

Be sure to check it out (or at least DVR it) and remember, if you're looking for the episode I was in, it was called "Botched Head Tattoo".

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

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Jesse's Tribute to Pee-wee

On a Saturday back in March, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted Jesse, who had quite a few tattoos. He shared this great Pee-wee Herman tattoo on his foot:

Why did Jesse get Pee-wee inked on his foot? He explained, "When I was growing up, the only good thing that was happening in my childhood was watching his TV show [Pee-wee's Playhouse] ... so I felt like I owed it to him".

He credited this incredible piece to Blake Brand, a California-based artist who occasionally comes out to the East Coast and tattoos out of at Philadelphia Eddie's Chinatown Tattoo.

Thanks to Jesse for sharing this amazing piece on Tattoosday!


This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

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Dmitry's Sleeve and Invader Zim

We still have a handful of posts from 2011, including this one, which features a sleeve from a guy named Dmitry who I met in Penn Station back in July. Take a look:

This sleeve is a collaborative effort with Dmitry and his tattoo artist, Gene Coffey, from Tattoo Culture in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

He explained that he has spent a long time working on it, and that it is based on a animated series called Invader Zim, which was created by Jhonen Vasquez and originally aired in 2001.

Dmitry told me "I've always been a big fan of [the show] and I've always loved the artwork." He brought Gene "a few pictures from the show and we put together the piece".

The sleeve starts on the upper arm, featuring Zim at the very top,

The bottom section of the sleeve features other characters from the show, as well.

The back of the lower section of the arm has this illustration:

There's a whole catalog of the characters from the show listed here. I'd venture to try and identify every one seen in Dmitry's canvas, but I would most likely misname one or two. He told me the show has achieved a kind of cult following so, if any fans would like to add comments below, feel free to do so.

Thanks to Dmitry for sharing his fantastic tattoo sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement. 

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Ink Master Premieres Tonight!

Regular readers of Tattoosday may recall this post, last July, when I mentioned that a production company was looking for volunteers to get tattoos on a new reality tattoo competition series.

That was six months ago and the first installment of that project, Ink Master, is scheduled to debut tonight on Spike TV, at 10:00 PM (and 11:00) EST. 

I strongly encourage people to watch, as I’ve seen the line-up of artists competing, and know for a fact that they are a talented crew.

 Unlike New York Ink, which seems to have evolved very quickly into a faux-drama in a tattoo shop that just happens to have great tattooers, the focus of this show is about creating body art in a reality-competition setting.

That’s not to say there won’t be interpersonal conflicts - even shows like Master Chef and Project Runway have their share of drama. But, I am optimistic that this series will not disappoint.

Check out the trailer below:

SPIKE
Official Ink Master Series Trailer
www.spike.com
Spike Full Episodes Spike Video Clips Spike on Facebook

And here’s a bit of a tease ..... I know with 100% certainty that at least three of the volunteers on a couple of the episodes have appeared previously as subjects on Tattoosday. I’m looking forward to not only seeing who wins each week, but as USA Today put it, “who on earth decides to get inked as part of a reality competition?”  

This won’t be the last you hear about Ink Master on Tattoosday. Trust me.

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

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A Chance to Cover Up, Reality-Style

Considering that some of the best tattoos I have seen over the years (check some of them out here), the following casting call would seem to me certainly compelling for anyone looking to cover up an old, unwanted tattoo:

Spike TV - Open Casting Call For Tattoo Competition Reality Series!

Are you sick of your faded, old tattoo and ready to cover it up with something brand new?

If so...try Spike TV!

Our new tattoo show, “InkMaster," is looking for people who want to be a human canvas for the top-notch artists competing on our show...and we NEED PEOPLE WHO WANT COVER UPS!

We are bringing together some of the BEST tattoo artists in the game for “InkMaster,” and we’re looking for people who want to be their next canvas! If you’re 23+, in the tri-state area (New York/New Jersey/Connecticut), email us at inkcastingNYC@gmail.com with a description and a recent photo of yourself, along with an idea of the tattoo you want and why. You must be a New York area local, as interviews and filming will take place July & August in the NYC area.

“InkMaster” is produced by Original Media, the production company behind “LA Ink,” “NY Ink,” “Miami Ink.”

~ ~ ~ ~

I say, what have you got to lose? The concept of the show is certainly intriguing and, if you're unhappy with that old tattoo, why not try and improve it?

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