Joseph and His American Eagle

On this day before Independence Day, let's celebrate some good old American traditional ink, like this awesome eagle on the chest of Joseph, who I ran into last month at the Whitehall subway station: 

Joseph, who shared some other work that will appear at a later date, credited this particular piece to Joseph Kindya (@joekindyatattoo), owner of Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge.

Thanks to both Josephs for their contribution, and we here at Tattoosday wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July tomorrow!

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.

We Are TEN!

Ten years ago today, Tattoosday was born out of BillyBlog.

A decade and 2078 posts later, we are approaching 4 million page views and still puttering along.

Alex McWatt at Three Kings helped me ring in my 50th year on earth, and 10th year of Tattoosday with this custom-designed eagle with a New York City theme.

Stay tuned as we celebrate our tenth year with lots of fun stuff, including visits from some old friends.

Thanks to you, our loyal readers and contributors, who have been so kind to us over the last decade!

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.

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.

Two Tattoos From Jason

I met Jason in Penn Station last month and he shared two tattoos with me. First, this tiger on his forearm:

He credited this to an artist named Mike at Immortal Ink in Flemington, New Jersey.

Jason also shared this cover-up on his upper right arm:

The woman in the tattoo represents his wife, and Jason had spent time in the Navy. He likes the art for art's sake and told me, "I'm not much of a meaning guy."  This was done by Adam Hays at Red Rocket Tattoo in New York City. We've featured work by Adam previously on Tattoosday here and here.

Thanks to Jason for sharing his cool ink tattoos 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.

Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Sylvia's Back Piece

The one day in Hawai'i when I didn't take any tattoo pictures, I did pass out a few fliers. One I handed to a woman sitting in a chair at the Safeway Center on Kapahulu Avenue.

She had what appeared to be an incredible back piece, the top of which was visible to passers-by.

Sylvia later e-mailed me and shared a link to a site that featured a photo of the tattoo, along with an explanation of the piece. I have extracted it here for the enjoyment of the Tattoosday audience.

First, the tattoo:

Sylvia explains:

"My tattoo represents my ancestry...from the family of the 'Royal Hawai'ian Ole' (chanters of the Alii court), from the snowy mountains of Japan, the homeland of Portuguese Bean soup, and the inter-mix marriages of American Indians and Puerto Ricans. I believe the seven I have on my back describe who I am the best. Most locals have meaning for their tattoos but we also have people like Lindsay who just go with their flow. Many families have several signs that make up their families even as far as the Scottish Clan "Duncan" like me..."

What's wonderful about this tattoo to me is that Sylvia has incorporated so many cultures and motifs into the design which, as she acknowledges, is based on the wonderful mix of heritage and ancestry that comprises her background. This is very typical of people who live in Hawai'i, which is host to such an explosion of multicultural intermingling.

I love how the honu/sea turtle brings all of the elements together. The eagle, dragonfly, bear paw, wolf, buffalo, and shark all join to provide a rich tapestry of images that each speak to a different aspect of her heritage.

Sylvia's tattoo was inked by Joseph Garcia, Trigga Happy Tattoo in Waipahu. Eagle, Dragonfly, Bear Paw, Turtle, Wolf, Buffalo, and Shark.

Thanks to Sylvia for responding to me initially and for sharing her tattoo via her post here. We here at Tattoosday appreciate your contribution!