Baxter's Blog

A FOOTSWITCH!

Every tattoo artist uses one. Every ounce of power that is transmitted from wall socket to tattoo machine is controlled by the humble foot switch. Well… Jeff “El Jefe” Arnett, from Birch Avenue Tattoo in Flagstaff, Arizona has changed all that with his mind-boggling collection of custom foot switches for tattoo artists that want something just a little more special. Not only that… “El Jefe” is currently constructing a special Tattoo Road Trip “El Supremo” footswitch as first prize in our next tattoo contest. So, if you want to win one of these ultimate pieces of tattoo hardware, stay tuned!

THE ART OF SQUINTING

By Uncle Tim Heitkotter

For the uninitiated, this may seem like a bizarre topic for “Lettering 101.” SQUINTING? WHAT the Hell? Most of you might be thinking, Tim’s finally lost it. Hang in there… trust me! I remember way back in the ’80s, when I had a sign shop in Monterey, California. Business was booming and I had a big contract with the U.S. Army painting banners for their safety program. They had the usual cliché slogans like “Click it or Ticket” and “Gas and Alcohol Don’t Mix!” Some of them had “McGruff,” the trench coat-wearing cartoon dog, whose slogan was “Take a Bite out of Crime.” There were two dozen twenty-five-foot by forty-eight-inch banners, all with different copy. My shop was a 1,200 square feet; twenty feet wide and sixty feet long, which gave me about forty-five feet of wall space to pin up these banners and lay them out. Of course, being the “Old School” guy that I am, they were all laid out by hand with a three-foot wooden yardstick and a dark-blue Stabillo pencil. No computers needed.

There was a neighboring sign shop about twenty miles away, owned by a friend of mine named Carl. He had a young apprentice named Deano. Deano was a kind of hippie kid who smoked a lot of weed. He would drop by now and then to say howdy and hang out. One particular day he came by, when I was laying out these banners. He leaned back on the workbench (beer in hand) and watched, open-jawed, while I took my yardstick and Stabillo and started laying out these things out with my usual speed. That is, quick!

His employer, Carl, had a sign computer and did everything on it. Carl never laid anything out by hand, because nothing in his shop was hand painted. All they did there was vinyl signs… and it took all day on the computer to lay things out for the plotter to cut, and then Deano would have to “weed” all the excess vinyl and apply transfer tape so they could stick it to the surfaces. So, when Deano saw me layout this twenty-four-foot banner in fifteen minutes, he was aghast with fascination. This, of course was nothing to me, as I watched men layout sign after sign by hand in my father’s old sign shop, and letter them up even faster. By hand! With paint! I remember Deano saying, “Dude! How can you do that so fast and it’s so…..perfect?” What else could I say other than, “Practice, practice, practice?” …read more

Vyvyn Lazonga

Dear Friends and Clients:

Forgive this mass mailing. I just wanted everyone to know that I will be out of the shop from March 19 until probably the middle or end of April. I just booked my surgery time for a new hip and wanted everyone to know as soon as I found out. I’m sorry for any inconvenience but I’m looking forward to not being in pain any more, going for walks and having a more normal life.

I will be having two excellent guest artists that will be working in the shop, when I am gone. For more information about the artists, you can go to my website.

Thank you so much. I look forward to seeing you in the Spring.

—Vyvyn Lazonga, Madame Lazonga Tattoo, Seattle, Washington

Mary Jane Haake

NOT TO BE MISSED

Mary Jane Haake, who has over thirty years’ experience in restorative tattooing, began her training with Bert Grimm, who was hired by the United States Army to help injured soldiers returning from World War II, who had mustard gas burns and other battle scars.  He passed down his personal recipe book for his formulas to Mary Jane and she has been actively working in this arena throughout her career.

 Mary Jane will be teaching a specialty workshop for tattooers, entitled “Camouflage – Restoring Damaged Skin” on Friday March 16^th, 2012, from 2 – 5 p.m., in conjunction with the 21^st Annual SPCP Convention, at the Hyatt Regency, Albuquerque, New Mexico.  This advanced class is open to any tattoo artist or permanent makeup technician, whether you are a member of this association or not.  All proceeds from this class go directly to the SPCP to further educational projects.

The Legendary Bert Grimm

If you have ever been approached to help with the Wounded Warrior Project, or Breast Cancer Survivors, but didn’t feel comfortable working with these technically challenging projects, this is the workshop for you.

Mary Jane will address techniques she uses to disguise scars resulting from trauma, burns, staph and MRSA infections.  She will also discuss surgical scars, skin cancer, cleft lip repairs and tattooing at a time when your clients might unwittingly destroy your work with the newest laser designed to rejuvenate skin. And more importantly, she will tell you when to walk away from a project.

This workshop will include a set of pigments and formulas, together with a take-away package containing detailed information and charts needed for this type of work.  And did you know that many of these procedures are covered by insurance?  She’ll give you the forms and tell you how to get paid through insurance, which allows for fair compensation for you and doesn’t burden an already injured client with additional expenses.

Register for this class online at www.spcp.org, or all (847) 635-1330.

