After applying tats all day long my fingers would look like I had been working in the garden all day long and forgotten to wash my hands. This was embarrassing enough but being away from home and having to go to a restaurant and eat dinner afterward was even more so. Some of the looks I would get from the other patrons while dining, made me feel like hiding under the table. I really felt like standing on the table, lifting my hands above my head and screaming “They’re clean! I’ve been using rubbing alcohol all day and there isn’t a germ alive on these fingers.”

Latex or rubber gloves did not work for me. I found them to be too hot and cumbersome to work in.

An item that I used and was so enthused about fizzled with the rest of our customers. I found finger gloves to be the answer to my problem. These were little rubber covers for the tips of your fingers. You would roll them on over the tips of your index finger and thumb and they fit snuggly on your fingers. They went past the first knuckle on your finger, stayed in place and I thought, worked well for applying tats. They kept your fingers clean too. We provided a package to each customer who purchased a system. In all the years that we carried them, no customer ever reordered them so we quit offering them and did not reorder. I guess I was the only one who liked them.

I do have some suggestions that helped me keep cleaner looking hands while applying tats. First of all, start with clean hands. Keep your finger nails clipped short. Next, apply hand lotion generously to your hands and fingers. When you get a break, wash your hands and use a scrub brush to clean as much ink off of your hands as possible. Don’t forget to reapply hand lotion each time you wash or sanitize your hands.

By following these simple steps I have found that most of the ink comes off the first day. By the second day my hands looked pretty close to normal. They were not as clean as they were when I used finger gloves but a close second.

Writer’s note: I would like to thank Micki & Jiji Sturkey for their patience with me while I start a new school year. I apologize for the delay in this post.

Two and a half years ago, Micki and Jiji Sturkey opened OceanViewBodyArt in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and they haven’t looked back since. Atlantic City, known as the second Las Vegas, provides the couple with numerous beach resorts and events throughout the summer months. After five years of searching for an activity, Micki and Jiji stumbled across airbrush tattoos and Atlantic City. Surprisingly enough, no one else had yet made the connection. They decided it was a match made in heaven, bought an Entrepreneur System, and the rest is history.

The Sturkeys started working at fairs, festivals, and their own mall kiosk, and were amazed at how fast the business took off! Of course, success does not happen overnight, but the Sturkeys were ready for that. “We have so much fun doing this and making people happy. Even though some of the days are long, and there are a few stumbling blocks that tend to get in our way, we keep our heads up and keep going!”

The best part of OceanViewBodyArt’s location is that they have the good fortune of doing their events directly on the beach next to the ocean and the boardwalk. This weekend, for example, they will be working at a Monster Truck event, held right on the beach.

Micki and Jiji certainly know what they’re doing when it comes to airbrush tattoos. They’re not afraid to try some different effects or use a little creativity when applying tats because they know that the goal is to make the customer happy. Their attitude is, “Anyone who has the desire and the will can and will be good at this if you work at it,” and they work at it every day.

“All the Right Things for All the Right Reasons – One Day at a Time”

To learn more about Micki and Jiji, visit their website at www.OceanViewBodyArt.com.

If you would like to be featured in a Wednesday post, email ellyn@tatstore.com with “Wednesday Spotlight” in the subject line.

This morning the Google team wrote a blog introducing a new interface for one of it’s lesser known / used features. I think it’s important of course, because Google is cool, but more importantly because I see it as a hint of a move to compete with twitter search which is of course the worldwide web’s golden goose right now.

Google trends are not really new (although they are still in the Google Labs). Neither is Hottrends which reports the top 100 search terms on Google in real-time. However, as of today, Google Trends data will appear on the Google SERP for it’s 100 Hottrends.

If you’d like to read more check out the Google post.

Or even better search a hot trend like Conan O Brien injured video. I wish it was at the top above news results, but right now it’s at the bottom. Check it out.

