Now I have seen it all. Oscar the Monster @ Inkface Tattoos showed me this wonderful flyer he happen to have earlier today. Apparently, no skill is required to become a premier tattoo artist. This whole time I thought it required heart, dedication, skill and time to hone the craft of tattooing. What’s next people? Everest College is opening up classes for you. Sign up today and make up to $100 per hour! Get that paper! No special skills required!!

Talk about stepping up the game. Not only have tattoos evolved from laser removal and glow in the dark tattoos. Originally a Japanese concept, Precious Skin in Dubai has taken the art form up a few notches with 24 carat gold and platinum tattoos. A thin film of gold or platinum is used to make the tattoo which is then applied to the skin and can last up to a week. What does this cost? We’ve been told that the more elaborate and larger designs can cost up to $5,000 USD.

With more than 2,000 registered entries for the 2010 Eddie And Ozzie Awards, it has now been narrowed down to to only 400 finalists. So with a smile on our face and skid stains on our boxers we’re  happy to announce that Bound By Ink is a finalists in three major categories and those three categories are:

Best Design – New Magazine – Consumer: Bound By Ink, Guitar Aficionado, Vintage Magazine

Best Use of Photography – Consumer – Under 250,000 Circulation – Bound By Ink, Sauce, Yachting

Consumer – Entusiasts/ Hobbyists – Single Article – Old-House Journal – Bound By Ink – Outdoor Life

This annual awards program – spanning all corners of the magazine publishing industry – recognizes the very best in editorial and design. It’s the largest and most inclusive awards program of its kind in the industry and it is put together by FOLIO. From Bonnier to Penton to Questex to Source Interlink to Hanley Wood, this is where all the best is represented and FOLIO will hand out the bronze, silver and gold awards to each winner during a luncheon thats set for January 13, 2011 in New York City.