Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Sound of a Daughter's Heartbeat, in Ink

I met Graham last month on Broad Street in Manhattan last month. I met him in the lobby of the building where I worked and I asked him about the tattoos on his inner forearm:


I guessed correctly when I asked him if the fuzzy line was a sound wave. "Yeah," he replied, "it's actually my daughter's heartbeat." How cool is that? I asked him to elaborate:
"I actually went to school for music and I had originally planned on getting a sine wave on my arm. And then, when I went for my daughter's first sonogram, they checked her heart and the sine wave came up on a screen and I just asked them if they could print it, and they said yes, and two weeks later I had it tattooed on my arm."
This was tattooed by Graham's friend Cheo, who is an independent tattoo artist.

The hand above/next to the sound wave was tattooed by someone else, about nine years ago, when Graham was twenty-one, at a small tattoo parlor on Merrick Avenue in White Plains. He explained:
"It's actually called the Reiki healer's hand ... Reiki is a holistic energy practice...my mother's a Reiki master, and so am I, and that's basically why I got the Reiki healer;'s hand, because it has to do with the master and working on a patient. So it was a way for my mom not to yell at me about getting a tattoo."
Thanks to Graham for sharing his cool 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.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Old Drafts, Part 1

I was working on my blogger publishing platform, marveling that I have published over 1700 posts on Tattoosday over the years, when I noticed that I have 23 drafts that have yet to see the light of day, or are just sitting there, functioning some way.

I decided to purge these old semi-posts, but thought I would give them life in a mass post or two (or three or four).

Like this unadorned post from May 2010, called NYC Tattoo Convention: A Snapshot:

Last year when I attended the New York City Tattoo Convention, I was awed by the spectacle of it. My inkspotting brain overloaded as I processed the data before me and, despite many people expecting a flurry of posts, I wrote one dispatch and only photographed three people and reported on those here and here on Tattoosday.

This year, I approached it differently. My lovely wife Melanie joined me, and I hoped to introduce her to several people I have met through my inkblogging experience. I also enjoyed observing her closely as she was the recipient of the overstimulating organized chaos of the event. And despite our combined reverence for the art, our combined ten tattoos seemed collectively paltry when compared to visions of sleeve after sleeve, chest pieces, back pieces, and full body suits.

Acknowledging that it is impossible to fairly "cover" a three-day event when we hung out for only 3-4 hours, I offer up a snapshot, rather than a recap.

As for the typical Tattoosday tell-me-about-it-post, I only collected photos from one attendee, whose amazing work is here.

Upon arrival, we did a few loops, checking out the various booths, artists, and attendees.

Of note were the artists at Sacred Tattoo. Picasso and Lalo were finishing up sketching an immense octopus on the back and shoulder of a convention-goer. He would eventually get some of the piece completed, as the two artists tattooed him simultaneously.

We were also drawn in by the two artists from Japan who were not only tattooing, but they were using traditional equipment. This is always a big hit at the convention, and generally draws a crowd throughout the day as the clients lay on the floor, barely flinching at the repeated penetration of the needles. Gawkers flinch for them enough. But it's still an inspiring site to see a generations-old art practiced in person.

I could fill a month or two with dispatches from Roseland if I wanted to. But I don't. Imagine, I go everywhere with my little Polaroid digital camera, just to be prepared to take a picture of someone's tattoo. Yet, put me in a convention hall where it's hard to find someone without ink, and I exercise a form of abstinence. The phrase shooting fish in a barrel comes to mind.

Before taking the one set of photos I couldn't resist (Greg and his sharks here), Melanie and I stopped by to say hello to Marisa from Needles & Sins, working at the Father Panik booth. We checked out her new foot tattoo and, while chatting, the woman who had been, hours earlier, under Dan DiMattia's needle, stopped by to say hello, her right thigh swathed in cellophane as a traditional post-tattoo dressing.

Di Mattia's tribal-style black work popped out visually even under the plastic wrap and we just stood and admired how beautifully done it was.

So, it was a relatively short stint at the Convention this year, but well worth the price of admission.

~ ~ ~

Obviously, pictures would have been nice, which is why this was relegated to the dustbin of Tattoosday archives.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Katrina and the Headless Victorian

One of the last photos I took at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention back in June was this tattoo on Katrina:


The work is by Tig Quest at Big Bang Ink in Brooklyn.

