Two Birds for Tuesday, Celebrating Ten Years in New York City

Back in September, I met Daniel on Broad Street in downtown Manhattan. It was his New York City pigeon that first grabbed my eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TWa19c2X40q7DrdHcZCs8EOWwIcKoh9cwWKbhzYTwgjZ0H-V2dirslQ5iKmpfHOBeOQDcctNQ5hVp5ULXOSI-5QYRSXIZsuNT2ki2xWJ2JsKq2VUnJmBOUb4zeJ-9GD6J4QDc28qV0I/s1600/Pigeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TWa19c2X40q7DrdHcZCs8EOWwIcKoh9cwWKbhzYTwgjZ0H-V2dirslQ5iKmpfHOBeOQDcctNQ5hVp5ULXOSI-5QYRSXIZsuNT2ki2xWJ2JsKq2VUnJmBOUb4zeJ-9GD6J4QDc28qV0I/s1600/Pigeon.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Daniel explained, “It’s my ten-years-in-New York Tattoo. It’s my New York bird."<br /><br />Representing his country of birth, he added, "I have a Mexican bird on the other side:”<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nn4s6rqwGwjEJ_tNxaPY6IuCehEo6sQ4bRs_tSwg8r_u6P6MfYVSaAXrpJkKBE4KijE5F2M4tMJznb8DcO1mWivhxzzMeEM-Ez2vj7iYwNrI_mtTv7OteCCA9KA52hrQFIqVh2WKBL0/s1600/Quetzal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nn4s6rqwGwjEJ_tNxaPY6IuCehEo6sQ4bRs_tSwg8r_u6P6MfYVSaAXrpJkKBE4KijE5F2M4tMJznb8DcO1mWivhxzzMeEM-Ez2vj7iYwNrI_mtTv7OteCCA9KA52hrQFIqVh2WKBL0/s1600/Quetzal.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><br />That is the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzal">quetzal</a></i>.<br /><br />Every once in a while, I am fortunate enough to stumble on the work of simply amazing artists. Both of these phenomenal tattoos were done by the talented <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/artists/regino_gonzales/">Regino Gonzales</a> from <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>. Work from Regino has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/danielles-beautiful-gypsytattoo.html">here</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/07/tommys-geisha.html">here</a>, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/mikes-tribute-to-his-thai-heritage.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/07/monas-pocket-watch-honors-her.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Daniel for sharing his two awesome bird tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-4129709c-d891-8e06-52f5-39540f104aa7"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.</span></div></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span>

Two Birds for Tuesday, Celebrating Ten Years in New York City

Back in September, I met Daniel on Broad Street in downtown Manhattan. It was his New York City pigeon that first grabbed my eye: Daniel exp...

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Barred For Life: An Encounter and A Tattoosday Book Review

