Tattoosday: July 2014

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Olga Shares Two Incredible Tattoos

A couple weeks ago on the subway, I spotted a pretty floral tattoo on a woman's arm. When she turned around to get off the train to transfer, I saw she had another tattoo on her other arm, which prompted me to get off the train as well, so I could find out more about this amazing tattoo:

The owner of this amazing tattoo is Olga, who was very friendly and happy to share her work. She explained that this is a memorial piece for her father, Wolf, that embraces her family's Russian heritage. She credited the work to Mikhail at White Rabbit Tattoo Studio on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Olga added:

"I gave Mikhail a very rough sketch of what I wanted, a wolf under birch trees, and he came up with this beautiful piece. I was honestly speechless when it was done, it's exactly what I wanted and so much more. It's very special."

She told me that birch trees reminded her of her old home in Russia.

Oh, and remember the cool floral piece that I initially spotted on Olga's arm?

That piece was done by the phenomenal Amanda Wachob, an amazingly talented artist who is worth researching, just to appreciate her skills as a unique tattooist. The work on Olga's arm looked painted on and I didn't take a photo because it wrapped all the way onto her back. Olga did me a courtesy by sending a photo of her back after it was initially finished:

Olga told me:

"This started as a few cherry blossoms on my arm which I wanted to extend over my shoulder onto my back with a few magnolias. Working with Amanda was amazing and I'm grateful we were able to work on this amazing piece together."

It's always an honor to highlight Amanda Wachob's work.

Thank to Olga for sharing her wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Matt Shares George Carlin with the World

Not many tattoos stop me in my tracks, but that's just what happened when I was walking down 4th Avenue last week and spotted Matt outside of a laundromat with this awesome tattoo:

This fantastic tattoo of the late great comedian George Carlin is by far one of my favorite portraits of a celebrity I've ever seen inked on flash. Perhaps being a huge fan has something to do with it.

Turns out the fan with the tattoo is Matt Huff, tattooer and piercer at Brooklyn Ink, where Joe Mags laid this portrait down. The fact that the image was so immediately recognizable to me speaks volumes of the quality of the work.

Later, in an email, Matt gave me a detailed rundown of his relationship to the tattoo:

"There are several reasons that I decided to get my George Carlin portrait. I suppose the best place to start is my own personality, and how I will crack a joke about anything, no matter how lighthearted or serious it can be. George Carlin was someone who was a part of my life from when I was a little kid watching Shining Time Station on PBS, to being an adolescent who thought the 7 dirty words skit was edgy and rebellious, through my angst filled teenage years. I've carried the 'bullshit is everywhere' attitude my whole life, and learning the ability to brush it all off and laugh about it have been an integral part of my transition into the person I am today. I figured if there was a person who I quote almost daily, that I should pay homage to, it would be him."

I couldn't agree more - I cut my teeth as a kid in the 70's sneaking peeks at Carlin doing stand-up on HBO specials, an despite never seeing him perform,. I did meet him twice at book-signing. This signed photograph hangs in my bathroom:

Who cares if my name isn't Wayne, it's as funny as hell.

Here's a classic piece of Carlin that I still love:

Thanks to Matt for sharing his George Carlin portrait with us here on Tattoosday. If you hadn't guessed by my gushing, it is truly an honor!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Sharmeen Has No Regrets About This Beautiful Tattoo (at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade)

Last month at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, I met Sharmeen briefly and snapped a photo of this amazing tattoo on her upper back:

Sharmeen tells us about this incredible work:

"My tattoo was done by Jed from Vintage Tattoo in Pequannok, NJ. It is a Van Gogh painting that was changed a little bit. Instead of one path like the original painting, it has 2 paths and the one is a windy road. That is to symbolize the windy road in the Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken. In the path it says nullum desiderium which in Latin means no regrets."

Thanks to Sharmeen for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Jeremy's Eagle Soars

Ever since Lock Yard, my favorite watering hole, opened last fall, I had been admiring the tattoos of Jeremy, who works there. He's got quite a few, including this amazing American eagle:

"I have about twelve years of counter-terrorism experience with the government," he told me, adding, "so it's just my tribute to America."

