BBI stopped by the 2012 Body Art Expo at the Pomona Fairplex to visit some old friends and family. The expo is a three day event that brings some of the best black and grey artists out there and is also the springboard for a lot of new up and coming artists. Here are the few snaps. Enjoy!

Stop by and celebrate the 1 year anniversary of The Honorable Society. There will be live music, cocktails and more! Come meet some of the worlds finest artists that specialize is various styles of custom tattooing.

Don’t get stuck in the sandbox. Come by and celebrate the 1 year anniversary of The Honorable Society.

The Honorable Society

8424 Santa Monica Blvd.

Hollywood, CA

323.654.2440

Christmas is just around the corner and I thought it would be awesome to throw some comedic cheer your way. Now unless you have been hiding under a rock, Antoine Dodson has literally become a overnight Internet sensation. Long story short, Some dude breaks into his home and attempts to rape his sister (I know, no laughing matter). Despite the circumstances, his sister was unharmed and he gave a televised news interview and had a few words for the would be assailant.

See below.

The famous remix

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I’ve been fighting this cold for a while and decided to go to Walgreen’s and get some good ol’ Zyrtec-D. You know the daytime/nightime, runny nose, itchy eyes, cough suppressant so you can grind and blog better medicine. Anyway, on the way to the counter, I happen to pass by the toy section (I just can’t resist it even at my age) and what the hell do I see? A assortment of press on tattoo kits for kids. Kind of makes me wonder about the rationale behind it but hey, the marketing seems to be working. I’m personally waiting to see some sleeved up 5 year old asking to be in the magazine soon.

Check these out.

Tribal not your flavor?

What about the trampstamp for our daughter?

Ahh, let’s go ethnic with the dragooooon! RAWR!

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.

Shot down to the Shamrock Social Club to pay a visit to none other than the legendary Mark Mahoney. Just in case you didn’t know, Mark has tattooed the likes of Brad Pitt, The Notorious B.I.G., Cher and Mickey Rourke just to name a few. He’s was also a pivotal force through the 80’s during the black and grey movement. Like legendary rapper Biggie Smalls says, “If you don’t know, know you know.” The vibe was chill and the man himself, how can I say this. He’s got the swagger and style of a old school cat. We absolutely cannot wait to collaborate with this cat.

Puttin’ in work.

Mark and John on the creative front. Issue 1 on BBI and Mark blown away!

Word.

If you’ve been patiently waiting for the second issue of Bound By Ink (BBI)  to drop then you’ll be pleased to know that it officially hits newsstands on October 1st. For the release of our second issue, the cover has even thicker paper stock (and better spot varnish), and inside we’ve got plenty of that good ‘ol photo-editorial excellence that came packed in our premiere issue.  Stay tuned for more updates and as always…..thanks for all the support.

I’m back in Vegas for Mario Barth’s 2010 Tattoo Expo and already I’ve spent a whole day without my damn camera. It’s weird how it’s usually glued to my hip but this time around I forgot it in the trunk and walked way too far to turn back and get it. Needless to say, it was definitely good to see plenty of friends and familiar faces. Mark Mahoney & Freddy Negrete are out at the show in full force with the rest of the crew from Shamrock Social Club, Robert Pho is reppin’ LV and Skin Design and of course all the usual suspects like Jeff, A-Dogg and the big timers like Mario Barth (Starlight) and Nikko Hurtado. In all, the response to Bound By Ink was tremendous all across the board and the feedback we got was more than great and we’re definitely humbled and thankful. In retrospect, it also had me laughing because I remember hearing about some dude spreading rumors that no one liked our magazine and now that I think about it he was absolutely right because they don’t like Bound By Ink…..THE LOVE IT. With that said remember that real go-getters start movements….not rumors.

When I say old school, I mean old school. Research shows that one of the oldest known tatted individuals is this here preserved body named Ötzi. Ötzi is a 5,300 year old preserved Tyrolean iceman. Evidence shows that this tattoo might have been more medicinal than decorative purpose. Trip out.