Spiro Shares a Cool John Lennon Tattoo

Being that today is Paul McCartney's birthday, I thought I would share this tattoo of John Lennon, since he and Paul are considered one of the greatest songwriting duos in popular music.

This tattoo was spotted in Penn Station earlier this month, on the back of an arm belonging to Spiro.

He got this piece done by Dave Lopez at Ron & Dave's Tattooing in Staten Island. Spiro explained that he went in with a basic idea and that Dave drew up the design and had a stencil ready in no time. It should be noted that the musical notes seen above wrap around the upper arm.

Spiro told me, "I'm a huge Beatles fan ... more John Lennon and what he stood for and his message ... so I kinda try to live by that." He added, "I'm like a little hippie born in the wrong generation."

According to Spiro, the artist Dave's mother is a huge John Lennon fan, so he was super passionate about the design of the tattoo. It always helps when your artist shares your enthusiasm for a tattoo idea!

Thanks to Spiro for sharing this cool John Lennon tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 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.

Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!

In honor of the day, I am re-posting a piece I featured on Father's Day in 2009:

Last week, I posted about a trio of friends that had recently moved from San Francisco to New York, all of them inked.

Jake was the first of the three to share his tattoo with us, and it is such a good piece, I saved it for a special occasion, Father's Day:



This is, of course, a portrait of the great comedian Redd Foxx. People of my generation (X) remember him as the bristling curmudgeon in the sitcom "Sandford and Son".


For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the show is about a widower, Fred Sanford (Foxx), raising his adult son Lamont (played by Desmond Wilson), and their junkyard business. It was a breakthrough show that was one of the first on network television to feature a minority cast.

The father-son dynamic is an ongoing theme, and Jake recalls watching the show with his dad and it being a bonding experience.

His father passed away about four years ago this month from cancer. The tattoo is not only a tribute to the great comedian, but a reminder of the times Jake spent watching "Sandford and Son" with his dad. Jake added, "I'm pretty sure if [my dad] was still around, he would get a kick out of seeing Redd Foxx on my calf."

This amazing portrait was tattooed on the back of Jake's right calf by Greg Rojas at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco.

As we celebrate Father's Day today, I thank Jake for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here, and invite everyone to revisit the host of tattoos previously posted on Tattoosday that pay tribute to dads. Click here to see the lot.

And, as a special treat, in the spirit of the day, I present the following clip:



Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!

If you want more dad-related ink, check out this link which will show you all of Tattoosday's posts with a "father" tag.

Have a great day, all!

This entry is ©2009, 2012 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.

Blaise & A Unique Sugar Skull

I met Blaise on a sunny spring day near the corner of 8th Avenue and 33rd Street.

He has a lot of ink, the majority of which was tattooed by Alex McWatt of Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Blaise pointed out the sugar skull in the center of his arm:

This is a sugar skull with a twist - note the rainbow  spilling forth from the jaw and, in case you can't tell from the photo, that's a shark riding the rainbow wave.

Blaise singled this out because the tattoo was conceived in partnership with his little sister. It refers to a project they had done together.

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

This entry is ©2012 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.

An Anonymous Half-Sleeve from the Subway

This is an orphan post - I ran into the subject on the West 4th Street subway platform back in April. She consented to my photographing her half-sleeve but, before I could get any info, including her name, her train rolled in and she left me in the station with only a few photos.

I asked her to e-mail me with details, but two months later, I still have not heard from her, so I figured I'd just share what I have, which are the photos:

If anyone knows this tattoo and can get the host to e-mail me so, at the very least, I can credit the artist, please send her my way.
  The combination of skulls and flowers, including the cherry blossoms, makes this quite a lovely piece.

Thanks to the young lady who shared her ink, wherever she may be. Her anonymous contribution to Tattoosday is greatly appreciated!

This entry is ©2012 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.

Be Still

I love tattoos comprised of words. When done well, they are fascinating.

The phrase "be still" on the inner left forearm of Tara, above, has a simple and beautiful meaning.

She explained that she understands the phrase as the only expression that is common to the Bible, the Koran, and ancient Hindu proverbs.

The tattoo artist used the font Dear Joe 4 and this was done at Stingray Body Art in Allston, Massachusetts near Boston.

Thanks to Tara for sharing her words with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 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.

Karen's Order of the Elephant

Coming home from the New York City Tattoo Convention last month, I ran into Karen on the R train in Brooklyn. She had this unusual tattoo on her left arm:

Karen got this on a trip to Denmark from Anders Wester at Bright Side Tattoo in Copenhagen.

It is inspired by the Order of the Elephant, the highest honor bestowed by the King of Denmark on its citizens.

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

This entry is ©2012 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.

Erica Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve

The concept of wearing your heart on your sleeve isn't completely original, but when I met Erica in the grocery store last month, I was impressed with this interpretation:

Erica said she got this, one of twelve tattoos she has, to remind herself "not to toughen up ... you go through some shit and you kinda want to be mean and nasty and callous and it's kind of a reminder to be cool and stay neutral and be nice, no matter what."

She credited John Poverty at Thicker Than Water in the East Villlage with this tattoo. Work form John has previously appeared on Tattoosday here. He now tattoos out of Goose Tattoo in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Erica for sharing her softer side with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 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.