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!

This entry is ©2018 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.

Nick Shares Some Work by Paul Acker (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

We're still celebrating my trip earlier this month to the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts) earlier this month. Check out this back piece on Nick:

This amazing back piece was created by "horror tattoo artist" Paul Acker (@paulackertattoo), owner of The Séance Tattoo Parlor (@theseancetattooparlor) in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.

Nick also credited Paul with the amazing portrait of Albert Einstein on the back of his head:

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

This entry is ©2018 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.

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!

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.

Stormy's "Octoface"

Yesterday I recalled meeting Matt on the West 4th Street subway platform. I got on the train with him and Stormy and they shared their tattoos.

This is what Stormy offered up from her collection:

This is a case of someone being a fan of an artist's work, and travelling to another state just to be tattooed by them.

Stormy explained that she admired the work of Matt Kerley (@mattitude) at Glenn's Tattoo Service (@glennstattooservice) in Wilmington, North Carolina, so she journeyed south just to get something done by him. This hauntingly cool design was her souvenir from the trip.

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

This entry is ©2016 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.

Julius and Jeff Share Some Ink

Last fall, after a reading at the New School for the launch of The Best American Poetry 2015, I met Julius and Jeff. They were leaning against the stage in Tishman Auditorium and, despite my fervent requests that they do so, they never e-mailed me their details, so all we have is some basic information on their tattoos.

Julius shared this literary tattoo:

The phrase "Darkness falls from the air" is a quote from James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

Jeff shared this tattoo:

That is from the 1922 silent film Nosferatu, and he got this at Daredevil Tattoo in Manhattan. He makes horror films and Nosferatu is one of the all-time early classics.

Thanks to Jeff and Julius for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2016 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.

Tattoosday Goes to L.A.: Oscar's Horror Sleeve

I previously wrote about meeting Javie Dev, one of the artists at Ace of Hearts Tattoo in San Pedro, along with Vanessa, the shop piercer.

I also spoke to another of the artists, Oscar Montes, who shared his horror-themed sleeve:

He credited the top image in this sleeve to his mentor, Guillermo Figueroa, who works out of Tinta Maldita Tattoo Shop in nearby Wilington, CA.

The middle image, of Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is credited to "the world famous Diablo," a.k.a. Edgar Marquez, who is owner of Long Beach Ink Assassins.

And the bottom piece of the sleeve, the iconic hockey mask belonging to Jason of Friday the 13th fame, was inked by Oscar's friend Irving Lozano, who works out of Addinktion Art Gallery and Tattoos in Los Angeles.

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

This entry is ©2013 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.

Jessica: A Sugar Skull and Scream and Scream Again

In yesterday's post, I talked about meeting Corey and Jessica in front of Penn Station, and we featured two of Corey's tattoos. Today it's Jessica's turn. 

She praised to no end the tattoo artist who did this sugar skull, her friend Chris Handford at Perkins Road Parlor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"They do a lot of traditional and he's originally a painter, so we just said, 'Do Whatever," and he drew up these awesome things ... he's actually a really new artist, but I would say already, skills-wise, far beyond a lot of people who have been doing it longer, especially in the South."

Jessica also shared this incredible piece on her right calf:

Jessica credited this tattoo to a different artist, Richard Hart, who currently works in Baton Rouge out of Art Addiction Tattoo Studio.

Jessica explained the story behind this interesting piece:

"[Richard Hart] is excellent at photo-realism. I found this ... it's from a movie called Scream and Scream Again (1970).

I just loved it and he drew it up on the spot ... I've never seen anyone just draw it, make a quick stencil, look at a computer, and then go off the picture itself. It looks exactly like the picture; I mean, it's insane. Insane. He's definitely awesome!"

It's always great to hear tattooed folk talk so exuberantly about how much they like their artists, and it was certainly nice to encounter some talent from a part of the country we don't see too often up here in New York.

Thanks to Jessica (and Corey) for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 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.

Stephen's Killer Klown

One of the significant changes in the chronology of Tattoosday was the discovery that the Amtrak waiting area in Penn Station was a wonderful place for inkspotting, not just on rainy days, but whenever I had the chance to pass that way.

