The entire TS family is deeply saddened at the news of the passing of Tattoo Artist Boo Boo Negrete. Our thoughts and prayers are with Freddy (Negrete), family & friends. Tattooing will forever keep his memory alive. Please take a moment to check out this article that the NY Times did on Freddy & his sons.

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for traditional tattooing. Not just because it’s what our community’s foundation was built on but because these tattoos are so completely reliant on having clean, straight lines and bold, solid saturation. The simplistic designs allow tattooers to showcase how they have honed their craft. It’s no secret that the majority of traditional style tattoo artists always have tended to be “loyal to the coil” folks that have a sort of romance with the smell of flux from the apprenticeship days of making their own needles. However, surprising enough, more and more traditional tattoo artist...

Mark Schilling :: Agape Art Collective – Costa Mesa, CA – How has the chair helped your career? The 270 chair has helped my career as far as back pain goes, being comfortable helps my performance and gives me peace of mind. Its versatile and helps me tattoo in different positions comfortably. Oh, and its fucking badass looking! It perfectly curves to my ass. – What sorts of problems were you experiencing before buying the chair? What made you buy it? Constant back pain, especially lower back pain. In this thing I can sit for 15-16 hours straight if I...

I started skateboarding when I was 13 and what I loved about skateboarding the most was being able to go down to the local mom and pop shop to buy skate products. I remember it giving me the feeling of being a part of something unique; free from corporations and mass produced products. Most skate companies at the time were independently owned so the common public in the early 90s had no clue what any of the brands I wore at the time were. I remember getting made fun of for my puffy DC shoes with the tongues popped out....

Proud to launch our new TS Cornerstone Interview Series with Episode 1 featuring High Voltage Tattoo resident, Nate Fierro. Watch to learn about his start in tattooing & inspiration for his illustrative, neo-traditional Americana and Japanese style to skating & eating right.

Growing up I had one of those dads who thought any type of body modification was considered gay. Thanks to Dennis Rodman in the early nineties, my parents thought the idea of tattoos, colored hair and earrings were for insane people. I remember the first time my dad voiced his opinion outload. It was a bright sunny day and this man who had these long dangling earrings walked past us and into my dad’s office “Jr, you see that guy? He’s gay!” I go, “how so?” My dad’s response “he wear the earrings, this is for women, not a man....

George: So how long have you owned and operated The Martlet ? Bryce:  It’s going to be 6 years in October. George:  When did you start Tattooing? Bryce:  I got my apprenticeship in 2007, then one year later I started working at Red Hot Tattoo with Joe Caram, Pat Sweeney and Jen Mclellan. Jen was the one who taught me. George: Did you go in there and get tattooed a lot and then all of a sudden they saw potential? Bryce:  Yeah, I would be getting tattooed there and a couple of other spots and I didn’t know shit about...

I had a friend complain to me about a client once who wanted to get a lion tattooed on his arm to symbolize courage. My friend spent a really solid chunk of time drawing this lion out. He had sketched it out in different angles, really worked on making a beautiful mane that would stand out, wanted to make sure the face captured “courage”. When my friend presented the drawing to the client, he did not approve. He demanded it be redrawn with a million other things added to it. He proceeded to ask my friend if he could include...

Tattoo art is no longer confined to the body as “living” art. Tattoos that used to be a signature of outcasts, criminals, and sailors are now becoming appreciated as expressions of intricate visual design. This new appreciation was showcased for the first time last weekend at New York-based auction house, Guernsey’s, during the first-ever auction of original tattoo art. The collection contained over 1,000 pieces of tattoo art ranging from $500-$30,000, many of which Arlan Ettinger – president of Guernsey’s – expects to double in value within a year. For those who’ve never heard of the world-renowned auction house, Guernsey’s...

Basma Hameed was severely burned as a young child in a hot oil kitchen accident. The accident left permanent scarring and discoloration on parts of her face. After undergoing over 100 procedures, she was still not able to conceal the third-degree burns. It was not until she was getting her eyebrows tattooed that she had the idea to tattoo her entire face. "I saw the result immediately," she told Mic.com of the procedure, which she underwent following failed eyebrow transplants. "I was so happy that I thought to myself -- why not do the same procedure using skin tone pigments...