Immortal Tattoos wishes everyone a very Happy New Year !!
2007 has been a great year for Immortal Tattoos and hopefully 2008 will be much better. Once again, I thank everyone who have been through this rough ride with me and I thank all my clients for helping me to discover what I have to give you guys the best !!
Love ya'all !!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tattoos I Know: Erika's Ink (Part 2)
This is part 2 of Erika's ink (part 1 here). Erika has a lot of tattoos, so I had to split the post, since she generously offered them all up for Tattoosday.
Tattoo #7 is actually #7 and #13, as one element was added eight years later. We'll focus on #7 now, which is the flower on the inside of Erika's left wrist.
Erika, in her own words, went through what she calls "an experimental phase" in her
life, during which she began dating women. To show her "true colors" at the time, Erika and her cousin, who was also dating women, got the same tattoo...a rainbow-petaled flower above a doubled female sign, to proudly display her alternate lifestyle.
The flower was inked at a shop called Murda Ink Tattoos, in Jamaica, New York.
Flashing forward to the Summer of 2006, Erika was having a cover-up done (see #8 and #12 below) and asked, as an afterthought, if the artist could cover the interlocking female insignia, as well. Erika's fiancee (now husband) didn't like the "advertisement" of the prior lifestyle. The leaves were added under the flower at Triple X Tattoo, now known as Red Rocket Tattoo on 46 West 36th Street in Manhattan.
Tattoo #8 was a boyfriend's name, inked along the front of her waistline, by Joe at Between the Lines. This name was covered up (see below) in 2007.
Tattoo #9 is a Chinese dragon on the middle of Erika's back. Her dress at the company holiday party afforded me a great opportunity to photograph it without her having to remove any clothing.
Joe at Between the Lines did this piece as well. Erika recalls just hanging out at Joe's shop and talking about how she wanted a big piece for her back. Joe was happy to oblige, and drew up the dragon free-hand.
She said that it took about ten weeks and three sittings to complete. The reason for the multiple sittings? The pain. To quote Erika, "I'll never forget how much that shit hurt."
The other elements of the tattoo are the kanji. When I asked Erika what they meant, she said, "Well, one of them is supposed to mean "to love life":
and the other is supposed to acknowledge that former lifestyle and say "to love women":
Erika, when she told me this, seemed to have her doubts, and was receptive to the idea of me looking into their actual meanings.
I went to my resident Chinese language expert, who quickly debunked their meanings. They do not mean what she thinks they do, he said. Because they don't make much sense. The best translation he could give was "good girl" for the top and "born/appear" for the bottom.
If you look at the kanji for "love,"
you'll notice it's not similar to any of the kanji in the tattoo.
Tattoo #10 may look familiar, as it is the first one I noticed on Erika which started out this whole business. Despite "never being crazy about tattoos on arms," Erika inked this in the Summer of 2003, while on a date. She doesn't recall the name of the shop, just that it was somewhere in the East Village. Of course, the East Village is likely one of the few places in the U.S. where tattoo/piercing shops outnumber Starbucks.
So, Erika still had a soft spot for little girl things, unicorns and fairies and such, so she designed this fairy, using several different drawings to create a composite she liked.
She designed the wings and changed the outfit color to red. Why red? As a tribute to her younger brother, who was in the Bloods, a gang whose colors are red. I, for one, appreciate the irony of a pixie sporting gang colors. This is definitely a tough, New York fairy, not some wimpy woodland nymph!
Tattoo #11 also has a pretty interesting story. Erika got married in the Spring of 2007, but she met Lance, her husband-to-be in February 2004.
They dated for a couple of weeks, but she knew he was still dating another woman. Erika thought that this other woman, who had been seeing the guy first, was going to be a problem and that, as long as she was still in the picture, their relationship wouldn't go anywhere.
Erika made a conscious decision to "steal him away" once and for all. Because he had kids from a previous relationship, she plotted to surprise him on Father's Day with a surprise trip to Florida. He had never been to South Beach in Miami and she wanted him to experience it. And so she did.
The day before they were set to return to New York, they were walking around South Beach and they stumbled upon a tattoo shop. Lance already had one small tattoo with some kanji, so Erika suggested that he go in and get a new one. The subject of tattoos had come up before (how could it not when you already had 10 pieces?), so they went in and he got a new piece on his
arm, a huge lion with a crown, representing his last name in Hindi.
It's incredibly hard to be an inked person and watch someone get a tattoo and not want one for oneself. Therefore, Erika found a piece on the wall that she liked and had it done on her back, below the bluebird, above the dragon.
Sorry, the name of the shop and the artist are not recalled.
Tattoo #12 came in the early Summer of 2006, around late June/early July. She and Lance were engaged, and she wanted to cover up the name of an ex-boyfriend tattooed across her lower abdomen.
A co-worker recommended Red Rocket Tattoo, and it was there that she had this lotus inked on her waistline:
Yep, no name anymore!
Now, for some disclosure. Erika is the first Inked Person to let me photograph her stomach for Tattoosday. I did have a mutual friend present, Sephora, who was the first person who hosted a tattoo here.
Erika wanted the lotus for two reasons. In addition to wanting something pretty to cover up an old name, she had heard that the lotus was a symbol of fertility, and she hopes to have kids some day. She hopes the lotus will be lend good luck for future procreative purposes.
