Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog)

Cat's Eyes and More!

Back in March, on a particularly warm end-of-winter day, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station, one of whom was named Cat. I spotted three of her tattoos almost immediately, and we had a nice discussion about her ink. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNw5FEQx0QLE790P6QfqIb6WJ1Zkl5I5zH9WRll9IY74NuPXiTfNZ4Xk0UW73VFZLuUrr7OTOboht2_mSYiKRmW5begaYlF4zllk8L_khEMom8tt5BnnAGbEGU98-oWCThw7wdtFj3s8/s716/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNw5FEQx0QLE790P6QfqIb6WJ1Zkl5I5zH9WRll9IY74NuPXiTfNZ4Xk0UW73VFZLuUrr7OTOboht2_mSYiKRmW5begaYlF4zllk8L_khEMom8tt5BnnAGbEGU98-oWCThw7wdtFj3s8/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Cat explains: <blockquote class="tr_bq">"the eyes were my first [tattoos] ... on my eighteenth birthday ... I thought it would be cool to base it on my best friend's cat ... I got it just because, I'm Cat ... get cat eyes on my back, why not? It was a birthday present..."</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM_fkGhFr0wCdxQXoys_vk2_D2GxA9ko7efTKiDsMu1MuxtHRYtvUnvoKYHq_aqo-ckxs7Nlv4Z3KfdB1-rqpszguuAKow4xRQA335YltVFttqoqL97k4bmQo3M7J0omQnjnKNdF_7p8/s687/IMG_0170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM_fkGhFr0wCdxQXoys_vk2_D2GxA9ko7efTKiDsMu1MuxtHRYtvUnvoKYHq_aqo-ckxs7Nlv4Z3KfdB1-rqpszguuAKow4xRQA335YltVFttqoqL97k4bmQo3M7J0omQnjnKNdF_7p8/s400/IMG_0170.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> And the name of her friend's cat? Sushi. You know I just had to ask. The next tattoo she got was this piece on her left arm: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUH3l-DW22muPMk9ftRakmoYQq7TDEOmn4Lnxlo66p9PTNXOlGvHxP7-FQ4i2OV0AtyXh3l8YAUY1Y01n_t_QVbaQbBXUD5xtrpfiu0pXzhLy_5Xrj9OeqxVFlnhnlvZUtN1WAH-lhE/s615/IMG_0174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcUH3l-DW22muPMk9ftRakmoYQq7TDEOmn4Lnxlo66p9PTNXOlGvHxP7-FQ4i2OV0AtyXh3l8YAUY1Y01n_t_QVbaQbBXUD5xtrpfiu0pXzhLy_5Xrj9OeqxVFlnhnlvZUtN1WAH-lhE/s640/IMG_0174.JPG" width="478" /></a></div> This is based on the art by <a href="http://www.kurthalsey.com/">Kurt Halsey</a>. Cat elaborates: "It's just always been a favorite of mine. I saw [Halsey] down in Philly and that one was my favorite print." Of course, it helps that the girl in the illustration is holding a cat. On her opposite arm is this tattoo: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtgGOTQWnErQxJw9oKdTjekoOjRjXWfL7e1Yd47SA02y7xK73dFuhz_72nji1wFaiAJq3liU30aMF8UALg0xBHXgJZpFeIBsUY34hqk6fkxNYiN6v5l9_U1bFWF6SHuHFqJWQ7iPrObo/s614/IMG_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtgGOTQWnErQxJw9oKdTjekoOjRjXWfL7e1Yd47SA02y7xK73dFuhz_72nji1wFaiAJq3liU30aMF8UALg0xBHXgJZpFeIBsUY34hqk6fkxNYiN6v5l9_U1bFWF6SHuHFqJWQ7iPrObo/s640/IMG_0176.JPG" width="364" /></a></div> This is based on the work of <a href="http://www.garancedore.fr/en/">Garance Doré</a>, a fashion photographer. She's just a huige fan and loves this illustration in particular. All of the tattoos were done by <a href="http://www.transcendtattoo.com/Tattoos/Nick_Trammel/">Nick Trammel</a> at <a href="http://www.transcendtattoo.com/index.html">Transcend Tattoo</a> in Branford, Connecticut Of course, when I was looking back at the photos I took of Cat's tattoos, I noticed in the Kurt Halsey-illustrated piece that the word "saying" was inked on her ribs. It was peeking out from under her top. Of course, I had to ask and Cat obliged by sending me a photo of the whole tattoo: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVexPxgZAvOB0A_6Llgc1sjtXkTfyfSP-j_K974o-jPC35jMCdnNRr1X2iL7-dcfKpgp_EuHUkxf26z3USIFpr4H_2Lzkd8B7yJPTJV7NWG9AsJAtQU-b5rEXEBhyvlRfEdTMzXYaJPBY/s640/photo+%281%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVexPxgZAvOB0A_6Llgc1sjtXkTfyfSP-j_K974o-jPC35jMCdnNRr1X2iL7-dcfKpgp_EuHUkxf26z3USIFpr4H_2Lzkd8B7yJPTJV7NWG9AsJAtQU-b5rEXEBhyvlRfEdTMzXYaJPBY/s400/photo+%281%29.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> I'll let Cat explain in her own words: <blockquote class="tr_bq">"The one on my ribs is from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Isherwood">Christopher Isherwood</a> book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Single_Man_%28novel%29">A Single Man</a>. The quote is 'waking up begins with saying am and now.' It's my favorite book and for me it's just a reminder to live in the moment and not get caught up with the little things. It sounds cheesy but when I got the tattoo I was in a weird place so I like having the reminder close to me."</blockquote>Thanks to Cat for sharing all of these tattoos with us on Tattoosday! This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/"> 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.

