Tattoosday: Skulls

Showing posts with label Skulls. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Merette's Sleeve Stuns With Its Beauty

On the last day of May, I met Merette, walking on 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

I'll be honest, I spotted her fifty yards away and stopped dead in my tracks, because I knew she had an incredible tattoo sleeve. Some work you know is great, even before you can see the details.

Thankfully, she let me take pictures of her amazing black and gray sleeve. Here's hoping these shots do justice to the work:

Merette credited artist Soner Turan, formerly of Citizen Ink Tattoo in Brooklyn, and now at Bang Bang Tattoos in Manhattan.

This beautiful work features roses, sunflowers, and a half-skull, half-face with a pop of color in the one green eye.

Thanks to Merette for sharing her stunning ink with us here on Tattoosday!

If you are seeing this on another website 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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Mike's Back Full of Skulls

This past weekend, I was at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade and I received permission from Mike, one of the spectators on the boardwalk, to take a picture of his back piece:

He credited this back full of skulls to Jen Lohrey Carmean, who works out of Monarch Tattoo in Newfoundland, New Jersey.

Thanks to Mike for sharing his cool back tattoo with us here at Tattoosday!

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Ryan's Lion, and Time on His Mind

Last week I ran into Ryan, a prior contributor to Tattoosday, who appeared on the site originally here.

It was an unseasonably warm day, for January in Brooklyn, and he showed me one of his newest tattoos:

Ryan told me that he wanted a skull, but with a time theme - so you have the gears of a clock running where the brain is held.

He credited the work to Alvin Chong (see his Instagram here) who is an artist from Kuala Lumpur. He got this on a recent stint by Chong at Last Rites in New York City.

He also showed me a new piece he got from Chad Koeplinger on a recent stop at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in Brooklyn:

Ryan got this because he is a Leo, and wanted a lion to represent his Zodiac sign.

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

Monday, October 13, 2014

Rachel and Her Tree of Life

I met Rachel after work one day on Wall Street and asked her about this tattoo gracing her right arm:

It's a pretty cool concept with our solar system swirling above a tree bordered by an embryo and a skull.

She credited the work to Rich from High Roller Tattoo in Hicksville, New York.

"It was like six or seven years ago," she told me, "it was just something I came up with artistically and he [Rich] cleaned it up ... it's basically the tree of life."

Rachel even went so far as to send me a side-by-side comparison of the tattoo, then and now, as an interesting illustration on how the tattoo has aged over six years:

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

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Kelsy: The Flesh is Weak, But The Soul is Willing

Last month I met Kelsy at The Lock Yard, one of my favorite places for craft beer and artisanal hot sausages. It's also becoming one pf my favorite places for inkspotting.

Kelsy was showing a lot of ink and offered up her chest piece for inclusion on Tattoosday:

Kelsy explained this lovely work:

"I got the tattoo for my grandmother that passed away when I was seventeen. She was basically a mom to me. She always was so nurturing and close to me. So I got the flesh is weak but the soul is willing because I feel that all of the things and all the pain that you go through is only going to shape your soul, what goes on in your soul is willing to persevere through everything ... I got roses because she grew roses and I'm not Hispanic, but I got a Day of the Dead skull, Dia de Los Muertos, because it's a celebration of death, not the loss ... but the celebration of what they gain and what I gain from always being with me ... even though i'm 3000 miles away from my family, I feel like they're always with me..."

She said the piece was created by "a mix of a couple people," most notably Eli Falconette at Blacklist Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. Eli was responsible for the roses.

Thanks to Kelsy for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, August 3, 2014

A Mermaid Shares a Tattoo

You rarely see me on Tattoosday, but the stranger who took a photo with my phone did some funky multiple-frame picture taking that generated this gif.

Incidentally, I'm standing with Kristen who posed for a ton of photos at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, as she was part of the group that put the whole event together.

When I mentioned Tattoosday, Kristen was kind enough to share a tattoo on her thigh that was below her shimmering mermaid skirt:

She credited this cool tattoo to her boyfriend, Joe Khay at Citizen Ink in Brooklyn. Joe also designed this year's Mermaid Parade poster.

Kristen explained that her leg has a death theme, thus the skull and the crow, a bird often thought to carry souls within them. The tattoo has a greater significance for her, as she explained:

"It's actually what got me and my boyfriend together ... it's kind of a love story behind it. The tattoo got us together ... I was going to a different artist at the same shop and then I decided, 'Hi, I'm going to go with him for one of these tattoos' ... it was out of his element, he doesn't really do much realism, he does more neo-traditional tattoos so I kinda brought him out of his element, expanding ever since and it brought us together - it's eight months later."

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

If you are seeing this on another website 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 http://tattoosday.net 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.

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!

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!

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!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Maria Shows Off An Incredible Sleeve by Bugs at the Mermaid Parade

It's always exciting when I find work by artists I admire out on the street, so when I met Maria on Saturday at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade and I learned that her sleeve was by Bugs, I was thrilled:

I love Bugs' take on the Bird of Paradise flower here and the sleeve is punctuated on Maria's fist with this skull:

Bugs works out of L.A., but I've seen him work at the NYC Tattoo Convention and Maria said some of this sleeve was completed when he did some guest spots at a shop in New Jersey. See other work I have featured by Bugs on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Maria for sharing this great work with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, May 19, 2014

Tattoosday Walks Into a Bar... And Sees a Sleeve of Skulls

In a new feature here on Tattoosday, we're going to periodically celebrate the ink I find in bars. In addition to the tattoo, I'll talk a little about the establishment as well.

