Coming Along:

Miky has gone back to Italy. It was amazing having him here and I can't wait until he returns to tattoo more Americans. Definitely catch him during his next guest spot. I will be sure to post some pictures of what he did here as soon as I get them.

The shop (finally) has proper furnishings. I still need to decorate, do some more painting, etc. My artists booths are all set up and I've kept one as a permanent guest artist space. If you know an artist looking for a place to do their NYC appointments out of, have them get in touch with me!

Here are a few new pictures...since I haven't JUST been painting walls:






Later!

Two Segements of Renae's Arm

I spotted a whole lot going on with Renae's left forearm, while browsing at the Chelsea Salvation Army store, so I just had to ask.

Let's deconstruct:

The first part of this tattoo is the dark heart on the inner part of the forearm. Renae attributes this to Rob at the Orlando branch of Hart and Huntington. In over three years of inkspotting, this is the first piece on Tattoosday that has been credited to one of their shops.

Renae, who has "no idea" how many tattoos she has (which is synonymous for "too many to count"), wanted to add to her arm, so she headed to Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge.

Alex Franklin was given free reign, according to Renae. Her exact quote was "use your imagination and run," which must be music to many a tattooists ears.

Alex did the flourishes around the original tattoo, along with the phrase "gutta cavat lapidem," a Latin phrase by Ovid which translates to "dripping water hollows out a stone," which is a shortened version of the line "Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence." This quote is known to many New Yorkers who have seen it inscribed underground here (with a broader description here).




And he tattooed the piece on the other side of the arm:

Work from Brooklyn Ink (and a lot by Alex) has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Renae for sharing her tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Sexy Tattoo Designs That Will Make You Look So Sexy

If you’re looking for hot tattoo designs then I strongly suggest you to continue reading on. In this article you’re going to learn three hot tattoo designs for your next tattoo. First is about having a celebrity for your tattoo, next a family member tattoo, and lastly, animal tattoos. By the end of this article you will understand the simple meaning of each tattoo and you’ll also learn which one fits your taste about tattoos.

1. Celebrity
Okay our first type of hot tattoo idea is about celebrities.

Now who wouldn’t want a very hot celebrity printed in their body? If you’re a guy like me, then it would be pretty hot to have a celebrity like Megan Fox printed on your shoulder right? Having a celebrity tattoo is probably one of the hottest designs for a tattoo.

2. Friend or Family Member
Now our second type of hot tattoo idea is about family members.

If you want a family member to live forever, you can have them as a tattoo. This expresses your love to your family and it’s quite revealing that you’re a family guy/girl.

Having a family member as a tattoo is actually used by some people to immortalize a deceased family member.

3. Animals
Our last tattoo design is about animals.

Now when you want to express strength, courage, or endurance then animal tattoos will suit you best. People use hot tattoo designs such as lions, wolves, or tigers to express strength to other people. They hope that having that particular animal tattoo will help them have the courage or strength that is being perceived from the animals.

Sexy Arm Tattoo

There are so many different kinds of arm tattoos that picking the right one can be really difficult. Your arm really starts at the wrist and goes all the way to the shoulder, so there is a wide area to cover. There are many different wrap around designs for the wrist as well as the arm and tribal designs are some of the most popular for these areas. There are numerous kinds of tribal tattoos as well as thousands of other wrap designs. There are thorns, skulls and roses, just to name a few.

When it comes to arm tattoos, the sky is the limit. You can pick simple black and white tattoos as well as full color illustrations. Some people like the classic designs like skulls and roses and even hearts with the name of their sweetheart, or the names of departed children or relatives. Some even design their own as tributes to fallen loved ones or best friends, and have those applied by qualified artists. Other spend hours on end, looking through hundreds of websites and parlors trying to find that special and unique design that best fits their personality.

There are some things that you should know when it comes to arm tattoos, or really any other place you want a tattoo. One, it is a myth that a tattoo isn’t going to hurt, but there are places that are more painful that others. Skin that is close to the bones, like on the wrist or elbow is going to be more painful. The softer areas, like under the arms, on the chest and pubic area is going to hurt. There are degrees of pain and some people have a better tolerance than others. If you are thinking about going out and getting drunk before you have one done, you shouldn’t. Drinking actually thins the blood, making you bleed more.

An Extensive Range of Girls New Tattoos Designs

These days there is a huge variety of tattoo design and body place combination that make wonderful tattoos for girls and it can often be hard to decide, where to site it and which tattoo design to ink. This article is devoted to girls looking for advice and ideas to help them sketch their next tattoo.

