We're gearing up for the NYC Tattoo Convention, May 17-19, at the Roseland Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. It remains one of our favorite shows because of the finely curated roster of international artists, the fantastic stage show performers, and because we get to see our traveling freakshow of friends who come into NYC specifically to be a part of this convention.  

This will be my 13th year attending the show, and the first time I won't be working it for a long time, so I can run around, watch the amazing art work being created, shop(!), and yup, hang at the bar. You'll see us floating around Saturday and Sunday. I'll have N+S stickers, pins, and bear hugs.

Check my bad photos from past shows on Flickr, including the ones below. I'll also be Tweeting the event and posting photos on Pinterest and Instagram.

You can also follow news on the convention on their Facebook page.
 
Tattoo by David Sena. 

Tattoo by David Sena.

This photo cost $5. Worth every penny!

Heather Sinn tattoo on TattoosDay's Bill Cohen

Tattoo by Daniel DiMattia.

Damien Echols next to the tattoo he did on Sacred Gallery's Kevin Wilson. More info on how to get a tattoo from Damien coming soon.

Photos by Clayton Patterson

In the Villager, artist, activist and documentarian Clayton Patterson offers some history on the NYC Tattoo Convention, which runs this Friday through Sunday at the Roseland Ballroom. He also notes in the article what you can expect from this weekend's show, including traditional tatau by Brent McCown. There will also be other artists doing hand tattooing in addition to buzzing machine work from stellar artists from around the world.

I'll be there Saturday and Sunday. Hope to see y'all there!

One of my most favorite tattoo conventions is soon upon us, and I'm giving y'all a heads up so you'll join us for another awesome show:  Mark your calendars for the NYC Tattoo Convention, May 18-20, at the historic Roseland Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. Can't get any better than that.

One of my favorite things about the show -- in addition to an impeccably curated list of international artists -- is the feeling you get that there is still indeed a tattoo community. Lots of people trading tattoo stories, picture posing with friends and strangers, and hell, you just may meet your future ex-husband or wife there! Or at least a colorful one-night stand.

Also part of the fun will be performers, tattoo contests, and an array of merch and book sellers ... like me! Look for my table Saturday and Sunday by the stage, where I'll be selling discounted copies of my latest tomes and giving away free N+S buttons and stickers.

And if you don't see me there, I'll probably be by the bar because, ya know ...

Here are some pics below from last year's show. Hope to see you there!

A belly dancing sword swallower. A professor of body modification. A biker bouncer getting his nursing degree. And a balloon clown dressed as a rabbit named ToTo. They are just some of the beautiful tattooed attendees and performers at the NYC Tattoo Convention who -- along with top tattooists -- made this fourteenth year of the show such a success.

[For more photos of the show, see Brian's Flickr Set.]

It's hard not to be biased, however. It's my hometown convention, one that I have attended for over a decade. So much has changed over this time in tattooing, but the organizers keep to a solid formula that works:  well respected and experienced artists in a variety of genres, from tebori to blackwork; off-beat entertainment; quality vendors within the tattoo community; and good bartenders. That formula attracts collectors from around the world who come specifically for the convention.

From Stockholm to Staten Island, they arrive at the historic Roseland Ballroom on Harleys, in wheelchairs, on top of stilts, and in strollers. In various states of undress, they are on view before hordes of tattoo paparazzi. When not under the needle or vying for the next appointment, they push towards the stage to see acts like Natasha Veruschka, a six-time Guinness World Record holder, swallow 22-inch swords while shimmying.

And whether preening or gawking, attendees are interacting. Strangers become good friends, even if just for a few hours, and love connections are often made. For such a hard city, New York's convention is one of the world's friendliest tattoo shows.

Y'all proved that to me. I had put out on Facebook and Twitter that rewards would be bestowed upon those who come up to my Black & Grey book signing table and say, "Marisa, you are so much *taller* in person than I imagined." Mere Needles & Sins stickers and buttons cannot convey my ego's gratitude, dear readers (especially after so many years of hearing the opposite). You rock.