As for the pain in getting your throat tattooed, Jeremy told me, "I had no problem with my throat - my feet and my stomach were exponentially worse."

This great work was done by Rob at Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Work from the shop has appeared quite often over the years here on Tattoosday. Click here to see what we've seen through the years from Rob, Joe and Alex at the shop.

Thanks to Jeremy for sharing his awesome eagle with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Luis and The Tattooed Monk

Last month, I met Luis at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention and he shared this cool sleeve:

Luis's artist is David Styles, who works out of House of Styles Tattoos & Body Piercing in the Bronx.
He is one of Styles' best customers and says he has about 40 hours of work all told on his canvas.

As for this section of sleeve, Luis explains:

"This is The Tattooed Monk. Basically The story behind him is that he's drunk and belligerent, so he's all over the place ... He was actually a crime lord in ancient China - the Chinese and Japanese have different stories - so basically he tried to redeem himself by joining a monastery and becoming a monk so he could find inner peace and everything ... he just really found out that he couldn't take life without liquor. So he ... just kinda went and took on some monster - he beat the monster but, in turn, destroyed the monastery. so he ended up getting kicked out ... you see a lot of Japanese yakuza members running around with this tattoo, [like a] big back piece or something like that."

Here's a larger perspective from the House of Styles Facebook page:

Photo courtesy of House of Styles Tattoo & Body Piercing

Thanks to Luis for sharing his awesome sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

Saturday, July 19, 2014

The Finished Product: Max and the Wild Things

Earlier this month, I posted about a Where the Wild Things Are tattoo spotted at the Mermaid festival last month. Read the original post here.

Turns out, artist Luke LoPorto wasn't done. He messaged me last night showing me the finished product:

Photo Courtesy Luke LoPorto

Thanks to Luke for updating us!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Judith and Her Igel (Hedgehog)

Earlier this month, I disembarked a Citibike at Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan and spotted a tattooed woman sitting on the steps of the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House behind me.

Her name was Judith and she was visiting from Austria.

She had this cool tattoo on her inner wrist:

Judith spoke little English, but I did manage to identify this creature that she called an Igel as a hedgehog. She said a friend of hers who had taken up tattooing as a hobby did the work on her. He also had done significantly more work on her upper arm:

I'm not sure what this piece is all about, but I do see the maple leaves and dandelions.

Judith, I thank you for sharing your work with us here on Tattoosday! Danke schön!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Brigid, Ornate (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

I met Brigid last month at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention in Brooklyn. I was intrigued by the unusual tattoo on her upper left arm:

This work is by Philip Milic, who tattoos out of Old Crow in Oakland, California. According to the shop site, Milic has a two-year wait for clients, so Brigid was very lucky to get tattooed by him when he did a guest stint at NY Adorned in Manhattan.

Here's a closer look:

It's simply stunning work.

Thanks to Brigid for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Reed Is No King, He Wears No Crown

I met Reed in Penn Station last month and he shared this tattoo:

Reed explained that the tattoo alludes to a song by a musician named Dallas Green, who performs as City and Colour.

The banner reads "I'm No King / I Wear No Crown" which appears in the song "Sensible Heart." To Reed it means "I'm no better than anybody else."

He credited this work to Adam Warner, a tattoo artist at The Dublin Social Club in Kansas City, Missouri.

Thanks to Reed for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Two Tattoos From Jason

I met Jason in Penn Station last month and he shared two tattoos with me. First, this tiger on his forearm:

He credited this to an artist named Mike at Immortal Ink in Flemington, New Jersey.

Jason also shared this cover-up on his upper right arm:

The woman in the tattoo represents his wife, and Jason had spent time in the Navy. He likes the art for art's sake and told me, "I'm not much of a meaning guy." This was done by Adam Hays at Red Rocket Tattoo in New York City. We've featured work by Adam previously on Tattoosday here and here.

