Tattoo Coommunicate: 2008-11-02

CLOWNS BY THE POUND!!

THIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD CHOICE WHEN YOU COME IN AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO GET.. EACH CLOWN HAS A SOMETHING THAT SETS IT APART AND MAKES IT UNIQUE TO YOUR CHARACTER.

SHE HAS COMPLETED HER BACK... AND SHE IS ALREADY THINKING OF WHAT TO GET NEXT.

Late Thursday night I received a phone call I wish had never needed to be made.

My friend Sheri called me to tell me that her fiancé Tom had died unexpectedly earlier that day, the victim of an aneurysm. He was only 42.

People die every day in America, in the world. Young, old, healthy, sick. Death is a fact of life. Here at Tattoosday, we acknowledge that. Memorial tattoos abound.

But Tom was not just anyone. He was my friend, and he was with me from the beginning of this venture, one of Tattoosday's earliest fans and supporters. Not only did he offer up his own ink (reposted below), but he was always on the lookout for me, and saw most of the photos before they made it to the blogosphere. We'd exchange messages and updates over the weekends, and he always anticipated my return from lunch on weekdays, to see if I had spotted any awesome ink.

He knew how much I was yearning for a better camera, and he ended up getting me a new one, with Sheri, for my birthday.

And if we weren't talking ink, we were talking music, both of us big fans of Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, and Metallica.

Below is the post I ran of his tattoo, a grim reaper from his metalhead days. It's not spectacular work, but it graced his skin, and made him one of the inked nation.

Tattoos I Know: The Grim Reaper (originally posted September 11, 2007)

This is the sole tattoo of my friend and co-worker, Tom Wacker.

Tom designed and drew the art upon which this tattoo was based.

The Reaper is posed on Tom's biceps/deltoid and has resided there since 1984, when its host was a young lad of eighteen.

This is Tom's only tattoo and he has no plans to get more. He is proud of the fact that, because he designed it and because he then tore up the original design, it is a one-of-a-kind piece. He said that it was very painful because of the amount of black ink that went into it.

The tattoo was inked by Dean at Lola's Tattoos, then in Cliffside Park, but now in Bogota, New Jersey. Tom got this tattoo "because it was cool," although the tattooer tried to convince him not to get it because it was "too mean" for him. Twenty-three years later, Tom says he has no regrets about his ink.

