Cool Inc. Convention

Its been a year already? wow time has flown by! See the blog post i wrote about last years trip / convention

Cool Inc. convention will be held this weekend 26, 27 and 28 August in Fourways, Johannesburg. I'm bummed that we will not not be in attendance this year, due to the new shop, Cape Electric Tattoo that we recently opened, we have our hands full

If you are in the area be sure to check it out, there will be a bunch of great local artists in ascendance, of what I know the following studios will be there and are confirmed:

Other World Tattoos (Knysna) / Voodoo Ink (Lynnwood, Pretoria) / Phoenix Tattoos (Hartebeespoortdam) / Tattoolya (Weltevreden Park JHB) / Electric Eye (Umhlanga, KZN) / Chapman's Tattoo Studio (Waterkloof, Pta) / Keep It Real (Hatfield) / 1933 (JHB) / Sins of Style (CPT) / Wildfire (CPT) / Buzz Tattoo (JHB) / Tattoolya (JHB) / Living Art (JHB) / Handstyle (JHB) / Golden Tiki (JHB / Studio 52 on Main (CPT)

Sponsor to the Event are

Hunters Dry / Sailor Jerry / Tattoo Goo / Bloodline Clothing / Black Fly / J Sound Productions / Cool Running and 9to5 Supply

Hope everybody there will have a great time!

Going thermal up north

About time for a new update ey, don't you say?

I've been swamped with loads of personal stuff and work over the past 2 weeks, good times!

Bribes, threats and breaking sweats. (album launch dates to be announced)

see, i made a funny. lacking humor? get the traits you lack tattooed on you... its a start.

Updates:

1. Stable Color is now available, please get in touch if you would like to buy some. I will be at the Jo'burg convention this weekend with stock, limited though but get at me to avoid disappointment.

2. I will be getting in some thermal copiers next week, the prices are sharp and the quality is outstanding, for more info mail me at info (@) lighthousesupply.co.za. make your shop more efficient, stop fucking around with hand stenciling back-pieces, get one.

3. If you require anything that I do not have on the site, please just mail me, i can and will source you what you need, guaranteed. if i actually don't have it, I have some stuff that I have not put on the site yet... Like this free-standing light, but i have only black in stock... pretty cool huh? order that shit now!

Tomorrow I leave with Tyler and Lee form Sins of Style for the Jo'burg convention, we are driving, so this should be a road trip of note, i will blog photos and events on our return, if we return.

Check out this tattooer, he goes by the name of David Chaston or Davey Johnston, he just returned from guest spotting around Europe, and his work is solid, in my personal opinion one of the most talented tattooers around South Africa, if not THE most talented. a Gifted young white African with a black penis the size of a school bus, no shit, its like a unspoken urban legend around here, nobody talks about it out of fear that they might awaken "it". he rules hard!

Jo'Burg 8 - 14 September

So this is a little over due...

Jo'burg was a rad trip, refreshing and accommodating...
Sucks that i left my camera in Cape Town, so it will be pretty much a picture-less post, got a couple of dodgy phone pictures I'll post

I spent most of my time with the Crew from Golden Tiki and Spooky Tattoonz and Handstyle Tattoos, I was meant to get around to the new 1933 Custom Tattoos for a exhibition but for some reason I was mixed up with the dates/days and it didn't work out. bummed.

I cruised around with Ryan "Busta" Bolton most of the time, what a rad dude, between his tow shops, Spooky Tattoonz being his private studio at 44 Stanley in Mill Park and Golden Tiki a new shop in Linden, we tattooed, we talked tattoos, we hanged out, fed his 13 tarantulas, YES 13 FUCKING SPIDERS! awesome. Drank ridiculous amounts of tea, just the way we like it. (thanks Chelsea!) and met rad new people
The two nights that we went out, both nights where free parties, yes free parties, in other words, no cover, FREE DRINKS.

1st party was the album launch for some band, hosted by Iron Fist Ink at The Zone in Rosebank... it was amazing to see old friends and acquaintances, the amounts of free beer consumed was insane.
2nd party was the jo'burg launch of Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry... this was out of hand, free rum, again and lots of it, needles to say we got pretty rat faced... good times... good people...

I spent some time with the dudes from Handstyle Tattoos, and got tattooed by Ross. good guys with a rad shop in Emmarentia, Shop 2 Sandella Court, Cnr Thomas Bowler & Olifants Road, opposite the Johannesburg Botanical gardens. If you are in the area check them out.

Further Jo'burg was filled with business orientated stuff that i wont bore you with...
Here are a couple of pics I took with my phone seeing that I left my camera in Cape Town...

SPOOKY TATTOONZ

Tomas Hooper Business card stuck on the wall... how rad

Iron Fist Ink Party

Tattooed by Ross from Handstyle Tattoos

Egoli... Jozi... Jo'Burg... The Burg... Home Town

I will be traveling up to Jo'burg from the 8th - 15th of September to meet with some shops and work along and learn from some good people... i am excited...

i have not really been "back" to Jo'burg for the past 4 years, I convinced myself that i dont like it there... who the fuck was i kidding... dont get me wrong Cape Town is the RADDEST city in SA... but Jo'burg has something... i dont know what, but lying in bed last night and thinking about the place of gold, sparked a sense of longing and enthusiasm that I have not felt in a very, very long time... its going to be good to go back home, for a week only.

If any shops need some product from L.H.S please let me know before hand, I'll bring it with me so it will save you the courier cost!

Couple of orders and some amazing tattoos

I packed a couple of orders this morning that left for Johannesburg. Stoked, rad people and rad shops, good to chat to the artists and hear what they are up to.

Some opening new shops in areas that need it and some local guys building machines, still in prototype phase, but its good to hear...

Read about Ryan Mason from Portland, Oregon today, dont know under what rock I've been hiding to only have found out about him today, he is amazing. he has only been tattooing for about roughly 6 years? dude has got some mad skill and by the looks and sound of his blog he seems like a decent guy.

Some of his work


I PROMISE MY NEXT POST WILL BE MORE SUPPLY ORIENTATED.