Tattoo Tuesday V.115

I wanted to take a moment and share a bit about today's Tattoo Tuesday participant and the work he is doing- after Christopher was a victim in a hit-and-run accident, he and his girlfriend Allie both decided to make positive changes and push each other to create something new. They started a company called D.O.G.T (Defenders Of Good Times) in which they help artists around the world promote their artwork and share it with others. Check out the video and links below for more info- it's such a neat, positive project!




http://kck.st/xpH9qZ
www.facebook.com/DxOxGxT
defendersofgoodtimes.tumblr.com
denfenderssf.blogspot.com

Name: Christopher Collins
Age: 27
Occupation: Owner of D.O.G.T (Defenders Of Good Times)
Age of first tattoo: 18
Favorite tattoo: My head!
Featured tattoo/location: My entire head.
Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: Greg Christian/Tattoo Faction/Head



1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning?

Getting my head was kind of a big deal..it had to be something amazing and it was kind of me showing myself my dedication to tattoos and how much I love them. It was tattooed at Tattoo Faction(which is the best shop in the world) by Greg Christian(who is my favorite tattoo artist) and he made it fit and look exactly how I wanted it to....it didn't feel the best but worth every single second of it. Tattoos are memories I will never forget and friendships that will never be broken. I got that tattoo for my family and everyone thats kept me going through the years. I'm pretty accident prone so I got a nurse tattooed on the top for keeping me safe all these years!



2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?

I am covered and I could go for days but some key tattoos are the D.O.G.T on my hand because it reminds me everyday that I am defending good times! The tattoos I have for my family are super important....Guadalupe on my forearm for my mom by Chuck Uhler and a swallow with a heart for my sister Carol, tattooed by Cindy Burmeister. I am saving my empty hand for an epic tattoo for my dad because he is my best friend and the person I look up to most in my life! I have a chicken and a piece of fried chicken tattooed on me because I eat chicken and party! I have a matching birdcage tattoo with my amazing girlfriend that Carlos Rojas tattooed and one of her drawings on the other leg that Rob Hamilton tattooed. The "trust no one" coffin on my ribs was tattooed by Mike Hutton inspired from one of his original paintings, Doug Hardy tattooed a peice of Dan Higgs flash on me at Tattoo City in SF. I have an amazing owl with a lucky rabbits foot around his neck that Dave Wulff tattooed. I have a matching tattoo of a gnarly pirate that Dan Wulff tattooed that was his first tattoo using a rotary machine! My knee is a crazy bearded biker skull that Lil Jeff in Miami tattooed on me. Most of my right arm was mostly tattooed by Cindy Burmeister who taught me a lot about life and helped me out a lot. I'm currently working on finishing my back with Dave Wulff and continuing my collection.

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

I'll never stop getting tattooed. Ever.



4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos? 

My family is the most amazing family you could ever have and they are extremely supportive of anything I do. It may not be their cup of tea and I'm the only one with tattoos, but they without a doubt have my back no matter what! You always will run into someone that has something negative to say about tattoos or tattooed people; that's a given, I have no desire to gain acceptance from negative people- "I am a Defender Of Good Times"- I don't have time to bummed out over what someone else thinks of my decisions. My significant other IS tattooed and shares the same interest in tattooing that I do and will be tattooing someday soon.



5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? 

You don't want to get me started with stories cause Im a rambler but I would have to say my favorite tattoo memory was when Greg Christian tattooed an old Bert Grimm flash design on my forearm. Greg is one of the best people I have met in my 27 years and taught me so much I owe that guy the world! I watched him set up his machines he told me he was gunna use a tight 5 so it looked all "Shitty and shakey" like it would have when Bert tattooed it! It was my first real visible tattoo and it turned out to be one of my favorite things to look at every single day!!! Being tattooed by Greg is one of my top 5 favorite things ever. Theres not enough thanks to express the appreciation I have for what Greg has shared with me.

6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet? 

You're not going to the store to pick out a new iPhone- you are are putting something on your body that is going to say something everytime someone sees it. Go to a real shop and get a real tattoo, get good tattoos and get safe tattoos.