Laman

Just Added to the Blogroll.....

Check out A Tattooed Blog by Noel Boyd and a site for Free Tattoo Designs called Tattoos and Art.
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Michael Has an Ear for Music

Coming out of Penn Station, I spotted a guy on the escalator with an inked hand. Of course, I stopped him to talk tattoo, and he was more than happy to oblige.

Michael has eleven tattoos in all. Only four were visible, and he offered up this one:


He had this musical symbol (the treble, or G Clef) tattooed in his left ear,

because it made sense to him. He loves music, even music he doesn't understand. Michael has seen many people with musical notes inked on their bodies, but he thought it was significant to tattoo a symbol for something he loves on the part of the body where the music is received.

I asked him, on a scale of one to ten, ten being highest, how he had would rank the pain from having his ear tattooed. He said "6". And the most painful tattoo spot for him? "My thighs," he responded.

This note was tattooed at by a shop in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn by an artist named Steven. I am trying to confirm the name before linking it here.

I mentioned that Michael had three other visible tattoos. You can see them over here at Knuckle Tattoos.

Thanks again to Michael for sharing his musical ink with us here on Tattoosday!
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On the Bookshelves

Lacking new ink photos, I'd rather post something tattoo-related than nothing at all. So, here's a new feature on Tattoosday. An inventory of tattoo books currently on the shelves of a local New York City bookstore. Today's snapshot: my lunchtime haunt at the Borders in 2 Penn Plaza.


The Tattoo Encyclopedia – A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo by Terisa Green.



Read a review here.

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Tattoo: From Idea to Ink by Joy Surles



Read a review here.

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Permanence: Tattoo Portraits by Kip Fulbeck


I've actually read this one before. Great photos with accompanying mini-capsules about the tattoo or the model's experience with ink, in their own handwriting. Highly recommended.



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500 Tattoo Designs by Henry Ferguson



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Great Book of Tattoo Designs: More than 500 Body Art Designs by Lora S. Irish



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Advanced Tattoo Art (How-To Secrets from the Masters) by Doug Mitchel



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The Tattoo Sourcebook by Andy Sloss & Zynab Mirza



Hope you find this feature useful.
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Casey's Name Transcends Generations


I met Casey while passing through Penn Station. He was waiting for the Amtrak to his home in Rhode Island. I spotted his neck tattoo and asked him about it because it was not your typical neck piece. He was very enthusiastic about sharing it with Tattoosday,

Simply, the ink, which begins on the left side of his neck and curves in a semi-circle to the right side of his neck, is his name (first, middle, and last) in Armenian.


I normally don't spout opinions about people's choice of ink, but I have never understood why people tattoo their own names on their bodies. I work with many people who possess cursive renditions of their names in ink, and these tattoos don't appeal to my artistic sensibility.

However, after speaking with Casey about his tattoo, I fully appreciate the design and meaning of the piece.

One remarkable thing about the tattoo, in my opinion, is that it is inked in a language that is not commonly seen on skin, in this country at least. I have featured kanji, Hebrew, and Arabic, but never Armenian. The name inscribed in another language, especially when it honors one's family
heritage, elevates the art and carves deeper meaning into the flesh.

What makes this piece even more phenomenal is that the handwriting of Casey's name belongs to his grandfather. He went to him and asked for him to write the name out in the language of the Old Country, with the express desire to have it tattooed. And his grandfather not only gave his blessing, but loves the finished product.

In this way, Casey has created a tribute to his heritage, as well to as his grandfather, and is able to convey that respect for the past. It will also be a constant reminder for him to remember his grandfather and the roots from whence he came.

The piece was inked by his friend Jesus, who was not affiliated with a shop at the time he got the tattoo 2 1/2 years ago, but is now working at Wicked Ink Tattoo in Riverside, Rhode Island.

As a bonus, on two-for-Tattoosday, Casey showed me his other tattoo that is inked on his right bicep:


"So you're a Yankees fan?" I asked, smiling.

Casey corrected me, "It's a memorial piece for my cousin J.J. who was a devoted fan".

J.J. died at the too-young age of 26 and the tattoo was supposed to include the text "J.J. - Rest in Peace," but he didn't have time to finish it. There are plans to complete the memorial in the next month, and I hope to post the final version here in the future.

I must say that I have seen tattoos of the "NY" logo for the Yankees, but this piece is one of the best I've seen, just based on its size and sheer brightness of color. The deeper meaning as a memorial for a close relative makes the tattoo even better, in my opinion.

Thanks again to Casey for sharing both tattoos with us here at Tattoosday!
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The Literary Tattoo

I didn't spot a shred of ink today, so let's look elsewhere for a moment.

A great site that I love to visit regularly is Contrariwise, an awesome blog devoted to literary tattoos.

On a related matter, a friend sent me the link to the following article about literary tattoos that I thought I'd share with everyone here at Tattoosday.

In 2003, the author Shelley Jackson announced that she would publish a 2,095-word short story called “Skin” on participants who agree to be tattooed with randomly assigned words from her text. The tattooees alone will read the story, which will be complete when the last commissioned word is inscribed on its bearer, sometime in the next few years. It will not be published on paper. Jackson asks applicants (she has many more than she can use) to read her novel, The Melancholy of Anatomy, to ensure that they like her writing before committing to a word, because “Skin” is what she calls a “hidden track” (in the pop-music sense) of the book; both explore the relationship between words and the body.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Jerry's Sparrows Represent an Ocean Crossed


I met Jerry just outside of our local grocery store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

He was kind enough to let me photograph one of the sparrows flying on each side of his neck:


Jerry estimates that 50% of his body is inked. Today being January 4, a lot of that was covered against the elements, so the sparrow it was.

He has been getting tattoos since he was 17 years old.

He went with the sparrow tattoos to represent the traditional aspect of the art, and the fact that he had crossed an ocean (The Atlantic). This is one of the meanings that sparrows possess when represented in ink.

This piece, and most of his recent tattoos, was created by Alex Franklin at Brooklyn Ink.

Work by Alex and other Brooklyn Ink artists has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Jerry also has knuckle tattoos, which I also snapped pictures of his hands for KnuckleTattoos.com, but a shadow (mine) interfered with a clean shot:


The knuckles read "Ride Hard" because Jerry is a biker and he says it's best to "ride hard or not at all". If I get the opportunity to get a better shot of his knuckles, I'll send them over to KnuckleTattoos.com.

Thanks again to Jerry for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!
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