There are over one hundred various types of lotus, so I can't pinpoint the exact one this is modeled after.
Once this cover-up was done, Erika asked for the leaves on the flower mentioned above to cover up the double female insignia.
Well. a hearty thanks to Erika for her participation here! She definitely holds the record for most tattoos offered up to the Tattoosday masses. Her ink is closing out the year for Tattoosday. Here's hoping that her lotus will spawn a healthy blossoming of tattoo posts here in 2008!
Tattoo #7 is actually #7 and #13, as one element was added eight years later. We'll focus on #7 now, which is the flower on the inside of Erika's left wrist.
Erika, in her own words, went through what she calls "an experimental phase" in her
life, during which she began dating women. To show her "true colors" at the time, Erika and her cousin, who was also dating women, got the same tattoo...a rainbow-petaled flower above a doubled female sign, to proudly display her alternate lifestyle.The flower was inked at a shop called Murda Ink Tattoos, in Jamaica, New York.
Flashing forward to the Summer of 2006, Erika was having a cover-up done (see #8 and #12 below) and asked, as an afterthought, if the artist could cover the interlocking female insignia, as well. Erika's fiancee (now husband) didn't like the "advertisement" of the prior lifestyle. The leaves were added under the flower at Triple X Tattoo, now known as Red Rocket Tattoo on 46 West 36th Street in Manhattan.
Tattoo #8 was a boyfriend's name, inked along the front of her waistline, by Joe at Between the Lines. This name was covered up (see below) in 2007.
Tattoo #9 is a Chinese dragon on the middle of Erika's back. Her dress at the company holiday party afforded me a great opportunity to photograph it without her having to remove any clothing.
Joe at Between the Lines did this piece as well. Erika recalls just hanging out at Joe's shop and talking about how she wanted a big piece for her back. Joe was happy to oblige, and drew up the dragon free-hand.
She said that it took about ten weeks and three sittings to complete. The reason for the multiple sittings? The pain. To quote Erika, "I'll never forget how much that shit hurt."
The other elements of the tattoo are the kanji. When I asked Erika what they meant, she said, "Well, one of them is supposed to mean "to love life":
and the other is supposed to acknowledge that former lifestyle and say "to love women":
Erika, when she told me this, seemed to have her doubts, and was receptive to the idea of me looking into their actual meanings.I went to my resident Chinese language expert, who quickly debunked their meanings. They do not mean what she thinks they do, he said. Because they don't make much sense. The best translation he could give was "good girl" for the top and "born/appear" for the bottom.
If you look at the kanji for "love,"
you'll notice it's not similar to any of the kanji in the tattoo.
Tattoo #10 may look familiar, as it is the first one I noticed on Erika which started out this whole business. Despite "never being crazy about tattoos on arms," Erika inked this in the Summer of 2003, while on a date. She doesn't recall the name of the shop, just that it was somewhere in the East Village. Of course, the East Village is likely one of the few places in the U.S. where tattoo/piercing shops outnumber Starbucks.
So, Erika still had a soft spot for little girl things, unicorns and fairies and such, so she designed this fairy, using several different drawings to create a composite she liked.
She designed the wings and changed the outfit color to red. Why red? As a tribute to her younger brother, who was in the Bloods, a gang whose colors are red. I, for one, appreciate the irony of a pixie sporting gang colors. This is definitely a tough, New York fairy, not some wimpy woodland nymph!
Tattoo #11 also has a pretty interesting story. Erika got married in the Spring of 2007, but she met Lance, her husband-to-be in February 2004.
They dated for a couple of weeks, but she knew he was still dating another woman. Erika thought that this other woman, who had been seeing the guy first, was going to be a problem and that, as long as she was still in the picture, their relationship wouldn't go anywhere.
Erika made a conscious decision to "steal him away" once and for all. Because he had kids from a previous relationship, she plotted to surprise him on Father's Day with a surprise trip to Florida. He had never been to South Beach in Miami and she wanted him to experience it. And so she did.
The day before they were set to return to New York, they were walking around South Beach and they stumbled upon a tattoo shop. Lance already had one small tattoo with some kanji, so Erika suggested that he go in and get a new one. The subject of tattoos had come up before (how could it not when you already had 10 pieces?), so they went in and he got a new piece on his
arm, a huge lion with a crown, representing his last name in Hindi.
It's incredibly hard to be an inked person and watch someone get a tattoo and not want one for oneself. Therefore, Erika found a piece on the wall that she liked and had it done on her back, below the bluebird, above the dragon.
Sorry, the name of the shop and the artist are not recalled.
Tattoo #12 came in the early Summer of 2006, around late June/early July. She and Lance were engaged, and she wanted to cover up the name of an ex-boyfriend tattooed across her lower abdomen.
A co-worker recommended Red Rocket Tattoo, and it was there that she had this lotus inked on her waistline:
Yep, no name anymore!
Now, for some disclosure. Erika is the first Inked Person to let me photograph her stomach for Tattoosday. I did have a mutual friend present, Sephora, who was the first person who hosted a tattoo here.
