Tattoo Design: Skulls

Showing posts with label Skulls. Show all posts

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...

9:23 AM

A Skull in Penn Station

Last week, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted a woman with a bunch of interesting tattoos. I introduced myself, and had taken a picture of one of her tattoos, when the loudspeaker announced her train was boarding. Having learned nothing about the tattoo I had just photographed, I gave her my card and asked her to e-mail me the details.<br />
<br />
When this happens, I am often left with a tattoo and no story. But fortunately for all of us here at Tattoosday, Stephanie e-mailed me a few days later, and this is what she had to say:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"You stopped me in Penn Station ... and took a picture of my  tattoo. Its a skull on my forearm, pink with green flowers and a  backwards jaw :) <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1csV64kYyNHtrF0UuWuyLglMVmH5P16NwPTtHH6KGrXH5kDhlu5IvgKZlVQPpeMsUFX1yi-_6DIjDyyZsWu7-pD4SzI_dLmAQvEKnntxpjGCt6eYMUPEDZjSp3azH7ScoqOb9gC5EKwA/s1600/Penn+Station+Skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1csV64kYyNHtrF0UuWuyLglMVmH5P16NwPTtHH6KGrXH5kDhlu5IvgKZlVQPpeMsUFX1yi-_6DIjDyyZsWu7-pD4SzI_dLmAQvEKnntxpjGCt6eYMUPEDZjSp3azH7ScoqOb9gC5EKwA/s400/Penn+Station+Skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">I got the tattoo years ago now and the color is  still incredibly vibrant. I got it at Chameleon Tattoo & Body Piercing  in Harvard Sq,  Cambridge Massachusetts. The artist's name is Rueben Kayden. He does  amazing traditional work and I've had him work on me several other  times. At the time he had been working on two pin-up girls I have on the  backs of my arms. I went in for my appointment and Rueben showed me a  design he had been doodling. It was a strange skull with its jaw on the  back of its head, and flowers all around. I immediately loved it. So, we  ended up just tattooing that on me instead. I'm very random and I love  random pieces of work. What's better than a random story?" </div></blockquote>

A Skull in Penn Station

Last week, I was passing through Penn Station when I spotted a woman with a bunch of interesting tattoos. I introduced myself, and had taken...

9:21 AM

Ryan's Tattoo Commemorates the Life of Dolly

Earlier this month I met Ryan, who has a whole host of tattoos. We were working on a project together, so we spent a bit of time chewing the fat, and he wanted to share this particular tattoo, which is on his right forearm:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifWgX0V7b_OK8ASC4RfVvSZh7a1B9wkpfCt-yrD2QQz_jhSOtIjSE0IzJLgjHn6n8jPqkA65BLJk2gyalj_NK_TfdWkPw3tQc4Z99rhw-mUtKQ11-UBHVRftGg6g3nT5OEoFXJ6qiJhM/s1600/dolly+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhifWgX0V7b_OK8ASC4RfVvSZh7a1B9wkpfCt-yrD2QQz_jhSOtIjSE0IzJLgjHn6n8jPqkA65BLJk2gyalj_NK_TfdWkPw3tQc4Z99rhw-mUtKQ11-UBHVRftGg6g3nT5OEoFXJ6qiJhM/s400/dolly+1.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br />
Ryan explained how he was raised by his grandmother, whose name was Dolly, but he just called Mom. She lived a full life, well into her nineties, and was pretty much the only mother he really knew. After she passed, he wanted something to memorialize her and got this tattoo which not only has her name, but a black rose, a skull, a sparrow, and a derringer. He elaborated about his grandmother's life:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"Back in the day, when she was 19 or 20 years old, she was in the Irish mob and she made whiskey and hooch and she would basically run it back and forth across state lines and that's how she made her money. That's how she supported her family. That's what the derringer is for, because she would always keep a derringer in her bra, just in case something happened ... the black rose ... is symbolic of her life and her passing, which is the skull ... the bird - she's free - you know, God always keeps his eye on the sparrow ... it's a montage of her very interesting life."</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj4d67uL87HFE6XOmT5n_QyByi3oiv66e8PQknUaN2DLI9HFTRW0KJK-YMdjcR9XST7xniqhgC1mUKgPhi5q8uw3t0fubPs7GAaUXGvwrqcsltmQlTJD3RTXReKBUOX9xn0YrjKRuWdA/s1600/Dolly+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj4d67uL87HFE6XOmT5n_QyByi3oiv66e8PQknUaN2DLI9HFTRW0KJK-YMdjcR9XST7xniqhgC1mUKgPhi5q8uw3t0fubPs7GAaUXGvwrqcsltmQlTJD3RTXReKBUOX9xn0YrjKRuWdA/s400/Dolly+2.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br />
Ryan had this tattoo done in Mobile, Alabama, buy an artist he only knows as 'Link,' a tattooist who spent a lot of time in Philadelphia and who also owns a shop in Pensacola, Florida.

Ryan's Tattoo Commemorates the Life of Dolly

Earlier this month I met Ryan, who has a whole host of tattoos. We were working on a project together, so we spent a bit of time chewing the...

1:12 AM

Colleen Returns to Share Some Lovely Ink

I spotted a woman with some really great tattoos out on Penn Plaza and, after talking to her a brief moment, realized it was Colleen, who appeared on Tattoosday once before, back in 2009, as chronicled here.<br />
<br />
Colleen shared two tattoos that grace her upper arms:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5BuSKuhxei1MNu6lTcmCyo_Hg9fy2j7enKDpN7T6-L2x8pnF1Y1d8_18YlrEfJMQ3GkMTuFl8w4gSla-bwGu3ab8xHxFYHcb4ChwYZ5V-Mh2LusBf8XOWss1PsaNKrioBxtcWH8Dps0/s1600/lotus+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5BuSKuhxei1MNu6lTcmCyo_Hg9fy2j7enKDpN7T6-L2x8pnF1Y1d8_18YlrEfJMQ3GkMTuFl8w4gSla-bwGu3ab8xHxFYHcb4ChwYZ5V-Mh2LusBf8XOWss1PsaNKrioBxtcWH8Dps0/s400/lotus+skull.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br />
Colleen <b>loves</b> this tattoo and I can't say I blame her. As a Buddhist, she appreciates the symbolism of the lotus and the <i>om</i> on the skull. She explained:<br />
<blockquote>"the lotus comes out of the mud at the bottom of the water and blooms out of that and that's ... birth. And the skull [represents] death."</blockquote>The piece encompasses the cycle of life and death. She credits this wonderful work to Patrick Conlon at Graceland Brooklyn.<br />
<br />
Colleen also has this work on her right arm:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo-WZNHtXkPxcFoutYkLeaE5JKnpGzVVFY_urWAUAhOsFOsvDBAD1diEffOtobwKPyId2Go_8j-FpqyaUk_0ogRJUK7j8SOR7LWPDMfNrX0uMzWkmb-Ml9cRLCNaBShfVGTVDumGfbHY/s1600/dragon+colleen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo-WZNHtXkPxcFoutYkLeaE5JKnpGzVVFY_urWAUAhOsFOsvDBAD1diEffOtobwKPyId2Go_8j-FpqyaUk_0ogRJUK7j8SOR7LWPDMfNrX0uMzWkmb-Ml9cRLCNaBShfVGTVDumGfbHY/s400/dragon+colleen.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br />
Colleen explained that the dragon was there first, and then Patrick added the fire and pansies, to make it a much more beautiful tattoo.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_LcsjKhSk8VpNLOe9o6atP6G4jEP3qtLC1DiENp-q4m5ISiRMSqDRrKAPYXtv7ns-Yb2tgKyRmICmTbht_zqJLrt2x8wzYCrx2WMztLeON8d_lV04pczk7fLvFgdTCO4SvWnNxzvLXQ/s1600/colleen+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_LcsjKhSk8VpNLOe9o6atP6G4jEP3qtLC1DiENp-q4m5ISiRMSqDRrKAPYXtv7ns-Yb2tgKyRmICmTbht_zqJLrt2x8wzYCrx2WMztLeON8d_lV04pczk7fLvFgdTCO4SvWnNxzvLXQ/s400/colleen+detail.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Thanks to Colleen for sharing her tattoos with us (again) on Tattoosday!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>

Colleen Returns to Share Some Lovely Ink

I spotted a woman with some really great tattoos out on Penn Plaza and, after talking to her a brief moment, realized it was Colleen, who ap...

