Hey y'all.

I'm working on a new tattoo book project, and in it, I'd like to show how artists interpret popular tattoo themes in their own style. That's where I could use your help.

If you have a skull, dagger or heart tattoo that you would like to share in my project (for a major American publisher), please email a high-res image (or send a link for me to download it) to marisa@needlesandsins.com along with information on the artist who tattooed you.

UPDATE: I should've clarified that tattooists can submit as well BUT the artist will need express permission from the client to use the image in the publication.


My eternal love,
Marisa
--
Dotwork skull tattoo by Daniel DiMattia, Calypso Tattoo.

As a NYC based denizen, I've frequented a few (but not many) tattoo studios in the five boroughs. One of the best studios I feel is Three Kings Tattoo situated at the corner of McCarren Park in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Unfortunately, one of the artists- Matty No Times has been out of commission for the past few months.

From their news section: 'as i think most of you know, matty has been out of commision for the past few months. matt is waiting for a liver transplant and though he has been in and out of the hospital for the past 4 months, his spirits are high. we've all got our fingers crossed that his new liver will arrive soon and he can get back in the chair, but for the time being, he needs some help. like most tattooers, matt didnt have insurance and has a pretty hefty medical bill in front of him right now. he is also engaged to be married to a great woman, who also has an 8 year old daughter, so money is pretty tight for him right now. if you can help at all, you can donate to his paypal address

Mattienottimes00@hotmail.com

and come to his benefit show on january 29th. Gospel is playing for the first time in years, drunkdriver and tournament are both coming out to raise money, and i hope you will too. there will be posters for sale, t-shirts for sale, and hopefully a bunch more benefit shows and art auctions. thanks for all your help

I was lucky enough to be tattooed by Matty during their Friday the 13th Zombie special last March. He was the first artist in the past year to start tattooing my legs.

Every little bit helps- whether it be a small donation, a t-shirt (only $20!) or just coming out to the show...

Just received the message below from Dr. David J. Ores and Michelle Steckert of Dare Devil Tattoo who have joined to create Ink4Haiti -- an initiative that unites tattooists to raise money for the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund: 

"Here's the idea: Donate ONE tattoo you perform to help the good people of Haiti.

Tattoo artists from all over the world can donate the fee they collect for one tattoo they perform directly to RED CROSS to help out the people suffering in Haiti from the recent devastating earthquake. It does not matter what the tattoo is, who the client is, or what the amount is. None of that matters.

ONE tattoo. ONE fee collected. ONE fee donated. That's it.

Do not send any money to us. Donate your amount directly to the RED CROSS by clicking the "Haiti Relief and Development " button.

THEN, please send us your name, the name of your shop, the amount you donated and, if possible, a JPEG image of the tattoo so we can post all that up on www.Ink4Haiti.org. Send it to drdave666@gmail.com

Let's show the world that tattoo artists and collectors care and know how to show it."

We've got a lot of love for Brooklyn here at at the Needles and Sins Compound and an even deeper love for Coney Island; with it's boardwalks rotting out from under your feet, rides that might kill you at any second and the glorious art of the sideshow.  No summer in NYC is complete without a Nathan's hot dog, some Coney Island Lager and someone pounding 10" nails into their sinuses.

So it's with sadness that we report the passing of former Coney Island strongman, Joe Rollino, who was struck and killed by (of all things) a minivan earlier this week.  He was a boxer, a Coney Strongman (who started his strongman career at the age of 10), a member of the Polar Bear Club and just a year ago, at the age of 103, he could still bend quarters in his teeth.

As we watch Coney Island change, gentrify and Disney-ify, it's sad to know that one of its legends is no longer with us.

The New York Times wrote about his passing here, and NPR also did a broadcast about him, which you can read the transcript of or stream the audio here.

[photo credit: Charles Denson]

I promised changes to the site in the new year and they are underway, my friends:

* First up, welcome our newest tattoo blogger: Sean Risely, a New York artist whose beautiful tattoos have graced fashion campaigns including those for Rodarte, Converse, Betsey Johnson, Alexander McQueen (his ad shown above), and many, many more. To find out more about Sean, check his Paper Mag interview.

* Because we have Sean on board now, well, we didn't think we needed to continue with our "objectified tattooed men" category. [Actually, not enough of you wanted to be exploited. And that made me sad.]

* We've also removed our graffiti category based on your overwhelming suggestions to do so and when we can locate him under any of the Brooklyn bridges, we shall remove Bobby Fisher as well.

* We hear you, Tattooed Internet, and we'll be bringing you more artist interviews, book reviews, convention coverage, lots of news and sponsored events.

* And speaking of events, if you're in the NY area, join us this Friday in Brooklyn at Tattoo Culture for the solo photography of Maria Guido entitled "Girls" -- featuring selected images from over a decade of Guido shooting burlesque. More details on Friday's event here. If you can't make it to the show, view Guido's work on her (reVAMPed) site.

