Tattoo Design: Tulips

Repost: Michael's Mariachis

<i>Well, it has been a repost sort of week, and as it is All Soul's Day, a.k.a. The Day of the Dead, this only seemed fitting. It's from my college friend, Michael, and it appeared here originally on December 30, 2008. Enjoy!</i><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269720254143055906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQG-ZjqGAKyU6o5IkT212dRhV7cOIi2W7HddOZIXsB72SOF90r-RjM_nNv1Hfi8Ifuhxuw4sdYLrGcK3uJDHfm0GgTE0d5lQcprCSOt0j021YLHmUWrrFwYS4l3ZjZFZoSSlVcJONl7RaL/s640/mariachi+with+iris.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 356px;" width="569" /><br />
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.<br />
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He sent me before and after shots so we can see the transformation from outline to spectacularly colorful body art. First, the before shots.....<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719225156372226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpyG47s5Ab8GZzuoS1FNB8aCl6O5cyuj1MnBuap7LOWhUMnchVn3JFTHDRp3jp_8Qf3ovzh-NWrElPPFHCkDJ8D2Q8z2SkscaSM_B2igTRLp9BgJuNE4DdnGC7Zmy0YB8reZu3q2wALOv/s640/mariachi+outline+1.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" width="342" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718659087915346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixnGG_JoKA7YaO8p5uY6xCGuMGVrQ-Ug8saDlDuUcYjb5OewHZtBPUuQolSqr7IGkoGuGdqSstRU94FTHgeUWLeHQs6uUynfxGCSuZWQl0wRdJG8aVAXnm-QGqHoFYXAsq1Yyy6Eo-Q7qt/s400/mariachi+outline+2.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 176px;" /><br />
The detail and the line work is exemplary and breath-taking. As someone with a guitar inked on my arm, I can appreciate the intricacies of a finely-drawn instrument. The detail on the mariachi's jacket cuff is incredible.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719773239210498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_l-1sUP3l96Ox7DiTETQXOY_F1uscr0b7P3uVOeZ4tHe5gSarTKznkbnkcap-aenmNE9vjrEfXRfxugUEiEV1bUJmsjK3QeNa2WQtOiwwldtQzgF-2AgZNUfoescCovX7yIPpxubNF-0/s400/mariachi+detail.jpg" style="display: block; height: 147px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /><br />
And now, for some color:<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718515179009634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pAPO8cWZeRiCaE2-jdLHiwmt33iPqti0yQESq2p5cNjr7VS2sTgcJwikiCwYl3nYlqJyWo7PPmB1z6aLPQcjdB0-GXkhHSFcafNMRepEcsjeu-wyg6SYwkN8iEJ061ItGHzzQGsidxFa/s400/mariachi+right.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 193px;" /><br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718414681594482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBtWDXReXnqg3HDBDUK7BPOjKt99Qe1IHfY_AjLpTapDXiwUpeeAd8ypGYjRzEoEp0KW6ACKQUzEiTrt2eGbbLNrVN4u6LMuPXRZOhJy1BRgt_r8D_eKlz3soTjtjrnT-lofp2Tr9Rmps2/s400/mariachi+left.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 146px;" /><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269718302019198898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-ThIFKR8Yi6K_WHVGW27xaw-cGmn5vr7AK-mH52kev55n1Hv_Bjn8M0fzc9Bmfd_nGSb9hXkbwWy5oH2KL7zFnBfNm3vm6abfsGQEJ9NVByyhmpfKPe1QqwpFpvaJejRVG08tuQ8NR9C/s640/mariachi+center.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 190px;" width="304" /><br />
Michael explains the basic premise of this tattoo:<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">In a sense, this piece is a "memorial" tattoo, although I hate to call it that.  Since I grew up in the Southwest, Day of the Dead was a regular thing, so I've always been drawn to that type of imagery, plus I like the meaning -- honoring the dead, and reminding us to live life to the fullest.</span>   <span style="font-style: italic;"> I picked the mariachis partly because I am so into music, and partly because of the celebratory aspect of mariachis. </span></blockquote>Like many intricate tattoos with multiple elements, every part has significance. The tulips, for example, that are growing at the mariachi's feet, "are an actual heirloom varietal that I have in the garden" [and]  are for my wife -- tulips are her favorite flower".<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="285" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285329957944922738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyypf3FaboSBnBjkOPRfrUF_csDwPo1u81Ose2h3NbCMs1DVJKS8xe8vOLgJdiE8a_AqmVqC3zUTQFLpepfjm5Ip-F7MFn9c8dIo5iU6GOdnf3uDFyCxzwydpn6vTwH9FFIPA5nX6Xt-JO/s400/mariachi+tulips.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /><br />
And the angel at the top of the piece (and the top of the post)?<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="355" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269719465230803490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBQhPyNCz5SQAgi4FPybnIrR8V13KKaOtnWvM0L9mmMFFUIxL4aY6TyQYI1l69dL5JHWaVQSyWC_A1YJct_xxWj50DfxfcducZ7DYV26H87rSkgJ1FEIAENz2_Z7koI1TCcQhLuQmMnBsx/s400/mariachi+top.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /><br />
Michael informs us that "the angel is for my mother, who is no longer with us.  The angel holds a purple iris (my mother's favorite flower), and looks down over the whole scene."<br />
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This amazing piece was inked by Susan Behney-Doyle who works out of Jinx Proof Tattoo in Washington, D.C. Mexican folk art is one of her specialties (see a gallery of her work here) and Michael says he "gave her a few reference pieces to look at, but she basically drew it after a consultation".  He continues, "we made just a couple tweaks after I saw the drawing, but it's a one-of-a-kind custom piece".<br />
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The whole tattoo was crafted back in 2006 over a five-month, seven-session period. Michael notes that one of those sessions was devoted solely to shading the guitar. A closer look at the instrument reveals an incredible complexity of brown variations that truly makes the guitar jump off the skin.

