Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog)

Happy Blogiversary To Me! A Re-Post Celebration

Today marks Tattoosday's fourth anniversary, when we first started off <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2007/07/introducing-tattoosday.html">here</a> on BillyBlog as a once a week feature, before spinning off into a stand-alone site little over a month later.<br /><br />To celebrate, I'll be sharing favorite posts from the past four years throughout the day. Just a little celebratory break before we resume our normally-scheduled programming.<br /><br />I also encourage readers to comment below or email me (tattoosday@gmail.com) and I will attempt to re-post reader favorites throughout the day.<br /><br />Thanks to all of my readers for supporting me throughout the years! Here's to at least four more years!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span>

Happy Blogiversary To Me! A Re-Post Celebration

Today marks Tattoosday's fourth anniversary, when we first started off here on BillyBlog as a once a week feature, before spinning off ...

4:00 AM

Anniversary Re-Post - Julie's Crazy Tattoo

<i>As part of our fourth anniversary, we are re-posting some of our favorite Tattoosday moments. This post is one of my all-time favorites, from June 15, 2010:</i><br /><br />Inkspotting can be impulsive, but I also like to approach each volunteer after some consideration.<br /><br />Rather than rush up on someone and barrage them with questions, I like to make sure the tattoo(s) in question are not only interesting to me, but will be interesting to others.<br /><br />When I spotted Julie's back in Penn Station, for example, I hesitated:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH_AuJMZAVGMGPF4HOsjpWru61x-CB1ZbFS6ZW1cTk4-WKUFfKFYkL9dghlRSLlh2nd93XWXg6kpKGPyiyFSsmmDrbYWdMoqJ5I6RALDyeV0J7XwVwG1OqQn59Nz6duCRY33HkzMx/s1600/Loufoque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyH_AuJMZAVGMGPF4HOsjpWru61x-CB1ZbFS6ZW1cTk4-WKUFfKFYkL9dghlRSLlh2nd93XWXg6kpKGPyiyFSsmmDrbYWdMoqJ5I6RALDyeV0J7XwVwG1OqQn59Nz6duCRY33HkzMx/s400/Loufoque.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />It wasn't initially clear what her tattoo said and I was struck by its uniqueness. A huge fan of word and type tattoos, I couldn't recall ever seeing anything quite like it.<br /><br />So my curiosity got the best of me and I introduced myself to Julie.<br /><br />The tattoo "<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loufoque">Loufoque</a>," which is a slang term in butcher jargon for "crazy person". Julie explained that she apprenticed with a butcher shop for six months and it was a word she often heard tossed about by the staff, occasionally used when referring to a customer who might be difficult or, let's say, insane.<br /><br />The term Loufuque derived from 19th Century butcher slang and it became part of the vernacular. Julie thought that this tattoo would be a great way to commemorate her experience.<br /><br />The tattoo was done by <a href="http://www.brooklyntattoo.com/RYOKO.html">Ryoko</a> at <a href="http://www.brooklyntattoo.com/WELCOME_2.html">Brooklyn Tattoo</a>. I asked the artist where she came up with the letter design and she kindly gave me a little more perspective: <br /><br /><blockquote>"I recall Julie requesting the letters themselves to express lunacy. The final design in the photo is my own interpretation of what she had asked for and I think my intention here was to make the phrase look chaotic and disorderly, yet somewhat maintaining it's legibility. It's what I was able to put together by trying to depict what she might have been imagining in her head at the time."</blockquote>So, this post was written and prepped and I was online doing some final research when I stumbled upon this tidbit of information from "<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-03/of-meat-and-men/2/">Of Meat and Men</a>" by <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/bussel/">Rachel Kramer Bussel</a> over on <i><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/">The Daily Beast</a></i>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Her goodbye present from the <a href="http://www.fleishers.com/">Fleisher’s</a> staff is a set of knives inscribed with her name and “Loufoque,” French-butcher Pig Latin for “Crazy Lady,” a term she now has permanently tattooed across her back. Yet Powell now sounds much surer of herself than the lost woman whom we find in the early pages of <i>Cleaving</i>. Next up is a stab at a novel: “I’ve written quite enough memoirs for a 36-year-old.” </blockquote><br />Was this coincidence? Or were we talking about the same person?<br /><br />Scrolling back in the article, I discovered that the Powell here and the Julie that I met in Penn Station were one and the same person.<br /><br />The same person who crafted <a href="http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/2002/08/25.html">The Julie/Julia Project</a>, in which the author blogged her way through Julia Child's <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/child/making.html">Mastering the Art of French Cooking</a>, which became a book, which in turn became the film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1135503/">Julie and Julia</a>. All of this Julie never once mentioned. Then again, I never asked. And it is all about the tattoo, after all.<br /><br />That being said, thanks to Ryoko for sharing her thoughts about creating this tattoo, and a hearty thanks to <a href="http://juliepowellbooks.com/">Julie Powell</a> for sharing this interesting tattoo. I'm glad my curiosity got the better of me!<br /><br /><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0316003360&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=031604251X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2010, 2011 Tattoosday. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span>

Anniversary Re-Post - Julie's Crazy Tattoo

As part of our fourth anniversary, we are re-posting some of our favorite Tattoosday moments. This post is one of my all-time favorites, fro...

3:02 AM

Better Late Than Never

Back in April, I ran into John in Herald Square (34th and 6th) who had some pretty amazing work. He estimates he is about 25% covered in tattoos, which includes both arms, hands to shoulders, and both sides of his neck.<br /><br />I stopped him and handed him a flier, but he was in a hurry, so we went our separate ways.<br /><br />A month or so later, he e-mailed me a couple of photos:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamdE9NmvfGiNhPVZyXwLwrP1WY7g7kn-gMPwntxgsyfp5xU_ArIVXUaxl7kqGDOKiEsvUtzNv3VMtOCUzd298tL79kEQEEbdGDwHyk99eP10qdGkb0qzMp2isy8-cXK6lxYMoDn1f_0c/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamdE9NmvfGiNhPVZyXwLwrP1WY7g7kn-gMPwntxgsyfp5xU_ArIVXUaxl7kqGDOKiEsvUtzNv3VMtOCUzd298tL79kEQEEbdGDwHyk99eP10qdGkb0qzMp2isy8-cXK6lxYMoDn1f_0c/s640/photo+2.JPG" width="476" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrJHV4Qn6cX1RcjdzhSSjdJjaImnfiI7eRg_Ht9xJre8SJafo_E9b_26FV2Q8D-gclwr6_Vi9Qnvd4r-GgBuM8NglyfLGDaREhPQ9GwRc-wfyhJmBjiAm_Uuq2pEkKAaRbmXiuHLDspk/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtrJHV4Qn6cX1RcjdzhSSjdJjaImnfiI7eRg_Ht9xJre8SJafo_E9b_26FV2Q8D-gclwr6_Vi9Qnvd4r-GgBuM8NglyfLGDaREhPQ9GwRc-wfyhJmBjiAm_Uuq2pEkKAaRbmXiuHLDspk/s640/photo+1.JPG" width="476" /></a></div><br />John "loved Popeye growing up" and "love[s] the way [tattoos] look".<br /><br />Not a lot more to tell, other than this was done by <a href="http://rodrigomelo.com/">Rodrigo Melo</a>, when he was at <a href="http://www.risingdragon.com/">Rising Dragon Tattoos</a> on 23rd Street (now on 14th). Rodrigo has since left Rising Dragon and co-founded <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star Tattoo</a> in the East Village. <br /><br />John is a photographer whose work can be seen <a href="http://www.35mm357mag.com/1.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to John for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Better Late Than Never

Back in April, I ran into John in Herald Square (34th and 6th) who had some pretty amazing work. He estimates he is about 25% covered in tat...

6:24 AM

The Quotable Tom Ford

As a new season of <a href="http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway"><i>Project Runway</i></a> premiered last night, I thought I'd share a fashion-related tattoo. Working on "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh_Avenue_%28Manhattan%29">Fashion Avenue</a>," I see a lot of ink on people in the industry. Here's one from Megan:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08_QQA6KXBXWPVEl8DGIBseUUrhFM9ITd2ijX-BNmy_VLy79Qp_zjJcN8KglUQ26yWlzc3UKylO15nysdGnOJHz1NBxeJIr7VB5qWbV6XfvU1X2BcYr5AjudlufnuS0GeEPuzqGixfE/s1600/Tom+Ford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT08_QQA6KXBXWPVEl8DGIBseUUrhFM9ITd2ijX-BNmy_VLy79Qp_zjJcN8KglUQ26yWlzc3UKylO15nysdGnOJHz1NBxeJIr7VB5qWbV6XfvU1X2BcYr5AjudlufnuS0GeEPuzqGixfE/s400/Tom+Ford.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is a quote by the fashion designer <a href="http://www.tomford.com/">Tom Ford</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote>"Beauty is an illusion/It is here only for a moment/Then it fades/But in the brief moment of existence/It has forever/impacted the world"</blockquote>Megan read these words in one of Ford's books, in a section about evening wear.<br /><br />"I love Tom Ford," she told me, "and I think he's a very smart man."<br /><br />The tattoo was done about 2-3 years ago at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/inkkandytattoo">Ink Candy</a> in Hollywood by an artist named Angel. <br /><br />Thanks to Megan for sharing this inspirational quote with us here on Tattoosday!

