Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2008 Wrap-Up, Looking Ahead to 2009
For those of you following Tattoosday, I am going to take a different approach to the blog in 2009.The concept will be the same, but I am going to enhance it a little bit. All posts will be dated and time-stamped around the time that they happened. So, if I don't get around to posting the ink for a few days, it will be back-dated for chronological effect.I also want to blog above and beyond the
More of Jessica's Ink: Blue Stars and Random Art
Here are some more tattoos from Jessica, who inked much of this work herself. She has over 50 tattoos, and has work featured before here.She has inked some blue stars....And that is Italy as well, with the red, white and green colors of the country's flag. The blue stars accompany a tomato slice and what I assume to be a Madagascar hissing cockroach...and a koala bear.....Thanks to Jessica for
More of Jessica: A Death's-head Hawk Moth and Knee Flames
Here's more of Jessica's ink. "Flames on my kneecap and the death's head moth from The Silence of the Lambs....."That is the Death's-head Hawkmoth:which came to cultural significance when featured on the movie poster for the Jodie Foster movie mentioned above.Thanks again to Jessica for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!
More of Jessica: Moogoogaipan and Red Foo
Here are the last two pieces I have on Jessica (I'm sure in '09 she'll send me more...). They are her foo dogs, which she has dubbed Moogoogaipan (named after the Americanized Chinese food dish moo goo gai pan) and Red Foo.Jessica has shared a lot of ink here. She actually has some other foo dogs in an arm sleeve (shown here) which are well worth seeing again. Thanks again Jessica!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Michael's Mariachis Celebrate Life with a Burst of Musical Color
In reconnecting with old college friends through Facebook, my old friend Michael who I haven't seen in almost twenty years sent me an amazing tattoo he has on his right arm.He sent me before and after shots so we can see the transformation from outline to spectacularly colorful body art. First, the before shots.....The detail and the line work is exemplary and breath-taking. As someone with a
Tattoos I Know: Paul, Part 3, or, The Great Cover-Up of 2008
Earlier this year, I featured the first tattoo belonging to Paul, a co-worker and friend. Later on, he showed me his sleeve (here).I am just getting around to show you his new work in progress, a cover-up of a tattoo on his right bicep, located above the first one of his that I featured here.This isn't completed, but it does display a stage of the work that is interesting. Documenting it now will
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
A Knight to Remember: Veronica Shares Her Ink
I received a pleasant surprise yesterday, just before leaving work, when Brooke (see her tattoos here and here) introduced me to her friend Veronica, who was visiting her in the office.Veronica enjoyed the posts on Brooke's ink, and was willing to share her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday:I correctly identified the tattoo, on the left side of her back shoulder, as the chess piece known as the
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tattoos I Know: Mary-Lee's Paternal Inscription
I'm particularly proud of this particular tattoo story because it hatched out of Tattoosday itself, in a roundabout way.The signature above is a freshly-inked autograph of a man who has been dead over forty years. It graces the back of Mary-Lee, who I have known and worked with for a decade. The signature is that of her father.Earlier this year, Mary-Lee, who has regarded the Tattoosday hobby of
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Jeremy's Patriotic Tribute to His Father
I spotted this patriotic and paternal piece earlier this week at Penn Station.Jeremy explained this straight-forward tattoo, which is inked on the inner part of his left bicep. The design is a tribute to his father, who died on the 4th of July, 2001. Dad had served in the U.S. army in the Korean War and it seemed fitting to Jeremy, who has six tattoos in all, to honor his memory with this
Thursday, December 18, 2008
An Inky Obsession with Hellboy
I met Daniel at Borders and I could tell, from a distance, his tattoo was pretty special. It was only when I saw it up close that I realized how cool it is:This is based on a limited edition print of the comic book character, Hellboy.Daniel is a fan of Mike Mignola's creation, one of his favorite comic book characters, and he acknowledges that he's "a bit obsessed" with Hellboy. His hope is to
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Mike's Reminder, Emblazoned on His Chest
An unseasonably warm Monday, when the temperature rose above 60, proved to be a bonus here at Tattoosday.I met Mike in Penn Plaza, outside of Borders, and of his eleven tattoos, he chose this one to share here on the blog:I was struck by the diamond in the middle of the chest, which reminded me of the piece in the Tattoosday banner at the top of the page.Mike told me that the message "Never Fail"
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Isn't She Lovely? Camille from TV/TV Shares Some Ink
One of the benefits of Tattoosday is that, because musicians tend to have a lot of ink, I meet a lot of them, and learn about bands that I may never have heard about.This past Friday, I met Camille (pronounced Cah-mee) outside of Penn Station and he showed me a couple of his tattoos.Camille is the drummer for the band TV/TV (MySpace here).They just released their 5-track EP Something to Get
Friday, December 12, 2008
Fabiana Shares Two More Colorful Tattoos
A couple of weeks back, I posted some ink from a guy named Tom (here), which featured the trinacria of the Sicilian flag.The above example, from our good friend Fabiana (see her last post here - which links to her previous ones, as well), is a more colorful and elaborate take on the design.Fabiana explains:"The tat of the Medusa head I got because it's on the Sicilian flag. I was born there and
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Tattoos from the Blogosphere: The Back of Nathan's Legs
My recent affiliation with Nathan over at KnuckleTattoos.com has been fairly sparse with the cold weather seizing the Northeast. However once he added me as a contributing writer, I queried about him sending me photos of some of his ink to put up over here on Tattoosday. This post reflects a couple of leg pieces he sports.First a pre-color peek:And then, with some color, in its completed form:A
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Thanks from Us Here at Tattoosday!
