REMEMBER THIS? Guinness Prime Time 1996

This was an episode of Guinness Prime Time on which I appeared. It has been shown world wide since we appeared on it in about 1996. Julia's facial tattoos are way brighter then than they are now. She has been undergoing laser treatments to lighten and remove some of the work so that she can re do and re design her facial tattoos.

This show went world wide. A few years after the show aired in the U.S. and North America, I received a letter (not even an email, a paper letter!) from a friend in South Africa who said he saw it! Another in Australia... it had been translated into several languages and shown world wide!

Wanna say thanks to Daniel for forwarding me the link to this show!!

Cut off.

Meryl and I did it up right yesterday.

We started with pancakes at Seward Cafe,

took a drive to the St Croix River,

walked on an old railroad tracks path along the river,

went to an apple orchard,

stopped and got some pumpkins,

and took the long way home through Wisconsin

to check out some super nice foliage changing.

What could possibly make the day any better?

How about finally doing the long awaited,

best tattoo idea anyone has ever approached me with?

And done on one of my favorite people ever.

Katie's got a laugh that beats mine in every way possible.

She also has a penis she's not particularly into.

No kidding.

Extra baggage, if you will.

Leftovers from the move.

Eventually, it'll be reconstructed into a whole new deal,

but that might be a little while.

So until then, Katie wanted to hint at what's to come.

Foreshadowing foreskin, kids.

NSFW

Chef's Choice

Saturdays book out pretty far in advance.
But sometimes we have last minute cancellations,
leaving us with a wide open day,
and a measly $60 deposit for us to dry our eyes with.

In order to cheer myself up last minute,

I put out a call for any brave soul willing to get a

"you get what you get" tattoo to fill the spot.

That's what this was.

6 hours.

It's going to have more added to the background,

and a few little details added,

and then I'll get a healed photo.

There's lots of exciting things on the horizon right now,

and I have a new fire in my belly.

Tomorrow kicks off the first of "Painting Mondays",

a weekly art session that I've carved out a space in my week for,

since otherwise painting rarely ever happens.

I hope to have lots to show for it soon.

400.

This is my four hundredth blog post.
Which sounds like a lot,
until I realized I've been writing since early 2007.
And then I just felt lazy.
Ha.

Casey had the big wedding this weekend,
and all the family came out from everywhere for it.
It was on a riverboat on the Mississippi,
and everything was really nice.
I found out that there's a kind of pretend lighthouse
hanging out on the shore of the river in MPLS.
I mean, it's real, and has a light,
but if you need it for navigational purposes,
you should probably not be driving. anything. (ever)

Here's Meryl looking all matron-of-honory,
and timed just right for the lighthouse.



Also, the next guest spot at Off the Map has been set!
January 2nd-7th, 2011
I'll be starting to take appointments this week,
but I'm booking it slightly differently this time.

If you want to get tattooed,
email me your idea with all relevant info:
size, black and grey or color, body area, etc.
Preference will be given to tattoos that best fit my style,
and I'd like to work in 4-6 hour blocks of time.
Once we set a date,
you'll have to call OTM and give them a deposit.

I just realized I didn't book my stay at Maynard House yet,

so I'm off to do that.

email me if you want in.

shawnhebrank@gmail.com

ARON MCKENZIE IS BACK AT FUNHOUSE

Aron McKenzie is back at Funhouse Tattoo after some time away tattooing all over Canada, he's back in Vancouver! Aron and Mark used to work together years ago in London Ontario. Though their styles are different, their dedication to the perfection of their art is the same.

Aron has over 15 years tattooing, he has experience in every style.... black and grey, traditional...portraits... freehand... you name it. Even if you have purple skin, he can make the lightest colors show up!!! If you want a kitten chasing a ball of yarn, he's your guy... if you know any deers who need to be put out of their misery... he's your guy... if you need any advice on natural cures or remedies... maybe ask some one else!

He has tattooed coast to coast and has some of the best stories around... no f*cking joke. Come down and get tattooed by Aron!

Please call the shop to make an appointment. 604-879-4114

mid week, mid month

Meryl's sister Casey is having a big wedding party on a riverboat this week,
and all the family is coming to town.
Her dad and step mom came a few days early,
for some extra baby time and new tattoos.
Here's my father-in-law getting getting his first ever tattoo.



I came back from Peru to a few really fun projects.
Here's the first sitting of a big chest piece cover up.
You can see the old horned skull underneath the ram skull.




The world has been paying more attention to "body art" lately,
but is lumping it all together every time it's discussed.
Identity Tattoo doesn't do piercings or body modification,
and every day we have to explain our reasonings.
Meryl's been bumping into a lot of these discussions
in online literary communities,
and she wrote a blog post about it.
(that's my lady)

NQNS and DDD

Yesterday was September 11th.