When I met Katrina, it was very loud, so I didn't get much information, other than her artist's info.

The message of the tattoo is clear, however - "The idea is to die young as late as possible." flows across the banner behind the decapitated woman in a ball gown. The quote is attributed to British anthropologist Ashley Monatgu.

Thanks to Katrina for sharing her tattoo 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.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Rachel and Her Tree of Life

I met Rachel after work one day on Wall Street and asked her about this tattoo gracing her right arm:


It's a pretty cool concept with our solar system swirling above a tree bordered by an embryo and a skull.

She credited the work to Rich from High Roller Tattoo in Hicksville, New York.

"It was like six or seven years ago," she told me, "it was just something I came up with artistically and he [Rich] cleaned it up ... it's basically the tree of life."

Rachel even went so far as to send me a side-by-side comparison of the tattoo, then and now, as an interesting illustration on how the tattoo has aged over six years:



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

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.


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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Elisa's Pulp Tattoo by Karel Mato

Once in a blue moon, I'll get off of my bike on the bike path to ask people about their tattoos. I rarely will disembark and hop off onto a sidewalk to interview someone. However, this summer I did just that, back in August, when riding along Ridge Boulevard in Brooklyn, I saw a woman with an amazing tattoo in front of the Bay Ridge branch of the Brooklyn Public Library.

I can only imagine how disconcerting it is to have some guy jumping off his bike to ask about your tattoo but, fortunately for me, Elisa was forthcoming and allowed me to take a photo of this gorgeous piece on her upper left arm:

Elisa gave me some details about this incredible tattoo:
"I love pulp paperbacks, and the art work on the covers. I collect them. One of my favorite artist's is Robert Maguire. His covers are beautiful. I also love Jim Thompson. This is the cover art from [his 1957] book called, Wild Town. I love her, and identify with the emotion and clandestine darkness of this cover. 
It was hard to choose a cover, I have many I adore... but I am 100% happy. I can hardly wait for my the next one...."
Elisa credited this tattoo to an artist named Karel Mato, who works out of Electric Church Tattoo Parlour in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Karel is a good friend of Elisa's and he tattooed this piece on one of his visits to New York. If you're interested in Karel's work, check out his shop's Facebook page, linked above, and see some more of his amazing tattoos.

Thanks to Elisa for sharing her tattoo and the story behind it 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.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Paulie Wears Gene Proudly on His Sleeve

For quite some time, I have been passing by a street vendor on Wall Street who has been sporting a pretty cool tattoo.

I usually see him around lunch and he's often busy selling sandwiches, so I always balked at bothering him when he was busy.

Finally, a couple weeks back, he had a break and so I introduced myself.

When I told Paulie about the site, he was happy to share this tattoo on his left forearm:


That is, of course, Gene Simmons, the bassist from the band KISS known for many things, including his long tongue.

Why does Gene grace Paulie's arm?
"I've been following KISS for the longest time ... He's like a mentor to me ... what he has, we have something in common ...Gene's always working, always working, even when he's retired, always working to make the money, and I like that."
And what do they have in common? Paulie showed me:


The best part of the story, for me, was finding out who did this tattoo. Paulie told me it was a guy named Siki, aka Siki Boy or Siki the Kid, from Brooklyn, who was coincidentally the artist that did my first tattoo back in 2003.

So if you're walking down on Wall Street and you see a guy with Gene Simmons staring up at you from his arm, say hi to Paulie and buy a sandwich from him. They're pretty damn good!

Thanks to Paulie for sharing this cool tattoo 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.


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Maureen's Last Line: Lost, Then Found

I met Maureen on the 59th Street subway platform last month in Brooklyn.

She had a cool literary tattoo on the inside of her wrist, so I asked her if she'd allow me to take a photo and tell me about it. She agreed, but when I hot home, the photos I had taken were gone, due to a bad memory card.

I was fairly bummed but I had hope. New York commuters are creatures of habit and I banked on the fact that I would spot Maureen again and, sure enough, a couple weeks later, there she was. I confessed my technical issue and she was kind enough to let me take another photo. This time, I got it:


The tattoo reads:
"So we beat on,
boats against the current,
borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Maureen explained that this is the last line in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which has always been her favorite book. "It was an important book for me growing up," she explained.

