Anyone with diabetes knows just how irritating it can be to prick your finger several times a day to make sure your blood sugar is at an acceptable level. Researchers at MIT have come up with an awesome alternative: tattoo ink that measures blood sugar. That’s right, thanks to glucose sensitive nanoparticles in the ink, checking your blood sugar could be as simple as getting a sweet tat, and waving an infrared light over it a few times a day. The nanoparticles in the ink react to the glucose in your blood, and they will fluoresce under a special light, which can be worn by the patient like a wrist watch. The only drawback (or maybe the best feature depending on how you look at it) is that the ink dissolves after about six months, leaving you without your tattoo. Depending on your perspective, you either get to, or have to get a new tattoo at that point. Even with that one issue, an awesome tattoo is still a far better way to keep your diabetes in check than the currently available methods.
Tattoo Blog
The Ink Art Tattoos Blog brings you the latest in tattoo news, cool tattoo products and more. Check back often for original articles about tattoos as well as links to great tattoo sites.
Mike Giant Custom Tattoos Poster
May 20th, 2010You gotta love the classic style of this Mike Giant Custom Tattoos Poster that embodies the spirit of great tattoo art with popular old school designs that never go out of style like koi, ships, big cats, and of course beautiful women. Never strawing from this distinct tattoo style down to the lettering in the banners, this print is loaded with inky black detail. Only 100 were made, each numbered and signed by the tattoo guru himself.
Via Cool Material
Inkspiration: Amanda Wachob Tattoos
May 19th, 2010Tattoo art is known for thick linework and solid shapes, not only as part of a distinct style but because of the limitations of how they’re done. But tattoos by New York artist Amanda Wachob don’t conform to any specific set of rules or styles. Working at Dare Devil Tattoo she creates beautiful painterly tattoos that look like loose free-form brushstrokes rather than tight tattoo lines, which interestingly enough are much more difficult to create with tattoos as opposed to paint.
Man Tattoos 220 Flags on His Body
May 11th, 2010Intent on breaking the record for… uhh… most flag tattoos, this man from India has changed his name to Guinness. He’s already got four records, including building the world’s tallest sugar cube tower and adopting the world’s oldest adoptee (his 61-year-old brother-in-law) and he set out to gain another record for having a flag tattoo for every nation in the world.
Starting with 6 flag tattoos on his forehead, as well as a shout out to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, he got a total of 220 flag tattoos which took about 6 years and over $18k.
Via Neatorama
How To Photoshop Realistic Looking Tattoos
May 10th, 2010A lot of tutorials meant to teach you how to Photoshop a tattoo onto a photo only show you about half of the process. Sure, they show you how to paste an image and get it in the right spot and decrease the opacity so it looks a little faded, but they still end up looking stuck on. This thorough tutorial shows you how to get the tattoo to look like it wraps around the body by using a displacement map as well as how to get it tinted to a natural color. The result is pretty convincing and even looks as though the tattoo has had some time to age.
21 Awesome Monkey Tattoos
May 7th, 2010Who doesn’t love monkeys? They’re funny, adorable, mischievous and don’t take any crap from anyone (in fact they’re more likely to dish it out). So why not pay homage to our cousins in the animal kingdom with some ink? Maxim found 21 Awesome Monkey Tattoos worth checking out. Some are realistic, some are silly cartoons and some are just plain awesome.
Trade Video Games for Tattoos
May 5th, 2010When times are tough the barter system makes a comeback. Although we don’t suggest you post a listing on Craigslist trading yard work for tattoos, but you could see what shops are willing to make some deals.
Foundation of Youth, a tattoo shop in Waterbury, CT is offering tattoos and piercings for a PS3 and other gaming stuff.
The owner, Jay Moynahan says he understands that not everyone has cash to pay for their body mods, and he’s willing to trade his time for toys and electronics for his son. After a 30% decrease in sales he realized that people needed an alternate method of payment. Although the idea came from customers who saw ads for his shop on Craigslist who began to email him about paying with stuff rather than cash. Other artists at the shop have accepted payment in stuff while Moynahan still pays them their cut in cash.
Moynahan admits that he doesn’t make much money on trades but it’s a good marketing strategy that attracts a lot of repeat customers who are willing to pay in cash.
Photo by milydickinsonridesabmx
LAST CHANCE for a Free Sample of Tattoo Cover Up
April 29th, 2010Just a reminder you’re running out of time to get your FREE SAMPLE of Ferbs Cosmetics Tattoo Undercover. Also be sure to check out our review.
Here are the details:
How to get a FREE sample of Ferbs Cosmetics Tattoo Undercover Makeup
Become a fan of Ferbs Cosmetics on Facebook and tell ‘em Ink Art Tattoos sent you for a free sample!
The first 50 people who become fans of Ferbs Cosmetics on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall that says “Ink Art Tattoos sent me for one free sample!” will get a free sample*.
*The first 50 people to participate before April 30th will receive a free sample of Ferbs Cosmetics cover up make up. US residents only.
Vegan Tattoos Are Hardcore
April 28th, 2010Anyone with enough conviction about what they believe in to give up bacon is pretty hardcore in our book. Add in some hardcore tattoos and you’ve definitely earned our respect. Vegans are vegans for life, and to prove it some of them get ink. And we’re not talking a tiny little broccoli ankle tattoo no one can see, but big, bold (and in some cases dark and creepy) vegan tattoos.
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31 Weird and Funny Hipster Tattoos
April 27th, 2010Silly hipsters always trying to be ironic… they try so hard to look like they’re not trying to look cool. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, hipsters do come up with some pretty crazy tattoo ideas. Check out these 31 Weird and Funny Hipster Tattoos and remember to take a drink every time you see a Pabst Blue Ribbon tattoo or something related to bicycles.
Via Urlesque