On Thursday, December 4, at 4:31pm E.S.T., Tattoosday logged its 100,000th hit.Someone up at Humber College in Toronto googled something that directed them to this photo:which is from one of my favorite posts ever.If you have become a reader since last May, I encourage you to go back and check out that post.Regardless, thanks to everyone who has visited since Tattoosday's inception. 100k is
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Jill's Right Leg: One Post Leads to Another
The previous post featured the "Eld Sigul" insignia attributed to Stephen King's Gunslinger, of The Dark Tower series.As I had mentioned, I was able to locate the artwork on which this earlier tattoo was based, but the specific source of the new design eluded me.So I popped into the local Borders and, after wandering a bit, found the Horror section wherein the King books resided. I perused the
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Karen's Colorful Ink Glows in More Ways than One
Autumn has not been good to us here on Tattoosday. Inkspotting has been, um, spotty, at best, and most of the work I have seen has been indoors and/or below ground.On Tuesday, I glimpsed some color peeking out from a woman's sleeve as she walked south on Seventh Avenue.When I stopped to talk to her, Karen was gracious, despite the chill in the air, and filled me in on the two pieces (yes, just
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tattoos from the Blogosphere: Matt's Canva Gypsy Head
We're revisiting an old friend, Mat, whose last piece posted here, will link you to two previous posts as well. Mat had dropped off my radar a while, but these photos remained in my inbox, awaiting to see the light of Tattoosday.Here's the finished piece:Mat explains, "I've attached a new leg piece. I got recently of a cavna gypsy head. Dustin Golden from Roanaoke, VA. was doing a guest spot [at
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tom's Two-for-Tattoosday Ink Honors His Heritage and His Love of the Yankees
After a bit of a drought of inkspotting, I finally caught some new tattoos in Penn Station on Tuesday, along the L.I.R.R. corridor.Tom has "19 or 20" tattoos and is working to some day achieving a full sleeve on his left arm. He offered me these two tattoos (for Tat-Tuesday), whose close proximity on his forearm made them the natural choice.On top is the trinacria of the flag of Sicily. This
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Fabiana - Under Saraswati
Back in June, I introduced some awesome work on Fabiana here.I followed up with her Saraswati tattoo here.And then, her most important tattoo here.And now we're coming back to Fabiana to see what else she has to share with us here on Tattoosday.This post is called "Under Saraswati". In Fabiana's words:"And under [Saraswati] on my wrist is also a matching tat with one of my exes, the same one
Friday, November 21, 2008
Now Appearing on KnuckleTattoos.com!
Nathan over at KnuckleTattoos.com, who has featured Tattoosday content before, has now added me as a contributor, and I'm pleased as punch (and oh-so-thankful). My first contribution, although not original (it appeared in a longer form here first) is up and viewable here.I'm excited because affiliation with his site will expand my range of inkspotting and lend me some additional street cred. I
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Chris Shares Memorial Peonies for His Grandmother, Aileen
Here at Tattoosday, we're all about finding great ink on the streets of the greatest metropolis in the world, New York City.But we also occasionally get mail from the tattooed who I have not met, but who want to share. I had a little bit of backlog from earlier this Fall and am finally getting to some of the generous contributions.Chris sent me a photo of his tattoo in early October, along with a
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tattoorism 101: Alli's Ink
Here's another installment of Tattoorism. Alli sent me these photos at the beginning of October, so I appreciate her patience while I've taken the time to post these. I'll let Alli speak for herself:Hey there,I'm an avid Tattoosday reader. I, like many others, enjoy the stories that connect us all through one mutual love: tattoos.I have three tattoos, my first inking done at 16 in Durham, North
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tom's Spirit Introduces Me to Eric
I wrote the majority of this post on the way home from my friend Tom Wacker's memorial service on November 12, 2008. I am currently recovering from some outpatient surgery and will use my recovery time to attempt to catch up on things here at Tattoosday.So I am on my way home from Tom's memorial service. A friend gave me a ride from the church in Ft. Lee, New Jersey to the P.A.T.H. station in
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nina's Ink, Part Deux
I'm following up from this post here.Nina had offered up so many tattoos I had to split up the post, and then, well, she sort of got lost in the inkshuffle. Best to reacquaint yourself with her through the post above and then resume here.Nina told me she was the product of Quaker and Jewish parents, and was raised in the Quaker tradition. The core values instilled in her upbringing were virtue
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Tom Wacker, 1966-2008
Late Thursday night I received a phone call I wish had never needed to be made.My friend Sheri called me to tell me that her fiancé Tom had died unexpectedly earlier that day, the victim of an aneurysm. He was only 42.People die every day in America, in the world. Young, old, healthy, sick. Death is a fact of life. Here at Tattoosday, we acknowledge that. Memorial tattoos abound.But Tom was not
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Raul Honors His Father with a Portrait
I spotted Raul outside of F.I.T. and stopped to ask him about this portrait on his inner left forearm.The gentleman pictured is Raul's father, based on a photograph of him taken when he was serving as a paratrooper in the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic.Raul told me he always had a special relationship with his father, who had always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps in the
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Jason's Astrological Ink: Three Taurus Brothers
I met Jason and his father Charlie (see his ink here) at Penn Station while they were in between trains on a Miami-Boston journey.Charlie caught my attention first, but he proudly indicated that Jason had tattoos as well. After talking to the father, I turned to the son and took this photo:In the astrological race on Tattoosday, Taurus clearly has the lead. It helps that bulls make for such great
