The modern twin-coil electromagnetic tattoo needle was patented in 1891 by one Samuel O’Riley (sometimes known as O’Reilly), an Irish-American tattooist working out of a barber’s shop on Chatham Square in New York.

It worked – and, for that matter, still works – essentially like a doorbell, with two coils of wire wrapped around an iron core, two points, and a bar across the top that plunges down when power is applied to the coils, breaking the circuit, then springs back up again to recommence the cycle.

Imagine a sewing machine, without the thread.

What this means now for Will Wright, a 30-year-old landscape gardener flat on his back on a reclining chair in a handsome brick building on High Wycombe high street, is that three fine steel needles are puncturing his skin roughly 150 times a second. That’s just for the initial scratch outline of the red kite Wright is having across his stomach. Later, it’ll be a pack of nine needles, to darken the line; later still, a spade-shaped array of as many as 15 needles, a magnum, shading the bird’s wings and underbelly.

Will doesn’t feel much like chatting.

“It does hurt,” he says. “I do it because it looks cool, full stop. No deep inner meanings or anything. But it does hurt. Some are worse than than others; it’s worst where there’s not much flesh, close to the bone. But basically, it all hurts. I really wish it didn’t, but it does.”

It can’t hurt that much, though, because Sean “Woody” Wood, Jammes and Jay, three of the four tattooists in Woody’s Tattoo Studio, have full diaries today (Woody and Jammes, in fact, are booked up until January). The fourth, Lee, who’s taking care of the walk-ins, has already had to turn two people away. In a bright, white, unthreatening interior, all gleaming surfaces, comfy armchairs and select samples of tasteful tattoo art lining the walls, those machines are buzzing, buzzing, buzzing. “So,” Woody tells Will, gravely. “You are about to suffer for my art. Are you ready, sir?”

Behind the counter, jovial Alison in reception is busy doling out good advice: “That Cheryl Cole thing on the side of the hand? Trust me, love, everyone’s got one. Everyone. Same for Rihanna’s star. And don’t even mention Jordan’s bow.”

Tattoos, suddenly, are everywhere. According to one survey this month, a fifth of all British adults have now been inked (as contemporary usage has it). Among 16- to 44-year-olds, both men and women, the figure rises to 29%. Only 9% of over 60s have one, according to a survey of 1,000 adults by the Ask Jeeves website, but 16% of people aged between 30 and 44 have two. The survey, while not entirely scientific, is in line with a 2008 US study showing that 36% of Americans aged 18-25, 40% of those aged 26-40 and 10% of those aged 41-64 have a tattoo. America, Woody reckons, is “probably about a decade ahead in terms of popularity”.
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By GERRY WARNER

gerry@dailytownsman.com

I bet you’ve had this experience too. You’re standing in the supermarket lineup or maybe the liquor store minding your business and a quite comely female standing in front of you catches your eye. No, it isn’t her looks or her cleavage.

It’s her tattoo.

My goodness, what is this world coming to? Everywhere you go now, people are sporting tattoos, especially women! Now, I’m not a dirty old man and a jagged peak covered with snow is much more likely to catch my eye than Lady Ga Ga, Or maybe a 55 Chevy, but it’s getting ridiculous out there now.

And I don’t mean sweet young things trying to make an impression with that purple dagger blade pointing right at you behind her ankle bracelet. No, I’m talking also about matronly women of a certain age sporting some blotchy, psychedelic, screamer of a tattoo that ‘s coming up from the nether regions behind the back of her dress and maybe over her shoulder and right down her arm.

Weird!

Or in some cases they can be quite subtle. Maybe on the neck, just behind the ear or nestled down the throat or the calf behind the leg. And when they wear bikinis? Well, we won’t even go there.

Not to say that you don’t still see hairy, male forearms covered with a kaleidoscope of ink and inscriptions to some lost love or maybe even dear old mom. But we’re used to that and it’s not nearly as unsettling, or even upsetting, as seeing as surreal smear of ink on some demure female creature and many times in places that we shouldn’t really be looking, but given how little some women wear these days – even in the office – well, you try to keep your eye from wondering, but even the strongest among us sometimes give in.

