Beyond music nostalgia, JK5's portfolio is filled with tributes in a variety of tattoo genres. What he is renowned for, however, is his lettering -- always perfect flow and readability, with a wide vocabulary of typographic forms. See examples below.

JK5 can be found at Daredevil Tattoo in Manhattan.

Today, in the Charlotte Observer, there's an extensive feature on South Carolina tattoo and fine artist Rodney Raines of Ace Custom Tattoo. Here's a taste of that article:

Over a decade ago Penny Craver, then owner of Tremont Music Hall, unknowingly inspired Raines. "She asked, 'Where did you have that done?' " he recalls about one of his full sleeves. "What she said next hit me like a bolt - 'Oh, you couldn't get that around here.' I thought, 'I've got to change that mentality.' "

He set out to change the perception of tattoo art in Charlotte. Through events that showcased his fellow tattoo artists' fine arts pursuits as painters, illustrators and mixed-media artists, he attempted to change the perception of tattoo as an art form.

Rodney furthered this goal by opening up the art gallery and wine bar Twenty-Two, where he displays work that is affordable and unique from Charlotte's usual gallery fare.

Check out Rodney's own fine art here and more of his tattoos here.

I like to think of myself as a bit of a Brooklyn badass ... but then there are things that bring me back to reality. The embodiment of badassery in my borough can be seen in this fascinating slideshow on Flavorwire of a gang "of 'troubled teenagers coming of age' in 1959 Brooklyn." Legendary photographer Bruce Davidson captured these kids getting into fights, making out with tough looking girls, and naturally, getting tattooed (as shown above). It's all very sexy. Hit up Flavorwire for more photos.

My mother is a nurse and my sister is a doctor, and for these reasons alone, there is no shortage of "clippings" and forwarded links to medical news on tattoos. For Christmas, I was given the gift of mass hysteria as an envelope filled with articles cried out that tattoos lead to AIDS & cancer. Of course, we all agreed that, with little science behind these articles, it's best not be a part of the fear mongering (yet) and see how things develop. [They promised to help me find better research that follow up such claims.]

One medical article my mom gave me that was way less sexy but important and practical is the cover feature in the latest Psoriasis Advance magazine entitled "To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo," which weighs the risks of skin trauma for people with psoriasis wanting a tattoo.

First off, what is psoriasis? The Psoriasis Advance website defines it as:

A chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious.
 
There are five types of psoriasis. The most common form, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body and is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression.

Psoriasis is the most common autoimmune disease in the U.S. As many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis.

So how does this skin disease react when there are needles injecting pigment into it?

The answer is not clear cut and reactions differ with each person. The article discusses the experiences of those with the disease who took the risk and got tattooed. Some did not have any reaction or had minor flare-ups with only certain tattoos, while others had their tattoos obliterated by psoriasis. You can see a gallery and read all the deep meanings behind their tattoos here.

The opinions of the dermatologists interviewed differed as well. Here's what Dr. Kenneth Wasserman, a dermatologist in South Philadelphia, Pa., was quoted as saying:

'One of the issues, any time the skin is traumatized, is psoriasis can occur in that area,' says Wasserman, referring to what's known as the Koebner phenomenon. 'And tattoos are trauma. In order to get a tattoo, needles have to be put in and there's trauma that happens to the skin. It's likely to bring up psoriasis in those areas.'

But Dr. Jeff Crowley, a Bakersfield, Calif., dermatologist and clinical researcher, offers another viewpoint:

'In the many hundreds of patients I have treated with psoriasis and tattoos, I have noted no relationship between the tattoo 'trauma' and psoriasis,' says Crowley, a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board. 'Some patients do develop lesions over portions of their tattoos, but this may just be the normal course of their psoriasis.'