Erika wanted the lotus for two reasons. In addition to wanting something pretty to cover up an old name, she had heard that the lotus was a symbol of fertility, and she hopes to have kids some day. She hopes the lotus will be lend good luck for future procreative purposes.
There are over one hundred various types of lotus, so I can't pinpoint the exact one this is modeled after.
Once this cover-up was done, Erika asked for the leaves on the flower mentioned above to cover up the double female insignia.
Well. a hearty thanks to Erika for her participation here! She definitely holds the record for most tattoos offered up to the Tattoosday masses. Her ink is closing out the year for Tattoosday. Here's hoping that her lotus will spawn a healthy blossoming of tattoo posts here in 2008!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Abstract Rose
A old friend of mine came in one day with a design which she wanted, taken from a newpaper cutting. After days of preparation, we finally made it happen.
Putting in the Line Work...
After close to 2hrs, we were done !!
Back shot with a lowerback tattoo ( Which was also done by me ). Signing off from 2007 !! See you all in 2008 with a bang !!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tattoos I Know: Erika's Ink (Part 1)
A long, long time ago, in a place called BillyBlog, an idea was formed. It was the idea that became Tattoosday. I decided to celebrate the many tattoos I encountered, with a photo (or two) and a story. A Miami Ink for the blogging crowd. Nothing about the artists' personalities, all about ink. In fact, all you see is the art, and very little else of the hosts.
The idea was to find strangers willing to let me take pictures of their tattoos, and post them with an accompanying text explaining when and where and why they chose to be inked. But I needed a guinea pig, so I started with a co-worker, Sephora, who seemed to enjoy talking with me about tattoos and music of all sorts. She was game, and she inaugurated the Tattoosday feature here.
And the rest is (brief) history. The Tattoosday feature, appearing every Tuesday was so much fun, I spun it off into its own blog and it has enjoyed a small, small viewership. But a blog can only dream. Through the odds and ends and goods and bads of Tattoosday's growing pains, I would occasionally saunter over to Sephora and chat about tats. The woman who sat in front of her, Erika, would often join in the conversation, but was mum about her own tattoos (if she had any, I couldn't tell. I wasn't scanning her clothing edges for ink slippages.)
Then in November, Erika was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and lo! and behold! What did I see?
Well, now I was chatting with Erika about tattoos and she mentioned she had a lot. I asked her if she would be interested in Tattoosday and she was game. So, over the last few weeks, starting with our holiday party when she was wearing a dress that showed off most of her back, through very recently when I snapped the pictures of the last of Erika's dozen (or so) tattoos, I managed to capture the catalog of Erika's ink, which is presented here for the Tattoosday readership.
Enough of my gab, lets roll with the body art!
Erika doesn't know exact dates on all her ink, so we're going to go chronologically. First up is this basic, rudimentary rose on her right lower calf.
By the way, Erika's tattoos all have pretty good story behind them. About 14 years ago, circa 1993, she was 18 and went into Your Choice Tattoo, in East Meadow, New York (on Long Island, for you non-New Yorkers). She was scared to death of what then pain would be like, Her boyfriend suggested the location on her lower leg because it wouldn't hurt so much. Of course, in hindsight, that's one of the more painful spots because it is so close to bone.
The co-owner of Your Choice Tattoo, Joe, made her go home and get her birth certificate, because he thought her ID was fake. He even joked that she would need to get a letter from her mother!
Two years later, at 20, she was back at Your Choice, this time working with artist Michelle, who put this unicorn on the right side of her lower back:
Erika explains that she was still a kid at heart, and that she had a lot of unicorns in her room. She saw this design on the wall and went with it. It's a reminder of that little girl she once was.
A year later, she was back at Your Choice Tattoo, with Michelle again. Like for most people, Ericka's tattoos serve as signposts for different periods of her life. In 1996, she was dating a guy who was heavy into the Black empowerment philosophy. "He was a big 'Power to the People' guy," Ericka recalls, "And I wanted to show him I was down with that." She exhibited this commitment by having an Egyptian ankh inked on her left shoulder:
Because the symbol simultaneously recalls Egypt and represents the hieroglyphic symbol for "life," it still resonates as a powerful image on her skin.
A year later, she had befriended another tattoo artist, Joe, at Behind the Lines II Tattooing in Jamaica, Queens. She had this small piece inked on her right shoulder:
The piece in question is the heart with the crown and the name "Marie". It's a tribute to her mother, Marie, who, Erika acknowledges, is "the Queen of her Heart".
Below the tribu
te to her mom is another piece by Joe at Behind the Lines. It's a hybrid of the Puerto Rican flag and the Haitian flag. Her father is from Puerto Rico and her mother is from Haiti and she wanted a tribute to her heritage.
A year later (approximately 1998), she was hanging out with Joe and things were slow in the shop. He offered up, "I'm bored. Want a tat?" Ericka was game and this bluebird was inked on her neck:
She acknowledges that there is no real story behind it, but that she does like the art. Ericka is a great example of how tattoos can be addictive and that, once you get one, you want to keep going.
This concludes part 1 of Ericka's Ink. Stay tuned for part 2!
Thanks again to Ericka for sharing her tattoos!
