TATues: 10 Clever Doctor Who Tattoos

A little shy of a year ago, Buzzfeed did a quick article of what they felt were the 50 Fantastic Doctor Who Tattoos. As a tattoo artist, I enjoyed seeing the different ideas, but I think it could have definitely been narrowed down to a solid 10!

Here's what I chose as the 10 Clever Doctor Who Tattoos ^^

Simple & Clean

 

Traditional/ New School Traditional

 

Detail/ Composition

 

Portraiture/ Realism

  

Be sure to put some imagination into your next fan favourite tattoo and make it yours!

~je t'adore

Imani K. Brown, tattoo INKPLAY artist

Website・Tattoo Tuesday

TATuesday: Sailor Moon Style!

Hello Tattoo Tuesday!!!!! I hope most of my fellow Otaku are enjoying the launch of Sailor Moon Crystal. As such, for this month's Tattoo Tuesday, I thought I'd find some savory Sailor Moon themed tattoos to share.

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Be sure to check out my TATuesday tattoo tips, advice, featured artist, tattoo INKPLAY & more.

This week's tips hail from a Tumblr tattoo enthusiast. Next week, let's talk Tipping!

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At the top of my list is tattoo artist, Kimberly Graziano. Be sure to check out her traditionally non-traditional Sailor Moon-themed tattoos. She's on Tumblr, so please be sure to check her out there too!

 

 

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These are others that I enjoy from various artists.

  

  

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＊＊WHOVIANS ＊＊

(I know you're there ^^)

Be sure to join us for a Doctor Who theme-filled month with Cosplay Boy/ Girl of the Week, fan art, & tattoos! Want to submit for next month? Feel free to do it HERE.

Thanks in advance & see yah 'round the inter webs.

~je 'tadore!

=^.^=

Cosplay Group (Sailor Moon Biker Gang Crossplay)

Based on the Sailor Moon Bosozoku Biker Gang art by Babbs Tarr, here's the group cosplay by the wonderful I Am Chubby Bunny & friends!

e sure to check out the full photo shoot, all photography & cosplayer creds, and more HERE!

IACB Facebook Fan Page

IACB Twitter

The Lolita of Otakon 2013

Remember we did a simple chat on our Girl's Night In podcast? One of the questions was what happens in Lolita communities. While I was able to answer the question, the Lolita activities that happened at Otakon are an even better example. Since the con is currently local to the Baltimore area, members of the local community (Charm City) was able to host a few meet-ups an panels.

Anime conventions are the best excuse ever for lolitas to commune, especially since life happens and everyone's not a lifestyle (or daily) lolita. Among things hosted near Otakon were a swap meet, meet & greet meet-up and a Lolita rush at a candy shop ... It's SUGAR!

Getting down to business, the community hosted two Lolita panels. With two of the community's more active lolitas, Lolita 101- beginner, explained the basics and ABC's of Lolita. Lolita 102- intermediate got down to the science of shopping for Lolita.

  

  

You can see more from Otakon, Lolita coords, and community life via Charmed Metro Lolitas Tumblr.

NAILED IT Nerd-inspired Nail Art

A rather brilliant selection of nerd-inspired nail art from Espionage Cosmetics, be sure to check out, and support, this brand's Kickstarter Project!

If you need me to spell it out for you, these are the top three reasons to indulge:

• You can contribute and show them some love for as little as $1. Remember, every little bit counts! But, if you can afford to show more love, I am quite sure they'd appreciate it. PLUS they have goodies and the world loves goodies!
• It's the perfect mix of nerdy and sparkly things. What nerd girl wouldn't love having the best of both worlds?!
• "We find your lack of nail art disturbing" tagline. Whoever gets this reference should automatically be in love!

Otakon 2013 Overview

 

 So, we were able to make it to Otakon 2013! This was a first for Otakus and Geeks and boy was it AWESOME! The con, for it to be smaller than New York Comicon and some others, did prove to be more than a two person job. Registering, we were really excited to hear that we have been hooked up with some simple con swag to help make our jobs a tad bit easier! And I do mean ... only a TAD! 

If you are not familiar with the anime and comic book conventions in the Baltimore area, let's share what Otakon is all about. 

Otakon is the convention of the otaku generation

Ever since 1999, we've taken over a sizable chunk of Baltimore's Inner Harbor for a 3-day festival celebrating the pop culture that's brought us everything fromAstroboy to Yu-Gi-Oh, from Seven Samurai to Spirited Away.

Join thousands of your fellow fans as we descend on Baltimore to celebrate music, anime, manga, and all other facets of Asian pop culture!

read more about Otakon

OVERALL

Overall, the con was pretty a enjoyable experience. Though this experience is not the fullest that Otakon has provided. The con-goers made this year's Otakon into a great festival with a lot of beautiful cosplay and J-fashion. The staffers did an awesome job making you feel welcomed and answering any questions that you may have. Navigation through the convention was a little tricky sometimes, but that is due to venue's set-up, not the convention's. Aside from that, it was easy-peasy smooth sailing.

AN INTERACTIVE CON

Thursday, to open the con, was an Anime Matsuri, in which you could come in your best J-fashion or cosplay and commune with others before being swept away by a full weekend of photo-shoots, panels, and shopping. Some special touches to Otakon that set it apart from other cons were fan produced video screenings and the Ota-museum. These among other things, make the con more interactive with its fans and followers. 