<div class="MsoNormal">As a Gen-X child, the <a href="http://blackflagofficial.com/">Black Flag</a> bars are familiar to me. I’ll be honest, I was never a huge fan, but I had friends that were, coming of age in the 1980’s.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />I remember first seeing Black Flag on film in the groundbreaking <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082252/">The Decline of Western Civilization</a>, screened at the <a href="http://manoa.hawaii.edu/campusmap/buildings.html">University of Hawaii</a> Physical Science Auditorium, whose film series had a cult following  among teens in Honolulu in the early 80’s. It was there that I saw <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073629/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Rocky Horror</a> (many times), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000835/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Ralph Bakshi’s</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076929/?ref_=nv_sr_4">Wizards</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000540/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1">Russ Meyer's</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075376/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_3">Up!</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075244/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">The Song Remains the Same</a>, and the <a href="http://www.blacksabbath.com/">Black Sabbath</a>/<a href="http://www.blueoystercult.com/">Blue Oyster Cult</a> concert film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251615/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3">Black and Blue</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />And, <i>Decline</i>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />The film didn’t shake my core like it did many of my friends, but my middle-aged memory cites it as my first encounter with Black Flag. Their emblematic bars found their way onto my notebooks, sharing the doodling of metal band names and logos. The bars remind me of adolescence and rebellion.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Other people’s rebellion, not mine, mind you.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />I won’t claim to be someone I’m not, or someone I wasn’t.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />I don’t have any Black Flag tattoos on me, and I never will.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />This past summer, on my way to a job interview, I was in lower Manhattan in a suit on a sweltering day when I met Harley, a woman with a lot of ink. I had a few minutes before my interview and asked her about her work. She showed me her back:<br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbMd5Ql1SJckwsQV-WTgVRHX-2PjQO9b44dzZR58wC8RO9_xdmzoJEB4ANqAMBrZGMrvLMG8H8oYpP9JUlJl_OQpNhatw04PW6dd52HwXKKLyaB6UREJ4c-KtFUKBugOQyrVueyloHR8/s1600/Haley.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbMd5Ql1SJckwsQV-WTgVRHX-2PjQO9b44dzZR58wC8RO9_xdmzoJEB4ANqAMBrZGMrvLMG8H8oYpP9JUlJl_OQpNhatw04PW6dd52HwXKKLyaB6UREJ4c-KtFUKBugOQyrVueyloHR8/s640/Haley.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />Running into Harley and having her share this tattoo seemed fortuitous, as I had just received a copy of <u><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604863943/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1604863943&linkCode=as2&tag=bill03-20%22%3EBarred%20for%20Life:%20How%20Black%20Flag's%20Iconic%20Logo%20Became%20Punk%20Rock's%20Secret%20Handshake%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=bill03-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1604863943%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Barred for Life</a></u> in the mail. Subtitled “How Black Flag’s Signature Logo Became Punk Rock’s Secret Handshake,” this book was on my list of titles to review, and there had just been several events in New York celebrating its release.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://secure.pmpress.org/images/products/detail_498_barredforlifefront300_copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://secure.pmpress.org/images/products/detail_498_barredforlifefront300_copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I envisioned a big post, combining Harley’s tattoo and the review. This is that post (obviously), but just fashionably late to the party. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />A word first about Harley’s tattoo, which she credited to <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/artists/troy_denning/">Troy Denning</a> at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>. Harley told me, when I asked her why she got the "Rise Above" tattoo, simply, “to rise above.” She added later, “And to … let nothing keep you down...” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />As for <u>Barred for Life</u>, I can’t think of a more compelling gift for someone who is either a 1) punk/hardcore fan; or 2) a fan of simple tattoos that mean a whole lot. So, if you know someone looking to use a bookstore gift card this holiday season, tell them to special order this book.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Let’s face it, the Bars are fairly rudimentary – four rectangular blocks offset in equidistant parallel orientation. <u>Barred for Life</u> unveils a wide array of variations on the tattoo, which anchors album art and other punk sentiment. The really compelling aspect of each tattoo is that of the interview that accompanies it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">We get an inside view into the minds of people who have been “barred for life,” including the fan’s relationship with the band, the story behind the tattoo (right up our alley!), and the favorite singer/song/album trifecta. We’re also treated to interviews with current and former band members, with Henry Rollins noticeably absent.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />The scope of this volume is magnificent. The number of people who are “barred for life” is staggering, just based on this sampling alone. Think of the thousands of others who have been similarly branded – where a tattoo of a band logo goes above and beyond one’s appreciation of the group itself. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />That said, this is more than just a tattoo book – it’s a chronicle of a mindset, a visual exploration of a family that united around a symbol that inserted itself as a logo of a punk band, and evolved into a cultural icon.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks to Harley for sharing her Black Flag tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, and to Stewart Dean Ebersole for putting together such a great chronicle of bars tattoos. </div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">More info on the book <a href="http://www.barredforlife.net/">here</a>.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6058251288236499429" name="_GoBack"></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1604863943" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div><br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-72fa81df-2460-8f96-ffc0-75e6d859c3f5"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span> <br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div></div>

Barred For Life: An Encounter and A Tattoosday Book Review

As a Gen-X child, the Black Flag bars are familiar to me. I’ll be honest, I was never a huge fan, but I had friends that were, coming of ag...

Read more »

Announcing Sailor Jerry Event Tonight at Tammany Hall!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3DAqmTFs5The8Rc2VNqmI7AVy81zrg1SzHXFHsx3qG8Sq1bEFcFB6bAMjficPk27_5lyyLBDAZl-hHonEZEyLYTPNt_Rb8MMyU1zG50GD7aluTgj1wUtHc_BxSrmv-mbAYqi5KZceOs/s1600/790_SJUS_SHUTLive_web_R2%5B4%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3DAqmTFs5The8Rc2VNqmI7AVy81zrg1SzHXFHsx3qG8Sq1bEFcFB6bAMjficPk27_5lyyLBDAZl-hHonEZEyLYTPNt_Rb8MMyU1zG50GD7aluTgj1wUtHc_BxSrmv-mbAYqi5KZceOs/s640/790_SJUS_SHUTLive_web_R2%5B4%5D.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><br />The good folks at <a href="http://sailorjerry.com/">Sailor Jerry</a> are hosting another event tonight in New York and, yes, there's a shot you can score a free tattoo from <a href="http://mattvancuratattoos.com/">Matt Van Cura</a> of <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>.<br /><br />Word is that there will be only a handful of Sailor Jerry tattoos available, so best to RSVP and get there early. You might just be one of the lucky recipients!<br /><br />These are the event details:<br /><br /><div><b>SHUT LIVE V5.0 & Sailor Jerry Presents</b></div><div><b>Cerebral Ballzy</b></div><div><b>DJ sets by Superjuice- MC PATH </b><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: #1f497d; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Mr Gargoyle and DJ Smoke LES </span></div><div><b>21+ Doors at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_543370750" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">8pm</span></span></b></div><div><b>Tammany Hall- 152 Orchard Street- NY</b></div><div><b>Tattoos by Matt Van Cura of Invisible - First Come , First Served. </b></div><div><b>Sailor Jerry Drink Specials</b></div><div><b>Free with RSVP- <a href="mailto:RSVP@SHUTNYC.COM" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">RSVP@SHUTNYC.COM</a></b></div><span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br /><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.shutnyc.com/" target="_blank">www.shutnyc.com</a> </span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">I can't make it, but feel free to tell me all about it and share your tattoo, if you get lucky!</span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Have a great weekend everyone!</span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial;"></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.</span></span></span></div><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div></span></div>

Announcing Sailor Jerry Event Tonight at Tammany Hall!