The idea was to find strangers willing to let me take pictures of their tattoos, and post them with an accompanying text explaining when and where and why they chose to be inked. But I needed a guinea pig, so I started with a co-worker, Sephora, who seemed to enjoy talking with me about tattoos and music of all sorts. She was game, and she inaugurated the Tattoosday feature here.
And the rest is (brief) history. The Tattoosday feature, appearing every Tuesday was so much fun, I spun it off into its own blog and it has enjoyed a small, small viewership. But a blog can only dream. Through the odds and ends and goods and bads of Tattoosday's growing pains, I would occasionally saunter over to Sephora and chat about tats. The woman who sat in front of her, Erika, would often join in the conversation, but was mum about her own tattoos (if she had any, I couldn't tell. I wasn't scanning her clothing edges for ink slippages.)
Then in November, Erika was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and lo! and behold! What did I see?
Well, now I was chatting with Erika about tattoos and she mentioned she had a lot. I asked her if she would be interested in Tattoosday and she was game. So, over the last few weeks, starting with our holiday party when she was wearing a dress that showed off most of her back, through very recently when I snapped the pictures of the last of Erika's dozen (or so) tattoos, I managed to capture the catalog of Erika's ink, which is presented here for the Tattoosday readership.
Enough of my gab, lets roll with the body art!
Erika doesn't know exact dates on all her ink, so we're going to go chronologically. First up is this basic, rudimentary rose on her right lower calf.
By the way, Erika's tattoos all have pretty good story behind them. About 14 years ago, circa 1993, she was 18 and went into Your Choice Tattoo, in East Meadow, New York (on Long Island, for you non-New Yorkers). She was scared to death of what then pain would be like, Her boyfriend suggested the location on her lower leg because it wouldn't hurt so much. Of course, in hindsight, that's one of the more painful spots because it is so close to bone.The co-owner of Your Choice Tattoo, Joe, made her go home and get her birth certificate, because he thought her ID was fake. He even joked that she would need to get a letter from her mother!
Two years later, at 20, she was back at Your Choice, this time working with artist Michelle, who put this unicorn on the right side of her lower back:
Erika explains that she was still a kid at heart, and that she had a lot of unicorns in her room. She saw this design on the wall and went with it. It's a reminder of that little girl she once was.
A year later, she was back at Your Choice Tattoo, with Michelle again. Like for most people, Ericka's tattoos serve as signposts for different periods of her life. In 1996, she was dating a guy who was heavy into the Black empowerment philosophy. "He was a big 'Power to the People' guy," Ericka recalls, "And I wanted to show him I was down with that." She exhibited this commitment by having an Egyptian ankh inked on her left shoulder:
Because the symbol simultaneously recalls Egypt and represents the hieroglyphic symbol for "life," it still resonates as a powerful image on her skin.
A year later, she had befriended another tattoo artist, Joe, at Behind the Lines II Tattooing in Jamaica, Queens. She had this small piece inked on her right shoulder:
The piece in question is the heart with the crown and the name "Marie". It's a tribute to her mother, Marie, who, Erika acknowledges, is "the Queen of her Heart".
Below the tribute to her mom is another piece by Joe at Behind the Lines. It's a hybrid of the Puerto Rican flag and the Haitian flag. Her father is from Puerto Rico and her mother is from Haiti and she wanted a tribute to her heritage.A year later (approximately 1998), she was hanging out with Joe and things were slow in the shop. He offered up, "I'm bored. Want a tat?" Ericka was game and this bluebird was inked on her neck:
She acknowledges that there is no real story behind it, but that she does like the art. Ericka is a great example of how tattoos can be addictive and that, once you get one, you want to keep going.
This concludes part 1 of Ericka's Ink. Stay tuned for part 2!
Thanks again to Ericka for sharing her tattoos!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry X'Mas
Immortal Tattoos wishes everyone a beautiful Merry X'Mas !!
I would like to thank all my friends, my family, my clients and everyone who have supported me. You guys ROCK !!
I would like to thank all my friends, my family, my clients and everyone who have supported me. You guys ROCK !!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Dana's Stargazer Lily
At the beginning of November, I found a cool tattoo where I least expected to: a bat mitzvah. Such occasions are not generally tattoo-displaying events, especially with the misconception that tattoos and Jews do not go together. However, we here at Tattoosday know better and I, with my two, and my spouse with her four, are always appreciative of a finely-inked piece.
The bat mitzvah girl was too young to be tattooed, but her older sister wasn't, and she had something on her back that I noticed in the shul. Nonetheless, she was not the person who ended up here on Tattoosday.
During the cocktail hour, post-service, pre-dinner, my lovely wife spotted a be-flowered bicep of a woman at the party.
However, she disappeared once we are all seated, and I figured that was that. Besides, I had no printouts of the blog with me, just the camera.
Later in the evening, post-dinner, post-performance (the bat mitzvah girl did a song and dance for the guests' entertainment). A bit after that, I spotted the woman on the other side of the
ballroom, seated at a table. I hate interrupting people while they are conversing with others, so I waited.
A bit further on, I saw her just outside the entrance, smoking a cigarette. Smoking may be hazardous one's health, but it seems to be Tattoosday's Best Friend. I've found the Smoking Tattooed among the most approachable, as they are standing around and not necessarily in a hurry anywhere. And by talking to them, I am not interrupting anything (generally speaking).