The fan-produced video screenings gave fans a chance to have their voices heard and creativity seen, on a larger scale. Imagine having your fan film screened by over 34,000 people! That's way better than being Tumblr famous, in my opinion. If you missed out this year but interested, there is always 2014. Be sure to check out their submission guidelines from this year to give you a running start.

The Ota-Museum is a nice and personal touch to the convention. It is a great crash course of the history of Otakon over the years. I would definitely recommend this as a "must see" for first time con-goers, especially first time Otakon con-goers. There was even a Newbies Guide available with tips to surviving Otakon. 

RATING
All-in-all, I would give this Otakon 2013 presentation a solid 3.5 (out of 5) since programming and guest selection could have been a bit better. However, Otakon is in a major transition- adding Otakon Las Vegas and soon relocating from Baltimore to DC- so it is forgiveable. If you have never been and willing to travel or local to the Baltimore area, Otakon is a highly suggested con to attend. There is definitely something for everyone!

**Be sure to check out The Cosplay of Otakon of 2013 here on O&G!**

aFRILLiations

This past weekend, life got real ruffly, as we packed our bags of ruffles & bows and art wares to head to Atlanta, GA for FRILL, a rather newly created gathering convention for lolitas across the states. Scheduled to tattoo, I was able to fully serve my clients even into the start of the convention. After which, there was a major shift in my cute attitude as I got ready to register and set up for Artist Alley.


Here's a bit of my first Lolita convention MISS-Adventure, of the FRILL sorts.

About FRILL

Affrilliation INC. is an Atlanta based corporation dedicated to promoting the American lolita scene both locally in Atlanta, as well as in the United States at large. We are the parent organization behind Frill- A Lolita Convention, and the Anime Weekend Atlanta Pop-Up Lolita Boutique, in addition to our other local events. As we continue to grow, we hope to be able to share our events with other lolita communities around the country, and work to showcase American lolita culture.

The staff as whole was very pleasant, though I only got a chance to speak with Andrea Baker, Afrilliations's CFO, in detail. who is just a doll! Immediately and without hesitation, she takes me to her "office" for thoughts, feedback, and possible ideas for future growth of both the convention and Lolita communities. After exchanging information, we were sure to part ways with frilly warm feelings of wanting to get some things done. 

FRILL, in its second year, was held at the quaint Courtyard Marriott in downtown Decatur. It seemed to be a few under 300 attendees drifting through the halls, during the con's main days. However, that is an eye-balled guess-timate on my part. On the flip side, it was confirmed that at least 15 states were represented tis time around. GO FRILL!

A bit of Meet & Greet

Friday was the "unofficial" start to Frill. A bit late (UGH!) from tattooing and running errands early in the day, I arrived to the fashion walk right at picture time. All fashions welcomed, a great deal of various J-fashions were represented. The stroll continued through downtown Decatur to end less than a block away from the con's host venue. At the stroll's end, refreshments were waiting where we could hang around, eat sweets (almost ANY lolita's favorite past time), snap pics, and commune with locals in the neighborhood.
After which, the pool party happened. And much like Vegas, what happened at the pool party and thereafter, stays at the pool party. *a kee kee lee* Just kidding! All the ladies had a wonderful time splashing around in mermaid tails and kawaii swimsuits in a 4 ft. swimming pool. 

The Programming
Very simple, clean, and straight forward, offered a well-rounded program for varying interests in Lolita. From natural hair care, to beer tastings, genderbending in lolita, J-fashion influences, Taobao, to men's etiquette and cake decorating. There were even panels on how to assist a lolita and how to be a nerd. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to do much in the realm of panels ... with the exception of the beer tasting. Now that was a treat!

The People
Frill attracted a mixed crowd in lolita experience and lifestyle. Hopefully in the coming years, we will see more lolitas with other J-style mash-ups there. Overall, however, most people were extremely kind. As we passed in hallways there would be a smile and nod or a simple greeting as we passed by each other on the streets. Unfortunately, I am pretty shy in person so I found it, personally, hard and awkward to meet other lolitas. So I do suppose I have something to work on. However, I'm quite positive that had I gone to the silly games workshop, I would have been able to break the ice a bit better. >.<

  

My Experience. My Last-word
FRILL, though small, but like most cons, can be very overwhelming and tickle the senses. It is just enough to keep you wanting to experience more. So by the time it is over I don't think a sad "I'll miss you" kinda feeling is unnatural. I attribute some of my being reserved to having traveled and worked a long week so I have no complaints. However, as a learning experience, I would definitely make a note to leave some breathing room between the two, since they are equally as intense in my life.

I, personally, strive to have better experiences in lolita, both in and outside of my communities. So I have taken a lot of notes on what I can do to improve my personal and inner lolita for such occasions. For the little things like that, I would not trade my experiences at FRILL for the world. I would highly encourage more lolitas, like me- shy and reserved in person, tending to stick to their own- to go and experience. Maybe next year we can all go together ;-D

More to come so please stay tuned!
Be sure to paint your days bright!
~je t'adore! =^.^=