1:03 AM

Four from Frank

It may be the middle of October, but I am still working with a handful of summer photos, like those I took of Frank, who shared four of his ten pieces with us.<br />
<br />
The first one is by Cris Element at Puncture Tattoo Studios in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaTicmSVR96__4o3f3fVnXSbYo2TEtkjBp-O7oxAnROi-ghdd0TRxV4Hi_wAGmIoVhVtf0j60JSDNpGbgW-XX-8Y7ReEhQSUAh6Sfd1Txqbnh2eE670vsJshiQFTthSJH-H3NIdxGSNU/s1600/Frank+-+Kings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaTicmSVR96__4o3f3fVnXSbYo2TEtkjBp-O7oxAnROi-ghdd0TRxV4Hi_wAGmIoVhVtf0j60JSDNpGbgW-XX-8Y7ReEhQSUAh6Sfd1Txqbnh2eE670vsJshiQFTthSJH-H3NIdxGSNU/s640/Frank+-+Kings.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br />
He was reluctant to share the meaning of this tattoo, saying it was personal, but he did elaborate on three others, done by Taze at Groove Tattoo in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This one, for example, he told me was because "I was born on June 7th [and] I got no luck so maybe I'll get some luck out of this tattoo...".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPK3YQgmvs3-zg1lBO_AV80uAjRv8WMKA5hMYFz1vwfOXaT-uGC5gyd6sHKgQ0o-ujl3p6APRUp8yFzatoS015pqHmQjYUJzHqy4NBwG5WVXSsrnI0Gji57ygbfQoqFQrJq1fsgTYjYQ/s1600/frank+-+seven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPK3YQgmvs3-zg1lBO_AV80uAjRv8WMKA5hMYFz1vwfOXaT-uGC5gyd6sHKgQ0o-ujl3p6APRUp8yFzatoS015pqHmQjYUJzHqy4NBwG5WVXSsrnI0Gji57ygbfQoqFQrJq1fsgTYjYQ/s400/frank+-+seven.jpg" width="300" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Frank indicated that the element of time figured into this piece, with the naked woman representing life, and the skull representing death:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9HiyrwrhoSv3D7ayCWvcODNykghkZuVWiY7HejA8sAJjk5qMUd8I_UlXQLq7zGjHSfhCmUlRFEEruc_bNRBX7A1Qfu5XwhfM6qiq-i6JqHqbrGpFHsxwhH_JG19VDE_glpxQE-Db86U/s1600/frank+-+hourglass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9HiyrwrhoSv3D7ayCWvcODNykghkZuVWiY7HejA8sAJjk5qMUd8I_UlXQLq7zGjHSfhCmUlRFEEruc_bNRBX7A1Qfu5XwhfM6qiq-i6JqHqbrGpFHsxwhH_JG19VDE_glpxQE-Db86U/s400/frank+-+hourglass.jpg" width="220" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And this one, also by Taze, represents that he had "the best times of [his] life skateboarding":</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oqegh1jUZsXu70W0wrkNfn4XHC194D-L39b1paVRFtLvlhDKKuTYv1RHlzL3aVI8E0EpuCVhKvuj31ypLudZi-1U8Ub1_MhL0wXxhFvNVFpf7waJgwBkbUc3qX8BgGPk802cRwKJLio/s1600/Frank+-+skate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oqegh1jUZsXu70W0wrkNfn4XHC194D-L39b1paVRFtLvlhDKKuTYv1RHlzL3aVI8E0EpuCVhKvuj31ypLudZi-1U8Ub1_MhL0wXxhFvNVFpf7waJgwBkbUc3qX8BgGPk802cRwKJLio/s400/Frank+-+skate.jpg" width="248" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div>

Four from Frank

It may be the middle of October, but I am still working with a handful of summer photos, like those I took of Frank, who shared four of his ...

7:10 AM

A Trio of Tattoos from Devin

I met Devin walking down Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, back in September.<br />
<br />
He had a lot of ink, so I just grabbed a shot of his left leg:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TC-1csOCYubmWo_l37yQIHbEeB7A5pf1XaoPu8iys5fSpyCF5T_H9C2CjL6iozDOaoES6bV028whPIAb8lXqEYg32J3WSB2jp2VkFRpFyHvg8ZYsV-7cPM6JnD_3a_jPBWRMfcS3v-I/s1600/three+from+devin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7TC-1csOCYubmWo_l37yQIHbEeB7A5pf1XaoPu8iys5fSpyCF5T_H9C2CjL6iozDOaoES6bV028whPIAb8lXqEYg32J3WSB2jp2VkFRpFyHvg8ZYsV-7cPM6JnD_3a_jPBWRMfcS3v-I/s400/three+from+devin.jpg" width="137" /></a></div><br />
He broke these three pieces down for me, explaining that the butterfly on the top is an old Sailor Jerry flash piece that was his friend Shawn first tattoo as an apprentice at Ron & Dave's Tattooing on Staten Island.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidkK0opSasMVL5wiS4OLJIKUsNXUrjTRyA8dAIesnaSvgJZ4dPdjuaoDCw8JWXMIhDDwbKwAsiTmcSr404k1AUeKI0E5o9zZgytbDJ4w19ezJ0KDWoDBsmwLjteZFArhOdSKC_wicoCo/s1600/1+from+devin+butterfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidkK0opSasMVL5wiS4OLJIKUsNXUrjTRyA8dAIesnaSvgJZ4dPdjuaoDCw8JWXMIhDDwbKwAsiTmcSr404k1AUeKI0E5o9zZgytbDJ4w19ezJ0KDWoDBsmwLjteZFArhOdSKC_wicoCo/s400/1+from+devin+butterfly.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><br />
His friend Shawn's second tattoo as an apprentice was the skull at the bottom:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1wOulKbaNler6HYbAkcSMp3Qiki6OGbAerxHfxjOQwsHfwnD8GiKRsjAo-20_npybksW9Zg8Z764pSGE2kz0821RR9M4D_hn4tst_zrawjhOBR27IY-SrrV6pfy2S_nEqQcO6oCYYeU/s1600/3+from+devin+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz1wOulKbaNler6HYbAkcSMp3Qiki6OGbAerxHfxjOQwsHfwnD8GiKRsjAo-20_npybksW9Zg8Z764pSGE2kz0821RR9M4D_hn4tst_zrawjhOBR27IY-SrrV6pfy2S_nEqQcO6oCYYeU/s400/3+from+devin+skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the middle of these two pieces is a piece of art that Devin attributed to artwork from the first album by a Staten Island band called The Cable Car Theory:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCUx_-9Ut-yktEe1BJCiCAyFTokruOKkXGpOqatLsMTOWOqtpYKtMKvYYCVflEY1mkeNIcCnGRyJvGiRF8PMq4TU9GzcS73zpx0RW9f0iA8wJbpJes2IpP_1G4EVHf4Q02ZQbFHGOMjg/s1600/2+from+devin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCUx_-9Ut-yktEe1BJCiCAyFTokruOKkXGpOqatLsMTOWOqtpYKtMKvYYCVflEY1mkeNIcCnGRyJvGiRF8PMq4TU9GzcS73zpx0RW9f0iA8wJbpJes2IpP_1G4EVHf4Q02ZQbFHGOMjg/s400/2+from+devin.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />
Thanks to Devin for sharing these three tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

A Trio of Tattoos from Devin

I met Devin walking down Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, back in September. He had a lot of ink, so I just grabbed a shot of his left...