After seeing this phenomena time and time again, I decided to do a little research and . . . well, read on. Tattoos go back into the mists of antiquity, as far back as the Polynesians and the ancient Egyptians. “Ta” comes from the Polynesian word for striking something and ttoo from the Tahitian word “tateau,” which means to mark something.

Historians theorize that the first tattoos were probably created by accident when a stocky Neanderthal tripped over a club or a bone and scrapped his arm and then rubbed ashes or something similar on it to ease the pain and found that it left a mark on his skin.

Remember Otzi, the “Ice Man” from the Bronze Age 5,000 years ago, whose wonderfully preserved body was found in a glacier in the Austrian Alps about 10 years ago. Well guess what. His swarthy skin bore 57 tattoos, which anthropologists theorize were probably some kind of treatment for arthritis.

But it was the venerable Egyptians, more than anyone else, that were responsible for the plethora of tattoos assaulting our eyes everywhere we go today. Mummies more than 5,000 years old have been uncovered by archaeologists in ancient Thebes, which display groups of dots, and lines that were aligned in abstract geometric patterns believed to have been associated with long-forgotten ritualistic practices.

Kind of makes you wonder what kind of messages tattoo-bearing women are trying to send today.

Whatever the case, there has always been something mysterious, sinister and vaguely indecent about tattoos. The Victorians loathed them and they weren’t seen in polite company. Pirates sported them proudly, but they also had rings in their noses, ears and other places and were not exactly considered polite company.

Tattoos were a major part of North American aboriginal culture and were used to signify rank and status, especially for warriors. Young native women marked themselves with tattoos to indicate their marital status. In modern times, tattoos have been mostly associated with sailors, military men, criminals and circus carnies. But in the last decade or so, they seemed to have crossed into the mainstream for reasons that are hard to fathom.

Whatever the reason, one thing can be said for sure. Once you decide to indulge in body art there’s no easy way of turning back.

Thanks DailyTownsMan

NEW YORK (May 28) — It all started with an octopus and a skin disease.

Many addicts eventually admit to having a monkey on their back. Julia Gnuse actually has two chimpanzees. They’re embracing on her left shoulder, just above a vintage rendering of the Three Stooges along with an image of the famous chocolate factory scene from “I Love Lucy.”

“I like to honor anything that makes me happy with a spot on my body,” says the 55-year-old California woman who has at least 400 tattoos that collide into one another in an immense collage, covering 95 percent of this jigsaw puzzle of a body.

“There are parts I can’t show you,” she says, mentioning that the only areas not tattooed are below her ankles. Still, she doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

“I have a great cast scene in my buttocks area of the TV show ‘Bewitched.’ I have Samantha flying on the broomstick in the cartoon sequence at the beginning, as well as each character, including my favorite, Gladys Kravitz.”

Gnuse dropped her robe and flaunted her colorful body of work at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, where Guinness World Records honored her as the World’s Most Tattooed Woman — a distinction she officially shares with Krystyne Kolorful, a Canadian exotic dancer.

“I saw a picture of Krystyne 25 years ago, when I was in Las Vegas,” Gnuse says. “I didn’t even have one tattoo back then. I didn’t even dream at the time that we’d share this record.”

In her mid 30s, this Missouri native developed porphyria, a skin disorder similar to lupus. Exposure to sunlight leaves her body scarred.

“It can look sometimes like I have third-degree burns,” Gnuse says.

“So in 1991, I went to a tattoo artist named Art Godoy, and I got my octopus. That covered up one scar. Then I kept going.”

Soon, she admits, she became an ink-aholic, visiting Godoy’s parlor every week for more than 20 years, painting her body with a collage of images from TV shows, movies and pop culture — all that meant something to her.

The Beatles, her favorite band, soon took a place on her right ankle. Considering that Ringo sang “Octopus’s Garden,” that must have kept her original tattoo happy. Naturally, all these critters needed to live happily in a yellow submarine, which Gnuse soon added.

Travel north on this living canvas and you’ll find Noah’s Ark and the Seven Dwarfs on her left thigh, Winnie the Pooh, Fred Flintstone and Popeye on her right.

Up a little more, and you’ll find a Guinness World Records logo.

Gnuse holds Lisa and Marge Simpson close to her heart, just above her breasts. She once had a boyfriend tattooed in that region, too. But they had a falling out, and Godoy did some reinking and turned the ex-beau into Rodney Dangerfield.

“Rodney might be gone,” Gnuse says, “but he still makes me laugh.”

Only one other tattoo has been inked over, and that is a picture of Elvis, which was turned several years ago into Mickey Mouse. There has yet to be another Elvis sighting, at least on this woman’s body.

Other pop culture icons elbowing for attention on her arms: Betty Boop, Jack Nicholson, Jim Carrey, Cookie Monster, Tweety Bird and Elmer Fudd.

Groucho Marx — who famously sang the novelty hit “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady” — is proudly featured on the breast of another woman, tattooed on Gnuse’s shoulder.

In other words, Groucho is a tattoo on a tattoo on the world’s most tattooed woman.

Godoy and his twin brother are responsible for all of the work on this wearable masterpiece, which will be shown off extensively in the 2011 Guinness World Records book.

Gnuse estimates that she has spent more than $70,000 on her one-of-a-kind makeover. And after working as a courier and a cookie seller, among other jobs, she’s now developing a business making personal appearances.

She’s not always able to be such an extrovert. While she’s quick to parade in a bikini for reporters at a photo op, her condition prevents her from flashing a lot of flesh on a sunny day, and that keeps her covered up much of the time.

“The tattoos have helped me appreciate my body,” she says. “When I was younger, I was a pimple picker. It was just pick-pick-pick, and I thought, ‘Well, if I put a beautiful art scene on my face … that would help me not to pick at my blisters and scar myself even more.”

In Groucho’s song, Lydia leaves the circus after sweeping an admiral off his feet. “The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat,” as the lyric goes.

In real life, Gnuse has a longstanding romance with a musician, while sharing her home with her beloved cats.

“My guy doesn’t have tattoos,” she says, “but he appreciates mine.”

Thank AOLNews

“When you love something/one, set it free.” In my case, when I love something, I get it tattooed on me somewhere. Tattoos and tattooing is more common place than ever before. What once was considered “taboo” or only for bikers and grunts in the military is now a part of our everyday culture in America. Many sports personalities sport ink, television shows based on the art seem to be everywhere, and tattoo shops seem to be everywhere, not just in the dirty and dingy part of town. People get tattooed for a plethora of reasons, many of which to commemorate the loss of family member or a loved one, and some of us get tattooed just for the heck of it.

I’ve been getting tattooed for about 8 years now, and the newest edition to my collection, as seen on the right side of your screen, is a Golden Age Green Lantern (Alan Scott). I got this incredibly bright piece on the inner-side of my right leg, creeping over onto the front of my leg… onto my shin. I’ve always been a huge fan of not only Alan Scott, but also of Golden Age comics in general. I love knowing how this gigantic industry got started, and where some of my favorite characters came from. The Green Lantern, Alan Scott, along with the rest of the Justice Society of America originally appeared in All-Star Comics during the early 40s, and in a sense, this is my ode to the Golden Age of comics as well as World War II. Soldiers read Golden Age comics while having downtime on the battlefield to keep morale up. I know that’s a stretch, but oh well. I’m very excited about this one because I’ll be building off of it, and it has a Golden Age art feel to it. I plan on getting Alan Scott’s face tattooed above it in the next year or so.