The Quotable Tom Ford

As a new season of Project Runway premiered last night, I thought I'd share a fashion-related tattoo. Working on " Fashion Avenue ...

3:27 AM

Katie's Bouquet

I spotted this lovely tattoo on the Broadway-Lafayette subway platform last month, while switching trains:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfOUdb-C1y0dDQ3n8HI_TA0pZyP6WMGHXkzYou5X88BcQwuGv_awOxGGE7z1KmAgkNfKxJ5nqpej_J5RREGGB5A7-4sNtOw3qHwF2EWxNQGKtk7SB0QeS7kdV83CRi36zZkhXb9RGfDY/s1600/narcissus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfOUdb-C1y0dDQ3n8HI_TA0pZyP6WMGHXkzYou5X88BcQwuGv_awOxGGE7z1KmAgkNfKxJ5nqpej_J5RREGGB5A7-4sNtOw3qHwF2EWxNQGKtk7SB0QeS7kdV83CRi36zZkhXb9RGfDY/s640/narcissus.jpg" width="306" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />This floral piece, on Katie's calf,  is one of her eight tattoos.<br /><br />The larger flower is an iris and the smaller flowers are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_papyraceus"><i>Narcissus papyraceus</i></a> or, as they are commonly known, Paperwhites. <br /><br />She added these paperwhites specifically because they were her Nan's favorite flower.<br /><br />The tattoo was done by an artist named Ron Hotte in San Diego. Rob is currently back in New York, more  specifically on Long Island, at <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/solidgoldtattoo/">Solid Gold Tattoo</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Katie for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Katie's Bouquet

I spotted this lovely tattoo on the Broadway-Lafayette subway platform last month, while switching trains: This floral piece, on Katie's...

3:07 AM

A Skull in Penn Station

Last week, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted a woman with a bunch of interesting tattoos. I introduced myself, and had taken a picture of one of her tattoos, when the loudspeaker announced her train was boarding. Having learned nothing about the tattoo I had just photographed, I gave her my card and asked her to e-mail me the details.<br /><br />When this happens, I am often left with a tattoo and no story. But fortunately for all of us here at Tattoosday, Stephanie e-mailed me a few days later, and this is what she had to say:<br /><br /><blockquote>"You stopped me in Penn Station ... and took a picture of my  tattoo. Its a skull on my forearm, pink with green flowers and a  backwards jaw :) <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJfpVMiCjgvyg3IwV9oBBQHc1_Xi1hYf4IidTl2WWIHOMQlZDbdY_W-9p6SMu0Bjo65mKmnVtuOZgW4zh1lmnMx0g0DAXtjXM7L9HtTCF_SY7kMkON2jlnQ_yDPSh93pCnZaGD-zlIus/s1600/Penn+Station+Skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJfpVMiCjgvyg3IwV9oBBQHc1_Xi1hYf4IidTl2WWIHOMQlZDbdY_W-9p6SMu0Bjo65mKmnVtuOZgW4zh1lmnMx0g0DAXtjXM7L9HtTCF_SY7kMkON2jlnQ_yDPSh93pCnZaGD-zlIus/s400/Penn+Station+Skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">I got the tattoo years ago now and the color is  still incredibly vibrant. I got it at <a href="http://chameleonbodyarts.com/home.html">Chameleon Tattoo & Body Piercing</a>  in Harvard Sq,  Cambridge Massachusetts. The artist's name is <a href="http://tattoorue.com/home.html">Rueben Kayden</a>. He does  amazing traditional work and I've had him work on me several other  times. At the time he had been working on two pin-up girls I have on the  backs of my arms. I went in for my appointment and Rueben showed me a  design he had been doodling. It was a strange skull with its jaw on the  back of its head, and flowers all around. I immediately loved it. So, we  ended up just tattooing that on me instead. I'm very random and I love  random pieces of work. What's better than a random story?" </div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Work from Chameleon Tattoo and Body Piercing has appeared previously on the site <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/03/takeshis-reminder-that-life-is-precious.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/08/taras-shoulder-flowering.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Stephanie for sharing this tattoo and story with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

A Skull in Penn Station

Last week, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted a woman with a bunch of interesting tattoos. I introduced myself, and had taken...

3:14 AM

Two for Tattoosday - Dave's Scalpflower and Bethany's Lonely Whale

A couple weeks back, I met Dave and Bethany outside of the Borders Penn Plaza in Manhattan. Both had amazing ink and shared some tattoos with us. Let's start with Dave's "scalpflower":<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvNWWLQ7V5xJvrfbch_ZXmGja9laVKFoZyS-nySJZcTti5uSWoWMlEvDQUlKOLi2wKTIUeE00kuY-LgB8BNmSuPKEuUB2hwXcUMyoO8WXdnNRbiWLlJ_Lx2BfxwQVlACemtdFxZpCyT8/s1600/Scalpflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvNWWLQ7V5xJvrfbch_ZXmGja9laVKFoZyS-nySJZcTti5uSWoWMlEvDQUlKOLi2wKTIUeE00kuY-LgB8BNmSuPKEuUB2hwXcUMyoO8WXdnNRbiWLlJ_Lx2BfxwQVlACemtdFxZpCyT8/s640/Scalpflower.jpg" width="480" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dave explained that this floral tattoo on his scalp was inked by <a href="http://mikeadamstattoo.blogspot.com/">Mike Adams</a>, who was doing a guest spot at <a href="http://thickerthanwatertattoo.com/home.html">Thicker Than Water</a> in Manhattan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dave elaborated:</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"We had talked about some ideas when I saw him [Mike Adams] at the Philadelphia Convention. We showed up [at Thicker than Water] and he just showed me some of the drawings of the tattoos he had recently done.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5BM3k4U38UuCSQWSOhcw9rIW2Y8MUC5O_flC_-_44t87qIS-1MTD4DZBjZD8RhxflTrzJcJw7Ag3aU8RvqYJrfnRKCTWoEsFQiZmP3t8uLFIyAjlMZyuHgQJhqmSNKIVLGmQVvV8E-0/s1600/Scalpflower+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5BM3k4U38UuCSQWSOhcw9rIW2Y8MUC5O_flC_-_44t87qIS-1MTD4DZBjZD8RhxflTrzJcJw7Ag3aU8RvqYJrfnRKCTWoEsFQiZmP3t8uLFIyAjlMZyuHgQJhqmSNKIVLGmQVvV8E-0/s400/Scalpflower+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He had done another flower on someone else in the past week and I said 'Oh, let's do one of those.' He said, 'Yeah, that's awesome/ Let's do it.' "</div></blockquote>Dave, who is approximately 70% covered in tattoos, had mostly been worked on by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/TonyHundahl">Tony Hundahl</a> from <a href="http://www.rockofagestattoo.com/">Rock of Ages Tattoo</a> in Austin, Texas. Hundahl has done both of Dave's sleeves (including the traditional segment pictured below), his chest, stomach, back, knees and one of his legs.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCHihbQDNP44eLXujeA9fB2QO4DyoahOMj22keiLoCndnSaYkFKhalTTe1rXejQY1AmjewwOlB1qRbA9TxXO2bTS0_hbZYrdC1cl1YxmUHxMMqD3ROS4u-TrWQjwIiNrf4uIa4HbI4GM/s1600/Mom+Dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCHihbQDNP44eLXujeA9fB2QO4DyoahOMj22keiLoCndnSaYkFKhalTTe1rXejQY1AmjewwOlB1qRbA9TxXO2bTS0_hbZYrdC1cl1YxmUHxMMqD3ROS4u-TrWQjwIiNrf4uIa4HbI4GM/s640/Mom+Dad.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br /><br />Dave added that, since moving to Washington D.C. recently, he started collecting work from other artists in the East.<br /><br />Along with Dave, I met Bethany who, shared one of her more recent tattoos, this whale by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/denotattoo">Deno Jr.</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Une94eOi3dEV3SZg9z5Mf5eiGSGdBoINw3a7z6oLMfSdkde6MfMGqnXidEte4jwKI2CUUFeO3ct3AWPlNprGDiGlZH8pRHyq_tmEdggIMbzoLpaaTlBNOoiuGkMGKG1KeHWl81ZooVY/s1600/Whale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Une94eOi3dEV3SZg9z5Mf5eiGSGdBoINw3a7z6oLMfSdkde6MfMGqnXidEte4jwKI2CUUFeO3ct3AWPlNprGDiGlZH8pRHyq_tmEdggIMbzoLpaaTlBNOoiuGkMGKG1KeHWl81ZooVY/s400/Whale.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Deno Jr. works out of <a href="http://circustattoomadrid.com/home.html">Circus Tattoo</a> in Madrid, Spain, but had recently done a guest spot at <a href="http://tattooparadisedc.com/home.html">Tattoo Paradise</a> in D.C.<br /><br />This tattoo is of <a href="http://www.good.is/post/the-loneliest-whale-in-the-world/">this lonely whale</a>, whose song is different from any other species, so it is an outcast, and she doesn't have a mate.<br /><br />Thanks to Dave and Bethany for sharing their amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span>

Two for Tattoosday - Dave's Scalpflower and Bethany's Lonely Whale

A couple weeks back, I met Dave and Bethany outside of the Borders Penn Plaza in Manhattan. Both had amazing ink and shared some tattoos wit...