We're starting off with a place near and dear to me - Lock Yard in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Located in a former locksmith storefront, Lock Yard specializes in artisan sausages and a constantly changing menu of delicious craft beers. It has become a new home away from home, and I moseyed over yesterday for a Sunday brunch brew.

I sat down on a stool and ordered a Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale from Jason behind the bar.

And as I sipped on this delicious pale ale, Jason shared his sleeve of skulls:

Jason credited this work to Marc Larsen, from Groove Tattoo, also in Bay Ridge.

Jason told me he got this work from Marc because he likes skulls a lot. "I just like the way they look," he added, "different types ... different faces ... everything I have on here, he drew on freehand, no stencils involved."

Thanks to Jason for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, and to the folks over at Lock Yard, for their ongoing hospitality and steady flow of delicious beer!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Three Views of Byron's Leg (from the 4th Annual Urban Tattoo Convention)

Yes, we're still working on summer posts, like this one from Byron, who shared some work done on his leg:

Byron told me that the section of teeth and eyes was done freehand.

He also told me that the skull with tentacles was based on his own sketch.

All of this incredible work was done at Inked City Tattoo in Trenton, New Jersey. The artist is Marco Rodriguez, and it took about a year to complete.

Thanks to Byron for sharing this incredible work with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, August 5, 2013

Johnny Shares His Angels and Demons

I met Johnny on the Coney Island boardwalk, and he allowed me to take a photo of his back to share with Tattoosday readers:

The top of the back reads "Brooklyn" and the bottom sums it up: Angels & Demons.

Johnny explained:

"It's just the passions of my life. I went through turmoil and came out of it. So, basically, I'm wearing on my skin, my griefs, my sins and my dislikes."

He couldn't be specific about who did what, but he said that the majority of the work was done by Coney Island Vinny and Michael Angelo, two staples of old-school Brooklyn tattooing.

Thanks to Johnny for sharing his back tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Krystina and a Krooked Ken Tattoo

I met Krystina in my neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn last month, after stopping to ask her about her tattoos.

Turns out, she works as a manager at North Star Tattoo in Manhattan, a wonderful shop with some amazing artists.

She shared this small tattoo of a black cat, a skull, and the number 13, credited to Krooked Ken, who owns Black Anchor Tattoo in Denton, Maryland and Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, New Jersey:

Krystina explained how she came by this tattoo from Krooked Ken:

"I'm good friends with him. I used to work for him and we went to Rodrigo Melo's [the owner of North Star Tattoo] wedding ... the day after Rodrigo's wedding, we were staying at the same hotel in Jersey, I went to Powerhouse ... and he did this tattoo that day. Daniel Cotté did the flash. The only copy of it, he never did prints or anything, just the hand-painted flash, is at Powerhouse, and Daniel Cotté works at North Star, as well."

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

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hannah's Skull by Shawn Barber (NYC Tattoo Convention 2013)

As I briefly mentioned in my initial post from this year's New York City Tattoo Convention (which concluded yesterday), I met a woman named Hannah, who I spotted near one of the many booths. It was her tattoo on her upper right arm that really jumped out at me:

My curiosity about the tattoo was not unfounded, when Hannah informed me this was the work of famed artist, Shawn Barber.

Hannah hails from Southern California, and got this tattoo at Memoir Tattoo in Los Angeles.

Hannah talked about her appreciation of the art of Shawn Barber, his influence on her own work, and his creation of her tattoo:

"He was a huge influence ... I was never into oil painting until I saw his oil paintings and I'm obsessed ... I'm really into skulls and succulents ...that's my main choice of what I like to paint ... I told him what I wanted and let him go with it ... probably one of my favorite parts is the little squiggle [above the eyes] ...

... and the cactus flowers coming through the cheekbone ... I didn't really ask for flowers or anything and he put those in and that's one of my favorite parts... they're all succulents, like aloe plants and cactus ...".

It is always a thrill to share work of people I meet who have been adorned by the creations of artists at the top of their game. If you want to see an amazing array of Shawn Barber's work, visit his web page here.

Thanks to Hannah for sharing this incredible tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Friday, March 1, 2013

Tattoosday Goes to L.A.: Stephanie's Southwestern Scene

Last week I was headed back to New York from L.A. when I met Stephanie out near my gate at LAX.

She estimates that she is about 70% covered with tattoos, and she shared this piece on her foot:

Stephanie is originally from Philadelphia, but she got this as a ten-year anniversary gift commemorating a decade of living on the West Coast.

She credited this colorful Southwestern tattoo, complete with cacti and animal skull, to Cameron Chase at Tat-Fu Tattoo in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Thanks to Stephanie for sharing her colorful anniversary tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2013 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website 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 http://tattoosday.blogspot.com 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.