Julia's Pin-Up

I met Julia briefly in a Hudson News in Penn Station.<br /><br />The flash of color on her foot caught my eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-3asa8Bg9VYac8YBcVwpaftnhmQ5faWjX84jmXD3JOuH9oZgi1qrMMddwIuMlgUgu8IpjFGtReYULyQzMhDCiEV_cyIV_6xcxT8lcLCgfq-xUS3vlxEG96dvu5inuhALFw7_RsMY-2k/s1600/foot+pinup+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-3asa8Bg9VYac8YBcVwpaftnhmQ5faWjX84jmXD3JOuH9oZgi1qrMMddwIuMlgUgu8IpjFGtReYULyQzMhDCiEV_cyIV_6xcxT8lcLCgfq-xUS3vlxEG96dvu5inuhALFw7_RsMY-2k/s400/foot+pinup+wm.jpg" width="385" /></a></div><br />Julia explained that she is a visual artist that likes to do pin-up illustrations. This particular design she wanted to be transformed into a tattoo. She brought it to Morgan Reed at <a href="http://www.electriclotustattoo.com/index.html">Electric Lotus Tattoo</a> in Boonton, New Jersey, and he made some slight adjustments that resulted in this lovely tattoo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVo4XhO83fln0ct26Sq8jBhgujjrnBR1p_XCm-wBBDxserZEd2rZ_vio3n7Q7NM7qeU9GNSw4yuHp_3ZEVAwgDeRwyZd9AlNCvLubkPGElcgKJ4LQqglJ56UFwrhGgUb5ZGkV_SP43u4/s1600/foot+pinup+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVo4XhO83fln0ct26Sq8jBhgujjrnBR1p_XCm-wBBDxserZEd2rZ_vio3n7Q7NM7qeU9GNSw4yuHp_3ZEVAwgDeRwyZd9AlNCvLubkPGElcgKJ4LQqglJ56UFwrhGgUb5ZGkV_SP43u4/s640/foot+pinup+detail+wm.jpg" width="398" /></a></div><br />Work from Electric Lotus has appeared on Tattoosday before. <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Electric%20Lotus%20Tattoo">This link</a> will show you what else we have featured from their shop.<br /><br />Thanks to Julia for sharing her pin-up girl with us here on Tattoosday!

Julia's Pin-Up

I met Julia briefly in a Hudson News in Penn Station. The flash of color on her foot caught my eye: Julia explained that she is a visual art...

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Zack's Spectacular Foot Tattoos