Cat's Eyes and More!

Back in March, on a particularly warm end-of-winter day, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station, one of whom was named Cat. I spotted t...

3:40 AM

Laura Brooks Shares Her Parents Names and Her Toe Knuckles

<div class="tr_bq">I met Laura Brooks outside of Macy*s on 34th Street last month. She has a lot of tattoos (she estimates 60% of her canvas is covered), so I deferred to her, asking which she wanted to share with us here on Tattoosday.</div> She offered up her wrists: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWvEd8Gs-TcI0-UmVpZjmAkveSNBYF0TvZaPEMmkemSxu6EK_-l6OngCPJTFb-jGVjbwtd_LdFT0NBSUa0_ojTTsld6w0pSwkHdPtgciwdIgjveXW-fPRE6YdeLouz7866brqPLeZfO8/s615/IMG_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWvEd8Gs-TcI0-UmVpZjmAkveSNBYF0TvZaPEMmkemSxu6EK_-l6OngCPJTFb-jGVjbwtd_LdFT0NBSUa0_ojTTsld6w0pSwkHdPtgciwdIgjveXW-fPRE6YdeLouz7866brqPLeZfO8/s640/IMG_0291.JPG" width="440" /></a></div> These are her parents names, Davis and Blythe, and they were designed by a friend of hers whose graffiti moniker is "Gamble". She credited the actual tattooing to an artist named Joe from <a href="http://www.beelistic.com/home.php">Beelistic's Blood Money Tattoo</a> in Cincinnati, Ohio. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix39rM7_ipS7nTYIDUGrfRt2lhqSD0kWDib7YxT8kMoSTZcCRqpe1QaDxA14UH_4ONdMPXOTPRh61liw4ntR34BjLMM7EGKjV8esL6ynkdRZKQIujED0OXbWpTYiQnLLqC03WjWUCohgM/s749/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix39rM7_ipS7nTYIDUGrfRt2lhqSD0kWDib7YxT8kMoSTZcCRqpe1QaDxA14UH_4ONdMPXOTPRh61liw4ntR34BjLMM7EGKjV8esL6ynkdRZKQIujED0OXbWpTYiQnLLqC03WjWUCohgM/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Laura Brooks also informed me that she had tattoos on her toes, but she was wearing shoes when I met her. Later that day, she held to her word and sent me a photo of her toe knuckle tattoos which read "Dirty South": <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYqKNu5Ko3p6Oaj8uFsX3-K2mI-gkS_AJATDHpGCaKINqXi3g3q2jXGoB5tOwYg2W2q-GvyS8_RxF1uqWVlKV3vwPk6h237-tKMdsHqysKRQ5gCBYyqRE54iDkuROpNT15GE3k1sN2zQ/s750/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYqKNu5Ko3p6Oaj8uFsX3-K2mI-gkS_AJATDHpGCaKINqXi3g3q2jXGoB5tOwYg2W2q-GvyS8_RxF1uqWVlKV3vwPk6h237-tKMdsHqysKRQ5gCBYyqRE54iDkuROpNT15GE3k1sN2zQ/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> She added: <blockquote>"The artist was <a href="http://www.noregretstattooemporium.com/brent.html">Brent Hale</a> at <a href="http://www.noregretstattooemporium.com/home.html">No Regrets Tattoo Emporium</a> in Memphis, TN. It was actually his idea. I wanted to get toe knuckle tattoos & couldn't decide what I wanted it to say. He came up with it while we were working on a different piece ... The significance is kind of obvious. Hometown pride. (:</blockquote><blockquote>One thing about toe tattoos: by far the most painful spot. And you have to get them touched up about half a dozen times before they look right. I should probably go get them done one more time but I'm procrastinating because of the pain."</blockquote>Thanks to Laura Brooks for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/"> 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.