3:43 AM

Aisha's Stunning Back Piece

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSg1qLyvso5iDsU4SPDcNx-kW409Q6DFQoHSZ4l6xR5x_Ni03L_D7ptOv1-e7aS1I5ZoUgevOc5MhR2wOy_HMyeti-PfA9_Cta2Yb_TT2Qa9xwvfAtpxQQFG_cVEYR626QYxF5PurcG0/s1600/see+no+evil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFSg1qLyvso5iDsU4SPDcNx-kW409Q6DFQoHSZ4l6xR5x_Ni03L_D7ptOv1-e7aS1I5ZoUgevOc5MhR2wOy_HMyeti-PfA9_Cta2Yb_TT2Qa9xwvfAtpxQQFG_cVEYR626QYxF5PurcG0/s400/see+no+evil.jpg" width="352" /></a></div><br />This incredible back piece belongs to Aisha, a former New Yorker who now resides in Florida.<br /><br />I met her last month at the corner of 36th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.<br /><br />The tattoo is an interpretation of the old adage, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil".<br /><br />Inked over eleven years ago and representing about twenty hours of work, this huge piece was her second of eight tattoos.<br /><br />She remembers only that the artist's name is Rodrigo, so it may have been Rodrigo Melo who currently owns and works at <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star Tattoo</a>, but I am still working to confirm he was the tattooer behind this.<br /><br />"I told him what I wanted," Aisha explained. "He just drew it on my back and I loved it and that was it."<br /><br />The face is female, her eyes are closed and she has a mouth bit that represents her silence.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH0QlAeo29WCFZYSZTEXZ6qs99o282pMFWKWZcH8YTNOdd25IgeHCRkESwdeE0B2Vk5dgHBxRW6hyGlukjmUyOLPcBCTKAh65QzTlZoo4wRkER4VkIWyff8G3-IA-ESmqawnV4-54y8g/s1600/speak+no+evil+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirH0QlAeo29WCFZYSZTEXZ6qs99o282pMFWKWZcH8YTNOdd25IgeHCRkESwdeE0B2Vk5dgHBxRW6hyGlukjmUyOLPcBCTKAh65QzTlZoo4wRkER4VkIWyff8G3-IA-ESmqawnV4-54y8g/s400/speak+no+evil+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Despite the face's eyes being closed, she indicated that the "third eye" in the middle of the forehead is open. The third eye can be interpreted many ways, but often refers to looking inward and a greater consciousness.<br /><br />Thanks to Aisha for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span> </div>

Aisha's Stunning Back Piece

This incredible back piece belongs to Aisha, a former New Yorker who now resides in Florida. I met her last month at the corner of 36th Stre...

3:19 AM

Amy Winehouse Will Live On in Andrea's Ink

Back in June, I met Andrea on Penn Plaza in Manhattan and she shared this tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc58P4j0LVjHzvjUPz5UnywfWo9GWPL0jM2IVZK5eECpoFHVg2jJHkaNnF5WJIOB8oonkEB_SYo790qzMl7tVk7RJAC1ptpiBrG7HTcXfCh96roDwmPEyBL61Zf6NclHOH6gYuZGdxPz0/s1600/Winehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc58P4j0LVjHzvjUPz5UnywfWo9GWPL0jM2IVZK5eECpoFHVg2jJHkaNnF5WJIOB8oonkEB_SYo790qzMl7tVk7RJAC1ptpiBrG7HTcXfCh96roDwmPEyBL61Zf6NclHOH6gYuZGdxPz0/s640/Winehouse.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br />This is, of course, <a href="http://www.amywinehouse.com/">Amy Winehouse</a>, whose death was just announced yesterday. Andrea, who has this inked on her upper right arm, says she had this done "in the style of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Monet">Monet</a>". The artist was "Mad Dog" at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-33-Tattoo/104186046283356">Studio 33 Tattoo</a> on St. Mark's in Manhattan.<br /><br />When I asked Andrea why she got Winehouse tattooed on her, she replied, "she has such amazing talent" and professed her admiration for her as an artist.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiawZvEwWM4hEubpLY5aDozRFF4-E9lSfumeBQ6xOOu2gP-UxjSEUSsJaywoPgGa1Xa553l27G-ri7BKOZSzJjIsPsT23R5TgDWZvd99vIqs78YtCnXFLAPJ3nWibxcvhoKi-7HCy6fk/s1600/Winehouse+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiawZvEwWM4hEubpLY5aDozRFF4-E9lSfumeBQ6xOOu2gP-UxjSEUSsJaywoPgGa1Xa553l27G-ri7BKOZSzJjIsPsT23R5TgDWZvd99vIqs78YtCnXFLAPJ3nWibxcvhoKi-7HCy6fk/s400/Winehouse+detail.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />The tattoo art is based on a painting she had found online, and she  selected it to add to her collection of approximately twenty tattoos.<br /><br />In hindsight, it seems almost haunting that I photographed this piece on June 22, a month and a day before she died. We here at Tattoosday are saddened by her passing and can only wonder what art will never be created because she died at such an early age, like so many other talented musicians whose struggles with addiction cut their lives short.<br /><br />Thanks to Andrea for sharing this tattoo. I hope that her ink gives her strength as she bears this tribute to Amy Winehouse for everyone to see.<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span>

Amy Winehouse Will Live On in Andrea's Ink

Back in June, I met Andrea on Penn Plaza in Manhattan and she shared this tattoo: This is, of course, Amy Winehouse , whose death was just a...

3:46 AM

Poppies for Poppy

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmX9KhOFFuxNWcwXU60QVpIZlLNYGA5r69xZLuP8JpV7OULcg16qgPcPtmk1E-Ibchq2-xWptqDsZpBYz9oYeFuvTK8vONVvnCtU_iRglwXeQbuSy5zNVtp1ogtp7sVU22D4uWGM99fQ/s1600/poppies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmX9KhOFFuxNWcwXU60QVpIZlLNYGA5r69xZLuP8JpV7OULcg16qgPcPtmk1E-Ibchq2-xWptqDsZpBYz9oYeFuvTK8vONVvnCtU_iRglwXeQbuSy5zNVtp1ogtp7sVU22D4uWGM99fQ/s640/poppies.jpg" width="482" /></a></div><br />These poppies are courtesy of Emma, who I met in Penn Station last week.<br /><br />She got poppies because, she told me, "My grandfather passed away a couple years ago and I used to call him <i>Poppy</i>".<br /><br />This is one her five tattoos, and represents about four and a half hours of work by <a href="http://www.lafamiliatattoo.com/artist.php?id=8">Gus Espinoza</a> at<a href="http://www.lafamiliatattoo.com/index.php"> La Familia Tattoo</a>, in Fort Collins, Colorado.<br /><br />Thanks to Emma for sharing "Poppy's Poppies" with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Poppies for Poppy

These poppies are courtesy of Emma, who I met in Penn Station last week. She got poppies because, she told me, "My grandfather passed a...

4:33 AM

It Was A Very Good Year for Some

I was passing through Penn Station earlier this month, when I spotted a young lady with this tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTXtsocck578KmBbSanaL6k7QksFIGDGrDTnPfBb37us1Q49mmiAL-MNhE6rYwIWi7-psrfIUA4WOTRWPHPuUb_MkgRi3c_GwfqGvAJvwvAnDsuC6ke_d6q2qv2bY67eX3ZLdFvqGLkM/s1600/1908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTXtsocck578KmBbSanaL6k7QksFIGDGrDTnPfBb37us1Q49mmiAL-MNhE6rYwIWi7-psrfIUA4WOTRWPHPuUb_MkgRi3c_GwfqGvAJvwvAnDsuC6ke_d6q2qv2bY67eX3ZLdFvqGLkM/s640/1908.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Being a baseball fan, I guessed what the meaning of this tattoo was, but I had to ask, just to confirm. The young woman, who wished only to be identified as "Passenger Jane Doe," confirmed, this tattoo refers to the last year that the <a href="http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=chc">Chicago Cubs</a> won the World Series.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDUDxKI8-TSCDWQOw4GxdNDtKEZP_AzzsWo_TeCWjzn8XA_fmfa33sTSOoWshXOX0vOssvKdXtA1xkcTu21Xia9nulNw-MEzGPRYJm6E-t7-c6cttXbckHyEmW4_Feh1ZIawxfRsQRxQ/s1600/1908+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDUDxKI8-TSCDWQOw4GxdNDtKEZP_AzzsWo_TeCWjzn8XA_fmfa33sTSOoWshXOX0vOssvKdXtA1xkcTu21Xia9nulNw-MEzGPRYJm6E-t7-c6cttXbckHyEmW4_Feh1ZIawxfRsQRxQ/s400/1908+detail.jpg" width="347" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A self-described "huge Cubs fan," she elaborated:</div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"My dad would take me to games. I ... grew up keeping score when I was 6 years old. I was the little girl with the scorecard. I moved to D.C. five years ago. Being a transplant made me cling to my home identity more ... whenever the Cubs come to D.C., I go to the whole series at <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/was/ballpark/index.jsp">Nats Park</a>."</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She designed the tattoo herself, using a few different fonts for inspiration. The tattoo was inked at <a href="http://www.ambrotostattoo.com/">Ambrotos Tattoo</a>. She told me it was in D.C., but they have two locations in Bethesda and Silver Spring, Maryland, so I'm not sure which shop did the work.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thank you, Passenger Jane Doe, for sharing your love of baseball, the Chicago Cubs, and this tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">  </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span> </div>

It Was A Very Good Year for Some

I was passing through Penn Station earlier this month, when I spotted a young lady with this tattoo: Being a baseball fan, I guessed what th...

