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My name is David Hernandez, but since I’m in the U.S. Navy, people have started calling me Navy Davy. I’m currently stationed in San Diego, CA. I have been actively seeking a proper tattoo apprenticeship, with no luck. It’s okay though, through introducing myself to the local tattoo community and getting tattooed, I’ve been meeting great artists and have gotten nothing but great and encouraging comments on my portfolio. The only issue I’m having is that I can’t devote 100% of the time, due to my Navy schedule being in the way, which I can understand. Also, the problem is that with so many hacks and posers asking for apprenticeships, no one is being taken serious anymore. So when I ask for an apprenticeship after the posers asked, the artists are in the negative mindset and they don’t even take the time to look at my portfolio. It sucks man! Luckily, the few tattoo artists who take the time to look at my portfolio are genuinely impressed, but because of my Navy job being so unsure if I’m moving or staying in the area, they are hesitant to commit. I get it: “Give you my knowledge, and then you bounce,” makes sense why I’m not being considered for an apprenticeship. However, those same artists are cool enough to let me hang out at their shops and share some knowledge with me. I’ve been pretty frequent at some shops paint nights and I’m making great friends in the industry, so I can’t complain. I’m even selling and trading some of my flash! I love tattoos. I love the history. I love the closeness of the tattoo community. I love where it’s going and I’d like to think that down the line, I could be part of a lineage that goes back to the early days of tattooing. I want to take this time and forum to thank some people that have accepted me as an artist and not just another hack. I’d like to thank: - Fip Buchanan of Avalon II, for being the first person to deny me, but actually looking at my portfolio, then recommending I go see Mike Martin, which I did. - Mike Martin of Flesh Skin Graphix and all their crew (Susan, La Green Eyes, Crow and Drew Linden) for all the painting knowledge he’s shared with me and for the great conversations we’ve had. His apprentice Drew Linden, who introduced me to Arches Watercolor paper and a certain website (wink wink). - Luke Wessman at Lucky’s Tattoo, although he’s a busy ass person, he continues to squeeze me in for some chair time and tattoos me for unbelievable prices and his work alone continues to inspire me to pursue a career in tattoo. - Dan O’Brien of Nite Owl Tattoo and his crew (Andre Servin and Nikki), First person to invite me to paint nights at his shop. - Nemo of Midway Tattoo, who believes in me and is willing to vouch for me, only after seeing my flash for 15 minutes. It’s still hard to believe he actually said that, but he did! - Last Sparrow Tattoo for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing forum specifically for the community and industry. Best site ever! So many to thank!!! but I didn’t want to make this long, which I did. So I’ll end it now. Thanks for reading,….if you read this far that is…. -David "NavyDavy" Hernandez

Vitligo is far more than a simple loss of pigment, it is an auto immune disorder. The body sees the bodies natural melanocytes as invading substances and begins to attack them. It's related to other auto immune diseases and has no clear path of origin or currently no clear path of soving. It can lie dormant for months sometimes years even regenerate and reimpigment spontaneously. Often people with this issue suffer small cuts on pigmented areas and it can cause a loss of pigment and start a larger loss in that areas affected. Tattooing over areas or patches of white skin can cause areas of hyperimpigmentation on the borderline between the tattooed area and the exisisting area of pigment loss (creating a ring aroound the area.) In addition exposure ot the sun can cause loss of pigmernted areas surround the tattoo. Blacks and very dark skinned people can find some relief with hiding the depigmented areas as long as thier skin is not exposed to the sun. In some cases the gene TYR, which makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in vitiligo, also makes the melanocyte more susceptible to the immune system in the skin cancer malignant melanoma. Vitilgo activated oin a tattooed are can actually pull the pigment from the tattoo as well.

Oliver will be guesting at Allstar Tattoo here in sunny Ireland April 10 - 15th!! If you are wanting some work from him while he is here call the shop 00353(0)61409439 or email [email protected] Don't miss out people Thanks Ross

since there has been a lot of discussion about them over at the Most Painful thread, i thought it might be time to set aside a thread devoted to palm tattooing alone. i saw a set that Lizzie did and i thought it was extremely beautiful and elegant despite being so simple (and physically, understandably so!) i would be lying if i said i wasn't jealous and didn't wish that it was on me rather than the person in the picture (and i have never wanted hand tattoos before seeing this!) anyone else seen any that they really love?

First off I will say that I am not a tattoo artist so my opinion on this means fuck-all but I was curious if anyone on the interweb had posted pics of results they'd gotten and came across this girls blog: Me and my Vitiligo: My tattoos In my opinion she got excellent results getting her light spots tattooed. I think the tattoos give the eye something else to look at and become the focus rather than her Vitiligo and if I had such a condition I would definitely do the same. Im sure this condition is embarrassing and makes the sufferer extremely self conscious; at least I know I would be, so if you can help alleviate some of those feelings for someone by giving them a nice tattoo that is double amazing.

hahaha...yeah i actually took a bunch of Ghostface off my ipod and some other hip-hop i love, but just isn't appropriate in the shop. we get a lot of gay clients and i just feel horrible when a song comes on and "faggot" is dropped. also, waaaay over harder music, with a few exceptions, but never in the shop really. lately, it's been a mix of jazz (thelonious monk, bill evans, billie holiday, miles davis), Kraftwerk, flaming lips, vampire weekend, the fall, stuff like that. we always have lou reed, iggy pop, nick cave and leonard cohen in the mix! hmmm...ramones, the clash, misfits, gorilla biscuits, dag nasty, descendents, led zeppelin, nirvana...too many! i can't work to metal or hardcore anymore, barely listen to it in general. can't take it anymore, i can't stand being yelled at! and it just gets me on edge.