Slingin Ink Issue 1 by Slinginink Magazine

RGV’s ONLY SOURCE FOR TATTOO & ART CULTURE

FREE

STEAL ONE!

Ink History

Magazine

Nov ‘09 Issue 01

Tattoo Virgin Artist: Josh Wheeler

Part 1

Victim: Yoli Zamora

Pin-up Calendar INSIDE Tattoo ofthe Quarter

Eddie Gomez Buena Suerte Tattoos

Advisory

Recommended for

18+

We don’t want your Mama calling us!

Wanted

Show us your skin and you could win! We are looking for the best tattoos in the area to showcase in our magazine as the

Ink of the Quarter

If you have a piece of art that you want to show off, then send us your information and picture for a chance to be choosen for our magazine and win prizes!

Send us what you got to

Slingininkmag@aol.com

The Red Room Five Levels Valet Parking DJ & Live Music Wine Cave

Corner of 11th and Austin Street North of Chase Tower

956-213-8260

Contents Issue 1 Articles Meet the editor.......... pg.6

With buzzin I sat a a man strong words been t first ta in Cal house didn’t eventu He tat with a Eddie for six

Ink of the Quarter......pg.7 Tattoo Virgin.......... pg. 24 Ink History Pt.1.......pg.28

Edd

Artists Interviews

of , instead d n e e h t .“ but in uman skin osphere, h m t n a o t e r h t a f ing ko electrify ve a wor “A storm struction, you ha d de By: Jayme Black chaos an

Walk the graves Chis De Leon..........pg.15

Photo by: Exclusive Images

RGV’s ONLY SOURCE FOR TATTOO & ART CULTURE

January...................pg. 18

Ink History

STEAL ONE!

Magazine

Nov ‘09 Issue 01

Tattoo Virgin

FREE

Artist: Josh Wheeler

Part 1

Victim: Yoli Zamora

Pin-up Calendar INSIDE Tattoo ofthe Quarter

Advisory

Recommended for

18+

Buena Suerte Tattoos

We don’t want your Mama calling us!

COVER MODEL: Ashley Olivarez PHOTOGRAPHER: Exlusive Images MUA: Josie Fernandez

MySpace: /slingininkmag

Eddie Gomez

Visit us at slingininkmagazine.com

the vICtIM

the artISt

age: 40 YrS Job: Sgt. MCallen, PD

age: 29 YrS ShoP: 1St ClaSS tattoo

YolI ZaMora

December................ pg.16

February..................pg.20

et Ma

ui The Q

Eddie Gomez: The Quiet Man....... pg. 10

Calendar

z e m o G e i

JoSh Wheeler

oli Zamora walked into the tattoo studio ready to get her very first tattoo. She was surprisingly calm for a first timer. Most first timers are nervous about getting tattooed, some even faint in anticipation of the first prick of the needle. Not Yoli, a Sergeant with the McAllen Police Department, she was ready to get inked. So, why did she decide to get a tattoo at the tender age of 40? Yoli has endured a lot in what she does for a living. She wanted to get a tattoo to remind her to live each day as if it were her last. Since, it was her first tattoo; we wondered how she chose an artist to do her tattoo. Yoli had gone to see other tattoo artists’ work and hadn’t seen anything that really drew her to the artist. Then she saw a tattoo by Josh Wheeler done on a friend of hers. She went by the tattoo studio to meet him and liked him as a person and as an artist. He’s an outstanding tattoo artist and she’s glad she waited to get tattooed by a professional tattoo artist. Yoli knew she could trust Josh to pop her tattoo cherry. As Josh tattooed Yoli, she mentioned it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She thought it was going to be unbear-

able and if she if knew it would be that tolerable, she would of gotten tattooed a long time ago. After this tattoo experience with Josh, Yoli does intend to get more tattoos and already talked to Josh about her next piece. Yoli isn’t too worried about how her 80 year old parents will feel about her new tattoo or anyone else in her family. They will just have to get use to it. As the interview came to close, Yoli wanted to share some advice with anyone who is a tattoo virgin. She says, “Make the right selection for your first tattoo. After all, it is permanent. To me, a first tattoo should have meaning. Don’t just get one to be like everyone else and regret it a few years down the road.” Great advice Yoli, we can’t wait to see your next tattoo.