So, out I went to introduce myself and tell her about the blog. And, of course, she was totally cool. It turns out she had been the bat mitzvah girl's choreographer. Her name is Dana Athens, and she is a singer as well (check out her website or her MySpace page). I finally got a good look at the flower on her right biceps:
Dana explained that the tattoo is a stargazer lily, inked for inspiration as it represents "always reaching for your dreams". It is one of five tattoos she has.
When I asked her where she had it inked, she started, "A great artist named Peter...."
I cut her off...."At Body Art Studios?"
There's something about having been mutually tattooed by the same artist. It's more than just both knowing the same person. You both have let the same person artistically alter your respective bodies for life. I think it's a bond only the tattooed truly understand.
So we chatted and I took pictures of her lily. After we went back inside, I tracked down my wife, Melanie, and brought her over to Dana to introduce her.
Again, there was that connection between the mutually-tattooed. Melanie has had 3 of her 4 tattoos inked by Peter. She showed Dana her tattoos and we chatted awhile.
It was an unexpected bonus to an already festive evening.
My apologies to Dana for the delay in posting this sweet tattoo. Thanks again, Dana, for sharing your lily with us!
The bat mitzvah girl was too young to be tattooed, but her older sister wasn't, and she had something on her back that I noticed in the shul. Nonetheless, she was not the person who ended up here on Tattoosday.
During the cocktail hour, post-service, pre-dinner, my lovely wife spotted a be-flowered bicep of a woman at the party.
However, she disappeared once we are all seated, and I figured that was that. Besides, I had no printouts of the blog with me, just the camera.
Later in the evening, post-dinner, post-performance (the bat mitzvah girl did a song and dance for the guests' entertainment). A bit after that, I spotted the woman on the other side of the
ballroom, seated at a table. I hate interrupting people while they are conversing with others, so I waited.
A bit further on, I saw her just outside the entrance, smoking a cigarette. Smoking may be hazardous one's health, but it seems to be Tattoosday's Best Friend. I've found the Smoking Tattooed among the most approachable, as they are standing around and not necessarily in a hurry anywhere. And by talking to them, I am not interrupting anything (generally speaking).
So, out I went to introduce myself and tell her about the blog. And, of course, she was totally cool. It turns out she had been the bat mitzvah girl's choreographer. Her name is Dana Athens, and she is a singer as well (check out her website or her MySpace page). I finally got a good look at the flower on her right biceps:
Dana explained that the tattoo is a stargazer lily, inked for inspiration as it represents "always reaching for your dreams". It is one of five tattoos she has.
When I asked her where she had it inked, she started, "A great artist named Peter...."
I cut her off...."At Body Art Studios?"
There's something about having been mutually tattooed by the same artist. It's more than just both knowing the same person. You both have let the same person artistically alter your respective bodies for life. I think it's a bond only the tattooed truly understand.
So we chatted and I took pictures of her lily. After we went back inside, I tracked down my wife, Melanie, and brought her over to Dana to introduce her.
Again, there was that connection between the mutually-tattooed. Melanie has had 3 of her 4 tattoos inked by Peter. She showed Dana her tattoos and we chatted awhile.
It was an unexpected bonus to an already festive evening.
My apologies to Dana for the delay in posting this sweet tattoo. Thanks again, Dana, for sharing your lily with us!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Jason's Koi and Flower
While wandering aimlessly at work, I ran into Tom (see his tattoo here) with a couple of contractors. One of them had a cool tattoo and when I mentioned it to Tom, he told me to go get my camera. And so I did.
Tom introduced me and summarized my Tattoosday project.
The guy, Jason, actually had two pieces that formed a quarter-sleeve that covered pretty much the entire upper arm.
The inner arm/bicep has a flower on it which he referred to as a pantisse.
I checked an encyclopedia and found no such name. I could spend a long time trying to figure it out, but am not willing to do so.
He got it at Fly Rite Studio in Brooklyn. The artist is Elio Espana.
The outer arm hosted the koi tattoo, which was the one I first noticed.
Jason is a Pisces, and the koi represents good luck.
This piece was inked by Damien Bart at Bruce Bart Tattooing in Ft. Lauderdale.
Thanks to Jason for contributing to Tattoosday!
Tom introduced me and summarized my Tattoosday project.
The guy, Jason, actually had two pieces that formed a quarter-sleeve that covered pretty much the entire upper arm.
The inner arm/bicep has a flower on it which he referred to as a pantisse.
I checked an encyclopedia and found no such name. I could spend a long time trying to figure it out, but am not willing to do so.
He got it at Fly Rite Studio in Brooklyn. The artist is Elio Espana.
The outer arm hosted the koi tattoo, which was the one I first noticed.
Jason is a Pisces, and the koi represents good luck.
This piece was inked by Damien Bart at Bruce Bart Tattooing in Ft. Lauderdale.
Thanks to Jason for contributing to Tattoosday!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
New York City Marathon
Ok, so I am late with this post.
I live a half block from an early point in the New York City marathon route. Everyone is fresh and cheery, and the Kenyans are more of a blur than they are at the end of the race.
This year, I endeavored to see how many tattoo candids I could snap of runners as they passed by. I did not have high hopes. The mass of humanity that is 30,000 souls is a blur and by the time your brain registers something interesting, it is already gone in a trail of cells just starting to sweat.
