view tattoo, tattoo, update tattoo, pic tattoo: March 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Tattooed Poets Project: Vicki Iorio

We're kicking off this year's Tattooed Poets Project with a tattoo that seems, ahem, apropos-etic:

This poetic foot belongs to Vicki Iorio, a New York poet. She explains the tattoo:

"My group of Long Island poets have the pleasure of reading at the Wyld Chyld Cafe and Tattoo Parlor in Merrick, NY. I watched Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan, the poet laureate of Suffolk County get "poet" tattooed across her shoulder blades. [Tammy will be appearing on the site later this month.] She recited poetry while her back was bleeding, I knew at that moment I would have to get one!

It was a cold January night, Sixx tattooed my right foot with a beautiful scripted "poet." It was a beautiful moment and I love my tat and all it signifies. A slew of woman poets have been tattooed by Sixx. A tattooed sisterhood, indeed."

Here is a poem from Vicki:

Tattoo 56

I will get a tattoo next birthday
no one will care
it won't be like birthday 13
when I dyed my hair purple on a shoplift heist
shaved off eyebrows
pierced frozen ears with a needle
hacked off bushy black fur under stockings

I will find an illustrated man
his head bald and shiny
eyes so blue I will see straight through
to his good heart, diamond stud in one ear
massive arms shocking to the touch.

My spider will go willingly to his fly.
I will tell him what I want
where I want it.

After validating plastic worth,
my pirate will lead me to his table
gift me with little hurts
celebrate me electrically
wrap me in gauze
sing the praises of Bacitracin
wish me a happy birthday.

Vicki Iorio is a Long Island poet who hangs around tattoo parlors. Her poems have been published in various publications including hell strung and crooked. She is saving up for another tattoo!

Thanks to Vicki for sharing her poetic tattoo and tattoo poem with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

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 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.

Clock Tattoo

This was a fun piece....added more to Eric's sleeve... Thanks again bruh!!

Step:1 Sharpie Markers on skin

Step:2 outline & shading

Step:3 Finished.. Color

To book an appointment please call 404-525-4465

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:323 walker st. ATL, GA 30313

LEVERAGE #405 prep QOTD

SETTING: ART DEPARTMENT & PROPS MEETING

PROPS: So it's like a children's collage.
JOHN: Exactly. Why don't we have some actual local children do it, tell them the best one will be on the show?

PROPS: That's technically child labor.

JOHN: America was built on child labor.
LINE PRODUCER: How about having some hospice kids do it?
JOHN: Sure, they have more spare time. And tell them it'll live on in the show. It'll give them hope, before they go off to live in Santa & Puppies Forever Land, or whatever story we tell sick kids about Heaven.
(Silence. Then crying.)
JOHN: Oh, first time you worked with me. Right. Sorry.

Tattoos I Know: Beth's Ink Ushers in the New Baseball Season

Well, folks, it's March 31, which means several things, First and foremost, after a long, cold winter, and a rough start to spring, baseball season starts today. And although, the last time I checked, there was a 70% chance of rain for the New York Yankees home opener against the Detroit Tigers today, baseball fans everywhere are just a tad excited that their team's 162 game-long drama is about to begin.

So, it seemed fitting that we share this tattoo, belonging to our cousin Beth:

Photo by Melanie Cohen

Beth is a diehard Yankees fan and she got this inked on September 16, 2005. For the record, the Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays north of the border that day 11-10 thanks, in part, to two Robinson Cano home runs and Mariano Rivera's 40th save of the year.

This is one of Beth's three tattoos, a fact not lost on me, as I have been wanting to post her ink on the site ever since we started back in 2007. However, we just never got around to it and this photo was shot last June in New Jersey by my wife, Melanie, at another cousin's baby shower. I thought, at the time, that we would save this picture for the day the Yankees won the World Series, but last year that ambition fell short in the ALCS. So we saved it for Opening Day, instead.

