Kustom♛King: July 2010

Brooklyn from the Traditional Tattoo & World Culture Fest in Ireland, the latest issue of the wonderful Swallows & Daggers tattoo zine waiting.

Swallows & Daggers highlights Traditional and Neo-Traditional tattooing, promoting established and up-n-coming artists working in these styles. And they do so in the coolest of old school and new school ways by offering a paper zine (almost like a tattoo newspaper) with a dynamic blog. Bookmark it!

You can order the hard copy zine, as well as the digital version, through their online store, which also includes flash, tattoo books, prints, and some nice looking tees.

I particularly love the thoughtful tattoo interviews, but also check their section on the meanings behind common tattoo motifs, their growing convention coverage, and sketchbook reviews. In fact, there's a great article in this latest issue that explores the good and bad of mass-produced sketchbooks sold by tattooists and suppliers. ["Do they show a tattooer's particular approach to design or just make it easier for the uncreative?"]

Friday, July 30, 2010

Chavela

First, notice the S&S Shovelhead engine usually not associated with such a high tech bike design, but why not? The pair of Rev Tech wheels in a cool 23″ x 3.5″ size. And of course the very unusual rear suspension system position via dual shocks. This one must have required a lot of trials and errors before being set correctly. But of course no risk for the the rear fender being hit by the tire since it is attached and moving with the swing-arm. Is it easy, comfortable to ride? Of course not, so it’s not necessary to launch such a debate. Merit is in the body fabrication work, including a one-off mono shock suspension front end whose design flowing into the bars is quite pretty. Well, may be Jhomba Malicia will want to comment about his own bike, hopefully before the next World Cup Of Soccer. Malicia Indigena Madrid. (pictures H. Roesler)