Thanks to Jason for sharing his cool ink tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Heather and Her Stunning Tiger Tattoo

Down where I work during the week, you tend to see a lot of professional dog-walkers during the day. Last month, I spotted a woman, wearing a shirt that read "KEEP CALM AND CARRY TREATS." She wasn't the first person spotted wearing that shirt, as it is often worn by people working for Paws on Pine.

Anyway, I noticed that she had a pretty cool half-sleeve and, although I didn't interview her then, I figured I would get another opportunity soon.

I spotted the woman again last week, walking a pooch up on Wall Street. I introduced myself.

Heather, it turns out, is the owner of Paws on Pine, and this is the tattoo that caught my eye originally:

This stunning tattoo was done by Kristi Walls, who is currently "resident guest artist" at Sacred Tattoo, but has also worked at Bang Bang Tattoo and East Side Ink.

The details, shading and line work in this piece are stunning - just take a closer look:

Heather explained to me that she was laid off three years ago from a corporate job and "got this to symbolize resilience and strength, because I ended up taking a year off and then I started my own dog-walking business."

Thanks to Heather for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday and, if you're ever in need of professional dog-walkers in lower Manhattan, be sure to check out Paws on Pine.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Esther's Tattoo of Patience

I met Esther last month at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade.

I found her tattoo intriguing and asked her about it.

Esther explained:

"I designed it myself. I got it right when I turned 18. I got it in Hawai'i ... I was going through a tough time, so I was kinda like, you know, strength and wisdom and patience. The kanji itself means patience."

She credited it to an artist named Lee.

Thanks to Esther for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Pepper in Penn

For many years, I spent countless hours of lunch breaks in Penn Station, as my day job was situated across the street. Long-time fans of Tattoosday know it is a ripe location for meeting people with tattoos, year-round. I have found that people waiting for their bus/train/plane at transit hubs are more likely to share their tattoos, just because it breaks up the boredom of waiting for one's gate to be called.

Case in point: one night last month in June, I had an hour to kill and found myself in Penn, and interviewed several people in a short span, starting with Pepper, who shared this tattoo:

Pepper explained that this colorful piece was inked by Tom Johnson out of Philadelphia over 15 years ago. Sadly, Pepper reports, Mr. Johnson is deceased. Yet his work lives on, on her arm.

Aside from the fact that they collaborated on the tattoo, Pepper didn't offer up much more. So whether this is a wood nymph, or a faerie queen, is left up to the interpretation of the reader.

Thanks to Pepper for taking the time to share this colorful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Vince's Half-Sleeve: One Dragon, Lots of Skulls

I met Vince last month on Broadway in Lower Manhattan last month and I asked him about his half sleeve. He was more than willing to share it:

The sleeve includes an old gnarled tree, a dragon clutching a skull, a rose, smoke additional skulls and a moon and stars.

Vince also has this section on his inner bicep:

The playing card, aflame with a skull-faced suicide king, is bright in the center of the inner arm. You also can see another flower with a skull peeking out.

Vince had the dragon inked twenty years ago at The Tattoo Shoppe in Carlstadt, New Jersey, but all of the surrounding work was done by Charlie at Lola's Tattoos in Bogota, New Jersey.

"There's a lot of skulls in there," he told me, "I just like skulls."

Thanks to Vince for taking the time to stop and share his cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Another Year, Another Max (Wild Things at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade)

Last month at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, I spotted a guy with a really cool Where the Wild Things Are tattoo.

I remembered meeting a guy 2 years earlier at the same parade, but I knew that this tattoo was better than the one I had featured two years ago.

When I asked the guy about it and he said his name was Max, I knew I had erred. It was the same guy, same tattoo, only with more detail.

