Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): 2017

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Sabrina Shares a Star Trek Tattoo and Some Smiths Lyrics

Earlier this month, I attended New York Winter Con and I met Sabrina, who was working the Horror Show Jack booth, where one can go for customized fangs. You can see her sporting them on her instagram @alienqueenofdarkness.

She was kind enough to share a couple of her tattoos, including this Star Trek communicator badge:

It was this quote on her arm, however, that first caught my attention:

"And if I seem a little strange well that's because I am" are lyrics from the Smiths song "Unloveable."

Be sure to check out Horror Show Jack for your customized fangs here!

Thanks to Sabrina for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.

Monday, December 18, 2017

CJ's Nostalgic Ghoul

Earlier this month, I attended New York Winter Con out at Resorts World in Queens.

I met a lot of really cool people and saw some great tattoos, like this one, on CJ:

CJ explained that this is an image from the horror film Night of the Living Dead, the 1968 horror classic by George Romero.

CJ loves the movie, so the tattoo taps into his nostalgia.

The work was done by Rebecca Fiduccia (@fire_flew) from No Ka Oi Tiki Tattoo (@nokaoitikitattoo) in Philadelphia.

Incidentally, CJ plays guitar for a band called Behind the Facade (@behindthefacadeband). Check them out here.

Thanks to CJ for sharing his cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Gypsy on the Downtown Train

Back in August, I met Kaitlin on a downtown R train. She had a great sleeve of cool traditional work, including this hot air balloon:

And this lovely gypsy:

Mixed in with these pieces was a meandering snake:

Kaitlin told me the snake was hand-drawn and tattooed by Andy Perez (@andyjperez) at Allied Tattoo (@allied_tattoo) in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The other pieces were done by Kristin Close (@kristenclosetattoos) at Authentic Tattoo Company (@authentictattoocompany) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Thanks to Kaitlin for sharing her amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2017 Tattoosday.

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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Some Belgian Ink in Manhattan

Back in September, I met a couple on the steps of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan. They were visiting from Belgium and, between them, had quite a few tattoos. Kenny and Ineke were kind enough to share their work.

First up is this shot of Ineke's head:

Ineke credited the patterns on her scalp to Erik El Santo (@erik_el_santo) at Dagger Moon Tattoo (@daggermoontattoo) in Hasselt, Belgium.

Kenny shared this amazing work on his chest:

The skull and cobra were done by Don Porto (@tattoodonporto), from Inkhouse in Geel, Belgium.

Thanks to Kenny and Ineke for sharing their amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, December 1, 2017

Blossoms on Blossom

At the beginning of October, I met Blossom on Broadway. This lovely tattoo on her foot caught my eye:

Blossom, who was visiting New York from England, was kind enough to pull her foot out of her shoe to let me fully appreciate her cherry blossoms,

She credited the work to Jay at Portsmouth Ink in Portsmouth, UK.

Thanks to Blossom for sharing her lovely foot tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Amber Shares Two Cool Tattoos

I met Amber a couple months back on Wall Street. Some of her stand-out work caught my eye, especially this super interesting piece:

Turns out, Amber is a make-up artist. Check out her Instagram @amberblanchardmua.

She credited her work to Ben Towers (@bentowers_tattoo) at Bella Arte Tattoo (@bellaartetattoo) in Fairfield, New Jersey.

Ben also did this piece on her upper arm, as well:

I love tattoos with tattoos! That takes an extra level of skill to pull off successfully.

Thanks to Amber for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Rebekah Crossing the Bridge

I met Rebekah back in June at Bowling Green in lower Manhattan. I spotted this interesting tattoo on her arm and she was kind enough to share it with us:

Rebekah credits the super-talented Sue Jeiven (@sweetsuetattoo) from East River Tattoo (@eastrivertattoo) with the work here. Rebekah designed and sketched it and Sue "improved and put her artistic spin" on the drawing.

She told me that the piece depicts her and her partner on a bridge, which one crosses to "find your truer self." They are symbolically crossing the bridge together and he is sporting antlers because the deer is his spirit animal.

Thanks to Rebekah for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Vanessa's Lion

About a month after seeing Ben's lion, I spotted another lion at the City Hall subway station:

This lion is on the side of the leg of Vanessa, in a spot where you don't normally see a tattoo.

She told me that this was tattooed by Oba (@omoori) at Push Tattoo Studio (@pushtattoos) in Wilmington, Delaware.

Vanessa explained that this was part of a set of matching tattoos she got with her best friend. As she tells it, the lion matched her friend's personality, and this leonine friend designed the art.

I asked Vanessa what her friend got. She explained that her nickname was Goldfish, so that's what her friend got to compliment her lion.

Thanks to Vanessa for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, November 13, 2017

Ben's Lion from Bang Saen

At the end of September, I met Ben on Wall Street. He was visiting form England and was kind enough to take a moment out of sightseeing and share this cool tattoo:

Ben told me he got this cool lion tattoo in Bang Saen, Thailand.

Thanks to Ben for sharing his awesome lion tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Jess and Josh Share Some Ink

Back in June, I met a couple from Great Britain on the steps of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.