In the earlier period it was mostly men who decorated their bodies with tattoos, but over the past 50 years or so tattoos for girls have also happened to extremely popular. The increase in the prominence of tattoos amongst girls followed the women rights association, as social attitudes changed to hold equality. whereas most of the girls still like better the body locations and classic tattoo designs styles that are also well-liked among men, latest decades has also seen an blast in unbelievably elegant and feminine tattoo design styles that have been developed particularly for female tattoo enthusiasts. There are loads of different design styles around that there truly is something for every person.

There are an extensive range of Girls tattoos designs offered, and I suggest you look through as much supreme quality artwork as feasible to acquire some initial ideas about what you like. A tattoo is a very private thing, and I suggest choosing a design that not only looks fantastic, but also has some importance to you. Some of the most admired design styles that make amazing tattoos for girls include butterfly, bird, cross, Celtic, eagle, dolphin, fish, flower, fairy, rose, tiger, heart, star, zodiac, and tribal tattoos, even though many more design styles are extensively available.

In addition to the design, it is also significant to consider about the colors that you desire to fit in to your tattoo. A few girls love truly colorful tattoos, and prefer to ink designs such as flowers, birds, and butterflies. Other women choose more classic tattoo designs inked in black, such as the very characteristic Celtic and tribal design styles.

Be Craze Generation with Lower Back Tattoo

There are several different tattoos shapes and designs that are available out there. With the changing trends each day in terms of designs and colors, there is something more. You can see numerous additions in the list of preferred tattoo painting spots of the beautiful ladies too. Low back is on the hit list or say on the hot list. Lower back happens to be the first priority of every woman for having the lovely designs.

There are many reasons for that. Women can hide these tattoos, they can be easily shown when needed and last but not the least these tattoos are looks very sexy on the lower back. Lower back tattoo is simply great and if it is done perfectly, it adds to the sparkling look of your waist line. A lower back tattoo is simply eye-catching. Any one can see them, if you are wearing a pair of jeans or skirt and a short top.

When you are on to a hot dancing night, adorn yourself with a short t-shirt and show off the shimmering tattoo design to have a magnetizing effect on the crowd. When you are on to a beach side picnic, a lower back tattoo does wonders for your pleasure vacation.

Normally you can look chic and classy in a tattoo that has been done on any where on your body but should be perfectly done. However, tattoos done on lower back just look very sexy and are preferred for their ultimate sex appeal as compared other body parts.

The tattoos add to the exquisiteness of the thin lines of the back. Many women also have a tattoo on the arc of their upper buttocks cheeks, even these are on the list of sexy spots. To enhance the attractiveness, you should go for simple and unique tattoo for your lower back. Small designs look much more appealing and striking rather than those with huge ones.

Sexy Lower Back Tribal New Tattoo

Picking the right lower back tribal tattoo can be a tedious and difficult decision to make. Most people will end up settling on some generic, cookie cutter design, though, simply because they are in a rush to get tattooed. Needless to say, many of them end up regretting what they get because of this. Well, here is how to avoid that, while finding tons of the quality lower back tribal tattoo design you are after.

Let’s start things off with a crucial point. Many people (95%) will rely solely on search engines to locate the tattoos they want. This would be a great idea if search engines actually showed you where the great galleries are that have a quality lower back tribal tattoo database, but they don’t. What usually pulls up are low end galleries that have the exact same generic content as two hundred other websites. They are put up random images in a hurry, because they want to get as much artwork on their gallery as fast as they can. They don’t really care about the quality of the art they post.

Lower Back Tribal Tattoos

Lower back tribal tattoos have become very popular in recent modern times, this article explains why.

For centuries we have painted ourselves with tattoos and recently the appearance of this body art form has exploded in popularity with great numbers of people getting themselves inked.

There are a variety of different styles in tattoo design from crude home made forms using a bottle of shop bought ink and a sewing needle to highly sophisticated methods involving the latest colors of ink and very quick needle guns employed by professional tattooists. They get the job done in record time and some of these tattooists are close to being the modern equivalent of a Michelangelo or Pablo Picasso.

What is achieved by the tattoo artists using their great designs and colored ink is quite remarkable.

Why do folk settle for getting inked with historical designs that are normally in the single colors of henna or black? The answer like most things is multi faceted and the roots of which begin in the mists of time itself. Historically, before we communicated properly with speech, we used this art form as a way of communicating with each other.

