Monster Ink Tattoo Studio

Tattoos go mainstream: Modern amulet to be worn loud, proud

By: Shelley Fralic Source: Canwest News Service

They are born and you hold them in your arms, marvelling at their perfection, at the wonder of a tiny being so pure and sweet and unblemished that it makes you cry.

And you know, in that moment, that you will live the rest of your life doing all you can to keep them safe, to protect them from the evils of the world.

Other parents wisely tell you that to give your children roots is to also give them wings, and so you are prepared for the evolution of their personality -- both inside and out -- for that first sign of independence.

It surfaced when she was just 15, etched indelibly into her hip, but mercifully hidden by clothing until the top of it peeked through one day while she leaned over to fetch something from the fridge.

A tattoo.

When I saw that first tattoo on my teenage daughter, I went crazy.

Tattoo Expo came to the Mesa Centennial Hall

The buzzing of tattoo guns filled the air this past week as the Arizona

Tattoo artists and enthusiasts spent the past weekend mingling, shopping and maybe even getting a permanent souvenir tattoo.

The expo, which ran from April 4 to April 6, was a paradise for those who tattoo and pierce, as well as those interested in the respective trades.

Attendees were free to roam the convention center and watch people get new tattoos, peruse through artists' portfolios and partake in the refreshments outside.

Amidst all of the ink and metal, the convention also had clothing lines, many of which were oriented with tattoo culture. The expo also had kiosks for artists looking to sell paintings and jewelry companies that made high-quality, custom-made earrings, nose-rings, and other body rings.

There was also a semi-permanent, air-brush tattoo booth for those who were not quite willing to get the real thing, but still wanted to feel one with the colorful crowd.

Tommy Lee joins tattoo mile hile club

Talk about high art. Tommy Lee set a new record yesterday by getting a tattoo while flying 45,000 feet in the air. Huh? Here's what went down: Mario Barth of Starlight Tattoo gave the Mötley Crüe drummer a black and gray tattoo of a pea***** on his right thigh, as they flew from Burbank to Miami in a private Gulfstream jet. The stunt has landed Lee and Barth in the Guinness Book of World Records for "First-Ever to Perform a Tattoo in High Altitude." "I actually came up with the idea a couple of years ago, and I was just waiting for the right guy to do it with it because it's so unusual," Barth says. And we all know how much Lee loves the unusual. The tattooing lasted for most of the five-hour flight. "I put the tattoo machine down a minute before we touched down," says Barth, whose client roster includes Lenny Kravitz, Ja Rule and Nikki Sixx. Now, the Guinness Book of World Records may want to look into deeming this adventure as the world's most expensive tattoo.

History of tattoos

A tattoo, or dermal pigmentation, is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding. Tattooing has been practiced worldwide. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, wore facial tattoos, as do some Maori of New Zealand to this day. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian peoples, and among certain tribal groups in the Philippines, Borneo, Mentawai Islands, Africa, North America, South America, Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, Cambodia, New Zealand and China. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular all over the world.Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Ötzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BCE, was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle.