Nadir's LA Ink

Last month, my lovely wife Melanie was hospitalized with appendicitis. A bummer by all accounts, but on one occasion, when I left <a href="http://www.maimonidesmed.org/Main/Home.aspx">Maimonides Medical Center</a> to grab a slice of pizza, I ran into a guy on Fort Hamilton Parkway named Nadir, whose forearm tattoo jumped out at me:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTjaB348ace1dSRdiqrMukd24KEEBc3DzpFwCcwdeFdzzB0LhyNsPQg1xRtWvMl28u4WuPfO9ycOv-yxAO4jt1BUlVHENrpITqwyTX4EcY36ZLwvxUQjOvsnWTon8z670ZBhWPciDeWg/s1600/LA+Ink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyTjaB348ace1dSRdiqrMukd24KEEBc3DzpFwCcwdeFdzzB0LhyNsPQg1xRtWvMl28u4WuPfO9ycOv-yxAO4jt1BUlVHENrpITqwyTX4EcY36ZLwvxUQjOvsnWTon8z670ZBhWPciDeWg/s640/LA+Ink.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><br />Nadir is an <a href="http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Angeleno">Angeleno</a> transplanted here in the Big Apple, but he wears his hometown on his sleeve. The distinct LA logo, most commonly seen on the apparel associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a sign of civic pride. He credits Mikey Montoya, from <a href="http://rubestattooshop.com/welcome">Rube's Tattoo</a> in Arcadia (east of Pasadena), with this piece.<br /><br />Nadir also shared this tattoo, from the left side of his chest:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGW4h31qf_3QuabkowXjx7rFSVropeoOF38deUarqQNd674TF08-T0RY45pX4lJMU38it2ZIm2pDEQYf124-MZrJurNWQNBdze2UsttfdPW5SkQvUAftfiQ-bTt4IvYnkXJwN1GdD3nY/s1600/Mexican+Flag_picnik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGW4h31qf_3QuabkowXjx7rFSVropeoOF38deUarqQNd674TF08-T0RY45pX4lJMU38it2ZIm2pDEQYf124-MZrJurNWQNBdze2UsttfdPW5SkQvUAftfiQ-bTt4IvYnkXJwN1GdD3nY/s640/Mexican+Flag_picnik.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If that looks familiar, it is because it is the logo at the center of the Mexican flag.</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/AVvXsEi03RW_X9u88zKeBFTTIBQTsOVf5SLTwkkAgb4xy5ZHnoTzEs81ni12qC9d3cvmM1kaVzSbWHnJZISgkBifgDWVHqXervfPvVUdd24C7ecfKQga_hx1fLGa-5MxYR4fak6m9mCdlxhiR7A/s1600/800px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi03RW_X9u88zKeBFTTIBQTsOVf5SLTwkkAgb4xy5ZHnoTzEs81ni12qC9d3cvmM1kaVzSbWHnJZISgkBifgDWVHqXervfPvVUdd24C7ecfKQga_hx1fLGa-5MxYR4fak6m9mCdlxhiR7A/s400/800px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This nod to his Mexican heritage was tattooed by <a href="http://www.inkstoptattoonyc.com/artist_gal_raul.cfm">Raul Suarez</a> at <a href="http://www.inkstoptattoonyc.com/index.html">Inkstop Tattoo NYC</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But most impressive was this piece on Nadir's right side: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocdRLs4eZTiml2YNibpgivjoCTK7x52ih0WG8OeiPQSMTtfl67nByQF3EwHlCQSfmCH8P0JWV2Ps19nl8NmoBtW4jh_k0WQYSVb2L8S9j5HlFFkEL07PJbu6ElGm2wo0QjSvjDXjk33g/s1600/Tiger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocdRLs4eZTiml2YNibpgivjoCTK7x52ih0WG8OeiPQSMTtfl67nByQF3EwHlCQSfmCH8P0JWV2Ps19nl8NmoBtW4jh_k0WQYSVb2L8S9j5HlFFkEL07PJbu6ElGm2wo0QjSvjDXjk33g/s640/Tiger.jpg" width="268" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Nadir explained that his father always listened to the musical group <a href="http://lostigresdelnorte.com/main/">Los Tigres del Norte</a>, and he grew up with their music playing in his home. He considers this also as an apt tribute to his heritage and upbringing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He credits this incredible piece, which took six hours to complete (no easy feat, considering it's on his ribs), to <a href="http://rubestattooshop.com/tom">Tom Tilden</a>, co-owner of the aforementioned <a href="http://rubestattooshop.com/welcome">Rube's Tattoos</a>, in Arcadia.  </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/AVvXsEhQewhfHae98Gcw_wqfnKHMDs-87OM6l0Zb9C4FIhwyY9QpTRAVkoKaCez0OGZYzxvJXnOuuOWsE1A35Wq_2XMPBpdMy2Ha_fD_vONzqfd6aT23IA58jgTr8eDb3aF8UGDE2465PE80LsU/s1600/Tiger+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQewhfHae98Gcw_wqfnKHMDs-87OM6l0Zb9C4FIhwyY9QpTRAVkoKaCez0OGZYzxvJXnOuuOWsE1A35Wq_2XMPBpdMy2Ha_fD_vONzqfd6aT23IA58jgTr8eDb3aF8UGDE2465PE80LsU/s640/Tiger+detail.jpg" width="378" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Nadir for sharing his awesome tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><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><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Nadir's LA Ink

Last month, my lovely wife Melanie was hospitalized with appendicitis. A bummer by all accounts, but on one occasion, when I left Maimonides...

Read more »

Andrew's Traditional Sleeve by Horisei

<!--[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="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW1ntpiHeWaZ79dxkWNQKZ5VKSUbAYq2-l2wRiiuInS3XIR8R6lWSIA-ALLiq1vVM-9US5yGEb4BMvPNeaSDH7pQJgdlaB1RuAT2rMYrNqxzCypNVLYy0FnGMSnk0PDkSKnbwvQ3xmi8/s1600/horisei+super+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW1ntpiHeWaZ79dxkWNQKZ5VKSUbAYq2-l2wRiiuInS3XIR8R6lWSIA-ALLiq1vVM-9US5yGEb4BMvPNeaSDH7pQJgdlaB1RuAT2rMYrNqxzCypNVLYy0FnGMSnk0PDkSKnbwvQ3xmi8/s400/horisei+super+detail.jpg" width="347" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Every once in a while, it's nice to appreciate a tattoo for its own sake. This is especially rewarding for me when I am familiar with the artist, and I know people who have been tattooed by him or her, which has allowed me to appreciate their craft over time.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Two of my friends have been fortunate enough to have been tattooed by the wonderful <a href="http://www.horiseitattoo.com/">Horisei</a> (their work appeared <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/02/tattoos-i-know-paul-part-5-or-great.html">here</a> and <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2008/06/robs-traditional-japanese-dragons.html">here</a>). Horisei works out of <a href="http://www.chelseatattoocompany.com/">Chelsea Tattoo Company</a>, former location of <a href="http://www.risingdragon.com/">Rising Dragon</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So, when I spotted Andrew, coming out of Penn Station last month, I was more than thrilled to take shots of his Horisei-crafted sleeve.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaeAYdWiK4Exz4lKo04vJlipbYdFqGAG9p_Rat8dsy3FgB3GqX_jbR2G1QGIBjjhVxZoNB6s9Yc09jnRHPE_KWBik8ssaxonaSnZniuwFkF8s-qI5qp3uINjy8kEV-BVvfOAiHTYfAxc/s1600/horisei+sleeve+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaeAYdWiK4Exz4lKo04vJlipbYdFqGAG9p_Rat8dsy3FgB3GqX_jbR2G1QGIBjjhVxZoNB6s9Yc09jnRHPE_KWBik8ssaxonaSnZniuwFkF8s-qI5qp3uINjy8kEV-BVvfOAiHTYfAxc/s640/horisei+sleeve+front.jpg" width="116" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoQJ5bisdmxDzP_-ak35O4Mv42OgjGAeKGgaFrLRhtuCh08WGav6OEwB1yg0LH3xp23afLuseuucq4BFBgkb-eKYCQS7MjS_EYL7SqPMCRZcLNw6ydrtD6p2XO8kGt9AxGaeCwn8aMcQ/s1600/horisei+sleeve+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoQJ5bisdmxDzP_-ak35O4Mv42OgjGAeKGgaFrLRhtuCh08WGav6OEwB1yg0LH3xp23afLuseuucq4BFBgkb-eKYCQS7MjS_EYL7SqPMCRZcLNw6ydrtD6p2XO8kGt9AxGaeCwn8aMcQ/s640/horisei+sleeve+back.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"> Andrew estimates that this took about twenty hours of work, over a two to three month period.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj8QLSUd2Jx6WijtjkW4N9O4P9npxQYjvs5siscRMBuDD-rPjmHbVktG-1CLQ17AmLiwjv_lYD-N3sFtILKY6053zic-KCu-fBznf5XT-j4vkY25oj0DIsZkrXdG8VUQ60_op-_YHu_k/s1600/Horisei+sleeve+tiger+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZj8QLSUd2Jx6WijtjkW4N9O4P9npxQYjvs5siscRMBuDD-rPjmHbVktG-1CLQ17AmLiwjv_lYD-N3sFtILKY6053zic-KCu-fBznf5XT-j4vkY25oj0DIsZkrXdG8VUQ60_op-_YHu_k/s640/Horisei+sleeve+tiger+detail.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">His traditional Japanese sleeve consists of a tiger, two koi, and peonies, in addition to the water background.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5q03mXmmKsodaiM2LXi5f-GexLlW5wO9F5b6VHluDKR4eTWwiuac7w0rszyMEjeWir_Dm0e3tQ8m1jMrIHY1CFeDdyRwnxft5DpmQrYBaf4sHvsaBd0GIxjS6Z8_zh-gChFBxtEhqs0/s1600/horisei+sleeve+front+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW5q03mXmmKsodaiM2LXi5f-GexLlW5wO9F5b6VHluDKR4eTWwiuac7w0rszyMEjeWir_Dm0e3tQ8m1jMrIHY1CFeDdyRwnxft5DpmQrYBaf4sHvsaBd0GIxjS6Z8_zh-gChFBxtEhqs0/s640/horisei+sleeve+front+detail.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div>Thanks to Andrew for sharing his awesome sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><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><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><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>

