Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): May 2017

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Marius Shares a Sugar Skull from Germany

I met Marius, a tourist from Germany, outside of Federal Hall, after spotting his tattoo:

He told me that this tattoo is five years old, and the colors are still bright and vibrant, so he is very happy with it. It is a very interesting and creative take on a sugar skull.

He credited the work to Hennes Wasserme (@HennesTrueLove), an artist at True Love Tattoo (@TrueLoveTattooDuesseldorf) in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Marius told me he likes Hennes' work because he does "good, old-fashioned tattoos," as opposed to the newer art brut style of tattoo that many European artists have embraced.

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

Correction: An earlier version of this post credited the work to Olaf Lobe (@OlafTrueLove). It has been updated to reflect Hennes Wasserme as the artist.

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.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Reposting Mike's Marine in Honor of Memorial Day

The following post is from 2009. I reposted it in 2013 and, here we are, four years later, so it seems appropriate to post yet again. This was originally shared to commemorate Memorial Day, and seems well worth sharing again:

It only seemed fitting that, on this Memorial Day, we feature a tattoo that honors our men and women in uniform.

A week ago, I was fresh off of my experience at the New York City Tattoo Convention, and everything I saw on the street was uninteresting. Until I passed by Mike and did a double-take.

This is the tattoo on Mike's inner right forearm:

Mike explained that, as a United States Marine, he was choosing to honor the corps by building a sleeve of iconic military photographs.

If you think this is an impressive tattoo (which it is), seeing the source material further magnifies how phenomenal a replica the artist has created on Mike's flesh:

A page on About.com explains this image further:

"While units of the U.S. Far East Air Forces Combat Cargo Command made an all-out effort to aid embattled units of the First Marine Division and Seventh Infantry Division, the men fighting in Korea were trying desperately to link up in their battle for survival. This marine is shown just as he reached the crest of the ridge at the link-up point. Wet, stinging snow and ice made the operation the most difficult sort, as unleashed hordes of communist troops charge again and again into the United Nations forces. (circa December 1950) "

In addition to this tattoo, Mike has a Vietnam-era photo of a Marine sniper inked on his right biceps.

This astonishing tattoo was created by Randy Prause at Permanent Buzz Tattoo, in Denville, New Jersey.

A hearty thanks to Mike for sharing this tattoo with us here on Memorial Day. More importantly, Tattoosday expresses even more gratitude to Mike and all his fellow soldiers and who have so bravely served our country to ensure the freedoms we enjoy each day.

Have a safe and pleasant Memorial Day!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Kris and Her Lovely Leg Tattoos

I met Kris last week while walking on Broadway in lower Manhattan. She had two great tattoos on her legs that she was kind enough to share:

This cool gypsy tattoo represents luck and was inked by Eddie Peralta (@angryeddie) at Powerhouse Tattoo (@powerhousetattoo) in Montclair, New Jersey.

On her right leg, Kris has this beautiful flapper:

"I love the Twenties," Kris explained, adding that this was done by Anna Waychoff (@annawaychoff), also from Powerhouse Tattoo.

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

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Brewsday Tuesday: Left Hand Edition

Last summer we launched our Brewsday Tuesday on Tattoosday feature, and we're back with more great tattoos and beer (and a super prize giveaway) from the good folks at Left Hand Brewing (@lefthandbrewing) in Colorado!

Left Hand was founded in 1993 in Longmont, about 30 miles outside of Denver, and they have been an award-winning brewery ever since, racking up medals and awards and, most importantly, producing great beer.

I recently had a chat with Ryan Call, Left Hand's Western Regional Manager, and we talked beer and tattoos. First let's look at some of his tattoos:

That's a pretty cool koi swimming up Ryan's arm...

There are some great elements in this half sleeve.

Ryan told me that he had been a fan of traditional Japanese tattoo art, but he had been working for a distributor in Kansas that didn't allow tattoos. When he landed the gig at Left Hand, there were no such restrictions, so he celebrated and "went big" with this beautiful tattoo.