Friday, October 31, 2008
More of Jessica's Ink: Halloween Post
I have featured a lot of Jessica's work before. The previous post here will link you back to earlier posts.This seemed an appropriate piece for Halloween. It is on the other side of the leg that features Beetlejuice holding a pumpkin. You can see the pumpkin in the photo.The image is of a child in a ghost costume holding a rock and a paper sack. It's based on a scene from "It's the Great Pumpkin,
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Charlie Honors The Birth of His Youngest Son
A cold and dreary day drove me underground on Tuesday, as I spent some of my lunch hour inkspotting, and meeting some new tattoos.Since it was Tat-Tuesday, it only seemed fitting that I met a father and son, Amtrakking from Florida up to Boston, who had four tattoos apiece.I met Charlie first, who had a tiger on his forearm. However, he offered up this piece on his right bicep instead:As a parent
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Hemorrhage: Ryan's Derek Hess Piece is Bloody Awesome
I technically didn't meet Ryan, but he did respond to a flier I passed out. I gave it to his girlfriend, we're guessing around 34th Street in Manhattan, she passed it to him, and he e-mailed me the following photo:Initially, all he told me was "It's a Derek Hess piece. It's my blood around it in the ... photo. It was done by Nick [Males] @ Silk City Tattoos".Of course, I know inquiring minds
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Eryn's Yarn Skull
I had seen Eryn before in the vicinity of 39th and Broadway and wanted to ask her about her tattoos. When I finally got the opportunity, she rolled up her right sleeve to reveal this incredible tattoo:Eryn is a professional knitter and works with yarn on a daily basis (see some of her artsy stuff here). A friend of her designed this piece for as an homage to her vocation, although Eryn admits it
Thursday, October 23, 2008
An Interlude: Third Time's a Charm
Last week I had a bizarre lunchtime walk on Thursday. I met a woman outside of Macy*s who had an interesting neck tattoo. She seemed like a willing participant until the older woman standing with her kept repeating that what I was doing was "weird". The tattooed woman began to appear uncomfortable, so I bowed out gracefully, handing her a flier and moving on.A while later I stopped another woman
Melanie's Traditional Revolvers
As I mentioned above (here), Melanie crossed my path on a day last week when I had been having some bad luck with inkspotting.However, when I saw her on 34th Street across from Macy*s, I had to talk to her about her tattoos.What caught my eye first was her chest piece, two traditional Sailor Jerry designs, including a near replica of the neck piece sported by Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail.She told
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Jessica's Back, Sharing Tattoos 51 and 52
I met Jessica back in June, prior to a Pearl Jam concert, in front of Madison Square Garden. She is an artist in her own right, doing a lot of the work her self, using her own kit and mirrors. Check out the original post here. I followed up with a post of more of her work here. I had a third post planned, as she had sent me some more photos of new work at the end of July.I recently reconnected
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Representing Levittown
This isn't the first Long Island tattoo here on this blog (see Ian Jones' post here), but it is the first specifically marking one place on Long Island.This tattoo belongs to Dave, who told me that he and about 8 or 9 friends share the exact same piece, "geographically correct".There's not much to this piece other than that it is an homage to his home in Levittown, a hamlet in the Town of
Friday, October 17, 2008
Jerome Sports a Dark Tower Tattoo
I spotted Jerome at the corner of 31st and 7th Avenue talking with a friend.He offered up the piece above (one of his nine tattoos) with the disclaimer that the top end had to be redone, due to some unfortunate ink running.Regardless of the small imperfection, it's a pretty sweet tattoo.The piece is based on the artwork featured on the spines of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.Jerome was
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Jesse's Religious Experience
Religious imagery is among the most popular of themes in tattoo art. There is, to the shrinking minority of people who don't like tattoos, a greater level of acceptance of Christian-themed body art.[Jewish tattoos are coming along, but the majority of Jews have fundamental issues with ink on Jews. Islamic tattoos are less common, and I can't speak to their acceptance. Eastern religious tattoos
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
John Paul's Gorilla Tattoo Recalls the Soviet Regime
On Monday, I met John Paul in Herald Square at 34th Street, after spotting a flourish of color on his inner bicep.He was more than happy to show me this wonderful tattoo above.John Paul explained that it is based on a prison tattoo from a Soviet Union gulag. The artwork represents a criticism of the regime of the U.S.S.R., depicting it, not as the common Russian bear, but as the brute gorilla. It
Monday, October 13, 2008
Mara Shares a Decorative Tattoo
I met Mara this afternoon in the plaza at the corner of 39th Street and Broadway. She was kind enough to share the above tattoo, inked on her left forearm.She talked to me as she finished her soup, and I'm appreciative of that, as I felt a little guilty intruding on her lunch break.Mara notes that this piece is "purely decorative". It was tattooed by Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned, based on
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Saint Lucy Graces David's Arm
**This post was updated for clarification of facts on October 13, 2008. As Autumn advances on New York, tattoos have been less frequently spotted by yours truly, but a recent streak of warmer temperatures have extended the season just a bit.I spotted the above piece on David's right bicep last Saturday at a green market in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.The tattoo was inked as a result of David taking care
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tattoo Posts That Go Bad: Peeping Kanji
