Greetings from our second home

Hello from Japan!
It's a bit of a rainy day today, and i have no plans, so i figured it was the perfect time to do some blogging.
Allan is tattooing, so maybe i'll post some tattoo pictures from Japan soon, but until then, i actually have some shop pictures to share.
I shot a film on our trip to Germany, and finished it in Copenhagen the day we left for Japan.
The Germany pictures are over here, if you're interested (there's a peek at the paintings as well), but i figured that at least some of the ones taken at the shop belonged on this blog!
All pictures were taken with my Canon AE-1, which is (in case you didn't know) the bestest and prettiest camera in the whole world. Yup, sure is.

Front room goodness

 Corner details

Nørrebro

 Around the lake

 Workroom corner

 Photo lab in the back room

 Last client the day before leaving for Japan was our good buddy Christel, who's obviously a total badass

More Japan goodness soon... probably!

NAKOTA HEDRICK - GODOY MACHINES PROFESSIONAL

Nakota Hedrick started tattooing at age 18 in April 2008 out of Nashville, Tennessee. She moved to Souther California in 2010 to further her tattooing skills. She is now working out of Kari Barba's Outer Limits Tattoo in Orange, Ca. Nakota is heavily involved in oil painting. She has recently been traveling internationally guest spotting and working tattoo conventions.

Attention to detail in a comic book illustrator style yet capable of anything.

Highly focused work, intentionally deliberate results.

Ask Mr. Fingers. He knows, he couldn't have turned out better. He could have been turned out... whatever that means.

Look at the owl looking at you. He's got the key to your house... examine the wing texture, solid color, perfect color fades, clean line work.

IN THE SHORT TIME NAKOTA HAS BEEN TATTOOING, SHE HAS GOT EVERYTHING SHE NEEDS. SKILL, DEDICATION AND ETHICS. HOW MANY OF YOU CAN SAY THAT?

GODOY MACHINES - WE SAY WHAT WE WANT CUZ WE BELIEVE IN IT.

Sneak posting, shhhhh...

Happy Sunday y'all!
We're having an actual day off, so i shouldn't even be doing this (mmm, forbidden blogging), but i just wanted to let you know (in case you hadn't seen it already) that Allan has posted pictures from the exhibition on his blog!
Yes, so go check that out!

 Also, a tattoo by Uncle Allan, just because i care

- NEWS FLASH - THE PROBLEM IS HERE. IT IS NOW AND IT IS REAL.

JUST GOT WORD THAT INTENZE INK, SKIN CANDY, STARBRIGHT, KUROSUMI, MOM'S MILLENIUM INKS - ALL ARE BEING SOLD IN SEARS...AS WELL AS TATTOO KITS GO TO SEARS.COM. AND THAT ANOTHER ART SUPPLY CHAIN IS SELLING SKIN CANDY TO THE PUBLIC. JUST WHAT WE'VE BELIEVED ALL THESE YEARS - THIS IS AN UNREGULATABLE INDUSTRY FULL OF EGO AND IGNORANCE. I REMEMBER BEING AT A CONVENTION IN HOUSTON...IT WAS THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST EVER TATTOO CONVENTION. THE EGOS WERE ENORMOUS... THE ATTITUDES EVEN BIGGER. THIS OVER SHADOWED THE REAL REASON WE WERE ALL THERE.

OUR STANCE IS ONE OF EDUCATION, ONE OF BRINGING THE LEVEL OF TATTOOING UP, OF BRINGING EDUCATION TO ALL ARTISTS SO THAT WE CAN PURIFY THE INDUSTRY AND ELIMINATE COMPANIES WHO STEAL FROM US... SUPPLIERS WHO ARE IGNORANT... WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU DO... OR ABOUT THE PRODUCTS THEY SELL.

