Mister Cartoon

For former local children's television show in Huntington, WV, see Mr. Cartoon.
Mister Cartoon
Born
Mark Machado

(1964-05-19)May 19, 1964[1][2][3]
Los Angeles, California
Alma materLA Trade Tech (dropped out)
Known forTattoo and graffiti art
Notable workThat Cat Bronson[4]
MovementChicano art movement
Websitewww.mistercartoon.com

Mark Machado, better known as Mister Cartoon or more commonly just Cartoon or Toon, is an American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California. He has been described by the New York Times as an "instrumental figure in the Los Angeles hip-hop scene"[5] and by the BBC as "one of the greatest living tattoo artists in the US".[6] Growing up in the Harbor area of Los Angeles County, young Cartoon began doing illustrations and graffiti then going on to airbrushing clothing and lowrider custom cars. Machado then moved on to working in the music industry doing album covers, tour merchandise and later tattooing recording artists and other celebrities.

Machado's style of art is part of the Chicano art movement and cholo culture, which he became part of in the late 1980s,[1] using various mediums. His other work includes hand painted signs, screen printing, wall murals, clothing, and toy sculptures of cartoon cats. He adopted the "Fine Line" prison tattooing art style, alongside Old English lettering, which historically was developed in the California prison system.[4]

Cartoon has tattooed the bodies of Kobe Bryant, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Christina Aguilera, Travis Barker, Pink, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé Knowles, Danny Trejo, Melanie Griffith, Shaquille O'Neal, Lewis Hamilton[7][8] and Snoop Dogg. Machado designed logos for musicians and record labels including Cypress Hill, Eazy-E's Ruthless Records and Eminem's Shady Records.[9] Machado's art has been employed by Nike, Toyota, T-Mobile,[10] the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Clippers, Modelo and in Grand Theft Auto.[11][12]

  1. ^ a b "The Gospel According to Mister Cartoon". Art in the Streets. 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  2. ^ Ryder, Caroline (2021-06-01). "Mister Cartoon". Beyond the Streets. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  3. ^ Timo, von (2014-05-19). "Happy Birthday Mister Cartoon". JOKER BRAND (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Vankin 2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kenigsberg, Ben (2020-04-10). "'LA Originals' Review: How Two Artists Shaped a Hip-Hop Scene". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  6. ^ Hobbs, Thomas (2022-08-18). "Will tattoos finally be accepted as art?". BBC. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  7. ^ Norris, Michele (January 1, 2003). "Mister Cartoon's Growing Tattoo Empire". NPR. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Newsome 2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Acclaim (2013-08-23). "Watch: Snoop Dogg talks about meeting Nate Dogg while getting tattooed by Mister Cartoon". Acclaim Magazine. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  10. ^ "T-Mobile USA Kicks off DigitalLife with the Introduction of the T-Mobile Sidekick II Juicy Couture Edition and the T-Mobile Sidekick II Mister Cartoon Edition". T-Mobile. October 13, 2005.
  11. ^ "Mister Cartoon Draws Brand Interest". Brand Week. February 13, 2006. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
  12. ^ Kingston, Anne (January 24, 2008). "Gracious living and the tattoo". Maclean's. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2009.