Many of us will have seen cavemen animal drawings on cave walls and the depiction was normally so good we could tell which animals they were. Drawing on their bodies became a natural extension of that art form. The inked body drawings would tell of great victories and other notable events.

The leaders of the tribe would have special designs that would depict their standing within the community and the most effective place for the tribal back tattoos was on the back so that they could be followed into battle or when hunting for animals. It was a case of follow the leader in those days and those generals led from the front rather than being safely deployed behind their troops which is the case in modern day wars.

Lower back tribal tattoos have become popular with women as they have a flattering effect on the shape of a woman's body. The waist is given the illusion of being smaller whereas the hips appear to be enhanced giving an overall more shapely appearance.

Men often prefer their tribal back tattoos on the upper back which again enhances the body shape appearance by giving the effect of widening the shoulders, reducing the waist and giving the impression of the classic V shape.

Butterfly Tattoo Designs

Butterfly tattoo designs are some of the most popular tattoos, as well as some of the most beautiful designs. Although more women than men choose butterfly tattoos, some men have them as well. Butterfly tattoo designs can range anywhere from looking like natural butterflies to stylized fantasy or tribal style butterflies. The vast assortment of butterfly tattoo designs means that no matter what your personal taste or your reason for wanting a tattoo you can likely find a design that you love.

The butterfly itself is a beautiful creature, displaying perfect symmetry, astounding colors, beautiful shapes and a light, airy motion. Capturing the natural beauty of a butterfly in a tattoo can result in some of the most beautiful tattoo designs that overflow with warmth, richness and color.

If you look deeper than just the outside appearance of a butterfly you will find deep, symbolic meaning. Butterflies mean many different things to different cultures, though everything they are associated with is positive and uplifting.

Most commonly butterflies are used to symbolize change or transformation. Just as the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, a butterfly tattoo can symbolize a personal transformation in your life or a change that you are undertaking. Many people who choose butterfly tattoos choose them because they symbolize a new life or new beginning. It may be that you have started a new phase of your life, or left an old one behind. Personal change or transformation can have a life altering impact and you may want to capture it and honor it with a butterfly tattoo.

Even with the symbolism that is often attached to butterflies, sometimes a butterfly tattoo is just a butterfly tattoo and doesn't have any underlying meaning for the person who got it. Appreciating the beauty of the art without needing to assign meaning to it is absolutely fine. Sometimes the beauty of the design itself is what holds meaning for us.

As with any tattoo, the most important thing in deciding to get a butterfly tattoo is that you love the design that you have chosen and that it holds a special meaning for you - whether that meaning is deep and profound or whether it is just that you think it is beautiful and want to showcase the artwork on your body. As long as when you look in the mirror and see your tattoo it makes you smile then you will know you have made the right choice. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of your tattoo - what matters is that it makes you happy.

Girl Tattoos - Sexy Designs Girls Love

Tattoos use to be a mark of rebellion.. now a fashion accessory. While tattoos are mostly applied to men, many girls have started to show how sexy and feminine tattoos can be.

Usual places for a man to have a tattoo is on the chest, shoulder or upper arm. Girls fashion can be some what revealing, so having a tattoo on those parts can limit a girls wardrobe if it needs to be hidden. Girls have to consider weather the tattoo will look good when wearing a bikini or wedding dress. Which means they are generally more careful, making sure that a tattoo is easily concealed in professional clothing.

Before searching for a sexy girl tattoo, deciding where it will be on the body is the first step. Popular places for girls are on the lower back, between the shoulder blades and below the belly button. These positions seem to reflect the latest fashion as they can be easily covered up or put on show. Avoid having a tattoo on the upper chest or breast. Pregnancy or late age can cause the tattoo to stretch and become ruined.

Sexy girl tattoo designs are often butterflies, flowers, shooting stars, dolphins and cute fairies. Although it's exciting getting a tattoo, time should always be taken to pick a design. Hundreds of people have rushed in and just picked a design from the tattoo parlors books, to then find they don't really like it or their friend got the exact same design the day before.

Symbolizes Your Love and Purity with Sexy Flower Tattoo

Each day, the popularity of flower tattoos increases, as more women get tattoos. Of course, men are also capable of getting one, but they are most popular among women.

If you are thinking about getting a flower tattoo, you have many options available. They come in many types and colors. No two are exactly alike. Also, many flowers represent certain specific things. In fact, some have represented several different things over the years.

For instance, the rose tattoo was used in the 16th century to identify criminals. It was tattooed onto anyone who was sentenced to death. That way, if they escaped, they could be easily identified and brought back.