WAKE UP. IT'S REAL. IT HAPPENS EVERYDAY. WE HAD GOTTEN MAILS FROM SETH CIFERRI BEING UP IN ARMS AT US FOR WRITING OUR BOOK - 'TATTOO MACHINES AND THEIR SECRETS' - STATING THAT WE WERE "LETTING THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG ". FUNNY... I DON'T THINK HE KNOWS THE BAG... THIS ATTITUDE IS WHAT KEEPS ARTISTS IGNORANT. THIS IGNORANCE IS WHAT ALLOWS AND INVITES SUBSTANDARD MEDIOCRITY. JUST BECAUSE A TATTOO SUPPLIER IS SELLING TATTOO SUPPLIES DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE WORTH A SHIT.

ETHICS HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT...AND GUESS WHAT, IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS THAT ALL OF YOU HAVE LET THE FOREIGN SUPPLIERS IN. THROUGH NOT BOTHERING TO CARE YOU ALLOW SUPPLIERS WHO SELL CHINESE SHIT - NEEDLES, MACHINES, IMITATION COLORS, BOOTLEG FRAMES.. AND ALL THEIR SUBSTANDARD GARBAGE INTO OUR INDUSTRY. THROUGH YOUR NOT CARING OR TAKING ACTION, YOU HAVE ALLOWED THIS MILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY FALL INTO THE HANDS OF SUPPLIERS AND MANUFACTURERS WHO LEGITIMATELY DO NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT OUR TRADE.

MARIO BARTH... SELLING HIS INTENZE INK TO SEARS! HE WAS A TATTOOIST ONCE. MEDIOCRE AT BEST, HE NEEDED THE TRADE TO SURVIVE. NOW... HE HAS LIGHTED BILLBOARDS ALL OVER VEGAS... ON THE SIDES OF BILLION DOLLAR HOTELS, HE TOOTS HIS OWN HORN ABOUT BEING AN AWARD WINNER... AND NOW - HE HAS STABBED TATTOOING IN THE BACK. AND SO HAVE ALL OF THE OTHERS. WHO LET THIS HAPPEN?

THE INDUSTRY HAS DISCARDED IT'S OWN ETHICS. THE ARTISTS ARE SUPPORTING SUPPLIERS WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE ETHICS OF OUR TRADE. THESE SUPPLIERS SHOUD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SURVIVE, AND IF ANY OF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS, ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN.

ASK YOURSELVES - WHAT AM I GOING TO DO TODAY, AND EVERYDAY, TO DO MY PART TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION.

- DELETE ALL CHINA SPAM

- DO NOT BUY FROM SUPPLIERS WHO SELL IT

- EDUCATE YOURSELVES ON MACHINE FUNCTION

- GET RID OF YOUR EGOS

- TREAT CLIENTS WITH RESPECT - IT IS A CUSTOMER SERVICE JOB. THEY PAY YOUR BILLS.

- WRITE TO SEARS.COM AND STOP THIS INSULTING, AND DAMAGING CAMPAIGN.

- SPREAD THE WORD.

ACT OR DON'T. IF YOU DON'T THEN GET OUT OF OUR TRADE. WE DON'T NEED YOU.

COMPANIES DON'T SURVIVE IF YOU DON'T BUY THEIR MERCHANDISE.

THINK LONG AND HARD. STOP THINKING ABOUT YOUR TATTOO ARTIST COSTUMES, YOUR TATTOO ARTIST ROCK STAR STATUS & YOUR EGO... THIS IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THAT.

IF YOU DON'T BUY, THEY WON'T SUPPLY.

Rose tattoo

Taking a break from black metal

We've been back from Germany for a few days now, and while the exhibition looks rad and we had a wonderful trip, it's reeeeally nice that it's all over now. Like, so incredibly nice.
We're actually only home for a little while and then we're off to Japan again, but at least there's no planning involved in that... or long ass drives! Just good friends and good food and probably lots and lots of radiation... oh, wait, not a great thing...
Anyway, i hope i'll be able to post some more tattoo pictures, since they've been increasingly rare here, considering this is a tattoo blog and all. But Black Metal March being all secret and shit has not made that easy for me!
But at least i had Allan send me a few "older-but-still-pretty-new" pictures yesterday, and that definitely is better than no tattoo pictures at all, right?