Andrew's Traditional Sleeve by Horisei

Every once in a while, it's nice to appreciate a tattoo for its own sake. This is especially rewarding for me when I am familiar with ...

Read more »

Out With the Old.....

As we wind down 2010, and look ahead to 2011, I wanted to take care of one of my several loose ends from the past year.<br /><br />Back in July, I met a guy named John on the D train. He had tattooed arms and we chatted a bit. He said he'd send me photos and he did a few weeks later.<br /><br />I never posted the photos because the resolution was low, and when I tried to increase the size, they blurred. I was going to include these in the Christmas housecleaning post, but the work is just too good.<br /><br />So hear you have them, small photos, but recognizably amazing:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwvZ9tK89U1PgSCdPcuRQVNe2qeDhhUA4RSRFrdZgZEZqiUdbWZB60QzKaruKwK7T6v_M5y2PSCMgPBPWUDJijf0YjNdugu4EayjYtqXy0KFMaqG8IxDT968acGyxvmp5aJBmgOpZJl8/s1600/john+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipwvZ9tK89U1PgSCdPcuRQVNe2qeDhhUA4RSRFrdZgZEZqiUdbWZB60QzKaruKwK7T6v_M5y2PSCMgPBPWUDJijf0YjNdugu4EayjYtqXy0KFMaqG8IxDT968acGyxvmp5aJBmgOpZJl8/s1600/john+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb77QxrOHF-9rh8yjgFSc68v6w5072NsrpjFHYSz_pl18wnONG1Ls2eTp0YcXzYeg8V1K23e__xSRIkPbMffvaOBLj_xOKdgOUNMArGAn03DUkcBdK0O3owRKLwHjePbf4LNXHg9J_qoY/s1600/john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb77QxrOHF-9rh8yjgFSc68v6w5072NsrpjFHYSz_pl18wnONG1Ls2eTp0YcXzYeg8V1K23e__xSRIkPbMffvaOBLj_xOKdgOUNMArGAn03DUkcBdK0O3owRKLwHjePbf4LNXHg9J_qoY/s1600/john.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi566ljbkkrLXgaCQtAGIo9QD8nEtmRtVjCXfayG6zXhz-fPxfD_PDMf9avm5uClJb_NirWG-kkwXNR4XNcEAvBzPrRm_kSkOsolN-1U5o6UFIAgLL6KXv-OGEByBLyjpSyqILt1t4xOnY/s1600/john3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi566ljbkkrLXgaCQtAGIo9QD8nEtmRtVjCXfayG6zXhz-fPxfD_PDMf9avm5uClJb_NirWG-kkwXNR4XNcEAvBzPrRm_kSkOsolN-1U5o6UFIAgLL6KXv-OGEByBLyjpSyqILt1t4xOnY/s1600/john3.jpg" /></a></div><br />I mean, what is there to say? This work is quite excellent. The koi, the tiger, the sailing ship, sugar skull, nautical stars - it's all quite a body of work!<br /><br />The artist is Nacho, who appeared once before on the blog <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2009/06/matt-wears-his-heart-of-bacon-on-his.html">here</a>. You can check out Nacho's work <a href="http://www.nachotattoo.com.ar/home_eng.htm">here</a>. in New York, he tattoos out of <a href="http://www.studioenigma.com/">Studio Enigma</a> on Avenue U.<br /><br />Thanks to John for sharing these amazing tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />And thanks to all of our fans and contributors for making 2010 a successful year of inkspotting!

Out With the Old.....

As we wind down 2010, and look ahead to 2011, I wanted to take care of one of my several loose ends from the past year. Back in July, I met ...

Read more »

