The first annual Tattoo Artist Fall Ball/Miss Tattoo Indiana Contest went off without a hitch on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008. The evening started off right with some tasty food provided by Yats for the artists and other VIP's to enjoy. Next, the night jumped right into tattooed fun at the Vogue where a decent crowd gathered to see what would happen next.

Presented by Bill Levin, this was the first year for such an event. There were several bands booked to play, good food, and of course, the tattoo contest. Most contestants signed up online to show off their tattoos and then displayed them live that night on stage at the Vogue. Men and women were covered with works of art, from sleeves to entire back pieces. Winners got the obvious title of Best Of and a grand trophy to show off.

Survivor contestant Rupert Boneham was the MC for the night. His giant voice and funny wit made the evening memorable. Proceeds of the event were donated to his charity Rupert's Kids. www.rupertskids.org

"I thought they did a really good job with the whole event, especially for the first time," said Jay Petraits, owner of Midwest Tattoos and tattoo artist. "The whole event was well balanced and promoted a lot."

The headlining band GBH really took the night to the next level with some great music. This legendary punk band from England gave the crowd the rowdy show that they wanted. And to top the show off, there were two men that hung from the ceiling of the Vogue doing suspension. For those of you unfamiliar with suspension, it is when a human body hangs from hooks that have been put through body piercings. These piercings are temporary and are performed just prior to the actual suspension. At the Fall Ball one man hung from his knees and another hung from four piercings along his upper back. This was really the biggest sight of the night! All this while GBH was playing and people were tearing it up on the dance floor.

"The bands were one of the best parts; they had a good mix for different tastes. Also, the suspensions were a great extra feature that I didn't expect," Petraits said.

Local tattoo shops were out in full effect and living it up that night. Most closed their shops down so everyone could come out for this event. Some shops seen at the event were Midwest Tattoos, Artistic Skin Design, Metamorphosis, Skinquake, and several more. I'm sure seeing all the artwork on display really made some people aching to get more ink.

The general consensus of the night was a good time and a night that needs to happen annually. Luckily, Bill plans to continue this tradition and helps the tattoo community in Indianapolis grow.

"We are already looking forward to next year's TATTOO ARTIST FALL BALL 2. All the area artists loved it," Levin said.