The modern rose tattoo has a completely different meaning, however. In modern culture, it is automatically recognized as a symbol of passion, love and romance, just as giving a bouquet of roses is a sign of love.

That is at least true in western regions, anyway. In eastern regions, though, the lotus symbolizes love and purity. A lotus flower tattoo can mean other things too. It can symbolize, for instance, fortune, beauty or peace. So, you may want to incorporate the lotus into a larger tattoo, which clearly indicates what you are trying to represent.

The Bells of Ireland flower is known to be a symbol of good luck. An Irish person with that sort of design is usually known for having an incredible amount of luck. Then there is the acacia flower, which is yet another symbol of love and friendship. Do you feel exceptionally lucky in love? If so, you might want to get both!

Sexy Flower Tattoo

Sexy Flower Tattoo

A tulip tattoo is another variety, which you may want to consider. Tulips are considered symbolic of being an excellent lover. They represent a desire for passionate love. If you consider yourself to be a bit less outgoing, you might prefer to get a violet flower tattoo. Violets are considered a sign of shyness.

There are even more flower tattoos than that to choose from, though. For instance, if you consider yourself to be a wise person, you may want to get an iris flower tattoo. While, if you love nature, you might try a magnolia. Although, any flower at all generally reminds us of nature, so you really can’t go wrong with whatever flower tattoo you choose.

Beyond the type of design, there is also the color to consider. Pink colors are often a symbol of friendship. Red flowers indicate passion. White flowers, on the other hand, indicate purity. So consider your flower tattoo color, as well as type.

Flowers are an elegant symbol of beauty. They can bring up an incredible amount of memories and feelings. So, whether you choose a rose tattoo or some other type, you really can’t go wrong with a flower tattoo.

Tattoo Girls Dished Up

Tattoos have become like sex. They are being used to market everything from universities to designer label clothing. Ink has truly become the new black. Long before savvy marketing execs jumped on the bandwagon and made the whole thing mainstream these tattoo girls were doing it for themselves and covering themselves with pretty ink.

Chris Andersen Gets Free Bird Neck Tattoo

The Denver Nuggets Chris Andersen is a fan favorite..His nickname is the Birdman, plays with incredible energy and flat out loves ink..Chris had two spot that were still stained free..his face and neck..say goodbye to the neck..The Birdman has tattooed his neck with letters spelling out Free Bird..an homage to the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic tune or a reference to his own nickname?..I was thinking he was more into Cypress Hill…looks can be deceiving.

Bird Tattoo Designs For Girls

Bird Tattoo Designs For Girls

Angel Tattoo Design

Angel Tattoo Design

John's Root People

At the end of July, I coincidentally exited the A train at 14th Street at the same time as John, who was visiting from Nevada.

I had been admiring his sleeve on the train, but didn't have the opportunity to speak to him about it until after he got off the subway.

He referred to these creatures as "Root People":

It's an abstract collaboration with the artist, Rickett, at The Ruby Lantern in Carson City, Nevada.

They started working together in January of this year, and they're not yet finished with the whole sleeve. As you can tell, it's very unusual and has a very unique approach.

These designs are all on John's right arm, and I am particular to the female tree person above on his inner forearm.

Thanks to John for sharing his Root People here with us on Tattoosday!

Gina's Phoenix

In late June, I ran into Gina in Penn Station and complimented her on a tattoo she had on her back. At the time, she was wearing something with straps that covered part of the design. I gave her a flier and she remarked that she had just recently discovered the site through this post on the tattoo of Julie Powell.

Alas, like so many folks to whom I give fliers, I didn't receive any emails or photos. But a month passed and one day I was pleasantly surprised to see an email from Gina, with the following photos of her phoenix tattoo:

I'll let her explain the rest:

"... I had completely forgotten [about sending in the photo] until I found the picture I took for you on my camera... This was done by Junii at the Diamond Club in San Francisco. [Bill Salmon, Junii's husband, is the studio owner]. She does amazing line work.  She's also incredibly conscientious about design and her clients.  For both my tattoos, she spend a lot of time talking with me, looking at the 20 pictures I had brought in of bits or aspects of what I wanted, then went off and did her own research, always coming back with exactly the right drawing.

This one - I got it after a really, really difficult year. So, obviously, not the deepest symbolism - just wanted to remind myself of the possibility of renewal."

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

Alex Shares a Floral Tattoo, Roots and All

Sometimes I see tattoos before I see people.