Last October, I posted a a tattoo belonging to a guy named John here. His friend Donna also had tattoos and tried to show them to me on her lower back/waistline, but she understandably couldn't successfully reveal them fully without lowering her pants to an uncomfortable level. She said she would send me better pictures. She never did. But I kept the post in my drafts folder under the title "
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tattoorism 101: Another Form of Tattoo Regret
The other day while walking near Madison Square Garden, I stopped to talk to a woman about the tattoo on her foot. The conversation went something like this:Me: Hey, can I ask you about your tattoo?She: Ugh, that thing? I hate it. I got it when I was younger and wish I hadn't.Me: Well, I write a tattoo appreciation blog, and would love to tell the story behind it anyway. Would you be interested?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Alvin's Hamsa Honors His Grandfather, a Holocaust Survivor
I appreciate irony, but please note that I submit this post on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calender, with the utmost respect. If I somehow offend, please forgive me.I met Alvin on Penn Plaza, my favorite inkspotting locale, and noticed he had several visible tattoos. Had it been summer, and warm, perhaps I would have seen his Jack Skellington tattoo (sorry googlers, none here!), but
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Joan of Arc Graces Claire's Arm
I ran into Claire, a musician and artist, on 5th Avenue in Bay Ridge last weekend, as we were both walking in the direction of 86th Street. She had some amazingly colorful and vivid tattoos on her arms, the one above included, and I couldn't help but stop and talk to her.Claire studied art history at the University of North Texas and currently works at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. She
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Introducing Mary's Ink: An Incredible Chalice
My wife Melanie, from time to time, gets to plug Tattoosday with people she meets through the course of her day.I recently received the following e-mail: Hi, You don’t know me but your wife Melanie does . . . and of course since I am writing to you…have tats. I started getting them on my 40th birthday. All were done by Fine Line Tattoos. I have attached a picture of one but I can
Monday, October 6, 2008
Some Housekeeping
This is a non-photo post.I want to thank all the folks e-mailing me and several sites that have added me into their folds.Check out the Alltop Badge I added. We're on their tattoo page here.Even more exciting is this awesome review Tattoosday received here on InkedTalk.com. InkedTalk.com is a "daily tattoo blog featuring all original content on tattoo artists, ink trends, tattoo commentary, and
Joel Marks Memories with Some Significant Ink
What is this? Read on.....Last week I met Joel, a writer and a marketing director for an artist management and development company.Joel couldn't tell me how many tattoos he has (he has that many), but he did share two of them with me.The first is posted above and, despite being a little blurry in the photo, this small piece is an early band logo. In fact, Joel informed me that it was the first
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Blessing the Ball
I met Jason while he was chatting with Jessica, who was featured in this post.As I was about to see a WNBA playoff game, it seemed fitting that Jason had a basketball tattoo to offer up.The above piece, inked on his left calf, depicts a basketball, below which are two hands, clasped in prayer.Jason played college basketball for the University of the District of Columbia. He got this tattoo in
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Jessica's Tattoo Will Help Her Find Her Soulmate in the Afterlife
I met Jessica last Friday night before game 1 of the New York Liberty-Detroit Shock playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Her neck tattoo caught my eye as I was going to Will Call to pick up my tickets (to hear about the game, go here), so when I was walking back outside and she was still there (talking to Jason, whose tattoo will be next to appear here), I introduced myself.For some reason, the
Friday, October 3, 2008
Patrick's Ink Reflects His Personality
Last Friday I spotted this cool tattoo on the left forearm of Patrick, as he was hanging out in front of Penn Plaza.This tattoo is one of two Patrick has, and was inked about a year ago at Triple X Tattoo in Manhattan by an artist named Angelo Saracina.Angelo designed this piece as a representation of Patrick's personality.Thanks to Patrick for sharing a little piece of himself with us here on
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Two Tattoos from Lara
Last Friday evening, on the steps of Penn Plaza, I spotted this simple tattoo on the right side of Lara's neck. It is the sign for someone born under the sign of Leo.Even though it was a simple astrological squiggle, I said hello anyway and, as often is the case, she had another tattoo to show me:Actually, she has five altogether, but this one, the word "heart" inscribed on the inside of her left
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Introducing "Tattoorism 101"
Tattoosday was founded upon the concept of spotting tattoos in New York City. I never planned on becoming a submission site, nor did I ever anticipate people would send me photos of their ink. But they have.And I have been conflicted about posting it, as it didn't necessarily "fit the theme".But one thing struck me about two recent submissions from the ether: the people sending me their ink have
Tattoorism 101: Emmie's Vonnegut Tattoo
This is the first installment of what I call Tattoorism 101.Hello Bill, I wanted to start off by saying I love your blog. I really enjoy reading all the stories behind all the interesting tattoos you post. I'm sure you're swamped with submissions, but I wanted to add mine to your collection. The quote "Everything is beautiful and nothing hurt" is from Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five". It's
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Rachel's Roses
I spotted these beautiful roses last week outside of Madison Square Garden, and had to find out more about them.I introduced myself to Rachel with my standard opening line, "Can I ask you about your tattoo?" Rachel admitted to me that the first impression she had was that I was going to try to sell her on a tattoo-removal product or service. She has not been the first person to think that.