Thanks, Tom!

~~~~~~~

I have been posting less, of late, but Tom's spirit will live on through Tattoosday. For he is the audience I envision while writing. I know he would tell me not to mourn, but to keep on doing what I love, blogging ink, meeting new people, and showcasing their body art for all to enjoy.

I'll miss you, Tom. This blog's for you, too, wherever you are.

ITS OFFICIAL: THE LAST LAUGH IS HOSTING A CARSHOW ON THE ROOF OF THE PAPER MAGAZINE 24 HOUR POP UP STORE.
Saturday Nov. 8th 12pm - 5pm
8873 West Sunset Boulevard.

PAPER MAGAZINE 24 HOUR "POP UP" STORE IS ONLY FOR ONE DAY STARTING FRIDAY, NOV 7 AT 6PM TO SATURDAY, NOV 8 AT 6PM. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR THAT PAPER MAGAZINE IS HOSTING THIS 24 HOUR "POP UP" STORE. THIS IS NOT JUST A WAREHOUSE WITH BOOTHS FROM 3O BRANDS, THIS IS AN EXPERIENCE OF 30 DIFFERENT TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER WITH PAPER TO MAKE THIS A 24 HOURS THAT YOU WONT FORGET. OUR FRIENDS FROM UNDEFEATED, SUPREME AND STUSSY WILL ALSO BE THERE REPRESENTING. CONVERSE HAS PUT TOGETHER 24 BANDS IN 24 HOURS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE...

THE CAPP OFF!

JOSH CAPPO IS ONE OF MY CLIENTS THAT CAME IN TO CAP OFF ONE OF HIS SLEEVES AND HAS BEEN BACK FOR MORE WORK SINCE THEN AND BROUGHT IN FAMILY MEMBERS TO GET DONE AS WELL. HE WAS MUAY THAI CHAMPION FIGHTING FROM 18 TO 22YRS FIGHTING OUT OF THAILAND SINCE THEN HAS BEEN IN THE JEWELRY BUSINESS...

EAST SIDE STORY

HERE IS A FLIK OF THE MURAL I JUST DID FOR MY 39. THIS IS A MURAL THAT WAS INSPIRED BY THE 6TH STREET BRIDGE THAT CONNECTS WHITTIER BLVD AND THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES. MY 39 HAS ALSO JUST HAD THE FENDERS FLAKED AND CANDIED BY MARIOS AUTO WORKS, THE ENGINE WAS ALSO DRESSED UP BY BIG G'S CLASSIC CARS STARTING WITH THE BLOCK BEING CANDIED, DUAL CARBS AND ACCESSORIES WERE CHROMED, THE INTERIOR WAS DONE WITH A CLASSIC TOUCH BY TOP STITCH CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY. IF YOU WANT TO CATCH IT THIS WEEKEND STAY ToONeD TO MY BLOG TO GET THE DETAILS...

BUGS/ LIFESTYLE C.C.

MY CLUB BROTHER BUGS CAME THRU WITH HIS WIFE TO GET HER TATTOO SHE KNEW JUST WHAT SHE WANTED. BUGS IS KNOWN FOR HIS PINSTRIPING HE HAS STRIPED MY POPS EL CAMINO, STRIPED MY SHOP TRUCK WITH DANNY D, THEY ALSO DID THE HOLIDAY WINDOWS FOR SUPREME, STUSSY AND UNDEFEATED LAST YEAR AND WORKED TOGETHER ON MANY OTHER PIECES...

I spotted Raul outside of F.I.T. and stopped to ask him about this portrait on his inner left forearm.

The gentleman pictured is Raul's father, based on a photograph of him taken when he was serving as a paratrooper in the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic.

Raul told me he always had a special relationship with his father, who had always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps in the military. Raul explained that his father, however, changed his tune about this late in his career.

Raul did not indicate whether this was due to his father's feeling about life in the military, or a result of his seeing that his son was not meant for a life as a paratrooper.

Regardless, the portrait is a touching example of a son's affection for his father.

Raul credits this piece to Triple X Tattoo in Manhattan, and remembered the artist being from Australia and named Mike. A call to Triple X did not clarify this, as I could not connect the three elements to positively identify the artist.

Nonetheless, thanks go to Raul for sharing his inked portrait of his father with us here on Tattoosday!

FAMILY VALUES

IF YOU GREW UP IN LOS ANGELES IN THE EARLY 90'S THEN THE NAME SHERM MIGHT SOUND FAMILIAR. SHE CAME THRU AND WANTED A PIECE IN MEMORY OF HER MOTHER.THIS IS THE PIECE... I THOUGHT IT WAS DOPE THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT A TRADITIONAL MEMORIAL PIECE.

MY NEW TATTOO SHOP IN DOWNTOWN L.A.

I JUST OPENED UP A RETAIL STORE IN THE HEART OF LOS ANGELES WITH MY PARTNER ESTEVAN ORIOL. THIS IS THE PLACE TO FIND EXCLUSIVE DESIGNS I HAVE MADE FOR THE STORE. YOU CAN ALSO FIND MY LOST ANGEL TOYS, NIKE, SYNDICATE/ VANS I DESIGNED, SOME OF MY ARTWORK. I HAVE ALSO MY NEW TATTOO SHOP IN THE STORE. FOR THE FULL EXPERIENCE AND IF YOUR SERIOUS ABOUT A TATTOO EMAIL MY ASSISTANT asst@mistercartoon.com ESTEVAN HAS NEW DESIGNS THAT HAVE ALSO JUST HIT THE SHELVES, AN L.A. WOMAN CALANDER FOR 2009 OF SOME OF THE LADIES HE HAS SHOT. HE ALSO HAS PRINTS AVAILABLE...

THE LAST LAUGH
129 E 6TH ST
L.A. CA, 90014
213.488.0313

-ToON$

DONT FORGET TO CHECK OUT...
therealmrcartoon. blogspot. com
lastlaughla. blogspot. com
estevanoriol. blogspot. com
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