For those who have never experienced the wondrous world of tattooing, let me describe it for you in a way that you can truly understand. First, tattoos hurt, a lot. If someone with a tattoo tells you that it didn’t hurt, they’re lying. Call them a liar to their face. Again, all tattoos hurt; however, there are various degrees of pain depending on the location on your body. The upper arm is the easiest. It’s a cake walk compared to the shin or “pit” areas. (arm-pit, behind the knee) So, when you have an idea for a tattoo, you print out what you’d like to get and go to the tattoo parlor. (By the way, do your research, there are tons of bad tattoo artists out there) You show the person tattooing you what you want, and the first this they say to you is “this has to be bigger.” You sigh and agree. After the artist does his pre-artist things, you sit down in a chair, and the artist shaves your leg. You make remarks back and forth as the artist calls you a gorilla, and you tell him this is your favorite part and you think you may love him. (Yes, I did this over the weekend) The artist puts a carbon copy on your leg and then the artist begins the outline. They ask you over and over if you’re doing ok and if you need a break, unless they hate you. As the tattooing continues, the artist may chat it up with you, and if they have a sense of humor, you can joke around and yell things out like “this isn’t a butterfly!” As the tattooing comes to a close, you get tired of being in pain and start making hilarious faces of pain. (Sadly, my friend left and didn’t take a picture) Then, after 2 1/2-3 hours of some guy inflicting pain on you, you pull out your wallet and pay him a buttload of money. Or, if you’re like me, your credit card is declined twice, and you don’t know why, so you rely on your girlfriend to put up the money as you embarrassingly leave the shop. (My bank thought my card was stolen) That’s about it. Oh yeah, then you’re in pain for a few days, especially when you get a tattoo on your calf and it’s constantly tense.

This whole debacle was actually planned for C2E2 because they had a tattooing section at the show, but after looking at the tattoo artists there, I didn’t feel incredibly positive about getting work done there. So I waited. And as much as G-Man wanted me to get “ComicVine 4 Life” in Old English lettering across my stomach or “Mat & ComicVine: BFF,” I’ve wanted an Alan Scott tattoo for a couple years now. Hope you guys enjoy the story of my pain, especially those who have tattoos and know what I’m talking about. I know there are plenty of people on this site with tattoos on this site, so…

Thanks ComicVine

Police and a judge disagreed, slapping Lee M Deitrick, 20, with a three-year prison sentence, CantonRep.com said today.

Deitrick pleaded guilty in Stark County Common Pleas Court to two felony child endangering charges as part of a plea deal with county prosecutors, the site said.

He reportedly tattooed the outline of the letter “A” on the child’s buttock. The mark covered about 1.25cm.

Assistant Stark County prosecutor Katie Chawla said the site said the mother, who was a friend of Deitrick’s, left her daughter at Deitrick’s home for a few hours on November 7 to visit a friend in hospital.

A relative, Brandi Nelson, 17, held the girl across her lap, Ms Chawla said.

“I don’t know whose idea it was. It was late in the evening and apparently somebody thought it was a good idea,” Ms Chawla said.

County prosecutors maintain the tattooing caused the girl serious, permanent disfigurement and involved sharp and or prolonged pain. Deitrick had the tattoo equipment and has given tattoos to others, Chawla said.

Defence lawyer Eugene O’Byrne told the judge Deitrick watched the child often, CantonRep.com said.

“There was no malice,” he said. “More of an error in judgment.”

Thanks HeraldSun

People looking for a little body art in the Waterbury area have an option to pay for it with something other than money. They may be able to trade video games or children’s toys for their tattoos.

Jay Moynahan, owner of Foundation of Youth at the Brass Mill Center Mall in Waterbury, has started offering his tattooing and piercing services in exchange for those items, according to the Republican American.

He says he’s willing to negotiate with people who might not be able to afford the body art, and hopes it will develop return customers. “I believe that a lot of people who are trading will come back, and pay with cash when they have it,” Moynahan told the paper.

