Samba's Sleeve on Dark Skin

A lot of artists have problems tattooing darker skin.. I actually find it earlier....the use of negative space & movement helps in making the subject pop more to the surface... This is the method I will be using on City of Ink's shop manager, Samba Sillah....I redid his old BGP/Prophet Family tattoo I did back on 1999-2000 and added an elephant to the front arm...Sophie did the lotus at the bottom of his wrist..the next session I want to add flowers that can be found in Africa as background images... And many even one on his elbow.. I will post more as we go on...much love Samba "Friends & Family" FREE Tattoo weekend





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Sean Shares a Host of Traditional Tattoos

I ran into Sean at the Foodtown in my neighborhood and when I stopped to talk to him about his tattoos (he has nine), I ended up with photos of several pieces, all of which reside on his left arm.

Most of the designs are traditional tattoo subjects, all of which were inked by Eli Quinters at Smith Street Tattoo Parlour in  Brooklyn. Work from Smith Street Tattoo has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

First up is this amazing lighthouse:

Sean explained that this tattoo is for his mother, as this tattoo is based on her "favorite lighthouse," the Fastnet Lighthouse on the most southerly point on the coast of Ireland.

Then there is this owl tattoo:

This was done for no other reason that Sean has always liked owls. If you love owl tattoos, be sure to head over to this site.

Then there is the elephant tattoo:

He has this piece because "elephants never forget".

I know we posted a sugar skull yesterday, but here's another one:

This was all Eli's design. Sean gave him free reign and likes the fact that it is unusual in that there are not a lot of colors in it, like one sees in most sugar skull tattoos. For all that have appeared on Tattoosday previously, check this link.

There is also the traditional female figure, not modeled after anyone in particular, just done in a traditional style:

And Sean's last tattoo is this bat:

He told Eli that he "wanted something spooky" that included the moon. Quinters free-handed this piece, starting with a white Sharpie and then finished with a darker Sharpie before finishing the tattoo.

What's neat about all of Sean's tattoos is that they flow nicely together, as readers can see elements of many of the tattoos on the borders of the photos of specific designs.

Thanks to Sean for sharing these amazing tattoos by Eli Quinters with us here on Tattoosday!

Genash Elephant Tattoo

This has to be one of my favorite tattoos this year...this is the first DC appointment on this tour... She gave me creative control... She gave me 2 ideas and the genash elephant was the best idea... I LOVE to do black & grey..it took ALLday but she was one STRONG woman...most men would have tapped out after the first 4 hours... Thanks Sis for this moment




















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