Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog): August 2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Three for Thursday: Hamsas All Around

Late last year and, at the beginning of this year, three very dear and close people to me got hamsa tattoos. Hamsas are talismans that span cultures and religions and are thought, in some cases, to ward off the evil eye. The symbol has great significance in some aspects of Jewish culture and thus, when my wife, my younger daughter, and one of our closest friends all wanted a hamsa, it happened, one could say almost mystically, in threes.

What's cool about these three hamsas is that they are so different - they are not "matching" tattoos, yet each one is a companion to the others, as they were all crafted and tattooed by the talented Alex McWatt (@alexthreekings) and Three Kings Tattoo (@threekingstattoo) in the East Village.

First up is our dear friend Felicia's, above her inner ankle:

Most hamsas include an eye, and other design elements are included. In Felicia's case, she had Alex add a branch, representing the Tree of Life, the Hebrew word "Chai," and a red heart. Chai also has a lot of meaning in Judaism - it literally means life. Felicia's hamsa is symbolic and has the outline of the traditional protective hand.

My wife Melanie got her hamsa on her inner left forearm:

Alex McWatt at work on Melanie's hamsa

One of the cool things about hamsas is that, as designs, they can be interpreted in so many different ways. Melanie's is oriented differently than Felicia's and consists solely of the traditional eye and a full Tree of Life, whose branches extend throughout the tattoo:

Last up is my daughter Shayna, whose hamsa is on the outer part of her leg, above the ankle:

Shayna's hamsa has no tree, but holds a "Chai" in its palm, in the middle of a six-sided star, the Jewish Star of David. It is purposely unshaded, except for the blue in the eye, and the three fish on the fingers. Alex used bold thick lines to create a really striking tattoo.

Three women, three hamsas, three different tattoos that hold deep personal meaning to their wearers.

Note I do not have any direct quotes from Felicia, Melanie, or Shayna. Meaning is interpreted differently, and it is hard to say "this means this" and "that means that," when the tattoos possess a higher spiritual significance.

You can see a half-dozen or so other hamsas featured on Tattoosday over the years here.

Thanks to Melanie, Shayna and Felicia for sharing, and to Alex McWatt, who continues to amaze us with his work!

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Bryan and R2-DBrew (Tattoosday on the Turnpike)

Last week, on our way back from Washington, D.C., we pulled into the John Fenwick Service Plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike for a quick bathroom break. As we were leaving the building, my wife Melanie exclaimed, "Bill, did you see that guy's tattoo?" She was referring to a gentleman who had just walked in as we were walking out. "Go," she told me, "you have to talk to him!"

And talk to him I did. His name was Bryan and he was happy to share this pure awesomeness:

As someone with a nod to Pabst Blue Ribbon in my own ink, this mash-up of a PBR can and R2-D2 from Star Wars ranks up there as one of my favorite tattoos. It's just plain fun.

Bryan credited an artist named Bryan Merck (@bmerck_ink) who works out of Evolution Tattoo in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Bryan had previously worked at the now-defunct Deep Six Tattoo in Philadelphia.

Bryan also shared this new tattoo he got over the summer:

For those unfamiliar with National Bohemian, that one-eyed chap is "Natty Boh," who graces labels of the regional mid-Atlantic beer.

Thanks to Bryan for sharing his awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, August 20, 2018

Paulina and Joey's Fan Tattoos

I have always been fascinated by folks who get autographs of famous people tattooed on their bodies. That said, it was great talking to Paulina and Joey, a couple I met in Bay Ridge at the 5th Avenue Festival back in June.

Paulina has an Avenged Sevenfold (@avengedsevenfold) tattoo, along with the band's signatures on her arm:

Joey has a similar thing going with the band Sum 41 (@sum41) on his leg:

Both sets of tattoos were done by Matt Huff (@matthufftattoo) from Brooklyn Ink.

Thanks to Paulina and Joey for sharing their band tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Danny's Cab for His Father

Earlier this summer, I was at a barbecue at my friend Danny's house and noticed he had a new tattoo on the back of his leg:

Danny, whose work has appeared on Tattoosday previously (here) told me the piece, which features an old New York City taxi, is an homage to his father, who was a cab driver for many years. The plate even features his dad's old medallion number.

Kudos to Mr. Kaves (@misterkaves) at Brooklyn Made Tattoo (@brooklynmadetattoo) in Bay Ridge for this cool tattoo that is a tribute also to a New York City that is no more. You can read an article I wrote about Kaves and Brooklyn Made here. Work from Mr. Kaves and other artists from Brooklyn Made has appeared over the years on Tattoosday, linked up here.

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

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Anahi's Red Crab from Guyaquil

Last month at the NY Empire State Tattoo Expo (@nyempirestatetattooexpo), I met Anahi (@anaartesanatattoos) a tattoo artist working out of Stefano's Tattoo Studio (@stefanotattoostudio) in Lima, Peru.

I stopped her because I was intrigued by one of the tattoos on her legs:

I'm a sucker for a cool crab tattoo (as evidenced here), so I just had to ask about it.

Anahi explained that for many folks in Ecuador, especially in the largest city, Guayaquil, the crab is an "iconic animal." Guayaquil is the center of the nation's seafood industry, and las cangrejadas, or crabhouses, are very popular. The red crabs are thus a symbol of Ecuadorian pride.

Anahi credited the work to Marlon Espitia (@marlon.espitia) who tattooed her in Ecuador at Love Tattoo Parlour in Guayaquil.