With the recession, Moynahan has seen a 30 percent drop in sales, so he turned to Craigslist and began advertising his offer to barter, according to the Republican American.

His posting says he’s looking for Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii games, or even toys for his 2-year-old son.

He deducts the value of the traded goods from the normal price he charges for a tattoo or body piercing. A typical tattoo at the shop runs about $150, according to the paper.

Thanks NBCNews

Maybe, you reckon, it’s time to bite the bullet. But this might make you think again.

According to reports, a woman in Caerphilly recently died from blood poisoning two days after having her tongue pierced.

Despite scary stories like this, there’s a lot of “body art” about. American figures suggest 14 per cent of people have body piercings and nearly a quarter have tattoos.

Celebs such as Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox are covered in them. And the number of tattoo and piercing parlours on our high streets suggests the figures are rising.

So what about the medical dangers? There are plenty. In one UK survey, 95 per cent of GPs had seen a piercing complication.

Everyone knows about the risk of hepatitis B and C – and maybe even HIV – from dodgy needles. What’s unclear is exactly how big those hazards are with body art.

The figures may be skewed. After all, tattoos and piercing used to be associated with jail sentences, broken teeth and “risk taking” activity such as alcohol and drug abuse, which were linked to HIV and hepatitis risk.

Times have changed, though. These days, body art is so common that a bloke with tattoos and a nose ring is as likely to be on Neighbourhood Watch as on housebreaking duty.

So the only certainty about these serious infections is that the risk needs to be taken seriously. As does the danger of other infections. There have been reports of everything from tetanus to toxic shock after piercing.

And “minor” germs can spread to produce life-threatening infections. Even if you avoid germs, your latest metal or paint work might still cause havoc. Swelling and bleeding are common early on.

Piercings can take ages to heal, especially in the navel, nipple or genitals and can leave nasty scars.

And both piercings and tattoos can cause allergic reactions: cue redness, itching and a wish that you’d spent your money on something else.

Certain sites are more likely to cause piercing screams than pleasure, too. Piercing the upper ear can mess up the cartilage; in the nipple it can infect an implant and in the tongue it can crack teeth.

As for the genitals, don’t go there. Literally. There are blood vessels, nerves and pee-tubes at risk. All of which means you should think twice if you’re about to dabble in body art.

Then there’s the hazard of your nose ring being torn out next time you’re in a ruck. Or of you failing to get that job because the interview panel took exception to the Chelsea tattoo on your forehead.

Still determined to give it a go? Check that the body artist is registered with the local authority. That gives you some reassurance about hygiene, practice, equipment and premises. There should be a notice on display about possible risks and you should be asked about your health and offered proper after-care.

If, after all those ifs, buts and maybes, you still find you’re irresistibly attracted to piercing and tattoos, I reckon the guy in the shop must have a huge magnet – and you’ve already got metal in your nipples.

Thanks TheSun

(CNN) — We are often asked to declare our identity for documents, applications, bank loans and even social networking sites. But how much of our identity is lost when we select “female,” “African-American” or “Muslim?”

I think much of my own identity is lost when I fill in those boxes. I am technically a white, male, heterosexual, Christian, upper-class Ph.D. student. But I am more than meets the eye.

I’m covered in tattoos and piercings, and this often leads to assumptions about my character. “Is he a drug addict? Is he a skinhead? Does he play music for a band?” I am none of these things. The lesson I hope to teach others through my life is that it’s important to see past appearances.

My sociopolitical views are a large part of my identity, and I incorporate these into what I wear; whether it’s T-shirts emblazoned with the images of activists whom I admire or deliberately manipulating my demeanor to reflect the “professorial” role I assume in the classroom, I am continually aware that others are reading my presentation as a measure of my character. And it is to this end that I deliberately try to throw people off.

I hope to debunk some of the myths surrounding tattoos and piercings. And I know that everyone who interacts with me is left wondering how someone so “deviant-looking” can be kind, courteous and hospitable.