I snagged one partial shot. (Don't forget, one has to factor in the photographer's ineptitude and the several-years-old technology of a Kodak Easyshare camera.
Of course, I'm not counting painted on flags like this one:
That's Pia Larsson from Sweden, by the way.
Anyway, I did catch this guy as he blew by:
I know what you're thinking...."What tattoo?" Take a peek at the guy on the right side of the photo and see what I salvaged:
And then lightened:
And then blew up:
I don't know exactly what it is, but there is definitely a patriotic theme here.
That's the best I could do. Sorry!
I live a half block from an early point in the New York City marathon route. Everyone is fresh and cheery, and the Kenyans are more of a blur than they are at the end of the race.
This year, I endeavored to see how many tattoo candids I could snap of runners as they passed by. I did not have high hopes. The mass of humanity that is 30,000 souls is a blur and by the time your brain registers something interesting, it is already gone in a trail of cells just starting to sweat.
I snagged one partial shot. (Don't forget, one has to factor in the photographer's ineptitude and the several-years-old technology of a Kodak Easyshare camera.
Of course, I'm not counting painted on flags like this one:
That's Pia Larsson from Sweden, by the way.Anyway, I did catch this guy as he blew by:
I know what you're thinking...."What tattoo?" Take a peek at the guy on the right side of the photo and see what I salvaged:
And then lightened:
And then blew up:
I don't know exactly what it is, but there is definitely a patriotic theme here.
That's the best I could do. Sorry!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The Tattooist
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, the Addicts of Ink !!
I have not been updating much recently in my blog. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Its not been a busy month recently, so just as to take a break from work, I decided to catch a movie after a long time.
Yes, you guessed it !! I did watch "The Tattooist".
Before I carry on with the comments I have to make about the movie, I would like to make an announcement.
"By continuing to read on to what Immortal Tattoos, or the Tattoo Artist (Myself) have to say, you have agreed to lose all political powers and legal rights against Immortal Tattoos, or the Tattoo Artist (Myself). If you don't agree to MY terms, please fuck off NOW!! But if you don't agree and still want to carry on reading, please be advised that you are automatically registered as an asswipe - In other words, you still lose all political powers and legal rights against Immortal Tattoos!!" - Thank You -
So lets, get back to my story about the movie.
I saw the trailers and it was very captivating and I told myself, "Man I have to watch it!" I also got calls from my friends asking me to go watch it, since it was good. ( In their opinion that is. )
So, there I was, in my seat, watching the movie and then... I FELL ASLEEP !! Boys and Gals and children of all ages, "The Tattooist" - SUCKED !!
If you are going to watch the movie, please don't waste your money. Donate it to the poor and the needy (Maybe to the guys who made that movie? I don't think so !!). If you have already watched it and think its good, I am happy for you.
Let me summarize how the movie went, even though I fell asleep.
The movie begins, with the "hero" on bed, having nightmares about the tattoo he got when he was a kid. And how his dad was religious and cut off the skin where the tattoo was. "Hero" wakes up and walks butt naked to the window and stands there, looking. (Maybe he was wondering where he left his clothes).
Some parts of the movie was taken in Singapore,and they had to show the Merlion. "Hero" will be in a car, and he will reach to a big house out of nowhere. A butler opens the door and welcomes the "hero" in. The owner of the house, walks down the stairs and talks crap to the "Hero" and brings him up to a room, where the owner's son is. ( This is not Brokeback Mountain, so no gay shit, ok? )
Next scene shows the boy who looked sick and seems to have asthma attack or something. The owner turned to the "hero" and said "No monk want to mark him". The owner gives the "Hero" and envelope, probably containg the cheque and asked him to tattoo the kid.
(Thing is, the "Hero" gives everyone the impression that his tattoos can heal people, and therefore he was asked to the house to tattoo the sick kid, hoping it would save the kid's life.)
"Hero" will take out his dirty case, takes out the machine and the grips and place them nicely. He puts the grip to the machine, (without even putting in the needle), goes over to the boy, ( who looked 10-12yrs of age ), and starts tattooing, without freehanding anything or even putting on a stencil. Everything in that scene was screwed up !!
"Hero" then leaves after doing the thai chakra/mantra on the kid. "Hero" will then be in a Tattoo Expo in some building called "CAPITAL or CAPITOL" with the letter "L" blinking. Tattoo Expo in a rundown building?
"Hero" then steals the handmade needle from the Saomans and leave the building. And guess what?! The owner of the big house comes up to him and says his son is dead and that the tattoo did not work and threatens the "Hero".
Lets rewind here, shall we? The guy in the big house, who is rich and powerful, said that no monk wants to mark his son. Then why would he trust this guy who tattoos by machine?! Since it was given the impression all these was in Singapore, which monk in Singapore actually tattoos anyone?!! What an idiot ! He could have paid some monk to fly in from Thailand instead to help his son. And, what kind of Tattoo Artist would tattoo a small boy who is so sick? Its against the code of Tattoo Industry.
In my opinion, the boy did not die because he was sick. Let alone if the tattoo worked in healing or not. He died from infection from the unsterilised equiptments used. The grips were not even in a sealed pack, neither was it disposable ones if you have noticed.
