Under the Verrazano-Narrows BridgeAs mentioned in the previous post, I was having some luck spotting some tattoos while riding my bike along the path that runs along the southern tip of Brooklyn.Last weekend, I was riding north and passed a woman sunbathing in a bikini in the grass along the bike path. I noticed she had some sort of…
Chris Honors His Mother with a Back PieceLast weekend, while riding my bike along the Shore Promenade at the southern tip of Brooklyn, I spotted the back piece above.Although it is not completed, Chris, to whom the tattoo belongs, was more then happy to share it with us.The story of this tattoo goes back a bit. Chris explained to me that,…
April's Tribal PieceNo offense to people with tribal tattoos, but they (the tattoos, not the people) generally don't generate much interest from me.Unless they are incorporated into a bigger design concept (like this tiger lily piece), they don't seem particularly interesting. I know, I know, that's a sweeping generali…
Untouchable is Something to BeJohn had much ink and, as often happens when I ask, a previously unseen tattoo is revealed which is just as impressive as all the other visible work.John offered up this right upper arm piece, a pin-up straddling a bomb. It's exceptional work and I found the source material on which this is based, a…
Building Their Own NationAt the tail end of my discussion with John about his tattoo (see the post above), he revealed that he was here in New York with his new wife Liz. Ah, a honeymoon in the Big Apple!Liz and John posed the above tattoos for the occasion. I generally don't go on and on about the photos I take, but I just…
Vicki's Shamrock TattooEarlier this month, I posted this tattoo which was a tribute to Olivia Rose, a new daughter born to Vicki. I mentioned in the post that it was Vicki's tattoo below her neck which first grabbed my attention, but that Vicki offered up her newer piece for us here at Tattoosday.Vicki has recently sent m…
Vincent Bears the Spear of LonginusI met Vincent Corrigan on the way to the subway on 33rd Street between 7th and 6th Avenues. It was a giant arm piece that crawled up under his shirt and onto his shoulder that first caught my eye.However, he offered up the piece above and, in the course of speaking with him, I took pictures of three…
Tattoosday, Across the PondAs they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and earlier this month a young lass named Mel over in Newcastle contacted me to ask my blessing to spin off the blog over in England. I blessed and she's off with it. Check it out here.…
Kelly's Memorial for a Best Friend / Carpe DiemI spotted this beautiful cross of flowers on the back of Kelly's neck in front of the entrance to Penn Station on Seventh Avenue.Regular readers may sense a little bit of déjà vu. Did I say her name was Kelly? Sure did. She was, in fact, the third woman named Kelly whose tattoos I photographed in ju…
Kelly Remembers her GrandmotherThis awesome portrait was jumping off of Kelly's right shoulder in Penn Plaza last Wednesday.Kelly has ten tattoos in all, but she chose this portrait for Tattoosday, inked six years ago by Joey Ortega at Kingpin Tattoos in Harker Heights, Texas.This was, according to Kelly, Ortega's first portrait,…
Punx: Two Friends from TexasThis is a continuation of sorts, from the post above.When I met Kelly, she was hanging out with her friend Amber. And although Kelly appeared to be the more inked of the two, Amber was very positive and enthusiastic about the concept behind Tattoosday.So after taking a picture of Kelly's tattoo, I t…
A Cool Frog Tattoo on a Hot DayIn probably one of my shortest posts, I present you with the frog above, inked on the left leg of Kelly.I spotted this beautiful tattoo as Kelly and a friend were waiting for some food at a cart on the corner of 33rd and 7th Avenue.Her hands were full and she seemed a bit in a hurry, so I don't have…
Frankie and Her Brother, Forever in InkFrankie designed this cartoon portrait of herself with her brother holding hands. The tattoo is on her left bicep. That's her on the right, with the red hair.She had this inked at Village Pop Inc. on West 4th Street in Manhattan. I caught Frankie on the R train and took the photo on the 95th Street…
Crys Shares His Colorful ArmWhen I passed Crys on Seventh Avenue last Friday, I knew I had to stop and ask about his arm.Aside from the matching ohms-within-nautical stars on both elbows, Crys has two main pieces on his left arm.Chronologically, the dragon came first:He got it basically because he liked the design. It was ink…
The Only Tattoo Blog that Educates its Readers About the Clutius Manuscript AND the Hoplite PhalanxAs you may have guessed from the title above, this is an educational post.Anna has four tattoos, but it was this one, on the back of her left calf, that caught my eye as she passed me on Seventh Avenue last week. I stopped to ask what this was all about. And I felt like I was back in the classroom. …
Surgeon General's Warning: A Varga Girl Smoking on Your Arm Looks AwesomeMeet Priscilla. That's her above on Maeve's arm, as seen last week on 6th Avenue. Maeve offered her to Tattoosday from among the thirteen tattoos she has. Priscilla, as Maeve calls her, is based on the pin-up art of Alberto Vargas. Check out more of his work here.The work on which she is based initi…
Massimo Shares A Tribal DesignI met Massimo on the plaza in front of Penn Station last Friday and talked to him about this cool piece he has on his right foot.He was visiting from Milan and, according to him, designed and tattooed this himself about seven years ago. He had a friend who was a tattoo apprentice around that time, w…
Chris Wears His Knife on his SleeveOn Wednesday I met Chris, outside of the hotel across the street from my office. He sported four tattoos in all, but this one was the most fascinating.Chris was in town (he resides in Ripon, California) on business as the tour caterer for Neil Diamond (he has also worked for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, …
Kate's Floral Arm PieceKate had this tattoo inked about 8 years ago somewhere in New Jersey. She doesn't recall the artist or the shop, but that is often quite common.The piece, which is on her right bicep, was designed by a friend of hers who was a tattoo apprentice.She likes this simple floral design because it reflects…
Michele's First Tattoo: Beautiful Can Also Be DangerousI met Michele in the middle of the day last Wednesday. I was riding my bike on a vacation day and she was sitting on the Shore Promenade while on a lunch break.The tattoo above is small, but I liked how Michele described it. The piece is about sixteen years old and was done by an artist named Vinni…
Erica's Ink: A Tale of Two TattoosLast Saturday I was riding my bike on a gorgeous day (see this post here) when I passed Erica who was sitting on a bench along the Shore Promenade.I spotted a tattoo on her back as I rode by, so I circled around for a closer look:It seemed interesting so I asked her about it. She said there really w…
Thea Illuminates MusicI introduced myself to Thea on the 86th Street train platform after spotting her awesome neck tattoo.There's something about the train platforms and subways of New York that is a challenge to Tattoosday. Generally, when New Yorkers descend to the subway system, an additional layer of protective on-g…
A Newborn Tattoo for a Newborn DaughterAlthough it was the shamrocked neck piece that first grabbed my attention, Vicki offered up the above piece on her right shoulder instead.Vicki explained that this rose tattoo is in honor of her daughter, born just two months ago. The piece was inked only last month by Michelle at True Blue Tattoo i…