I met Zack earlier this month as he was walking north on Broadway. But, like many Tattoosday encounters, the ink I spotted (on his leg) was not what ended up here on the blog.<br /><br />Behold, Zack's feet:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHaAn_W434Ls8Q0lNI5hRHIqdWMTGQIVF0MjQT_6sdEATgF2ZLcnbc7Ivexj0BW1EthOLxAJoLGHDIheheYAuU6hyphenhyphenHKdGsodScVO6GVf8SNQawhdzkDqK_-B8GBPNcAE6RoGsDban/s1600-h/Live+Feet.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386620619194738786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHaAn_W434Ls8Q0lNI5hRHIqdWMTGQIVF0MjQT_6sdEATgF2ZLcnbc7Ivexj0BW1EthOLxAJoLGHDIheheYAuU6hyphenhyphenHKdGsodScVO6GVf8SNQawhdzkDqK_-B8GBPNcAE6RoGsDban/s400/Live+Feet.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 367px;" /></a><br />These incredible foot tattoos were created by <a href="http://www.bleedbluetattoo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=16">Beef Stu</a> at <a href="http://www.bleedbluetattoo.com/">Bleed Blue Tattoo</a> in Lexington, Kentucky. Zack recently moved to New York from the Bluegrass state.<br /><br />Zack told me that the idea for these tattoos came to him in a vision. His right foot tattoo is comprised of a DNA strand, the key to life. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3c9_o3lD-5c3YFDBro7H_yQgJYdvQcOP3HnKIk0OZhCAbomIPj7eR2CAVyall7oTknI5pu9ywfA_kG4RpiAwVUWSYDke_AFbhf1hZFa0_kX_Z56OuNCLnqzy0zUOa-bwCyuFqniF/s1600-h/DNA+foot.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386619871717700946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3c9_o3lD-5c3YFDBro7H_yQgJYdvQcOP3HnKIk0OZhCAbomIPj7eR2CAVyall7oTknI5pu9ywfA_kG4RpiAwVUWSYDke_AFbhf1hZFa0_kX_Z56OuNCLnqzy0zUOa-bwCyuFqniF/s400/DNA+foot.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />And the left foot. with the skull, represents death.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGkg79fspEzZ5jY-9kTpf3Yiyey4T6DxZtejdnOjlUxVmzWZDad4dFf4VxB6xDzVDJZ4HgjqF7xLgxNry7lTTD26zoP4wtEk42XVVmER4h9wox8Ci1HXoPxO1BDLwAbb6JoTyg5W/s1600-h/Sugar+Skull+Foot.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386620306098710754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxbGkg79fspEzZ5jY-9kTpf3Yiyey4T6DxZtejdnOjlUxVmzWZDad4dFf4VxB6xDzVDJZ4HgjqF7xLgxNry7lTTD26zoP4wtEk42XVVmER4h9wox8Ci1HXoPxO1BDLwAbb6JoTyg5W/s400/Sugar+Skull+Foot.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a><br />The word "LIVE" is spelled out above the pieces, with "LI" on the right foot and "VE" on the left. The tattoos, together, Zack told me, serve as a "reminder not to get caught up in the shit" and to "make the most of what you can between life and death".<br /><br />It took three or four sessions (the feet are not easily inked) for these tattoos.<br /><br />Thanks to Zack for sharing his amazing foot tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Zack's Spectacular Foot Tattoos

I met Zack earlier this month as he was walking north on Broadway. But, like many Tattoosday encounters, the ink I spotted (on his leg) was ...

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The Tattooed Poets Project: Jill Alexander Essbaum's Poetic Feet (and Jessica Piazza's Too!)

