Inked July 2020

Shawn McKinney considers himself a renaissance artist - pulling inspiration from vintage cartoons, typography, riding motorcycles, and anything he sees. He turns these inspirations into murals. paintings, sculptures. and more. all with the help of his 1-year-old daughter. Calico. and his tattoo artist wife, Emily. Together. Shawn and Emily spend their days in Los Angeles. California. creating and inspiring - while juggling parenthood at the same time. To celebrate Father's Day, we talked with Shawn about what it's like being an artist and a father. This interview is sponsored by Marked by Inked and Death Wish Coffee Co. What's your day-to-day routine look like? I'm an early bird riser with our 1-year-old daughter. Since I'm self-employed most of our days are pretty flexible. We'll start with coffee, breakfast. and playtime. Throughout the day we'll be…

Hey there, Welcome to Inked’s 2020 Moto Issue, the strangest magazine that we’ve ever put together. The strangeness doesn’t come from the content—the Moto Issue is a long-running annual tradition—but because this is all happening during a global pandemic. The entire country is reeling in one way or another due to COVID-19. Whether it be from becoming sick, losing loved ones, losing your job or simply feeling isolated from the world thanks to self-quarantine and social distancing, we’re all hurting right now. During these times putting out an entertainment magazine felt pretty fucking far from essential. With practically every tattoo shop forced to shut down and artists unable to earn a living, who needs a tattoo magazine right now? As I was going over our final copy edits it hit me, I knew why…

HammyTV “I’ve been watching HammyTV for years and those guys are f-ing hilarious! Seriously, where do they come up with these ideas?! I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing Jen give Ryan a penis tattoo and if I did that, my wife would KILL ME. Actually, if I tried pulling half the stuff these guys do I’d either be divorced, arrested or dead. Can’t wait for more HammyTV and Inked Mag shenanigans to come!”—Paul Thompson— Albany, NY INKEDSTAGRAM: HASHTAG YOUR SELFIE #INKEDMAG @MISSTTKISS @STEPHANIE_SANTIAGO @CHRISTYMACK @RIAE_ TATTOO OF THE MONTH TATTOO BY @ERV2 Want to be a Tattoo of the Month? E-mail your ink to editor@inkedmag.com facebook RYAN ASHLEY Sara Lewis— “When I saw this cover on Instagram, my job hit the floor. Can you believe she hid this from the whole world? I can’t! This baby is going to be so beautiful…

By working hard and holding himself to a very high standard, Carlos Torres has built a career as one of the best black-and-grey tattoo artists in the world. Not content to limit himself to one medium, Torres began painting with oils. Filled with deep, rich colors and influenced by old masters like Caravaggio, Torres’s paintings live in an entirely different world from his tattoos, proving what a diverse artist he is. We spoke with Torres about how he first discovered art, the differences between working on canvas and on human skin, and how he wants to be remembered. What are some of your earliest memories of art? Do you remember when you fell in love with creating? I grew up in Gardena and we used to live down the street from a…

Teenage rebellion is a rite of passage. For some, that ticket to adulthood can be earned from a minor discrepancy, like smoking your first J. Others need to do something a little more drastic, like taking their father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California on a joy ride through downtown Chicago (oh yeaaaah). At 16, Sara Aydin got her first taste of rebellion when she bought her first motocross bike, a 2005 KTM 125 EXC, and from the jump, she realized she was made for more than her small town in Sweden. “Sweden is a country where being average is what you should be and if you’re more than that, people start to talk,” Aydin shares. “I hate to stand with the crowd. I’d rather be different and do something to…

G Herbo is a survivor. At just 24 years old, the American rapper and songwriter from Chicago raised himself up through both his art and his business, keeping his eyes on Plan A, because there is no Plan B in his world. Since he was a child, G Herbo experienced violence, death and pain to such a degree that it caused him to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. His struggle became the impetus for his third solo studio album, “PTSD,” which dropped in February. After kicking off his tour in Brooklyn, G Herbo stopped by the Inked offices to share his perspective on hip-hop, hardship, and the evolution of his career. As a pioneer in the “SoundCloud” rapper movement, G Herbo transitioned from churning out tunes to running a full-fledged business.…