Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): 2018

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Ryota's Neck Tattoo

At the end of last summer, in Bowling Green, I met Ryota (@steeal_by_sicks), who told me he was a fashion designer/artist visiting the U.S. from Kyoto, Japan. We had some difficulty communicating, but he shared this neck tattoo he designed, which incorporates what he called "life symbols."

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

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Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Joseph's Flash Hands

Back on Independence Day I posted a chest piece on Joseph (here) that I took a photo of last June on the Whitehall subway platform. I had been meaning to post Joseph's hands, as well, so here they are:

The pocket watch, swallows and bell were all tattooed by Matt Huff (@matthufftattoo) at Brooklyn Ink (@originalbrooklynink) in Bay Ridge. Joseph told me the work is based on the flash of the legendary Dan Higgs.

Thanks to Joseph for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, November 12, 2018

Getting the Work Done - Samuel's Latin Leg

Last summer, I spotted a man walking down Broad Street and I had to ask him about his tattoo, I had never quite seen words done like this before:

The tattoo reads, in Latin:

"Amen, amen

dico vobis,

nisi granum

frumenti

cadens in

terram,

mortuum

fuerit, ipsum

solum manet:

si autum

mortuum

fuerit,

multum

frustum

affert"

Samuel, who had this tattoo on his leg, translated this as "Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless a seed falls into the earth and dies, it does alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit."

This is from the Latin Vulgate, the late 4th Century translation of the gospels that became the was the Catholic Church's official text for centuries. The passage hails from the Book of John, Chapter 12, Verse 24.

Samuel said he interprets this to also mean, "Kill your desires, get the work done and you'll prosper," noting that the sentiment is "as Buddhist as it is Christian."

The font used is a customized version meant to recall Gothic lettering and told me this was inked at Spike-O-Matic Tattoo (@spikeomatictattoo) in Madison, Wisconsin.

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

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Lori's Siamese Twins With a Somber Memorial

Back in June, I met Lori at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. She shared this tattoo on her arm:

This cool tattoo of Siamese Twins has tattoos of its own, including the "10/30" visible on the chest.

Lori explained that this refers to today, October 30, which she referred to as the "happiest and saddest day," noting that it was the day she married her husband, but it was also the day he died, one year later, on their first anniversary.

She credited the work to Mike at Read Street Tattoo Parlour in Baltimore.

Thanks to Lori for sharing this lovely, yet haunting, tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Angelina and Her Chakras

Going back into my unpublished archives, I remembered I never posted this shot from the 2017 Coney Island Mermaid Parade:

This is Angie (@angelina_monalisa) who had these chakra tattoos inked by Matt Huff (@matthufftattoo) at Brooklyn Ink (@originalbrooklynink).

Angie explained the chakras to me, telling me that "they are basically the different portals of energy that connect the body to the physical and spiritual world, as well as the top chakra, which is your connection to all of the energy and knowledge of the universe (essentially, the Third Eye)."

From top to bottom, the chakras are crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root. She noted that "the root is technically located at the foot but, ya know, artist liberties."

Read more about chakras here.

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

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Kayla's Cool Tattoos (Tattoosday Walks Into a Bar)

Sometimes tattoo posts don't always work out the way I'd like them to. Case in point, back in May I was in Virginia for some training and a couple of colleagues and I went out to the Crafthouse, in Reston.

One of the servers, Kayla, had some great work. She let me take some photos and I handed her my card. However, she never followed up with me, so I can't provide much in terms of details. I wish I could credit her artist(s), but I never got that information.

Check it out:

She also shared this on her arm, a really nicely-done script:

This is Dutch, and means "Rest softly, dear father."

As best as I can recall, her work was, in part, dedicated to the memory of her father.

Maybe one day, Kayla will find my card in an old pocket, and think to email me back so I can update this post.