"Hero" gets cut by the handmade needle used by the Samon. The wound was like 3-5cm on his palm. Next couple of scenes later, his wound would be like 8-10cm long, then after couple of scene, the wound would become smaller again to the original size. Come on !! Can't they decide how big they want the blady wound to be?
Whoever get tattooed by the "Hero" would die, because some demon tattoos behind the scene on the clients. The demon looks nowhere like what they want to portray it to be. The demon is suppose to be a Saoman who was killed because his tattoos were not done right. But honestly, it looked more like he was a native from the African Tribe. Again, they can't decide on what they want !!
I just can go on and on about the movie, but when the dust is settled, all I can say is, the movie was VERY BAD. It was very degrading to the tattoo industry and tattoo artist around the world. Especially to the Saomans and their traditional tattoos.
When I looked at the trailers, I saw a scene where the "Hero" and a girl would make out and clothes come off. I did not see any of that in the movie in real time !! They probably censored a R21 movie, make it NC16, so more kids can go and watch.
Since they made it like that, why do Singaporeans complain about kids getting tattooed? Controvesy, controvesy, controvesy !! Again, they can't decide !! Asswipes, I should say...
Out of 100 stars, I would give only 1 star to it. Reason, there will be a scene where this chick will die in the hospital and the ink will be flowing through her body, pass her neck, skin opens and blood drips and it flows up to her eye and the eyeball bursts and blood flows out. I would give it up to the effects !! Other than that, the movie sucked.
So, boys and gals, just stick to Miami Ink. Love Ya All !!
I have not been updating much recently in my blog. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. Its not been a busy month recently, so just as to take a break from work, I decided to catch a movie after a long time.
Yes, you guessed it !! I did watch "The Tattooist".
Before I carry on with the comments I have to make about the movie, I would like to make an announcement.
"By continuing to read on to what Immortal Tattoos, or the Tattoo Artist (Myself) have to say, you have agreed to lose all political powers and legal rights against Immortal Tattoos, or the Tattoo Artist (Myself). If you don't agree to MY terms, please fuck off NOW!! But if you don't agree and still want to carry on reading, please be advised that you are automatically registered as an asswipe - In other words, you still lose all political powers and legal rights against Immortal Tattoos!!" - Thank You -
So lets, get back to my story about the movie.
I saw the trailers and it was very captivating and I told myself, "Man I have to watch it!" I also got calls from my friends asking me to go watch it, since it was good. ( In their opinion that is. )
So, there I was, in my seat, watching the movie and then... I FELL ASLEEP !! Boys and Gals and children of all ages, "The Tattooist" - SUCKED !!
If you are going to watch the movie, please don't waste your money. Donate it to the poor and the needy (Maybe to the guys who made that movie? I don't think so !!). If you have already watched it and think its good, I am happy for you.
Let me summarize how the movie went, even though I fell asleep.
The movie begins, with the "hero" on bed, having nightmares about the tattoo he got when he was a kid. And how his dad was religious and cut off the skin where the tattoo was. "Hero" wakes up and walks butt naked to the window and stands there, looking. (Maybe he was wondering where he left his clothes).
Some parts of the movie was taken in Singapore,and they had to show the Merlion. "Hero" will be in a car, and he will reach to a big house out of nowhere. A butler opens the door and welcomes the "hero" in. The owner of the house, walks down the stairs and talks crap to the "Hero" and brings him up to a room, where the owner's son is. ( This is not Brokeback Mountain, so no gay shit, ok? )
Next scene shows the boy who looked sick and seems to have asthma attack or something. The owner turned to the "hero" and said "No monk want to mark him". The owner gives the "Hero" and envelope, probably containg the cheque and asked him to tattoo the kid.
(Thing is, the "Hero" gives everyone the impression that his tattoos can heal people, and therefore he was asked to the house to tattoo the sick kid, hoping it would save the kid's life.)
"Hero" will take out his dirty case, takes out the machine and the grips and place them nicely. He puts the grip to the machine, (without even putting in the needle), goes over to the boy, ( who looked 10-12yrs of age ), and starts tattooing, without freehanding anything or even putting on a stencil. Everything in that scene was screwed up !!
"Hero" then leaves after doing the thai chakra/mantra on the kid. "Hero" will then be in a Tattoo Expo in some building called "CAPITAL or CAPITOL" with the letter "L" blinking. Tattoo Expo in a rundown building?
"Hero" then steals the handmade needle from the Saomans and leave the building. And guess what?! The owner of the big house comes up to him and says his son is dead and that the tattoo did not work and threatens the "Hero".
Lets rewind here, shall we? The guy in the big house, who is rich and powerful, said that no monk wants to mark his son. Then why would he trust this guy who tattoos by machine?! Since it was given the impression all these was in Singapore, which monk in Singapore actually tattoos anyone?!! What an idiot ! He could have paid some monk to fly in from Thailand instead to help his son. And, what kind of Tattoo Artist would tattoo a small boy who is so sick? Its against the code of Tattoo Industry.
In my opinion, the boy did not die because he was sick. Let alone if the tattoo worked in healing or not. He died from infection from the unsterilised equiptments used. The grips were not even in a sealed pack, neither was it disposable ones if you have noticed.