She had this done by an artist known as "A-Rod," in South Glens Falls, New York. A-Rod is currently working out of Tattoo Clinic, Ink 4 Joe.

Thanks to Maureen for sharing her literary ink 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.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Abby Remembers Fressa Pants

Looking back over the summer, I had one remaining post from the day of the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

I was sitting on the N train, waiting to head back from the beach, when I noticed the woman sitting next to me had this tattoo on her arm:


Of course, I had to introduce myself and ask what this tattoo was about.

The tattoo graces the arm of Abby Bean, a vegan blogger, whose site A (soy) Bean, chronicle some of her culinary adventures.

She explained that FP are the initials of her late dog, Fressa, a Maltese-Shih-Tzu-Toy Poodle mix, who she affectionately called Fressa Pants.

Abby got this tattoo at a vegan tattoo shop called Scapegoat Tattoo in Portland, Oregon.

Thanks to Abby for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! Please head over to her blog A (soy) Bean, and check out her adventures!

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.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Taylor, Tops, and Ink Master Returns!

Over the years, we've been fortunate enough to have featured the work of Taylor here on Tattoosday. We first met her here in 2010 and she has shared several new pieces as she has added to her collection. Taylor lives in my neighborhood, working at her family's business, and keeping me posted on her latest work.

I was pleased to see this, her latest tattoo, in my inbox last week:


Taylor explained that she got this pin-up "in honor of Tops Restaurant Supplies, which was established in 1968 by [her] grandfather Harry Monier, who was also owner of the Parakeet Club back in the day."


It's also in honor of her grandmother, who passed away at a very young age, and her father, who started with Tops at the beginning at the age of 17. Taylor works there, too, helping with the family business.

Like a lot of Taylor's other work, this is by Angel at Puncture Tattoo in Brooklyn. Angel is appearing on Ink Master Season 5, premiering tonight on Spike. This season has a twist, in which artists are paired with "rivals," and Angel is paired with Cris Element, now out of Leathernecks Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Both artists will be at a viewing party tonight in Bay Ridge at The Wicked Monk


Be sure to stop by and help usher in the new season of Ink Master!

Thanks to Taylor for once again sharing her awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Kelsy: The Flesh is Weak, But The Soul is Willing

Last month I met Kelsy at The Lock Yard, one of my favorite places for craft beer and artisanal hot sausages. It's also becoming one pf my favorite places for inkspotting.

Kelsy was showing a lot of ink and offered up her chest piece for inclusion on Tattoosday:


Kelsy explained this lovely work:
"I got the tattoo for my grandmother that passed away when I was seventeen. She was basically a mom to me. She always was so nurturing and close to me. So I got the flesh is weak but the soul is willing because I feel that all of the things and all the pain that you go through is only going to shape your soul, what goes on in your soul is willing to persevere through everything  ... I got roses because she grew roses and I'm not Hispanic, but I got a Day of the Dead skull, Dia de Los Muertos, because it's a celebration of death, not the loss ... but the celebration of what they gain and what I gain from always being with me ... even  though i'm 3000 miles away from my family, I feel like they're always with me..."
She said the piece was created by "a mix of a couple people," most notably Eli Falconette at Blacklist Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. Eli was responsible for the roses.

Thanks to Kelsy for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.


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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

A Demon on Wall Street

Earlier this month, I met Samsun, who had a bunch of cool tattoos. She let me pick this demon on the back of her upper left arm:


Samsun credited this work to Nicole Lopez de Quintana at Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn.

She told me she got this because "Everyone has their own demons inside ... I put my demon on the back of my arm so it's like all my demons are kinda gonna watch my back for me 'cause I learned ... from the bad that has happened in my life so I don't make the same mistakes."

Thanks to Samsun for sharing her cool demon tattoo 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.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Nicole's Airplane Soars Across Her Back

I met Nicole at the 4th annual New York City Poetry Festival on Governor's Island last month. This bold tattoo on her upper back caught my attention:


Nicole explained how she came about this work:
"I'd always wanted this ... and I decided to get it kind of on a whim, which is why I don't remember the artist ... and when I went to the [tattoo shop] I said I wanted a 1945 plane the guy was like 'obviously you need to be a little more specific or bring me a drawing' and then his partner walked in and had just happened to pick up a book on aviation and I like found this plane in it." 
Thanks to Nicole for sharing her aviation tattoo 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.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Some of Amanda's Ink at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade

I met Amanda at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade back in June. She shared a bunch of her tattoos, like these on her right arm:


A little more detail:



The peacock and the gypsy are really lovely.