pg24

<FIn

www.slingininkmagazine.com distributed by south texas Distribution

Intervi Story b

Contributors Jesse Alvarado - Editor

Music Ink

uiet and calm like the sea, a man sits quietly at his station, but then the buzzing of a storm begins to brew. A storm electrifying the atmosphere, but in the end, instead of chaos and destruction, you have a work of art on human skin. Eddie, of Buena Suerte, is quiet and calm, but behind that cool suave, there lays the mind of a creative genius. Eddie is respected by his peers and is known to be one of the top artists in the Rio Grande Valley. I have had the pleasure of meeting Eddie recently and cannot wait to hear what gets his creative juices flowing. James Brown blaring in the background and the ng machines from the two tattooists working away, at the entrance bench to talk with Eddie. Now, he is n of little words, but when he speaks his words are g and meaningful. Trust me; you are hooked to his s as they flow from his mouth. Drawing has always there for him as a kid and well into his adulthood. His attoo experience was with a friend of his back home lifornia. They went to get tattooed out of someone’s e. Eddie’s friend went first and when Eddie saw it t look good, he decided not to get a tattoo. He ually tattooed himself when he was sixteen years old. ttooed his name in his inner finger and later took it off a razor. Crazy isn’t it? e tried the 9-5 job thing, but when he was laid out x months from a work related injury, younger brother Creep suggested he pick up the tattoo machine and get to it. He hasn’t put it down since. Eddie has been tattooing for the past eleven to twelve years. He loves traditional work but he likes to stay versatile. Don’t categorize Eddie into a tattoo style; the man likes to tattoo anything that catches his eye. They say that eyes are the window to the soul and if you look hard into Eddie’s eyes, you see the love he

Rick Benavides - Publisher

a well sought after tattoo artist.

It sinks its

His early ties with the local music

claws into the ribs of a naked

scene has made him a respected

and helpless woman as she flails

name both for his skills in barking

her arms under the weight of

out hardcore choruses and inking.

the beast; the fear on her face

He’s worked on virtually every

parallels the primal howl of the

original valley musician, ranging

lion which, for the rest of one

from the guys in .thedecember

man’s life, will forever remain

drive to a good majority of the

mute. Fortunately, this image is

dudes in Dying Embrace.

safely inked behind this man’s bare skin; the canvas? Enter Chris DeLeon, the lead vocalist for the Weslaco based hardcore band,

And his tattoos tell stories of music, too. Take for example

on the first night of his band’s first

heard he Chris tearing his vocal

tour outside of Texas when their

chords for WTG, then you may ch

Midland show got cancelled. To

have ha heard of his presence within

check out Chris in action, catch

pg10

his hi unique influences (think old-

him inking it up at Flaming Heart

tearing it up with Walk the Graves

<< << <<

/omnicononline

Robin Paek - Photography

“What’s my position again?” Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

David Alanis - Photography

Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

Stephen Peña - Photography

n. pl. tat·toos A permanent mark or design made on the skin by a process of pricking and ingraining an indelible pigment or by raising scars. v. tat·tooed, tat·too·ing, tat·toos

Redstarmail@gmail.com

“I still shoot film.”

Zombie flicks), Chris Deleon is Zo

Tattoo [tat·too]

iewed by: Jesse Alvarado by: Jayme Black

“You give my regards to St. Peter, or whoever has his job, but in Hell.”