The good folks at Sailor Jerry are hosting another event tonight in New York and, yes, there's a shot you can score a free tattoo from ...

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Marina's Hibiscus, Freshly Bloomed

A couple weeks back I ran into Marina on the corner of 30th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. She had just received this tattoo only two days before:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC2JqlygenyAo1bHAjWG8gffTwqRH44T7Z_VuzgPIpluEUhAmnh4iSo-pZBJtiesWPD65GKOOBI1z_E51GiuOXbzexTurj1zcDrAoNrTl0tCw_vKkJkGyBp1trg4escIE0k2YwC4iGVQ/s615/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC2JqlygenyAo1bHAjWG8gffTwqRH44T7Z_VuzgPIpluEUhAmnh4iSo-pZBJtiesWPD65GKOOBI1z_E51GiuOXbzexTurj1zcDrAoNrTl0tCw_vKkJkGyBp1trg4escIE0k2YwC4iGVQ/s640/photo.jpg" width="422" /></a></div><br />These stunning hibiscus flowers were tattooed by <a href="http://www.gustavorizerio.com/">Gustavo Rizerio</a> at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>. Work from Gustavo has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/10/veronica-reveals-whats-under-her-sleeve.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Marina for sharing her lovely floral tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0048649669624865055" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b><br /><br />

Marina's Hibiscus, Freshly Bloomed

A couple weeks back I ran into Marina on the corner of 30th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. She had just received this tattoo only t...