Nevertheless, thanks to Kayla for sharing this with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Liz's Resilient Palm

Back in June, at a doctor's appointment, I met Liz, who shared her really cool palm tree tattoo:

She got this because she loves "the resilience of palm trees," alluding, in part, to how they are able to withstand the worst storms when other trees splinter and blow away.

She credited the work to Baris Yesilbas (@barisyesilbas), who works out of Gristle Tattoo (@gristletattoo) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Liz showed me her palm tree after I commented on the Roman numerals on the outside of her arm, which she got to commemorate the year (2017) when she got married:

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

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Space on the Z Train (The Alphabet Game Concludes)

This is the final post of The 2018 Alphabet Game. Last year, I only made it through the R, but this year, if you've been following along (the full recap post is here), you will know I took a detour after the W train and knocked out the 1, 2 and 3, because I was so efficient, and had to wait for the rush-hour Z train to start running.

So here, we go....

Already done above and beyond what I had hoped, except for the mighty Z train, Debating whether to go back for the 4/5/6/7. I'm beat. FitBit says 12,787 steps. There's little chance I can get those four done and the Z, when the Z runs only for an hour.

Most amazing is that I approached 20 people and only 1 declined.

I just stayed on the 3 and passed Fulton, so I will just take a break and chill at Broad, grab the first Z and hope and pray.

4:32 Back at Broad. Such a different approach from last year. The Z is now the prize and I have a small window to snag t. I have to get the first one and hope I get something right quick, or I will be plying for a miracle. The countdown clock now says 20 minutes for a Z. My worry is that it will be all business-folks, but I am going to try and get it before we leave Manhattan so I can make it back at a reasonable time.

Success! I get on the Z and meet Josh, who shares his space sleeve:

Josh got this work done in three sessions from Dustin Horan (@dustinhoran) at The Dead President's Lounge (@thedeadpresidentslounge)in Albany, New York.

And we're done!

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

And this concludes the 2018 Alphabet Game. This was my route over 9 hours: j-A-A-A-B-C-C-D-E-F-G-G-f-J-4-L-M-d-N-Q-Q-R-R-w-S-W-j-1-2-3-3-3-Z. My best estimate places the journey at 33 separate trains, including the 16 lettered trains and 3 of the numbered trains.

Looking forward to upping the challenge again in 2019! Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, October 11, 2018

A Koi on the 3 Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

The Alphabet Game took a twist when I had to postpone my trip on a Z train until it started up during rush hour. So, for fun, I started going through the numbers, at least until I could make it to a Z. If you don't know what I'm talking about, start with this post here.

I hopped off the 2 train at 34th Street/Penn Station and boarded a downtown 3 train. I stayed on the 3 until I got to Fulton Street, and then ran, at 3:30 PM across that platform to get an uptown 3 train, rather than heading further downtown.

This proved a good move, as I met Wendy, who was kind enough to share the following koi tattoo swimming over her shoulder:

Wendy credited this to Diego Mannino (@diegovmannino) over at Daredevil Tattoo (@daredeviltattoo) in Manhattan.

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

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Dark Knight on the 2 Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

So the last post found us in a plot twist. The Z train was running only during rush hour and I had time to kill. So I took a little numerical detour. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, best check out our master post here for the details.

Having just found a tattooed contributor on the 1 train, I hopped off at 3:01 PM at 14th Street. At 3:12, I jumped onto an uptown 2 train and met Rob, who shared this Batman tattoo:

Rob credited the work to an artist named Toxyc (@toxycxlr), out of Autopsy Tattoo Studio (@autopsy.tattoo.studio) in Austin, Texas.

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

Friday, October 5, 2018

An Elephant on the 1 Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

On a hot day in August, I spent the day on the subway, trying to go through the MTA system in alphabet. Our progress so far is recounted here. Remember, last year when I tried this, I wrapped up on the R train after 5:00 PM. This year, I was determined to be more efficient.

So, when I finished on the W train, I set my sight on the last letter in the alphabet. The elusive Z train.