Tattoo studios in Edinburg or

school Tales from the Crypt comic at myspace.com/walkthegraves. sc books and George A Romero bo

/rgvbenavides

the thick, black, fist sized spider

inner elbow; this inking was done

If you haven’t seen or

profi pr ciency with coloring and

rgvbenavides@yahoo.com

clutching at the crevice of Chris’s

Walk the Graves.

the th ink scene; known for his

“I’m a great believer in luck. I find the harder I work, the more I have of it ”

Mark Del Bosque - Design

“We edit in Paint.” Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

By: Jayme Black

/Jessejaymz

Written by Patrick Garcia

lion is roaring.

Ink History

Slingininkmag@aol.com

Chris DeLeon – Walk the Graves

pg10 attoos have been around for thousands of years. It’s hard to cut down the history of tattoos into a two page summary, especially since so many cultures made their own contributions to the history of tattoos. To be honest, I never really ever thought about how tattooing got started. Yes, I do know that there were tribes out there with tattoos and I do see the history channel occasionally and watch shows like Taboo, but I never really paid attention to the details of it. So, let us begin our journey together through the history of tattoos. Tattoos are as diverse as the people who wear them. In 1991, “Otzi the ice man” was discovered between the border of Austria and Italy. He has been carbon dated to be about 5,200 years to 5,500 years old.

“A man without tattoos is invisible to the Gods!”

Scientist revealed that Otzi had 57 tattoos. They discovered a cross on the inside of the left knee, six straight lines just about his kidneys and several parallel lines on the ankles and spine. The positions of the tattoos lead scientists to believe that the tattoos were for therapeutic purposes and may have been an early form of acupuncture. Jump back 100 years earlier to 1891, to Thebes where archaeologists discovered the mummy of Amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor. Amunet displayed numerous lines and dots tattooed about her body. Due to social attitudes of the time, written records and physical remains pertinent to Egyptian tattoo have been ignored. However, we now know that there were several mummies discovered dating at the same time as Amunet. These female mummies had a combination of dashes that were aligned into geometric shapes. Tattoo art was limited to females only, reason being that it was linked with ritualistic practices. It was also believed that the dashes were for protection and fertility. So, the reasons for tattooing included a tribute to a deity, a permanent amulet that couldn’t be lost, connection to the divine, and to provide magical or medical protection. The first earliest tattoo with a detailed picture is that of the God Bes. Bes was the God of dancing girls and musicians.

The images of Bes appear as a tattoo in the inner thigh of dancers and musicians in paintings and also Nubian mummies from 400 BC. Egyptians played a major role in tattoo history. They helped spread the practice of tattooing. By 2,000 BC, tattooing had spread out all the way to Southeast Asia. In 1948, anthropologist, Sergei Ivanovich Rudenko discovered a Pazyryk chief who had been mummified and was exceptionally well conserved. The chief was around 50 years old when he died. He was heavily tattooed with intertwining designs which were mainly made up of beasts. His chest was decorated with griffins. The chief’s right arm had tattoos of a donkey, a mountain ram, and two deer while his left arm was tattooed with two deer and a mountain goat. The chief’s tattoos continued on his right leg which featured a fish from his foot to his knee on the front and a monster and four rams in a design on the remaining part of his right leg. His left leg was also tattooed but the design was impossible to tell apart since it was not as well preserved as the rest of his body. His back was also tattooed with small circles all along his vertebra which were likely done for healing reasons. In 1993, a female Pazyryk mummy was discovered by an archaeologist named Natalya Polasmak. The female mummy was also tattooed with creatures just like the chief. It is thought that the Pazyryk’s tattooed animals on themselves for magic, totemism and to soak up the spirit of the animals that they had tattooed on them. The Pazyryk mummies showed that there were no class differences and that both women and men could be tattooed. It is obvious that tattoos have appeared on different parts of the world throughout history and is basically a part of every culture. The reasons that people have had themselves

tattooed are for a varied number of reasons and that continues to be so today. Tattoos were thought to heal arthritis or other ailments. Some believe tattoos heal the soul of pain from loss of a loved one, lost loves, or surviving the hardest time in their life. No matter what the case is, tattoos have existed for thousands of years and will not likely go away. I haven’t even begun to make a dent into the history of tattoos. There is so much more to tell and learn and this has been a great learning experience for me. In our next issue, I will focus on the history of tattoos in the Japanese culture. Remember, while tattoos display beauty on the surface, the true beauty is more than skin-deep.