The tattoo was done by Thomi Hawk at K & B Tattooing & Piercing in Hightstown, New Jersey.

I should also add that, back in August 2007, I was sitting in my seat at PNC Bank Arts Center, between sets, when I noticed a very similar tattoo several rows ahead of me. I thought, "Man, that tattoo looks just like Beth's, and in the same spot [on her upper right back] too!" Of course, it was Beth, and we were both unaware that we were attending the show. And to think I spotted her in all that humanity by noticing her tattoo!

I mentioned at the top of the post that it being March 31, meant several things. Aside from Opening Day, it's also opening day for the inkspotting season, as far as I'm concerned. Posts have been few and far between over the past few months and that's about to change. Tomorrow begins National Poetry Month, and we will be embarking on our third annual Tattooed Poets Project: 30 days of tattoos from poets across the country. And, I will assume, that I'll be having regular Tattoosday encounters, which will reappear in May, throughout the month.

Play ball!

Thanks again to Beth for sharing her cool patriotic Yankees tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

*

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Full Dr. Who trailer.

And this is WITHOUT the ubiquitous Mark Sheppard.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Tattoo Film: Fundraiser

"Color Outside the Lines"

We have been working on this film for over a year... We are half way finished but I still have to film the lives of 12-14 more tattoo artist.... The way I'm paying for this movie is by traveling to different cities monthly tattooing....while I'm in their city we film the lives & struggles of other fellow black tattoo artists...I work 10-12 hours each day tattooing in each city and film the artist in the morning before or after work... It's VERY hard work and it do cost a LOT... If you would to support me on this film project... I have a few SPECIAL OFFERS... From original paintings to body art... Please visit: http://kck.st/dUD8Z9

Read "the Pledges" and please support what this film stands off... Wish dreams come true.. Many blessings and thank you, Miya Bailey

"Color Outside the Lines" INFO:
http://kck.st/dUD8Z9

- Posted from my iPhone

Friday, March 25, 2011

Home is Where the Star Is

Yesterday in Penn Station, I met Jonathan, whose one tattoo caught my eye when I passed him in the Amtrak waiting area.

Except, sometimes, a fragment of a tattoo doesn't necessarily reveal the whole piece. As in Jonathan's case, I saw the back of his arm, and this segment, which resembled (to me, at the time), a crude figure with the beginning of a speech bubble emanating from its mouth:

I felt rather silly, however, when Jonathan agreed to participate and showed me the full tattoo:

The figure I imagined, of course, is really Long Island, and the balloon was the southern tip of the state of New York.

Jonathan explained that he is from Rochester, marked on the tattoo with a star, and that he lived in the same house growing up there for eighteen years. It's a New York state of mind, indeed.

The tattoo was done at Big Joe & Sons Tattooing in White Plains, New York.

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

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thinking about You....

Monday i was leaving the bank and got a call from my mother "Uncle Bert is dead" the pain shot from my heart to my stomach....I was in the car with my friend, Damon....I have a hard time showing pain in front of other men so I held it all in.... It felt like my head was going to blow up....I wasn't ready for this...I wasn't ready for this type of pain.... We lose Billy last year and just lose my aunt on Christmas....now my Uncle Bert.. The man who brags how he raised me...we didn't see eye to eye all the time but I do KNOW he loved me and the rest the family with all his heart.... They said his cellphone was full of pics of our children and us....the pain I feel... And the FEAR I feel knowing i will have to see him in that casket.... I can't write anymore... But know that Jesse Bailey was one of the few men that help make me into the man I am today.... I love you more than words can explain.... Thank you for always believing me in and always having my back....your my heart... I miss you... It won't be the same without you.... We have to be strong for mama...you were her little brother I know she hurts...but your with Nanny & Grandmama now.... Please looking over us... RIP Uncle Bert

- Posted from my iPhone

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

My Goal: 10,000 followers on Twitter

Follow me @miyabailey on twitter.. I'm trying to reach 10,000 followers... If you mention me I will follow you back... Many blessings yall http://twitter.com/miyabailey

Also follow:
Twitter.com/cityofink
Twitter.com/RabbitBailey
Twitter.com/tukicarter
Twitter.com/whoiscoreydavis
Twitter.com/tat2king
Twitter.com/chrismcadoo

- Posted from my iPhone

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Atlanta Street Art....