A few years ago, while I was still a potter, I got an airbrush gun and a compressor. I had spoken with some fellow artists who were using an airbrush gun to give their glazes a new look. I thought it would be fun to try something new so I made the big purchase for myself. Well that’s as far as I got. I opened the box that contained the compressor and closed it with a sigh. I did actually take the airbrush gun out of its wrapping and then immediately wrapped it back up. This big step was a little too intimidating for me. I decided to stick with what was working for me. I wasn’t ready to take that next step and venture into new territory. The learning curve was too risky for me.

I read the Wednesday Spotlight about Barbara Erickson of Tats All Folks. I could easily identify with her. When she got her equipment she felt frustrated getting the equipment to work. She stuck with it and worked out all the bugs and now is a successful tat artist.

When we sell a system we often get a call from the new artist feeling frustrated because they cannot get the system hooked up right, or the airbrush gun is not working as it should. Often times these problems can be solved over the phone with a little adjustment here or there. The more the customers work with the system, the more familiar they get. Pretty soon they are able to solve their own problems as they arise. It is a little overwhelming getting all that new equipment. Not only do most people need to get acquainted with the equipment, they also need to learn how to apply a tat.

It does take a little time and practice to do it right but not a whole lot. I am constantly in awe of people who call up, order a system on Monday and almost as an afterthought, say “I got to have that by Thursday because I am doing a show on Friday.” It is true some of theses people have had some airbrushing experience but a lot of them have not. We get calls from them at the show on Friday needing help with one thing or another. Talk about Baptism by fire……

What I am trying to say is the key to being successful is the desire to want to make it work. If the desire is there, that alone can help you get over all the road blocks that pop up along the way. Persistence does pay off.

I was also happy to read that Barbara has been applying the crystals to her tats. Way to go Barbara!

Happy tatting,
Bonnie

I just wanted to let you know that we now have airbrush cleaning brushes available at TAT International for $3.97 or $2.97 for MVP’s. Wow, what a deal! You get five different size brushes on one ring. I was told to caution you against using the smallest brush to clean out the nozzle of your airbrush gun. You can gently clean out the nozzle but do not try to push the brush out through the small opening of the nozzle.

I really had a hard time trying to buy these brushes locally. The pipe shop I had always gotten them at, no longer carries them. I had to travel to the other end of the city to find them. If I remember correctly, they sold for over $7. I then tried the Gum brand of go-betweens for cleaning between your teeth. I got these at Walgreens, $4.50 for a package of 8. These are really too small to clean an airbrush gun efficiently. Keep your airbrush gun clean and looking like new with a thorough cleaning using our new cleaning brushes. I really don’t think you can beat the price either.

Now your airbrush gun will no longer be embarrassed by unsightly ink build up. It will proudly hold its trigger high and show itself off with its new clean appearance and will thank you with outstanding performance.

Happy TATing!

Bonnie

I was just cruising the internet and came upon an article by Tom Nudd on AdFreak which show how Google is soothing privacy concerns in Japan related to its Street View Google Maps project.

So, number one, I just thought that was cute, and I hope it made you smile – very gumby-esque (or bob the builder-esque for you new schoolers). But number two, I wanted to remind you that great work can be done with some very light lifting.

I just have a short post today. I wanted to know if any of you had any luck selling the crystals with your tats. Do you remember at the beginning of the season I reminded you how successful this had been for us at the New York Beauty Show? All you needed to do was to spray a few airbrush designs on paper, add a few crystals to the tat and frame your work. At your show you would place the framed design so the customer could see it while you were applying the tat. Then while you had a captive customer, ask them if they wanted to add a crystal for only $1 each. Now do you remember that post? Well, did you do it? If you did, let me know how it worked for you.

Cindy and Dave purchased the Starter System about three years ago. They have a list of regular shows they do every year but some of those shows had been canceled. They needed to find some other venues, so they applied at a regional race way. They were happy when the got the letter of approval in the mail.