3:37 AM

Chris and His Empirical Pin-up

Well, little did I know, but yesterday, when I posted some of <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/07/fernandos-trio-of-whimsical-ink.html">Fernando's tattoos</a>, the R2-D2 and Megatron pieces in particular, it was coinciding with the opening of <a href="http://www.comic-con.org/cci/">Comic-Con 2011</a> in San Diego.<br /><br />Since I am not traveling to the big convention to inkspot (maybe some day, when I have the wherewithal), let's continue the Comic-Con theme over the next few days with some material I have encountered over the past few days.<br /><br />Cue Chris, who I met at the end of June on Seventh Avenue and 32nd Street, and offered up this killer tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2BhyphenhyphenCxu6p_qkB-rqvfIRTGg0K1JYNjkEZeoe96moVUNjrU63vJ_wTrO6nk20ODrKuIiL6GZeU_j93_Lwk9wDAUR2CBY0xrRzw66iFzM2VZH82An5eFjcpNk5OAsWwtmN4-wX_pkbLE/s1600/Empire+Pinup+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOi2BhyphenhyphenCxu6p_qkB-rqvfIRTGg0K1JYNjkEZeoe96moVUNjrU63vJ_wTrO6nk20ODrKuIiL6GZeU_j93_Lwk9wDAUR2CBY0xrRzw66iFzM2VZH82An5eFjcpNk5OAsWwtmN4-wX_pkbLE/s640/Empire+Pinup+1.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><br />Chris credited this tattoo to <a href="http://www.nomoregalleries.com/tattoo">Mike Ski</a>, an artist who works in Philadelphia.<br /><br />According to Chris, Mike is well known for his Old School style of tattooing, which includes that classic pin-up girl look.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkPpLsSBXLk0sIdwz6RyXcZrHIcbcfFKJpMzUocHQj_owlfMafqO_iOX6pc5nOpdDh_aolAwaC9HR0YE0WFf72UJJmNL6ODVRkCEwMAzw1MRQyheqa-3riYd7IS00478TpODW5bjVpmg/s1600/Empire+Pinup+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkPpLsSBXLk0sIdwz6RyXcZrHIcbcfFKJpMzUocHQj_owlfMafqO_iOX6pc5nOpdDh_aolAwaC9HR0YE0WFf72UJJmNL6ODVRkCEwMAzw1MRQyheqa-3riYd7IS00478TpODW5bjVpmg/s640/Empire+Pinup+2.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />Chris said that the tattoo was also influenced by the work of <a href="http://www.muchafoundation.org/MHome.aspx">Alphonse Mucha</a> from the late 1800's. This, Chris told me, is "an Old School take on that. We just thought it's be fun to do and," he added, "I've always loved <a href="http://www.starwars.com/"><i>Star Wars</i></a>."<br /><br />For those of you not in the know, this pin-up is sporting the garb of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormtrooper_%28Star_Wars%29">Imperial Stormtroopers</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QOk5zrPxbgA5aqrKvfHxd1-HT8qDRs9kJEWCim78uyORiAvJlASyB6JbvqTrAxLeATL4DNLGg9tEcjFTF55By5kPkeRsYK6g9CWAnjl4bstU1DHpyYwt0zggwmCqJX2ax1MA93d0n8Q/s1600/Empire+Pinup+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QOk5zrPxbgA5aqrKvfHxd1-HT8qDRs9kJEWCim78uyORiAvJlASyB6JbvqTrAxLeATL4DNLGg9tEcjFTF55By5kPkeRsYK6g9CWAnjl4bstU1DHpyYwt0zggwmCqJX2ax1MA93d0n8Q/s400/Empire+Pinup+3.jpg" width="375" /></a></div><br />And, just so to sate our taste for the Empire, the inner part of Chris' arm has a portrait of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader">Darth Vader</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JBRvbfArzMwYoZWBdPzvKtRFuq8iBjbp4jQyPLF8SwCXq_n_2soqofddGdFHw58y4FhUayl6nImnU5XlQIdaH8AynTa8y8lQTLrlY2YHKi4VS52Rc7iVMY5FVK-ZRu04eJeDibXKOqk/s1600/darth+vader+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JBRvbfArzMwYoZWBdPzvKtRFuq8iBjbp4jQyPLF8SwCXq_n_2soqofddGdFHw58y4FhUayl6nImnU5XlQIdaH8AynTa8y8lQTLrlY2YHKi4VS52Rc7iVMY5FVK-ZRu04eJeDibXKOqk/s400/darth+vader+1.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Chris for sharing his love of <i>Star Wars</i> with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Chris and His Empirical Pin-up

Well, little did I know, but yesterday, when I posted some of Fernando's tattoos , the R2-D2 and Megatron pieces in particular, it was c...

3:43 AM

Fernando's Trio of Whimsical Ink

I met Fernando a while back outside of Penn Station and he had a lot of work to share. He estimated that he had around thirty tattoos on his canvas, but we picked three to spotlight here on Tattoosday.<br /><br />As a <a href="http://www.starwars.com/">Star Wars</a> fan, he couldn't resist this portrait of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R2-D2">R2-D2</a>:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6UcCRc5K46FoHPL2V-L6wee1k6zwm88R9Q0rwpaT4CRrgmmA4Gxe1IfmrJhxxR9orehgtNhrDY-WP0LPm9sO4z2pqLOk7-sk2ZfT0alDkOxkoc8j9Et3eWgUSLZNfqOgKkJS5tnMKAg/s1600/R2D2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM6UcCRc5K46FoHPL2V-L6wee1k6zwm88R9Q0rwpaT4CRrgmmA4Gxe1IfmrJhxxR9orehgtNhrDY-WP0LPm9sO4z2pqLOk7-sk2ZfT0alDkOxkoc8j9Et3eWgUSLZNfqOgKkJS5tnMKAg/s640/R2D2.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><br />The banner "YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE" refers to the scene in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_IV:_A_New_Hope">the first movie</a>, when <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Leia_Organa">Princess Leia</a> sends a holographic distress message to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obi-Wan_Kenobi">Obi-Wan Kenobi</a> via R2-D2 that ends, "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."<br /><br />Both the tattoo of R2-D2 and this one, were done by Evan at <a href="http://www.revolvertattoo.com/">Revolver Tattoo</a> in New Burnswick, New Jersey:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIYZxf_0sVoqvgv6JqfGmX7U88Vr1rD9Qal9InalAyBzhLeeAXIyFrlqyD0dKSJOPNzoZIPvNOwn-bi5S8B4mtLMu3bfQ-Tu2v0onJ766AAs_zKYF9QZkLIc7IB17qSrWVz-iJ7ApcTU/s1600/Transformer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIYZxf_0sVoqvgv6JqfGmX7U88Vr1rD9Qal9InalAyBzhLeeAXIyFrlqyD0dKSJOPNzoZIPvNOwn-bi5S8B4mtLMu3bfQ-Tu2v0onJ766AAs_zKYF9QZkLIc7IB17qSrWVz-iJ7ApcTU/s400/Transformer.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />That is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatron_%28Transformers%29">Megatron</a>, the leader of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decepticon">Decepticons</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers">Transformers</a> franchise.<br /><br />And thirdly, Fernando shared this take on a sugar skull:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kVQSRVed-bQ16ORxon8ZBub9bzgZ24dd0YjblkX42oTEpyw-4pRKczYKpmnX3vME1N2rNk-G1Wc9FTtZeKKl6I5EheskER9JSF3GZQTWpwhawbXzc8ieCr6WcBazt1G5y_W42jhz3oY/s1600/sugar+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6kVQSRVed-bQ16ORxon8ZBub9bzgZ24dd0YjblkX42oTEpyw-4pRKczYKpmnX3vME1N2rNk-G1Wc9FTtZeKKl6I5EheskER9JSF3GZQTWpwhawbXzc8ieCr6WcBazt1G5y_W42jhz3oY/s640/sugar+skull.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br />This piece was tattooed by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150110375496767.279996.125871431766">Mike Rivelry</a> at <a href="http://www.immortalink.com/">Immortal Ink</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Fernando for sharing a few of his dozens of tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span>

Fernando's Trio of Whimsical Ink

I met Fernando a while back outside of Penn Station and he had a lot of work to share. He estimated that he had around thirty tattoos on his...