I remained on the W and switched at Canal Street - it wasn't even 3:00 PM!

All throughout this journey, I kept notes, so you may be wondering why, at 2:53 PM, my entry reads

"1 train uptown leaving Rector."

Hold the phone. The 1 train? That's not the alphabet! What's going on? My journal continues....

Oh, the best laid plans. Sigh. Way ahead of schedule, I hit the J/Z platform at Canal and was dismayed when the countdown clock showed only J trains. Is the Z defunct? No, I learned, it's a rush-hour only train. [In hindsight, this makes complete sense, and I feel foolish for not realizing it ahead of time.]

The Z only runs from 4:45 to 5:45. It's not even 3:00 PM. So, rather than sit around for nearly two hours, I decide to do so bonus inkspotting, and I headed to the 1 station at Rector Street. Headed uptown. Better than sitting around and waiting for a Z!

I don't see going through all the numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), but I'm in bonus territory here.

All that leads me to Fernanda, who was visiting from Mexico. I met her on the uptown 1 train and she kindly shared this lovely tattoo on her thigh:

Fernanda credited this cool elephant tattoo to Lupe Trujillo, from Capitán Tatuajes in Puebla City, Mexico.

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

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Arrows on the W Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

In case you're just joining in, I have been recounting a day in August when I played the Alphabet Game, spending the day attempting to go through the NYC subway system, in alphabetical order, finding a tattoo on every train line. You can catch up on the progress (or see the whole adventure) here.

I had surpassed last year's attempt by successfully finding a tattoo on the S train and set my sights on the W. In case you were wondering, there's no U train, the T train was discontinued in the 1960s and the V train only ran from 2001-2010.

At 2:25 PM, I got a W train headed toward Whitehall Street. Between 23rd and 14th, I met Mark, who had these cool arrows tattooed on his right arm:

Mark had to hop off at 14th Street, so we had a very brief conversation, but he did manage to tell me the arrows represented strength, and he credited Daniel Delgado (@danieltattoos) with the work. Daniel currently works out of Brooklyn's Hand of Glory Tattoo (@handofglorytattoo).

Shortly after meeting him, he sent me an instagram message saying "here's the true meaning behind my arrows:"

Thanks to Mark for sharing his arrows with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, September 28, 2018

Jennie's Timely Tattoo

I'm going to keep this simple. My daughter's friend Jennie got this tattoo on Friday:

Credit to the artist Jennifer (@valvntin) from Abuela's Tattoo Parlor (@abuelastattoo) in Brooklyn.

Thanks Jennie for sharing!

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

A Wolf on the S Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

Last year, when I played the Alphabet Game, I quit at R. But this year, I ventured into uncharted territory. The alphabetical trains at the end of the sequence. Wonder what the hell I'm talking about? Go here and come back when you're done.

My concern with the S train is that S stands for "shuttle" and it runs regularly between Times Square and Grand Central station. One stop, back and forth. How long, I wondered, will I be on the S train trying to interview someone in a short window of time?

Side note: I know that there are other versions of the S train, notably near Prospect Park, in Brooklyn, but that is isolated and out of the way.

Back to the Alphabet Game, at 1:56 PM, after checking off the R, I hopped off at 23rd Street, exited near the Flat Iron Building, and hopped on a northbound W to 42nd Street. Once there, I utilized one of the restrooms and then headed to the S train.

Remember how worried I was that the S would be a challenge? You should, that was only three paragraphs back! Well, I need not worry, because on my first pass of the S, I met Devin, who shared this wolf tattoo:

Devin credited Angel Garcia (@caballonegre33) from Black Horse Tattoos (@blackhorseink) in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Devin for sharing his cool tattoo with us as Tattoosday rides the rails!'

Tuesday, September 25, 2018

A Texas Tree on the R Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

Last year, when I played the Alphabet Game for the first time, I finished on the R train. I was beat, it was the end of the day, and I called it quits having run through a dozen other train lines. If you want to know what I'm referring to, head to the "master post" here.