**As an extra treat, a burlesque performance by Madame Leon will compliment the show.**

* Some of you have suggested that we post more events outside of NYC and LA -- where our writers are -- and we want to, but need your help. We do our best to scour sites and magazines for listings but if you see a tattoo-related event that you think is cool, let us know.

* Finally, thank you for your suggestions, comments, and kick-in-the-asses. It may be a labor of tough love, but we're all used to pain around here.

Much love,
Marisa

Filip Leu sleeve on David Bragger

Every time a contest winner is chosen, I feel like I've won something: interesting stories, beautiful photos...That's the magic of our scientific method whereby I ask Brian to shout out a number and that numbered entry wins. And the winner of our Vintage Tattoo book contest is:

The impeccably tattooed David Bragger (pictured here).

When I contacted David about winning, I also asked him about his tattoos. Humbly, he answered that he has work from Filip Leu, Scott Harrison, & Shige. The Trifecta of Awesome!! He let me in on the stories behind the tattoos and some photos to share with y'all, but before we get to them, here's some info on the man behind the art. 

* City: Los Angeles, CA

* Work: Musician/Teacher of Old-Time Americana music on fiddle, banjo and mandolin

* Fun: Play fiddle in Los Angeles-based old-time hillbilly jugband Sausage Grinder. Our upcoming cd features artwork by Scott Harrison and guest vocals by Bad Religion's Greg Graffin [Listen to the music of the Sausage Grinder Band on MySpace and Facebook.]

* Ok, the big question: Tell me about your tattoos.

 "First tattoo is an Oni wrestling with a fiddle. I decided to get my first tattoo while traveling in Switzerland in the Summer of 2006. I heard there was a tattooer I should look up, a guy named Filip Leu. At the time I was totally ignorant. I called Filip and did a 9-hour session with him. It didn't take long to realize I was in the hands of genius. 'Twas an incredible experience [Sleeve shown above].

Then I started researching tattoos. Months later, I came across the fine art of Scott Harrison. I was blown away by the imagery: banjos, dogs, diapers, erotic misery, etc. It wasn't the usual derivative tattoo art. It was something very special. Then I saw his original tattoo designs and knew I needed to get hold of him. So, now I've visited Scott several times and have completed a sleeve with him chock full of original art with some Stoney St. Clair flash thrown in too. [Sleeve is shown below]

One of my Tantric tattoo favorites is also from Scott. [See it here on Flicker]

I've also gone to Bill and Junii Salmon's Diamond Club where Shige tattooed his first Baku on my right leg and where Filip completed my right sleeve in March 2008. 

Also, Scott Harrison has designed the art for the inlays and neck carving on two custom banjos I own, in addition to painting the cover for an upcoming Sausage Grinder CD."

Wait! A tattooed Banjo?
 

"Yes. How many tattooers are doing banjo art? Talk about folk art and tattooing! [See photos of the tattooed banjos here, here, and here.]

The banjo makers are two of the best custom banjo makers alive: Jason Romero and Kevin Enoch. Romero cut and engraved mother of pearl inlay for the crowned skull banjo and Enoch did some wooden marquetry and neck carving for the devil banjo. He used different color woods. Very cool stuff ! I think they are the first tattooed banjos!"

And this, my friends, is why I like giving out free stuff. More contests to come. Oh, and feel free to keep answering the survey to help us make N+S they way you want it.

Most Popular Artist Profiles:

 * Zulu and Miya Baily's by Miguel Collins.

 * Bailey Hunter and John Reardon by Pat Sullivan.

 * Yoni Zilber by Craig Dershowitz.

 * Amanda Wachob by me.

Best Interview on Judaism and Tattooing Anywhere on the Internet:
Tattoo Jew: The Definitive Guide to Jewish Thought and Law Regarding the Practice of Tattooing. Craig's provocative Q&A with Rabbi Henry Harris.


Keyword Searches Leading People to N+S (aside from our name):

• *  "naked tattooed breasts" (you knew that was coming)
• *  "naked marisa kakoulas" (I only wrote for Suicide Girls!)
• *  "career killer tattoos"
• *  "miley cyrus tattoo" (sigh)
• *  "are tattoos a sin" (answer below?)
• *  "in russia you got tatoo if you commited to sin"
• *  "my daughter went to bali with friends and returned with a large tattoo on her tummy" (I kid you not)

My Own Personal Faves:
*  Brian's post and free download of his rendition of Lydia the Tattooed Lady.
*  Hell City write-ups by Chris Stauber and Justin Stitches. 
*  Evolution of a Backpiece.
*  And the Tattoo Shop iPhone App with which I make cheezy images like the one above.


More on new schemes & changes to N+S in 2010 next week. Thanks for reading. You are beautiful.