Amanda also has this sugar skull:


And this super cat and fiddle on her left arm:


She credited all of the work shown here to her artist Eric Edward from Hudson River Tattoo in Hudson, New York.

Amanda's tattoos are art for art's sake. As for the cat and the fiddle, she told me, ""It was just a fantastic piece that was just pretty unique and then we just fine-tuned him and then just worked on integrating everything."

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

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.


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Sunday, August 3, 2014

A Mermaid Shares a Tattoo


You rarely see me on Tattoosday, but the stranger who took a photo with my phone did some funky multiple-frame picture taking that generated this gif.

Incidentally, I'm standing with Kristen who posed for a ton of photos at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, as she was part of the group that put the whole event together.

When I mentioned Tattoosday, Kristen was kind enough to share a tattoo on her thigh that was below her shimmering mermaid skirt:


She credited this cool tattoo to her boyfriend, Joe Khay at Citizen Ink in Brooklyn. Joe also designed this year's Mermaid Parade poster.


Kristen explained that her leg has a death theme, thus the skull and the crow, a bird often thought to carry souls within them. The tattoo has a greater significance for her, as she explained:
"It's actually what got me and my boyfriend together ... it's kind of a love story behind it. The tattoo got us together ... I was going to a different artist at the same shop and then I decided, 'Hi, I'm going to go with him for one of these tattoos' ... it was out of his element, he doesn't really do much realism, he does more neo-traditional tattoos so I kinda brought him out of his element, expanding ever since and it brought us together - it's eight months later." 
Thanks to Kristen for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Olga Shares Two Incredible Tattoos

A couple weeks ago on the subway, I spotted a pretty floral tattoo on a woman's arm. When she turned around to get off the train to transfer, I saw she had another tattoo on her other arm, which prompted me to get off the train as well, so I could find out more about this amazing tattoo:


The owner of this amazing tattoo is Olga, who was very friendly and happy to share her work. She explained that this is a memorial piece for her father, Wolf, that embraces her family's Russian heritage. She credited the work to Mikhail at White Rabbit Tattoo Studio on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Olga added:
"I gave Mikhail a very rough sketch of what I wanted, a wolf under birch trees, and he came up with this beautiful piece. I was honestly speechless when it was done, it's exactly what I wanted and so much more. It's very special."
She told me that birch trees reminded her of her old home in Russia.

Oh, and remember the cool floral piece that I initially spotted on Olga's arm?

That piece was done by the phenomenal Amanda Wachob, an amazingly talented artist who is worth researching, just to appreciate her skills as a unique tattooist. The work on Olga's arm looked painted on and I didn't take a photo because it wrapped all the way onto her back. Olga did me a courtesy by sending a photo of her back after it was initially finished:


Olga told me:
"This started as a few cherry blossoms on my arm which I wanted to extend over my shoulder onto my back with a few magnolias. Working with Amanda was amazing and I'm grateful we were able to work on this amazing piece together."
It's always an honor to highlight Amanda Wachob's work.

Thank to Olga for sharing her wonderful 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.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Matt Shares George Carlin with the World

Not many tattoos stop me in my tracks, but that's just what happened when I was walking down 4th Avenue last week and spotted Matt outside of a laundromat with this awesome tattoo:


This fantastic tattoo of the late great comedian George Carlin is by far one of my favorite portraits of a celebrity I've ever seen inked on flash. Perhaps being a huge fan has something to do with it.

Turns out the fan with the tattoo is Matt Huff, tattooer and piercer at Brooklyn Ink, where Joe Mags laid this portrait down. The fact that the image was so immediately recognizable to me speaks volumes of the quality of the work.

Later, in an email, Matt gave me a detailed rundown of his relationship to the tattoo:
"There are several reasons that I decided to get my George Carlin portrait.  I suppose the best place to start is my own personality, and how I will crack a joke about anything, no matter how lighthearted or serious it can be. George Carlin was someone who was a part of my life from when I was a little kid watching Shining Time Station on PBS, to being an adolescent who thought the 7 dirty words skit was edgy and rebellious, through my angst filled teenage years. I've carried the 'bullshit is everywhere' attitude my whole life, and learning the ability to brush it all off and laugh about it have been an integral part of my transition into the person I am today. I figured if there was a person who I quote almost daily, that I should pay homage to, it would be him."
I couldn't agree more - I cut my teeth as a kid in the 70's sneaking peeks at Carlin doing stand-up on HBO specials, an despite never seeing him perform,. I did meet him twice at book-signing. This signed photograph hangs in my bathroom:


Who cares if my name isn't Wayne, it's as funny as hell.