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Virgin Mary Will Be Saved
I ran into Michael last week outside of Madison Square Garden. He had numerous tattoos up and down his arms, but he told me that he regretted most of them. He had been in the military, based in the San Diego area, and he said he hoped, someday, to have all of his ink removed."All of it?" I asked. He had a lot.He nodded, but then pointed to the one pictured above, inked on the underside his left
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Vaj Shares His Interpretation of the Creative Process
The triptych above (ok, it's not technically a triptych, but I am calling it that as I divided it into three sections) belongs to Vaj (rhymes with Dodge), a filmmaker who I met across the street from Macy*s on 34th Street and 7th Avenue early last week.This piece was inked about 16 years ago in California by Jeff Rassier, who currently works out of Black Heart Tattoo in San Francisco.Vaj, who has
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Josh Slices Up a Sturgeon on His Culinary Sleeve
At the beginning of the week, I ran into Josh, a chef at an upscale restaurant in Tribeca. He was actually showing his tattoos to a couple of people standing with him, so I felt in apropos to join in the conversation.Josh is hard at work on a culinary sleeve on his left arm, which includes a langoustine, a Red Junglefowl, and the tattoo above, a sturgeon, complete with slicing knife and roe.The
Friday, September 26, 2008
Dylan's Tattoo Dances on Her Ankle
Earlier this week, I met Dylan as she was crossing 34th Street by Macy*s Herald Square. She had the tattoo above her right ankle.She had been a competitive dancer as a teenager, and had this inked when she was eighteen in Santa Cruz, California.It was merely an expression of her love for the art of dance.Thanks to Dylan for sharing her tattoo here with us on Tattoosday!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
News Link: Tattoos Gain Even More Visibility
Tattoos Gain Even More VisibilityBy GUY TREBAY Published: September 24, 2008 WHO in the world gets a neck tattoo? A couple of years back you could have narrowed the answer to gang members, prison inmates, members of the Russian mob and the rapper Lil Wayne. Then something occurred.Continued from the New York Times here
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Christopher's Ink Bridges Generations
Last Friday I met Christopher on Penn Plaza. He estimated that he had tattoos numbering in the mid-fifties.Again, I am sometimes intimidated by folks with a lot of ink, and will usually not trouble them, but not this time.And, of all those tattoos, Christopher lifted up his shirt to reveal one of his most meaningful pieces:The cross with angel wings behind it is graced by a banner that reads "In
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Buddy's Advice about Neck Tattoos
Last Friday was a banner day for inkspotting. By day's end, I had four great Tattoosday stories to tell. This is the third of the four, although it was the first encounter of the day. It certainly set the tone.I was walking east on 34th Street when I spotted a well-inked guy walking in my direction. I am sometimes less-inclined to talk to people with a TON of tattoos, but I stopped him anyway and
Monday, September 22, 2008
First Day of Autumn Tattoo Blues
To celebrate the end of summer (farewell, tattoos aplenty!) and welcome the beginning of fall (come out, come out, wherever you are!), I am posting this appropriate tattoo celebrating the new season.I was fortunate enough to meet Brian on Friday, right in front of Borders on Penn Plaza.As the last weekend of summer was upon us, it seemed bittersweet to find his tattoo above. Brian told me that it
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A Series of Nautical Stars Guide Me to an Amazing Tattoo
I've said it before and I'll say it again: sometimes asking about a common tattoo reaps great visual rewards.Carrie is a prime example. I spotted her nautical stars gracing her right arm near 39th Street and Broadway and I asked her about them. Had she only had one, I may have passed her by, but she had five running up the length of her inner arm, and I had to ask.Well, like this tattoo, I knew
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sal Shares His Illusion-ary Tattoo
On Tuesday I was in Brooklyn Heights, walking toward Cadman Plaza on Clark Street. As I passed a local video store, Mr. Video III, I spotted some ink on one of the employees and decided to head in and introduce myself.Sal has seven tattoos, but he chose to share the one above, from his left bicep.This is, of course, recognizable to anyone who is a rock fan, as the artwork gracing the cover of the
Friday, September 19, 2008
Melissa's Biblical Footnote
Strange as it may seem to have back-to-back foot posts, this may be a trend as the weather cools and sleeves grow longer.I interrupted a conversation Melissa was having with someone else in front of Borders on Penn Plaza to ask her about her inked right foot.The words are based on a passage from the Bible, from the Book of Matthew, Chapter 22, Verse 37, "You shall love the Lord your God with all
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Jackie Wears Words of Wisdom
Last week I had just left the house when a woman passed me on the street. She had the words "live & learn" tattooed on her left right foot. I caught up to her and introduced myself. Jackie had just moved into the building on the corner two days earlier, and I wished her a Tattoosday welcome to the neighborhood.She explained her tattoo by acknowledging that, like most people, she makes mistakes in
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Portrait of Marilyn
Tom Doherty gave me the best answer I have heard to the question "How many tattoos do you have?"He looked me in the eye and said, matter-of-factly, "Not enough."Tom has a ton of ink, and is one of the artists in residence at Another Tattoo Shop in Bound Brook, New Jersey.It's always like winning the lottery when I chance upon a tattoo artist, because they seem to have a greater appreciation for
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
A Grandmother's Vision, Inked in China
Last winter, the cold weather drove me inside, into the nearby Manhattan Mall food court, when I had time at lunch to go inkspotting. The food court has since closed and the mall is undergoing a massive J.C.Pennification, rendering it near useless for people-watching. I bring this up in thewaning days of summer, as last week I had some lunch time to spare and it was raining.So I plodded off into
Monday, September 15, 2008
A Spider from Across the Sea
