Star Wars tattoo events have been a Celebration staple since premiering at Celebration III in 2005. This August, Celebration V will be no exception as Shane Turgeon, author of The Force in the Flesh and creator of www.tattoosandtoys.com and Marc Draven, creator of Ink-Fusion: When the Worlds of Tattooing and Comics Collide pull out all the stops for the biggest and best Star Wars Celebration tattoo experience yet!

This year, the Exhibit Hall at Celebration V will feature a 3600 square foot SW Tattoo pavilion, where fans of the art form can experience the best of what they've come to expect from the Celebration tattoo events as well as some brand new, exciting opportunities!



So what's going on at the Ink-Fusion SW Celebration V Tattoo Pavilion?




-The Empire Skates Back! To celebrate 30 years of The Empire Strikes Back, 30 tattooers have each been given a blank skateboard deck to paint, sculpt, carve and design their tributes to what is arguably, the greatest film of the saga. These amazing works of art will be on display all weekend and will be auctioned off for the Make-A-Wish Foundation on Sunday afternoon.



-The Star Wars Tattoo Competition! If you've got some amazing Star Wars tattoo work you'd like to share with the world, now's your chance! Stop by the Tattoo Pavilion anytime before close of show on Saturday and register your tattoo in one of four competition categories: Large Color, Large Black and Grey, Small/Medium Color, Small/Medium Black and Grey. The competition will be held on Sunday at 11am and winners and Runners Up will receive an exclusive, one-of-a-kind Celebration V tattoo award for their efforts!

-The Force in the Flesh! Author Shane Turgeon will be on hand all weekend at the Tattoo Pavilion selling and signing copies of this unique Star Wars publication!


-The Star Wars Tattoo Exhibit! Star Wars has permeated numerous aspects of our culture and the tattoo community is no exception. Check out some cool Star Wars tattoo equipment used by artists around the world! We will also have Celebration V exclusive temporary Star Wars tattoos for the kids and feint of heart! These temporary tattoos have been designed by Adam Hays whose "No Roses Grow on a Troopers Grave" shirt was a Shop Star Wars Dot Com exclusive and by Steve Hayes from Turgeon's new Edmonton studio, Shades of Grey!

-Ink-Fusion "When the Worlds of Tattooing and Comics Collide" live art showdown! Think tattooers are limited to the skin as their canvas? Think again! If the Empire Skates Back project wasn't enough, a number of tattooers will be on hand performance painting, drawing, and collaborating on some of the coolest Star Wars art ever created!


Not enough? We've saved the best for last!

Get Tattooed! You asked for it and you got it! Shane Turgeon and Marc Draven are bringing amazing artists to Celebration where you can get tattooed! What better place than at Celebration V to get that Star Wars tattoo you've always wanted. Our crew of artists will design a custom piece for you or if you're looking for something smaller, we'll also have a selection of Star Wars flash images available for you to choose from! Those who get tattooed at the convention will be eligible to enter our new competition category: Tattoo of the Weekend!

Check out the current list of artists and their portfolios here:

Matt Difa from Jolie Rouge Tattoos, London, England (The Force in the Flesh featured artist!)
www.myspace.com/difa

Pelon Villagomez from La Clinica, Queretaro, Mexico (The Force in the Flesh featured artist!)
www.tatuajeslaclinica.com

Wayde Dunn from Shades of Grey, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
www.shadesofgreytattoo.com (wdscars@yahoo.com)

Marc Draven from Draven's City Limits, Tampa, Florida
www.dravenstattoos.com

Opie from Draven's City Limits, Tampa, Florida
www.dravenstattoos.com

Drone from Opie from Draven's City Limits, Tampa, Florida
www.dravenstattoos.com

Jennifer Mercer from Draven's City Limits, Tampa, Florida
www.dravenstattoos.com

Mike from Atomic Tattoos, Tampa, Florida
www.atomictattoos.com

Lindsay from Atomic Tattoos, Tampa, Florida
www.atomictattoos.com

Charles Hern from Con Artists, Savannah, Georgia
www.myspace.com/conarttats

Heather from Epic Stories, Haines City, Florida
www.myspace.com/epicstoriesinskin

Christian Hassler from Fox Valley Tattoo, Algonquin, Illinois
www.foxvalleytattoo.net

Shannon Ritchie
www.smitch-tattoos.blogspot.com

Kelly Rogers from Gearhead Tattoos, Cape Coral, Florida
www.gearheadtattoos.com

Jason Leigh from Plush Gallery, Dunedin, Florida
www.jasonleigh.com

Andrea Swabb from Tattopia, Satellite Beach, Florida
www.myspace.com/andreaswabb