Walking through Castleberry Hill I saw a few pieces that I wanted to share with you...

- Posted from my iPhone

The Tattoosday Book Review: Tattooed by the Family Business

I’ll cut right to the chase: if you’re going to buy one tattoo book this spring, make sure it’s Tattooed by The Family Business, a feast for the eyes and a new standard by which all tattoo photography books should be judged.

Simply stated, this book is gorgeous, heavy on high-quality photography, focusing on the wonderful body art created by Mo Coppoletta and his crew of talented tattooists at The Family Business Tattoo Shop, a London-based establishment that has been producing breath-taking work since 2003.

If you're not familiar with Copoletta, or his studio, the book gives readers a peek inside the world of the Family Business. But aside from a one page foreword, and a couple pages of introduction, this lovely book is light on text, and heavy on images from photographers Fredi Marcarini and Chris Terry.

Image copyright: Fredi Marcarini and Chris Terry
Taken from Tattooed by the Family Business (Pavilion)

The two hundred plus pages are filled with lush images of life in the shop and, more importantly, the high quality work created by the artists. Divided up into five sections, titled "The Family," "The Business," "The Art," "The Work," and "The Patrons," this is not just about Coppoletta and his own work. The reader is also introduced to the whole family: Kanae, Mie Satou, Dominique Holmes, Diego Brandini, and Diego Azaldegui.

Some may draw comparisons to the books the American tattoo artist Kat Von D, which I have favorably reviewed in the past on this site. Tattooed by the Family Business is in a different league. It is as you would expect, Von D's books are busy and filled with words and images; whereas Coppoletta's book exudes a classiness to which other artists can only aspire.

In fact, an online review hardly does it justice. Photography dominates and, whereas the tattoo, or the process of tattooing is always at hand, the beauty of the book also lies in its images. Ultimately, I believe, it's what most serious artists want to see in a tattoo book. Although some may criticize that, in some of the photos, the details of the tattoos themselves are lost in the framing of the photograph, I would argue that these images are just as compelling as the close-ups, as one sees the way the tattoos are placed, and how they flow along the lines of the human form.

Image copyright: Fredi Marcarini and Chris Terry
Taken from Tattooed by the Family Business (Pavilion)

One of the neat features within this volume are several sketches on pages designed to resemble transparencies, where are laid over images of the tattoos themselves. The reader is treated to the full-page two-dimension image from which the artist drew his inspiration, and then can compare it to the end result.

Here on Tattoosday, where most of the tattoos we see are from New York-based artists, I have, in several years, only had the pleasure of encountering Coppoletta's work once, documented here. Therefore, getting to see a more expansive look at his work, as well as that of other artists in The Family Business, is a real pleasure.

Tattooed by the Family Business is a veritable feast. I keep returning to it, marveling at the craftsmanship and beauty of the tattoos. I highly recommend it to artists and aficionados alike. The book is a work of art in and of itself, and the fact that it so beautifully and simply celebrates the art makes it a must-read, a must-relish, and a must-have for every tattoo library.

Monday, March 21, 2011

They study me...

Just a random sketch... Drawing the figure model at the Apache cafe...

- Posted from my iPhone

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Melvin Todd tattoos Miya Bailey... Again

City of Ink's Melvin Todd gave me a "Loveless Society" tattoo... He designed something that reflects my past with gun play...that "Miya" is long gone but his memory lives on... Thanks Melvin for tattooing my beer belly... My brother!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

The Human Body "Sketch"

Step by step look at a sketch I did yesterday morning....reflections of the human body... Str8 pen.. No pencil

- Posted from my iPhone

Angel Tattoo.....HEALED

Just a pic of one of my many angel tattoos all healed up... Glad he took good care of my work.... I'm ready for the next session... Melvin just did something on his other side... But i didn't get to see it yet...