He credited Ron Miller (@miller.tattoo) at Ichiban Tattoo in Lawrence, Kansas . Ron has since opened his own shop, called Miller Tattoo, also in Lawrence.

Ryan also has another tattoo, as spotted in this photo:

That is a pocket watch on his wrist with a banner that says ...

"Live for Today."

Ryan told me that this watch in the tattoo is a family heirloom, that was handed down to him when his grandfather passed away. The watch has been in his family since 1888 and, since it's locked away in a safe deposit box, this way he gets to see it every day.

He got this as a walk-in at Mercy Seat Tattoo (@mercyseattattoo) in Kansas City, Missouri.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing his tattoos, photographed by Kearby Milliner at Left Hand.

Now, let's talk about the beer. Left Hand has a slew of brands and, as familiar as I am with some, I got a nice sample for this post:

I had a lot of fun drinking this beer, I can honestly say. I've been a fan of Left Hand's Milk Stout (far right) and, although I tend to favor darker beers, I found the lighter ones, like the Travelin' Light kolsch and the Polestar pilsner, to be crisp and flavorful. The Extrovert IPA is a solid brand with a great hoppiness that stands among the best IPAs out there. The shining gem in this family portrait, for me, however, was their Fade to Black (pictured second from left). This seasonal "foreign stout" is a palate-buster for me, with licorice notes that really made drinking this beer a treat.

Ryan told me his favorite brand is the Black Jack porter, which is one of their perennial brews that rocks a great espresso and dark chocolate flavor.

Left Hand has a solid lineup and it was a pleasure and honor to partner with them in this celebration of tattoos and brews!

They are also very generous, in that they have offered up a super "Ready to Rock" prize package for Tattoosday readers:

This includes, a Nitro Sherpa Hoodie, a Pour Hard Knuckles t-shirt, a Red Pour Hard Nitro t-shirt, a Colorado Trucker Hat, a 64 oz Ecovessel, a Left Hand cooler bag and belt pack! WHAT?! All apparel is size M.

Readers who comment below or on social media will be entered automatically into a random drawing and the winner will get this box of awesomeness shipped to their doorstep. Commenting with your favorite brand from Left Hand will double your chances, as I will count your entry twice.

Thanks to all the great people at Left Hand Brewing Company for making this an awesome Brewsday Tuesday! Special thanks to Sarah Watson for coordinating this with me, and to Ryan Call, for sharing his tattoos with us, as well as all the others on the Left Hand team that helped make this post possible.

Cheers!

Monday, May 22, 2017

Reconnecting With Amber

Over the years, I've passed out a lot of cards, hoping to open a dialogue with people about their tattoos, but often never hearing from them again. That's just the way it goes. Occasionally, I will run into them by chance, and we'll be able to connect and put something together.

Such is the case with Amber, who I had met and talked to a couple of times a year or two ago at my favorite local beer garden, where she had worked for a very short period of time.

Imagine my surprise when, last week, I sat down on the subway next to her and was able to capture one of her spectacular tattoos:

Amber credited this great black and gray thigh piece to Nico Negron (@niconegron) from Tattoo Afterlife (@afterlife) in Huntington, New York.

She told me it was based on several references and took about seven hours to complete.

Thanks to Amber for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, May 21, 2017

Two Tattoos from Lucy

Last week on Wall Street, I met Lucy, who was visiting from England, and she was kind enough to share a couple of her tattoos.

First is this tattoo on her upper arm that is so fresh, it almost looks like a sticker:

Lucy explained that this image is from Princess Mononoke, a 1997 Japanese anime classic. The tattoo is the mask worn by San, otherwise known as Princess Mononoke, who was raised by wolves.

This was tattooed by Matt Daniels (@stickypop) from Studio IX in Salford, located in Manchester, England.

Lucy also shared this piece on her back:

This was also done at Studio IX, but by artist Emma Louise Dunphy (@emm.dots).

Thanks to Lucy for sharing a couple of her 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.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Two Spooky Tattoos from Alexis

I met Alexis earlier this week on the J train in Lower Manhattan. She has several tattoos on both arms, and she offered up these two pieces on her right arm, which she called her "spookier arm":

Alexis explained that the "Tomb Sweet Tomb" piece is a nod to a feature in The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. It's her favorite ride and this was inked by Chris Fernandez (@chrisfernandeztattooing) at Kings Avenue Tattoo (@kingsavetattoo) in Manhattan.