Happiness turned to disappointment when they arrived at the speed way. The prime location had already been assigned to Big Bill’s Airbrush Tats. Cindy said Big Bill’s operation looked so professional and intimidating. Big Bill had a 10 x 20 space, all his staff was dressed alike with polo shirts embroidered with Big Bill’s Tats. They were already open and ready for business. Cindy looked at Dave and said “Let’s go home. “ Dave replied “We are here, let’s set up and make the best of it.”

The crowd was a fair size but not really big enough to support two separate tat artist locations. Cindy reported the morning sales were slow. Then before the big race in the afternoon, Big Bill announced over the speaker system for the next half hour they would be spraying tats for free. The mob descended on Big Bill’s booth. Being a professional, Big Bill drew the line as to where the cut off for free tats would be and told the people behind the line that they would have to pay for their tat. Not wanting to miss out on the big race and expecting to get a tat, the overflow crowd worked their way down to Cindy and Dave’s booth. They wanted to know if they were giving free tats. “No we are not” Replied Dave. To most of the people it did not matter if they had to pay for their tats. Now Cindy and Dave had a line of paying customers.

At the end of the day, after deducting all expenses, Cindy and Dave went home with over $600 in profit. They were happy they decided to stick it out and do the show despite Cindy’s initial instinct. As Cindy said “Some people work all week and don’t take home that much money.”

I guess the moral of the story is that the circumstances are not what determine your success or failure; it has more to do with your attitude. Cindy and Dave could have thrown in the towel and quit, or even quit before they ever started, but they decided to put a smile on their face and go for it. In the end they were rewarded for their effort. Who knows what Big Bill did for the day but it does not really matter because Cindy and Dave were happy with their results.

Barbara Ericson has been doing tats for less than a year, but she already has a good handle on the industry and its quirks. Ericson came across airbrush tattoos with her youngest son at the state fair. She did some research when she got home, and found the forum. The rest, as they say, is history. She ordered a kit and created Tats All Folks in Port Charlotte, Florida.

Of course, the ink doesn’t always flow properly, and the money doesn’t always come in immediately. Ericson tried to work a booth at her local flea market, but after many ordeals with the equipment, she had to leave the market. However, she followed a fantastic piece of advice we have heard before on this blog: “Never ever give up….but especially when you get discouraged.” She moved past the discouragement, worked out the kinks in the equipment, and now she can book events without fear.

Now that Ericson has Tats All Folks are up and running, she is doing shows and tats. Her favorite design is the Dolphins and Hibiscus, which she finishes with a crystal. She says, “I think finishing a nice design off with a crystal gives a polished, dressed up feel.” July 4, 2009 was her favorite show so far. Not only did she have some great earnings, but “the whole atmosphere was great and the happy people just made me forget that I didn’t stop once to go to the ladies room!”

Her final piece of advice is this: “People will always voice their thoughts and opinions, but I tune out the ones who discourage me. It took me this long to finally realize that no matter what it is, no matter how nutty or against the odds your idea seems to anyone, if this is your passion then go all the way with it, and it WILL pay you back. I just wish I learned about this much earlier on in life, but oh well. Things always happen for a reason even though we don’t always know what the reason is.”

To learn more about Ericson and Tats All Folks, visit her website at www.lastride.org.

If you would like to be featured in a Wednesday post, email ellyn@tatstore.com with “Wednesday Spotlight” in the subject line.

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately looking for and adding fonts. It’s very easy to do, and there are so many great free fonts out there it can get kind of addicting. Free fonts are incredibly abundant, but since they require us to download a file off of the internet I’m hesitant to use sites that I don’t trust. I find that most fonts that I want are available through roundup style blog posts or excellent aggregation sites like dafont.com. If you’d like to peruse through some of the font resources I’ve bookmarked on del.icio.us you can find them at my page.

Not only is it so easy to find fonts to add to my collection, but it really is a special feeling to find just the right font for that application which actually brings me to my problem. As most of you surely have found, inside of software like word and photoshop there’s really no good way to search through your fonts in any intelligent way. Enter Myfontbook.com. This is a free online application which allows you to view your installed fonts, preview them in editable contexts, and also tag them so that you can organize an otherwise chaotic space.