LA Ink Thoughts

INKED Inc. - a community for the counterculture

Posted by Marisa_DiMattia on August 8, 2007 at 2:11pm

I'm in Belgium now and didn't get to see the premiere of LA Ink last night. How was it?

Permalink Reply by Elle on August 8, 2007 at 6:46pm: I got bored about halfway through and switched to "Nick at Nite" for a Roseanne rerun.

But I'm probably not the show's target demographic. ;-); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Kimelberg on August 9, 2007 at 7:40am: I thought it was pretty good. The pinup/cheesecake angle was played down in the actual show (unlike the commercial) and it presented the artists as intelligent and interesting people. I give it a "thumbs-up".; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marisa_DiMattia on August 9, 2007 at 7:47am: I generally have a hard time watching these show--as I do with legal shows--because I feel like I already lived it during the day, why should I see it at night. I was hanging out at Calypso Tattoo helping Dan with appointments for upcoming conventions and when I got home I wanted to collapse on the couch with my Star Trek DVD collection. Yes, I am that geeky.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Miguel Collins on August 9, 2007 at 2:42pm: The show follows the same format as Miami Ink. My only complaint is that it is scripted to the point of nausea. There might be a production assistant off camera whispering suggestions as to what to say.

The artists are great, though. I would like to see a show that featured "Walk In's" and all that entails.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jude on August 9, 2007 at 8:07pm: I thought that was one of Kat's gripes about leaving Miami Ink? Not only was she not getting along w/Ami but she said it had to do with what was going on behind the scenes and production. I though she would have changed the format just a little when it came time to her own show. I think Kat is very talented and I am happy she put together an almost all female crew. We did get bored with half of the show showing her "looking for the right artists" and how the shop wasnt done yet, blah blah blah........; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pyrrhus Darwin Castello on August 10, 2007 at 3:53pm: It was ok. The art was great,but other things caught my eye. When Kat was tattooing the actor, he brushed her hair back while wearing gloves and didnt bag his machine or chord. Dont know if the baggin is mandatory, but thats what I have learned to look for. And Corey did the pen free hand with out gloves on the skin. And that also raised some cross condamination worries. Im not artist and dont know everything obviously, but that what I think :P; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by BlahStuff Jake on August 11, 2007 at 2:23pm: It seemed a bit heavy on the "Grrr! I'm a girl!" stuff (especially when she dealt with her construction guy) and it's definitely got the lame scripting going on (reality what?).
The Chicago gals seemed really down to earth, though.
I'll keep watching it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by monk on August 12, 2007 at 10:26am: Trailers look fine. I have seen the same issue with hygiene in Miami Ink as well. Like using tap water for mixing the ink.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marisa_DiMattia on August 12, 2007 at 5:00pm: A lot of artists--in fact most I know--dont bag their machines. The cords are another story. With the freehanding--do you mean drawing or inking? If there's no blood (per the former), I dont see an issue. These women have been tattooing a long time so they know what they're doing when it comes to hygiene.

The big joke about Miami Ink among tattoo artists is that those who make comments on the hygiene are usually not artists. I know. I made a similar comment and was thoroughly mocked so I'm passing the message along. ;); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pyrrhus Darwin Castello on August 13, 2007 at 12:33pm: The machine and cords were unbagged when she was tattooing the actor at his house. And the drawing was when Corey drew a freehand stencil (if you call it that) on a clients skin whit out gloves. I was just thinking that if you touch the skin with out gloves with your hands, then that migh rub stuff on the skin, the bacteria/dirt that could be on the hands, and be there when you start to tattoo.

So I am ready to be mocked, but that means that who will mock me will have to prove me wrong ;); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Marisa_DiMattia on August 13, 2007 at 2:19pm: Good point about the bacteria, but the markers used to draw freehand aren't "sterile" either. Bacteria is everywhere. Spraying with the traditional "green soap" while wiping should help but tattoos are not without their risks.

Still, many artists I know, including my husband, have tattooed in client apartments where the conditions were not as optimal as in the studio--like a convention--and I really dont know of anyone having a problem. It's pretty customary.

It's great to raise these issues but the reason I'm giving the other side of the coin is so that people dont get freaked out when they see the small things that dont raise the main cross contamination concerns.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pyrrhus Darwin Castello on August 13, 2007 at 3:53pm: Isnt that why you should use pens only 1 time, so you minimalice the risk? Take them out of the wrapper, throw them out. And I wasnt speaking about the issue that she was at someone home, but what she did. (touching hair etc) :); ▶ Reply to This