The heart-shaped piece below it is actually a planchette from a ouija board. This was a Friday the 13th flash tattoo that Alexis got at Grit N Glory Tattoo (@gritnglory) in Manhattan.

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

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Andrea's Awesome Arm

I met Andrea yesterday near Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.

She shared the tattoos on her inner right arm:

These beautiful tattoos were inked by Spencer Evans (@spencerevanstattoos) at Easy Tiger Tattoo (@easytigertattoos) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,

Andrea said that the first rose (pictured, far right) is for her grandmother, but that the other rose, the compass rose, and the moth, are all just part of the design on the arm, art for art's sake.

Thanks to Andrea for sharing these awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Edwardo's Lady of Guadalupe

Yesterday I met Edwardo outside of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan, and he shared this tattoo on his right forearm:

Edwardo explained that this is Our Lady of Guadalupe (click on the tag at the end of the post to see other similar tattoos we have featured over the years).

He added that this was a cover-up - there had originally been an M-16 inked on his arm, and he joked, if you look carefully, you can barely make out the rifle peeking out from Guadalupe's skirt.

Edwardo credited the work to Brazilian artist J.P, Rodrigues (@jprodriguesnyc) from Acqua Santa Tattoo (@acquasantanyc) in Manhattan.

Thanks to Edwardo for sharing his beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Some Tattoos in the News

Tattoos are in the news daily, but a few items have popped up in the New York Times that are noteworthy and worth reading.

Just yesterday, was this story about a 100 year-old woman in the Philippines carrying on and keeping alive the country's historical tradition if tattooing:

At 100 or So, She Keeps a Philippine Tattoo Tradition Alive

Maria Fang-od Oggay at her home in the village of Buscalan, in the northern Philippines, last week. She belongs to the last generation of her ethnic group bearing a full set of traditional tattoos and is one of the few who remember how they are done. Jes Aznar for The New York Times

Then, there was this piece, from January, also in the Times:

A Tattoo for the Living

In December, the Times also ran a feature on artist Jonathan Valena, who has become famous for his "tiny" tattoos on celebrities and fashion models:

Putting His Mark on the World

Hailey Baldwin’s “pray” tattoo on two fingers. JonBoy

And, finally, a story about the increasing demand for cover-ups:

A Face-Lift for Tattoos

An old tattoo is seen peeking through the cover-up artwork in process. George Etheredge/The New York Times

The finished product. George Etheredge/The New York Times

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Repost for Mother's Day! Sean's Tattoo

On this Mother's Day, we're celebrating with a beauty of a "Mom" tattoo from our archives, this post from 2011:

~ ~ ~

When I met Sean last month, he had several tattoos to choose from. We ended up selecting this piece, on his left wrist:

Granted, there's two tattoos in this photo, but I was fascinated by the pineapple and cherry tattoo. That's not something you see every day. Sean, who is a hairdresser from the Boston area, explained:

"My best friend Sandrine Schaefer is a performance artist ... she did work where she would use pineapples and cherries on her body, because they're also used as common meat garnishes. And her artwork is a lot about feminism and veganism."

Ms. Schaefer, whose website is here, is a prolific artist worth checking out.

The tattoo was inked by Lucky Matthews at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in the Jamaica Plain section of the greater Boston area.

As for the "Mom" tattoo, above it on the forearm, there is really no explanation needed, but I did want to credit the artist, Edwin Marquez at Regeneration Tattoo in Allston, Massachusetts.

Thanks to Sean for sharing his ink with us here on 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 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.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Rachel's Hamsa

Last summer, at a family gathering after the funeral of our cousin Beth, I had a chance to take this picture of a hamsa tattoo belonging to another cousin, Rachel:

This hamsa is on Rachel's inner arm, and was tattooed by Eric Lao (@biggetatz), who currently works out of Sub Q Tattoo in Middletown, New York.

