Friday, May 6, 2011

Tattoosday in Kentucky: Taylor's Owls

I don't travel too often, but last week, I had an overnight business trip to Covington, Kentucky. I was excited to do some inkspotting outside of New York, but the bustle of the airports and the late arrival on a rainy evening didn't bode well for early success.

However, after my co-worker dropped me at the front of the hotel in Hebron, Kentucky, so I could get an early start on check in, he was a bit surprised to come in after parking the rental car to see me chatting with Taylor, the front desk representative, as she was unbuttoning her top shirt to share these tattoos with me:


While checking in, I had noticed a flaming diamond tattoo on Taylor's wrist and, after explaining a little about Tattoosday, she happily agreed to participate, showing me these two owls which she liked a lot more than her wrist tattoo.

She explained that she got these after going through a rough time, and that she appreciated the symbolism of owls, and the wisdom they represent. The owl is often associated with the Greek goddess Athena, who is often depicted with an owl perched on her shoulder.


Taylor had these tattooed at Arts Ink in Covington, Kentucky, by Boddhi.

Thanks to Taylor for sharing her owls and welcoming me to Kentucky with some cool ink!

Tattoosday in Kentucky: Taylor's Owls

I don't travel too often, but last week, I had an overnight business trip to Covington, Kentucky. I was excited to do some inkspotting outside of New York, but the bustle of the airports and the late arrival on a rainy evening didn't bode well for early success.

However, after my co-worker dropped me at the front of the hotel in Hebron, Kentucky, so I could get an early start on check in, he was a bit surprised to come in after parking the rental car to see me chatting with Taylor, the front desk representative, as she was unbuttoning her top shirt to share these tattoos with me:


While checking in, I had noticed a flaming diamond tattoo on Taylor's wrist and, after explaining a little about Tattoosday, she happily agreed to participate, showing me these two owls which she liked a lot more than her wrist tattoo.

She explained that she got these after going through a rough time, and that she appreciated the symbolism of owls, and the wisdom they represent. The owl is often associated with the Greek goddess Athena, who is often depicted with an owl perched on her shoulder.


Taylor had these tattooed at Arts Ink in Covington, Kentucky, by Boddhi.

Thanks to Taylor for sharing her owls and welcoming me to Kentucky with some cool ink!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Siobhan's Colorful Girlie Skull

I still occasionally get people who ask me with wide eyes, "So you just go up to people you don't know and ask them to take a picture of their tattoos?" Pretty much, yeah.

Despite this sometimes daunting hobby, I'm generally pretty comfortable just asking away. Occasionally, however, I am quite self-conscious, fearing that I'll come across as creepy, which is why you rarely see lower back tattoos here on Tattoosday. I only show them when they are offered. Similarly, when a woman has a colorful or elaborate chest piece, I try not to make that the center of my focus and, again, I generally only ask about it if it's exceptional or very interesting.

Such was the case with Siobhan, who I spotted outside of Penn Station on the corner of 31st Street and 7th Avenue last last month. She has three tattoos, but this piece was the only one I really noticed, not necessarily because of where it was, but because of its colorful playfulness:


Siobhan credits this piece to a free-lance tattoo artist in Philadelphia named Joe Tizzo. She says she wanted a girlie skull, and this was his creation. He added the flurries of stars to fill out the piece. I particularly like the use of negative space and the use of  multi-colored dots to add a little zip to the edges of the tattoo.


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

Siobhan's Colorful Girlie Skull

I still occasionally get people who ask me with wide eyes, "So you just go up to people you don't know and ask them to take a picture of their tattoos?" Pretty much, yeah.

Despite this sometimes daunting hobby, I'm generally pretty comfortable just asking away. Occasionally, however, I am quite self-conscious, fearing that I'll come across as creepy, which is why you rarely see lower back tattoos here on Tattoosday. I only show them when they are offered. Similarly, when a woman has a colorful or elaborate chest piece, I try not to make that the center of my focus and, again, I generally only ask about it if it's exceptional or very interesting.

Such was the case with Siobhan, who I spotted outside of Penn Station on the corner of 31st Street and 7th Avenue last last month. She has three tattoos, but this piece was the only one I really noticed, not necessarily because of where it was, but because of its colorful playfulness:


Siobhan credits this piece to a free-lance tattoo artist in Philadelphia named Joe Tizzo. She says she wanted a girlie skull, and this was his creation. He added the flurries of stars to fill out the piece. I particularly like the use of negative space and the use of  multi-colored dots to add a little zip to the edges of the tattoo.


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

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Anita's Gorey Tattoo


When I spotted Anita's tattoo, at the corner of 7th Avenue and 34th Street, I knew it was based on the artwork of Edward Gorey. In fact, this link, will display all the ink tagged "Gorey" on Tattoosday.

Despite their popularity, I never tire of tattoos based on Gorey's work. This particular piece is from a series of illustrations from Gorey's The Gashleycrumb Tinies.



Anita got this piece at Crazy Monkey Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Anita for sharing her 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.

Anita's Gorey Tattoo


When I spotted Anita's tattoo, at the corner of 7th Avenue and 34th Street, I knew it was based on the artwork of Edward Gorey. In fact, this link, will display all the ink tagged "Gorey" on Tattoosday.

Despite their popularity, I never tire of tattoos based on Gorey's work. This particular piece is from a series of illustrations from Gorey's The Gashleycrumb Tinies.



Anita got this piece at Crazy Monkey Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Anita for sharing her 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, May 3, 2011

James and His Colorful Sleeve

Last month, I had the pleasure of running into James, in Penn Station. He has an incredible sleeve, which he gladly took some time to share with us:


James is very interested in Japanese traditions, and this piece, by Christian Masot at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey, is a stunning colorful tribute. I mean, check out this detail:


Work from Silk City has appeared before on Tattoosday, check out these examples.

On the bottom of James' right arm is this incredible collage:


This burst of color includes a poison dart frog, a Jackson chameleon, a lotus, a mum, and a tulip.


Thanks to James for sharing his amazing work 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.