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

Monday, August 13, 2018

Where The Starry Night Sidewalk Ends

I met Christopher last summer at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (@mermaidparade). He shared this cool tattoo:

This familiar-looking imagery is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Christopher told me that, when he was a kid, he used to carry around a Starry Night poster, so he has had an affinity for the artwork for a long time. What's particularly cool about this piece is that, on the inner part of his arm, it merges into other familiar imagery:

That is the cover art from Shel Silverstein's classic book Where the Sidewalk Ends.

Christopher credits the tattoos to an artist named Pee Wee in Manhattan.

Thanks to Christopher for sharing his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Sarah and the Sea of Stories

Earlier the summer, I met Sarah outside of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. We were both there to see a production of Othello, and her colorful tattoo caught my eye:

She explained that the tattoo is inspired by Salman Rushdie's marvelous book Haroun and the Sea of Stories. The artwork depicts Butt the hoopoe, flying out of the golden envelope to take the protagonist, Haroun, back to the Sea of Stories.

The tattoo was created by Georgia Grey (@georgiagreytattoos) and done at Bang Bang Tattoo (@bangbangnyc). She now works at Roses and Rebels Tattoo in Jersey City.

Sarah elaborated on the tattoo:

"I love stories and I love the way [Rushdie] writes about old stories and new stories merging together ... the description of the setting sounded like the most magical place you could ever hope to see if you love stories and I couldn't imagine what it looked like myself ... I loved [Georgia Grey's] work so I asked her to render it for me and now I get to keep it forever."

Thank to Sarah for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Jackie's Beautiful Back Tattoos

This past June at he annual Mermaid Parade (@mermaidparade) on Coney Island, I met Jackie, who shared some gorgeous tattoos on her back:

Jackie explained that the flowers on the left are dogwood blossoms, in honor of her grandmother. The mandala on the right is a nod to her being a yogi.

Both pieces are the creations of Felix Vayner (@felixvayner) from Woodstock Tattoo Studio (@woodstocktattoostudio).

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

Monday, August 6, 2018

Amber's Convention Ink

Back in June, I spotted Amber (@xxskinnyfistsxx) walking near Federal Hall in the Financial District. She was kind enough to share a couple of her tattoos, including this really cool one on her thigh:

Amber has gone to a bunch of tattoo conventions and really takes advantage of the events allowing you to research and experience the work of loads of amazing artists. She has a specific aesthetic that appeals to her and has found some great artists that way. At the Philadelphia Convention earlier this year, she met Beau Guenin (@beauguenin), who tattoos out of Masterwork Tattoo (@masterwork.tattoo) in Indianapolis.

After meeting Beau, she decided to fly out to get tattooed by him at the Chicago Tattoo Convention, where he put on this massive skull and rats piece over a six-and-a-half hour stretch.

She noted that he also does a lot of frog tattoos, and he is known as "the frog guy" to many. Check out his Instagram to see some more of his work.

When she was at the Philadelphia convention, she was getting tattooed, as well. She described walking past the booth of Rich Wren (@therichwren) from Relic Tattoo (@relictattoo) in Horsham, Pennsylvania. She had trouble deciding at first, because he had a lot of great "weird monster stuff going on." She ended up with this really unique witchy lady on the back of her calf:

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

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Cristina's Heart of Palm

I spotted this tattoo on Cristina back in June while attending the 2018 Coney Island Mermaid Parade (@mermaidparade):

These two palm trees make a perfect heart shape. Nothing fancy, just a cool design and a positive message.

Cristina credited the work to Josh Arseneau (@josharseneau) at Electric Anvil Tattoo (@electricanviltattoo) in Brooklyn.

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

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Jackie's Lucky Cat

Back in June, at the Summer Vibe Tattoo Festival in Long Island, I ran into Jackie, who I had met two years ago at the 2016 Empire State Tattoo Expo (see the post here).

Jackie was kind enough to share this lovely Maneki-neko tattoo on her leg:

Since I got my Maneki-neko in February, I feel a kinship with folks who have similar tattoos. Hers, of course, is more traditional than mine.

This cool "lucky cat" was done by the amazing Po Zhang (@popotattoo) at World Famous Tattoo Art Gallery (@worldfamoustattooartgallery) on Long Island.

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

Friday, August 3, 2018

DINOSAURS ARE AWESOME!

At the end of June, I met Dana near Bowling Green in lower Manhattan. She shared this awesome tattoo on her thigh:

This cool tattoo features a trio of dinosaurs, a triceratops, a Tyrannosaurus rex and a velociraptor.

When I asked Dana why she chose a big dinosaur piece like this, she exclaimed, "Because dinosaurs are AWESOME! And, I love Jurassic Park."

She credited Ron Mor (@ronmortattoos) from Hand of Glory (@handofglorytattoo) in Brooklyn with this fun and cool tattoo.

Thanks to Dana for sharing her awesome dinosaurs with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, August 2, 2018

"LEXIT"

This is one of those random tattoo photos I have swimming around from last month's NY Empire State Tattoo Expo (@nyempirestatetattooexpo):

I did not get the name of the woman on whom this work was inked, nor did I get the name of the artist, but I have dubbed it "Lexit" (rhymes with "Brexit").

Despite the anonymous nature of the host and a lack of story, it's still worth sharing as an interesting piece of work, to be sure.

Thanks to the nameless contributor for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

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