UPDATED! See below....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz58dFbM0pQJXNd2qEU1k4fhWehOj_GzhRb5KWB13FVVzs1y5HQO66Ns9HTbGQFDFp5nYb3trdBvZixedFGXQ8-mRuSBDDdOfUqrEJLMPImNJ89Z9GuxF02neHMHEpQl5EG_z3PTrh-vAk/s1600-h/PICT1564.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311863783685076338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz58dFbM0pQJXNd2qEU1k4fhWehOj_GzhRb5KWB13FVVzs1y5HQO66Ns9HTbGQFDFp5nYb3trdBvZixedFGXQ8-mRuSBDDdOfUqrEJLMPImNJ89Z9GuxF02neHMHEpQl5EG_z3PTrh-vAk/s400/PICT1564.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><br />I've decided to launch this special National Poetry Month Tattoosday feature with the wonderful tattooed feet of <a href="http://www.harlotpoems.com/jillauthor1.html">Jill Alexander Essbaum</a>, author of several collections of poetry, the most recent being <a href="http://www.notellbooks.org/individual_title.php?id=36_0_1_0_C">Harlot</a>.<br /><br />Although this month I will be featuring tattoos on poets, not every tattoo is poetic, in the literal sense. Jill's inked feet are.<br /><br />Jill met me in the Starbucks at 7 Penn Plaza on a cold day in February, prior to a reading at the <a href="http://www.kgbbar.com/">KGB Bar</a> later that evening.<br /><br />She was one of the first poets who signed on to this project, and she allowed me the honor of taking a clearer picture of her tattoos, even though they appeared <a href="http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/2008/05/nerdy-poetry--1.html">here</a>, on the <a href="http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/">Best American Poetry blog</a>, back in May 2008.<br /><br />Although the concept may be alien to many, students and purveyors of the art of poetry know that a line of poetry can be broken down into metered verse that is identifiable based on the stress and intonation of the syllables.<br /><br />People may have heard that most of <a href="http://shakespeare.mit.edu/">Shakespeare</a>'s work is composed, for example, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iambic_pentameter">iambic pentameter</a>. What that means is that each line is comprised of five parts, or "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_%28poetry%29">feet</a>," and each foot is made up of an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iamb" style="font-style: italic;">iamb</a>, or two syllables, the first of which is unstressed, followed by the stressed sound.<br /><br />The name "Marie" is an iamb, for example, as the stress falls on the second syllable. "Mary," on the other hand, has the stress on the first syllable, and is identified as a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trochee" style="font-style: italic;">trochee</a>".<br /><br />There are other types of poetic fragments, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactyl_%28poetry%29" style="font-style: italic;">dactylls</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapest"><span style="font-style: italic;">anapests</span></a>, but the iambic and trochaic feet are the most common.<br /><br />So what does this have to do with Jill's feet? When poets study and scan a line of verse, they mark it up, identifying the stress marks with the accents (or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllable_weight">longums</a>), and the unstressed syllables with a symbol known as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllable_weight">brevis</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDXZgF_UvOvQy8VPZJuZiV940egoXfjz7kwLZLuK-JoUo8jIrVTX6psQzk5q0v6hRqmqJ1Xbn5HSlTNUSrHSbneai-Wq0xvxZtwZQ0crcWyV7ABU91Fk5PlsaVlC6yyJtM3c5ShxEPzRV/s1600-h/trochee+iamb.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311864547882209986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZDXZgF_UvOvQy8VPZJuZiV940egoXfjz7kwLZLuK-JoUo8jIrVTX6psQzk5q0v6hRqmqJ1Xbn5HSlTNUSrHSbneai-Wq0xvxZtwZQ0crcWyV7ABU91Fk5PlsaVlC6yyJtM3c5ShxEPzRV/s400/trochee+iamb.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 144px;" /></a><br />Jill's feet are literally with the symbols denoting them as trochee (left) and iamb (right). Pure brilliance, in my opinion.<br /><br />Jill and her friend Jessica came up with this idea last year and gave it significant thought.<br /><br />As most poets (with notable exceptions, of course) are also teachers, they thought it would be a great visual aid when educating students on scansion.<br /><br />Jill spent a weekend sketching and drawing the marks, not as easy a task as one would imagine. How to make the marks look like poetic symbols, and not stray ink marks, or even worse, scars, was a part of the process.<br /><br />She and Jessica mulled the placement on the body: should they go on their wrists? Jill, a professed punster, then had the revelation: iambs and trochees are poetic feet, the tattoos should go on their own feet.<br /><br />Trochee went on the right side, because it is a progressive, forward-moving beat. Iamb went on the left, as it is a heartbeat.<br /><br />She and Jessica both got inked in June 2008, shortly before the <a href="http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas/poetry/Poetry_Conference/">West Chester Poetry Conference</a>. What better setting to show off fresh poetry tattoos?<br /><br />Each tattoo took only 15 minutes, and Jessica placed her ink on the sides of her feet, as opposed to the tops like Jill.<br /><br />I want to thank Jill Alexander Essbaum for helping launch this special feature here on Tattoosday. I invite you to head over <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-1-jill.html">here</a> to BillyBlog and check out one of Jill's poems, along with links to more of her work.<br /><br />WAIT! There's more.....<br /><br />Here's a photo of the feet of Jill's friend <a href="http://42opus.com/authors/jessicapiazza">Jessica Piazza</a>:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf48qTEWc2mTp0z0jTrxHp81oTdDFcksH72qxXw9PDBlG7SvIH5tJMTuX_OVEPnjo7qVZCDx3fGXmoXUyBW4prFnliLm0gllEvMVhHgCfGe3EjL_B47RrITO88qYZ5ej_GuIX3dSPXNIWt/s1600-h/iambicfeet-jessica.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319873390183700514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf48qTEWc2mTp0z0jTrxHp81oTdDFcksH72qxXw9PDBlG7SvIH5tJMTuX_OVEPnjo7qVZCDx3fGXmoXUyBW4prFnliLm0gllEvMVhHgCfGe3EjL_B47RrITO88qYZ5ej_GuIX3dSPXNIWt/s320/iambicfeet-jessica.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" /></a><br />As noted before, it's the same tattoo, just oriented differently on the feet. Jessica added:<br /><blockquote>I figured, since it was my idea in the first place, I should be up on this if I can. Too bad we couldn't find a way to get tattoos that symbolize rhyme. I'm more of the meter dork than Jill, which is why I wanted these in the first place. (In all fairness, doing it on our feet was her stroke of genius!)</blockquote>And, as Jill noted in the comment section, the tattooist is <a href="http://www.christorrestattoos.com/id1.html">Chris Torres</a>.<br /><br />Head on back over to BillyBlog <a href="http://oxypoet.blogspot.com/2009/04/tattooed-poets-series-day-1-jill.html">here</a> to see one of Jessica's poems.