“Tattoo art was limited to females only, reason being that it was linked with ritualistic practices.”

pg28 pg28

All letters sent to Slingin’Ink will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and as such are subject to edit and comment editorially. Please ensure that all photos and slides have credits attached. Please send copies not originals as we can not return any unsolicited photographs. No responsibility can be assumed for unsolicited materials. The views expressed in this magazine by the contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. While every effort is made in compiling Slingin’Ink, the publishers cannot be held responsible for any effects therefrom. Reproduction of any matter contained in Slingin’Ink is prohibited without prior permission. Adverts and Advertisers appearing in Slingin’Ink carry no implied recommendation from the magazines or from the publishers.

Jayme Black - Lead Writer “A great tattoo is a statement, not a style and getting it is a journey not a destination.”

Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

Patrick Garcia - Writer

“fa fa fa faaaaa fa fa fa fa faaa faaaaa”

Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

Josie Fernandez - M.U.A.

“Love what you do or do something else.”

Slingininkmag@aol.com /Jessejaymz

Meet the Editor B

utterflies were in my stomach as I drove to Buena Suerte Tattoo Studio in Pharr, Texas. I was on my way to meet the man behind Slingin Ink Magazine. I envisioned a big tough guy with a hard as nails as attitude but instead, I met a modest, down to earth guy who had great plans for the future and I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. Meet Jesse, the creative mind and editor behind Slingin Ink Magazine. He isn’t an artist but don’t misjudge his passion for the tattoo world. Jesse has a vision to educate the Rio Grande Valley about tattoos and to introduce them to the local artists and shops. Jesse has fourteen tattoos on himself and counting. He does believe in that saying “Once you get inked, you can’t stop”. His first tattoo was at the age of 15. It was a tattoo by buddy of his in a house and it was not the greatest experience in the world for him. So kids, no home tattoos, just ask Jesse. His first tattoo was supposed to be a tagged cartoon character but instead it came out looking like Jay Leno. It took a while for Jesse to get another tattoo but this time he went professional. After his first professional tattoo, he was hooked. As we sat at one of the tattoo stations and talk, I could tell that Jesse was an ambitious young man with big dreams. With the buzzing of tattoo machines and the rock music in the background, I listened intently to Jesse as he spoke of his plans for Slingin Ink Magazine. After years of hanging out with his friends at Buena Suerte, Jesse felt that he needed to make a contribution to the local tattoo industry and help out the local artist. He wasn’t blessed with the talent to draw but he figured he could try to bring in a magazine to build up the local tattoo community and educate the valley on tattoos.

He does give props to Miami Ink and L.A. Ink for bringing the tattoo industry into the spotlight but he does admit that the shows have given tattoo clients a misconception of how things are really done at a tattoo shop due to all the editing. Jesse wants people to know you can’t just walk in and say, “I want this tattoo” and that the artist will miraculously have the stencil ready within the hour. It takes time to make something special that fits the client. Tattoos are a slow and detailed process. Jesse also wants people to know that going to a “scratcher” to get a homemade tattoo isn’t always the best idea. There are health issues to consider. There are health regulations that tattoo shops follow to protect their clients and with a “scratcher” you never know if they are cleaning their equipment properly. Plus, you won’t get the quality of work that you could have gotten from a professional tattoo artist. He has one message to all the “scratchers” out there, you want to tattoo then learn to do it right by becoming an apprentice with a professional tattoo artist. For the people who go to “scratchers”, you get what you paid for. Jesse is pretty cool guy and trust me, looks can be deceiving. He may look like a bad boy, but in reality, he is just regular joker who is passionate about tattoos, especially oriental style tattoos. So, don’t judge a book by its cover. Get to know Jesse and help get the word out about Slingin Ink Magazine. You never know what you’ll find inside.

