Happy Blogiversary To Me! A Re-Post CelebrationToday marks Tattoosday's fourth anniversary, when we first started off here on BillyBlog as a once a week feature, before spinning off into a stand-alone site little over a month later.To celebrate, I'll be sharing favorite posts from the past four years throughout the day. Just a little celebratory…
Anniversary Re-Post - Julie's Crazy TattooAs 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:Inkspotting can be impulsive, but I also like to approach each volunteer after some consideration.Rather than rush up on someone and barrage the…
Better Late Than NeverBack 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.I stopped him and handed him a flier, but he was in a hurry, so we went our separ…
The Quotable Tom FordAs a new season of Project Runway premiered last night, I thought I'd share a fashion-related tattoo. Working on "Fashion Avenue," I see a lot of ink on people in the industry. Here's one from Megan:This is a quote by the fashion designer Tom Ford:"Beauty is an illusion/It is here only for a moment/…
Katie's BouquetI spotted this lovely tattoo on the Broadway-Lafayette subway platform last month, while switching trains:This floral piece, on Katie's calf, is one of her eight tattoos.The larger flower is an iris and the smaller flowers are Narcissus papyraceus or, as they are commonly known, Paperwhites. She ad…
A Skull in Penn StationLast 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…
Two for Tattoosday - Dave's Scalpflower and Bethany's Lonely WhaleA 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": Dave explained that this floral tattoo on his scalp was inked by Mike Adams, who was doing a guest spot at Thicker …
Aisha's Stunning Back PieceThis 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 Street and Broadway in Manhattan.The tattoo is an interpretation of the old adage, "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil".Inked over eleven years ago and represe…
Amy Winehouse Will Live On in Andrea's InkBack 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 announced yesterday. Andrea, who has this inked on her upper right arm, says she had this done "in the style of Monet". The artist was "Mad Dog" at Studio 33 Tatto…
Poppies for PoppyThese poppies are courtesy of Emma, who I met in Penn Station last week.She got poppies because, she told me, "My grandfather passed away a couple years ago and I used to call him Poppy".This is one her five tattoos, and represents about four and a half hours of work by Gus Espinoza at La Familia Ta…
It Was A Very Good Year for SomeI was passing through Penn Station earlier this month, when I spotted a young lady with this tattoo: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 tatto…
Chris and His Empirical Pin-upWell, little did I know, but yesterday, when I posted some of Fernando's tattoos, the R2-D2 and Megatron pieces in particular, it was coinciding with the opening of Comic-Con 2011 in San Diego.Since I am not traveling to the big convention to inkspot (maybe some day, when I have the wherewithal), le…
Fernando's Trio of Whimsical InkI 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.As a Star Wars fan, he couldn't resist this portrait of R2-D2:The banner "YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE" refe…
Panic in New York - A Visit from VictorI 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.Before we go further, perhaps you should reacquaint yourselves…
Lori Shares Some Peonies, and a Fairy MermaidNormal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt…
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 thigh:Emily credits Tazz at Aztlan Tattoo in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, with this cool ink."I just like roses," Emily told me, explaining that she had an idea and then…
A Chance to Cover Up, Reality-StyleConsidering that some of the best tattoos I have seen over the years (check some of them out here), the following casting call would seem to me certainly compelling for anyone looking to cover up an old, unwanted tattoo: Spike TV - Open Casting Call For Tattoo Competition Reality Series! Are you sic…
Jenna Shares Two - A Lionfish and a Gustav KlimtI 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 Gustav Klimt.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.This ta…
Charles - Art and Science, Together in InkLast 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.There, I met Charles, who sh…
Musician Monday: A Trio of Tattoos from Justin Y. of Everyone Dies in UtahNormal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-m…
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, just that thy are not my cup of tea. But occasionally, an exception will come along, and I will be more than pleasantly surprised.Take Matthew, for example. I…
The Tattoosday Book Review: Ink FlamingosFull disclosure: Ink Flamingos, by Karen E. Olson, 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 …
