Oh really?!

I’m about to go on a little rant, so you can either ignore me or ride this out. Every so often I run into people who claim they are tattoo artists. Now I am not the most social of people but I do know of many of the local talent let’s say. So when someone whose name I do not recognizes pops up I like to know where they work. Often I will look them up on the internet or facebook to see their examples of their work. When I can’t find a single picture I then ask them which studio they work out of. Most often I get no response. So I must assume they work out of their house. So no, you are not a tattoo artist, you are a scratcher. A low life, law breaking, know nothing who is probably fucking up people who lay down their hard earned money. Sure these “clients” are either stupid or ignorant and we should all feel sorry for them. I am a tattoo artist, I’ve been doing this a while. I know what makes a good tattoo good. I’ve studied other artists, I strive to get better every day. My work has won awards and I’ve seen it published in many magazines. This doesn’t make me the greatest, but I believe it makes me qualified to know if your tattoo sucks.

So why would you get a shitty tattoo? Is it because you can’t afford better? I’d say this is the worst excuse EVER! I understand not having the nicest clothes, or the fanciest TV. But a tattoo last F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Why would you want to walk around the REST of your life with a shitty tattoo? Do you like looking stupid? We all make mistakes but the trick is to learn from them. Soooo after you’ve gotten one bad tattoo why go back for more? This doesn’t just mean the idiot doing tattoos out of his place or yours, but also the shitty artist working out of the studio with the bad reputation. A little research goes a long ways. Google the name of a studio and see what the reviews have to say. Better yet look at the artist’s portfolio! If he doesn’t have one walk out. How can you trust him?

Okay, so we now know that home tattoo artists are breaking the law and can’t be trusted. Good. We know that if the artist works in a studio with a bad reputation or doesn’t have a portfolio that you should probably walk out. Which brings me to the next bitch I’d like to talk about. Why do people feel the need to let me know that their “artist” was too busy so they came to me instead? Better yet their “artist” “hooks them up” and my prices are too high. FUCK YOU very much. First off, your “artist” yeah I’ve heard of him, 20 years ago he was cutting edge. But in the past 20 years he hasn’t grown as an artist and is STILL doing tattoos like he did 20 years ago! And they suck. Have you picked up a tattoo magazine lately? Have you seen what can be accomplished? This is why he’s “hooking” you up, he has to lower his price to keep people coming back and getting the horribly out dated work he keeps churning out.

Again, my work has received recognition, and no I’m not bragging. All I’m saying is that I’m proud that my hard work has paid off. I try to continue to grow and not become comfortable, complacent, or stagnant. Oh, you like my work? But the price is too much? The drive is too far? If you only knew how much some of these artists charge per hour, you’d be amazed. No, they never discuss prices on those tattoo shows you like to watch. If they did you probably wouldn’t think about getting a tattoo from the sticker shock alone! $200 to $300 an hour is not unheard of, but my $125 is too steep? And I am in no way saying I am in the league with these top name artists. But I am not a scratcher or other shitty artist carving out a living doing flash pieces on tourists. I tattoo, I draw, I paint. I don’t have a side job. I’m devoted to doing tattoos and doing them to the best of my ability.

I love tattooing. It’s a challenge every day. Something new and exciting. Sometimes you amaze yourself, and sometimes you know you could have done better. It’s the best job I’ve ever had and it’s not for everyone. Its takes drive and determination. It becomes more than just a job it becomes a life style. Some people take it too far and get wrapped up in drugs and alcohol trying to live like a rockstar. But the good ones keep a level head, they push and strive never resting, never satisfied. But damn it man if some people don’t take the wind right outta your sails. I’m lucky to have a strong group of devote followers and to them I say thank you. Thank you for letting me do what I love. Thank you for showing me your continued loyalty. Thank you for bringing me your family and friends. For showing up on time and keeping your appointments. You make all the sacrifices worth it. And to the rest of you I just sit back and shake my head. And if you read ALL of this, wow, I'm amazed.

Scratcher Alert! Nick Accordino/Joseph Accordino

OH MY GOD! So while trolling facebook I've come across super amazing home tattoo artist Nick Accordino aka Joseph Accordino. He is a 21 year old scratcher who according to him is "BBP Cert- 100% Legal to Tattoo in NJ". Awesome right? Yeah not so much. 

Here is his Bloodborne Pathogen Certificate, this means he successfully passed a test and was given this certificate. So he knows what he's doing right??? Well, he SHOULD but that doesn't mean he practices what he supposedly learned. Example 1.

Here is our boy now, Whats that a towel, a pillow perhaps? Something that is easily contaminated by blood and ink. Hmmmm bloodborne pathogen trained right??? Example number 2.

Here he is with obviously dirty gloves cross contaminating whatever he he holding, Same disgusting set up. Is this a bedroom, living room? Carpet? Hmmm another breeding ground for all the micro spray of blood and ink to get trapped and harbor in. Bloodborne pathogen certified right?? I guess its like a drivers license, just because you get one by no means makes you a responsible driver.

If you look closely the tube (the object that the tattoo needle goes up and down in) is metal. These are reusable, and without a properly working ultrasonic cleaner and autoclave he is not sanitizing them properly. And even if he does have an autoclave I'll be willing to bet that it hasn't been tested to verify that it indeed works and has been documented by the Board of Health. But he's bloodborne pathogen certified!

Now lets look at his work shall we? Here is a proud example...

Kitchen magician at work, beer cans, whiskey bottles and is that a wadded up table cloth or someones shirt? Either way more permeable surfaces to contaminate! Oh boy I can smell the HepC!

Here is the proud owner. The pic just screams, "I just saved $20!" doesn't it? So lets take a closer look at this arrow head.

Oh yeah! There is that smooth shading he learned from watching Ink Masters! Smooth clean outlines, shading so smooth and transitional that the arrow head seems so real its as if it could fall right off his arm! Yeah not really. This is a giant turd. An easy $200 cover up, but home boy saved $20, sure he might have a nice case of HIV or hepatitis, syphilis, tetanus, tuberculosis or some other infectious disease. But he got himself a sweet tat from his boy for dirt cheap!

But because we've seen Mr. Accordino isn't practicing safe exercises even though hes "certified" he could easily be distributing diseases with every tattoo done. This is why you don't get tattooed in someones house. This is why you go to trained professionals. This is why I am forwarding his info to the Health Department and maybe he will get fined, or jail time and NEVER be allowed to tattoo legally in the state of NJ. This one individual could be giving people not only shitty tattoos but diseases that supposedly he was trained to prevent yet takes no precautions to do so.

This makes me sick. And I hope the people reading this will share this info with their friends and help spread the word about this and any other scratcher they know of. Thanks!