Article By: Jayme Black Photos by: Exclusive Images

Ink of the quarter Think you have what it takes to win? Prove it by sending us your best tattoo pictures. 1st place get a $100 gift card and a Slingin Ink T-Shirt Email us at Slingininkmag@aol.com

Erika Faubion

Artist: Ronnie Hadley Texas Body Art (Houston, TX)

Jon Guerra

Bert Hernandez

3rd Place

2nd Place

1ST Place

Artist: Bizmark Flaming Heart Tattoo (Houston, TX)

Artist: Adrian Lazo Buena Suerte Tattoo (Pharr, TX)

Dirty Panda Custom Cakes

by Appointment only

Tattoo & Piercing

Weddings, Quinceaneras, Birthdays, Holidays, any special Occasion!

956.533.6115 912 E. Nolana Pharr, TX 78577

Please email us at dirtypandapatisserie@yahoo.com

www.myspace.com/thekindadirtyyouwantget

1418 E Tyler Ave # 9 - Harlingen - (956) 412-7808

Huge Comic Book Selection - Collectable Cards- Figures Disney Statues - Posters - Anime - Toys - Graphic Novels

• Comic Subscriptions • Back issues • Rare Collectables • Pre-orders

• Unlimited Possibilities http://www.myspace.com/customstattoo12007

Vermilyen Tattoosby Jarr

956-631-6994 Tue - Sat 11am- 8pm 120 N. 10th St. McAllen TX

TZ Fashion Custom made wear by Tzelena

• • • • • • • • •

Dancers Body builders Models Sexy wear Stilettos Costumes Corsets Rhinestone jewelry Hosiery 10 years servicing the entertainment industry Now at the north west corner of expressway 83 & Val Verde Rd Donna Texas Next to Valley Girls

956-607-4984

(956) 682-4655

Ink Addictions Edinburg, TX (956) 316-4655

e i d d E n a M t Quie

z e m o G

of d a e t s n i nd, e e The h t n i t “ u . b n i , k e s r e n h a um osp h m t n a o t e r h t a f g o n i k y f r i o r t w c a e e el v m a r h o u t o s y , A “ n o i t c u r t s d de n a s By: Jayme Black o a h c Photo by: Exclusive Images

uiet and calm like the sea, a man sits quietly at his station, but then the buzzing of a storm begins to brew. A storm electrifying the atmosphere, but in the end, instead of chaos and destruction, you have a work of art on human skin. Eddie, of Buena Suerte, is quiet and calm, but behind that cool suave, there lays the mind of a creative genius. Eddie is respected by his peers and is known to be one of the top artists in the Rio Grande Valley. I have had the pleasure of meeting Eddie recently and cannot wait to hear what gets his creative juices flowing. With James Brown blaring in the background and the buzzing machines from the two tattooists working away, I sat at the entrance bench to talk with Eddie. Now, he is a man of little words, but when he speaks his words are strong and meaningful. Trust me; you are hooked to his words as they flow from his mouth. Drawing has always been there for him as a kid and well into his adulthood. His first tattoo experience was with a friend of his back home in California. They went to get tattooed out of someone’s house. Eddie’s friend went first and when Eddie saw it didn’t look good, he decided not to get a tattoo. He eventually tattooed himself when he was sixteen years old. He tattooed his name in his inner finger and later took it off with a razor. Crazy isn’t it? Eddie tried the 9-5 job thing, but when he was laid out for six months from a work related injury, younger brother Creep suggested he pick up the tattoo machine and get to it. He hasn’t put it down since. Eddie has been tattooing for the past eleven to twelve years. He loves traditional work but he likes to stay versatile. Don’t categorize Eddie into a tattoo style; the man likes to tattoo anything that catches his eye. They say that eyes are the window to the soul and if you look hard into Eddie’s eyes, you see the love he

MaC aDrIan eDDIe CeCI

2030 N Cage Blvd Pharr, TX (956) 787-7351

myspace.com/exclusivergv

I m a g EXCLUSIVE e s

Music Ink

Chris DeLeon – Walk the Graves

Written by Patrick Garcia

lion is roaring.

a well sought after tattoo artist.