- Posted from my iPhone

Asheville Love....

I did this tattoo lastnight on my homegirl, Kandice from back home in Asheville... I wanted to use the classic "West End" designs for the background...bright colors in between the black to make the dragonflies stand out.... It means a lot when my folks from the Ville come down to get their body art.... Thank you for all the love and support... MB

- Posted from my iPhone

Old School

I just saw this old school in front of Chevon on Northside drive...it's beautiful!!! When I get a car I want something from the 60's this is my style... But I need something in "black" purple inside :-) Yeahhhhhhh.... Dreaming again... So let's make this reality

- Posted from my iPhone

Walker Street "Street Art"

I was walking down Walker Street and seen these 3 pieces.... I love to see art street in Atlanta... I hope more artist hit the walls...inspiring

- Posted from my iPhone

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Side Tattoo "Color"

I've been in the mood to play around with blues & greens...she was the perfect canvas for this desire.... Thank you for believing in my vision

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:323 Walker St. ATL, GA 30313

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Four from Christine

I met Christine at the Trader Joe's on the Upper West Side yesterday evening and she shared these four tattoos:

Moving clockwise from the upper left in the photo above, we start with an outline of Brooklyn, in honor of the borough in which Christine was born and raised.

At the top of the other forearm is an om symbol, which captures her focus and has occasionally "helped with panic attacks."

The two butterflies on opposite arms were inked in honor of her nieces, who both love these colorful insects. The shade of each represents their favorite colors.

The Brooklyn piece was inked at Asylum Studios in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The om and the butterflies were done by artists at Three Kings Tattoo. Both shops are in Brooklyn and have had work appear on Tattoosday previously here (Asylum) and here (Three Kings).

Thanks to Christine for sharing these four of her eleven (!) tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Line them up....

Posted from iPhone

She waits....

Posted from iPhone

Hollyweerd "Yellow Pages" Video

This video reminds me of some old Tribe Called Quest...I really miss seeing hip-hop "groups" like Tribe, Goodie Mod, Geto Boyz, De La Soul, Outkast, etc... I'm glad Hollyweerd dropped this video when they did.... Good timing.. Y'all enjoy... Video shot at City of Ink, Johnny Cakes, Castleberry Hill & downtown ATL

Hollyweerd "Yellow Pages" from 3 Little Digs on Vimeo.

Video done by "3 Little Digs"

Posted from iPhone

Lotus & Dragonfly "Half Sleeve"

A colorful rebirth represented by the lotus..the short life of the dragonfly...and a classic "City of Ink" background... Flowing with the curves of your arm...this session is finished... Stay tuned.. The next session I'm doing the inside of her arm

Posted from iPhone

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Chris's Cherry Blossoms Grace His Forearm

On Friday afternoon, I ran into Chris near the 34th Street subway station near the Manhattan Mall.

He had this wonderful tattoo on his left forearm:

Chris explained that this tree resembles a cherry blossom tree that he played on with his cousin when he was a kid. His cousin has passed, so this is, in essence, a memorial, "without being over the top".

I found it interesting and quite poignant that I spotted this piece on the day of the earthquake in Japan, when the plight of the residents in the northern part of that country was on so many minds. The cherry blossom, as many know, is often associated with the temporary, fleeting nature of life.

I particularly like the shadowy effect in the background of the tattoo:

Chris credited Ryan at ArtCore Tattoos in Naples, Florida with this tattoo.

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

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.
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 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, March 8, 2011

See Emily's Foot Tattoo

I met Emily in Penn Station and asked her about this, one of her three tattoos:

The phrase "Be not afraid, only believe" is from the Bible, more specifically, the Book of Mark, Chapter 5, Verse 36, King James version.

