Tattoos and body piercings are a form of expression that have become more and more common. That industry was on display Saturday in Davenport at the 3rd annual Muddy Water Tattoo Convention.

In all, nearly 50 different shops and 100 artists from around the country attended.

Organizers say although tattooing has become more mainstream, some cities and states are cracking down. Some have more regulations on age, higher fees to hold a license, and other areas like Mercer County, Illinois are banning tattoo parlors altogether.

Some say there is a stigma working against the business and like a tattoo, it may fade, but may never go away.

"A lot of stereotypes have gone away. I mean there are still some people walking around with blinders on, you know, they don't see the tattoo industry as art," said Bill Stumpf, organizer of the Muddy Water Tattoo Convention.

Stumpf says the convention had thousands of visitors, the first night than they had in the entire weeknd last year.

Artists at the convention not only gave tattoos to visitors, they also collected money to give back to the community. Organizers hope to raise $3,000 from an art auction that will go to Shriners Hospital.