The Tattooed Poets Project: Jill Alexander Essbaum's Poetic Feet (and Jessica Piazza's Too!)

UPDATED! See below.... I've decided to launch this special National Poetry Month Tattoosday feature with the wonderful tattooed feet of ...

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Kait, On Her Own Two Feet

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CHBTlKm6sf7-S4uy4Ig5Opcjuzf5tj_VCDmrwEeo07I5vJH2KPEQy-mIhvYdda0LYkd6-FSwpEoNdqozzM4M3vOzYDh7-Oimyc-F1LX7fzvx7iSy17VPobFsLjrD0L0Cd_B-RZ94UixA/s1600-h/bow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311493989082468866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8CHBTlKm6sf7-S4uy4Ig5Opcjuzf5tj_VCDmrwEeo07I5vJH2KPEQy-mIhvYdda0LYkd6-FSwpEoNdqozzM4M3vOzYDh7-Oimyc-F1LX7fzvx7iSy17VPobFsLjrD0L0Cd_B-RZ94UixA/s400/bow.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" /></a><br />While passing through Borders at 2 Penn Plaza, I spotted Kait's feet, both tattooed on their outside edges. She graciously allowed me to take pictures of both pieces.<br /><br />On her left foot is a green bow, inspired in part by the fact that she is known where she grew up for always having a bow on her, whether it be in her clothing or in her hair. It's her trademark, of sorts, and the tattoo insures that she'll never be "bow-less".<br /><br />Her right foot bears the following inscription:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi812PMvl6s111qW-xZZ5CUddi8VodnUEoiDaBNiuxVtBa7df2XxQzWHiXsEIKNdyrKkkb0agC6JXDOPnhvFHdcDR3hgDHn-33NAmvcqTbcocm8uy4xaBLOYCaOz5JPUrRf6tQA-4pzbSb9/s1600-h/thinkhappythoughts.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311494149903817298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi812PMvl6s111qW-xZZ5CUddi8VodnUEoiDaBNiuxVtBa7df2XxQzWHiXsEIKNdyrKkkb0agC6JXDOPnhvFHdcDR3hgDHn-33NAmvcqTbcocm8uy4xaBLOYCaOz5JPUrRf6tQA-4pzbSb9/s400/thinkhappythoughts.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" /></a><br />"Think Happy Thoughts" is a tribute to her friend Max, a graffiti artist, who passed away a year or two back. The script is in her own hand, in emulation of a free-form style that reminds her of graffiti.<br /><br />Kait has five tattoos in all, including two surnames inscribed on the insides of her wrists. One is the last name of her adopted family, and the other is the surname of her birth mother.<br /><br />All of her work was done at <a href="http://bigjoeandsonswp.com/">Big Joe & Sons Tattooing & Piercing</a> in White Plains, New York.<br /><br />Thanks to Kait for sharing her tattoos here on Tattoosday!

Kait, On Her Own Two Feet

While passing through Borders at 2 Penn Plaza, I spotted Kait's feet, both tattooed on their outside edges. She graciously allowed me to...

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