Part of a still ongoing sleeve on Natalie

I've been updating the blog ever so subtly this week. The "Travel & Guests" tab is now "News & Events", for instance. This is because i needed the tab to be a bit broader to include fun shop events like Halloween, something we hope to do more of this year. There's also a calendar now that you can check to see when we're doing something fun at the shop, or elsewhere!
I've updated the faq and other stuff too, and as usual, you're welcome to let me know if there's something you think i need to add to that.

Oh, and some info about the exhibition! I know i wrote in the previous post that it's there until the 13th of May, and it technically still is, but the owners of the gallery are going on vacation from the 1st of April till the 3rd of May, and that's, well, pretty close to being the whole exhibition period! So the gallery will be closed throughout April, but if you want to go see the show (and why wouldn't you? It's both awesome and amazing!), you can send them an email (lionheart-t-g@gmx.de) to let them know when you're coming, and they'll make sure someone is there to let you in. Easy as that!
We'll be posting a few pictures from the opening soon, either here or on Allan's blog, or maybe both, and in the meantime, you can see a sneak peek over on my blog!

tattoos

by Steve Godoy

This last month at Godoy Machines, we have been busy as hell building new stock and doing tons or repairs on the substandard machinery we receive from artists. The general dissatisfaction with the current products that are available these days is really showing!! Machines and products which are built and sold by people who have no understanding about what they are doing or what they're selling, and who have no business in our business!

Godoy V2 machine.

SEE!! We told you so! Sooner or later it was bound to happen. IF YOU DO NOT BUY THEIR PRODUCTS, THEY CAN'T STAY IN BUSINESS. Simple. WE, all of us artists, as a collective CAN CONTROL OUR OWN INDUSTRY. WE CAN KEEP PEOPLE IN BUSINESS WHO ACTUALLY HELP US TO DO GREAT WORK, WHO CARE ABOUT THE WORK WE'RE DOING AND ABOUT THE PRODUCTS WE USE TO DO OUR WORK.

by Art Godoy

We have also been cleaning house on suppliers who now no longer are allowed to carry our products. We have put in place, lists of conditions suppliers need to meet in order to be ALLOWED by us to carry our machines. If any suppliers cannot measure up, we don't sell to them. We are only a 2 man company, and as much as we'd like to have our machines available everywhere, we WILL NOT compromise our ethics at any price. When a certain supplier's representative told us, "I personally sold over 5 million dollars in tattoo supplies last year...I believe that a good product is a product that is readily available to the consumer." How can this attitude be positive in regulating and elevating the level of professionalism and quality of life for artists as well as their artwork? We ended any further discussion with that 'potential' supplier.

by Leonardo Rojas

His statement implies that "consumer" can be ANYONE!, and that the product is available to EVERYONE!! Back yard scribbler or not - they are consumers. He has no idea about what we need in 2012... ethics, professionalism and tools that actually facilitate the execution of every advanced technique necessary to achieve the desired results - effortlessly and confidently.

by Nakota Hedrick

An education on machine function should be mandatory for all artists. How can any artist pick up a machine without knowing how that specific machine will perform? When you cannot diagnose or predict the machine's function by looking at it's components and specifications? Most artists do not know what to look for! It's true!! A purchase based on aesthetics, based on Hype, based on name brands which have no credentials...What business do these artists have putting a permanent image on a client? REALLY.

EITHER WAY, WE'RE DOING OUR PART AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. THANKS ALSO TO OUR GLOBAL TEAM OF SPONSORED ARTISTS!!

NAKOTA HEDRICK, JUAN ARREGUIN, DAVID GARCIA, PABLO XNO, MANUEL SERVIN, EL MOVIES, REUSTER, DANIELLE OBEROSLER, PETE BELSON, JHON GUTTI, PAJO QUINTERO, LUIS OSORIO, LEONARDO ROJAS & LITTLE SWASTIKA! KEEP IT UP!!

GODOY MACHINES - SETTING STANDARDS, MOVING FORWARD AND LEAVING THE INCOMPETENTS IN THE DUST.