This year, I was much more efficient. So, when I hopped off the Q at Union Square at 1:15 PM, I was way ahead of last year, and quite pleased with myself.

And then it took twelve minutes for a northbound R to arrive.

And then the R train was not offering up much in terms of tattoos. At 1:40, I was at 57th Street, looking to reverse directions.

At 1:42 PM, I hopped on a southbound R and finally, between 34th and 23rd, I met Nicole, who shared this unusual-looking tree tattoo:

Nicole hails from Texas and explained that this is a representative of a tree from the Lone Star state, she couldn't recall the name but gave me a couple of clues. It's a tree indigenous to Texas and, she explained, her mother's ashes are buried underneath one in Odessa.

I am going to go out on a limb (intended) and call this a Disospyros texana, or a Texas persimmon tree. I could be wrong, but the point is, it's tattooed on Nicole and it reminds of her home.

The tattoo was done by an artist named Jason at True Blue Tattoo in Austin.

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

Monday, September 24, 2018

Sour Head on the Q Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

We're continuing our subway experiment, trying to get through all of the lettered trains, in alphabetical order, in one day. We're in pretty good shape, having just finished on the N train. You can see the master 2018 Alphabet Game post here.

At 12:56 PM, I jumped from the N to a northbound Q train (there is no "O" or "P" line) and then, three minutes later, switch to a southbound Q at Lexington/63rd.

It was on the Q that I met Katie, who had a lot of tattoos, and was kind enough to share this awesome piece on her thigh:

Katie obviously likes sour things, as represented by this cool skull design with lemons. She credited the artist "Purple" from Devils Ink Tattoos (@devils_ink_tattoos) in East Harlem, New York. It was Purple's design, she told me, noting he is"great with skulls."

I love this design, especially because I had never seen anything quite like this before.

Thanks to Katie for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, as we continue on with the Alphabet game!

Sunday, September 23, 2018

A Rose on the N Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

We took a day off for fall yesterday, but we're still playing the Alphabet Game, my one-day journey through the subway system, in alphabetical order. Need to catch up? The whole journey is recapped, A through M here.

After the M, I hopped on a D to 34th Street where I could switch to an N train.

At 12:47 PM, I board an uptown N at 34th Street.

Eight minutes later, I meet Fatima, who shares this rose tattoo:

Fatima told me little, just that this was done at a shop in the Bronx.

Thanks to Fatima for sharing her rose with us here on Tattoosday!

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Solo's Tattoo on the First Day of Autumn

A little less than a month ago, I met Solo, in lower Manhattan, near Zuccotti Park. I was struck by the tattoo on her back and was happy when she agreed to let me share it here:

This cool tattoo depicts a tree, half flush with leaves, the other half bare branches, with a pile of fallen leaves at the base of its trunk.

It seemed an appropriate tattoo to share on the first day of autumn.

Solo got the tattoo from a small shop in Fujian Province, in China, after she graduated from college.

She elaborated a little about what was going through her mind when she got it done:

"It’s like seasons, changes in life, ups and downs in life. So when I got it, I was sort of going through a little bit of a crisis in my life … for me personally it was like a whirlwind experience ... so I needed to give myself time and the mindset to accept the changes and not just to take things for granted ... things are going to move the way I want them to move forward."

Thanks to Solo for sharing this tattoo with us as we celebrate the autumnal equinox!

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Letters on the M Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

Continuing our alphabetical adventure through the subways, I set my sights on the M train (Wonder what's going on? I recap A through L here).

I took the L one stop to 6th Avenue, where I switched for the M.

12:27 Waiting for the M.

12:35, on a northbound M, when I met Casey.