3:36 AM

Panic in New York - A Visit from Victor

I always like visits from old friends of the site, but when I bumped into Victor in the Penn Plaza Borders back in May, I realized I hadn't seen him in a while. Turns out he had moved out of New York and has been residing in Pennsylvania.<br /><br />Before we go further, perhaps you should reacquaint yourselves with Victor's "tat-alog". He first appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/06/heeeeeeeeeres-victors-tattoos.html">here</a>, showing off eight tattoos, then we checked out five more cinematic tattoos <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/08/return-of-victors-ink.html">here</a>, and then, last year, an iconic piece <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/update-from-victor.html">here</a>.This will mark the fourth consecutive year Victor has appeared on the site, so we'll make it a good, no, <u>great</u> one:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkoiQjuE9am8KxPEpNdRcF4soWRR9VPS061lqZqMJV_vRUslMb1DbGOcAh3J6OiGxxQiHWMNsy0v1JOqEomoFMuFvExlIsjGqnOqAEe0zyMxPSLZn4F4FLjxqZMk7OC2uX7hVrxQerp0/s1600/bowie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYkoiQjuE9am8KxPEpNdRcF4soWRR9VPS061lqZqMJV_vRUslMb1DbGOcAh3J6OiGxxQiHWMNsy0v1JOqEomoFMuFvExlIsjGqnOqAEe0zyMxPSLZn4F4FLjxqZMk7OC2uX7hVrxQerp0/s640/bowie.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br />This incredible David Bowie tattoo was inked by Victor's brother, Eddie Bonacore, at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/5-7-0-Tattooing-Co/70637454612">5-7-0 Tattooing Co.</a> in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.<br /><br />The image above, of course, is from the iconic Bowie album <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_Sane">Aladdin Sane</a></i>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxKoU99HMMJ7iMCuySYuDRh5tym3aAUZY72SYpdsarJZ9qjvG6NEpCNpP7PhZtYGOCowgGHzr30-k2tSL1Jl-RWTDMwC1sQQ8ReF_ztYGlf4EuP1iNa7QbtuvgX9CMlfv_WPgm1-6vys/s1600/David+Bowie+Aladdin+Sane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxKoU99HMMJ7iMCuySYuDRh5tym3aAUZY72SYpdsarJZ9qjvG6NEpCNpP7PhZtYGOCowgGHzr30-k2tSL1Jl-RWTDMwC1sQQ8ReF_ztYGlf4EuP1iNa7QbtuvgX9CMlfv_WPgm1-6vys/s320/David+Bowie+Aladdin+Sane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Victor told me that Eddie's Bowie portrait had garnered three awards at a recent tattoo convention.<br /><br />It was a pleasure seeing our old friend Victor after a year, and we thank him, and his brother Eddie, for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Panic in New York - A Visit from Victor

I always like visits from old friends of the site, but when I bumped into Victor in the Penn Plaza Borders back in May, I realized I hadn...

3:25 AM

Lori Shares Some Peonies, and a Fairy Mermaid

<br /><div class="MsoNormal">When I post here at Tattoosday, there is no definite chronological order. I tend to follow a variety of factors, which can often result in older encounters waiting in the wings for a very long time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Take Lori, for example. At the beginning of May, while my wife was at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, fighting a bout of appendicitis, I walked over to a pizzeria on 50<sup>th</sup> Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway for a quick bite for lunch. On my way out, I noticed <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>two women at a table, one of whom, Lori, had some pretty nice ink. Generally, one of my unwritten rules is not to bother people while they are eating, so I handed the woman my card and asked her to contact me if she was interested in contributing to Tattoosday.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lori e-mailed me shortly thereafter, and a few weeks later, she sent me some photos. Since then, she has been patiently waiting for the post. E-mailed submissions tend to get a little lost in the shuffle but, finally, thanks to a little nudge on our Facebook page, we’re finally seeing them here on the site.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ll let Lori explain what we’re seeing: </div><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQVWkB7-IRK9L7YYQu7f9LO20586mTRGZVA4PygvXAGNAsMpmneY7CW1jtHCja5w6ATVjLB4TDQ2tPT-r7AzM4hGziP73WH6LaWfxPY0pZCbWSssAEecJOs_YdYN6RyUnrTwOwR2teQ8/s1600/peony+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQVWkB7-IRK9L7YYQu7f9LO20586mTRGZVA4PygvXAGNAsMpmneY7CW1jtHCja5w6ATVjLB4TDQ2tPT-r7AzM4hGziP73WH6LaWfxPY0pZCbWSssAEecJOs_YdYN6RyUnrTwOwR2teQ8/s400/peony+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovGsHLCRhnCJFRdZdX2FzIbvyZoWruK_FC4yz8xRDps93bbuFe0cd2bFxzxWmoYjA7iUNBxGKVmKn6U36n6clwTJ6d6dr9sFI8PbKZW9HPleiwVshnZ-HTF9ipdh9VaGerXSM2yunAts/s1600/peony+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovGsHLCRhnCJFRdZdX2FzIbvyZoWruK_FC4yz8xRDps93bbuFe0cd2bFxzxWmoYjA7iUNBxGKVmKn6U36n6clwTJ6d6dr9sFI8PbKZW9HPleiwVshnZ-HTF9ipdh9VaGerXSM2yunAts/s400/peony+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Here are 2 peonies, one is a flash stencil, done by Mike B. at <a href="http://www.studioenigma.com/">Studio Enigma</a> on Avenue U [in Brooklyn] .... the other peony (my favorite), was hand drawn by <a href="http://www.baradastattoos.com/artista_pablo.html">Pablo Barada</a>, who is from Argentina [also at Studio Enigma] …</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Drh539g2uxs53uO8DYWr8zcgModxOke_eHPLXrak3E8dWu0HUnzLV0ADTX_Xjsj_F7UsmiCLoLhhwRH74UcjXN8eYYa1XI8gHpwhqFSub4EG4kIgG48M1CbNLDT8v0VwzLxUE0eMgB0/s1600/mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Drh539g2uxs53uO8DYWr8zcgModxOke_eHPLXrak3E8dWu0HUnzLV0ADTX_Xjsj_F7UsmiCLoLhhwRH74UcjXN8eYYa1XI8gHpwhqFSub4EG4kIgG48M1CbNLDT8v0VwzLxUE0eMgB0/s640/mermaid.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh42MIxAEgbBPiqY2MwW1ti6aCOPEvQuvEvf_bnt8Da8kqqmkiBAQUbOYfwGcI7wdz8Y0JPgps0rClpRn3CaDoqIQB9PYLaADwvnP0_nX2SX2IhuBomaMS7WUe_DQEoiYGQQj7X_Up_g/s1600/mermaid+closeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh42MIxAEgbBPiqY2MwW1ti6aCOPEvQuvEvf_bnt8Da8kqqmkiBAQUbOYfwGcI7wdz8Y0JPgps0rClpRn3CaDoqIQB9PYLaADwvnP0_nX2SX2IhuBomaMS7WUe_DQEoiYGQQj7X_Up_g/s200/mermaid+closeup.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Fairy mermaid was a picture I found just surfing the internet,  so I printed it out. I wish I still had the black and white photo before Mike B. colored it in. Now that I look at it, I think the B&W was much prettier. By the way, she took 18 hours to do, six three-hour sittings.” </div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to Lori for sharing some of her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>

Lori Shares Some Peonies, and a Fairy Mermaid

When I post here at Tattoosday, there is no definite chronological order. I tend to follow a variety of factors, which can often result in...

3:44 AM

A Rose for Emily (Laugh Now, Cry Later)

I ran into Emily at the beginning of the month on the 36th Street subway platform in Brooklyn.<br /><br />She shared this awesome tattoo on her left thigh:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAndKKeaVvBR4lNmK4yPNzVS47G1YVbIXEbTi7X0VnzQUhyphenhyphenTu4CSDxCH6Op65RxxmZH3-xgIy9ioUyhC_RQDsxEuGfr7esKG6PQYxGJ5igFljsjbULTNurULg0OLAYLYOmCP1C2e5H_0/s1600/rose+for+emily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAndKKeaVvBR4lNmK4yPNzVS47G1YVbIXEbTi7X0VnzQUhyphenhyphenTu4CSDxCH6Op65RxxmZH3-xgIy9ioUyhC_RQDsxEuGfr7esKG6PQYxGJ5igFljsjbULTNurULg0OLAYLYOmCP1C2e5H_0/s640/rose+for+emily.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><br />Emily credits Tazz at <a href="http://www.aztlantattoo.com/#%21">Aztlan Tattoo</a> in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with this cool ink.<br /><br />"I just like roses," Emily told me, explaining that she had an idea and then Tazz expanded on the concept, which is a spin on the traditional "Laugh Now, Cry Later" theme.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExmR2B8KGGobG1882P4cqKtEx_rmo3gNnmJQ79_djN6ed1SfNW3y7zbHicYggXqlT9wKmD_N7AU7JbNK22gRr9f2YOZusOlcV9OK0KxHD4T4ffoHPcWqalonuSrNO_mrYQE3EgJ6e_9Y/s1600/laugh+now+cry+later+emily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiExmR2B8KGGobG1882P4cqKtEx_rmo3gNnmJQ79_djN6ed1SfNW3y7zbHicYggXqlT9wKmD_N7AU7JbNK22gRr9f2YOZusOlcV9OK0KxHD4T4ffoHPcWqalonuSrNO_mrYQE3EgJ6e_9Y/s400/laugh+now+cry+later+emily.jpg" width="350" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Emily for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

A Rose for Emily (Laugh Now, Cry Later)

I ran into Emily at the beginning of the month on the 36th Street subway platform in Brooklyn. She shared this awesome tattoo on her left th...