Last week outside of Penn Station, I spotted this not-so-itsy-bitsy spider crawling across the left side of Alexandra's back.Turns out the spider, along with Alexandra, were visiting New York from Switzerland. Alexandra had limited English, but did impart to me that she "had always wanted something like that" as a tattoo, and that she doesn't regret it one bit.The tattoo artist was named Stephan,
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Introducing Nina's Ink, Part 1
based on:Last Saturday I posted an amazing tattoo the day after I spotted it and alluded to some posts that take longer than others. This is one of those examples.I met Nina about a minute after meeting Mike and spotted the tattoo above. It's a tiny piece based on the graffiti art of one of my favorite artists, Keith Haring.I asked Nina about it and she went on to catalog all eleven of her
Friday, September 12, 2008
Rob's Rite of Passage
I braved a trip to Staples on Sunday, contrary to my notion of self-preservation. September in Staples is one of the outer circles of Hell, at least in my neighborhood, where it seems everyone with children goes for their school supplies. Everyone.But I digress. On a mission for a printer cartridge, I spotted Rob, who is covered moderately by tattoos. I approached him with a flier, which he was
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Paul's 9/11 Memorial
Earlier this month, I mentioned meeting Paul here, on the bike path that runs along the southern tip of Brooklyn.I saved the other tattoo photo I took of Paul's work for today, the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.What I didn't mention in the previous post is that Paul is a federal agent who grew up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.From his vantage point there, he watched the World Trade Center
A Patriotic Tattoo for Patriot Day
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
Repost for Patriot Day: Mike's Tribal 9/11 Tribute
The following excerpt predates the official launch of Tattoosday as a stand-alone blog. I think it's fitting to revisit this tattoo that I spotted on September 4, 2007:I made another pass and headed back home. Once I made my way to the Shore Road promenade, where I do the majority of my cycling. I have several spots along the several-mile route from which I can head home. I decided to go down to
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Mercedes Honors Family Members with her Ink
Mercedes doesn't remember the specific shops where she got her ink, but each piece honors members of her family, both living and gone.Mercedes is a make-up artist that has very close ties to her family, and these relationships have manifested themselves on her tattoos.The piece I first noticed, on her right arm, was this one:This is actually comprised of two parts, the rose and the ankh. The rose
Monday, September 8, 2008
Tattoosday Celebrates Its First Bloggiversary!
I know, I know. You may recall a post from July 31 of this very nature. A year of tattoo blogging in New York City. But this is slightly different.A year ago today, as I was celebrating BillyBlog’s 2nd year in the ether, I launched Tattoosday as a separate blog, apart from the weekly Tuesday post on its parent site. The rest, as they say, is history. Since then, Tattoosday has grown in
Mike Remembers Mom with a Traditional Tattoo
I met Mike in the Penn Plaza area and asked him, among his countless tattoos, which had the most meaning for him. I may have mentioned before that asking a multi-tattooed individual that is like asking a parent to choose his favorite among his multiple children. Mike shared this feeling,but ultimately chose to offer up the piece above.It's a traditional mom tattoo that he had to honor her memory
Sunday, September 7, 2008
James and His Tree of Life
I spotted this Tree of Life tattoo on Court Street in downtown Brooklyn and started talking to James about it.It was inked by an ex-girlfriend of his about ten years ago.The tattoo consists of the tree of life, under which sits Buddha (or The Acorn Man) who is holding a chalice. James pointed out that he is surrounded by a serpent, although it's hard to tell in the piece.Below it is a rune of
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Michelle's Amazing Owl Tattoo Honors Her Dad
I follow a method to creating content for this blog and I generally post ink in the chronological order that I see it. Sometimes a post may take longer because it requires more research. Other times, a tattoo is so good, it deserves to be seen right away. The tattoo above is one of those that demanded it be posted immediately. It helped that the story behind it is short and sweet.I had left the
Friday, September 5, 2008
A Butterfly Journeys with Gillian
I spotted this absolutely beautiful butterfly on the back of Gillian at a street fair in Manhattan last Saturday.Gillian and her sister got the same butterfly together just before she left for college and before her sister headed off on a trip to Europe.The butterfly can represent numerous things. In Gillian's case, it not only represents a bond with her sister, but it also is a symbol for a
Thursday, September 4, 2008
A Butterfly Koi Rising on the Arm of Belquis
Had I not forgotten to get my daughter Shayna her copy of Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, I wouldn't have wandered into the Court Street Barnes & Noble in Brooklyn on Labor Day and spotted this awesome butterfly koi above.Belquis, who has five tattoos, explained that this tattoo represents an interpretation of the koi fish mythology, where the koi is rising out of the water, about
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Verrazano Redux
Just the other day, I posted a cool graffiti-style tattoo of the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island.While on the bike on Sunday, I spotted another amazing bridge tattoo. How amazing? Another Tattoosday first: I pulled up along side the owner of the piece while he was riding his bike and he pulled over to tell me about it.This tattoo, which is a colorful depiction
Monday, September 1, 2008
Michael's Taurus Tattoo
I ran into Michael at Borders in Penn Plaza. He has five tattoos, including a large koi sleeve on his right arm. He offered up the bull tattoo above on his left arm.The piece was inked at Mike's Tattoo in Peterborough, Ontario, north of the border in Canada.Michael is a Taurus, and this bull tattoo represents the astrological sign in the Zodiac. I have featured a Taurus tattoo before in the blog
Alexa's Blue Bird Honors Her Grandfather's Memory
I met Alexa on the southeast corner of 34th Street and 7th Avenue last Tuesday and may have saved her from a little bit of parental grief.I asked her about the sparrow below her neck and she was happy to tell me about it, especially since I reminded her about it. She was waiting to meet her father, who doesn't know she's inked, and she covered up after I snapped the picture.Alexa got this tattoo