Back in July, for example, I approached a guy on the West 4th Street subway platform to ask him about this tattoo on his right forearm:

It was only after I said hello to him that I realized he was someone named Alex who lives in my neighborhood in Brooklyn.

In fact, Alex had a tattoo featured here back in 2009, after I stopped  him in the laundromat.

This floral tattoo is a representation of how a flower overcomes obstacles and pain to lay down roots, rises up, and blooms.

He draws the comparison to life, as nothing comes without hard work and bypassing obstacles.

The tattoo was created by Shon Lindauer at Thicker Than Water in Manhattan. Shon is the same artist that did the tiger on my calf. Other work from Thicker Than Water has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Alex for once again sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!

Kevin's Gravitational Tattoo

I love word tattoos so I couldn't help but stop Kevin at Barnes & Noble earlier this month. He had this tattoo inked on his inner right forearm:

He explained that he enrolled in school not knowing for sure what he wanted to do. He was on a path for a career in finance, but also has a keen interest in art and graphic design.

He says that the tattoo is a reminder that, although gravity is all around us, and pulling us toward the status quo, he should stay true to himself and never give up his interest in art.

He had this done by Betty Rose at Red Rocket Tattoo in Manhattan. Work from Red Rocket has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Kevin for sharing his Gravity with us here on Tattoosday!

Travis and Another Perspective of Ganesh

People who are familiar with being featured here on Tattoosday know that there is a process, in which I generally go chronologically, and it often can be several weeks before I post their work.

But there are always exceptions.

Take, for example, Travis, who I met on Monday near the corner of 32nd and 8th Avenue waiting for a bus.

Under normal circumstances, you'd have seen Travis's tattoo in September but, the next day, I got the following mysterious tweet: "@Tattoosday post pictures of that guys tattoos- you were talking to him yesterday outside MSG plzz! *stalker*".

What?

Well, a little bit of digging, and I discovered that the source of the message was Hannah, who appeared last month on Tattoosday here. And since I'm a sucker for my fans, I'll gladly oblige and share Travis's tattoo with us here today. Here it is:

Travis's tattoo depicts the Hindu deity Ganesh. However, unlike this Ganesh tattoo, this one has a twist.

Travis explained that one of the common beliefs is that Ganesh was born with a human head, but that he was beheaded as a boy, and his head was replaced with that of an elephant. He obtained a third eye so that he could make sure he was never betrayed again.

Travis says that he often feels "too aware" of others, to the point that it detracts from his enjoyment of life. Thus, his tattoo of Ganesh has him literally slicing off the third eye, wielding a sword with his trunk, which metaphorically translates to Travis "cooling out" and being less aware so that he can enjoy life more.

The "F.I.A." on the banner stand for "Fuck It All".

Travis has eight tattoos, which includes a full sleeve, all by artist Brad Stevens at Dare Devil Tattoo in New York City.

Thanks to Travis for sharing this interesting interpretation of Ganesh with us here on Tattoosday!

I'm Not Dead...I've Just Been Busy!

Small World, Tattoosday-Style

I have a few days off and was buying some milk at the grocery store when an older gentleman in line behind me complimented me on the tiger tattoo on my calf, which has been well-documented here, in this initial post, and subsequent ones.

The gentleman asked who the artist was and mentioned his son was an artist as well. "Who?" I asked, and he told me, Mike Perfetto, aka Designs by Michael Angelo in Brooklyn. I gave him a flier and he introduced himself as Ralph Perfetto, our Democratic District Leader here in Bay Ridge.

I know you're likely thinking, "Nice story, Bill, but is it really that much of a small world coincidence?" Actually, yes, because my backlog had brought me to posting a couple of tattoos on Peter, who I had last seen at the Matty No Times benefit back on July 17. One of those tattoos, you guessed it, is by Mike Perfetto.

Let's take a look:

Pete also shared a tattoo on his leg by legendary Brooklyn artist Tony Polito. As you can see, Pete has quite a collection of ink, and he takes pride in the work he has from "old school" New York artists tattooing in the American Traditional style.

Pete explained that "Old Calcutta" was a nickname for Tony's shop from the early '80s to the mid '90s because of the high intensity atmosphere of the shop and the people who were there.

Thanks to Peter for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday (again and again). Peter has been working hard at New York Hardcore Tattoo on Stanton Street. They have recently remodeled the shop and are working hard on producing quality art on the denizens of New York City. Be sure to stop in and meet their crew.