Repost: Michael's Mariachis

Well, it has been a repost sort of week, and as it is All Soul's Day, a.k.a. The Day of the Dead, this only seemed fitting. It's fro...

7:19 AM

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share with us:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3r_3JGFaMCYKHewkF923a-KgwFsXNdJq0Qo0GMF7YGuC8uZ9cci4Hb8JSwkX6i05Bfe7Pc5S6ZIDz41jdsNzaaSkGO9TrG4PhbldmnwAUWakxT6kSQJk7cCKagFDYQfuSToTbLfiskg/s1600/samurai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3r_3JGFaMCYKHewkF923a-KgwFsXNdJq0Qo0GMF7YGuC8uZ9cci4Hb8JSwkX6i05Bfe7Pc5S6ZIDz41jdsNzaaSkGO9TrG4PhbldmnwAUWakxT6kSQJk7cCKagFDYQfuSToTbLfiskg/s640/samurai.jpg" width="282" /></a></div><br />James is very interested in Japanese traditions, and this piece, by <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/christian-masot/">Christian Masot</a> at <a href="http://www.silkcitytattoo.com/">Silk City Tattoo</a> in Hawthorne, New Jersey, is a stunning colorful tribute. I mean, check out this detail:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIjHaKnKRYAAApRW2LrY0Tsm__cu7RyDP6AQMWJY4itdKLncQadiUDIw03eR5EOjVPyLkq5Y7zYERr-I0Y0N2rZ7QqanApRPIaD0Q7MdIgO9STpnAaENY-mbI1VM1lYYtypnxLNUw89o/s1600/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGIjHaKnKRYAAApRW2LrY0Tsm__cu7RyDP6AQMWJY4itdKLncQadiUDIw03eR5EOjVPyLkq5Y7zYERr-I0Y0N2rZ7QqanApRPIaD0Q7MdIgO9STpnAaENY-mbI1VM1lYYtypnxLNUw89o/s640/samurai+detail_picnik.jpg" width="346" /></a></div><br />Work from Silk City has appeared before on Tattoosday, check out <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Silk%20City%20Tattoo">these examples</a>.<br /><br />On the bottom of James' right arm is this incredible collage:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCKISbX123DlvEZUXNmfxYHmozCu5uaEq57fWctrToL8BphLdGKY9hEftgE1JIMnfbjXKSzDtvboAgT94qQwePB_tS1EBL73VkBHKh_NkM2Rla6jps0cxbmKUMM-4phVcMO_ebgQrTcY/s1600/frog+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCKISbX123DlvEZUXNmfxYHmozCu5uaEq57fWctrToL8BphLdGKY9hEftgE1JIMnfbjXKSzDtvboAgT94qQwePB_tS1EBL73VkBHKh_NkM2Rla6jps0cxbmKUMM-4phVcMO_ebgQrTcY/s400/frog+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This burst of color includes a poison dart frog, a Jackson chameleon, a lotus, a mum, and a tulip.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-h6q01IepkHu-XeziTE52xwZqBEzKuhCpLN-fjRKSI0roKFm8NwA2K8rGj5MrwRwFSNcVCXbna-wDuQNyUNYdwhPr0YxpzVJTbHxxFTI2o18kfqUGBaNPZvJjAUMcPamGORqu7SD-wU/s1600/frog+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-h6q01IepkHu-XeziTE52xwZqBEzKuhCpLN-fjRKSI0roKFm8NwA2K8rGj5MrwRwFSNcVCXbna-wDuQNyUNYdwhPr0YxpzVJTbHxxFTI2o18kfqUGBaNPZvJjAUMcPamGORqu7SD-wU/s640/frog+detail.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Thanks to James for sharing his amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />  <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. <br /><br />If you are reading this on another web site 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 </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://tattoosday.blogspot.com</a> 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.</span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">  </span>