7:03 AM

Niki Returns with a New Tattoo by Dr. Lakra

I think I'm within the statute of limitations for Thanksgiving, so let me say I am also thankful for past contributors sending me photos of new work that they want to share with the Tattoosday community.<br />
<br />
Take Niki, for example, who I met in the summer of 2010, and whose tattoo appeared here. Out of the blue she recently sent me this e-mail:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><br />
<div>"about a year ago, you featured my beautiful cat memorial tattoo (by John Reardon, who was at Saved Tattoo at the time). i follow your blog regularly.  you always feature beautiful work with interesting stories attached. i just got a crazy new tattoo that i thought i'd send along, in  case you think it's worthy of sharing.  it was done by the incredible dr. lakra in oaxaca, mexico."</div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5tGgYR5Nfg1iCM1C5UWjPsWEyCRCbZEEYG4QuYN34D9udLDjN6B9DiKKPxBNLBC1leJnWIB1QFyX4HFgn82kv5sHuI6XCvBAivrtkXcmu7WDabfphDrVsOD1j22aHFVvsGiAHRdT-PA/s1600/mexico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5tGgYR5Nfg1iCM1C5UWjPsWEyCRCbZEEYG4QuYN34D9udLDjN6B9DiKKPxBNLBC1leJnWIB1QFyX4HFgn82kv5sHuI6XCvBAivrtkXcmu7WDabfphDrVsOD1j22aHFVvsGiAHRdT-PA/s400/mexico.jpg" width="266" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That's pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself. Skulls are common tattoo themes, so it is exciting to see a spin on that idea, and what better way to honor getting inked by a famous Mexican artist than by getting a skull with a tattered lucha libre mask? </div><div></div><div>Thanks to Niki for staying in touch and sharing her new tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!</div><div><br />
You can see more art by Dr. Lakra here in his Google photostream.<br />
</div>

Niki Returns with a New Tattoo by Dr. Lakra

I think I'm within the statute of limitations for Thanksgiving, so let me say I am also thankful for past contributors sending me photos...

7:00 AM

Petra's Tattoo with Teeth

A couple weeks back, I was coming out of my office at 7 Penn Plaza when a woman named Petra walked by with this tattoo on her foot:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfbAh3IGuVb3a86-OONHI6_CixfQAMKTn_4UmtTL36BDfMwaYd_whfFUtFjVECr77VxzQ-0rznS1DeGnIBK6zb9g4h6IvOVk2TtngjN9QppEXEgSMSyJYykI3nKfg9W96O7XKNC3AH9Y/s1600/skull+foot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfbAh3IGuVb3a86-OONHI6_CixfQAMKTn_4UmtTL36BDfMwaYd_whfFUtFjVECr77VxzQ-0rznS1DeGnIBK6zb9g4h6IvOVk2TtngjN9QppEXEgSMSyJYykI3nKfg9W96O7XKNC3AH9Y/s400/skull+foot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
When I stopped her and introduced myself, she was happy to share it with us here on Tattoosday.<br />
<br />
Petra explained that this is the skull of a Velociraptor. When I asked why this particular design for a tattoo, she elaborated:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Velociraptor is my spirit dinosaur. They're small and quick and very vicious and I identify with that as a person ... I really like dinosaurs. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a rock-climbing paleontologist, so I knew it was something that I'd like, you know, for the rest of the time I have my skin on."</blockquote>This is Petra's first tattoo, and she got it inked by Cheyenne Sawyer at Atlas Tattoo in Portland, Oregon.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Petra for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Petra's Tattoo with Teeth

A couple weeks back, I was coming out of my office at 7 Penn Plaza when a woman named Petra walked by with this tattoo on her foot: Whe...

6:56 AM

Siobhan's Colorful Girlie Skull

I still occasionally get people who ask me with wide eyes, "So you just go up to people you don't know and ask them to take a picture of their tattoos?" Pretty much, yeah.<br /><br />Despite this sometimes daunting hobby, I'm generally pretty comfortable just asking away. Occasionally, however, I am quite self-conscious, fearing that I'll come across as creepy, which is why you rarely see lower back tattoos here on Tattoosday. I only show them when they are offered. Similarly, when a woman has a colorful or elaborate chest piece, I try not to make that the center of my focus and, again, I generally only ask about it if it's exceptional or very interesting.<br /><br />Such was the case with Siobhan, who I spotted outside of Penn Station on the corner of 31st Street and 7th Avenue last last month. She has three tattoos, but this piece was the only one I really noticed, not necessarily because of where it was, but because of its colorful playfulness:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47h_7bvF_EdebB4IxJI1AOYqDc5ZCNJv32walS3aYgnMPgp6TfnqQaP5FJpRcs3i37oKv_alGf6ImfiiOH2elk-NGPrxHQFo5dSO2-loTUEM4kgc9R6qh0AxHFXvi_2AjbEotOLUFJJM/s1600/Siobhan+skull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg47h_7bvF_EdebB4IxJI1AOYqDc5ZCNJv32walS3aYgnMPgp6TfnqQaP5FJpRcs3i37oKv_alGf6ImfiiOH2elk-NGPrxHQFo5dSO2-loTUEM4kgc9R6qh0AxHFXvi_2AjbEotOLUFJJM/s400/Siobhan+skull.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Siobhan credits this piece to a free-lance tattoo artist in Philadelphia named Joe Tizzo. She says she wanted a girlie skull, and this was his creation. He added the flurries of stars to fill out the piece. I particularly like the use of negative space and the use of  multi-colored dots to add a little zip to the edges of the tattoo.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCxLN0YeaRUIb9vy2V8Mt911rB1GDtaFJ8FF1Qj29gSAW5-JB_EjcHLk32xpSeN6p91o8UGtZI5hc7mzPE7RlPdYJ3HMRy5IBq3BGuG0or9voOPFCyfaec9D-DEvsIPJzr8_M-Js_EnA/s1600/Siobhan+skull+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCxLN0YeaRUIb9vy2V8Mt911rB1GDtaFJ8FF1Qj29gSAW5-JB_EjcHLk32xpSeN6p91o8UGtZI5hc7mzPE7RlPdYJ3HMRy5IBq3BGuG0or9voOPFCyfaec9D-DEvsIPJzr8_M-Js_EnA/s400/Siobhan+skull+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Siobhan for sharing her beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Siobhan's Colorful Girlie Skull

I still occasionally get people who ask me with wide eyes, "So you just go up to people you don't know and ask them to take a pictu...