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
As mentioned in the previous post, I was having some luck spotting some tattoos while riding my bike along the path that runs along the southern tip of Brooklyn.Last weekend, I was riding north and passed a woman sunbathing in a bikini in the grass along the bike path. I noticed she had some sort of intricate pattern inked on her foot. Yes, I am that committed to Tattoosday that when I see a
Friday, August 29, 2008
Chris Honors His Mother with a Back Piece
Last weekend, while riding my bike along the Shore Promenade at the southern tip of Brooklyn, I spotted the back piece above.Although it is not completed, Chris, to whom the tattoo belongs, was more then happy to share it with us.The story of this tattoo goes back a bit. Chris explained to me that, when he was seventeen, his father took him to get a tattoo. He got a piece on the left side of his
April's Tribal Piece
No offense to people with tribal tattoos, but they (the tattoos, not the people) generally don't generate much interest from me.Unless they are incorporated into a bigger design concept (like this tiger lily piece), they don't seem particularly interesting. I know, I know, that's a sweeping generalization, and there will always be exceptions.But tribal arm bands, anklets, or lower back designs
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Untouchable is Something to Be
John had much ink and, as often happens when I ask, a previously unseen tattoo is revealed which is just as impressive as all the other visible work.John offered up this right upper arm piece, a pin-up straddling a bomb. It's exceptional work and I found the source material on which this is based, a concert poster for the Against Me!:The poster is from a October 14, 2005 gig in Portland, Oregon
Building Their Own Nation
At the tail end of my discussion with John about his tattoo (see the post above), he revealed that he was here in New York with his new wife Liz. Ah, a honeymoon in the Big Apple!Liz and John posed the above tattoos for the occasion. I generally don't go on and on about the photos I take, but I just love how this photo came out: John's wrist nesting lightly in Liz's hand. The matter-of-fact
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Vicki's Shamrock Tattoo
Earlier this month, I posted this tattoo which was a tribute to Olivia Rose, a new daughter born to Vicki. I mentioned in the post that it was Vicki's tattoo below her neck which first grabbed my attention, but that Vicki offered up her newer piece for us here at Tattoosday.Vicki has recently sent me a photo of the original tattoo I saw on her. It's a nice, simple shamrock and hearts.This, like
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Vincent Bears the Spear of Longinus
I met Vincent Corrigan on the way to the subway on 33rd Street between 7th and 6th Avenues. It was a giant arm piece that crawled up under his shirt and onto his shoulder that first caught my eye.However, he offered up the piece above and, in the course of speaking with him, I took pictures of three other tattoos that were notable. I am going to discuss them in reverse order.First, this piece may
Monday, August 25, 2008
Tattoosday, Across the Pond
As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and earlier this month a young lass named Mel over in Newcastle contacted me to ask my blessing to spin off the blog over in England. I blessed and she's off with it. Check it out here.
Kelly's Memorial for a Best Friend / Carpe Diem
I spotted this beautiful cross of flowers on the back of Kelly's neck in front of the entrance to Penn Station on Seventh Avenue.Regular readers may sense a little bit of déjà vu. Did I say her name was Kelly? Sure did. She was, in fact, the third woman named Kelly whose tattoos I photographed in just two days.Kelly's floral cross is a memorial for her best friend who died in the last few months.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Kelly Remembers her Grandmother
This awesome portrait was jumping off of Kelly's right shoulder in Penn Plaza last Wednesday.Kelly has ten tattoos in all, but she chose this portrait for Tattoosday, inked six years ago by Joey Ortega at Kingpin Tattoos in Harker Heights, Texas.This was, according to Kelly, Ortega's first portrait, and he created for her a lasting memorial to her grandmother, who had meant the world to her.The
Punx: Two Friends from Texas
This is a continuation of sorts, from the post above.When I met Kelly, she was hanging out with her friend Amber. And although Kelly appeared to be the more inked of the two, Amber was very positive and enthusiastic about the concept behind Tattoosday.So after taking a picture of Kelly's tattoo, I turned to Amber and asked if she wanted to share as well.The two decided to show off their "Punx"
Saturday, August 23, 2008
A Cool Frog Tattoo on a Hot Day
In probably one of my shortest posts, I present you with the frog above, inked on the left leg of Kelly.I spotted this beautiful tattoo as Kelly and a friend were waiting for some food at a cart on the corner of 33rd and 7th Avenue.Her hands were full and she seemed a bit in a hurry, so I don't have a lot of details (as well as not a perfect picture), but Kelly was in New York, visiting from
Friday, August 22, 2008
Frankie and Her Brother, Forever in Ink
Frankie designed this cartoon portrait of herself with her brother holding hands. The tattoo is on her left bicep. That's her on the right, with the red hair.She had this inked at Village Pop Inc. on West 4th Street in Manhattan. I caught Frankie on the R train and took the photo on the 95th Street platform in Bay Ridge.Thanks to Frankie for sharing this poignant tattoo here with us at
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Crys Shares His Colorful Arm
When I passed Crys on Seventh Avenue last Friday, I knew I had to stop and ask about his arm.Aside from the matching ohms-within-nautical stars on both elbows, Crys has two main pieces on his left arm.Chronologically, the dragon came first:He got it basically because he liked the design. It was inked by Nick at True Blue Tattoo in Austin, Texas.The kanji surrounding the dragon were added later
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Only Tattoo Blog that Educates its Readers About the Clutius Manuscript AND the Hoplite Phalanx
As you may have guessed from the title above, this is an educational post.Anna has four tattoos, but it was this one, on the back of her left calf, that caught my eye as she passed me on Seventh Avenue last week. I stopped to ask what this was all about. And I felt like I was back in the classroom. Absolutely fascinating!This piece is based on the art found on the Chigi Vase:So why is the Chigi