Tattooists themselves have their own approaches when dealing with clients who have the disease. Some refuse to do any work, and some may even be prohibited by law. According to the article, "In Louisiana, for example, state law prohibits operators from tattooing on individuals 'with psoriasis or eczema present in the treatment area.'" Other tattooists take it on a case by case basis, like Briana Sargent of BUJU Tattoo in San Diego who says, "If a patient has an area with obvious psoriasis scales and redness, I would not tattoo that area." But she will tattoo non-affected areas and also offers touch-ups should there be any issue with healing. 

Another big concern is how a medication taken to treat psoriasis will affect the tattoo. For example, retinoids increase scarring in patients and topical steroid treatments can thin the skin.

Overall, the take-away from the article is to have a conversation with your dermatologist before heading to an experienced tattooist, then start small and proceed with caution. 

Read the full article here.

"You get the tattoo you deserve."

It's a belief held by many, and hell, I've said it from time to time. In tattooer interviews, you'll often find discussions on what tattoos the artists won't do. For example, in my Q&A with Jack Rudy for Inked mag, he said:

I try to stay away from racist stuff, religious blasphemous stuff, and really negative things that I think could come back and bite that person in the ass real hard. I'd rather not be a part of that even if they insist on having it. There are people that'll do anything on ya--you can always find people that will just do whatever the customer may want--but those are a few things that I really try to avoid.

Then there are others who say that if the client is going to go elsewhere, it's best that they do it themselves and get it right. With regard to racist tattoos, some artists just don't want to spend any time with a bigot in their chair, while others will do the tattoo so society knows just who they are dealing with. And of course there are people who will do anything for cash.

Tons of ethical dilemmas arise re: putting on a tattoo that a client may likely regret. The latest tattoo that has caught the most buzz is the "DRAKE" lettering across a young woman's forehead. It's been posted on tons of blogs, in a point & laugh kind of way, but we're digging this Vice article, which interviews the man who did the infamous facial work. The tattooist, Kevin Campbell, of Will Rise studio in LA describes the experience and responds to those who say he should have never done it. Here's a bit of that interview:

Do you feel sort of bad about it after the fact?
My whole deal with people wanting completely outrageous and potentially life-ruining tattoos is this: I'll ask them three times if they really think it's a good idea, I tell them what the potential consequences of getting a tattoo on their face might be, and after that, the bad decision is on them. I believe that people get the tattoos that they deserve. The shop where I worked prior to Will Rise was in the center of the Harbor City Crip neighborhood, so I'm not really a stranger to tattooing gang shit on faces, which is what I originally thought that this was. I guess I feel bad that this dumbass got the name of the softest motherfucker in hip-hop tattooed on her forehead. But what makes that any less valid of a tattoo to her? I lost a little sleep over it that first night, wondering if I wanted to be known as the asshole who tattooed "DRAKE" on some crackhead's forehead.
[...]
I could have turned her away, and I'm already getting a ton of flack from other tattooers for this, but the way I see it, if she's got her little heart set on getting her forehead tattooed then she'll just keep on trying until somebody finally goes through with it. I think that getting a color portrait of the Joker from Batman is a dumb idea, but who the fuck am I to judge? If some cat from MS 13 comes in and wants me to "blast" that shit on his chin or forehead or whatever, who am I to judge the validity of them getting what they get and where they get it? If I tattoo a huge "BK" on a Crip or tattoo "DRAKE" on some R&B-crazed girl's face, what's the difference? Who am I to say which one is wrong and which is right?

Read more here.

While I disagree with Campbell, I was understanding his arguments to a certain degree. ... That is, until the very final line of the interview:  "She was on a pretty good one when she came in, but I think by the time I finished she was coming down, because her attitude changed pretty drastically once the tattoo was finished."

So, in essence, the problem here is actually tattooing someone who is high and unable to make clear decisions. And in these cases, the client does not get the tattoo he or she deserves.

What do you think? Comment on this post in our Facebook Group.

UPDATE:  Kevin Campbell says that his reply to Vice was misinterpreted, and the woman was in fact sober. I posted his response in the group forum linking this post.