It especially rocked having a table next to Marvin and Doug Moskowitz who were signing copies of The Last of the Bowery Scab Merchants, a beautifully packaged, two audio CD set that holds the amazing stories of their father, Walter Moskowitz. At their table was also the legendary tattooist, anthropologist and author Mike McCabe, whose tattoo books line my shelves. It was an honor to be in such company.

During the tattoo competition (which seems to grow longer each year with full body work), I left our table by the stage to shmooze, shop [thank you, Father Panik!], and ensure my next tattoo appointment with Dan of Calypso Tattoo, who is shown below briefly trading personas with Brian.

You'd think in this time I'd manage a decent photo or even a Tweet, but I was too busy playing with ToTo and his balloon animals to come through. I'm sorry. Thankfully, Brian picked up my slack for Needles & Sins, and two of my favorite fellow tattoo bloggers also have convention coverage:  Check out Bill's photos and review on Tattoosday, and be on the look out for updates from Nathan of KnuckleTattoos.com.

I haven't found much on the show from mainstream media. NY1's video is the only one worth a quick look. I also did a Flickr search and found great shots by Veronica Ettman. Hit me up if you have video and photos you'd like to share.

I'll sign off today by sending much love to the new and old friends made at this convention. You make these events so much fun.

French born, Los Angeles based tattooist, painter and sculptor BUGS will be exhibiting a new body of work entitled Purity in Motion at Sacred Gallery in SoHo. The opening reception is 7-11PM next Thursday, May 12th -- the night before the NYC Tattoo Convention, where Bugs will also be tattooing. The show will run through May 29th.

I talked with Bugs about his upcoming exhibit in our Q&A for Inked Magazine and learned that he had just returned to sculpting, a medium he was exited to get back into. When I further asked him about it, he replied:

I'm sketching new cubic women, starting small. I'm going to make them in bronze. Near my house is a foundry that deals with a lot of artists. I think it will be interesting to see my work in 3D, to see my work freely with all the angles of my design. I don't know if it will be popular or will sell but I don't care. I do it for me.

Bugs will learn soon enough how the sculpture is received with this first unveiling of the work. The sculpture will be on view along with paintings that "reflect a mix of different techniques showing images of nudes." He adds, "Also included will be other subjects close to my heart from my background in France."

If you can't make it to the show, you can appreciate his distinct cubist and modern abstract style (like the work below) in his tattoo portfolio online. Bugs works at the Tattoo Lounge in LA, Thurs-Sat, and Victory Electric Tattoo Co., in Studio City, CA on Wednesdays.

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TONIGHT AT SACRED:  There will be a special one-night only Benefit for Japan in which all artwork will be priced at $200 or less, and all proceeds go to the Red Cross. Prints and original drawings from a stellar line-up of artists will be available. More info here.

I've been a long-time fan of Nathan Black's Knuckletattoos.com, which focuses on the finest of career killers and the stories behind them.

Nathan will be coming in from Austin to hang with us at the NYC Tattoo Convention, May 13-15, and take photos of special hand tattoos for an upcoming book. Follow him on Twitter for updates.

He's also got a fun app that let's you make your own faux knux. Here's mine.
 

Still in recovery from the NYC Tattoo Convention, which took over the historic Roseland Ballroom this weekend and the better part of my liver. [I've gotten to know the bartenders well over the past ten years.] 

Brian and I managed to shoot a few photos, which you can check here on Flickr. They are the kind of photos you've come to expect from me--that is, pretty sucky--but you'll get an idea of what went down.

Here are my personal highlights of the show, in no particular order:

* I LOVED meeting Batso, formerly of Rescue Ink, shown above with his wife. [Yes, that's a tattoo of him on her back.] He told me that he, and a couple of other members, left the group because it became less about saving the animals and more about money with their reality show. He is just as passionate about animals as shown on TV, warm and very kind, but I would never want to get on his bad side. [He said that when he finds men who have tortured animals, he wants (has?) to torture them so they can know what it feels like). He continues to do animal rescue, work on his cars, and now he makes special soap that he says will keep us all looking as young as he does at 77 years old. Check his personal website here (although it doesn't seem to have been updated recently).