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share ...

5:13 AM

Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom

Kristine has seven tattoos, two of which she shared with us late last month in Penn Station.<br /><br />The first one I  noticed when she walked by was this piece from the back of her calf:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NRZwFuHlWIX9vZNU5l2MbRZxMX1aee8_hLbRjX8OpOSEtSGp9M3SJ6630Q_DNSH26mn5qRGIx29W-Mk4-_GxVb120W5pb9SAFAkPsZ_09EouV_UHaJBmXbQ6SNvAj9gaP4VLyVTz/s1600/Globe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2NRZwFuHlWIX9vZNU5l2MbRZxMX1aee8_hLbRjX8OpOSEtSGp9M3SJ6630Q_DNSH26mn5qRGIx29W-Mk4-_GxVb120W5pb9SAFAkPsZ_09EouV_UHaJBmXbQ6SNvAj9gaP4VLyVTz/s320/Globe.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><br />This is an homage to her travels, having recently returned from ten months in New Zealand. The Latin phrase below the globe, "<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20omnia%20paratus">On Omnia Paratus</a>" translates to "ready for all things".<br /><br />She also shared this lovely floral tattoo on her upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtgqWjK-8UGOurpTkvb8ugWZILaGCVX8l79Zxj-GspyrTDjDQZDOvdhSIKd5SLhXuTnVcN_fefBKUZn6mWD-Sd6-KbTqhFEDTYHNjgKgAx8u9eJaLVWC0NDoOUOOflAyKEyu-Kj9g/s1600/tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtgqWjK-8UGOurpTkvb8ugWZILaGCVX8l79Zxj-GspyrTDjDQZDOvdhSIKd5SLhXuTnVcN_fefBKUZn6mWD-Sd6-KbTqhFEDTYHNjgKgAx8u9eJaLVWC0NDoOUOOflAyKEyu-Kj9g/s400/tulips.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br />Kristine explained that these <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip">tulips</a> are a memorial to her mother, who passed away from lung cancer.<br /><br />These tattoos were done by <a href="http://www.nogroovesingunsights.blogspot.com/">Chris Pesonen</a> at <a href="http://www.fatkattat.com/index.html">Fat Kat Tattoos</a> in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Fat%20Kat%20Tattoo">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Kristine for sharing her tattoos with us hereon Tattoosday!

Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom

Kristine has seven tattoos, two of which she shared with us late last month in Penn Station. The first one I noticed when she walked by was...

3:48 AM

Tattoo Design

Repost: Michael's Mariachis

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom

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