A 2006 report by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology said that 24% of Americans between 18 and 50 have a tattoo.  That only means there are more and more strange happenings in tattoo-land.

Imagine being a thief - a not very bright one - and forgetting to cover up your very distinct tattoo before robbing someone.  Investigators say a white male wearing a camouflage baseball cap and camouflage pants went into Mrs. T’s Country Store in Castleton, Vermont on Sunday, August 24th and pointed a gun at the clerk and made off with some money.

But it keeps getting more bizarre.

Police say the suspect had a four lettered tattoo on his right forearm. The clerk said the first three letters were C M M and the letters were all gothic style.  Shame on you if you know somebody this stupid.

In other “tattoo identification” news, police in Spain are asking the public’s help in identifying the body of a man from his strange tattoo.  The tattoo is on the right arm of the body and consists of a text written in Spanish copperplate lettering. The body was found naked and is of a muscular man.  He….ahem….also shaved his legs.

And in case you have a really unique and special tattoo, here’s a new way of paying the rent.  A man has sold his back tattoo to a collector and has agreed to appear three times a year to display the tattoo.

Yep, ol’ Tim Steiner struck a $217,789 deal that states the gallery can display the tattoo of the Virgin Mary — still on his back — three times a year.  The gallery also has the option of reselling the tattoo, which took over 35 hours to create.  And yuck….they can also can remove it from his skin when he dies.

Another odd factoid on this story is the Tattoo Artist, Wim Delvoye (a Belgian conceptual artist),  that did the Virgin Mary on Tim’s back has been tattooing PIGS since 1990.

He’s even got a wikipedia entry, Click Here.

Makes me wonder if he even got a cut of good old Tim Steiner’s deal. Doubt it since Tim probably paid the original artist to get the tattoo to begin with.

Hey Wim! I’ve got a great idea for a Sacred Heart full back tattoo for myself if you ever get tired of doing the pigs … now what did I do with the number to that Gallery?

Remember there is a limitation to what can be covered up and how many times you can cover up a design.

Here are some ideas for tattoo cover ups:

1. Tribal
   If you are into tribal designs then consider getting a tribal tattoo incorporated with or covering up the old tattoo. Tribal tattoos can blend in well and are deep colored enough that if you have a fading tattoo it can do the job covering it up.
2. Name Cover Ups
   A common tattoo to get covered up are names. These can carry a huge amount of regret, especially if it is of an Ex, and covering them up can be a relieving experience.

   There are different ways you can cover up names such as using the same color in a new design as the name can usually be incorporated and covered efficiently.

   Another option may be to change the actual name in design, making it more comical, or re-wording it so it means something different.  Johnny Depp used this method when he  changed his “Winona Forever” tattoo into “Wino Forever”.  It’s usually rare that a good name change can work but it is something to consider.

3. Modern Design Cover Up
   Another way to cover up an tattoo is by getting one of the newer modern designs that are out. Usually these are very rich in color and elaborate making a cover up job easier.

Another critical part is choosing the Tattoo Artist. Make sure you look through their portfolio and ask specifficaly if they have any before and after pictures of other Cover Up’s they have done.

The example cover up images above were provided by a Patrick, fantastic Tattoo Artist out of Germany, and we will certainly be featuring more of his designs.

For more of his work you can visit the following websites:

Patrick’s Deviant Art Gallery Page

Patrick’s MySpace Page

Patrick’s Official Website

If you love tattoos I would encourage you to check out the Deviant Nation website.

One of the biggest problems with permanent pigments is that the best ones are unsafe for use on humans. This leaves the the industry with just a few save alternatives. For the most part, very light fast and permanent colors are used. But this is not always the case. When it comes to yellow, purple, orange or magenta, the fade resistance is still not very high. The most common reason for fading colors is Ultraviolet Light, especially the light from the sun.

This does not mean once you get a tattoo you have to stay out of the sun forever. It’s just that excessive amounts of sun will fade tattoos. It fades about the same rate your skin degrades when exposing it to the sunlight too much.

Another factor is the application of the tattoo itself. I have noticed the more experienced an artist is the better he can apply the pigment correctly and the less it fades.

Also keep in mind that new tattoos nearly always look like there is enough ink in them because there is ink in both the dermis and the epidermis, but the ink in the epidermis will grow out with the skin and the tattoo will fade noticeably in the first year or two compared to a tattoo done by an artist who takes the time to get it right. So it is important that the artist not go too fast. Think of it as pixels in a digital photo’. If a tattoo is done too quickly less ink gets into the skin and the tattoo will look good at first but will start to fade noticeably after only a year or two. It’s like putting you printer on Fast Draft as opposed to Best, one comes out fast but faded and the other slowly but bright and vibrant. The only difference is that a tattoo will always look bright at first because there is ink in the top dead layer of skin (epidermis) that disappears as new skin grows and the epidermis and flakes off

People often say their tattoo looks much older than it really is. So it is they probably exposed themselves too much to the sun, didn’t take care of it properly during the healing process or the artist simply did not apply the pigment correctly.

Your skin ages and with it the tattoo. That’s a fact and there is no way around it. If you want the tattoo to look good as long as possible take care of your skin and you will take care of your tattoo at the same time.

In ancient Egyptian mythology and in myths derived from it, the phoenix is a mythical sacred firebird. Said to live for 500, 1461 or for 12594 years (depending on the source), the phoenix is a male bird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises.

So I’ve recently become re-interested in the Phoenix and the mythology behind it and have started looking for a tat that I like. Looks like it may be a longer search than I expected. Below are some of the tattoos or designs that have caught my eye in my initial search.

Not a bad Tattoo but looks a little too aggressive for me. Guess I want a more wise noble phoenix

I actually like this one, kinda has that Japanese style going. Just not sure how it would layout across my shoulder. Will have to print it and experiment some. Also not sure if I would want to color it or leave it like it is in this design.

Another nice Tattoo, rather large for me personally but very tastefully done.

Show some love at http://graynd.deviantart.com/gallery/

What others are saying about Graynd.

you are by far one of the most talented tattoo designers I have seen in a long time. Your work is both colourful, and yet still has fresh and bold takes on classic themes. needless to say, I love your work!

Wicked tats…

Ran across this tattoo on the lovely meghanmargarita and wanted to share. Looks to be an everyday bird (A Robin perhaps) sitting on a branch of a cherry tree. Thought it was very creative and the inking professionally done.

You can view some more pictures of the subject at http://meghanmargarita.deviantart.com/gallery careful though, some pictures are NSFW (Not Safe For Work)!

Tattoo by James Marlowe at Marlowe Ink in Fairfax, VA

Check Out Some Of The Tattoo Flash on eBay Below

TATTOO FLASH,10 SHEETS SKULLS & REAPERS BY MAD BOMBER ! US $4.50 End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 6:23:53 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

Toilet Seat Skin decal "True Until Death Tattoo Flash" US $10.00 End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 7:06:40 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

Toilet Seat Skin decal "Blue Flower Tattoo Flash" US $10.00 End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 7:06:40 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

Ran across this talented Tattoo Artist whose designs combine the tribal style with current touch of goth. Not too much goth but enough to make it visually different.

Show some love and check out the rest of their work at http://quicksilverfury.deviantart.com

Check out some of the Tribal Tattoo items on eBay below 

BLUE QUEEN LOW CUT JEANS WITH TATTOO TRIBAL W28 (10) US $40.53 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 3:09:05 PDT Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

BLUE QUEEN LOW CUT JEANS WITH TATTOO TRIBAL W26 (8) US $40.53 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 3:09:29 PDT Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

BLUE QUEEN LOW CUT JEANS WITH TATTOO TRIBAL W24 (6) US $40.53 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 3:09:52 PDT Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Skull Tribal Gothic Tattoo Quality T-Shirt Size L new! US $12.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 3:24:25 PDT Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

BLUE QUEEN LOW CUT JEANS WITH TATTOO TRIBAL W26 (8) US $21.08 (11 Bids) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 4:24:21 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Tattoo Johnny Leather Guitar 3.5" Strap Tribal Girl US $16.99 End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 6:56:33 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

SHARP SIDEKICK LX SILVER TRIBAL TATTOO BLING FACEPLATE US $14.99 End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 8:41:49 PDT Buy it now | Add to watch list

Ying Yang Black Hoodie S Tribal Tattoo spiritual yoga US $22.69 (0 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 10:30:00 PDT Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

DESIGNER BELLY BINDI JEWELRY TATTOO Skirt Tribal LENGHA US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 10:51:40 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

GOLD TONE ARMLET TATTOO JEWELRY BINDI Bellydance Tribal US $0.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Monday Sep-08-2008 10:51:48 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

From that beginning there are now thousands of tattoo artists in the country. Just like in everything, some are better and more talented than others. You want to spend a little time finding that artist who you like and who will do a quality job for you.

The only real way to tell whether or not an artist is good is to see examples of their work. Verbal recommendations are helpful, of course, but carry a lot more weight if the person making the recommendation is able to show you a real example of the artist’s work - like on their own body. It’s best to not take someone’s word for it. You should get a look at the artist’s work yourself. It’s always best to see actual examples of the work on a live person who can tell you who created he tattoo.

People are usually proud of their tattoos, and if you seem genuinely interested most folks will be happy to tell you about their design. Tattoo magazines are also a good source for information. The photo-essays they publish about various artists are likely to be well-researched and legitimate examples of the artists’ work. The key is to shop around and find someone really talented as the quality of your tattoo depends so much on the talent of the tattoo artist.

Not only must a tattoo artist be excellent at drawing or tracing many designs of tattoos, but many times the customer will come in with a tattoo design and want the tattoo artist to interpret the customer’s idea. By taking the concept of the customer, the tattoo artist must try their best to bring the customer’s idea to life. The tattoo artist must be able to relate to the customer, understand the customer’s request and be creative enough to materialize the idea. Some customers may come in with no specific tattoo design, just the idea of what they want the tattoo to represent, and leave it up to the artist to create the kind of tattoo they are requesting. Now that takes talent and creativity!

As we have advised before don’t be in a rush. Take your time to find an artist whose work you have seen and choose a design you will be proud to wear the rest of your life.