There names were Jess and Josh, and they both were kind enough to share some of their tattoos with us.

Check out this really funky witch on Jess' arm:

Jess credited this to Marie Cox (@lady_fts) at Folklore Tattoo Studio (@fts_tattoo) in Tamworth, Staffordshire, which is near Birmingham, England.

John shared this piece on his leg:

This work was also done at Folklore, but by Adam McDermott (@admcde).

Thanks to Jess and Josh for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Wes and the Queen

I met Wes last month across from Federal Hall in the Financial District. He shared this lovely tattoo with us:

Wes told me that he got this for his 18-month old daughter, Audrey. As a father of girls myself, I can relate to the sentiment that a daughter is like a queen in the realm.

He credited this excellent work to Zach Nelligan (@zachnelligan) from Mainstay Tattoo (@mainstaytattoo) in Austin, Texas.

Thanks to Wes for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Jennifer's Sculpted Arm

Back in September, I met Jennifer, whose stunning tattoo stopped me in my tracks. Fortunately, she generously shared her work:

Jennifer told me this was inspired by a sculpture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is the artwork that provided the basis for the tattoo:

The work in question, Latona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana is a work by American sculptor William Henry Rinehart, and features a mother looking down lovingly on her two children. The work spoke to Jennifer, who was inspired to use this as a basis for her tattoo that reminds her of her own love of her two sons.

This artwork was translated into a tattoo by Ronen Bichado (@ronentat) from Inkstop Tattoo (@inkstoptattoonyc) in Manhattan.

Here's another perspective from the artist's Instagram:

via @ronentat

Thanks to Jennifer for sharing her beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Oscar and Tavárez, by Gian Karle

Back in September, I met Oscar at the local coffee shop in the lobby of my building at 30 Broad Street in lower Manhattan.

He had this cool tattoo on his hand:

Oscar told me that this is a portrait of Manuel Gregorio Tavárez, who is considered the "father of classical Puerto Rican dance."

This was tattooed by Gian Karle (@giancarle) from 1711 Tattoo Studio (@1711tattoostudio) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

People may recognize Gian Karle as one of the finalists from Ink Master's 8th season (@spikeinkmaster).

Thanks to Oscar for sharing his awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Helen's Reminder for One Wild and Precious Life

Earlier this year, I spotted a new tattoo on my friend Helen's Facebook feed. She was kind enough to share it with us:

The phrase "one wild and precious life" are the final five words in Mary Oliver's poem "The Summer Day":

