Maria's Family Tree, Flowering

The second tattoo from the 5th Avenue Festival on June 1 belongs to Maria.

Maria's tattoo on her right bicep, was one of the nicest pieces I saw all day, and I saw quite a few. The simple elegance of the artwork was striking, and a perfect example of a "less is more" outlook toward tattoos.

The concept is simple: a tree, abstractly drawn with flower blossoms. Each flower represents the birth month of a family member.


The top two blossoms are for her parents, born in May (Lily-of-the-Valley) and September (Aster).

The next two represent Maria (December - Narcissus) and her husband (November -
Chrysanthemum).

The next two are for her son (April - Daisy) and daughter (January - Carnation), and the one on
the bottom, "because we couldn't leave him out," is for Lucky, the family dog (October - Cosmos).

This stunning piece was tattooed by Rob at Brooklyn Ink. Work from Brooklyn Ink has appeared on Tattoosday previously here.

Thanks to Maria for sharing her tattoo with Tattoosday!

Krystynna Shares Her First Tattoo

Krystynna walked by me on 7th Avenue on Monday, and her tattoos on her wrists, behind her right ear, and her left bicep were totally cool.

When I realized a sidewalk photo of her quarter-sleeve wouldn't do it justice, which she confirmed when she later told me it ran up onto her shoulder, I asked if she would rather have me take a picture of a different tattoo.

Kristynna surprised me by offering up her first tattoo, a large lower back piece. Remember, folks, I never take a lower back tattoo unless its offered, according to the Tattoosday Code of Conduct.

Kristynna got the initial piece on the lower back, some flash art on the wall at Armageddon Tattoo when she was 17, ten years ago. She subsequently added little bits and pieces to make it into a larger piece over the years.

She has 9 tattoos in all, all done by Iann at Armageddon. Kristynna works as a Special Needs Educator for kids and acknowledges that the children love her tattoos, and the parents have no issues with them, either. This is good news, because the tattoos she has visible are extremely well-done, and I am looking forward to her sending me shots of the arm that do the piece
justice.

Thanks to Kristynna for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Pursuit Until Capture

An unplanned trip to the Penn Station K-Mart yielded this awesome tattoo.

Sometimes, even if you can't initially see the whole piece, you can recognize high quality work. This was one of those times.

Chris, who works in independent film, more specifically the horror genre, wanted to pay homage to the film, John Carpenter's Halloween, that inspired him to follow the career path he chose.


The phrase "Pursuit Until Capture" was not from the film, but is a motto that guides him through life. Although applicable to the horror genre (that seems to drive every villain - the relentless pursuit of the victim), it holds a larger meaning for a life philosophy. Translation: follow one's dreams until they are attained. Chris recalls first seeing the "Pursuit Until Capture" phrase in old Sailor Jerry flash art.

This amazing piece was inked by Darren Rosa at Rising Dragon Tattoos in Chelsea. It really is superb work - click the photo to enlarge, and one can almost feel the texture of the pumpkin, the sharpness of the blade. Tattoos from Rising Dragon have previously appeared here.

Darren also inked Chris' first tattoo, a back piece, in January 2006:


Chris always imagined a tattoo with blue wings, and the phrase "Live Life Stronger then Death" exemplifies the ongoing struggle for good over evil.

Certainly words to live by.

Thanks to Chris for sharing his awesome tattoos with us here at Tattoosday!

Spiderpig has nothing on this...

...from Jamie Ruth

Nice Hips Sink Ships!

Lovely mermaid pin-up from Hannah Aitchison.

Hottie on a Hottie!

Nice Day Of The Dead tattoo from Chris Lowe, which I think is based on the artwork of Sylvia Ji.

Nancy's Dragon at the Fifth Avenue Festival

Last Fall's 3rd Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge was a watershed moment for Tattoosday. I came out of the block like gangbusters, tallying up a half-dozen tattoos, enough to carry me through into the cooler days of October.

With the Fifth Avenue Festival on Sunday, June 1, and nine months of tattoo-spotting under my belt, not to mention a sunny day in the 80s, I anticipated even greater success.

Instead, I found myself being more selective. I ran into Tani from this post and stopped by Groove Tattoo and introduced myself to Marc Redbeard (who inked these pieces).

By the end of the day, I only took pictures of two tattoos, and I was okay with that. I focused on quality, not quantity.

The first person I spoke to, Nancy, let me photograph her left leg, above.

This tattoo is about ten years old and was inked by the great late Huggy-Bear Ferris in his shop in Park Slope.

Nancy said that this was not flash, but a custom piece. She went into Huggy-Bear's shop, told him what she wanted, and he drew it up.

This piece is one of five of Nancy's tattoos.

Thanks to Nancy for sharing her ink! , and thanks to the memory of Huggy-Bear Ferris, who meant so much to the New York tattoo community.

UPDATE August 28, 2009. I have been informed that Mr. Ferris is still with us, despite several people telling me he had passed. I apologize to Mr. Ferris and wish him a long, happy life!