Here's a classic piece of Carlin that I still love:



Thanks to Matt for sharing his George Carlin portrait with us here on Tattoosday. If you hadn't guessed by my gushing, it is truly an honor!


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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.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Sharmeen Has No Regrets About This Beautiful Tattoo (at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade)

Last month at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, I met Sharmeen briefly and snapped a photo of this amazing tattoo on her upper back:


Sharmeen tells us about this incredible work:
"My tattoo was done by Jed from Vintage Tattoo in Pequannok, NJ.  It is a Van Gogh painting that was changed a little bit.  Instead of one path like the original painting, it has 2 paths and the one is a windy road.  That is to symbolize the windy road in the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. In the path it says nullum desiderium which in Latin means no regrets." 
Thanks to Sharmeen for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.


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Thursday, July 24, 2014

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.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Luis and The Tattooed Monk

Last month, I met Luis at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention and he shared this cool sleeve:


Luis's artist is David Styles, who works out of House of Styles Tattoos & Body Piercing in the Bronx.
He is one of Styles' best customers and says he has about 40 hours of work all told on his canvas.

As for this section of sleeve, Luis explains:
"This is The Tattooed Monk. Basically The story behind him is that he's drunk and belligerent, so he's all over the place ... He was actually a crime lord in ancient China - the Chinese and Japanese have different stories - so basically he tried to redeem himself  by joining a monastery and becoming a monk so he could find inner peace and everything ... he just really found out that he couldn't take life without liquor. So he ... just kinda went and took on some monster - he beat the monster but, in turn, destroyed the monastery. so he ended up getting kicked out ... you see a lot of  Japanese yakuza members running around with this tattoo, [like a] big back piece or something like that."
Here's a larger perspective from the House of Styles Facebook page:

Photo courtesy of House of Styles Tattoo & Body Piercing

Thanks to Luis for sharing his awesome sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2014 Tattoosday.

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Saturday, July 19, 2014

The Finished Product: Max and the Wild Things

Earlier this month, I posted about a Where the Wild Things Are tattoo spotted at the Mermaid festival last month. Read the original post here.

Turns out, artist Luke LoPorto wasn't done. He messaged me last night showing me the finished product:

Photo Courtesy Luke LoPorto
Thanks to Luke for updating us!

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Friday, July 18, 2014

Judith and Her Igel (Hedgehog)

Earlier this month, I disembarked a Citibike at Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan and spotted a tattooed woman sitting on the steps of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House behind me.

Her name was Judith and she was visiting from Austria.

She had this cool tattoo on her inner wrist:


Judith spoke little English, but I did manage to identify this creature that she called an Igel as a hedgehog. She said a friend of hers who had taken up tattooing as a hobby did the work on her. He also had done significantly more work on her upper arm:


I'm not sure what this piece is all about, but I do see the maple leaves and dandelions.

Judith, I thank you for sharing your work with us here on Tattoosday! Danke schön!

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.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Brigid, Ornate (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

I met Brigid last month at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention in Brooklyn. I was intrigued by the unusual tattoo on her upper left arm:


This work is by Philip Milic, who tattoos out of Old Crow in Oakland, California. According to the shop site, Milic has a two-year wait for clients, so Brigid was very lucky to get tattooed by him when he did a guest stint at NY Adorned in Manhattan.

Here's a closer look:


It's simply stunning work.

Thanks to Brigid for sharing her awesome tattoo 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.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Reed Is No King, He Wears No Crown

I met Reed in Penn Station last month and he shared this tattoo:


Reed explained that the tattoo alludes to a song by a musician named Dallas Green, who performs as City and Colour.

The banner reads "I'm No King / I Wear No Crown" which appears in the song "Sensible Heart." To Reed it means "I'm no better than anybody else."

He credited this work to Adam Warner, a tattoo artist at The Dublin Social Club in Kansas City, Missouri.

Thanks to Reed for sharing his tattoo 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.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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.