The Summer Day

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

~~~

from New and Selected Poems, 1992
Beacon Press, Boston, MA

Poetry speaks to everyone differently, so I asked Helen why she chose to inscribe these words on her body. She replied:

"I really wanted to remind myself – to have a permanent reminder readily in view – to be present, to be grateful, to be living in the moment. These are things that I regularly do anyway, but I’ve ended up in a number of quite challenging circumstances recently and was VERY depressed and really losing perspective...and it just came to me one afternoon that having this on me, in that type of font, right in the place where my pulse is taken, would be the perfect thing. Also, I had it done right before the Spring Equinox – I wanted to start new, like spring, like growth, like hope, like guess what everything comes back around and it’s all there even when you can’t see it, like seeds buried beneath the snow and the frozen ground... everything is not dead, there’s still hope, and time is fleeting and you better effing rise up and live again."

The font used is Courier and the words were inked by Berger (@tattooingbyberger) at Artful Dodger Tattoo and Comics (@adtcseattle) in Seattle.

You can hear Mary Oliver read in the recording below:

Thanks to Helen for sharing her awesome literary tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Michael's Space Odyssey

I met Michael at a deli down near the New York Stock Exchange at the beginning of the summer.
He had this cool tattoo that he was nice enough to share:

He wanted a space theme on his arm and this is the first part of it. He says it will merge with a time theme on his other arm.

He credits this great work to Jon Mesa (@jonmesa) at No Idols Tattoo (@noidolsnyc) in Manhattan.

Thanks to Michael for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Alyssa Helps Us Celebrate Día de Muertos

The annual Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, holiday has begun and what better way to mark the occasion on Tattoosday than with a sugar skull?

This beauty belongs to Alyssa, who I met near Bowling Green in lower Manhattan back in September.

Alyssa told me she got this tattoo to mark the ten-year anniversary of her mother's passing.

The tattoo was done by Eddy Ospina (@eddyospina) at the former Wooster Street Social Club. Eddy is currently calling Scharf & Sons Tattoo home, in Merrick, Long Island.

Thanks to Alyssa for sharing her awesome sugar skull with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Alex's Scary Elbow Spider

I met Alex a couple weeks ago at the Union Square farmer's market and he shared this tattoo, which seems appropriate for Halloween:

Alex credited this to Joe Chatt (@joe_chatt), who did the tattoo last summer while guesting at a NYC shop, but has since moved to Rose Tattoo Parlour (@RoseTattooParlour) in Brooklyn.

Alex explained:

"I just really wanted to get my elbow done ... normally people get like spider webs, or roses, mandalas, like round things ... I knew I really needed to get something round ... [Joe] was trying to push for a spider web, but I was going through his book and I was like, maybe something else. And he really wanted to do this design and he was like, oh that would fit well, with the claws and stuff..."

The rest, as they say, is history.

Thanks to Alex for sharing his spooky cool spider with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, October 30, 2017

Calla's Astonishing Floral Half-Sleeve

Last month on Wall Street, I stopped a woman named Calla to ask about her tattoo. It was truly breath-taking:

Calla was on her way to a job interview, so we didn't talk long. She did tell me the flower above the sunflower is a protea.

Unfortunately, she did not have any information regarding the artist, other than that they were from Cape Town in South Africa.

Nonetheless, it's spectacular work and I thank Calla for sharing her beautiful half-sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Blair Shares Some Amazing Art (at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade)

On this rainy Sunday, we're heading back to the summer and looking for a little sunshine. It seems appropriate to share some work from the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (@mermaidparade), from a participant named Blair, who had some phenomenal tattoos, including this on her thigh:

Blair told me this is a Bert Grimm design called "Sundance" that was tattooed by Becca Genné-Bacon (@beccagennebacon) from Kings Avenue Tattoo (@kingsavetattoo) on the Bowery.

Here's the Bert Grimm artwork that is an iconic piece of tattoo history:

She also shared this piece called "Prisoner of Love," which was done by Benjamin Haft (@benjaminhaft) from Allied Tattoo (@allied_tattoo) in Brooklyn:

I also snapped a photo of this tattoo, of a stunning gypsy with her hair in rollers:

All amazing tattoos!

Thanks to Blair for sharing her awesome work with us here on Tattoosday!

Saturday, October 28, 2017

Molly's Tattoo Rocks (Tattoosday Goes to Baltimore)

Earlier this month I met Molly at a thrift shop in Baltimore County.

She shared this rocking tattoo on the back of her arm:

That's a skeleton hand throwing the "sign of the horns" that has come to symbolize rock and roll, in general.

Molly credited Jen at Ink Wizard Tattoo in California, Maryland.

This seemed like an appropriate tattoo to post as we celebrate Halloween over the next few days.

Thanks to Molly for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, October 27, 2017

Kristine's Roses on the Platform

I recently met Kristine on a subway platform in Brooklyn. She shared this tattoo on her arm:

Kristine told me she loves roses and that she just liked the artwork for this tattoo.

She credited the work to Amy Shapiro (@amy_shapiro) from Three Kings Tattoo (@threekingstattoo) in Brooklyn. Amy is currently working at Lifetime Tattoo (@lifetimetattoodeniver) in Denver. We currently featured work by Amy back in 2015 here.

Thanks to Kristine for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

The Elusive Union Square Lobster by Jason June

Last Friday, I met a woman at the Union Square farmer's market who was in a hurry. I stopped her because she had an amazingly vibrant tattoo that I just had to ask about. She told me her name and I thought I wrote it down, but I can't find it anywhere. I never got the story, but I did get the photo. Behold:

I remembered the artist's name, however. This forearm lobster is by Jason June (@JasonJuneTattoos). I first met Jason years ago when he tattooed my wife, Melanie, at a Friday the 13th event. He is now working at Kings Avenue Tattoo (@KingsAveTattoo) on the Bowery.

The photo really doesn't do the piece justice - I normally avoid tattoos that wrap around limbs like this, but I was so impressed I just couldn't help myself. Here's a collage of the tattoo that I found on Jason's instagram before the piece was fully completed:

Via @JasnonJuneTattoos on Instagram

Thanks to the host of this lobster (sorry I lost your name) for sharing this incredible tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

UPDATE: This tattoo is gracing the arm of Jenn. Apologies for forgetting and thanks to Jason June for filling in the gap in my brain!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Jennie's Pear Tree Blossom

Over the summer, when my older daughter and her friends were back home from college, they occasionally joined us for our weekly trivia nights at the local beer garden. Two of them got new tattoos recently and Jennie shared this lovely piece on her inner arm:

Jennie explained that this is a pear tree blossom, noting that when her parents moved into the house where she grew up, they planted a pear tree in the back yard. When she left for her first year of school in Chicago, the tree fell down. She wanted to commemorate the pear tree, which entered and exited her life at very significant points in her journey.

She credited this beautiful tattoo to Jason Hoodrich (@JasonHoodrich) at Family Tattoo (@FamilyTattoo) in Chicago.

Thanks to Jennie for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, October 22, 2017

A New York Cate of Mind

I met Cate by Bowling Green park over the summer and she shared this cool tattoo:

Cate explained that she was born and raised in western New York and that she wanted a scene that was a tribute to the Empire State. Thus, we have a tattoo with a variety of species found in the state.

The animal is a red fox, standing with birch trees, red clover and purple oxalis, or purple woodsorrel.

Cate credited the work to Brian Faulk at Hand of Glory Tattoo (@handofglorytattoo) in Brooklyn. I'm familiar with Brian, as he has tattooed me as well (recounted here and here).

Thanks to Cate for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!