Jessica's Chest Piece and a Tale of Two Tigers

There may be eight million people in New York, but it's still, at times, a small world town.<br /><br />Last month in the Amtrak section of Penn Station, I spotted Jessica, a young woman with a beautiful tattoo across her chest:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-knD22dPlSy9dNDWD10PhUfKjRF4bBs_zT3IIaOGBdbD7A-wv4ERe7Fbvb9kdnz5OVQAGq-ahIPNCZQRAocpU_oQK1lxb8K5Jbw3RgPo_7TlT3mFK6XC9VEogPAvsPJqp97E416oc/s1600/never+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-knD22dPlSy9dNDWD10PhUfKjRF4bBs_zT3IIaOGBdbD7A-wv4ERe7Fbvb9kdnz5OVQAGq-ahIPNCZQRAocpU_oQK1lxb8K5Jbw3RgPo_7TlT3mFK6XC9VEogPAvsPJqp97E416oc/s400/never+love.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />This piece even was our banner here for a few weeks, thanks to Jessica.<br /><br />The inscription reads "Never Love, Never Lose," which is certainly thought-provoking, a slight spin on the aphorism, "It is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all." It also recalls an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claddagh_ring">Irish claddagh ring</a>, with two hands holding a heart. Feathers on the ends of the hands were added to even out the design.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJ9kg7bM0rKcqqTMwcPqmp_qwOWFleJg4Xg_QobImclqMN23HZQSxEwmoxx9jC2fZtjY24ldeU3oFcIBMbhm349xaZp0KY0uxm3Sms4XCy0nig8PWMB8BW2KsoygbWwVOCOoDjHNe/s1600/feather+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJ9kg7bM0rKcqqTMwcPqmp_qwOWFleJg4Xg_QobImclqMN23HZQSxEwmoxx9jC2fZtjY24ldeU3oFcIBMbhm349xaZp0KY0uxm3Sms4XCy0nig8PWMB8BW2KsoygbWwVOCOoDjHNe/s320/feather+hands.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />I particularly like the fact that Jessica is wearing a key around her neck and, in the photo, it is lying across the keyhole at the center of the heart.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgItuql7unoYCpEsfjL8uspDD2GD6RwyylLbc1s8rRApJ5kFBu5gySegMVouV2SXnrKcrA2phW3eMn89f-GrSQsn-OqyKE9A0c5poSAPNnwX8axnoLNAp0gqX69_T5mL4sOL3BCFF/s1600/never+love+key.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgItuql7unoYCpEsfjL8uspDD2GD6RwyylLbc1s8rRApJ5kFBu5gySegMVouV2SXnrKcrA2phW3eMn89f-GrSQsn-OqyKE9A0c5poSAPNnwX8axnoLNAp0gqX69_T5mL4sOL3BCFF/s400/never+love+key.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><br />Jessica collaborated with the artist known as <a href="http://www.goodoldfashionedtattoos.com/">Ollie XXX</a> in Montreal. If you look at his portfolio on <a href="http://www.goodoldfashionedtattoos.com/">his site</a>, slide 87 shows a brighter original version of the tattoo when it was first completed.