Leigh's Skull with a Mouthful of Blossoms

Last month, I ran into Leigh, getting off the C train at 34th Street in Manhattan. She estimates she has 40% of her corporeal canvas covered, and she offered me this tattoo on her left forearm:<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTsmDN60yGbRsfjTwBXH0kGaS6YRwN4ANSBpFhZd4AIDifnby8rpHe6DfHON-rRLp6wihhiT8quOoYN0VUKB8ZZgmCnP1JFSGT3JMNbBZso1gE7lTEhlj5cB0UPRMnlIpgM4x4b7EFMg/s1600/Sugar+Skull+cherry+blossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTsmDN60yGbRsfjTwBXH0kGaS6YRwN4ANSBpFhZd4AIDifnby8rpHe6DfHON-rRLp6wihhiT8quOoYN0VUKB8ZZgmCnP1JFSGT3JMNbBZso1gE7lTEhlj5cB0UPRMnlIpgM4x4b7EFMg/s640/Sugar+Skull+cherry+blossoms.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /> We've had  a lot of sugar skulls here on Tattoosday, but everyone is different and unique. This one, inked by Myles Karr at Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn, stands out from the bow at the top of the skull, and the open jaw full of cherry blossoms, both items not generally associated with the traditional sugar skull design.<br /> <br /> "I'm always talking," Leigh told me, "and it's always positive, so I wanted something that would keep the mouth open." She collaborated with Myles on the piece, saying she wanted a skull, but didn't want a "cliche," and pointed out it's also "kind of a take on the Suicidal Tendencies skull."

Leigh's Skull with a Mouthful of Blossoms

Last month, I ran into Leigh, getting off the C train at 34th Street in Manhattan. She estimates she has 40% of her corporeal canvas covered...

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Kyle's Industrial Sunflowers

Riding uptown on the 3 train, I see a sleeve half way across the car that just looks amazing. I can't make out the specifics, but the color and detail tell me it's a fantastic piece.<br /><br />The problem is, it's a crowded express train during rush hour, and unless this guy gets off when I get off, I won't get a chance to talk to him.<br /><br />As luck would have it, he does xit the train at the same stop, and as I am trying to catch up with him as he heads upstairs, and across Broadway, I recognize his left sleeve. His name is Kyle, I interviewed him in 2008 (using a borrowed camera, no less) and his post appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/05/kyles-take-on-heaven-and-hell.html">here</a>.<br /><br />This is new ink, however, and when I finally catch Kyle on the north side of 72nd, it takes a moment, but he remembers me, and is happy to share his new work, which bears a similar theme to the tattoo I spotted last time our paths crossed:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnr10h-1YRq_3Z-huqYXbLvZMHDX65c9o6InRHz3bXMYC5iGaNiKur7qPxSQUBvX4ygmbd_MAY1riIS4OOWNK4NqI2nV5tZbV1p4jsg5FFyOcR8Y3l6JJcHrhDcO1sEms9JtBHQAA1QUI/s1600/industrial+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnr10h-1YRq_3Z-huqYXbLvZMHDX65c9o6InRHz3bXMYC5iGaNiKur7qPxSQUBvX4ygmbd_MAY1riIS4OOWNK4NqI2nV5tZbV1p4jsg5FFyOcR8Y3l6JJcHrhDcO1sEms9JtBHQAA1QUI/s1600/industrial+.jpg" /></a></div><br />It is by the same artist, <a href="http://myleskarr.tumblr.com/">Myles Karr</a>, who had done the tattoo from the original post when he was at <a href="http://www.savedtattoo.com/">Saved Tattoo</a>. Myles is now at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/">Three Kings</a>, also in Brooklyn.<br /><br />Like the prior encounter, from over three years ago (May 2008), the right sleeve is a dichotomy. The left sleeve is a city vs country tension. This piece is dominated by a burst of sunflowers, which travel down the arm and circle the elbow.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1f9FMmtXLGr-Ft6V5vk6mTm_WiQ39ygYkfEg2sgxlQZSTYKlMlXJfU7XB2ll8ZwgFhxpRATC6Tw_Wf84_JvXdczVOFAkOT0NYj4X86Hqh2LU4ZVrIooawdsJJ31JimtOH-v6rufpqv4/s1600/industrial+elbow+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1f9FMmtXLGr-Ft6V5vk6mTm_WiQ39ygYkfEg2sgxlQZSTYKlMlXJfU7XB2ll8ZwgFhxpRATC6Tw_Wf84_JvXdczVOFAkOT0NYj4X86Hqh2LU4ZVrIooawdsJJ31JimtOH-v6rufpqv4/s640/industrial+elbow+detail.jpg" width="292" /></a></div><br />On the flip side is another cityscape, this time more silhouetted, and he explains that his near-pastoral umbringing was punctuated by the sunflowers he and his mother harvested. This, juxtaposed by the industrial city, is the center of the tension between the two aspects of the tattoo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2HXHc2ZegGkmndwkbP-mq3h7NlEYWV0MTUQCttI9CgaCaebXj1BEmAFuU6v_YOaSpzTFo8aofzAuWJH21rZKdgsXXwtFcScvTGpMPnOq0hcqfTiv4kEsr5oGvEqXdmbi_9G3xfXdOnU/s1600/Indsutrial+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2HXHc2ZegGkmndwkbP-mq3h7NlEYWV0MTUQCttI9CgaCaebXj1BEmAFuU6v_YOaSpzTFo8aofzAuWJH21rZKdgsXXwtFcScvTGpMPnOq0hcqfTiv4kEsr5oGvEqXdmbi_9G3xfXdOnU/s640/Indsutrial+detail.jpg" width="389" /></a></div><br />As an afterthought, I snapped a shot of the murder of crows lining the inside of his arm. "I just love crows," he told me.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMU_7tn4OLzoxLvNA1HRiqvYwpW5xPT6NX-AHUvBtQODkRWoV_ymdtlIpZ-AcoqP4jXUq3VtFCkjfrBKR9NFhouTDjmQWSY0FmF7yf9-2lBCVSwEKhw-RS7EVrvoFCGg5imPOrJL61sE/s1600/Crows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOMU_7tn4OLzoxLvNA1HRiqvYwpW5xPT6NX-AHUvBtQODkRWoV_ymdtlIpZ-AcoqP4jXUq3VtFCkjfrBKR9NFhouTDjmQWSY0FmF7yf9-2lBCVSwEKhw-RS7EVrvoFCGg5imPOrJL61sE/s640/Crows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />He also offered up this shin piece, also by Myles Karr:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDWx9cB9KGOanDn557w54R_GlUDV4QfsH9zkeCqH_H5DMt01rVlwSux9xvu21SwGLBmoWsyt2tAldBmWf_UBWWc3wpLy-epwL5bAMTZO5P72hdfKb7Qez-LAQHtrCgYTmgsjvFXm8EKI/s1600/circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYDWx9cB9KGOanDn557w54R_GlUDV4QfsH9zkeCqH_H5DMt01rVlwSux9xvu21SwGLBmoWsyt2tAldBmWf_UBWWc3wpLy-epwL5bAMTZO5P72hdfKb7Qez-LAQHtrCgYTmgsjvFXm8EKI/s1600/circus.jpg" /></a></div><br />He explained it is an old-time traditional circus strongman, as old circus and sideshow imagery being another style of designs that he likes.<br /><br />It was great seeing Kyle again and appreciating the amazing work he had added since our paths last crossed three years ago. Thanks to Kyle for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";}</style> <![endif]--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">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 <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><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>