Laura Brooks Shares Her Parents Names and Her Toe Knuckles

I met Laura Brooks outside of Macy*s on 34th Street last month. She has a lot of tattoos (she estimates 60% of her canvas is covered), so I ...

6:58 AM

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: <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> 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>. Thanks to Marina for sharing her lovely floral tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/"> 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.

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...

3:48 AM

Pantera Giveaway

I was never a huge fan of the band <a href="http://www.pantera.com/">Pantera</a>, as they peaked just as my love of metal was on the downswing. I'm more of an 80's metal guy. However, as time has passed, I have grown to appreciate the band and regarded their breakthrough album, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulgar_Display_of_Power">Vulgar Display of Power,</a> as a classic. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.musictoday.com/store/bands/2825/images/PromoBanners/hero_538x548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://static.musictoday.com/store/bands/2825/images/PromoBanners/hero_538x548.jpg" width="314" /></a></div> So when the opportiunity presented itself to help promote the 20th anniversary of Vulgar Display of Power, I couldn't resist. "But wait," you might be saying, "this is a tattoo blog not a music site."  True, but I can tie anything to ink, it seems, so let's go down memory lane and revisit an old post from July 2009: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprtWFzwoEt2YWVifTxAMlsc15sVQxC8qlLzyFRA9zawbbAyk-ejZGU4AHNVu_Q9ipG7A9YOpYylafKtWrWOO9Kj3kXkGxI8x4fqlUe7F-Ohg_2wR5hVvwN5NY4TWGZQ38HEmPg0_A7Z8/s0-d/Dimebag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprtWFzwoEt2YWVifTxAMlsc15sVQxC8qlLzyFRA9zawbbAyk-ejZGU4AHNVu_Q9ipG7A9YOpYylafKtWrWOO9Kj3kXkGxI8x4fqlUe7F-Ohg_2wR5hVvwN5NY4TWGZQ38HEmPg0_A7Z8/s0-d/Dimebag.jpg" width="310" /></a></div> I was talking to a guy named Izzy on the R train. My wife Melanie was sitting next to me as he was telling me about his tattoos. "Ever hear of a band called <a href="http://www.pantera.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Pantera</a>?" he asked. Melanie laughed, the tattoo made sense, I knew what the crux of it was immediately - Izzy had the autograph of Pantera guitarist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Darrell" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">"Dimebag" Darrell</a> forever inked on his flesh. Sadly, for those who don't know, in 2004, Dime was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Darrell#Death" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">murdered on stage</a> by a crazed fan. Above Dimebag's signature is the logo CFH from their debut album <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowboys_from_Hell" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Cowboys from Hell</a> and below it is a guitar drawn by the legendary musician. Izzy met Dime about 11 years ago [1998], outside of the building where <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_stern" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Howard Stern</a> was broadcasting his radio show. Dime drew it all on with a <a href="http://www.sharpie.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Sharpie</a> and an artist named Eric tattooed it in the back of <a href="http://www.bleeckerbobs.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #b5643a; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none;">Bleecker Bob's Records</a>. Read the full post <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/07/izzys-ink-tatt-alog-part-1.html">here</a>. Earlier this month, Rhino/Atco released the 20th anniversary edition of Vulgar Display of Power. The new package includes the original remastered album, with the addition of  "Piss," a recently discovered unreleased track from the recording sessions. It is packaged with a DVD that contains an unreleased live performance filmed in Italy in September of 1992, with the addition of the three official music videos from the album. Check out the clip from the new video for the new track "Piss": <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yeVJguP_T40" width="500"></iframe> This is classic Pantera at the height of their game, and the live DVD performances are just phenomenal shots of pure adrenaline and power. In conjunction with Rhino/Atco, we here at Tattoosday are giving away four copies of the 20th anniversary 2-disc combo. How cool is that!? So, if you are interested, please leave a comment on this post (making sure I have a way to contact you if you win) or, if you prefer, go to our Facebook page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Tattoosday">here</a>) and post a comment on the Pantera post to be eligible. I will use a fancy randomizer to help pick the winners and will announce them here on Friday, so enter by Thursday at midnight, EDT. And, if you don't win, you can snag the CD from iTunes <a href="http://bit.ly/JxYgWL">here</a> or Amazon <a href="http://amzn.to/JZcPRD">here</a>. In the mean time, you can also listen to some of the tracks streaming from the record by clicking this link: <a href="http://soundcloud.com/rhinorecords/sets/pantera-vulgar-display-of?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=blogger&utm_content=http://soundcloud.com/rhinorecords/sets/pantera-vulgar-display-of">Pantera - Vulgar Display Of Power 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition</a> Good luck to all! This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/"> 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.