It sinks its

His early ties with the local music

claws into the ribs of a naked

scene has made him a respected

and helpless woman as she flails

name both for his skills in barking

her arms under the weight of

out hardcore choruses and inking.

the beast; the fear on her face

He’s worked on virtually every

parallels the primal howl of the

original valley musician, ranging

lion which, for the rest of one

from the guys in .thedecember

man’s life, will forever remain

drive to a good majority of the

mute. Fortunately, this image is

dudes in Dying Embrace.

safely inked behind this man’s bare skin; the canvas? Enter Chris DeLeon, the lead vocalist for the Weslaco based hardcore band, Walk the Graves. If you haven’t seen or

And his tattoos tell stories of music, too. Take for example the thick, black, fist sized spider clutching at the crevice of Chris’s inner elbow; this inking was done on the first night of his band’s first

heard Chris tearing his vocal

tour outside of Texas when their

chords for WTG, then you may

Midland show got cancelled. To

have heard of his presence within

check out Chris in action, catch

the ink scene; known for his

him inking it up at Flaming Heart

proficiency with coloring and

Tattoo studios in Edinburg or

his unique influences (think old-

tearing it up with Walk the Graves

school Tales from the Crypt comic

at myspace.com/walkthegraves.

books and George A Romero Zombie flicks), Chris Deleon is

2009

December

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Photography By: Exclusive Images Wardrobe provided by: TZ Fashion

2010 J A N U A R y

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Photography By: Exclusive Imagesâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Wardrobe provided by: TZ Fashion

February

2010

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Photography By: Exclusive Imagesâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; Wardrobe provided by: TZ Fashion

Local Tatts

Submitted by: Jeremy Vasquez Artist: John Perez

Submitted by artist: Javie (Ink Spot)

Submitted by artist: Dan Lopez (Customs Tattoo)

TIRED OF THE HEAT? CALL US (956) 783-6583 Ofﬁce (956) 330-8492 Cell Air Conditioning & Refrigeration RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

H PS igh

Lic. No. TACLB019464C

ervice

Licensed & Insured For Your Protection

• FULL SERVICE • INSTALLATIONS & Repairs • ALL MAKES AND MODELS

• Free Estimates

the vICTIM Yoli Zamora

Age: 40 YRS Job: SGT. McAllen, PD

the aRTIST Josh Wheeler

<FIN

<< <<

Age: 29 YRS Shop: 1st Class Tattoo

Interviewed by: Jesse Alvarado Story by: Jayme Black

956.781.9999 N

I road

905 W. FM 495 Suite 3 Wells Plaza San Juan, TX

FM495

• • • • • • •

And

rci Pie

Custom Work Realistic Cover- Ups Color Work Black & Greys Portraits Souvenirs & more

piercings

$20.00

Spike (Tattoo artist/Piercer)-J.D (Tattoo Artist)

Ricardo (Tattoo Artist)- Jon (Tattoo Artist)- Paloma (Assistant)

www.myspace.com/truetattooshop

FRONTAGE

Truck & Care Tire

Road Service - Low Prices - Repair - Sales

2218-A W. Expressway 83 Weslaco, TX Lupe: 956-650-0024 Lucio: 956-351-2613

Free with Purchase: Flat Repair Rotation Valve Stems Air Check Mounting Computer Balance

We Honor Competitors Prices

White Buffalo Tattoo Studio 994-8282 631-8282 Mcallen, TX

Joey

FRANK

Artist also available: Justin, Maritsa

Piercer: David

Open daily From 11- 2 AM

Live Music - Happy Hour 11-8 PM Open Mic Night every Thursday

60 Beers on Tap!