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2012 NYC Tattoo Convention

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrzA_Ck7Y15IUX6SPXyziMwshqwngf8po8TlVSPi_IagD_qTW7d2zCltqU0ylM06V-C3H7tvkSNa8KY7jDx5Ym7oJJzXevk5ZKm0-1anW-1zYBZceUHPXr6S4-WjG47_XSUY-Nlkn0JI/s1600/15th-Annual-New-York-City-Tattoo-Convention-May-1819-and-20-2012-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrzA_Ck7Y15IUX6SPXyziMwshqwngf8po8TlVSPi_IagD_qTW7d2zCltqU0ylM06V-C3H7tvkSNa8KY7jDx5Ym7oJJzXevk5ZKm0-1anW-1zYBZceUHPXr6S4-WjG47_XSUY-Nlkn0JI/s640/15th-Annual-New-York-City-Tattoo-Convention-May-1819-and-20-2012-2.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br />This past Saturday, May 19, I attended the <a href="http://www.nyctattooconvention.com/">New York City Tattoo Convention</a> at <a href="http://www.roselandballroom.com/">Roseland Ballroom</a> near Times Square.<br /><br />This was the fourth year in a row that I have gone and I have to say, it finally feels like home. I’ve always felt out of place and have always been overwhelmed by the sheer sensory overload. What follows is a loose recap of the event with some photos I took with both the camera and the Droid. I plan on expanding a few of these encounters in separate posts.<br /><br />First of all, I must give a shout-out to Marisa and Brian from <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/">Needles & Sins</a>. They’ve always been friendly faces that I can gab with to no end, and every year I spend more and more time in their company. They were the first people I saw and, much to my delight, I ran into them on the subway platform on my way back to Brooklyn. A hearty thanks to Marisa and Brian for their hospitality. If you haven’t checked out <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/">Needles & Sins</a>, I encourage you to do so.<br /><br />So obviously I saw a lot of tattoos in the five or so hours that I was ensconced in Roseland. But remember, we’re not just about gawking at amazing body art, but meeting and appreciating, as well. So we are very particular about who we photograph.<br /><br />There are a few artists I want to acknowledge. I had a nice chat with <a href="http://mattvancuratattoos.com/">Matt Van Cura</a>, who is over at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a> on Orchard Street. Matt was familiar with Tattoosday from a post that featured his work <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/09/joe-is-armed-with-words-of-strength.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I also spent some time by the <a href="http://www.sacredtattoo.com/">Sacred Tattoo</a> booth, talking to shop manager Kevin Wilson. <a href="http://www.sacredtattoo.com/artists/jon-mesa">Jon Mesa</a> was hard at work and I got to chat with him and tell him how well I thought he had done on Oxygen’s <a href="http://best-ink.oxygen.com/">Best Ink</a> competition (he was the runner-up). A general discussion of tattoo reality shows broke out which many of you already know is a topic of great interest to me.<br /><br />I also had the honor of meeting an artist whose work I have admired for quite some time. When I snapped a photo of this phenomenal back piece, I also captured its creator (in the green shirt) <a href="http://senaspace.com/">David Sena</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEbM5ArdUyV2SBPfgL-veytYjqxZllUI0TThMMoo2xHFweA-yuCWGdUMOJiNULLaJJJmsAYnJ5Oa6CpDuQyF6CoCJyUMRqEz7KEyfBtzZ2G9Y7A79XytXtFeYVAFWBNt_QiwAr4t51sA/s490/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEbM5ArdUyV2SBPfgL-veytYjqxZllUI0TThMMoo2xHFweA-yuCWGdUMOJiNULLaJJJmsAYnJ5Oa6CpDuQyF6CoCJyUMRqEz7KEyfBtzZ2G9Y7A79XytXtFeYVAFWBNt_QiwAr4t51sA/s640/photo.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br />Based out of <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star Tattoo</a>, Sena is opening a new art space soon, with a private studio for tattooing, and was excited to be showing off his handiwork.<br /><br />It’s also fun to run into people I’ve interviewed at previous shows. For example, I featured <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-spotlight.html">this back piece</a> from Jessica last year and I ran into Steve who shared a really cool Celtic tattoo last year <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-spotlight-steves.html">here</a>. He had new work, also by Agent at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/screaminink">Screamin’ Ink</a> in Fair Lawn, which again emphasized his Irish heritage:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtWuFSnLm8czojdg0Ti-TEUu3DmDuOm35RK_phCrlrgIoxK9XnWSqHIaQ6orkuoO04T0ftvhAOEsKd27UtwQqozlsH_8Hru4Ng1FTqWboHpkpHBT70dOI0u_6WyB7aeIKe5YT2mhoAWc/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtWuFSnLm8czojdg0Ti-TEUu3DmDuOm35RK_phCrlrgIoxK9XnWSqHIaQ6orkuoO04T0ftvhAOEsKd27UtwQqozlsH_8Hru4Ng1FTqWboHpkpHBT70dOI0u_6WyB7aeIKe5YT2mhoAWc/s640/photo.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br />What also is really neat is seeing work that I had spotted outside of the convention, on the streets of New York, like when I recognized <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/07/nikis-memorial-for-elizabeth.html">a memorial cat tattoo</a> on the arm of Niki, who I met in July 2010.<br /><br />And then there’s the new tattoos I see, like this awesome Coney Island-themed back piece on Tiffany, who sells art jewelery <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FreaksGeeksBeauties">here</a>.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3WzrWVXkgiiyouDLDB-0Mm0eRVnruGtooe-AvYzXpjucuNC6__yg1n1tSmkyPFXxnQc9rqipxyPGnRxPoSaiKLwkO37oq5tb8SreazU5cWRhRnS3vBw5kC89u4DrGfhSz9IVVJzn-7Q/s600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3WzrWVXkgiiyouDLDB-0Mm0eRVnruGtooe-AvYzXpjucuNC6__yg1n1tSmkyPFXxnQc9rqipxyPGnRxPoSaiKLwkO37oq5tb8SreazU5cWRhRnS3vBw5kC89u4DrGfhSz9IVVJzn-7Q/s640/photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This is a collaborative effort, Tiffany told me, of two incredible tattooists, <a href="http://savedtattoo.com/#michelletarantelli">Michelle Tarantelli</a> and <a href="http://www.chrisodonnelltattoo.com/">Chris O’Donnell</a>, both of <a href="http://savedtattoo.com/">Saved Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn. <br /><br />Then there was Kate, who shared a tattoo that will appear on Tattoosday in a future post. She was a client of <a href="http://www.northstartattoo.com/">North Star’s</a> <a href="http://beccaroach.com/home.html">Becca Roach</a>, who was receiving a lot of attention first due to her phenomenal sleeves, and then when she stripped down to allow Becca to add a revolver to her side, which I captured here. Note the amazing work on her arms as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDd2D-XEW2o2ORphtCTA0aHYKQlLTXc_3evYK1onHM0RuFj5S0TZWeNFsF1cThvR_fNcFm0L9Nt0Ay3K7kgl27z5aau3UVpnjyhA2WVp3eiYhYXy1xeaDYnKoJEE9JGE42wVpyUBREc/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HDd2D-XEW2o2ORphtCTA0aHYKQlLTXc_3evYK1onHM0RuFj5S0TZWeNFsF1cThvR_fNcFm0L9Nt0Ay3K7kgl27z5aau3UVpnjyhA2WVp3eiYhYXy1xeaDYnKoJEE9JGE42wVpyUBREc/s640/photo.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />Speaking of gun tattoos, on the day before I attended the convention, I ran into a model named Melissa on Broadway in the mid-30s. She was heavily-inked but running late, and as she had plans to go to the convention, we agreed to meet up at the show. During one of the contests, she took the stage to display her left leg, sleeved by <a href="http://tattooculture.net/gene.html">Gene Coffey</a> at <a href="http://tattooculture.net/">Tattoo Culture</a> in Brooklyn.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiacx5D8BNXVg87sl1dcLLlAx6Sa7owbu-NEH2pSZUJEuajJykbiWS2MQcyC3cbnHeZmAXoW46bkyugWbki5JQc3Td76obFw1ISwmRRXa50L_6eBGgBw6jLQKx8J4Pjs7FcMaT81yqI4/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJiacx5D8BNXVg87sl1dcLLlAx6Sa7owbu-NEH2pSZUJEuajJykbiWS2MQcyC3cbnHeZmAXoW46bkyugWbki5JQc3Td76obFw1ISwmRRXa50L_6eBGgBw6jLQKx8J4Pjs7FcMaT81yqI4/s640/photo.jpg" width="332" /></a></div><br />You can see her right leg is tattooed with a gun in a thigh holster. Earlier in the day, I sat down with Melissa and interviewed her about the gun and its back story. Stay tuned for that in a future post.<br /><br />In years past, the biggest crowd seems to draw around the artists from Japan, using traditional tattoo techniques in a booth up on the Roseland balcony. I didn’t really watch them this year, but did admire the work of <a href="http://www.tattootatau.at/">Brent McCown</a>, who was using traditional Maori techniques down on the main floor.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVN0i3YHPuctNNS2BSsMpqoOPM0JiJYhQ6MEEGmFRzUIT21sml8qyWYARl7IvgzBOlcLTjYLuPfMdHl5sUkswHAwp0d4B7Ueuz_-KZPZaoMXKcbmBAQnQ6LJICALhT59ZIZ2C8pMBSIk/s533/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVN0i3YHPuctNNS2BSsMpqoOPM0JiJYhQ6MEEGmFRzUIT21sml8qyWYARl7IvgzBOlcLTjYLuPfMdHl5sUkswHAwp0d4B7Ueuz_-KZPZaoMXKcbmBAQnQ6LJICALhT59ZIZ2C8pMBSIk/s640/photo.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />While hanging in the bar with Marisa and Brian, I also got to meet Phil Padwe, whose childrens' book <a href="http://mommyhastattoos.com/">Mommy Has A Tattoo</a> is a must have for kids with inked moms.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://mommyhastattoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mhat-post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="http://mommyhastattoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/mhat-post.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>He has a series of coloring books as well, which will get some more attention from me in a future post.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqToFTrG2T3U-zK8dkroVVlg1oMA2y0avNGG1aURidg4N6GUefog" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTqToFTrG2T3U-zK8dkroVVlg1oMA2y0avNGG1aURidg4N6GUefog" width="244" /></a></div><br /><br />You can check out some additional photos over on Needles & Sins <a href="http://www.needlesandsins.com/2012/05/nyc-tattoo-convention-2012-photos.html">here</a>, which includes a shot of me sharing my<a href="http://www.theartofheathersinn.com/heathersinn/Welcome.html"> Heather Sinn</a> tribal piece from <a href="http://www.spike.com/shows/ink-master">Ink Master</a>. You'll also see <a href="http://www.wm3.org/">Damion Echols</a>, one of the recently-released West Memphis Three, who I had the distinct honor of meeting. This was a tremendous surprise to see him at the show and I had the pleasure of talking to him briefly at the Sacred booth. Despite it not being tattoo-related, it was one of the highlights of the afternoon for me.<br /><br />Thanks to to all of the artists, subjects, and other assorted folks who yet again made my trip to the New York City Tattoo Convention a wonderful time!<br /><br /><b id="internal-source-marker_0.0525138471275568"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit</span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span></b>