Pantera Giveaway

I was never a huge fan of the band Pantera , as they peaked just as my love of metal was on the downswing. I'm more of an 80's metal...

3:31 AM

Memorial Day Post: Brandon's Leg Says It All

I met Brandon briefly while passing through Penn Station one day back in March. I was drawn to the script on his leg and it seemed to be appropriate for this Memorial Day weekend: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISsDF5O-csAW-TJgaPavrH7M98HN8-tMIF-BxuwQUTmgOvHXNujZQMW89vYIsoFc9f5wS-Oj-Fy_hXSH1S8B8WO-jPHzocsRm0EftdMXm-zXSDT8T1ZVjygjX0ejMlKrIV91Nr4GyDFI/s614/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISsDF5O-csAW-TJgaPavrH7M98HN8-tMIF-BxuwQUTmgOvHXNujZQMW89vYIsoFc9f5wS-Oj-Fy_hXSH1S8B8WO-jPHzocsRm0EftdMXm-zXSDT8T1ZVjygjX0ejMlKrIV91Nr4GyDFI/s640/photo.jpg" width="287" /></a></div> The tattoo reads "I'd rather die on my feet / Than live life on my knees." This holiday weekend is all about honoring those men and women in our armed services that have made the ultimate sacrifice as defenders of our freedom and way of life. Not many people know that the quote <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata">originates</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiliano_Zapata">Emiliano Zapata</a>, who fought to overthrow the dictatorship during the Mexican Revolution in the early part of the twentieth century. Its meaning can be interpreted with many nuances, but I understand it to mean that it is better to die fighting for freedom than to live in servitude to others. I didn't speak to Brandon for very long - it was a passing encounter, but I appreciate his service and sacrifice, and I encourage everyone to take a moment and reflect on the true meaning of this holiday, if you haven't already. I'd also encourage people to check out <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/01/tattoos-i-know-tracys-tributes.html">this post</a> from my friend Tracy, whose tattoo honors one of our fallen soldiers. Thanks to Brandon and all of our armed forces for their service to our country. This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. If you are reading 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<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/"> 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.

Memorial Day Post: Brandon's Leg Says It All

I met Brandon briefly while passing through Penn Station one day back in March. I was drawn to the script on his leg and it seemed to be app...

