Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Poseidon on Mark (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Earlier this month, at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Mark, who had traveled all the way from Manchester, in the United Kingdom, to obtain this awesome tattoo:


This portrait of Poseidon was inked by Henrique Carmo (@hcarmo_tattoo) out of Revival Tattoo Studio (@revivaltattoostudio) in Blackpool, England.

See an Instagram video of the tattoo in greater detail here.

Thanks to Mark for sharing this great tattoo 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.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

James and the Cardinal (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 cool black and gray piece on James:


James told me that shortly after his father had died, a cardinal landed on the bird feeder in his back yard. He had never seen a cardinal there before and he was reminded that someone had told him that a cardinal is a sign of someone who has passed away coming to visit you.

This piece was created by "Fame One" out of Pride N Envy Tattoos in Kissimmee, Florida.

Thanks to James for sharing this amazing tattoo 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

Monday, February 26, 2018

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.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Daryel's Back (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Earlier this month, at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Daryel hanging out at the Swagga House Tattoo (@swaggahouse) booth. He was proudly displaying this amazing back piece by Ron Pichardo:


Thanks to Daryel for sharing this awesome tattoo 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.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Kelsy's Dinosaur Skull Illustrates a Point (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Toward the end of my day at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts) earlier this month, I met Kelsy, who shared this cool tattoo:


It's pretty self-explanatory, stating "Women Inherit the Earth" with a dinosaur skull crisply illustrating the point.

Kelsy credited Alicia Thomas (@aliciathomas_art) from Boston Tattoo Company (@bostontattoocompany) in Somerville, Massachusetts with the work.

Thanks to Kelsy for sharing this new tattoo 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.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Danny's Amazing Back Piece (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

If you follow Tattoosday on Instagram (@tattoosday), you would have already seen this, but I am sharing it again as a regular post because this was one of my favorite pieces from the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts) earlier this month.

This one's on Danny:


Danny's back piece, a super conceptual design by New York-based artist Jhon Campuzano (@jhoncampuzanotattoo), took second prize in the extra-large black and gray category on day 2 of the convention. Simply spectacular!

Thanks to Danny for sharing this amazing 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.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Leo in Black and Gray (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Earlier this month, at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Ryan, who was sporting this cool celebrity portrait:


That's Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio), on Ryan's thigh, captured in his role as Calvin Candie in Django Unchained by the talented Mark Vincent (@markvincentattoos) from Iconic Tattoo Company in Downington, Pennsylvania.

This amazing likeness garnered 2nd prize honors in the Black and Gray, Medium, category during the tattoo contest on day 2 of the convention.

Thanks to Ryan for sharing this cool tattoo 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.

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Vincent Impresses with a Hanuman Back Piece (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Last weekend at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Vincent, who shared this amazing back piece:


This phenomenal work depicts the Hindu deity Hanuman and was created by tattooist Eric Backlund (@sketchisms) from Skin Illustrations (@skinillustrations) in Cookstown, New Jersey.

I mean, this is just amazing and seeing this kind of masterful work is one of the main reasons one goes to tattoo shows.

Thanks to Vincent for sharing this spectacular back tattoo 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.

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Marcela's Gorgeous Tattoo (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

I met Marcela briefly at the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts) last weekend and she was kind enough to share this stunning black and grey artwork on her thigh and hip:


She credited Andres Ortega (@Ortega_ink) from Knucklehead Tattoo (@knuckleheadtattooshop) in Glendale, Arizona, with this amazing work. Marcela estimated that it was about 15-20 hours in the making. You can actually get a better view of the piece over on Ortega's Instagram here.

Thanks to Marcela for sharing this stunning tattoo 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.

Friday, February 16, 2018

Philly to the Bone (Tattoosday at the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention)

Last weekend at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Lucas, who approached me and my bald head and suggested I should ink my dome like he had:


Lucas, like many of the folks in attendance at the convention, was still on a Super Bowl high, as the Eagles had brought home the championship just six days earlier. You know someone's a fan when they're proudly inked with the team's logo, and there is no greater commitment than to slap that baby right on the side of your head, like the design on a helmet.

He credited the work to Doug Hand (@thughand) from Northern Liberty Tattoo (@northernlibertytattoo) in Philadelphia.

Lest one doubt the commitment to his local teams, Lucas had, a few years back, had the baseball logo of the beloved Philadelphia Phillies emblazoned on the other side of his dome:


Doug Hand also did this piece.

I'm assuming the back of his skull is reserved for a 76'ers logo, but I forgot to ask.

