Celebrating Steve's Tattoo on Patriot's Day

September 11 is always a difficult day here in New York City, and I always want to honor those who lost their lives in 2001 with an appropriate tattoo. I have tended to repost a couple of lasting images in the past, but back in June, at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention, I met Steve, who had just recently had this piece done:

Steve told me he belongs to a bike club, which inspired this tattoo which features a bald eagle perched on a Harley Davidson engine, with the United States flag flying in the background.

I noticed at the time that the twin cam engine bears a resemblance to the two towers of the World Trade Center, which Steve acknowledged was part of the appeal of the design.

This patriotic tattoo certainly seems appropriate for Patriot Day.

Steve credited the artist Rudy Sciarra from Underground Tattoo Studio in Cranston, Rhode Island.

Thanks to Steve for sharing this work with us here on Tattoosday. And thanks to the men and women who gave their lives on September 11, as well as all of those that have served and continue to serve and protect us.

This entry is ©2015 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.

Jeremy's Eagle Soars

Ever since Lock Yard, my favorite watering hole, opened last fall, I had been admiring the tattoos of Jeremy, who works there. He's got quite a few, including this amazing American eagle:

"I have about twelve years of counter-terrorism experience with the government," he told me, adding, "so it's just my tribute to America."

As for the pain in getting your throat tattooed, Jeremy told me, "I had no problem with my throat - my feet and my stomach were exponentially worse."

This great work was done by Rob at Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Work from the shop has appeared quite often over the years here on Tattoosday. Click here to see what we've seen through the years from Rob, Joe and Alex at the shop.

Thanks to Jeremy for sharing his awesome eagle with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 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.

Celebrating Independence With a Captain America Tattoo

I ran into Kristin recently on Third Avenue in Brooklyn and she shared this tattoo on her arm, which seemed appropriate to post today:

Kristin is a big comic book fan, and she chose this Captain America shield because "he's the great American hero" and "he's my favorite Marvel [Comics] guy."

This was done by an artist named Kattan at Liquid Expressions Tattoos in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Kristin for helping us celebrate Independence Day by sharing this cool tattoo!

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.

Re-Post: A Patriotic Tattoo for Patriot Day

I am rarely satisfied with something from my unpublished backlog when September 11 rolls around.

I have re-posted a 9/11 Memorial Tattoo several times already, so I am re-posting this one, from 2008, because it also seems like an appropriate sentiment for this day.

I also like to share this poem, which I composed back in 2001.

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I ran into Rob in my neighborhood in late August and he gladly shared his patriotic tattoo.

Rob is a Revolutionary War buff and has a distinct interest in American history.

He wanted an "old school" tattoo back in 2000, and wanted something patriotic back "before it was fashionable". He's referring of course, to the explosion of post-9/11 red, white and blue ink. He wasn't disrespecting or being critical of patriotic tattoos done after 2001, he was merely clarifying for me that his piece was not a product of the huge wave of emotion that surged through the country after that day of infamy seven years ago.

Rob's "Land of the free, Home of the brave" banner with the original 13-star flag was inked by Darren Rosa at Rising Dragon in Manhattan. Work from Rising Dragon has appeared on Tattoosday previously here.

Thanks to Rob for sharing his red, white, and blue patriotic tattoo with us here on Tattoosday on this occasion.

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This entry is ©2008,2012 Tattoosday.

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.

Adam's Tattoos Honor God and Country

On April 28th, I was walking across Penn Plaza, outside of Madison Square Garden, and saw a couple of guys taking pictures.

This is fairly common outside of "the world's most famous arena".

Depending on the event going on that day or night, one can get an eyefull of tattoo ink. When there is a rock concert scheduled, there is quite a few visible tattoos on the plaza, when the Westminster dog show's in town, not so much.

On this particular day, there was a WWE wrestling event at the Garden, and the guys I saw taking pictures were waiting for the show to begin.

I approached and met Adam, who had this very cool tattoo on his right bicep:


The piece is designed to flow with his musculature and falls under what I call the "torn flesh" category of tattooing. That is, the tattoo takes on an additional dimension, as it is inked to appear as if the flesh is ripped away, allowing the viewer to see what lies below the skin.

In Adam's case, he bleeds red, white and blue in the form of the American flag. His patriotism is exemplified by this tattoo. As a member of the United States Air Force, he serves our country proudly, and his tattoo is a symbol of how his love of our country runs deep.

Adam also wanted to show me his back piece, a religious-themed work that reflects his faith:


The cross takes up most of the space, and is anchored by a banner that proclaims "May God Have Mercy".

There are also two biblical verses on either side of the cross at the top of the back.

The left is from the book of Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 9 (New Revised Standard Version):

"Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

The right is from lines 14 and 15 of Psalm 91 (also NRSV):

"Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them..."

All the work shown here on Adam was inked by Adrian at Ken's Underground in Dover, Delaware.

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