Casey had some tattoos marked on his hands which I found interesting:

Looking at the visible tattoos in this image, you'll see four letters. From left to right, there's a "C" on his index finger, a "T" on the middle finger, another "C" on his ring ringer, and a "K" below the knuckle of his pinky. Casey explained that the letters were initials of his siblings, and they are all based on fonts from French childrens' books. So, the first C and T are based on the font in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The second C and the K are based on fonts from Edmond à la plage.

These tattoos were also on his hand:

He pointed out that he tattooed the word "love" himself and the "R.O.T." stands for "Right On Time," a nickname he got from kids he was counseling that refers to his punctuality.

Thanks to Casey for sharing these interesting hand tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Come back tomorrow to see what happened on the next train!

Monday, September 17, 2018

A Sleeve on the L Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

I took a lunch break in the Tattoosday Alphabet Game, and then resumed, heading for an L train. See the prior progress here.

12:04 PM, I'm on a 4 train to 14th Street/Union Square where I can grab an L train. Definitely ahead of where I was last year: A-J, 8 trains in 4 hours, or 2 per hour on average. L-Z remain, 9 to go and I have 5 hours, maybe 6. So far, so good.

12:10 PM, On the L, just missed someone covered with ink, got off at 6th Avenue. Just went 2 stops to 8th, now will head the opposite way - toward Brooklyn.

The L was sitting at 8th and our doors didn't open in time, so the train on the opposite platform left before I could switch, so I stayed on the original L. Good thing, because that's when I met Tina, who shared her wonderful sleeve:

This cool sleeve was the work of Steve Boltz (@steveboltz), out of Smith Street Tattoo Parlour (@smithstreettattooparlour) in Brooklyn. Tina estimates that this was created back in 2002-2003 over five sessions.

Really cool stuff, including a black cat, lucky horseshoe, sugar skull, sailor woman, pirates, and etc.

Thanks to Tina for sharing this fabulous sleeve with us here on Tattoosday as we continue playing the Alphabet Game!

Sunday, September 16, 2018

Pokémon on the J Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

Our Alphabet Game continues (see the previous progress here) as we figure out how to get to the J train from the G.

11:08 AM - After talking to Zach on the G train, I had to hop off at Bergen, but realized I had to leave the station to switch directions - ended up helping a woman up the stairs with her stroller (good deed for the day accomplished).

11:10 AM - Jumped on a Manhattan-bound F train. Also of note, my battery is still at 75%. Honestly, three hours in and I've done the A,B,C,D,E, F and G - not too shabby. Approaching lunch, considered taking A train to Fulton but am staying on the F for only three stops more. Considering taking the J back toward Broad Street where I work, so I can lunch and use the restroom. All depends on what the MTA gods provide.

11:25 AM - Delancey Street, waiting for a J.

11:29 AM - Boarded a J toward Broad.

I rode the J to Broad and, in the process, interviewed Kenny, who shared this alternative take on a Japanese half-sleeve:

Rather than your traditional dragon and koi, this cool work features two of the Pokémon universe, Gyarados and Magikarp.

Kenny credited Kristin Bonafide (@kbonafide) from Rabbits Den Tattoo Parlor (@rabbitsdentattoo) in Milltown, New Jersey with the work. Super fun!

Time to break for lunch!

Thanks to Kenny for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, as we ride the rails!

Friday, September 14, 2018

Surrealism on the G Train (Tattoosday Plays the Alphabet Game)

As we continue our quest to travel through the NYC subways in alphabetical order, spotting ink as we go (see the adventure summary here), you may recall we left off yesterday waiting on a subway platform for the G train.

The G train runs with only four subway cars, so pickings were slim.

Got my first rejection of the day at 10:50 AM, from a woman with a leaf tattooed on her arm. So, decided to switch back at Fulton Street and head back in the opposite direction.

10:53 AM. Back on a Brooklyn-bound G,

Success shortly follows when I meet Zach, who shares this unusual piece on his leg:

Zach tells me this is based on the work of Santiago Caruso, a surrealist artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The tattoo was created by Tommy from Tattoo Lou's o Long Island about ten years ago.

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