And you know what that means, right?

Something sexy was put up on the NQNS website.

Every month,

on the eleventh,
that's what happens.



I keep things pretty busy.
Apparently, that's the way I like (need?) it.
This October, though, is going to top it all.
It'll be nice, then, to kick off the month with a Dark Dark Dark show.
A record release party, even.
And better yet,
they asked me to do up the flier for them....
I did a black and grey version
(for easy/cheap copying)
and this color version.
It's going to be so good,
you might be an a-hole if you miss it.

Solemente tres dias

I didn't have too many expectations for my 3 day visit to Peru.
I figured as long as I got to see some lighthouses and dead birds,
(and didn't completely starve)
it'd be a successful trip.
It was such a strange and short adventure.
Lima is a city dealing only in extremes.
A coastal city that's also a desert.
It is always grey and foggy,
but never rains.
Old building next to new ones,
with Incan ruins right in the middle of the city.
A business hub surrounded by excessive poverty.

Here's the Faro de la Marina Lighthouse in Miraflores,
only blocks from our hotel.

Lighthouse - check.

Miraflores (part of Lima) from the "beach".

We found dead everything down there,

including some birds.

Dead Peruvian birds - check

Adam and I aren't very proficient in Spanish,
but we got by.
And I found a fully vegetarian restaurant that catered to vegans,
so of course I went every day.
Not starving - check

The rest of it was just icing on the cake.

Lots of sexy old government buildings, churches,

museums and ruins.

We did a lot of tours,

by bicycle, van, taxi, walking, etc.

The best, by far, though,

was inside the Church of San Francisco.

There's catacombs under the church,

with the remains of over 25,000 people.

They didn't allow photos,

but here's a link to exactly what we saw.

So dope.

Most of the world resides in the Northern Hemisphere,

so it was exciting to cross the equator.

Thanks to Adam for figuring out the trip,

and inviting me to join him.

Now it's back to work tomorrow.

TATTOO MACHINES & THEIR SECRETS - 2ND EDITION

Probably the most important industry text book any professional tattoo artist should own.

The cover art was done by Mark Lankin of Funhouse Tattooing in Vancouver and was written by Art & Steve Godoy.

The function of the tattoo machine is everything. It controls the force at which the needles penetrate the skin. Understanding this function, in detail, will enable any artist of any skill level to reach artistic goals which weren't possible with an un tuned machine.

These days, the tattoo industry is making money. The silly t.v. shows have glamorized the industry so much that everybody and their brother wants to become a tattoo artist. Elevating their status from fry cook to "tattoo artist" has created the backyard scribbler. Now he has "star status"... he can get his "sleeves", meet chicks... be recognized anywhere and work in his unregulated and unsterile environment! Though through the decades, there have always been backyard scribblers, there are more now than ever before! Some suppliers, without ethics, sell to anybody... why? because they are motivated by money.

The tattoo industry is making money, suppliers are making the most money. They are buying cheap and selling high. Most of the machines they sell are manufactured in China and sold for as little as $20.00 a machine. It's really become a throw away world! And why not?? the price is right... if your machine runs like sh*t, throw it away and get another $20.00 machine. Maybe the supplier may even have a sale... you can get it for $15.00!

A good artist should be able to diagnose problems, repair and tune his/her machines. That artist should understand the function of that machine in association with artistic technique. This is the difference between real professionals and amateurs. The difference between gliding through a 1 hour tattoo as opposed to suffering for 2 or 3 hours using a machine which it not tuned.

The machine can't be bought (usually) and expected to perform, right out of the box. Unless it was built by artists/builders who UNDERSTAND what that machine needs, in order to achieve certain results.

This book is the only definitive industry text book of it's kind. This book provides a complete dissection of the electomagnetic tattoo machine, the function of each and every component and it's role in a fully funcitoning well ltuned tool. It will be available by September 30. $140 dollars is nothing to pay for 25+ years of tattooing experience. It is a soft cover with full color images, machine gallery, artist gallery and information you will find only in this book. Educate yourselves and you won't have to feel taken advantage of... see why it has been the most downloaded bootlegged book in the industry...

If you fail to prepare, then prepare to fail.

Grandma's a Badass.

Viola turned 85 today,

so she got a birthday tattoo.

No kidding.

On her hand.

A cover-up, even.

She didn't move,

or make a peep,

but she did keep us laughing the whole time.

Viola's daughter Stephanie went next,

and got some more work done on her lower leg sleeve.

We added this owl, acorns and leaves,

and colored some of it in.

Tomorrow I tattoo a couple more birds,

then leave early for the airport.

I'm off to Peru with Adam W.

In search of South American lighthouses,

dead birds and vegan food.

I'll be back in the shop September 11th.

Long weekends?

I win.