In addition to Mary Jane’s workshop, there is a Bloodborne Pathogens Standard class by David Vidra of Health Educators, at 8:30 a.m. the same day.  David Vidra, is a registered nurse who is heavily tattooed and pierced and is excellent at focusing this discussion on our industries.  David Vidra will also teach a practical class on the most common mistakes tattooers make in setting up, performing procedures and tearing down when finished.

This is the first time I have ever seen either of these classes offered.  Don’t miss out.

A GATHERING ON THE RIVER

Felicia Conley (Flo’s House of Ink, Kelso, Washington) cares a lot about her tattoo friends. For the last ten years she has provided a comfortable place (the Red Lion in Vancouver) for local tattoo artists to come together, lay on some righteous ink and reunite with their Pacific Northwest tattoo family. Lyle Tuttle was there, along with Crazy Philadelphia Eddie (in the photo below, with one hand on his trademark highball and the other on Mary’s shoulder). Sailor Cam (South Tacoma Tattoo) showed up in a kilt, along with fifty or so other tattooists mostly from Washington and Oregon. Lord knows there are too many tattoo shops nowadays, but I must admit the quality of tattooing at shows, even these small, cozy, neighborhood ones, is getting better all the time, and, where there used to be five or six outstanding artists at any particular gathering, now there are twenty or thirty.

One standout of this show was Spider Monkey Tattoo from Olympia. I was stopped in my tracks when I saw the blackwork that Brian Childs had tattooed on his wife, Debbie. Same with the backpiece by Monkey’s Lexi. Other amazing ink was evident at the booths of Jacob Hanks (Tattoos by Jacob Hanks, The Dalles, Oregon) and Charlie and his son, Austin Spencer (Studio 21, Las Vegas, Nevada). Hey, that’s five excellent artists… plus I saw another fifteen or twenty who were first rate.

Two small complaints: Someone could have done a better job policing the hall, especially when there were plates of discarded food stacked on top of an autoclave parked in the aisle (instead of a clean area away from traffic)… and then there were the significant number of young parents standing next to or, even worse, sitting inside a booth while tattooing was going on… rubbing up against someone getting inked, with babies in their arms! Some of those little ones looked to be no more than a few weeks old. Don’t these loving parents know what’s flying around in the air in a tattoo environment? I really don’t think I’d want my baby exposed to that. I know a lot of tattoo artists who forbid anyone under 18 in their shops. Perhaps we  should have the same rules at a tattoo convention. What do you think?

Other than that, Felicia’s show was fun, energetic and her handmade plaques and bowling pin trophies were (just like  her pirate swords, from a couple years ago) one more example of the love and care she puts into this annual event. It wasn’t a big show, but with Mary Jane Haake, Dermigraphics, Portland), Lyle, Eddie and Jay Brown from the Rosini Tattoo Family on hand, it had plenty of class.

ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW

Here’s some pages to tempt your tattoo taste buds: three new books from Schiffer. The Bowery Flash book (it comes in a custom, slide-out box) is over two inches thick and printed on kool rag paper to simulate the old flash collections of the ’50s. The Japanese Style book is a wonderful collection of a modern take on ancient classics. And the Alvarado pinup book bursts forth with a bountiful basket of beauteous babes.

As you know, we are starting to photograph tattoo shops for our new “Tattoo Road Trip” book, “The Best of Oregon.” After that, it’s “The Best of the Great Southwest” (Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada), which we are still assembling. If you are not listed on our Arizona, New Mexico or Nevada Directory of “best shops”  (the ticket for getting showcased in the book) and think you should be, submit yours by clicking HERE.

ROCKIN’ INK

Hi, Bob.

Here are some pictures for you. On every first Friday of the month, we open our doors (in the summer) and have bands play in our shop. Mostly Rockabilly. The Downtown Arts District and all of the galleries open their doors, as well… it’s a big to-do about town. That’s what the band pictures are all about.

Anne will be sending some of her work as well.

Cheers.

—Belou Waters, Peek-a-Boo Tattoo, Portland, Maine

EXPERIENCE COMES TO THE RESCUE

Aloha, Tattoo Road Trip fans and readers!

There has been a battle brewing for some time over the antiquated State of Hawaii tattoo laws. At best, they are laughable. It seems that because of some questionable weak language in the regulations, the lawyer representing a small group of entrepreneurs (who want to put on a tattoo convention on Oahu), has found a loophole. The group is trying to find a way around a statute in which, up until now, the law has been clear. You cannot tattoo in the State of Hawaii without a State tattoo license. You cannot tattoo outside of a licensed tattoo studio. It takes, roughly, eight months to get your license here. There are only two test dates per year (January and July). You have to pass a written test and then take a physical. So how does one go about putting on a convention with artists from outside the State of Hawaii?