4:55 AM

Anja's Ink: Not Your Type-ical Tattoos

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One of my favorite tattoo encounters in 2011 has yet to see the light of these Tattoosday pages. How can this be? You’d think I’d be rushing to post wonderful tattoos but, in some cases, I have what can only be described as blogger’s block. I can go around this encounter and “save it for a rainy day,” but those days turn into weeks, which become monrths, until I see an anniversary approaching on the horizon. Such was the case with Anja, a native New Zealander who I chanced upon last July in front of K-Mart in the Penn Station concourse. What stopped me dead in my tracks when I spotted her was that she was covered in text: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Y9bgWreP-_xbj1XJDkEuJYsb2ITKTI6UxhM8mAxFGDVNxfsyBuXSZ1kkvM3r0YjyV5cDeoDEH9DL-E9Q_7WymvQiyN8UMkcVD9YjJ9su7JJp9o5x-nRh5sppepxVjehtVhTWpZGrskU/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/AVvXsEj9Y9bgWreP-_xbj1XJDkEuJYsb2ITKTI6UxhM8mAxFGDVNxfsyBuXSZ1kkvM3r0YjyV5cDeoDEH9DL-E9Q_7WymvQiyN8UMkcVD9YjJ9su7JJp9o5x-nRh5sppepxVjehtVhTWpZGrskU/s640/photo.jpg" width="235" /></a></div> She had words inked on her flesh, all different fonts, but not just scrawled, but arranged artistically in a type-setter’s fashion. It was like she was wearing a collection of <a href="http://www.bodytypebook.com/ina/index.html">Ina Saltz’s</a> greatest hits. And here’s the rub: I think that the complexity of the tattooed words running across her body gave me pause. How would I explain this coherently? So let me try. Anja’s clusters of words are poetry, but not poems; they are love letters to family members, and they are deeply personal. The photo above was deliberately framed in a way so that the reader could not necessarily see each entire piece. In this way, Anja maintains ownership of the tattoos and their sentiments. She has these words assigned in different fonts to members of her family, her mother and her sisters. For example, her tattoo for one sister is in a “Loki Cola” font that resembles the Coca-Cola script and reads <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2RWYA4KKjZQ8MeJCaqT1d3GkhH5pIwA5IPn6mv5rX7VbvXsNV-EjIxYQpOTw1-zWdZxo-jNzxtzZPDuCOjnOn_3uFycj_4c8AjArFsbr20B2AQfToDUKdRuKFv0tSwGgnjpGfwcxl2k/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/AVvXsEip2RWYA4KKjZQ8MeJCaqT1d3GkhH5pIwA5IPn6mv5rX7VbvXsNV-EjIxYQpOTw1-zWdZxo-jNzxtzZPDuCOjnOn_3uFycj_4c8AjArFsbr20B2AQfToDUKdRuKFv0tSwGgnjpGfwcxl2k/s640/photo.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> “Under/Flesh/Within/Breast/This/Heart/Holds/Heidi” Here’s a complete piece for her sister Saskia, using the Konspiracy Theory font: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4OiQk2Zbg5Ob5FUljKWH9XUCW6aopwYuUQ-ulUa1AE3R2_WyBi3kDjFX2eNAKAjfHkGsFOwzU7r8GyjP-z3B9Aqnp7B1-E8Q3Kxt46ZKeOsc-5e4gCUpr8yy3a71bApTmQHQva-DxdA/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/AVvXsEif4OiQk2Zbg5Ob5FUljKWH9XUCW6aopwYuUQ-ulUa1AE3R2_WyBi3kDjFX2eNAKAjfHkGsFOwzU7r8GyjP-z3B9Aqnp7B1-E8Q3Kxt46ZKeOsc-5e4gCUpr8yy3a71bApTmQHQva-DxdA/s640/photo.jpg" width="274" /></a></div> The verse reads “Saskia/Skin/Belly/Laugh/The/Very/Inside”. Each piece is a work of beauty. Anja came to New York specifically to be tattooed by <a href="http://stephanietamez.com/">Stephanie Tamez</a>, an accomplished artist outright, but whose reputation as a master of inking type is unsurpassed. Stephanie is based out of <a href="http://savedtattoo.com/">Saved Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn. Anja also shared this tattoo on her left hand: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhL-CQkTHw1EsFJEujIqdhNQ_ogOkd6Wck7RRSBVMDcjicbQdFhCpOSzeLu9SeFw64Q9kxk4mBS2tF5RSrRfho0IpsPlM8HUc69Ka5gs0OC1wFztvLRvEOS7o6S_LfAUP4DGGGzRBOes/s775/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhL-CQkTHw1EsFJEujIqdhNQ_ogOkd6Wck7RRSBVMDcjicbQdFhCpOSzeLu9SeFw64Q9kxk4mBS2tF5RSrRfho0IpsPlM8HUc69Ka5gs0OC1wFztvLRvEOS7o6S_LfAUP4DGGGzRBOes/s400/photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> She explained, <blockquote class="tr_bq">“This is my newest one [as on July 2011]. It’s an egret, or heron. <a href="http://www.nhc.net.nz/index/birds-new-zealand/white-heron/white-heron.htm">Kotuku</a> in New Zealand … me and my sister got one of these together. [The artist, Gypsy Nation] actually tattooed it on himself as well. He’s Native American and has the heron in his family.”</blockquote>Gypsy Nation did the tattoo at <a href="http://finelinetattoo.com/">Fineline Tattoo</a> on the Lower East Side of New York, but has since moved on. Thanks to Anja for sharing these wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, and for waiting so patiently for me to post them. This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/" style="font-weight: bold;"> 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.

Anja's Ink: Not Your Type-ical Tattoos

One of my favorite tattoo encounters in 2011 has yet to see the light of these Tattoosday pages. How can this be? You’d think I’d be rushing...

3:11 AM

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> 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. 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. 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. 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. 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>. 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. 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>. <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> 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. 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: <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> 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. 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>. <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> 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. 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. <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> 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. <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> 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. 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. <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> 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. <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. <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> 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. 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! This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. 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/"> 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.

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...

9:21 AM