7:45 AM

A Chance to Cover Up, Reality-Style

Considering that some of the best tattoos I have seen over the years (check some of them out <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Cover%20ups">here</a>), the following casting call would seem to me certainly compelling for anyone looking to cover up an old, unwanted tattoo: <br /><br /><b>Spike TV - Open Casting Call For Tattoo Competition Reality Series! </b><br /><br />Are you sick of your faded, old tattoo and ready to cover it up with  something brand new?<br /><br />If  so...try Spike TV! <br /><br />Our new tattoo show, “InkMaster," is looking for  people who want to be a human canvas for the top-notch artists competing  on our show...and we NEED PEOPLE WHO WANT COVER UPS!   <br /><br />We are bringing together some of the BEST tattoo artists in the game  for “InkMaster,” and we’re looking for people who want to be their next  canvas! If you’re 23+, in the tri-state area (New York/New Jersey/Connecticut), email us at  <a href="mailto:inkcastingNYC@gmail.com" target="_blank">inkcastingNYC@gmail.com</a> with a description and a recent photo of  yourself, along with an idea of the tattoo you want and why. You must be  a New York area local, as interviews and filming will take place July & August in the NYC area. <br /><br />“InkMaster” is produced by Original Media, the production company behind “LA Ink,” “NY Ink,” “Miami Ink.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">~ ~ ~ ~</div><br />I say, what have you got to lose? The concept of the show is certainly intriguing and, if you're unhappy with that old tattoo, why not try and improve it?

A Chance to Cover Up, Reality-Style

Considering that some of the best tattoos I have seen over the years (check some of them out here ), the following casting call would seem t...

3:27 AM

Jenna Shares Two - A Lionfish and a Gustav Klimt

<div class="MsoNormal">I met Jenna last month outside of Penn Station last month and took a few pictures of her tattoos, one of which is based on the work of the Austrian painter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt">Gustav Klimt.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As today is the anniversary of Klimt's birthday, 149 years ago in 1862, I felt it would be a good day to share Jenna's work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This tattoo is on her upper left arm:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDXDaKvdoWX_eiJzGfZ8dPXIL1oUqe76lM2J7Jy74jx6oEXKNSEIW4rXHz180YrRGCkX6ezO2mMjTPxY2XrIKL8mGMUszd_XXLg6kj2xTsEojKBz4WTMmQxVrMCL_1MnKtLOprCbA5QY/s1600/klimt+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSDXDaKvdoWX_eiJzGfZ8dPXIL1oUqe76lM2J7Jy74jx6oEXKNSEIW4rXHz180YrRGCkX6ezO2mMjTPxY2XrIKL8mGMUszd_XXLg6kj2xTsEojKBz4WTMmQxVrMCL_1MnKtLOprCbA5QY/s640/klimt+1.jpg" width="454" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is based on a work called "The Blood of Fish" (1898):</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA85D_Icxv0y-CowPbkP4ULuPlQjz0jhqP0-hyudTIPaKoHQMkLSbmDtkgQeApZEPZkOc-jK7Wo49RvMqgTfFhVMYUEU8AYvzfsvfRli6P1olRN4mdwpjOZhBmLhhmNwUuagUa5bPkjWs/s1600/fish+blood+1898+gustav+klimt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA85D_Icxv0y-CowPbkP4ULuPlQjz0jhqP0-hyudTIPaKoHQMkLSbmDtkgQeApZEPZkOc-jK7Wo49RvMqgTfFhVMYUEU8AYvzfsvfRli6P1olRN4mdwpjOZhBmLhhmNwUuagUa5bPkjWs/s400/fish+blood+1898+gustav+klimt.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jenna explains: <br /><blockquote>"...The print is a pen and ink done by  Klimt called <i>The Blood of Fish. </i>I've always been a very big fan of Klimt's work but alot of it has all been done before in terms of tattoos. When I saw <i>The Blood of Fish</i>  I just kind of knew that it was for me, there was something very  beautiful and fluid about it and I knew I wanted it to be a part of me ...</blockquote></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpxW4HeYJ5NJLi8ov5Oe3ih0NXpvbfrqT9aLneJDiCyX18wS4lzVPmv6MBfPk2Og-ROnl2lRBjvm6RTSg6kKORMCACnKoXJJfVwRRTRnt3aFjAEXhbFq3sGLMCF6RBUv1lMLYwRtmcL0/s1600/Klimt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpxW4HeYJ5NJLi8ov5Oe3ih0NXpvbfrqT9aLneJDiCyX18wS4lzVPmv6MBfPk2Og-ROnl2lRBjvm6RTSg6kKORMCACnKoXJJfVwRRTRnt3aFjAEXhbFq3sGLMCF6RBUv1lMLYwRtmcL0/s640/Klimt+2.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></blockquote><br /><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">...The only adjustments added were the little feet at the bottom  and I opted out of nipples on the women, I babysit and am around kids  alot I'd rather keep things PG. Either way my mother and grandmother had  a heart attack, supposedly women arent supposed to get naked women  tattoos, I didn't get that memo." </div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">She credits <a href="http://danieltrocchio.com/">Dan Trocchio</a> at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/">Three Kings</a> in Brooklyn with this incredible tattoo.<br /><br />Jenna also shared another phenomenal piece, on the upper right portion of her back:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxULmKs1SnDtnahO5oWpEckRTeCgxNCuiVWtZbXkagdIfdciu5XtnXKnlu97cDijEg0d2sFmxKFXVHutNzjtGVmCxGyrxOeJyYXRd7oFQeHC-qXCtQc1XS-BIqPFRhqX9cVlWYG7pMVQ/s1600/lion+fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxULmKs1SnDtnahO5oWpEckRTeCgxNCuiVWtZbXkagdIfdciu5XtnXKnlu97cDijEg0d2sFmxKFXVHutNzjtGVmCxGyrxOeJyYXRd7oFQeHC-qXCtQc1XS-BIqPFRhqX9cVlWYG7pMVQ/s400/lion+fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterois">lionfish</a> tattoo was inked by <a href="http://kingsavenuetattoo.com/artists_view.asp?id=2">Grez</a> at <a href="http://kingsavenuetattoo.com/">Kings Avenue Tattoo</a> in Massapequa, New York.<br /><br />Again, I'll let Jenna explain:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The Lion Fish was my first real tattoo. For years I had wanted a Lion  Fish. I used to sit the marine biology lab during middle and high school  and just draw and paint fish. Like all of the creatures on the earth,  saltwater fish are really remarkable and incredibly beautiful. My father  (who originally got me into salt water tanks) used to tell me that god  hand painted every stripe on the lion fish. While I'm not a very  religious person, it doesn't change just how much of a miracle that the  oceans and the beauty they hold are. I just feel like sometimes people  don't stop and look at how amazing these creatures are. My lion fish  isn't only a symbol of my passion for marine life but also a piece of  art that was originally hand painted by god."</blockquote>Thanks again to Jenna for sharing her amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, and for taking the time to share her thoughts about the work. And a happy 149th birthday to Gustav Klimt!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Jenna Shares Two - A Lionfish and a Gustav Klimt

I met Jenna last month outside of Penn Station last month and took a few pictures of her tattoos, one of which is based on the work of the A...

3:35 AM

Charles - Art and Science, Together in Ink

Last month, on a journey to the Fairway market in Red Hook, Brooklyn, my daughter Jolee was begging me for a couple of Snapples. "Only if you find me a cool tattoo," I teased her. She dashed off and, within seconds, it seemed, she was back, beckoning me to the next aisle.<br /><br />There, I met Charles, who shared this interesting tattoo on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ykrs_qpX4KS_MbWT2JSOe2RAf-rzjMyIUVFzbIoNai6j-fzM8-aNyNtfoTeHD9vxZnugsluAK-OI9gDNDKXW3E2qHq5cIHeIeRJT5dkdHKvArWPffzqNVP_kuKBHS6vm6WcjXE46tlU/s1600/dancing+heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ykrs_qpX4KS_MbWT2JSOe2RAf-rzjMyIUVFzbIoNai6j-fzM8-aNyNtfoTeHD9vxZnugsluAK-OI9gDNDKXW3E2qHq5cIHeIeRJT5dkdHKvArWPffzqNVP_kuKBHS6vm6WcjXE46tlU/s640/dancing+heart.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br />I find this piece fascinating. I asked Charles to describe what went into its creation. He said it represents<br /><blockquote>"that rare occurrence when art can meet science ... The dancers are the expressive artist part of it and then this is the anatomical heart at the bottom ... this kind of green foliage-looking stuff behind the dancers is a representation of a brain neuron. I'm not a scientist by trade, but I'm a scientist by heart."</blockquote>This "intersection of when expression can meet science" was inked in two sessions of two to two and a half hours each by an artist named <a href="http://www.lostcowboytattoo.com/">Guido Baldini</a>. Guido's work has appeared on Tattoosday before, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/06/jessys-sugar-skull-tattoorism.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/05/dan-hosts-lady-liberty-like-youve-never.html">here</a>. Guido is based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, but also spends quite a bit of time in New York doing guest stints at local shops.<br /><br />Thanks to Charles for sharing this fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />(And yes, Jolee got her two Snapples).<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Charles - Art and Science, Together in Ink

Last month, on a journey to the Fairway market in Red Hook, Brooklyn, my daughter Jolee was begging me for a couple of Snapples. "Only ...