* Another great character I met was Richie Magic (best to turn your sound off if clicking). Richie is the world record holder for extinguishing 200 lit cigarettes in his mouth in 6 minutes and 37 seconds. Here he is on the right with his tribute tattoo, to himself. Richie is also a master magician, sideshow performer, and part of the Ripley's Believe it or Not family (often working with his wife of 25 years, Barbara; check them on The Marriage Ref show). Richie and Barbara were a lot of fun, and I may just follow his advice to one day become a target girl for knife throwers impalement arts practitioners.

* The tattooists all seemed to be working on interesting pieces.

* There were many of the under-ten set in attendance--most with temporary tattoos from a special kiddie booth.

* There were also less people getting drunk, although the ones who did, clearly made up for the rest. We salute you drunken girl with the super-sized fake breasts who kept yelling, "I can pay you in tits!" when given her bar tab.

* And of course, I loved meeting all of y'all who came over to the Father Panik booth, where I was held captive, and proved my theory that N+S readers are the smartest, hottest, beautifully tattooed, and most forgiving people on this planet. I kiss you.

Photos by Jolie Ruben & Roxana Marroquin for Time Out NY

With the NYC Tattoo Convention kicking off it's 12th year today at 4pm, Time Out NY has gotten behind the show, giving out free tickets and publishing a 3-part article in tribute to tattooed New Yorkers.

Part 1 showcases six locals and their New York-themed tattoos, like Joshua Newberg above and his backpiece by Ray Jerez of Inborn Tattoo. I also love the Coney Island tribute sleeve by Michelle Myles of Daredevil tattoo on Brooklyn lawyer Suzanne Bivins.

Part 2 is Three Must-Dos at the Convention, a short and sweet list of this weekend's highlights including Sunday's Best Overall competition, and tebori, traditional hand Japanese tattooing,  taking place on the second floor.

And Part 3 is TONY's own tattooed employees and their stories.

Catch Brian, and I at the show Saturday and Sunday giving away free Needles and Sins stickers. I also plan to give y'all a live breakdown of the art and events via Twitter.

Can't make it tonight, though, because we'll be at the opening night for Rooftop Films, and while this eve is sold out, check the rest of the schedule for some of the best indie shorts and full length features screened outdoors this summer.

Tons of tattoo news from the past week that I'm putting together, but I thought I'd take a break and shoot y'all some faves on the tattoo convention circuit this month.

First up, my fave for the past 12 years, naturally in my home town: the NYC Tattoo Convention at the historic Roseland Ballroom in the heart of Times Square, May 15-17th. See photos from past shows in my convention collection on Flickr. I'll be there Saturday and Sunday taking photos, interviewing artists and partaking in general shmooziness. Will have Needles and Sins stickers on hand so look for me, and as always, please dont tell me you thought I was taller.

Next, May 29-31st, is the most fabulous Hell City Killumbus show, at the Hyatt Regency Downtown amidst the art galleries, restos and shopping in downtown Columbus, Ohio. I did a preview (and travel tips) of the show for Inked Mag, getting organizer Durb Morrison's picks on where to go while in town for the convention, but as he stressed, the tattoo weekend is designed to "keep all the Hellions under one roof for one hell of a weekend." He adds:

"We try to offer events and parties right in the hotel, like the Innerstate Art Party Saturday night and our first-ever roast on Sunday night, which will be paying homage to 'The Mayor of Tattooville,' Chris Longo. As always, the [Hyatt Regency] Big Bar on 2 will be kicking with attendees and artists celebrating all weekend long."

Sadly, I wont make it to Columbus, but I am get to the next Hell City convention in Phoenix, Arizona at the gorgeous Biltmore Resort and Spa, September 4-6.

Two other shows worth mentioning, although I can't vouch for them personally, are the Roanoke, VA show and the Maritime Tattoo Festival in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Roanoke Tattoo Fest takes place this weekend, May 8-10th, with some top artists like Bob Tyrrell, Larry Brogan and Mathew Amey in attendance as well as long time legends like Judy Parker, Pat Sinatra, and Mary & Mike Skiver. My beloved Chuck Eldridge of the Tattoo Archive is also giving a seminar on historical tattooing.

And in beautiful Nova Scotia, the third Maritime Tattoo Fest will also host some great artists, and looks like a good time ... despite the mud wrestling.