3:40 AM

The Tattooed Poets Project: Grisel Acosta

<br /><div class="MsoNormal">  </div><div class="MsoNormal">  </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Today's tattooed poet, Dr. Grisel  Y. Acosta, sends her submission in from Texas:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXDu3BWCOMCpSwNOVruUMG0XwNA86qcJx7WXr3Zk0Dsx6vICVl6qoxaq9mI5l6h0k3hhXu0OTI0Ll-erQ_8R11X8qX6ePqKJc7Fu6ISmFsZDp3eNMpX65HMsRVcx22_svliz5NhyphenhyphenOnnU/s1600/Grisel+Acosta+Tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVXDu3BWCOMCpSwNOVruUMG0XwNA86qcJx7WXr3Zk0Dsx6vICVl6qoxaq9mI5l6h0k3hhXu0OTI0Ll-erQ_8R11X8qX6ePqKJc7Fu6ISmFsZDp3eNMpX65HMsRVcx22_svliz5NhyphenhyphenOnnU/s640/Grisel+Acosta+Tattoo.jpg" width="497" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"> Grisel explains this body art: </div><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">The <a href="http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nym">Mets</a> are kind of responsible for the tattoo I have on my arm and shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>See, my husband is obsessed with the Mets and when we moved to San Antonio from the East Coast, he lamented not being able to see his team on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>He was so puppy-dog sad that when he planned a trip to Houston purely on the basis of seeing the Mets play the <a href="http://houston.astros.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=hou">Astros</a> in Minute  Maid Park, I couldn’t help but enthusiastically agree, just to see the wonderfully happy look on his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>But, I said that if he was going to have a cool experience on the trip, I had to have one, too: I was to get my next tattoo at the famous <a href="http://www.texasbodyart.com/">Texas Body Art</a>, known for countless features in tattoo magazines and highlighted appearances at tattoo shows across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I wanted a skull with blue roses coming out of it but I was wavering about the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Then, a dear friend reminded me of the literary connection of the image in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_Williams">Tennessee Williams</a>’ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Menagerie"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Glass Menagerie</i></a>, one of my favorite plays by one of my favorite writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Ah, yes, the idea <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was</i> perfect—and the trip was, too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>The Mets won in a record 17 innings!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>And I won a professional work of art that was designed on the spot in a matter of minutes by the skilled artists at Texas Body Art.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Sweet!</div></blockquote>For people not familiar with <i>The Glass Menagerie</i>, one of the characters, Laura, has the nickname "Blue Roses".<br /><br />Grisel also sent along this poem:<br /><blockquote><b><u>Trash</u></b> </blockquote><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">Papi threw out all my artwork.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Derek’s carved open chest,</div><div class="MsoNormal">blue-black heart and orange skin in</div><div class="MsoNormal">Design marker scrawl,</div><div class="MsoNormal">condemning our underground afternoon of</div><div class="MsoNormal">Southside sad lust.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">A spotlighted box of cereal called “Health”</div><div class="MsoNormal">in a room with a grass floor, pine tree</div><div class="MsoNormal">decoration, and chopped lumber sitting neatly.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Acrylic nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>I miss this one the most.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am reminded of it every time I shop at Whole Foods.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Even the two-bits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Tiny 2x2 art,</div><div class="MsoNormal">entered in competition, or sold.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Two of mine won awards.</div><div class="MsoNormal">One of them, my first sale, was bought for $5.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a multi-colored, swirling cathedral called “My Bed.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I placed all the work under the bed </div><div class="MsoNormal">in the guest room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>By my next visit,</div><div class="MsoNormal">it was gone,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">except for “Insane Bridget.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">She is framed and in the living room,</div><div class="MsoNormal">face turned away, bony back</div><div class="MsoNormal">curved at the viewer, harsh</div><div class="MsoNormal">charcoal on brown paper.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Dark copper sadness, winner of a gold prize.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Papi values winning.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anything else is trash.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And this is why, today, he is so afraid,</div><div class="MsoNormal">scared that retirement means he, too, is trash, </div><div class="MsoNormal">wary of children who might find him useless.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But artists make beauty out of trash.</div><div class="MsoNormal">We roll in the discarded and live with its decline,</div><div class="MsoNormal">listen to it crumble and make the sound song,</div><div class="MsoNormal">cradle it in our hands and sculpt it useful.</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> ~ ~ ~</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">   </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Dr. Grisel Y. Acosta recently graduated from the doctoral program in English at the <a href="http://utsa.edu/">University of Texas at San  Antonio</a>, where she was also the managing editor of UTSA’s art and literature journal, <a href="http://www.sagebrushreview.org/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SagebrushReview</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Some of her creative work can be found in <a href="http://www.afterhourspress.com/After%20Hours/Home.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">After Hours</i></a>, <a href="http://www.uncp.edu/pembrokemagazine/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pembroke Magazine</i></a>, <a href="http://mipoesias.com/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">MiPoesias</i></a>, the NAACP Image Award nominated <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971905231/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0971905231%22%3ECheck%20the%20Rhyme:%20An%20Anthology%20of%20Female%20Poets%20&%20Emcees%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0971905231&camp=217145&creative=399349%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Check the Rhyme</i></a>, <a href="http://www.privatephotoreview.com/en/index.php/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">PrivateInternational Photo Review</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.voicesdelaluna.com/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voicesde la Luna</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Some of her scholarly work can be found in <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1443813591%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">African AmericanWomen’s Language</i></a>, <a href="http://english.usu.edu/wla.aspx"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Western AmericanLiterature</i></a>, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0805858407/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0805858407%22%3EHandbook%20of%20Latinos%20and%20Education:%20Theory,%20Research,%20and%20Practice%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0805858407&camp=217145&creative=399349%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Handbook ofLatinos/as and Education</i></a>, and the forthcoming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Routledge Companion to Latino/a Literature</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>Her influences include her Cuban/Colombian heritage, Chicago—where she was born, house and punk music, sci-fi and cyberculture.</div><br />A sincere thanks to Grisel for sharing her tattoo and poem with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is reprinted here with the permission of the author.<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>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Grisel Acosta

Today's tattooed poet, Dr. Grisel Y. Acosta, sends her submission in from Texas: Grisel explains this body art: The Mets are ki...

3:28 AM

The Tattooed Poets Project: Steven D. Schroeder

Today's tattooed poet is <a href="http://steveschroeder.info/">Steven D. Schroeder</a>, who sent us this photo of one of his three tattoos:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdcgfueEVzoSE5Wmu8JJbMY0V3QbU59sUORfaOXXNeT1j_3L1R2Wd1eaKyKWiPuovJdjNJVs7ZedCun4kklEV9N4LKlkFey2knUdLZLmHE_YXDfa7Pp16VGF6BpMrd-FyReHM7hhRKEU/s1600/skull1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdcgfueEVzoSE5Wmu8JJbMY0V3QbU59sUORfaOXXNeT1j_3L1R2Wd1eaKyKWiPuovJdjNJVs7ZedCun4kklEV9N4LKlkFey2knUdLZLmHE_YXDfa7Pp16VGF6BpMrd-FyReHM7hhRKEU/s400/skull1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Steven explains about this, and his other two tattoos:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">"I have three tattoos. The first is an eye at the base of my neck, which I acquired on a complete whim at the age of about 25 because I decided I should have a tattoo. I liked the design, but people frequently can't tell what it is, and the color washed out a little because I didn't yet know how to care for a tattoo. The second is a brain tattoo on my left shoulder. Shortly after I got that tattoo, I knew I would need a third, because I am obsessive-compulsively symmetrical about some things, and it drove me crazy to have only one shoulder marked. So this skull is on my right shoulder. Both the brain and skull came from a shop in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Colorado   Springs</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> called <a href="http://www.rutattooed.com/">R-U Tattooed</a>, which I recommend." </span></blockquote>Here's a "crisper" look:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwWjO96qusxsAddGw_e0Eokrzk7-4RKADQX0FfefWRCzlR-gZeHO3Gf5iQ75ElZVrOxgISWtbfYDQAYnqelP-bAg3Ju1aViUfInvPFQtWOODXJLJTIJbIvguE8fz1CigV0qcM0jj5lj4/s1600/Skull+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicwWjO96qusxsAddGw_e0Eokrzk7-4RKADQX0FfefWRCzlR-gZeHO3Gf5iQ75ElZVrOxgISWtbfYDQAYnqelP-bAg3Ju1aViUfInvPFQtWOODXJLJTIJbIvguE8fz1CigV0qcM0jj5lj4/s320/Skull+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Steven sent us this poem, whose title, he admits, he "stole" from "<a href="http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15590">Autumn Begins in Martin's Ferry, Ohio</a>," by <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/73">James Wright</a>:</span><br /><blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Their Sons Grow Suicidally</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beautiful</i> isn’t spoken aloud.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This Paxil lacks the overdose</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of those backseat lovers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cold</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cloud</i>,</div><div class="MsoNormal">This nude bed’s not yet said screw yourself</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Up to stick the point of the pen</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In psychiatry’s eye, this dad adopts</div><div class="MsoNormal">Friend nicknames that amputate the end,</div><div class="MsoNormal">This laboratory test job offers options</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Of food or shock from the buzzer button.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Eat that and shit and laminate</div><div class="MsoNormal">Paper tattooed with blueprints and batter</div><div class="MsoNormal">Your limbic system with bottles and sleep</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Interrupted. They call it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">getting better</i>.</div></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">~ ~ ~</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Steven D. Schroeder’s first book of poetry is <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193428971X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=bill03-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=193428971X%22%3ETorched%20Verse%20Ends%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=193428971X%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E"><i>Torched Verse Ends</i></a> (<a href="http://www.blazevox.org/">BlazeVOX [books]</a>). </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePR4e8FYiTvHtZxOev5_psU5zx3aOiHdTzEu8A0v0hSBvfGfgG5vi-bFp2mNJ2OKPY6Hgf4bOyueQ7gU9pJnNWA1nIJrH6gj4nxaShyphenhyphenQiATekBKhrWIulvPxO4JIouhMbU_NVcbbQfEs/s1600/9781934289716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePR4e8FYiTvHtZxOev5_psU5zx3aOiHdTzEu8A0v0hSBvfGfgG5vi-bFp2mNJ2OKPY6Hgf4bOyueQ7gU9pJnNWA1nIJrH6gj4nxaShyphenhyphenQiATekBKhrWIulvPxO4JIouhMbU_NVcbbQfEs/s1600/9781934289716.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">His poems are available or forthcoming from <a href="http://www.ucmo.edu/pleiades/"><i>Pleiades</i></a>, <a href="http://english.osu.edu/research/journals/thejournal/"><i>The Journal</i></a>, <a href="http://www.copper-nickel.org/"><i>Copper Nickel</i></a>, <i><a href="http://www.siue.edu/ENGLISH/SW/">Sou’wester</a>, </i>and <a href="http://therumpus.net/"><i>The Rumpus</i></a>. He edits the online poetry journal <a href="http://anti-poetry.com/"><i>Anti-</i></a>, serves as a contributing editor for <a href="http://www.riverstyx.org/"><i>River Styx</i></a>, and works as a Certified Professional Résumé Writer.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bill03-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=193428971X" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is reprinted here with the permission of the author.<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-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span>

