Dogtown Ink

Kevin Hinton, tattoo art, tattoos

Digital photograph

March 7, 2008
Old Glory Tattoo Parlor
Venice, California

When you say someone has Japanese style tattoos, you don’t usually mean Hello Kitty — unless you’re talking about Venice, California’s Malina Huang.

Ink Ink’s Karina and Stephanie are both exquisite tattoo artists. I know this because of the persnickety friends I have who patronize them…and because I can see with my own eyes. A longtime Dogtown ink establishment located near the corner of Lincoln and Brooks, it’s one of Venice’s best tattoo parlors.

Suicidal Tendencies’ “Cyco Miko” Muir and artist Jason Brown’s Venice Blvd tattoo and piercing parlor is known for SoCal black & grey style tattoos. Mike and brother Jim Muir (who skated with the Z-Boys skateboarding team and whose Dogtown Skateboards are legendary) are Venice natives. Whether it’s ink or piercing you’re looking for, S.T. Tattoos Studios is the place to come for authentic, local style work.

Steve Christensen — whose tattoo “sleeve” features a horned-and-hooved Pan, Japanese wood-block style waves and five-petaled cherry blossoms — is into some serious esoterica.