Lion, Sun, & Stars: Tattoo

These are common used images but I had to think of a way to make it look different from the others.... I focused on the flow of his arm..put all the images together and created this Piece... The lettering at the bottom of the tattoo was done by my mentor.. Julia, who trained me in the art of tattooing.... It's cool to be able to add on to one of her tattoos





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Location:City of Ink

Jenn's Ink Celebrates a Seventies Vibe

On a day that found me unsuccessful with inkspotting the 5th Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge, Fate walked me past Jenn, sitting outside a laundromat a block away from my home.

She happily shared the work on her upper left arm:

These stunning colors encircled her biceps.

She said this piece, inked by Jared Stomber at Kustom Kulture Ink in Baldwin, New York, is an "ode to 1970's fashion". This is one area of interest to her that moves her artistically and she wanted to express it through body art.

Fictional character Rhoda Morgenstern (from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and spin off Rhoda) was among the cultural icons that inspired the design.

The inner part of Jenn's arm also features artwork that recalls the animated birds from the opening sequence of The Partridge Family.

Although her birds are much more elaborate.

Thanks to Jenn for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Lisa's Guardian Angel

I met Lisa recently on the subway platform at West 4th Street.

She had this cool tattoo on her right forearm:

The tattoo, which took four hours to complete, is Lisa's guardian angel.

Lisa told me that this is a representation of her guardian angel, a "spiritual guide," although she emphasized that she's not religious.

She had the basic idea for the tattoo and took it to Scott Campbell at Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She pointed out that she absolutely loves the work he did with the shading in the tattoo:

Work from Saved has appeared previously on Tattoosday here. This, however, is the first work we've seen by Scott Campbell in our travels.

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

A Father's Day Bonus: Janet Spots Ink on the Subway

Last month, my friend Janet (whose ink was featured on Tattoosday here) sent me the following photo:

 Janet reports:

"I took this pic in the 1 train, 23rd Street downtown subway station. The guy was *lovely* and looked like a big construction worker. His name is James, and so is his son's, pictured."

I figured this would be a nice father's day bonus.

Katie Carries Her Father's Heart (and Her Mom's and Brother's, Too)

As a tribute to dads today on Father's Day, here's a tattoo from earlier in the week:

This tattoo, on the upper left side of Katie's back, is more of a family tribute, than just a father's honor, but her dad did have a hand in the design.

The words are from the last line of an e.e. cummings poem, "i carry your heart with me":

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

The three hearts were drawn by Katie's mother, father, and brother. As she sees it, she is always carrying their hearts with her at all times.

It's a nice tribute to her family.

This is one of three tattoos that Katie has. The font used is designed to look similar to cummings' typewriter-style of print.

The artist was Cash at Addicted to Ink in White Plains, New York. Work from Addicted to Ink has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

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

LEVERAGE 301 & 302 Question post

I think it's my favorite, because it unexpectedly uses the Irish music from S1. You cannot go wrong with a Kerry reel.



You know the drill. Post all questions about the season opener of Leverage -- ep 301 "The Jailhouse Job" and 302 "The Reunion Job" here in the Comments. And you know I'll answer them quickly, because the alternative is me working on the finale that's kicking my ass.

Dancing Baby Doing The Samba In Brazil

This is crazy...well this is talent! This little dude is getting down...Brazilians are beautiful people.

DNA Tattoo: 2nd Session

This is the 2nd session for the DNA sleeve....I did the first session last month and it healed up well.... So yesterday it was time for part 2











This is what it looked like all healed up... The colors stayed bright so I was happy...so on to the 2nd session... He wanted this one to have more flow and the use of negative space.... So here is what I did..









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Location:City of Ink

Belinda's Penny-Farthing

At the end of May, I spotted Belinda's unusual bicycle tattoo on the 34th Street subway platform during Friday afternoon rush hour:

Of course, I asked her about this piece on her left ankle, since it isn't too often you see old-fashioned bicycle tattoos on people.

Belinda explained tha a while back she had gone on a pilgrimmage to Spain, which included a 100-mile trek on bicycles. This design is of the "high wheel bicycle" that was introduced in the late 19th century and is more commonly referred to as the penny-farthing. She told me that this was a much more efficient bicycle than had been seen before. The larger wheel allowed it to travel better, although the falls from a much greater height were a problem.

Belinda added,

"The purpose of the pilgrimage was not religious but more a curiosity to see this path (the Way of St. James) that people have been taking for hundreds and hundreds of years just because of faith. I felt it was a great way to see the real "Spain" by riding through the small villages and woods...we ended in Santiago de Compostela..."

This tattoo was inked by one of the artists at NY Adorned. Work from Adorned has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

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

ART NOIR @ PYRX ARTLOUNGE 6.11.10

Here are a few photos from last weeks art event...Art Stroll was dope last week in Castleberry Hill...if you didn't come out you missed some DOPE art work!