Thanks to Lucas for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Fly, Eagles, fly!

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.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Bear in Mind (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Philadelphia may be the home of the Eagles, but this Bear caught my eye last weekend at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts):


That's on the back of the head of Brian Vaillancourt (@brianvaillancourt) from Inkslingers Studio (@inkslingers_studio) in Alhambra, California. Brian credited Frank Sanchez (@frank310) with creating this piece.

Thanks to Brian for sharing this bad ass tattoo 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.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Danielle's Peach Perfume (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Last weekend at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Danielle, who shared this really cool and unusual tattoo:


This tattoo depicts a perfume bottle in the shape of a voluptuous female form. The artist's Instagram calls this "Peach Perfume.: It was one of the smaller pieces I saw, but I have never seen anything like it, and I'm thankful Danielle shared it.

She credited the tattoo to Mohawk Jesse Yunker (@mohawkjessetattoos) from Mutiny Tattoo Studio in McDonald, Pennsylvania.

Thanks to Danielle for sharing this awesome tattoo 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.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Nichole's Amazing Back Piece (Tattoosday Goes to Philly)

Last weekend at the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts), I met Nichole, who shared this astonishing full back piece featuring a Tibetan skull:


This is the handiwork of Lou Hansen (@lhansenart) from Dollhouse Tattoo Parlour (@dollhousetattooparlour) in Glendora, New Jersey.

During the judging on day 2 of the show, this beauty won 2nd place in the "Female, Color - Extra Large" category. Congratulations to Nichole and Lou Hansen for the honor!

A hearty thanks to Nichole for sharing this amazing work!


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.

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Dispatch from the 20th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention

For years, I have been dying to go to the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention (@villainarts).

I have long been haunted by the anecdote from several years ago when I had a car at my disposal, but couldn't get it out of the spot in Brooklyn, thanks to several inches of snow that had made the extrication of the vehicle impossible, despite hours of futile effort. I eventually gave up and bailed on the journey.

This year, I was determined to make it happen and took no chances, opting for Megabus, instead, which transported me on day 2 of the convention from Gotham to the City of Brotherly Love, still nursing its hangover from its first Super Bowl title, just six days earlier.

The trip was uneventful and I walked the dozen blocks from the bus stop to the convention center, just ahead of the rain that dampened the spirits of those waiting to get into the venue.

Within an hour of arriving in Philly, I was in the building, completely excited for what I was about to
experience.


Everyone had told me that the Philadelphia show was the gold standard for size. I have been to a few of the New York City shows, and I was told by enough people to expect "hugeness," but I was still amazed by the sheer scope of the venue.


As the day progressed, the venue filled with thousands of people.


Pictures don't really don't do it justice. But check out the map of the convention floor:


There were a thousand booths, and some vendors were even astute (and big) enough to have two booths, on either side of the massive floor.

Tattoosday is all about showing people's work, and one post alone won't cut it. Trust me, there was tattooing...

A tattoo artist at work
But there was also tattoo supplies...


and booths with weird stuff too...


And tattooing....

Victor Modafferi (@victormodafferi) from Bullseye Tattoo (@bullseyetattooshop) working a lion tattoo
and contests (see future posts for winners and runners-up) and entertainment:

Alakazam, The Human Knot (@thehumanknot)

and artwork galore....


I also had the time to get tattooed by JJ Ohlinger from Prohibition Ink (tattoo in a post TBD).


and I ran into some old friends, like Heidi from Hawaiian Ink Guard:


and Deirdre, founder of  Pinups for Pitbulls:


I spent a good 10 hours walking around, getting tattooed, interviewing people, and at one point I lost my voice, so I needed to wet my whistle


But I can't stress how massive a production this was. I mean this is just the section of the floor with the stencil machines for artists:


I mean, they even had a choice of t-shirts, with designs not only from this year's convention, but from conventions past, as well as souvenir shirts from other cities where Villain Arts runs conventions. I ended up with this beauty of a shirt:


All in all, it was blast. Word of advice to the casual attendee - get there early and expect to wait in line a bit. The sheer size of the convention makes security a necessity and most folks had to wait a good hour to get in. If you're getting tattooed and have an appointment, you can arrange to skip the line and have your artist meet you in the lobby.

A huge thanks to Try and Liz from Villain Arts for facilitating my entry and showing this New Yorker some good old-fashioned Philadelphia hospitality. It was greatly appreciated. I look forward to coming back next February for more of my "Phil" of this amazing tattoo arts experience!

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.

Friday, February 9, 2018

Daniela's Memento of San Francisco

Yesterday we featured a tattoo on Arnold (here) but neglected to mention the young lady with him when we met. Her name was Daniela, and she also hailed from Baia Mare, in northern Romania.
Daniela also shared a tattoo with us, this whimsical piece that sheds warmth on a winter's day:


Daniela told me she got this in San Francisco, and the simple symbols for sunshine, palm trees, and the ocean serve as memories from a lovely vacation. Every time she looks at this, she said, "I am going to remember I went to San Francisco, the month that I spent there, the memories ... I just go back in time, the people you meet, the things you do."

Unfortunately, she did not tell me who did the tattoo, but it is a lovely, whimsical tribute to her time in California.

Thanks to Daniela for sharing this cool tattoo 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.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Arnold's Ink

Back in October, I met Arnold down by Federal Hall in lower Manhattan. He was wearing a "Tattooed and Employed" baseball cap, so I just had to talk to him. He shared this cool piece on his upper arm:


Arnold hails from Transylvania, in Romania, but lives in New York now. He credited this work to one of his friends back in Transylvania, Ghiroltean Teodore Marta, who works out of The Ink in Baia Mare, Romania. The message at the top of the piece says "I wished I was on our side."


Thanks to Arnold for sharing his cool tattoo 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.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Elsa's Ouroboros

I met Elsa on Wall Street back in the fall. Born in the Netherlands, but now living in New York, she was kind enough to share this tattoo on her forearm which has a distinctly international backstory:


Elsa explained that she got this from a friend of a friend at a tattoo shop in Istanbul. She elaborated on the meaning of this simple design, as well as the bracelet below it:
"This is sort of an ancient sign of a snake eating its own tail, ouroboros, and a lot of people have that as their tattoo....and it means, I think, a lot of different things in all these traditions that have used this symbol ... one of them being self-sufficiency ... this idea that you can ... rely on yourself only for how you see the world and how you interact with yourself, as well ... I think most people really aren't there  ... we all rely on our exteriors and I think that's something that I want to remind myself of ...  to be more self-sufficient at times. That's why I have this.
And the bracelet is kind of connected to it because I was in Nepal a year ago and I was looking at jewelry on the street in Kathmandu, in the capital, and this guy comes up to me and he grabs my arm, and he's like 'so when are you going to close the circle?' And, you know it looks kind of like [the tattoo] and ... it was the moment when I was looking at this bracelet."
 Thanks to Elsa for sharing this cool tattoo and the story behind it!

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.

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Lost Sheep from the 2016 NY Empire State Tattoo Expo

This post almost never made it to Tattoosday. It's a long complicated story that involves lost recordings of my interview with a New Jersey-based artist, who I met at the 2016 Empire State Tattoo Convention (@nyempirestatetattooexpo). You read that right, this is from a year-and-a-half ago, and I unfortunately lost the name of the woman who shared this with me, but I do have some details salvaged.

First off, these amazing sheep totally caught my attention:


The woman who shared this explained that her adoptive mom was born in the year of the sheep. And the black sheep represents natural mother, whose name was "Ping." She joked that getting the sheep was a better tribute than just getting "Mom." Just below the sheep is a goose:



The tattoos were done by a couple of amazing artists - Paul Booth (@paulbooth) did the sheep and Nick Baxter (@burningxhope) did the goose and the rest of the arm.

Thanks to my unnamed contributor, who I will hopefully run into one day again, so I can properly thank her for sharing these amazing 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.

Thursday, February 1, 2018

A Healing Tree

In the fall, I met "A" at the Union Square green market. I had noticed her tattoo and was fascinated by its simplicity and how it appeared to have been designed and inked around a scar. She was kind enough to share the piece and tell me a little about it:


"A" explained how this tattoo of a tree with roots came into being:
"I was trying to go on a solo week-long bike trip around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and I was gonna bike around, put my gear on the back of my bike ... I was on this stretch of really gravelly highway by myself ... I had gone fifty miles that day and was two miles from my campsite and the bike hit some gravel. It slid out from under me and I fell right on my elbow, completely shattered it and when they stitched me back up and put me together I wanted to get something around the scar ... it was kind of traumatic and I knew I was going to have to get used to talking about it, so the tattoo was kind of a good way to get used to talking about it with people and not being traumatized."
"A" credited the work to Tony Silva (@tonysilvatattoo) at Electric Arrow Tattoo in Ronkonkoma, New York.

Thanks to "A" for sharing her cool healing tattoo 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.