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Surgeon General's Warning: A Varga Girl Smoking on Your Arm Looks Awesome
Meet Priscilla. That's her above on Maeve's arm, as seen last week on 6th Avenue. Maeve offered her to Tattoosday from among the thirteen tattoos she has. Priscilla, as Maeve calls her, is based on the pin-up art of Alberto Vargas. Check out more of his work here.The work on which she is based initially had her as a blonde, but Maeve, made her a brunette. She also chose to have her smoking
Monday, August 18, 2008
Massimo Shares A Tribal Design
I met Massimo on the plaza in front of Penn Station last Friday and talked to him about this cool piece he has on his right foot.He was visiting from Milan and, according to him, designed and tattooed this himself about seven years ago. He had a friend who was a tattoo apprentice around that time, who taught him the basics of tattooing.He began by saying this was Hawaii-inspired, which is
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Chris Wears His Knife on his Sleeve
On Wednesday I met Chris, outside of the hotel across the street from my office. He sported four tattoos in all, but this one was the most fascinating.Chris was in town (he resides in Ripon, California) on business as the tour caterer for Neil Diamond (he has also worked for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and others).The knife, on his left forearm, is a portrait, one could say, of his own chef's knife.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Kate's Floral Arm Piece
Kate had this tattoo inked about 8 years ago somewhere in New Jersey. She doesn't recall the artist or the shop, but that is often quite common.The piece, which is on her right bicep, was designed by a friend of hers who was a tattoo apprentice.She likes this simple floral design because it reflects her philosophy. To Kate, flowers represent life. Even though they die, she notes, they come back
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Michele's First Tattoo: Beautiful Can Also Be Dangerous
I met Michele in the middle of the day last Wednesday. I was riding my bike on a vacation day and she was sitting on the Shore Promenade while on a lunch break.The tattoo above is small, but I liked how Michele described it. The piece is about sixteen years old and was done by an artist named Vinnie.This was the first of her three tattoos and she picked it off of the flash art on the walls in
Erica's Ink: A Tale of Two Tattoos
Last Saturday I was riding my bike on a gorgeous day (see this post here) when I passed Erica who was sitting on a bench along the Shore Promenade.I spotted a tattoo on her back as I rode by, so I circled around for a closer look:It seemed interesting so I asked her about it. She said there really wasn't anything interesting about it but I told her to try me. Sometimes when you've lived with a
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Thea Illuminates Music
I introduced myself to Thea on the 86th Street train platform after spotting her awesome neck tattoo.There's something about the train platforms and subways of New York that is a challenge to Tattoosday. Generally, when New Yorkers descend to the subway system, an additional layer of protective on-guardness (I know it's not a word, but it nails the sentiment) is added. For this reason, I
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A Newborn Tattoo for a Newborn Daughter
Although it was the shamrocked neck piece that first grabbed my attention, Vicki offered up the above piece on her right shoulder instead.Vicki explained that this rose tattoo is in honor of her daughter, born just two months ago. The piece was inked only last month by Michelle at True Blue Tattoo in Queens.As a fellow inked person with two tattoos honoring my two girls, I certainly can
Monday, August 11, 2008
What's Up, Tiger Lily?
Normally, I've been posting chronologically, but Sunday night at a Brooklyn Cyclones game, I spotted the tattoo above, and talked to its host Lauren, in the pre-game rain delay.My fliers were soaked, but she shared her awesome tiger lily tattoo with me.Lauren says she's had an affinity for tiger lilies ever since she was a kid because they are orange and have "freckles".As one would imagine,
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Two of Tawni's Tattoos
It seemed appropriate to take pictures of two of Tawni's tattoos on Two-for-Tattoosday, and she was accommodating.The first piece was the one that caught my eye initially, a snake on her left bicep that actually represents an "astrology marriage," in her words between Eastern and Western astrology.The tattoo represents that she was born in the Year of the Snake and, it is positioned to mimic the
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Jay's Incredible Chest Pieces
Last Friday, I met Jay on the 59th Street platform in Brooklyn. He had well-inked arms and he clearly had other ink peeking out from the edges of his shirt.We chatted for a while on the platform and on the R train after it arrived. Jay was game for contributing to the blog, but wanted to offer up his chest pieces, of which he is most proud. Since taking off his shirt was not an option, he
Friday, August 8, 2008
What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
I ran into Enrique in front of the Borders at Penn Plaza, a prime tattoo-spotting location, as regular readers of Tattoosday know.He sported three tattoos, including this fresh replica of his wings from the Air Force, where he was an E3 Airman 1st Class:Here's a sample of what this tattoo is based upon: This piece, along with the others, was inked by Sandy at Body Art in Manhattan. When the
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Karen's Ink Balances the Physical and the Intellectual
Monday was a good tattoo day. I met Karen on Sixth Avenue in the 20's after her right ankle caught my attention and we chatted for a bit about tattoos.The piece above is about 10 years old and is based on Northwestern Native American art. Karen studied art history in college and felt that this style of art is "smarter" and speaks in "more intelligent visual dialects" than other art forms.This
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tara's Shoulder, Flowering
This past weekend was a good one for flowers. Not only did I see a beautiful flower tattoo on Saturday, but I snapped the one above on Sunday while at the local grocery store.The trio of flowers belongs to Tara, who has 6 or 7 pieces in all. She designed the tattoo herself and had it inked by Kelly at Chameleon Tattoo and Body Piercing in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Thanks to Tara for sharing her
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