This months Urban Ink Magazine

Some of my work was featured in Urban Ink magazine this month...I really don't know wasup with Urban Ink promoting untrained tattooist in their magazine these days... A lot of scratchers have been getting features it's crazy... But hey I can't change this industry alone....thanks for putting my art in your pages once again and props to the photographer and for Rick for letting me tattoo him





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Africa Tattoo

I had to go back to the basics with this tattoo...he brought in a bunch of images he wanted inside of Africa... And here you go...this style is the root to my beginnings in tattooing...I felt like
I was 19 years old ago...thanks again bruh


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Location:City of Ink

One Rule I Refuse to Follow

by M A N @roquesdoodle

I don’t rant very often, but when I do, it’s because of something that irritates me to the Nth degree. No, it’s not about the BP oil spill or the slow creep of genuine insanity into our world of politics. It’s about grammar. So, to those of you who are bored easily, fair warning.

There are quite a few writers whom I respect not only for their views and insights, but for the gifted way they express themselves. However, several months ago I began to notice that many of my favorite bloggers have been using the articles “a” and “an”--especially “an”-- in a way that makes my teeth grind. Allow me to explain.

--BEWARE! Grammar ahead!--

Let’s look at this simple sentence:

That is a cat.

This is one of the simplest sentence structures in the English language. We have our noun (“That”), our verb (“is”), while “cat” serves as our predicate nominative. What about “a” you ask? “A” is an article (one of the three: “a”, “an”, and “the”). Articles fall under the adjective category, which makes sense since they are words that modify nouns or pronouns. In this instance, it’s modifying the word “cat.” It’s “a cat.” Now let’s look at this sentence:

That is an octopus.

Notice how we changed the article from “a” to “an?” The reason for this is that the word octopus begins with a vowel sound. And that’s the funny thing about the articles “a” and “an.” It’s the phonetics of the word the article is modifying that determines which is the correct article to use. If the modified word begins with a consonant sound, we use the article “a”, as in “a cat.” If the modified word begins with a vowel sound, we use the article “an”, as in “an octopus.” Easy, right? I mean, this is a concept that most English speakers grasp in grade school.

Now, this is where things start to get fucking annoying.

Let’s look at this sentence:

That is an ugly octopus.

For those of you who had to diagram sentences back in the day, you know that even though the word “ugly” comes between “an” and “octopus,” “an” still modifies the word “octopus” and not the word “ugly.” Unless you’re a cat using LOL speak, it’s “an octopus” and not “an ugly.” However, the phrase still flows because “ugly,” the word that immediately follows “an,” also begins with a vowel sound. But lately I have been seeing many writers doing things like this:

That is an beautiful octopus.

...

Hold on, I need a minute. Just typing that makes me want to run through the streets, kicking old ladies.

...

Okay, let’s look at that horrid fucking sentence again, shall we?

That is an beautiful octopus.

So here’s my problem. When reading that, let alone speaking that, I find the sentence clunky, awkward, and that it takes me out of the reading experience entirely. Yet, technically, the above sentence is correct. “An,” our article acting as an adjective, is still modifying the word “octopus” and not the word “beautiful.” Because “octopus” begins with a vowel sound, we must use “an,” regardless of the phonetics of the word immediately following the article.

Personally, I believe the sentence should read: That is a beautiful octopus. For me, the article should be determined by the phonetics of the word that immediately follows it, NOT the word it modifies. The rules of English grammar disagree.

And I hate it.

I mean with a drag-it-into-the-middle-of-the-street-so-the-whole-neighborhood-can-watch-me-skull-fuck-it-like-I-was-a-sailor-on-shore-leave kind of hate.

Let me be the first to say that I am no grammarian. Even though I have a degree in English Education and spent a year teaching High School English, I am not impervious to mistakes. Just ask my editors. There’s a reason I keep a copy of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and The Beacon Handbook within arm’s reach. And I would never deign to tell other writers to refrain from following that rule, no matter how much I feel it might stain their otherwise pristine prose.

But for myself, it is a rule I refuse to follow.

Sebastian's Sugar Skull

A small post about a sugar skull for a Friday.

I met Sebastian on 33rd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues last week.

Among his several tattoos is this sugar skull that was inked by New York City artist Byron Velasquez:

Byron now tattoos out of Abstract Black NYC. Work from Byron has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Loyal readers will know how I seldom tire of sugar skull tattoos and, whenever I post one, I like to link the tag (click here) that unites all previous Tattoosday sugar skulls appearing on the blog.

Like snowflakes, sugar skull tattoos are never identical.

Sebastian appreciates his sugar skull mostly for the way it represents both life and death.

Thanks to Sebastian for sharing his sugar skull with us here on Tattoosday!

Respect Magazine

A lot of y'all know I'm a collector of many things and dope magazines are one of them...if your a fan of beautiful photography and rare images of your favorite classic hip-hop figures... This magazine is for you... Go over to Borders books or Barnes & Nobles and pick up an issue.... Support your local book stores.... Books & magazines are the only thing people aren't bootlegging these days so let's keep books, magazines, & print media alive y'all.