<br /><br />When I asked her how many tattoos she had, she said, twenty-two, and showed me her most recent, a Peanuts tattoo. When I inquired where she got it, she said <a href="http://www.thickerthanwatertattoo.com/">Thicker Than Water</a> on the Lower East Side. "Oh," I commented, "you got one of the $50 specials?" I knew that the shop had done a $50 tattoo event the previous Saturday. Jessica confirmed that she had, in fact, attended with a friend.<br /><br /><br />I continued, "<a href="http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#%21/Djoner?ref=ts">Shon Lindauer</a> was the artist for <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/01/tyger-tyger-burning-bright.html">my tiger</a>,"and I rolled up my pant leg to reveal <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/01/tyger-tyger-burning-bright.html">the piece</a> Shon had inked at the beginning of the year when they were in "<a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/01/year-o-tiger-has-begun.html">Year of the Tiger</a>" mode. Well, you could have knocked Jessica over with a feather and her aunt, who Jessica was seeing off at the station, was also surprised. Why?<br /><br />Jessica pulled down her right sleeve to reveal a familiar, but more feminine version of my tiger from my calf.<br /><br /><br />Shon had inked a variation on the tiger for her in February. Jessica's aunt insisted we pose with our tigers together.<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/AVvXsEjIcgVJQ4i6Nl9gd61N4f0PmU3eyihyJ_KjqfD670ZfK40lkRqRMwISQtpFYbh7QyZznZnx4AeCH-_OyML9DtLhYTI-r_XFH-i-FmSHaWJNAkqr63f0D7__fYauM28YHXe19hl9t8JG/s1600/106_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcgVJQ4i6Nl9gd61N4f0PmU3eyihyJ_KjqfD670ZfK40lkRqRMwISQtpFYbh7QyZznZnx4AeCH-_OyML9DtLhYTI-r_XFH-i-FmSHaWJNAkqr63f0D7__fYauM28YHXe19hl9t8JG/s400/106_0106.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zyZzQbUDfe97710dHz-I7vDze4ojgxe3X_v6Vl7d0yS-SIQO0QsCBZCogKNZ7dRb5aYzUphTE5M9kf2hDglGScP4wQGNssLiw7s3dO5LJsqCOSHw-P-04cUzByLjcmcTOG_Oyl4p/s1600/two+tigers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zyZzQbUDfe97710dHz-I7vDze4ojgxe3X_v6Vl7d0yS-SIQO0QsCBZCogKNZ7dRb5aYzUphTE5M9kf2hDglGScP4wQGNssLiw7s3dO5LJsqCOSHw-P-04cUzByLjcmcTOG_Oyl4p/s400/two+tigers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I love how the designs are so similar, yet hers is much more feminine (or mine is much more masculine).<br /><br />Granted, inkspotting certainly reduces the odds, but nonetheless, our paths crossing still seemed incredibly amazing.<br /><br />Thanks to Jessica for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday!

Jessica's Chest Piece and a Tale of Two Tigers

There may be eight million people in New York, but it's still, at times, a small world town. Last month in the Amtrak section of Penn St...

Read more »