The hamsa is a symbol, popular in the Middle East, that is used to ward off the evil eye. This protective amulet is often found in Jewish and Muslim culture. You'll see that the star of David figures prominently in the piece. Rachel says she "saw [the design] on his wall the first time [she] went in for a tattoo." She remembers telling Eric she was going to come back and get it, and she did.

Check out other hamsas we have featured on Tattoosday here

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

Thursday, May 4, 2017

May the Fourth with Anthony's Astonishing Star Wars Canvas

It's May the 4th, the day when, in the past, we have occasionally celebrated Star Wars tattoos and, this year, we have a special treat. Last month, I was introduced to Anthony, who a mutual friend advised had some amazing Star Wars tattoos. Boy, was he not exaggerating. Check this out:

I mean, come on! Even a person unfamiliar with the Star Wars universe has to recognize the mastery in this tattoo work.

The detail is just incredible:

And Anthony's work blends into his sides:

And meets on Anthony's chest in a fantastic battle scene:

Anthony proudly bears the work of an artist named Needles (@darthneedles), who has done all of his work. He started working with Needles in the early 2000s (perhaps, 2004) and estimates that he has spent 40 hours on the back alone.

The chest piece is one of his favorite parts and was named "Best Star Wars Tattoo" in the January/February 2007 issue of Star Wars Insider.

Today, on May 4th, Anthony will be visiting three New York City children's hospitals in full stormtrooper gear to help celebrate the holiday. Here's Anthony in one of a few uniforms he dons:

Photo by Alberto Vasari

Anthony is commanding officer of the Empire City Garrison for the 501st Legion.

If you're unaware of what he's referring to, "The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate." He adds, "The Legion seeks to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work...".

The Empire City Garrison is the New York branch of this organization with outposts in multiple states and on several continents.

For more information, visit the 501st Legion's website here

Anthony's work is astounding, when viewed in its entirety and he likens his collection of body art to "the Star Wars journey through tattoos.: His favorite part? "The fact that [it] is on me forever," he says.

Thanks to Anthony for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, May 1, 2017

One More Tattoo on a Poet! Natasha Dennerstein's Awesome Octopus

National Poetry Month may be over, but I couldn't close the chapter on this year's Tattooed Poets Project without sharing this breathtaking tattoo from one of our "alumni," Natasha Dennerstein:

Natasha first appeared on Tattoosday back in 2012 here.

Natasha was our first New Zealand poet, but she has relocated to Oakland, California and recently got this phenomenal piece from Jeramie Hamilton (@thethickwillstick) at Scholar Tattoo (@scholartattoo_sf) in San Francisco. She notes that "the tentacles come right around as if to attempt to wrap around my neck."

She shared the following poem, which she feels is a good companion to this tattoo. The poem, "Clifftop," is from her collection Anatomize from Norfolk Press. She collaborated often with an Australian-born, L.A. artist named Kaye Freeman (@kfreeman1701) and Natasha included a painting Kaye did on piano-roll paper in conjunction with this poem. "This was part of a joint series we did called Skeleton Dreaming," she told us.

In case you can't read from the image, here is the poem again, by itself:

Clifftop

On a Wild Turkey night under an Ativan moon I stagger around

the cliffs to lift my dark spirits. One too many times you arrive

with the slime of her on you and expect me to lick it away. I

slip or fall or plunge into the bitch-slap, ice-cube sea where the

fish nibble my flesh and gropers take sustenance from my

innards til all that's left is bones, a home for hermit-crabs the

dome of my skull. Plankton colonize my ribcage. My weary

bones roll on rocks: I've found my salty home on the seabed

floor, where currents pass through me and gently carress me.

My heart is devoured by bottom-feeding creatures of the

deep. A lobster eats my pancreas; a crab consumes my pituitary

gland. They may end up on your table as you have a penchant

for seafood. Take me, sea, I'm yours; eat me, lover, I'm fish-

food.

~ ~ ~

You can read more about Natasha Dennerstein here.

Thank to Natasha for sharing her wonderful poem and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday's Tattooed Poets Project!

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 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.

Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog)