Tattoosday (A Tattoo Blog)

Sunday, June 5, 2016

When All Is One and One is All....

I met Monica outside of my office on Broad Street last week and instantly recognized the lyrics on the back of her neck. She was kind enough to let me take a photo:

This is, of course, the penultimate line in Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."

Why these lyrics? Monica elaborated:

"[There are] lots of reasons ... the short version, I guess ... obviously I love Led Zeppelin, rock and roll, but that moment of that song is one of the most powerful feelings that I would like to always feel."

As if you needed convincing, take a few minutes and watch this classic footage from the concert film The Song Remains the Same (the lyric appears at 9:55):

This was tattooed by Kevin Jang (@BlackFishTattoo) at Black Fish Tattoo on 32nd Street in Manhattan.

Thanks to Monica for sharing this rocking tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

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Saturday, June 4, 2016

Visiting Tattoos from Sebastian and Valeria

Last month I met Sebastian and Valeria, a couple visiting from Germany. Both had tattoos and both were kind enough to share their work with us.

Sebastian chose this tattoo on his upper right arm:

His artist that did this was Inri at Tattoos by Inri in Hanau.

Why this specific tattoo? Sebastian told me:

"For a few years, in my youth, I had a very wild time. I was close to going to jail. The tattoo artist was head of Hell's Angels. Hanau, He's a very cool guy."

Sebastian's girlfriend, Valeria, shared this tattoo on her arm:

This was tattooed in the same shop, by another artist named Jochen.

Danke schön to Sebastian and Valeria for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, June 3, 2016

Sugar Skull Marilyn and Edward Scissorhands

Earlier this week, Marilyn Monroe would have celebrated her 90th birthday. It seems fitting to acknowledge that she is one of those icons that I most often see tattooed on people, like this Day of the Dead version I spotted on Savanna last week downtown on Broad Street:

She credited this to an artist under the moniker Suzi Tattuzi. "I like Marilyn and I like sugar skulls too," Savanna told me, and Suzi ran with it.

She also shared this cover-up that was done by a friend of a friend:

That, of course, is Edward Scissorhands, covering three small butterflies on her forearm.

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

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Liz Shares Ganesha, A Chakra, and Some Neck Flowers

Last August I met Liz on Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

She shared some amazing tattoos, starting with this amazing Ganesha:

She also has this chakra on the inside of her arm:

And lastly, these lovely flowers on her neck:

Unfortunately, my interview with Liz, along with the details of her work, including the artist(s) who created the tattoos, was lost.

Nonetheless, thanks to Liz for sharing these lovely tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Kayla's Geisha on Broad Street

I met Kayla on Broad Street last week and she shared this lovely tattoo:

Here's a broader perspective:

She credited this to an artist named Diego at Village Pop NYC.

Kayla explained:

"I did it in one sitting because I don’t have the patience to wait ... I knew I wanted some sort of naked woman up here because I liked the tone of that kind of imagery and then one day … I find a photo of a woman …and it’s basically this… she’s kneeling down in the photo … it seemed like such a strong photo with her pulling out the sword …and that caught my eye … I went to him [Diego] and was like this is what I gotta have…"

The rising sun was not part of the original image, but added to cap off the top of the tattoo. Diego added the cherry blossoms, as well. The koi fish predates the woman.

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

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Two from Edie on the R Train

Earlier this month, I met Edie on the platform at 59th Street in Brooklyn.

I snapped pictures of some of her work on the R train:

This floral/peacock feather combo brightened up her arm with a super splash of color. She credited the work to Johnny Thief at Seppuku Tattoo (@SeppukuTattoo) in Bloomingdale, New Jersey.

She also has this tattoo on her inner bicep, of a monster hand holding a heart:

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

Monday, May 30, 2016

Repost for Memorial Day - Joe's Back Honors His Grandfathers

Reposting from 2014..... in honor of all the brave men and women who have died in service to our country.

On this Memorial Day, we're appreciating this back piece on Joe, who I met at the NYC Tattoo Convention back in March.

When he shared this with me back at Roseland, I knew I'd be saving it for Memorial Day, especially after Joe explained, "One of my grandparents was in the Air Force, the other one was in the Navy, so I did the World War II scene with airplanes ... and navy boats - I have battleship and I have an aircraft carrier."

This impressive piece took a little over forty hours and was inked by Kenny Restrepo at Leathernecks Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Joe for sharing his back piece with us here on Tattoosday, and for helping us honor and thank all the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country!