2012 NYC Tattoo Convention

This past Saturday, May 19, I attended the New York City Tattoo Convention at Roseland Ballroom near Times Square. This was the fourth yea...

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Veronica Reveals What's Under Her Sleeve

Running an errand in SoHo two weeks ago found me hopping on an R train at Canal Street, which is not my normal routine. Sometimes a break in a routine can be rewarding.<br /><br />Sitting on the train was Veronica, who had this intriguing ink running out from under her left shirt sleeve:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qLOZ3xuU_pBvECkvxNm762HBifknPVG1uGUa08eGfXbOIEgaju5m15kTZNvzdepXP94iHMtujRxcZQphUr19kOmnbSQoe1oE9EOZlmAcce37QcXWX5LcOmf_F65Bf2v43T4HeFw2-sw/s1600/jellyfish+first.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qLOZ3xuU_pBvECkvxNm762HBifknPVG1uGUa08eGfXbOIEgaju5m15kTZNvzdepXP94iHMtujRxcZQphUr19kOmnbSQoe1oE9EOZlmAcce37QcXWX5LcOmf_F65Bf2v43T4HeFw2-sw/s200/jellyfish+first.jpg" width="162" /></a></div><br /><i>What is that? </i>I wondered. <i><span style="font-size: small;">A tree?</span></i> Curious, I asked her about it and was rewarded with not only the answer, but a photo of a pretty spectacular tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KQQRWS-y7cZwDfdIbajbuMkfOFKQL4bf8PFAm-0BzPzzHxKVvFeGgSOiOxooyeeQg2uglkNgLgeaXaRQo_Accdf6YMFWAnKcv-Cp8sUCtI3VQX_98hLH_W5FpSclkW3IwpqBBM4KOqw/s1600/jellyfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KQQRWS-y7cZwDfdIbajbuMkfOFKQL4bf8PFAm-0BzPzzHxKVvFeGgSOiOxooyeeQg2uglkNgLgeaXaRQo_Accdf6YMFWAnKcv-Cp8sUCtI3VQX_98hLH_W5FpSclkW3IwpqBBM4KOqw/s640/jellyfish.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Veronica explained that she had seen an exhibit at the <a href="http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/">Georgia Aquarium</a> in Atlanta that featured <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/libbytelford/375595183/in/photostream/">jellyfish</a> with really cool lighting effects that brought out these sea creatures fluorescence. She went to see <a href="http://www.gustavorizerio.com/">Gustavo Rizerio</a> at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a> and this beautiful tattoo was the end result. Here's a clip of what she was talking about:<br /><br /><iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eUPKJ0m98As" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />I also learned, coincidentally, while talking to Veronica, that her sister Leyna, had appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/06/leynas-balloon-keeps-her-grounded.html">here</a> on Tattoosday back in June 2010!<br /><br />Thanks to Veronica for sharing her beautiful jellyfish with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* 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-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></span>