Well, you try to push for temporary licenses by outside agencies and you dangle a big giant tourism carrot in from of the Governor. You lie and tell the legislators that a tattoo convention will bring 10,000 tourists to the state and boost the local economy. You tell the powers that be that they are going to concentrate on local artists. (So, why are temporary licenses needed?) You paint a big, beautiful portrait of hearts and flowers and rainbows, and the politicians just gobble it up because politicians always respond to one thing: money! Only problem is, we all know that tourists do not go to tattoo conventions, because the conventions are designed to bring the artists to the locals. Secondly, first year shows rarely break the 2,000 mark in attendance. It’s obvious that these kids don’t have a clue! They don’t understand that most of the licensed artists here don’t want tattoo conventions, because they attract more people who will want to open up more shops here. There are approximately sixty licensed shops on Oahu alone! Thanks to reality TV, there are masses of people that think they are going to be the next Kat Von D-cup. It’s all about the bling and the fame, and never is there any consideration for what damage they are doing to the trade. Never any consideration that possibly… MAYBE… they might be cutting their own throats for a few dollars.

The problem is that very few of the local artists on the eight islands were aware of this new proposed bill or were informed of these impending changes. That’s the way it works on Capitol Hill. Hush, hush and speed it through and nobody will notice until it too late. Hug and kiss the lawmakers to get what you want.

After seeing some of this information posted on Facebook, I jumped in on the forums and saw that this was a huge public safety issue. I decided to send an email to State Senator Will Espero. About twenty minutes after I sent the email, I received a call from the Senator. Evidently, my concerns had raised a red flag or two from a source of opposition, of which, up until this point, he had none. This is a HUGE public safety issue. These people involved in the production of these conventions are highly inexperienced in not only the convention scene but in tattooing itself! They were self taught and none of them had any idea on what the concept of cross contamination was. The State of Hawaii does not require licensed artists to certify through a legitimate blood borne pathogens training course. Their criteria for shop setup is weak and uninformed. The Department of Health is understaffed and undertrained in these matters, so enforcement is basically non existent. But the Senator asked me to fly over and meet him on Monday, when the hearing for this bill (SB 2398) is scheduled for public hearing on the following Wednesday. (Tomorrow) I asked him if I could bring Peggy Sucher. Peggy writes informative columns for TattooRoadTrip.com and is the only certified BBP training instructor that we know of in the State of Hawaii.

It seems that Senator Espero is heading the team pushing this bill through. So, when I flew over to Oahu, Peggy and David Sucher picked me up at the airport and Peggy and I met with the Senator to do battle and explain why all this was a very bad idea. We also explained that there were actually four unscrupulous tattoo suppliers selling to the general public in the malls right in the Honolulu area. We explained that this was not only illegal, it was immoral and socially irresponsible. We also showed him how the current tattoo and piercing laws and regulations were in serious need of an upgrade. I could go on about what we talked about, but I don’t want to bore you with the details.

After about an hour of passionate debate, the Senator is going to gut the entire bill and replace it. The hearing is still on but they will rewrite the entire bill, and he is appointing a task force to reconstruct the entire tattoo and body regulations for the state. Yes, he is including two experienced, licensed tattoo artists in the process. He realized that this was a horrible idea and agreed to halt the charging rhino and start from scratch. This time we are going to do it right. It’s going to take time and for now the convention and the temporary licenses are on hold. There will be more to this story, and I will keep you all updated as the story develops. I’m sure Peggy Sucher will have plenty to say on this as well. All I can add is that the future of tattooing in Hawaii is headed in the right direction. If they do have conventions, it will be done correctly or not done at all.

I want to close this by saying that, if I can make a difference, so can you! So get involved. Write your lawmakers and let them know that you won’t let special interest groups walk all over you without a fight. don’t let the government design the tattoo laws and regulations FOR you. That only ends badly for everybody.

Faithful servant to the trade

—Uncle Tim Heitkotter, Blue Tiki Tattoo, Hanalei, Kauai, Hawaii

See COMMENTS for more.

BIKES AND CACTUS SPINES

Often when I am tattooing, I will launch into biker stories of my Southwest-Mexican motorcycle adventures. The farther these stories distance themselves in my Harley mirror, the more exaggerated they become. One of my most truthful adventures happened only a few months ago.

For the last fifteen years, at the end of each wet, cold winter, I have jumped on my motorcycle and headed south towards the warm winds of Baja. The desert air dries my bones, while zoning out on my bike settles my jangled nerves. The exotic uncharted hunt for cervesa, tacos and a cheap room with a view satisfies my deepest need for alone time. Spontaneous journeys into sunny, blooming deserts streaked with endless, lonesome highways gives me a break from years of running a business.

Last spring, I set out on my annual “run for the sun” a month late. I usually leave before April, but last year I left the first day of May and discovered it was already unbearably hot at the beaches and deserts of Baja. It was record triple-digit heat at all of my usual taco stands. San Filipe, Tombstone, Yumawere all hotter than a chimichanga in frying pan, so I decided to head for the mountain-high deserts of the Four Corners states. The winds to my back took me to some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet. Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado have some of the most awesome scenery one will ever see from the seat of a motorcycle. As I explored the endless trails of asphalt, I flew through mind-blowing mountains, hidden springs and colored canyons that changed around every turn I made. This place was like magic to me, and I felt a deep satisfaction from such majesty. …read more

ANOTHER HEART FROM JACK

We just came across this shot of Mary February getting another heart tattoo, this time from the great Jack Rudy at a San  Francisco convention!

—Mr. P