My body is also a billboard for my life, and my tattoos tell the story of my identity. My earliest tattoos were direct quotes and Bible verses and captured my identity as an outspoken social-justice advocate.

I began to display my political views more directly in later tattoos. I have the “female” sign behind my left ear to reflect my commitment to feminism and women everywhere; I have the Human Rights Campaign logo behind my right ear to reflect my commitment to LGBT struggles.

The tattoos on my arms capture my commitment to “faith,” “family” and “mom and dad.” I also have a bald eagle on my forearm to reflect my commitment to making this country a better place and a skull wearing a graduation cap to reflect my lifelong commitment to teaching.

I know that my appearance is misleading, and I know that many people would disagree with what I see as efficacious inscriptions. But one thing is for certain: I will not blend in with the crowd. I will be noticed, for better or worse.

Thanks CNN

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―Seventy years ago, only six percent of Americans had a tattoo.

By the end of the 20th century, it had become the sixth-fastest growing retail business in America.

But just as more Americans were getting tattooed, along comes laser surgery to remove unwanted tattoos.

Now both industries seem to be going gang busters.

Tattoos have become a growth industry especially among women who make up more than 60 percent of the business.

“It seems like almost everyone in Pittsburgh has a tattoo these days,” says Evan Gealy, owner of KyKlops Tattoo.

Four years ago, one out of four American adults under 50 had a tattoo, but now that number has grown.

Carrie Kadunce of the North Side has a three star tattoo on her side.

“It’s accepted. It’s not looked down upon like it was before years ago,” she said.

That acceptance has boosted business for places like South Side Tattoo.

“Tattooing has become extremely popular,” says Veronica Delaney. “Among any group. We probably have 50 percent over the age of 40, 50 percent under the age of 40.”

Mike Grady, 22, of Wexford admits his parents are not too keen on his tattoo but he’s addicted with the body art.

“I got my first tattoo when I was 18 and I wasn’t too pleased with it, so decided to cover it up, and this is sort of what I ended up with,” says Grady.

Amy Ausiello, a popular tattoo artist with Penguins and Steelers players, says you’d be surprised who has a tattoo.

“Now doctors are getting tattooed, lawyers, any type of professional people,” Ausiello said.

But 20 percent of those tattooed get them removed because of bad art, changing life styles, wrong names, and even job requirements.

“Definitely more women are having them removed, and the women are more consistent,” says Dr. Roxana Barad, owner of the Aesthetic Laser Center in Bloomfield.

Dr. Barad uses lasers at her growing business, but removing tattoos is not that easy.

“The easiest colors to remove are black and red, red being the easiest, black second. Blues and greens can be removed with more difficulty.”

It’s painful to get a tattoo and painful to remove one — although a local anesthesia is used to numb the skin for that.

And while a tattoo is more accepted today — many employers do not want them visible on the work site.

As for cost, some small tattoos and their removal can cost less than $100.

The larger the tattoo, the more costly the removal, even into thousands of dollars.

KDKA

When a 14-year-old gets a haircut or a manicure in Florida, the barber or nail technician is licensed, has completed relevant training and passed tests dealing with sanitation and health safety issues.

But when that same 14-year-old gets a tattoo, the artist who punctures their skin and injects ink that leaves permanent markings is not required to have any training or credentials whatsoever.

That lack of training can result in bad tattoos, scarring and infections, say those in the industry. Risks of infection are so high that would-be blood donors in Florida, unlike in some states, must wait a year after being tattooed before they can donate blood.

Another problem is that children often receive tattoos in shops without their parents’ consent, which the law requires.

That is so common that the vast majority of tattoo-related complaints to the Duval County Health Department are from parents who discover a tattoo on their child.

Cheryl Ellis, the environmental supervisor who fields those calls, says she has to explain that she has no enforcement authority over tattoo shops, except for their disposal of biomedical waste, such as needles.

“They call me all upset, find out we can’t do anything and then they really blow their gasket,” she said. “I tell them to call their legislator.”
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