Veronica Reveals What's Under Her Sleeve

Running an errand in SoHo two weeks ago found me hopping on an R train at Canal Street, which is not my normal routine. Sometimes a break in...

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Danielle's Beautiful Gypsy Tattoo

Well, we're back after a month-long hiatus of regular inkspotting while we celebrated <a href="http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/41">National Poetry Month </a>with the <a href="http://tattooedpoets.blogspot.com/">Tattooed Poets Project</a>. It was actually on my way back from interviewing one of our poets, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/04/tattooed-poets-project-alicia-adams.html">Alicia Adams</a>, in Union Square, when I ran into a woman on the uptown subway platform who had some incredible tattoos.<br /><br />We discussed her ink for a couple of stops and, when we got off the train, I snapped this phenomenal tattoo:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIFMpZbx0J-lN0_xPaGhXp7ytvoPQEVvnRvz9g9TdB7-G0G3ZHbPHuFQJzpWVUZqmCoXzHQnMzxXryOIUg4fPYyVtxPqaJhji9UALa1MmyEBOE-bAg0sxtvlzXv2oUkAQLfwkn1pnZo0/s1600/Peacock+head+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIFMpZbx0J-lN0_xPaGhXp7ytvoPQEVvnRvz9g9TdB7-G0G3ZHbPHuFQJzpWVUZqmCoXzHQnMzxXryOIUg4fPYyVtxPqaJhji9UALa1MmyEBOE-bAg0sxtvlzXv2oUkAQLfwkn1pnZo0/s640/Peacock+head+dress.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br />Oh, and let me tell you, dear readers, how tough it was to hold on to this picture through the entire month of April. But, as they say, good things come to those who wait.<br /><br />This incredible piece was inked by <a href="http://www.regnyc.com/">Regino Gonzales</a> at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>. Danielle recalls, "I wish I had some amazing story about  the tattoo we picked. When I was at InvisibleNYC to talk with another artist, I fell in love with the gypsy woman that Regino designed. Then I made my appointment with him!" <br /><br />I have been fortunate to come across Regino's work in the streets, by chance, three times before. You can read about those encounters, and see the tattoos, <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Invisible%20NYC">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Danielle for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>

Danielle's Beautiful Gypsy Tattoo

Well, we're back after a month-long hiatus of regular inkspotting while we celebrated National Poetry Month with the Tattooed Poets Proj...

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Tommy's Geisha

Last week I met Tommy, who has six tattoos, one of which he shared with us:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmr2v7KberkyyHO2bxOrBpZBRZ1URyADqvnWGpHMlrcOsi9N3A98Ca-P_PJ98ECFDBAFmXqbeTAoD-jF2KIgxTGf4Qwg27axGwVkKT3x-GLcud3PpEWpFcJCYDct76ZXmp6WOeyK8z/s1600/tommy's+geisha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmr2v7KberkyyHO2bxOrBpZBRZ1URyADqvnWGpHMlrcOsi9N3A98Ca-P_PJ98ECFDBAFmXqbeTAoD-jF2KIgxTGf4Qwg27axGwVkKT3x-GLcud3PpEWpFcJCYDct76ZXmp6WOeyK8z/s640/tommy's+geisha.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br />He brought three or four pictures into <a href="http://www.regnyc.com/">Regino Gonzales</a> when he was at <a href="http://www.inkstoptattoonyc.com/">Inkstop Tattoo</a> and he came up with this design. Regino is now at <a href="http://invisiblenyc.com/">Invisible NYC</a>.<br /><br />The line work took two and a half to three hours but he had to stop because, in Tommy's words, "I'm a bleeder". He came back after he healed for another two and a half hours of shading.<br /><br />Tommy had a lot of nice protrait work and this piece seemed to just jump off of his left arm.<br /><br />Regino's work has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/mikes-tribute-to-his-thai-heritage.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/07/monas-pocket-watch-honors-her.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Tommy for sharing this great tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tommy's Geisha

Last week I met Tommy, who has six tattoos, one of which he shared with us: He brought three or four pictures into Regino Gonzales when he ...