Under One Small Star - Two Tattoos from Anna

I met Anna earlier this month in Penn Station. I felt compelled to stop her when she walked by and I caught a glimpse of this amazing tattoo:

I love seeing ink that is new and original, and I had never seen a line of anything run up the length of a leg like this.

Anna explained that this was a line of poetry that reads "My apologies to time for all the world I overlook each second" that she heard on a trip to Cambodia. Her group leader, Jan, had shared the poem, "Under One Small Star" by Polish Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska, and the verse meant a lot to her during her trip there. This one specific line really resounded with her, so she first "paid a Khmer translation site and then had a friend [she] made in Cambodia, Ponheary, check the translation just to make sure it was correct".

I love the international flavor of this tattoo - a poem originally in Polish, translated to English, then re-translated to Khmer, transcribed in flesh in America!

The line runs from top to bottom and was inked by Jason at Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, New Jersey.

The poem is reprinted in its entirety at the end of this post.

Since it is Tat-Tuesday, let's look at a second tattoo from Anna, this one on the back side of her right arm:

This is Joan of Arc, "a hero of mine," says Anna, who admires her from the feminist perspective and finds her an "unbelievably inspirational" historical figure.

This piece was tattooed by the wonderful Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned. Stephanie's work has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks again to Anna for sharing these two of her seven tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Under One Small Star

My apologies to chance for calling it necessity.
My apologies to necessity if I'm mistaken, after all.
Please, don't be angry, happiness, that I take you as my due.
May my dead be patient with the way my memories fade.
My apologies to time for all the world I overlook each second.
My apologies to past loves for thinking that the latest is the first.
Forgive me, distant wars, for bringing flowers home.
Forgive me, open wounds, for pricking my finger.
I apologize for my record of minuets to those who cry from the depths.
I apologize to those who wait in railway stations for being asleep
today at five a.m.
Pardon me, hounded hope, for laughing from time to time.
Pardon me, deserts, that I don't rush to you bearing a spoonful of water.
And you, falcon, unchanging year after year, always in the same cage,
your gaze always fixed on the same point in space,
forgive me, even if it turns out you were stuffed.
My apologies to the felled tree for the table's four legs.
My apologies to great questions for small answers.
Truth, please don't pay me much attention.
Dignity, please be magnanimous.
Bear with me, O mystery of existence, as I pluck the occasional thread
from your train.
Soul, don't take offense that I've only got you now and then.
My apologies to everything that I can't be everywhere at once.
My apologies to everyone that I can't be each woman and each man.
I know I won't be justified as long as I live,
since I myself stand in my own way.
Don't bear me ill will, speech, that I borrow weighty words,
then labor heavily so that they may seem light.

--Wislawa Szymborska

Caitlin's Pin-up with a Heart on the Sleeve

Earlier this month, I ran into Caitlin as I got off the A train at West 4th Street. She has twnety-three tattoos and, as customary, I asked if she could pick one to share with us here on Tattoosday.

She obliged, selecting this, her most recent tattoo:

This is based on the artwork of the pin-up stylings of Baron von Lind. I believe the piece that this is replicating is his work "Daphne":

I wish I could give proper credit to the artist, but it was a noisy train platform, and I scribbled down Willie Childress, Asheville, North Carolina. If anyone knows who this is, or what shop he belongs to, please let me know so I can give the artist his proper due.

Thanks to Caitlin for sharing her pin-up with us here on Tattoosday!

Be sure to head over to the Baron von Lind website to see more of his art.

Jason's Pennsylvania Devils

I ran into Jason on the West 4th Street platform back in July. He was on his way to Smith Street Tattoo, to accompany a friend who was getting tattooed by Bert Krak.

I asked him if he wouldn't mind sharing some of his work, and he gladly complied.

I snapped some photos and chatted with him all the way to Brooklyn. Check them out:

Why a devil on his leg? Jason said he was considering putting something on his leg that he was afraid to place there. When he asked himself if he should really do that, he reasoned, just by asking himself that, meant he should do it. He also gave some advice that I thought was very valuable.

Jason said that when he is looking to get tattooed, and isn't sure what he wants, he'll go to an artist and ask them what they're currently drawing. Most artists in the shop, when they're not tattooing, are either drawing, sketching, painting, or creating something. Jason reasons that if you ask for what the artist is currently doing, he or she will be that much more passionate about the work.

This logic is behind several of Jason's tattoos.

The work above was created on Jason by Ryan Westvall at Old Soul Tattoo in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

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