3:32 AM

Musician Monday: A Trio of Tattoos from Justin Y. of Everyone Dies in Utah

<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Back in May, I met Justin in the Borders at Penn Plaza and he shared his three tattoos. Justin had recently been signed to a band from Texas called <a href="http://www.facebook.com/everyonediesinutahtx?sk=info">Everyone Dies in Utah</a> and he was moving out from Maryland. He offered up his knuckle tattoos:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEOitEDpv__ugPMrZeA62U9CvVu-f4GXnJCYuD7EAR6b9O1KbBTY5NjjweeEArc3vuHHwe4tXJ6t94XmXqptgfvRrNmhoHu5cOxLvrTVtXJXN8ahkhWT3jsnkNymQ5wFZipgaqo1ZTFc/s1600/drum+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEOitEDpv__ugPMrZeA62U9CvVu-f4GXnJCYuD7EAR6b9O1KbBTY5NjjweeEArc3vuHHwe4tXJ6t94XmXqptgfvRrNmhoHu5cOxLvrTVtXJXN8ahkhWT3jsnkNymQ5wFZipgaqo1ZTFc/s400/drum+love.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Justin has been playing drums for about eleven years and loves drums, which explains these knuckles. Of course, I would be remiss if I mentioned knuckle tattoos and didn't direct you to <a href="http://knuckletattoos.com/">KnuckleTattoos.com</a> to see more, courtesy of my friend Nathan.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The most compelling tattoo Justin shared was this piece, on his right forearm:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeJc6Qyjn7aZs-XAAbpXXIY4sq_y_hZrOZ4NkK-caxEDz_Ju5eZR2XNTe15DUZ4SplJ-zb1Hl3I3OyMjeWT63HMX0F_LHPb1y9ICEaCDS6SZl6Ww5-753pEjLJT-iLbS_CCssTZLTU3o/s1600/handprint+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeJc6Qyjn7aZs-XAAbpXXIY4sq_y_hZrOZ4NkK-caxEDz_Ju5eZR2XNTe15DUZ4SplJ-zb1Hl3I3OyMjeWT63HMX0F_LHPb1y9ICEaCDS6SZl6Ww5-753pEjLJT-iLbS_CCssTZLTU3o/s400/handprint+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">He explained:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I have a little sister, she's ten now, but it was last year, so she was nine, and she was all bummed that I was moving really far and touring and stuff, so I told her I would get a tattoo for her ... I was trying to think of what would be absolutely unique, and the only thing I could think of was fingerprints. So, I decided it would be cool to get her hand print, so I went out and got a big old ink pad and did her hand print on a piece of paper, took it in, and he [<a href="http://www.mytat2.com/Jason%27s%20Gallery/index.html">Jason Kramer</a> at <a href="http://www.mytat2.com/">Positive Image Tattoos</a> in Baltimore] did all of his magic and got it done."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Justin's third tattoo was this piece on his left forearm:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTFOvUGM82wbONXIdAlMZOSGCcVhmvqDJxPiCB1EfXNYD7MIdmGzy-Jw-OMWiV1lmgsFNW38AAn_FsMzvKQCjDOPw-hbGPcsSAI8RvUt3C9ge5DXpQe_lSDE6cqi3bOnJ_R678dbGiY/s1600/Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtaTFOvUGM82wbONXIdAlMZOSGCcVhmvqDJxPiCB1EfXNYD7MIdmGzy-Jw-OMWiV1lmgsFNW38AAn_FsMzvKQCjDOPw-hbGPcsSAI8RvUt3C9ge5DXpQe_lSDE6cqi3bOnJ_R678dbGiY/s400/Jesus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">He told me</span></span></div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">"I love Jesus ... simple as that. I was thinking about doing a whole arm, faith-based kind of thing, and I ike the ides of just being able to walk into a room and people know exactly like, well, that guy's definitely a Christina and he's for serious ... It's a good starting piece to talk to people."</span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">All of Justin's work is by Jason Kramer at <a href="http://www.mytat2.com/">Positive Image Tattoos</a> in Baltimore.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Be sure to check out Everyone Dies in Utah on Facebook <a href="http://www.facebook.com/everyonediesinutahtx?sk=info">here</a>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks to Justin for sharing his cool ink with us here on Tattoosday! </span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Musician Monday: A Trio of Tattoos from Justin Y. of Everyone Dies in Utah

Back in May, I met Justin in the Borders at Penn Plaza and he shared his three tattoos. Justin had recently been signed to a band from T...

3:30 AM

Matthew Shares Two Tattoo, from Thailand and French Polynesia (by way of Biarritz, France)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnw7VdTFlP9sGiW3DXVaQkXua3xmeN9vlwAG-ds3ggc8FuGgPC0PkJk9fYDlxauGG1mPEez1Qj903fPZWGU_9tMMIxDH_EOHEEvMwb_TqwZRWGiXkUQ2VmhkD5agYafIdJimLEUf8lGU/s1600/Polynesian+bottom+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>I generally do not ask people about tribal designs because they are not particularly interesting to me. That is not to say they are not good, just that thy are not my cup of tea. But occasionally, an exception will come along, and I will be more than pleasantly surprised.<br /><br />Take Matthew, for example. I spotted him sitting on Penn Plaza early last month, and something about his tribal piece on his left calf intrigued me:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6AWy8D41RUaFHLzqqB5KY07zAvAuDSqCO3viQUSEjxjQODxeUEKLTy6SdPqny8wDb5WSrRdnT2EJV56wbht1BYhfk3-Iyatg-EkQGvYcbeXC9sczsLfDJwTfr1QDt-7Pnd6Ex5wjnxE/s1600/rooster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6AWy8D41RUaFHLzqqB5KY07zAvAuDSqCO3viQUSEjxjQODxeUEKLTy6SdPqny8wDb5WSrRdnT2EJV56wbht1BYhfk3-Iyatg-EkQGvYcbeXC9sczsLfDJwTfr1QDt-7Pnd6Ex5wjnxE/s640/rooster.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br />Matthew, who is French, explained:<br /><blockquote>"I got it in Thailand in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Chang_District">Ko Chang</a>, which is an island at the frontier of Cambodia and Thailand ... it was done by a guy named 'Chung' - it was done in the old way of traditional Thai tattoo, which is with bamboo. So, basically, it lasts four hours and ... he put the bamboo in the ink ... between the thumb and the index [finger and] ... just tattooed ... three, four hours, all traditional.<br /><br />I went there and I already had the symbol in my head. I wanted a little rooster face here (because I'm French, I like the rooster) ... then he first designed it with a pen and we agreed on the drawing ... then he began it and four hours later I had it and I don't regret it."</blockquote>Then, Matthew totally blew me away when he raised his shirt to show me his other tattoo:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_GvbYGVoeImOcxSLUpT1P4Thhdj9cwZ1PZSgXcuCZ0IEI01nvBClbmys4FMkc9GNuxp8vsxYmzmrbzyzPhGXVUl5brmxfS-OomBm1CJ-cwRRuCptAtiSjS-qRjWJBjMSGBtprEGEryw/s1600/Polynesian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_GvbYGVoeImOcxSLUpT1P4Thhdj9cwZ1PZSgXcuCZ0IEI01nvBClbmys4FMkc9GNuxp8vsxYmzmrbzyzPhGXVUl5brmxfS-OomBm1CJ-cwRRuCptAtiSjS-qRjWJBjMSGBtprEGEryw/s640/Polynesian.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />Matthew explained this amazing piece of tattoo craftsmanship:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It was done in France just a few months ago by a guy who is from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallis_and_Futuna">Wallis and Futuna</a>, which is islands in <strike>French Polynesia</strike> l’Océanie polynésienne...  So, it's a symbol of a family, so here you see too little men [at center]:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAU-259jB64gGP7ky59kfg0shpxpOGFq8lL2vc-JpJafT2db6tftWdn2qy_HJKp3GVvGF4BwRGGVZozZOs2o_Q66F4MFNReh4w4IR90FQpsYcRRdN8FDzxZKJLHoIimQEeGWsFKEaxGw/s1600/two+little+men.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAU-259jB64gGP7ky59kfg0shpxpOGFq8lL2vc-JpJafT2db6tftWdn2qy_HJKp3GVvGF4BwRGGVZozZOs2o_Q66F4MFNReh4w4IR90FQpsYcRRdN8FDzxZKJLHoIimQEeGWsFKEaxGw/s320/two+little+men.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br />that's my brother and my sister ... This is the symbol of the god ... <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozPwNMV4u-iKNFGt2sN3803HZeCFx1r9ISC8JLklSB6_wPJ21WGEbaOQH7Q1gZ9mVbsf828tmnmkrdnPQIAcahUZPKr2KC0U6toe3uk_Z5DtvEnrcWutJ9ARHMVYLwWPSxEaPEdmh1AU/s1600/god+glyph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozPwNMV4u-iKNFGt2sN3803HZeCFx1r9ISC8JLklSB6_wPJ21WGEbaOQH7Q1gZ9mVbsf828tmnmkrdnPQIAcahUZPKr2KC0U6toe3uk_Z5DtvEnrcWutJ9ARHMVYLwWPSxEaPEdmh1AU/s320/god+glyph.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />...which represents the man's strength. This is a ... lizard:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIU91h6Z-da6XNxq6ux4OHCMyKRIXEN48Yfhj0USl5j6zpqDXwZdK59xpcU66QCcWbYm0pwu6IEFtKH8jup7OAFVKtwZV3C5gHIFqaFAXjfHn8D1Rs-7xSO73fyZHZpfX7tCbjh1dsPQ/s1600/shark+teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnw7VdTFlP9sGiW3DXVaQkXua3xmeN9vlwAG-ds3ggc8FuGgPC0PkJk9fYDlxauGG1mPEez1Qj903fPZWGU_9tMMIxDH_EOHEEvMwb_TqwZRWGiXkUQ2VmhkD5agYafIdJimLEUf8lGU/s1600/Polynesian+bottom+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUnw7VdTFlP9sGiW3DXVaQkXua3xmeN9vlwAG-ds3ggc8FuGgPC0PkJk9fYDlxauGG1mPEez1Qj903fPZWGU_9tMMIxDH_EOHEEvMwb_TqwZRWGiXkUQ2VmhkD5agYafIdJimLEUf8lGU/s320/Polynesian+bottom+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />which, in the Polynesian culture, is a messenger of God, which looks behind you, in case of any danger."</blockquote><br />Matthew also noted that the top section of the tattoo is in the shape of a silver fern, which is symbolic of New Zealand, and Maori tattoo traditions:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7A0jY-BQZn6dDsDn0JQSw5J9-L4uDnD_AnuveVd1KXmP3V9z26qDgqIYqCfRbWtHlIvGMlQ_MtYjituAHQLD_BOBdPwjkTrtviZwYjlHNP4btJlYyWIALaVfHzU7L7mDVlMaQrVZyF4/s1600/Polynesian+top+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7A0jY-BQZn6dDsDn0JQSw5J9-L4uDnD_AnuveVd1KXmP3V9z26qDgqIYqCfRbWtHlIvGMlQ_MtYjituAHQLD_BOBdPwjkTrtviZwYjlHNP4btJlYyWIALaVfHzU7L7mDVlMaQrVZyF4/s640/Polynesian+top+detail.jpg" width="377" /></a></div><br /><br />He also pointed out the traditional shark's teeth, which is a popular element in traditional Polynesian tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIU91h6Z-da6XNxq6ux4OHCMyKRIXEN48Yfhj0USl5j6zpqDXwZdK59xpcU66QCcWbYm0pwu6IEFtKH8jup7OAFVKtwZV3C5gHIFqaFAXjfHn8D1Rs-7xSO73fyZHZpfX7tCbjh1dsPQ/s1600/shark+teeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIU91h6Z-da6XNxq6ux4OHCMyKRIXEN48Yfhj0USl5j6zpqDXwZdK59xpcU66QCcWbYm0pwu6IEFtKH8jup7OAFVKtwZV3C5gHIFqaFAXjfHn8D1Rs-7xSO73fyZHZpfX7tCbjh1dsPQ/s320/shark+teeth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The Polynesian artist credited by Matthew for this tattoo is Soane Paninia, who works out of Polynesian Cultural in Biarritz, France. <br /><br />Matthew also told me that "normally, the traditional Polynesian tattoo are much more thicker, but through the Western influence, they now are very thin ... I asked for a thinner one, because I preferred this way."<br /><br />A very special "merci beaucoup" to Matthew for taking the time to show and explain his tattoos to me. I may have missed an element of two, but nonetheless, both pieces are spectacular in their own ways.<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div>