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Mike's Tribute to His Thai Heritage

There are generally two kinds of Tattoosday subjects (and by subjects I mean people):<br /><br />Those that let me take a picture or two and I never hear from them again, and those that send me nice messages and a correspondence more or less develops.<br /><br />Last weekend I met a guy named Mike at the laundromat (which is turning out to be quite a lucky locale for inkspotting) and he falls in the latter category.<br /><br />Not only was Mike friendly and interested in the site when I met him, but he has followed up our initial conversation with e-mails that have helped me create a much more thorough and well-rounded post than many readers may be used to.<br /><br />Mike's tattoo is a tribute to his heritage. His father is from Thailand, so he considers himself "50% Thai". Check this out:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42-hCpYrzj_mEDzUt8qaWk48wWa_kpKtBrXq2K6Jbsdf7vuapNyBCS9m-YLNnq_cfPZq2qX3P_nbIW3oUc87rKC-4HtoHbnq2zEueTI7aqvRZ6OYCZNGgS4YEcQWmf83lP1OEi1MLC0M/s1600-h/Mike's+Temple.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346851758734900898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42-hCpYrzj_mEDzUt8qaWk48wWa_kpKtBrXq2K6Jbsdf7vuapNyBCS9m-YLNnq_cfPZq2qX3P_nbIW3oUc87rKC-4HtoHbnq2zEueTI7aqvRZ6OYCZNGgS4YEcQWmf83lP1OEi1MLC0M/s400/Mike's+Temple.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 242px;" /></a><br />This piece does wrap around the left bicep, and on either side of the elephantine temple, there are "<span style="font-style: italic;">singha</span>" lions:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0NQLq1rirZPZlvazsVpCZ4ttQffnz2cwggexoLDcf4bIri4yp_zM7JsRRVw4OLoYI9p5rfVSNnvI1FIeDtam0hly0jNAw7EpMvcYmuseSFXWBlEzchHhm-NIjlxAtnUX8605FeZ2mpA/s1600-h/left+singha.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346851135394992530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0NQLq1rirZPZlvazsVpCZ4ttQffnz2cwggexoLDcf4bIri4yp_zM7JsRRVw4OLoYI9p5rfVSNnvI1FIeDtam0hly0jNAw7EpMvcYmuseSFXWBlEzchHhm-NIjlxAtnUX8605FeZ2mpA/s200/left+singha.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 245px;" width="153" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A16MNro38OLYqXdNiNMwYf5WQ6VUW9QXC0pF6HtpsrQwIcv95kujI6zj5c_ZA0Eg-V5Ru5QRcJsV0mtsRjqw71jL4l3rjgyF5OQeigvR0xdrLcPuve3g5Kd6HFC9ZPsZDvBukui_O2w/s1600-h/right+singha.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346851228370002914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_A16MNro38OLYqXdNiNMwYf5WQ6VUW9QXC0pF6HtpsrQwIcv95kujI6zj5c_ZA0Eg-V5Ru5QRcJsV0mtsRjqw71jL4l3rjgyF5OQeigvR0xdrLcPuve3g5Kd6HFC9ZPsZDvBukui_O2w/s200/right+singha.jpg" style="float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 219px;" width="136" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The idea for this tattoo started with a concept and evolved into the finished work in flesh above.<br /><br />Mike started with the basic images, found online in the form of the elephant and lion masks, and the photo of a Thai temple:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikEq0HWxXcGPuFvCHdEAlapIbqi_aYrD1M2NgwQroRi2nNSUiSSu1-0crt7cWNBhMwokPk_GHqmaUDQ7KNRRzBsYNuIQWh7X7U7TkIv0v979ZlPW2CVjqPdtUXZ3SOMhh-eu2anPBeq0/s1600-h/LionEleph_Originals.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346852013188019858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikEq0HWxXcGPuFvCHdEAlapIbqi_aYrD1M2NgwQroRi2nNSUiSSu1-0crt7cWNBhMwokPk_GHqmaUDQ7KNRRzBsYNuIQWh7X7U7TkIv0v979ZlPW2CVjqPdtUXZ3SOMhh-eu2anPBeq0/s400/LionEleph_Originals.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 309px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghndWV1iRWR9YdG3m9Ar4HGqTa17hoqan_S6XUn3Zc-PhL2kACnb7J0I5My1GMlTaxz0YUnQDFn2nsMcnCMCP9Vomwma9DWxRTI79TPeQwzyJwiaitmLU_56Hl7xThehGThnt06HdAC4k/s1600-h/Temple.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346852067351593474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghndWV1iRWR9YdG3m9Ar4HGqTa17hoqan_S6XUn3Zc-PhL2kACnb7J0I5My1GMlTaxz0YUnQDFn2nsMcnCMCP9Vomwma9DWxRTI79TPeQwzyJwiaitmLU_56Hl7xThehGThnt06HdAC4k/s400/Temple.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 278px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />He notes that he wanted to use the Tribal elephant mask "because the Elephant is a national symbol of Thailand, they [were] used ... in wars and ... represent strength. I chose the Tribal 'wood' look mainly because it looks great and I thought it represented the 'old/history' of Thailand." He added that he finds Thai temples "amazingly beautiful" and that the two Singha lions on either side of the temple in the design "represent protection, and they usually are at the entrance ways of many Thai buildings".<br /><br />He then tinkered with these images in Photoshop and came up with this rudimentary design:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oElWeLPwsG7dPA13R5vpC1WhPVscSDmToU19BeVeurAi2SOUmsWrg2jAKl9OVKeP8CVOsvhsfx-cEslOY8qw6mGT_Vg2KZOlTbzKmtq5lIX4z2p2VE4NGLIJWOOZ1a13Wke6pix0gEc/s1600-h/Tattoo_photoShop.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346852119949299330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oElWeLPwsG7dPA13R5vpC1WhPVscSDmToU19BeVeurAi2SOUmsWrg2jAKl9OVKeP8CVOsvhsfx-cEslOY8qw6mGT_Vg2KZOlTbzKmtq5lIX4z2p2VE4NGLIJWOOZ1a13Wke6pix0gEc/s400/Tattoo_photoShop.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 332px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 309px;" /></a>He took this artwork to <a href="http://www.regnyc.com/">Regino Gonzalez</a> at <a href="http://www.troydenningtattoo.com/">Invisible NYC</a>. Mike explains, "I showed him my idea and he actually kinda chuckled a bit. I told him I realized [that] this was a real shitty representation of what I want and that I hoped that he could do ANYTHING with it."<br /><br />Mike continues, "...And then literally three days later, he called me into the shop and when I walked in, he had this HUGE AMAZING piece of art...I just turned to him and said, 'Let's do it' [and] I ... sat down right then and there for four hours and had the outline done ... I ... went back about three weeks later and had the black color and shading done, and then about three more weeks later I had the final color done."<br /><br />What Mike explains is typical of great tattoo work. So many novices to tattooing are surprised that a nice piece takes a while, unlike it does on the reality tattoo shows, when an eight-hour piece often is edited down to a few minutes of air time. It's also the recommended way to get a great tattoo: bring in the framework of an idea and let the artist go to town.<br /><br />And, if you have a good artist (which you should have, if you've done you're homework), you should put your absolute faith and trust in them. Case in point, Mike recalls "I asked Regino how he was going to color it and I was pretty nervous ... he looked at me and pointed to his head and said <span style="font-style: italic;">'Trust me, I have a plan'</span>. And that was it ... I walked away with what I think is an amazing piece of work ... I have since recommended Regino to anyone who asks my opinion, and I will continue to [do so] ....".<br /><br />Incidentally, work from Regino has appeared previously on this site <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/07/monas-pocket-watch-honors-her.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Mike for sharing his incredible work with us here on Tattoosday!