The Tattooed Poets Project: Steven D. Schroeder

Today's tattooed poet is Steven D. Schroeder , who sent us this photo of one of his three tattoos: Steven explains about this, and his o...

2:37 AM

Tattoos I Know: A Medley from Maida

It's safe to say that Maida has been a fan of Tattoosday from its earliest days.<br /><br />Over the last three years, a day generally doesn't go by without our discussing ink. As a co-worker, and a friend, she's a regular visitor to  the site.<br /><br />Which is why one might wonder why her tattoos have taken this long to  appear on Tattoosday. I even recall discussing with her potential  designs as she researched new ideas.<br /><br />We always talked about me taking pictures, but it never came to fruition.<br /><br />However, yesterday the stars aligned and we got our collective acts together. Let's take a look, shall we?<br /><br />I'm starting with my favorite pair of the three she is sharing (out of four, in all):<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gpt0LwbYCUXleG3bLJyixXhXwiUIJYO5lbUp_iZ7bs2EjlEO2MWZchLFYI_JDLgFP_4VjtSvYuxIFaLb7rjRsFqNS-RV6636hSEUrrkhnxyTM2BHHZM0bWzKkKvfKlkyusx3eFo5kS8/s1600/Maida+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gpt0LwbYCUXleG3bLJyixXhXwiUIJYO5lbUp_iZ7bs2EjlEO2MWZchLFYI_JDLgFP_4VjtSvYuxIFaLb7rjRsFqNS-RV6636hSEUrrkhnxyTM2BHHZM0bWzKkKvfKlkyusx3eFo5kS8/s400/Maida+two.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />These two are pretty cool, and the top one. a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triquetra">triquetra</a>, I remember her spending a lot of time thinking about.<br />She feels that it also acts as protection, warding off the evil eye:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKcID9d8mWl1YKvdSY0n5jz3DHXfGNiGhmD_0dIN8BMaCZltlOV4HZppt06qvVYUKZaeOhOdIfYxmkQg-Cw8pPA4mKA2QcGGhKiubGPkdu8xXcUuqQ5UDFtuh79ETOcgqBRVIy9Y8hYk/s1600/triquetra+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKcID9d8mWl1YKvdSY0n5jz3DHXfGNiGhmD_0dIN8BMaCZltlOV4HZppt06qvVYUKZaeOhOdIfYxmkQg-Cw8pPA4mKA2QcGGhKiubGPkdu8xXcUuqQ5UDFtuh79ETOcgqBRVIy9Y8hYk/s320/triquetra+detail.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br />Below that is a butterfly that is not your standard design. The wings' patterns resemble skulls:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_QyZ_kPJAlilhodpGJiEjEzrMC6AIBmblHWuC5OHEFnW0MqcQg-EwaU6LxHSJe33OQQ_UD1mQ2lW6rO_8o80_SzFMZKC1lhOvv3bBhceqB9LiVBpXpT8t0um11Nx8aTjAvuxUJEmYBw/s1600/butterfly+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_QyZ_kPJAlilhodpGJiEjEzrMC6AIBmblHWuC5OHEFnW0MqcQg-EwaU6LxHSJe33OQQ_UD1mQ2lW6rO_8o80_SzFMZKC1lhOvv3bBhceqB9LiVBpXpT8t0um11Nx8aTjAvuxUJEmYBw/s320/butterfly+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Maida says this dual image, the softness of the butterfly and the roughness of the skulls, represents the two sides of life, and is a double-edged sword. The kanji represent the symbols for power (top) and strength (bottom).<br /><br />Maida also shared this tattoo on the outside of her right calf, above the ankle:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuHM4oCOBNwB3z7kyMKDG28Balwkzo8NWEpclSzuvNwijYZ0YJv529yIy06B4K3Gy3fe_z2R36Y650uMEjgf_H2zMM3ij5oLWxHtv2vjYhZq2YWdXAzkv1h54_BW7Kvd1L7sxPHIzE-Y/s1600/friends+for+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuHM4oCOBNwB3z7kyMKDG28Balwkzo8NWEpclSzuvNwijYZ0YJv529yIy06B4K3Gy3fe_z2R36Y650uMEjgf_H2zMM3ij5oLWxHtv2vjYhZq2YWdXAzkv1h54_BW7Kvd1L7sxPHIzE-Y/s400/friends+for+life.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br />Maida got this, along with her friend Kathy, as a testament to "the strong bond and love between two best friends". They each have it on the same spot, although Kathy's butterfly has lavender wings, whereas Maida's are turquoise.<br /><br />All of Maida's tattoos above were inked by an artist named JStar, whose website is <a href="http://www.jstarink.webs.com/">here</a>. The site includes photos of more of her work and is well worth a look.<br /><br />Thanks to Maida for sharing her tattoos with us here, finally, on Tattoosday! We look forward to seeing more in the future!

Tattoos I Know: A Medley from Maida

It's safe to say that Maida has been a fan of Tattoosday from its earliest days. Over the last three years, a day generally doesn't ...