What does this mean to Emily? "No matter what," she said, "always remember what's mean to be will happen...".

A nice sentiment indeed. This tattoo was done by "Petey" at Immortal Ink in Clinton, New Jersey.

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

Monday, March 7, 2011

Reached 9,000 Followers

I just reached 9,000 followers on Twitter... I'm VERY thankful for all the support and love.... I also want to thank everyone who follow my blogspot, tumblr, facebook & Twitter for the birthday love yesterday... Means a lot to me... The books & film will be released SOON... Bear with me... Tattooing fulltimes slows my other art projects down.... But they coming.. One book is finished!

Posted from iPhone

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Repost: Whole Lotta Rosary

This post originally appeared here, three years ago on March 6, 2008:

So it was another Saturday night in Bay Ridge and we had just got home from a friend's house. The kids were getting ready for bed. My youngest, Shayna, was having a birthday party the next day. We were pretty much set on the party planning, but needed gift bags for party favors.

I headed off to the 24-hour Duane Reade, six blocks away. By the time I arrived, there were already a half-dozen things added to my list. I grabbed a cart (although in Brooklyn they refer to it as a wagon) and was somewhere in the haircare section (shampoo for kids) when two young ladies walked by.

I had brought, as always, my Tattoosday folder with fliers in it, along with my camera, despite the fact that it was cold and in the thirties. But one can never be too prepared. These women were dressed for the clubs, coatless, bare-armed, and high-heeled. I spotted a tattoo on one of the women's feet.

I thought about asking her then and there about it, but I balked. These were two attractive young women in a drugstore late at night and I wasn't up for the challenge of being scrutinized as a creep.

Besides, I reasoned, it's only a rosary tattoo. Nothing extraordinary about that. Let me just leave them alone, I thought, they're obviously headed to some club.

But I ran into them/passed them a couple more times and, each time, I cursed myself more for being too cowardly to ask. So what if its just a rosary? Here at Tattoosday, it's not just about the ink, but about the story behind the ink.

I was at the front part of the store, trying to decide which individually-wrapped candies would be the least damaging to my children's teeth (for the party bags), when they headed my way, on their way out of the store. I figured, "what the heck?" and asked the young lady about her tattoo.

This was not the first tattoo I took a picture of. Before I knew it, woman said "Wanna see a sick tattoo?" And she turned around and lifted the back of her shirt up to reveal, indeed, this very sick tattoo:

Wow. Sweet. Which just goes to show, Tattoosday Rule #1: Don't dismiss the "ordinary" tattoo. There may be extraordinary ones just out of sight!

Her name is Layla and she was very cool. I snapped the above shot and then asked if I could take the rosary one as well, since that's what caused me to stop and talk to her.

Both were inked by her friend Vito at King's County Tattoo Co.. She got the rosary modeled after Nicole Richie's tattoo. The awesome lower back piece she inked when she was 19. She was young and rebelling against her parents, she said, and she didn't want a small lower back tattoo like everyone else had, she wanted something big and bold. Check out this detail:

It's beautiful work.

I noticed that she also had a cross on her left forearm and I gave my standard Tattoosday patter: check out the blog in a few days, and feel free, if you like what you see, to email me if she wants to share more of her ink with the world.

I turned to her friend, , and said, naively, and when you get a tattoo, let me know, and I'll put yours on too. She proudly replied, "I have seven already." Silly me, and then I noticed the rosary on her right foot.

Like Layla, Lisa's rosary tattoo is inspired by Nicole Richie's. In fact, Lisa said, hers is an exact replica of Nicole Richie's (below):

I extended the same offer: if you like what you see on the blog, let me know, we can always have you come back as a recurring tattoo feature.

I thanked both ladies and they headed out while I went back to searching for the elusive gift bags.

Thanks to Layla and Lisa for their willingness to put their night on hold, and sharing their tattoos!