Where does our infatuation with red roses in art come from?
     For many people red is a strong, passionate color that intensifies an array of meanings; love, war, blood, anger, hunger, etc.
      So perhaps seeing a flower as delicate as a rose contrast most of these ideas catches our attention. Many will feel represented by a rose, and not realize that is why they were drawn to this subject for a tattoo in the first place.
        ...And of course they make for a great background/filler in any sleeve or collective piece.

*By Mike Harmon (NeckBone)*
-Looking to book an appointment? E-mail us or give the shop a call!
Shop Email: [email protected]
Shop Number: 484-328-8760

Have an itch for a tattoo but don’t know what to get? Many feel pressured to not only find a great artist, but to come up with individual, never done before, creative ideas for subject matter. People will put off getting tattoos because they feel like their ideas aren’t meaningful, or even cool enough. Little do they realize they are sitting on a goldmine of tattoo ideas. The great thing about tattoos is that they are almost always symbolic without trying and can be super abstract to the story or personal meaning behind them. 
          Mike once encountered a client who was looking to get a tattoo that was a tribute to his daughter. This tribute wasn’t too deep with meaning as much as it was a fun way to forever poke fun at her. The daughter, being very pregnant, was being compared to a T-rex by her family due to the way her arms looked small in contrast to her belly. She had been asked by a friend who had been deployed overseas to watch over their dog. Being pregnant, dog sitting probably seemed like a walk in the park, or even like some puppy therapy for an anxious soon to be mommy. Except it wasn’t-and the dog died under her care. Nervous, embarrassed, upset; many emotions for anyone to feel as a dog killer, let alone a pregnant woman. Her family mocked her, asking if she planned on interacting with a stuffed animal while her friend was oblivious overseas as she decided to keep the news from them. Making fun of her is just considered tough love, right? This client had pulled the most random (and somewhat meaningless to him) story as the subject of his tattoo. What was his tattoo of you ask? A T-rex pulling a stuffed dog on wheels of course. Perhaps it’s a bittersweet story, but it made for a fun and creative tattoo.
           It’s not an over the top piece, but it’s definitely one that will always be a great conversation starter and an interesting way to keep his daughter with him everywhere he goes. It’s overwhelming to find a tattoo idea individual just to you. It’s tempting to find tattoos on Pinterest for inspiration, but then we find it hard to stray away from exactly replicating the tattoo we fell in love with on the internet. Find faith in the fact not all tattoos have to be serious or have in-depth meaning behind them. Being able to form an idea for a tattoo, even if the inspiration may seem small or insignificant, is a great form of expression and creativity itself!

             You may be, like many, under the impression that a "Professional Tattoo Artist and/or Piercer" leads an extraordinary, wild party lifestyle. These assumptions, I guess, could be due to our appearance and maybe your preferred shop's vibe. Maybe this idea is due to the nostalgic fantasy of the type of craftsmen/craftswomen of yester year and in a time when the industry was dominated by the hardest of men and the occasional female artist whom most likely did indeed lead crazy life styles. The sad reality of it is, the majority today have very common lives. 
             I think in our younger years we were all wild to varying degrees, (I'm actually banned from a country, hehehe) and regress in our middle age (some earlier than others) with a vision of a slower, quieter family life. For most of us come kids, and we realize the real pressure of responsibility. The responsibility of child care cost, college, mortgage, dog, white picket fence, medical insurance and the general rising cost of living, the list goes on.  It puts a demand on how valuable our shop time is.
               There is something customers and clients need to keep in their forethought; This is not a hobby, This is how we make our fuckin living. If you can't grasp that basic concept and reject your personally worked up fantasy that we're here just for party$, you couldn't be further from the truth. And if you convey that attitude to a "Professional Tattoo Artist", don't be surprised by, quite possibly, an abrasive response from your image building "Technician". After all, that's what we're doing here isn't it? Quality image building isn't cheap. None the less, the majority are willing to spend more on instant gratification from purchasing that days look as it expires and becomes old in the near days following.
               So as you are donning those $200 sneakers, $100 shirt $150 pants/shorts or skirts, (totaling $350 on the average and that's not including a jacket during the winter), Remember that regardless of what stage, we as Tattoo Artist are at with our after hours life, We aspire the best for our families and ourselves, as does the rest of the working the world and that costs money.
    "The Uniform of The Day" is temporary, your tattoos are not! Tattoos are for life, even if you have them removed by modern technology there is always the scars and remnants of yesterdays indelible idea in your skin.
         In addition, professional tattoo supplies from reputable suppliers are not cheap and are necessary to perform our craft at the highest, most proficient level available and possible. Every year new products enter the tattoo industry that enable us "Pros" to provide to you, the client, the best in tattoo application and aftercare products performance as a standard to rely upon, and those fore-mentioned products do not come cheap.
So, before you go whining to your tattoo artist that you want what you want and want it at your price, Remember "Cheap Tattoos Aren't Good and Good Tattoos Aren't Cheap"


-Neckbone 

Hello Everyone!
         NeckBoneInk Tattoo&Gallery is happy to announce Guest Artist Jose Carire will be in the shop on Tuesdays and is now booking appointments. Jose specializes in black and gray, but can apply tattoos in color equally as great. Check his work out in our gallery. We will be adding some of his frame-able art work to our location in the shop gallery for sale as well. 
         If you would like to set up an appointment with Jose, call the shop 484-328-8760, email [email protected], or stop in at NeckBoneInk Tattoo&Gallery to set up an appointment for some phenomenal ink.
shop minimum is $100, also, $100 deposit, (Non Refundable) is required to secure the appointment



Looking forward to seeing you here
​-Neckbone

        For those of you just getting into airbrushing, it can be overwhelming to now what type of paint to use. First, define "what you are painting?" Textile, Plastic, Automotive etc. Some paint is substrate specific. Createx is the best all around paint you could invest your money into and eliminate the need for stocking several different systems.
         It's water based mix is eco. friendly and eliminates the need for special equipment, like explosion proof lighting and exhaust. A simple dust mask will protect your breathing and is a lot more comfortable than organic particles respirators and masks. I still have paint from Createx's original line thats well over 20 years old. As long as it's stored correctly, the shelf life is damn near indefinite, however, I will have to strain some of the older bottles. If you mix them once in a while you can prevent most of them thickening as well as adding a little retarder and water as required by stored paint viscosity.
        Notice, If you're painting textile's, I prefer Aqua Flow's white and black. For some reason the tip dry on these two colors is less than any other brands, especially the white.
 Createx can be clear cloated with almost any type. I've used Urethane, water based, cut in clear, and schlack rsins over createx with great results on surfaces requiring a sturdy top coat. As far as shirts, etc. a basic heat set will get the job done for color fast, Although I recommend a clam style heat press for best results, especially on thicker garments like denim, a good clothing iron and a run through the dryer on high setting gives an adequate result as well. 
          For the following 2 methods let garment dry before heat setting, you can speed up the process by using a hair dryer.
 " Pro Tip - using a hair dryer during the application of paint, particularly with white highlights, will help build up the pigment to over power the underlying color."

•   If you use a clothing iron; use a thin peice of fabric between the iron and airbrushed garment to avoid leaving the shape of the hot iron on your painted shirt. 
•    If you use a clothing dryer- turn garment inside out before running.

 You can check out some of my Airbrushed projects in My Gallery 
 and Shop for Airbrush supplies and acrylic airbrush paint systems on my Art Supplies/Shop for paint link.
 If you have any Airbrush related Q:'s, leave it in the comments and I'll answer up.


 - NeckBone