Mike Bakaty, Rest in PeaceI learned last night of the passing of a legendary NYC tattoo artist, Mike Bakaty. Our friends over at Needles & Sins informed us of the sad news, with this touching remembrance .I never met Mike, whose Fineline Tattoo NYC is a great shop, thanks to his talent and hard work, along with that of his s…
John and the Savannah Bird GirlLong time readers of Tattoosday may remember I used to find a lot of contributors in Penn Station, across the street from where I worked for many years. This past September, I started a new job downtown, on Broad Street, and this tattoo was the first one I found for the site in my new neighborhood:T…
Two Birds for Tuesday, Celebrating Ten Years in New York CityBack in September, I met Daniel on Broad Street in downtown Manhattan. It was his New York City pigeon that first grabbed my eye:Daniel explained, “It’s my ten-years-in-New York Tattoo. It’s my New York bird."Representing his country of birth, he added, "I have a Mexican bird on the other side:”That…
Karin Shares a Tattoo Fit for a SeamstressI was leaving Governor's Island after the NYC Poetry Festival last summer, when I spotted Karin sitting down waiting for the ferry back to Brooklyn.I asked her about her tattoo:Karin explained that she is a seamstress, which goes a long way to explaining this tattoo. Initially, she told me, "it was …
No Mud, No LotusBack in July, at the NYC Poetry Festival, I was awash with poetry and a wide array of tattoos.I met Jhani, who shared this tattoo on her arm:This lotus flower was inked by Chris at Outer Limits in Costa Mesa, California. It reads, “No Mud, No Lotus.”When I asked her what this meant, she replied, "T…
A Dog on Adam's ArmWe're still posting tattoos from last summer's NYC Poetry Festival, like this one from Adam:Adam explained that this tattoo on his forearm is based on a woodcut that served as the cover art from Times of Grace by Neurosis:Adam credited the piece itself to Scott Santee at Memento Tattoo & Gallery in …
Lauren Shares Two Tattoos with a Literary FeelI met Lauren at the NYC Poetry Festival last July on Governor's Island and she shared two tattoos.First up is this appropriately literary piece:Lauren explains:"Kill Your Darlings is a [William] Faulkner quote … it’s his advice on writing ... when you are creating a piece of literature, you’re favor…
Sarah Shares Two Beautiful TattoosBack in July 2013, I was at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor's Island, and I met several people with great tattoos.I saw a woman with some incredible work as she was leaving the event, and managed to speak to her before she had walked away.Sarah shared two spectacular pieces, both by th…
Cleaning Out the Inbox: Supporting Tattoos and Piercings at WorkA lot has been written about whether employers can impose their corporate values on their employees' lifestyle choices. I'm certainly not an expert in the field, but I tend to concur - an employer's right to impose their beliefs about your tattoos and piercings is greater than your individual right …
Chuck's Ultraman TattooOver the summer, I attended an alumni function for my high school in Hawai’i.We were at a sake bar on the lower East Side, and I met Chuck, who had this Ultraman tattoo on his arm:I snapped the photo and recorded nothing, hoping I could have the story recreated through social media connections.Alas,…
Kimberly's Flowering Sugar SkullIt may be 9 degrees today in New York, but I'm thinking about last July, when I was basking in the warmth of the New York City Poetry Festival on Governor's Island.And inkspotting, of course!I met a woman named Kimberly, who shared this sugar skull:Kimberly got this about six years ago at Addiction …
Amita's Lovely Sanskrit TattooLast spring (yes, as in spring 2013), I attended a talk at NYU where one of my old schoolboy chums was speaking.One of the event hosts, named Amita, had a lovely Sanskrit tattoo on her arm, and she allowed me to take a photo.Alas, my e-mails to her have gone unanswered, so I’ll just post this and mo…
Familiar Ink: Meister Returns to Tattoosday with an Awesome NYC TattooThere's something therapeutic about running posts of work I spotted over the summer. The warmth from these encounters is brightening these winter days.Case in point, on a bike ride out to Coney Island, I was cruising along the boardwalk when I spotted a woman on a bench, reading a book. She had tatt…
Three Views of Byron's Leg (from the 4th Annual Urban Tattoo Convention)Yes, we're still working on summer posts, like this one from Byron, who shared some work done on his leg:Byron told me that the section of teeth and eyes was done freehand.He also told me that the skull with tentacles was based on his own sketch.All of this incredible work was done at Inked City Tat…
Out with the Old, In with the NewNothing new to share today, other than this link to Buzzfeed's "Top Tattoo Designs Of 2013 According To Pinterest"via Buzzfeed via Flickr: whitneyarleneA great way to start 2014!…
