Posts by Matt Hodel
Don’t be a Dick.
My second year of tattooing, I was working long hours at Iron Age. It was the original location that was upstairs next to Vintage Vinyl. I’d had a trying week of crazy customers. It was not abnormal to tattoo 10 people a day. At the end of a shift I would pray that a tribal…
Read MoreKelsey’s Photo Shoot
www.matthodeltattoo.com
Read MoreWinter Ride.
First camping trip of the year. A 250 mile loop to Giant City State Park. We found a cemetery for old heavy equipment. Went on some hikes. I think April and I have figure out the motorcycle camping. Rule one: Less is More. We do not take much. I could do this forever.
Read MoreYou will Quit Tattooing
Why you will quit tattooing. I used to say “Tattoo artist don’t retire, they just die.” Thats not a true statement anymore. It is no secret that a rising amount of ambitious practitioners are rushing to the industry. With the excitement comes disappointment as announcements of earlier retirement become common on social media. To a…
Read MoreDyna Flashback
2015 was an awesome riding season. We really pushed my dyna to its limits. Traveling through 9 states we cover a few thousand miles of back roads. We did our best to stay off the interstates and the rewards were plentiful. I finally used my warranty I got from Docs. It expires in two weeks.…
Read MoreMark Your Tribe
This is Tom. Guess what Tom does? Mechanics and Gearheads will recognize his tattoos instantly. That’s Tom’s tribe. If Tom got stuck in some shitty dinner party with a bunch of stuck up assholes, he would stick out like a sore thumb. But if another guest recognized Tom’s tattoos and showed him his arms…
Read MoreFive Programs you will need to learn.
Sketch Book Pro https://www.sketchbook.com/ This is the starter kit drawing program for the intimidated and computer inept artist. I have shown this program to tattoo artists around the country. Artists that had never drawn digitally took to Sketchbook very quickly. Sketchbook is a stripped down drawing program. It is very intuitive for a traditional artist…
Read MoreThe True Tattoo Artist
When Nathan was ask what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said “A professional baseball player”. His fourth grade teacher told him to pick something real. I think this pushed him harder. She was right that he wouldn’t become a Ballplayer. My brother ended up spending 9 years with the Arizona Cardinals,…
Read MoreSketchbook 2011
Sketches from old conventions.
Read MoreI want to be a Tattoo Artist!!
Why I don’t want my kids to tattoo. Tattooing is not for everyone. I get asked about letting my kids get tattooed or what if my kids want to tattoo for a living. The answer is No. As long as my kids are kids, they are not getting tattooed. The state says 18, so I’m…
Read MoreHead Hunters and old Friends
Grant Wyatt stopped by today. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. He is living life to the fullest in Vietnam. A Missionary, he and his family give hope to those we only see on TV. Acting as a liaison, he helps direct the support given to smaller villages in rural Vietnam. How…
Read MoreJake Doty: Nice Guy Hockey Player
Jacob Doty Age: 22 Hometown: Billings, Montana Occupation: St. Louis Blues, Chicago Wolves Position: Foward “Why I got this tattoo is because I live away from home a lot and wanted something to always remind me of home. Remind me where I came from and never to forget my roots.” If…
Read MoreBig Springs State Park
We met a group of friends for a huge camp out. This park is awesome. Check out the view.
Read MoreDiscovering Missouri: Duke to Van Buren
I will post a video of our epic off road road trip. We crossed creeks and washed out roads while April walked knee high ahead of the bike. We had to ride up rock roads made for dirt bikes and country roads made for farm equipment. We brought a stranded biker gas. Camped on the…
Read MoreDiscover Missouri: Arrow Head
April and I have been doing these camping trips on the motorcycle. We pack light and ride across the back roads of Missouri to discover the people and places that get lost on the insular interstates. This trip we will be out for four nights. Our destination is to find the small historic town of…
Read MoreFrank.
This is the closest I get to a portrait. Franky and Madison have been getting tattooed from me for almost a decade. Here is Franky’s new tattoo! It is a tribute to his love, Madison. www.matthodeltattoo.com
Read MoreSammie gets her Fix!
Sammie was disappointed with the direction her tattoo was going. She needed someone to cover-up, fix-up, and finish her Elephant! I helped Sammie get a tattoo she is no longer embarrassed by.
Read MoreDraw. Tattoo. Draw.
The first years of tattooing are tricky. Your focus should be on technical ability. Can you make the machines do what you want them to do? The first few years are just a challenge to figure out why what worked on Monday will not work on Wednesday. Consider the novice tattooist. There is an urgency…
Read MoreUnpredictable.
Your crystal balls sucks.
Read MoreCenter.
4 Ways to Remain Centered Amid All of the Chaos By Jennifer Marut “Every day brings a choice: to practice stress or to practice peace.” ~Joan Borysenko Right now I am in a tight squeeze. I am in the process of making some big changes, and it’s bringing quite a bit of chaos—uncertainties, insecurities, and…
Read More…Seriously.
by Mark DeNicola at collective-evolution.com In a world where people are regularly commended for things such as hard work, dedication and focus, the idea of not taking life seriously can sound preposterous. But is a serious mentality really at the core of the previously mentioned good habits? Or is it what’s potentially getting in the…
Read MoreBlackthorn Pub #FBF
March 1997 Blackthorn pub in the nineties was the after hours bar. We would always bring everyone back to the pub to hangout after a show and many bands drank with us there. I had an apartment a block away and it hosted a few all nighters. The Business had crashed at the house and…
Read MoreYou wanna build Bikes or do Oil Changes?
You wake up in jail. You have a hangover and you’ve just been informed that last night you hit and killed a pedestrian with your car. You are now charged with manslaughter and you need to make a phone call. Next to the pay phone are two business cards. The first reads: Larry’s Law Services.…
Read MoreLocation is Everything
Building sand castles in the tide is frustrating.
Read MoreFunny Stuff
Universal Language [wr_divider div_margin_top=”0″ div_margin_left=”0″ div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”0″ div_border_width=”2″ div_border_style=”solid” div_border_color=”#E0DEDE” divider_width=”100″ disabled_el=”no” ][/wr_divider] By Dr. Mercola, taken from Mercola.com If you want to communicate with someone from across the globe who speaks a different language, all you have to do is laugh. Laughter is a form of communication that’s universally recognized, which suggests it has…
Read More