5:37 PM

A Quartet of Tattoos from Greg

I met Greg outside of Madison Square Garden last fall, and he happily shared several of his tattoos, inspired by magic and mythology. On his upper left arm is this wizard:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gDojNHhggtCDmlwjUVajizWc77wDg-SnBRnVaLKZOyH27fzH_9RaG27ZiIUdOrFmOVkly0ErpgZx2ILbm2YIZKZ12pmQpclWyBSl5whSqDkqV31BEt3M3Yl39SS8Jgnuby5kQYT35I8/s1600/Greg+Wizard_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gDojNHhggtCDmlwjUVajizWc77wDg-SnBRnVaLKZOyH27fzH_9RaG27ZiIUdOrFmOVkly0ErpgZx2ILbm2YIZKZ12pmQpclWyBSl5whSqDkqV31BEt3M3Yl39SS8Jgnuby5kQYT35I8/s640/Greg+Wizard_picnik.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br />On his upper right arm, he shared this dragon:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0QbcwcMDqadR5GxbmoCQUL82jucpT1m_QVQ8d0Fx_4PQ8143eOFZ8kWKtkGFr9TdqKxj5kBMUk46a1NK9wzNmRS6Bl3WGclRxTeyXHPL0UftbMFFxBUxdEAZ8FLQLYcjm1mZrfImzC4/s1600/Greg+Dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0QbcwcMDqadR5GxbmoCQUL82jucpT1m_QVQ8d0Fx_4PQ8143eOFZ8kWKtkGFr9TdqKxj5kBMUk46a1NK9wzNmRS6Bl3WGclRxTeyXHPL0UftbMFFxBUxdEAZ8FLQLYcjm1mZrfImzC4/s640/Greg+Dragon.jpg" width="302" /></a></div><br />Below that, on his forearm, is this fiery skull:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYFc-SbjaOGUjYm4h2uCbXDWaH4hCIMsjLrwgHCTqmlgWma4dvE_ubsn9vYFTlMzgNRQGmE9Sp5dvk5Zcmzf2AgTzBtDoxToKFWEWDG8zk-zqoDaedI7RfOH1A9WJispoqOBm1DYGTjM/s1600/Greg+Skull+Fire_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYFc-SbjaOGUjYm4h2uCbXDWaH4hCIMsjLrwgHCTqmlgWma4dvE_ubsn9vYFTlMzgNRQGmE9Sp5dvk5Zcmzf2AgTzBtDoxToKFWEWDG8zk-zqoDaedI7RfOH1A9WJispoqOBm1DYGTjM/s640/Greg+Skull+Fire_picnik.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />And, in a tribute to his Irish heritage, is this coat of arms, with the Irish colors:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVq505U19TLZPtFFwqbjs-hW1Vo6fimghyphenhyphenwmWvmYXOelwXl3syACG2jk8vVVrxubMzQX_GixOvGQmV1ybs1zBpWyblEChxLsFTq6VLHbAmVhoJ_9QQMX1YiwKWlcsNLhpPkT3tevZ3wI/s1600/Greg+Irish+Coat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYVq505U19TLZPtFFwqbjs-hW1Vo6fimghyphenhyphenwmWvmYXOelwXl3syACG2jk8vVVrxubMzQX_GixOvGQmV1ybs1zBpWyblEChxLsFTq6VLHbAmVhoJ_9QQMX1YiwKWlcsNLhpPkT3tevZ3wI/s400/Greg+Irish+Coat.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Greg credited Eddie and Ray, at <a href="http://www.myspace.com/luckyheartstattoo">Lucky Hearts Tattoo</a> in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the artists responsible for his work.<br /><br />Thanks to Greg for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

A Quartet of Tattoos from Greg

I met Greg outside of Madison Square Garden last fall, and he happily shared several of his tattoos, inspired by magic and mythology. On his...

3:06 AM

Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2011/01/tattoorism-sean-returns-part-1.html">here</a>. It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o' the site. Let's see what we have: <br /><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS_2lJrk7-N-JiRnvAG0RrHYN1YjAiq3ncGS4L4YBF4U1_VQsjFR2vnHwI6QCbg3hnBskKknWH8_DjmZ8sxmesTAq32kkaMqOl4JnbEztGsGCG4AdJkGKrjnSba5NV9lO4ZyLyuLjnj0/s1600/Hope+ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivS_2lJrk7-N-JiRnvAG0RrHYN1YjAiq3ncGS4L4YBF4U1_VQsjFR2vnHwI6QCbg3hnBskKknWH8_DjmZ8sxmesTAq32kkaMqOl4JnbEztGsGCG4AdJkGKrjnSba5NV9lO4ZyLyuLjnj0/s400/Hope+ship.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">...I got a clipper ship on my upper arm.  The ship is navigating    through a background of clouds and lightning bolts and has a banner    underneath reading “Hope.”  Its meaning follows the same idea behind my    anchor tattoo.  Hope is a huge part of having a positive mental    attitude, which I try (sometimes with little luck, of course) to hold at    all times.  It’s a reminder that you can make it through stormy parts   of  your life, no matter how bad they get.  It’s also done in the    traditional style I love so much.  The tattoo was done by <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/section/6907_MIKE_SCHWEIGERT.html">Mike   Schweigert</a> at <a href="http://electrictattoonj.com/home.html">Electric Tattoo</a> in Bradley Beach, NJ.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While  attending [the 2010] <a href="http://www.myspace.com/philadelphiatattooarts">Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention</a>,  I decided to  get a  tattoo to commemorate my first convention.  For as  many years as   tattoos have been a part of my life, this was my first  convention...I got a blue rose with a candle spouting out of it in    between my sparrows and flower on my outer elbow. </div></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_gUvW6kPFupf7AHUifBGSLrds5WzlXSPmVNofFC_ikYZL5JwAgap9Udm79ZFj1xX9rmmAQagBDZZXM5klc5xR0pFwMYvOd2jNGeWhT8xMPcutSqeHBEchQ1OrVizVCRcbF_OoKxVNCA/s1600/rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_gUvW6kPFupf7AHUifBGSLrds5WzlXSPmVNofFC_ikYZL5JwAgap9Udm79ZFj1xX9rmmAQagBDZZXM5klc5xR0pFwMYvOd2jNGeWhT8xMPcutSqeHBEchQ1OrVizVCRcbF_OoKxVNCA/s400/rose.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’m a firm believer   in everyone  having a different reasoning for getting tattoos.  Some are   used as  place markers in one’s life, some are used to remember an  event,  some  have deep profound meanings and some are just aesthetically   pleasing. I  could probably come up with some in depth meaning behind  the  tattoo,  but in the end, I got it to commemorate my first tattoo   convention and  that’s pretty much the only reason.  Done by Rocco at   <a href="http://www.deathorglorytattoos.com/">Death or Glory Tattoos</a> in Westbrook, Maine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally,  I got my outer elbow to forearm  done with a snake  coiling through a  skull and dagger and impaling itself  on the dagger’s  blade.  </div></blockquote><br /><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib95S8EuJtI2PzJ-FyRSbnicR3n_2bUdbhefTrS2yz7TQceQD8obQb4KueV_iL0pF154IsCYIVyI1JV408hhrIi1n-1eS4FLX_196XBu_5AdCxHiICoOb92jH4aiD-TPSnxVClhQJup9k/s1600/convention+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib95S8EuJtI2PzJ-FyRSbnicR3n_2bUdbhefTrS2yz7TQceQD8obQb4KueV_iL0pF154IsCYIVyI1JV408hhrIi1n-1eS4FLX_196XBu_5AdCxHiICoOb92jH4aiD-TPSnxVClhQJup9k/s400/convention+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I usually try to go out of my way to ensure  that my   friends/family/other people in general are happy, more often  than I   would like to admit, putting their happiness before my well-being.    This tattoo serves as a reminder for me not to do that so much,  and to   focus on myself sometimes.  The snake can be viewed as a  protection   figure, coiling around and through the rest of the tattoo,  but has also   caused injury to itself by doing so.  Basically, its my  reminder that   as much as I would like to help others, I need to keep my  own  happiness  and well being in mind before I choose which action to  take  or I’ll  end up injuring myself in the process.  Done by Mike   Schweigert at  Electric Tattoo in Bradley Beach, NJ. </div></blockquote><br />A hearty thanks to Sean for continuing to share his tattoos with us over the years!

Tattoorism: Sean Returns, Part 2

Last week, I shared more of reader Sean's vast tat-alog here . It's time to finish off our inventory of this very generous fan o...

