Mr. Kaves Shares a Mark Mahoney PortraitA couple weeks back, I ran into Michael Kaves on 3rd Avenue, a couple blocks away from his shop, Brooklyn Made Tattoo. Kaves is also one of the founding members of The Lordz of Brooklyn. I know Kaves from around the neighborhood, and although I've never been tattooed by him, I have been under the ne…
Repost for Memorial Dsy: A Traditional Naval Tattoo on a 21st Century ShipThis post originally appeared on November 7, 2009. I felt it was appropriate to re-post on Memorial Day, 2011: The USS New York was put into service today by the United States Navy.Her hull was forged with steel salvaged from the rubble of the World Trade Center.It's a momentous occasion indeed, and…
Life is WarBack in April, I met Joshua outside of Penn Station, and he shared this, one of his five tattoos:This forearm tattoo, exemplifies Joshua's philosophy that life is war: "you have to go through war to get where you're going."An ex-girlfriend drew it up for him and then he had it tattooed by Jamie at B…
Chad and the CityI met Chad one afternoon in April outside of Madison Square Garden. He shared this tattoo which is on his left shin:As one might have guessed, Chad is a huge fan of the former HBO series Sex and the City and this is one of a large number of tattoos that he has. When I asked how many he had, he quipp…
Stephen's Killer KlownOne of the significant changes in the chronology of Tattoosday was the discovery that the Amtrak waiting area in Penn Station was a wonderful place for inkspotting, not just on rainy days, but whenever I had the chance to pass that way.Stopping someone on the streets of New York City, especially whe…
Our 1000th Post! David's Mermaid and Seahorse Blow Us Away......Pardon the royal "we," but this is our 1000th post, and we feel a little celebratory.To honor this milestone, we are sharing this amazing half sleeve belonging to David:This astonishing work is the creation of artist Erick Lynch at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts.David said that he had…
Christine's Sleeve of Colorful Flowers and ButterfliesSome posts don't need a lot of explaining. I met Christine on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge earlier this month, and she shared these stunning tattoos, perfect for celebrating on a warm spring day:The Tiger lily and Red-spotted Purple butterfly above are only the top section of a full sleeve:The flowers on…
Don't Sit Under the Cherry Tree with Anyone Else but MeI spotted Christina one Friday afternoon in Penn Station, sporting this awesome cherry blossom tattoo:She took some photos in to Jason Loui, then at Redemption Tattoo in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He sketched out a design, and the rest is history. Mr. Loui now works out of Good Faith Tattooing, in Br…
Musician Monday: Ryan from The DisconnectsHere on our second installment of Musician Mondays, we have a rockin', self-explanatory tattoo from Ryan, lead singer and guitarist from an unsigned band called The Disconnects:From her mohawk to her Doc Martens, this punk rock girl and her "Too Fast to Live, To Young to Die" banner totally capture …
Ivan's Sleeve: Doom, Zombies, and The JokerLast month I met Ivan in Penn Station, and I took a bunch of photos of his right arm, fully-sleeved. There's a lot going on here, so let's take a look:And the inner part of the sleeve: Ivan's tattoo artist is Larry Davis at Explicit Tattoo in Suffern, New York He also credits Adrienne Levy with the …
Best Week Ever: Tattoosday EditionThe last seven days have been quite a whirlwind, and I felt it is worth a recap, just because I can't believe what happened since last Saturday.A week ago, I had my best trip to the New York Tattoo Convention, saw a lot of great ink, reconnected with old blogging friends, and met a lot of cool peopl…
Kathryn's Birdhouse Reminds Her of HomeI spotted Kathryn in Penn Station earlier this month and asked her about her tattoos. She shared this one, which jumped out at me from across the room:I had a nice time chatting with Kathryn who referred to her approximately 18 tattoos as a "patchwork" collection, with each tattoo marking a differen…
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Chris Shares His Half-Sleeve Inspired by the Indigenous Cultures of the Pacific NorthwestFor this, my final post highlighting work I enjoyed at the New York City Tattoo Convention last Saturday, we turn to Chris, who offered up this half-sleeve from his right arm:Chris explained that he is a great admirer of Native American art and that, after a trip to a museum in British Columbia, he …
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Steve's Phenomenal Celtic CrossAmong the many amazing tattoos I saw last Saturday, this cross belonging to Steve was among my favorites:There's really not much to it, other than amazing colors and craftsmanship.Steve explained that the design is a nod to his Irish heritage, inspired by the Book of Kells, as exemplified by the Cel…
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Caroline's Death's-head Hawk Moth and The Silence of the LambsSending an inkblogger into a tattoo convention, is like sending a kid into Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - we just go into sensory overload.It's always interesting to see who I will interview first, as nearly everyone has amazing work. My first choice appeared to me after I had been at the New Yor…
NYC Tattoo Convention Spotlight: Jessica's Stunning Tibetan Back PieceThe last few years that I've attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, there's always been at least on person with a full back piece that captures my attention and, much to my enjoyment, agrees to share their work with us here at Tattoosday. The biggest and brightest tattoo this year for me, was…
Dispatch from the 2011 New York City Tattoo Convention (A Recap)Yesterday I spent a half dozen hours at the Roseland Ballroom, where the New York City Tattoo Convention was holding court. This was my third trip to the show, and each year, I have a different experience, as Tattoosday has evolved as a site (read about 2009 here and 2010 here).In years past, I …