Kyle's Industrial Sunflowers

Riding uptown on the 3 train, I see a sleeve half way across the car that just looks amazing. I can't make out the specifics, but the co...

Read more »

Garrett's Peacock Recalls the South

I met Garrett back in June in Penn Station when I was still reeling from the loss of <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/07/hello-polaroid-goodbye-kodak.html">my camera</a>.<br /><br />I had yet to replace my photographic equipment and I had yet to receive the loaner from my awesome friend Jill.<br /><br />So, I did the best I could with a flash-less BlackBerry camera to capture Garrett's awesome sleeve:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmspRTlyeJRsJGpFELvKdSNLuisdWkBxLCIs6F64utIcrzW63FVMDCNISY0ZGT3JgrsaopQncasnUk_fkmbPODEKgvfR-aHtT44yTp8gi2CK2PZDw43gMe8lp0-HOY67lHFJ3zUZV3/s1600/garrett+peacock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmspRTlyeJRsJGpFELvKdSNLuisdWkBxLCIs6F64utIcrzW63FVMDCNISY0ZGT3JgrsaopQncasnUk_fkmbPODEKgvfR-aHtT44yTp8gi2CK2PZDw43gMe8lp0-HOY67lHFJ3zUZV3/s640/garrett+peacock.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />Yes, folks, it's another peacock in our midst, in a summer during which we have been treated to a variety of peafowl.<br /><br />Garrett's choice to get this tattoo stems from his love of these birds, combined with an appreciation of fashion, and how the peacock speaks to that sensibility. He also likes how the males are the fairer of the two sexes.<br /><br />What's especially remarkable is that this is a black and gray tattoo, with no plans to take on any color ink.<br /><br />The inclusion of magnolias, azaleas and violets, all in homage to the South, make this potentially dizzyingly colorful tattoo more remarkable in its basic palette. Rather than explosions of color, we are rewarded with subtleties of shading.<br /><br />Credit goes to <a href="http://myleskarr.com/">Myles Karr</a> at <a href="http://www.threekingstattoo.com/site/index.php">Three Kings Tattoo</a> in Brooklyn. Work from Myles has previously appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/search/label/Myles%20Karr">here</a> on Tattoosday.<br /><br />Thanks to Garrett for sharing his amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Garrett's Peacock Recalls the South

I met Garrett back in June in Penn Station when I was still reeling from the loss of my camera . I had yet to replace my photographic equipm...

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