Stopping someone on the streets of New York City, especially when they are in a hurry to get somewhere, can be challenging. I have discovered that people waiting for their trains, with nothing but time on their hands, are much more likely to be open to discussing their tattoos with strangers like me.

What’s nice, as well, as the trains running out of the Penn Station Amtrak hub go to Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and beyond (New Orleans and Toronto are possible rail destinations).

In early April, I ran into Stephen, who was visiting from Auckland, New Zealand. He has ink on both arms, one leg, and the top of his back, so there was a lot to choose from, once he consented to sharing one of his tattoos.

He offered up this horror-themed illustration, on the upper section of his right arm:

The clown with a cleaver is one of those funny/scary images that appeals to fans of the horror genre. Stephen liked the image and collaborated with the tattoo artist, Jamie Thorburn, to come up with the final design.

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

This entry is ©2011 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.

Jason's Ink Pays Tribute to a Genre

I met Jason and Annmarie in Penn Station as they were headed home to Arizona.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all the details on their work that I wanted and they haven't responded to my email queries.

Jason is a big fan of horror films and his right arm is an entire sleeve of memorable villains from that genre:


Lacking a lot of knowledge in the area, I am woefully unable to identify any of the characters, but I didn't want that to stop me from posting the arm. Readers are welcome to post in the comments section helping me identify these gruesome personae.

In addition, Jason's left arm has this immense Freddy Kreuger (from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series) wrapping around it.


[...]

Now, I mentioned Annmarie at the beginning of the post. Check out the tattoo she offered up to us here.

In the mean time, thanks again to Jason for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Ed. Note:
[...] indicates deletion of text in which I mis-credited the artist and shop.

Horror Goulash with a Side of Power Mushrooms

I was passing through Century 21 Department Store when I spotted Jason, a web designer who estimates he is 50% covered in tattoos.

He offered up this sleeve, which he worked on for six sessions with the tattoo artist Sean Sweeney at Lola's Tattoos in Bogota, New Jersey:


Sean has subsequently moved to Virginia.

They called this piece "Horror Goulash" as it was a big pot of ideas for a sleeve, with an emphasis on the dark and macabre. Over the period of its creation, they collaborated to add ideas to it.


Jason also had this piece tattooed on the back of his left calf:

These are, for the uninitiated, the power mushrooms that are sought after in the Nintendo Super Mario Bros. video games.

Jason loves Nintendo and admitted, it was a "spur of the moment" piece tattooed "somewhere in the Village".

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

The Return of Eryn's Ink: Frankenstein's Monster and the Little Girl

At lunch, I ran into Eryn, whose yarn skull, was one of my favorite posts of 2008.

We've been exchanging messages for a while, and I have been anticipating another sample of her work (she has a lot of tattoos).

She has added to her yarn skull, and her whole right arm is a sleeve-in-progress. We decided to wait and showcase the whole limb when it's complete.

Her January offering was this brilliant portrait from the 1931 classic Frankenstein:


The picture above is the one I took, the one below is from the artist's portfolio:


This tattoo is based on this famous scene from the movie:

That's Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster and Marilyn Harris playing the little girl. The scene is simultaneously poignant and horrifying. It is a commentary on the innocence of childhood and society's destruction of that innocence through its creations. The little girl does not see a monster, but someone with whom to share a beautiful experience.


But the end result is tragic. The monster is even more innocent than the child, until his unintentional curiosity drowns the little girl.

The scene can represent many different concepts. One of which is the way society judges people based on the way they look. Adults see the creation as a monster, whereas the little girl sees him for what he is inside: a child with a curious innocence (soon to be lost).

Eryn has a lot of tributes in ink, commemorating "the darker things [she] loved as a child". This scene is her favorite one in the film, for all the meaning she finds in the brief couple of minutes therein.

The tattoo is inked on the back of her right calf. The detail in the portrait of Karloff as the monster is phenomenal:


The piece was inked by Randy Hall at Hero Tattoo in Conway, South Carolina.


Jeff Cribb, who founded the shop, is credited by Eryn as being the leading force behind the legalization of tattooing in South Carolina.

I also photographed Eryn's knuckle tattoos, which will be appearing in the future on KnuckleTattoos.com.

Thanks again to Eryn for sharing her awesome body art here with us on Tattoosday!