2:33 AM

Chris's Tattoos Motivate and Inspire

I met Chris earlier this month in Penn Station and he shared his  3/4-sleeve. He is the owner/operator of the <a href="http://www.musclemakergrill.com/locations_chelsea.php">Muscle Maker Grill</a> at 92  Eighth Avenue in Chelsea.<br /><br />His sleeve is a collage of designs that motivate and inspire him, with a skull design thrown in, to boot.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikZtksaenn_K1MSJZUwfT1HhHZ7nmLhevWMSkGALa9cFGdqQ9IzsEhthkb_dkEpqAkoEqJF7YvSLCHFeKDBVFFOJmBaf__0MEeHfAJ_COZxwnI3Q01-X5hBOL9euxcfhjP6GVJcYfUak/s1600/Chris++Skull+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikZtksaenn_K1MSJZUwfT1HhHZ7nmLhevWMSkGALa9cFGdqQ9IzsEhthkb_dkEpqAkoEqJF7YvSLCHFeKDBVFFOJmBaf__0MEeHfAJ_COZxwnI3Q01-X5hBOL9euxcfhjP6GVJcYfUak/s400/Chris++Skull+wm.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br />He has the phrase "Live Now. Shoot for the Stars" inked on his biceps. This motto is a nod to his ambition as a business owner.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8TR0pcXfkii0K935R1zVShGYqNjCexJadw5hC8JweTUGFJcPwENQQByyebbgSLIbfESumTcRidSOy5cfL786y2b5pLQISMyqK71134hUN1f6zP27QaZGzJM7peG-98rkVUtw-38qD9c/s1600/Chris+Live+Now+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8TR0pcXfkii0K935R1zVShGYqNjCexJadw5hC8JweTUGFJcPwENQQByyebbgSLIbfESumTcRidSOy5cfL786y2b5pLQISMyqK71134hUN1f6zP27QaZGzJM7peG-98rkVUtw-38qD9c/s400/Chris+Live+Now+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The three pawprints tattooed below the elbow, on the left side of the photo, above, represent his three dogs (2 Cocker Spaniels and a mutt).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tWm412IL_T7D5lIvGxXsfJB0pwEalRHONiQnumyszirCd1b8RZBKFvNp3_2O-ArXA2Tz7MB6uPqXh4DYgwkminTvjtRrx-E9kyVqj5vFkMCYhcpET4lXZkBwdaEmt1pAx75-q2s04-Q/s1600/Chris+Dog+Paws+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tWm412IL_T7D5lIvGxXsfJB0pwEalRHONiQnumyszirCd1b8RZBKFvNp3_2O-ArXA2Tz7MB6uPqXh4DYgwkminTvjtRrx-E9kyVqj5vFkMCYhcpET4lXZkBwdaEmt1pAx75-q2s04-Q/s400/Chris+Dog+Paws+wm.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><br />The cross and the prayer, "Lord, Protect Me" are based on his Catholic faith.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LGKe_7R_SsU1jeMiCBrb9RcHKIABDLwKVnin3bdWjeBqAjIgNiKpSGxbyXoj3YdmN2bnNSBqgb32WFrP1v_hjjB80OVeuNcbjFFzqro-1LwZ-LZPXfdyIuYwujmmz4nM5NlL4VFYbaQ/s1600/Chris+Crucifix+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3LGKe_7R_SsU1jeMiCBrb9RcHKIABDLwKVnin3bdWjeBqAjIgNiKpSGxbyXoj3YdmN2bnNSBqgb32WFrP1v_hjjB80OVeuNcbjFFzqro-1LwZ-LZPXfdyIuYwujmmz4nM5NlL4VFYbaQ/s640/Chris+Crucifix+wm.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />In all, Chris figures he's had about 10 hours of work done.<br /><br />He also gave me permission to share this photo from his Facebook page:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dUWkUHQmUumxhhOwvNI_MdkEXjglLRSYoY9DdorIJr4eFEqvLmIMoXYQ3ypHdZo-f7fQJyAxlOdFqli-1bcS2Vu81_ACOprpncMrd14gXoyV8SO_hst_JTlA1NyZlHyGWWP7b8sZ23g/s1600/chris+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dUWkUHQmUumxhhOwvNI_MdkEXjglLRSYoY9DdorIJr4eFEqvLmIMoXYQ3ypHdZo-f7fQJyAxlOdFqli-1bcS2Vu81_ACOprpncMrd14gXoyV8SO_hst_JTlA1NyZlHyGWWP7b8sZ23g/s400/chris+back.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy of Christopher Almazan</td></tr></tbody></table>I had hoped to show a better shot of the peacock that is on his back, with feathers that come up over his shoulder, but could not get a clear enough picture. The shot above gives a great idea, however, of his tattoos.<br /><br />All work is credited to Rick Schreck at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOUSE-OF-1000-TATTOOS/60057472825">House of 1000 Tattoos</a> in  Middlesex, New Jersey. A piece from Rick appeared earlier this Fall on the site <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/10/melanies-phoenix-helps-her-rise-above.html"> here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks again to Chris for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Visit the Muscle Maker Grill website <a href="http://www.musclemakergrill.com/locations_chelsea.php">here</a>.

Chris's Tattoos Motivate and Inspire

I met Chris earlier this month in Penn Station and he shared his 3/4-sleeve. He is the owner/operator of the Muscle Maker Grill at 92 Eig...

3:05 AM

They Call Him Mr. Spades

I met Matt in Penn Station last month and he was happy to share a couple of his eight tattoos. The coolest one was this heart on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSTh12HkAMxMPia9K9_7U_lEXXoAt3rV5DbRg4k9CqwnYZDhWCLCCTxR-YPBRgMQgHzcuwy1wPd8zzWNTQPRgVyvryR1zlFqVG-bKtjRI-CHTqAfgoAC1CS0W_cLHFnnbq46mrMHnW4Q/s1600/heart+skull+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSTh12HkAMxMPia9K9_7U_lEXXoAt3rV5DbRg4k9CqwnYZDhWCLCCTxR-YPBRgMQgHzcuwy1wPd8zzWNTQPRgVyvryR1zlFqVG-bKtjRI-CHTqAfgoAC1CS0W_cLHFnnbq46mrMHnW4Q/s640/heart+skull+wm.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />A closer look shows just how intricate this design is:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCrpE4dIHJF4Gprs8X3WJVI-odGwwUOOVBzNL5N0mg3l9YYXMoj5F5LWxxbHKFePJrff0vStkkPZKQmsLY1_8suy44pyF2_lMNyqW1oYS6lNekYAXUh52grQaZXf1Z0bKaDWE6n-vPyg/s1600/heart+skull+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCrpE4dIHJF4Gprs8X3WJVI-odGwwUOOVBzNL5N0mg3l9YYXMoj5F5LWxxbHKFePJrff0vStkkPZKQmsLY1_8suy44pyF2_lMNyqW1oYS6lNekYAXUh52grQaZXf1Z0bKaDWE6n-vPyg/s400/heart+skull+detail+wm.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br />Matt explained that the idea behind this tattoo is simply that there are two sides to everything. He collaborated on the design with the tattoo artist <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rosecitytattoo/photos/albums/sean-malone/1491774#mssrc=SitesPhotos_SP_AlbumTitle_ViewAlbum">Sean Malone</a>, who works out of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rosecitytattoo">Rose City Tattoos</a> in Rahway, New Jersey.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVvrF2K_VcJgUfYdLF2VkBa7a4VYdJkl9XvJSGybA8UGXpcx4KATL1AC9zjeJi2-L5-BtEAUAian_hG2UBVNZwK6x2GK1rNbj9iaEeT12SJgElIyQ1kp0WIMojo7nyhISBCeZqUbIBss/s1600/rose+city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />Readers may notice that, in the top photo, there is a distinct outline of another tattoo on Matt's arm in the shape of a playing card spade. What started out as a random tattoo of another spade ended up giving Matt the nickname "Mr. Spades" and it stuck. Here's a shot of the coolest Spades tattoo, straddling both of Matt's inner forearms:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4mEVM-3EEZ3oPbcwowlKWu9FFvLk_i3AciprGlL5f2tqSHTwqIhkFdFRnAW8Q25RAqqY4sWD-CqW2ZbiBtuFrSbiZbXZqKXPZj7-hJNJEpm0R_nhEqFrkUJ7ARXF2xGvO-X_8ZPXFzU/s1600/Mr+Spades+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4mEVM-3EEZ3oPbcwowlKWu9FFvLk_i3AciprGlL5f2tqSHTwqIhkFdFRnAW8Q25RAqqY4sWD-CqW2ZbiBtuFrSbiZbXZqKXPZj7-hJNJEpm0R_nhEqFrkUJ7ARXF2xGvO-X_8ZPXFzU/s400/Mr+Spades+wm.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Matt for sharing these great tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