Mike's Tribute to His Thai Heritage

There are generally two kinds of Tattoosday subjects (and by subjects I mean people): Those that let me take a picture or two and I never he...

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Mona's Pocket Watch Honors her Grandfather's Memory

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD9y3kxJ8AJcQvn3ENJ9S7K9FV1jJH5iqn4odRHYh7hNnbfjcvM9JWAvkyeL_CxsDeOXTCZDTncVYpFLTVwj7DrN9tI96pp7HFPASzrM8KIx9tfiyYp8l8ZqG9L03wTey92MTdAHW_oSM/s1600-h/PICT0276.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229132612751435538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD9y3kxJ8AJcQvn3ENJ9S7K9FV1jJH5iqn4odRHYh7hNnbfjcvM9JWAvkyeL_CxsDeOXTCZDTncVYpFLTVwj7DrN9tI96pp7HFPASzrM8KIx9tfiyYp8l8ZqG9L03wTey92MTdAHW_oSM/s400/PICT0276.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />On Monday, I ran into two hair stylists walking west on 23rd Street. Both were inked, and both graciously agreed to share one of their tattoos with us here in the blogosphere.<br /><br />The photo above is one of three pieces that Mona has. She currently has a sleeve in progress. This pocket watch will eventually be part of a unified sleeve, but Mona explained how this stands apart from the rest of the design.<br /><br />She identifies the pocket watch with her grandfather, who she always remembers had one on him at all times. His surname was Baltazar and, despite being adopted, she shares his family name. The (time) piece is dedicated to him.<br /><br />This tattoo was inked by <a href="http://www.regnyc.com/">Regino Gonzales</a> at <a href="http://www.troydenningtattoo.com/">Invisible NYC</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Mona for sharing her tattoo, along with her memories of her grandfather, here on Tattoosday.<br /><br />See below (or <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/07/karas-astrological-ink.html">here</a>) for her friend Kara's tattoo.

Mona's Pocket Watch Honors her Grandfather's Memory

On Monday, I ran into two hair stylists walking west on 23rd Street. Both were inked, and both graciously agreed to share one of their tatt...

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