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Egyptian Chest Tattoo

I really don't want to say much but I really love doing pieces this size... I can add on to it a million different ways....I just want it to be beautiful.
























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Location:City of Ink 404-525-4465

Netflix Friday #10: THEM!

Looooook at that poster. "Those giant ants have human eyes! This 1954 giant insect movie is very goofy!"

This 1954 giant insect movie is one of the ur-horror movies. And it is nowhere, nowhere near as goofy as that poster suggests. I'm not ashamed to say that most of my "science hero" writing is directly influenced by this flick. I think you can break discussion of this movie down into basically two points:

First, you can argue that while the horror movies of the 50's established many of the horror and monster movie tropes we now use, most were so campy they lacked the, ah, emotional resonance to impress on us how effective these tropes could be. Them! had an impact that echoes fifty years down the cinematic timestream. The opening of, say, The Giant Gila Monster or Beginning of the End use techniques we're familiar with: The Mysterious Attack, the Unsolved Disappearance -- they segue differently into the Oblivious Authority Figure and the Dogged Investigation. Those movies open like action movies.

Them! opens like a horror movie. In a genuinely creepy sequence, two cops discover a ravaged general store out on the Arizona highway. A hundred miles from nowhere, deep in the night ... The only survivor is a mute, terrified little girl. Strange sounds echo out from the darkness ...

There is a moment, watching this, when you realize "Holy shit, the opening of this 1954 horror movie is the template for Aliens." Anyone who doesn't see the hand of Them! (or at least the tropes established by Them!) in Jaws is just not paying attention.

The final action sequence is a full-on soldiers vs. monsters flamethrower battle in the tunnels beneath Los Angeles. This sequence would still be a viable set piece pitch for a summer tentpole flick in 2010.

Second, this film is the template for the science hero movies of the 60's and 70's. There's a nice solid investigative path here, and you see scientists using Very Big Brains to figure out what the hell's going on. Director Gordon Douglas teases out the giant ant reveal (yes, I typed that with a straight face), relying on a nicely creepy sound design and some very sophisticated shot choices. The first time the phrase "Them!" is said -- or rather, screamed -- is one of my favorite moments in cinema. The characters have to earn the reveal by figuring things out in enough detail to arrive at the monster's nature, rather than just having one smash through the roof of the lab.

Now, one hand you have The Thing, where the scientist is enabling the monster -- "Hi, I'm a dude in a white lab coat, and my job is to be the Metaphor of Science's Reckless Pursuit of the Unknown" -- and two-fisted army dudes need to put the monster to a right kicking. This is the model most people associate with these movies, and to a great degree the model we returned to in the 80's. But in Them!, you have the Army enabling the scientists.* There's a great little X-Files-y moment where the leads lay out how they're assembling a data map, correlating weird sightings and deaths -- and simultaneously covering up the presence of the monsters by discrediting those very same reports. Very Cryptonomicon.

It's always interesting to skim the Netflix comments (hey, somebody else saw the Aliens relationship!). I'm struck by how many times people comment on a movie like this "Hey, it's grerat to pop in a movie that's just fun and you don't have to think." Them! is just so goddam well-made, it's not mindless at all -- it's just effortless.

Them! streaming instantly on Netflix is your weekend recommendation. In the Comments, let's hear your favorite old-school horror or sci-fi movie. Let's say ... pre 1970's.









* The two-fisted hero/science guy team-up wound up morphing into the disaster movies of the 70's, then re-entering the sci-fi universe in the 90's with Independence Day. There's another interesting story at the root of that cinematic relationship ...

Hannah's Parrot is a Love Bird

I spotted this avian tattoo on the right calf of Hannah one afternoon in a Duane Reade store:

Hannah explained that this tattoo is romantic at its core.

Married couples often have pet names for one another, or nicknames, at the very least. Hannah and her husband Kevin are no exception to this rule.

They refer to one another as birds, extending the metaphor to calling their apartment their "nest" and their car as the "moveable nest".

So Hannah wanted a bird tattoo, with the plan for Kevin to get an owl tattoo to give them an avian set.

She took a photo of a blue and gold macaw with her to the artist Nalla Smith at Inkstop NYC on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This lovely parrot tattoo was the end result. Work from Inkstop NYC has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Kevin's owl is on hold while he finishes a Capricorn sea goat tattoo in progress on his right arm.

Thanks to Hannah (and Kevin) for talking tattoo with us here at Tattoosday and sharing their work. We're looking forward to sharing Kevin's finished tattoo in the future!

3680 Photography: City of Ink

Bay Area's Frederick Shavies from 3680 Photography was in Atlanta this week shooting... He dropped by City of Ink and took a few photos....this is a cool brother .. I met him a few months ago in
San Fran at the Body Art Expo... He has a good eye and his use of colors are beautiful... Much props





























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Location:City of ink