They Call Him Mr. Spades

I met Matt in Penn Station last month and he was happy to share a couple of his eight tattoos. The coolest one was this heart on his left ar...

3:16 AM

Matt's Golden Silence

<span id="goog_148539882"><span id="goog_141166478"></span><span id="goog_141166479"></span></span><span id="goog_148539883"></span>I met Matt one afternoon as he stood among the masses at the southwest corner of Madison Square Garden, waiting for a bus out of town.<br /><br />This is his tattoo which he shared with us, covering his upper right arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidz13oBj4sDaiJ780-MzTgfwwjxP6Vda8J7usNO7f_1uNRxHPjnAIkJc3lTf3VIYj156iDJ2uJFgy7jvqlhqW3dDBa5DGZ11hWQpdk6HnVeXTXowLKCrkMfXBvlsZ-IJayBRH3iWJf/s1600/Silence+is+Golden+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidz13oBj4sDaiJ780-MzTgfwwjxP6Vda8J7usNO7f_1uNRxHPjnAIkJc3lTf3VIYj156iDJ2uJFgy7jvqlhqW3dDBa5DGZ11hWQpdk6HnVeXTXowLKCrkMfXBvlsZ-IJayBRH3iWJf/s640/Silence+is+Golden+wm.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><br />The message is simple: silence is golden. I love how the side skulls spill off of the front skull, and how the teeth of the primary jaw are fused together.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyroZgi2rpvNJkXJV9eyRBHjwXGCW3ADFHden-Kff7h-vfkPhgXF64hQ-Xmu7K2nR5IJMz8wj08pbOqjpiDfAEJX5CkEboscLLblBwo125aaO01iHw4UGKdivjPtkerN1poIh-Ka8/s1600/Silence+is+Golden+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="397" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyroZgi2rpvNJkXJV9eyRBHjwXGCW3ADFHden-Kff7h-vfkPhgXF64hQ-Xmu7K2nR5IJMz8wj08pbOqjpiDfAEJX5CkEboscLLblBwo125aaO01iHw4UGKdivjPtkerN1poIh-Ka8/s400/Silence+is+Golden+detail+wm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />Matt attributes this piece to "deep life experiences" and how it serves as a reminder to keep his head on straight.<br /><br />He told me he's "been low and wants to stay higher" and that "keeping what I've done to myself has given me the ability to achieve what I have in life".<br /><br />This tattoo was inked by Loki M. LaChapelle when he was at <a href="http://kaleidoscopetattoo.net/home.html">Kaleidoscope Tattoo & Art Gallery</a> in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Loki now works out of <a href="http://www.mazelcustom.com/">Mazel Custom Tattoo & Piercing</a> in Everett, Massachusetts.<br /><br />Thanks to Matt for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Matt's Golden Silence

I met Matt one afternoon as he stood among the masses at the southwest corner of Madison Square Garden, waiting for a bus out of town. This ...

5:17 PM

Orphans: A Native-American Sleeve on Seventh Avenue

A few weeks ago, I was walking up Seventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, when I spotted this peeking out of a guy's shirt sleeve: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCza9_7wMMOj2y73ueA0XnOj-g0fNFd_kauQNC9VuhEYQ7djnDvP0Jz_YjVnIE30KCUpm7tYJtymWsZM0eQKMtGmdKicPntptZYdF481vRi0w9XmjmIUT7Ew7U9MmOfaSM3ASAtSEn/s1600/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+bottom+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCza9_7wMMOj2y73ueA0XnOj-g0fNFd_kauQNC9VuhEYQ7djnDvP0Jz_YjVnIE30KCUpm7tYJtymWsZM0eQKMtGmdKicPntptZYdF481vRi0w9XmjmIUT7Ew7U9MmOfaSM3ASAtSEn/s640/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+bottom+wm.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />I stopped to ask him about the tattoo. Or rather, asked him if I could take a picture, when he revealed that it was much larger than it appeared poking out of the sleeve on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfc0QAgLBp5z2UORvefMSuYI6gfF2A-rNz3xGy36xs3I1VZtH3QOPG8PhMc7eCpYTEqbK3q13UuigZ_1fyn4x4iCgK8zMVBcw2Syj3ec890T24-Ce53ol0I4rGMgZQBtkDN1PE9AH/s1600/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfc0QAgLBp5z2UORvefMSuYI6gfF2A-rNz3xGy36xs3I1VZtH3QOPG8PhMc7eCpYTEqbK3q13UuigZ_1fyn4x4iCgK8zMVBcw2Syj3ec890T24-Ce53ol0I4rGMgZQBtkDN1PE9AH/s640/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+wm.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />Sadly, I gave him the Tattoosday flier and asked him to e-mail me so we could discuss it further and he a) lost the flier or b) decided to forgo contacting me. So, I have no idea who he is, nor can I credit the artist, whose work is pretty darn impressive.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJeTf4XYIGWawQEIbrJMp93QMe9Mmj22iiPP696OnNXSqIY7xkOqag9Am-I9DJ4qhJVvgs560VdkDuPzpMVk6mDrprx9uMIPd53q2Kf-fr3gyUhDkU0VClsZU7EOSZv9MDp7vZGQK/s1600/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+top+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJeTf4XYIGWawQEIbrJMp93QMe9Mmj22iiPP696OnNXSqIY7xkOqag9Am-I9DJ4qhJVvgs560VdkDuPzpMVk6mDrprx9uMIPd53q2Kf-fr3gyUhDkU0VClsZU7EOSZv9MDp7vZGQK/s400/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+top+wm.jpg" width="392" /></a></div><br />When this happens, I dub it an "orphan" post, but obviously, despite the lack of details, it's still worth sharing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ywSKmNfAQvDg4QNLXhMGQdU2YJ3PcqzrmGbaTxjStOwKQPv-5O-VctiN49WZQMbF2OcDsmxF2L-Ne5oybOmYdMspExMJVMCxvMcSEGmyxyLHD_Kyi3M7p0nYjrVbWoZsjoY0ZKeh/s1600/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+bottom+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ywSKmNfAQvDg4QNLXhMGQdU2YJ3PcqzrmGbaTxjStOwKQPv-5O-VctiN49WZQMbF2OcDsmxF2L-Ne5oybOmYdMspExMJVMCxvMcSEGmyxyLHD_Kyi3M7p0nYjrVbWoZsjoY0ZKeh/s320/Orphan+Native+Amer+1+bottom+detail+wm.jpg" /></a></div><br />Thanks to the anonymous contributor who allowed me to take photos of this great tattoo and share it with us here on Tattoosday!

Orphans: A Native-American Sleeve on Seventh Avenue

A few weeks ago, I was walking up Seventh Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets, when I spotted this peeking out of a guy's shirt sleeve:...

3:12 AM

Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )

Tattoo Design