Matthew Shares Two Tattoo, from Thailand and French Polynesia (by way of Biarritz, France)

I generally do not ask people about tribal designs because they are not particularly interesting to me. That is not to say they are not good...

6:28 AM

The Tattoosday Book Review: Ink Flamingos

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp08lDslFIoXZ7F0MWrI8a4r6aQ6cwdbx1DtyzymLeqa_Jjw1UN6zm2UBLmyUpsrIwzFRYfmv64IpBzevgAeBL79jJzu2DDH7gTOD-T7_ZaoXz0JRVwh3CVqm7WdNenT15wufkAsXTG0/s1600/InkFlamingos%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp08lDslFIoXZ7F0MWrI8a4r6aQ6cwdbx1DtyzymLeqa_Jjw1UN6zm2UBLmyUpsrIwzFRYfmv64IpBzevgAeBL79jJzu2DDH7gTOD-T7_ZaoXz0JRVwh3CVqm7WdNenT15wufkAsXTG0/s640/InkFlamingos%25282%2529.jpg" width="396" /></a></div><br />Full disclosure: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Flamingos-Tattoo-Shop-Mystery/dp/0451233794?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ink Flamingos</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451233794" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />, by <a href="http://www.kareneolson.com/index.html">Karen E. Olson</a>, features a tattoo blogger who is an instrumental figure in the narrative. I also have it on good authority that Tattoosday was, in part, inspiration for this plot point. And yes, Ms. Olson thanks me in the acknowledgements, much more profusely than I anticipated. All that being said, skeptics might argue that there was a snowball’s chance in hell that, here on Tattoosday, you’d see a negative review of this, the fourth installment in the Tattoo Shop Mystery series. <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fortunately for me, I have no moral dilemma, as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Flamingos-Tattoo-Shop-Mystery/dp/0451233794?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ink Flamingos</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451233794" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is, like its predecessors, a great read. All bloggy plot points aside, I can whole-heartedly recommend not just the book, but all four volumes. They are consistently fun, humorous, exciting and, quite importantly, respectful to the tattoo industry and the good people therein.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Before I continue, however, I’ll point you to my previous reviews of  <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/09/tattoosday-book-review-driven-to-ink.html">Driven to Ink</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/03/tattoosday-book-review-pretty-in-ink.html">Pretty in Ink</a>, and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/11/tattoosday-book-review-missing-ink.html">The Missing Ink</a> for the whole suite of opinions on Ms. Olson’s tattoo-themed work. Click on the titles to be transported back in time to my reviews.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">As flattering as it was to learn that I helped, in part, inspire the blogging aspect of this latest volume in the series, I took pause when I learned that the blogger was <u>not</u> a benign presence in the novel. Fortunately, Olson’s easy-going narrative style, transported me past my initial misgivings, and into the brisk current of the story.  </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Despite the presence of the blogger, the real meat of the mystery derives from the dead rock singer, who appears to have been the victim of a an allergic reaction to some color ink, and a doppelganger/impersonator of our heroine, tattooist Brett Cavanaugh, that shines the spotlight on her as a suspect, at least in the eyes of some.<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The whole cast of characters is back, as we watch Brett go very easily from being determined to not getting involved to rapid ascension into the thick of police matters. We get a little less Bitsy and Dr. Bixby, and a little more Joel this time around. But fans of Brett Cavanaugh's stormy love-him-or-hate-him relationship with her peer, Murder Ink's Jeff Coleman, will not be disappointed.<br /><br />And, as always, the city of Las Vegas plays an important part, as well. With Brett Cavanaugh's shop being based in an upscale casino, the character of the city in the dessert is omnipresent.<br /><br />Karen Olson continues to develop her characters and feature the art of tattooing at the forefront of her plot lines which, for me, is always entertaining. We've come far beyond the days of tattoos being nothing more than part of a murder suspect's characteristics, and tattoo artists being portrayed as suspects on the fringe of society.<br /><br />If you are reading this and just learning about the series, head on back to book 1 and start from the beginning.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0nSYHEE6b9rgdDsOPXO8wdyGUsBYZG7TI4ZCYDDBTtgTU2FfkfI8wWbzdQ0XvAYbjib45YIV-dlvKRJ2EVl2I9NQgdr8QT1cpZI_W_GNLo2tpgGV2x0_SgypkHXQ8_nBeXikNce7/s400/51us6DnllxL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0nSYHEE6b9rgdDsOPXO8wdyGUsBYZG7TI4ZCYDDBTtgTU2FfkfI8wWbzdQ0XvAYbjib45YIV-dlvKRJ2EVl2I9NQgdr8QT1cpZI_W_GNLo2tpgGV2x0_SgypkHXQ8_nBeXikNce7/s320/51us6DnllxL._SS500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The series is fun and light, and treats tattooers and the tattoo industry with the respect and dignity it deserves. Remember, folks, these are murder mysteries, and their purpose is to entertain. Present volume included, Brett Cavanaugh has never bored me, and Olson knows how to spin a tale efficiently and with a sense of humor, as well.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ink-Flamingos-Tattoo-Shop-Mystery/dp/0451233794?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Ink Flamingos</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0451233794" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is the latest journey into the world of Brett Cavanaugh, the best damn fictional tattoo artist I know. It's always a pleasure to join her as she unravels some mess, and I encourage Tattoosday readers to check out her shop in the pages of Karen E. Olson's books. It's a whole lot of fun and costs a lot less than getting a new tattoo.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0451233794&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0451227468&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0451231570&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> <iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0451229622&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div></div>

The Tattoosday Book Review: Ink Flamingos

Full disclosure: Ink Flamingos , by Karen E. Olson , features a tattoo blogger who is an instrumental figure in the narrative. I also have i...

6:32 AM