"Hero" gets cut by the handmade needle used by the Samon. The wound was like 3-5cm on his palm. Next couple of scenes later, his wound would be like 8-10cm long, then after couple of scene, the wound would become smaller again to the original size. Come on !! Can't they decide how big they want the blady wound to be?
Whoever get tattooed by the "Hero" would die, because some demon tattoos behind the scene on the clients. The demon looks nowhere like what they want to portray it to be. The demon is suppose to be a Saoman who was killed because his tattoos were not done right. But honestly, it looked more like he was a native from the African Tribe. Again, they can't decide on what they want !!
I just can go on and on about the movie, but when the dust is settled, all I can say is, the movie was VERY BAD. It was very degrading to the tattoo industry and tattoo artist around the world. Especially to the Saomans and their traditional tattoos.
When I looked at the trailers, I saw a scene where the "Hero" and a girl would make out and clothes come off. I did not see any of that in the movie in real time !! They probably censored a R21 movie, make it NC16, so more kids can go and watch.
Since they made it like that, why do Singaporeans complain about kids getting tattooed? Controvesy, controvesy, controvesy !! Again, they can't decide !! Asswipes, I should say...
Out of 100 stars, I would give only 1 star to it. Reason, there will be a scene where this chick will die in the hospital and the ink will be flowing through her body, pass her neck, skin opens and blood drips and it flows up to her eye and the eyeball bursts and blood flows out. I would give it up to the effects !! Other than that, the movie sucked.
So, boys and gals, just stick to Miami Ink. Love Ya All !!
Tattoos I Know: Brooke's Courage
Here's another piece from a co-worker:
The next day, Bill called her and asked her if she was still up for the tattoo. "Sure," she said, and the rest is history.
The funniest part of the story, in my opinion, is that, on occasion, if Brooke's out with Bill and other friends at a bar, Bill will ask people, "You wanna see my tattoo?" When they say okay, Bill grabs Brooke's arm and shows them the tattoo.
The tattoo was inked by Robbie at Hoboken Body Art.
This kanji cost $75 and Brooke actually went back a few months later because she wanted it darkened. They re-inked it for free, an impressive pro-customer move.
Brooke chose the kanji for "courage" to represent the courageous act of leaving the relative "safety" of Utah for the faster-paced and exciting life of the Tri-State area. She likes having it on her inner wrist because she sees it all the time and it is a constant reminder to her to always be courageous in life.
Of course, Tattoosday has had its share of kanji tattoos in our short existence. The problem with kanji tattoos are that they are prone to errors and misinterpretation. It's hard to throw a cyber-rock on the web and not hit a story about an ill-inked kanji tattoo.
This one, however, seems correct, much to my relief. It would suck to have to tell Brooke her tattoo doesn't mean "courage" but "angry goat" or something silly.
Take a closer look:
Which is pretty close to this piece on the web:
Still, I like to get a second validation, which I found here:You can see from the above selection the differences in the same character, done in the different kanji styles (each labeled ____ Shu).
Kanji tattoos continue to simultaneously intrigue and befuddle me. Thanks to Brooke for sharing her courage with me.
Brooke Goetz moved to the New York City/New Jersey area a couple years back, transplanting herself from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Earlier this year, in May, she was hanging out with some friends at a bar in Hoboken called Mikie Squared. One of her friends, Christian, was talking about tattoos. Brooke has two koi on her back (subject for a later post, hopefully) and another friend at the bar, Bill, admitted he did not have any tattoos. One thing led to another, and Bill posed the question to Brooke, "If I pay for it, will you go get a tattoo right now?" Brooke was game and agreed, without hesitation.
The next day, Bill called her and asked her if she was still up for the tattoo. "Sure," she said, and the rest is history.
The funniest part of the story, in my opinion, is that, on occasion, if Brooke's out with Bill and other friends at a bar, Bill will ask people, "You wanna see my tattoo?" When they say okay, Bill grabs Brooke's arm and shows them the tattoo.
The tattoo was inked by Robbie at Hoboken Body Art.
This kanji cost $75 and Brooke actually went back a few months later because she wanted it darkened. They re-inked it for free, an impressive pro-customer move.Brooke chose the kanji for "courage" to represent the courageous act of leaving the relative "safety" of Utah for the faster-paced and exciting life of the Tri-State area. She likes having it on her inner wrist because she sees it all the time and it is a constant reminder to her to always be courageous in life.
Of course, Tattoosday has had its share of kanji tattoos in our short existence. The problem with kanji tattoos are that they are prone to errors and misinterpretation. It's hard to throw a cyber-rock on the web and not hit a story about an ill-inked kanji tattoo.
This one, however, seems correct, much to my relief. It would suck to have to tell Brooke her tattoo doesn't mean "courage" but "angry goat" or something silly.
Take a closer look:
Which is pretty close to this piece on the web:
Still, I like to get a second validation, which I found here:
Below are some of the characters styles you can choose for your "Courage / Bravery (alternate)" calligraphy when you select this option...
Xing-Kai
Shu
ShuKai
ShuLi
ShuZhuan
Shu
Kanji tattoos continue to simultaneously intrigue and befuddle me. Thanks to Brooke for sharing her courage with me.
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