This was the tattoo in 2012:

So when I sat down to write this post, and I pulled the old photo off of the 2012 post, I had a realization. Look at the tattoo I photographed last month:

Guess what, folks. Not the same tattoo. Two years apart, I run into two guys named Max at the Mermaid Parade, each with Maurice Sendak tattoos depicting the characters from Where the Wild Things Are. What are the odds? 2014 Max had more in his tattoo:

The artist for this newer (frankly better) Where the Wild Things Are tattoo is Luke LoPorto from Timmy Tattoo in Huntington, New York.

So, the moral of the story is, if you meet a guy named Max, and he has a Where the Wild Things Are tattoo, don't assume you've met him before. He may be a different Max.

Thanks to the 2014 Max (and the 2012 Max, as well) for sharing his awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

UPDATE: Several weeks after this posted, artist Luke LoPorto shared the finished product. See it here.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Kalossal's Colossal Tattoo by Al Fliction (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

Last weekend at the 5th Annual NYC Urban Tattoo Convention, I met Kalossal, who shared this magnificent Egyptian back piece:

Kalossal explained that this is all about royalty, saying "every king should have a queen that's got his back."

I love the expressiveness in the face:

This piece was created by Al Fliction, who is a central figure to the UTC and is an Ink Master alumnus.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Kristin Shares A Drawing by Her Father

Last month I met Kristin on Murray Street in lower Manhattan and she shared this tattoo on the back of her calf:

That's W.C. Fields and Kristin explained why he's inked on her leg:

"My father drew the picture and ... Ryan Reyes [formerly of Asylum Tattoos] tattooed it ... My dad was a huge W.C. Fields fan and he drew his likeness constantly. He was an artist and he passed away a few years ago and I got in in memory of him and that's my dad's signature right there [on the bottom right]."

Thanks to Kristin for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Kay Shares an Amazing Back Piece (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

Last weekend at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention, I met Kay Reynolds, a model who shared this phenomenal back piece by David Sena:

The crow, skulls and cherry blossoms in this back piece are exceptional.

Kay explained that this massive tattoo is a cover-up in progress. Here's what it looked like before Sena began his work and, in the early stages:

Courtesy of @KayPossible on Instagram

Even incomplete, you can tell how amazing this work is.

Thanks to Kay for sharing her back piece with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Margot's Leg o' Liberty (at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade)

The best way to celebrate the 4th of July is some traditional American tattoos, no? How about an explosion of great ink on Margot's leg:

I love the bear trying to catch the red white and blue salmon. The roses add nice pops of color to the leg and the skulls are fun. The Go Vegan/Stay Vegan badge is cool and here's a better angle of Lady Justice:

Her sword rears Liberty and she's standing above a banner that warns "Snitches Get Stitches."

I met Margot at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade last month and she credited Dave at Oddball Studios in Portland, Oregon. Dave has done every one of Margo's tattoos.

Thanks to Margot for sharing her leg o' tattoos with us here on Tattoosday! Have a safe and happy 4th of July everyone!

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Edward Scissorhands (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

Simple and to the point. I met Alexandria at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention last Saturday. She shared this tattoo on her left thigh:

She credited this to an artists named Milton somewhere in SoHo. She got it because she loves Johnny Depp and his character Edward Scissorhands.

Thanks to Alexandria for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Four Tattoos by Eon (at the NYC Urban Tattoo Convention)

On Saturday at the 5th annual NYC Urban Tattoo Convention, I asked a guy about his back piece and who his artist was. The artist was Eon, owner of Mr. Tank's Tattoos in Denver, Colorado, and he happened to be standing right there. In fact, Eon was with four of his clients, so I just snapped away.

This is the back piece that first caught my eye:

This is a variation on the Hear No Evil, See No evil, Speak No Evil motif. I commended Eon on his style and he proudly showed off the work that was around him, like this Voodoo-themed "Black Magic" calk piece:

And this rib piece that celebrates the legalization of marijuana in his home state of Colorado:

And, finally, this killer "Money on My Mind" head tattoo. Eon explained how he used the white highlights on the darker skin to really make Ben Franklin jump off of the skull:

Thanks to Eon and his friends from Denver for sharing their ink with us here on Tattoosday!