1/2 Done But Complete

It was a Hellraiser Pinhead tattoo that first prompted me to approach Travis, but that was not what I ended up discussing with him.

Rather, he offered up this interesting piece on his left leg:


The design depicts a man trying to break through bars, to force his way out of prison.

If something looks off about this, it is because it does not appear as it was originally envisioned by Travis or the artist.

The artist was Travis' brother-in-law, but something unexpected happened halfway through the process.

Travis' sister got divorced, and the brother-in-law tattoo artist was no longer in their life.

Initially, he wanted to find another artist to finish the piece but, as time passed, he decided that he liked it that way, that the initial tattoo's meaning became charged with additional symbolism.

Thanks to Travis for sharing this cool tattoo with us here at Tattoosday!

Dani Helps Tattoosday Celebrate 50 Years of Statehood

Today is the 50th anniversary of Hawaiian statehood.

As a former resident of the Aloha State, I thought we could honor the occasion with a Hawaii-themed tattoo:


This cool tiki is on the right forearm of Dani, who estimates she is 60% covered in ink.

Dani and I met near Penn Plaza and had a lovely chat about tattoos. This tiki is one of her favorites.

Don Lussier at Artfreek Tattoo basically free-handed the design on her. Don is the ex-husband of Doris, who is a friend of Dani's. A piece from Artfreek appeared last month on Tattoosday here.

She has the tiki as an acknowledgment of her heritage, being part Hawaiian, with ancestors two or three generations back.

She loves the detail Don put into the piece, especially the heart inked on the tiki's left arm.


Mahalo nui loa to Dani for sharing this great tattoo with us here, and helping Tattoosday celebrate Hawaii's Golden Anniversary!

O caminho para o sucesso

Olá amantes da arte.
Qual tatuador nunca sonhou com o sucesso com um studio totalmente impecável e sempre cheio de clientes? Qual profissional nunca sonhou com o reconhecimento dos seus trabalhos em escala nacional e quiçá internacional? Pois bem pessoal esse sonho persegue a maioria de nós tatuadores. O sonho do reconhecimento perante o seu grande publico.

Mas a grande pergunta é: O que você faz pra isso acontecer? E tem mais: Será que você está efetivamente preparado para o sucesso? Muitas são as formas e caminhos para alcançarmos a excelência. O primeiro passo é simplesmente trabalhar. Mas trabalhar muito mesmo. Penso que com muito trabalho e dedicação podemos começar a conseguir alguma coisa. Por conseguinte, podemos concentrar nossas forças em atender bem os nossos clientes. O tratamento com seriedade e respeito é tão importante, que desconhecemos a força e o efeito positivo que isso nos traz. Trate bem seu cliente, você só tem a ganhar. Estudos comprovam que um cliente satisfeito torna-se fiel eternamente. Um cliente muito satisfeito indica o seu trabalho para outros clientes, criando uma cadeia de valor para o seu negócio. Mas um cliente insatisfeito consegue contaminar duas vezes mais clientes de forma negativa. Então, pensem nisso!!!

Um studio de referência no mercado e um reconhecimento global depende plenamente do profissional. Depende de quanto ele está disposto a se expor e da consciência empreendedora do seu negócio. Existem tatuadores que são simplesmente tatuadores. Atuam no mercado sem a pretensão de um dia possuírem um studio com seu nome. Ao passo que existem profissionais que são verdadeiros empreendedores, que analisam de forma profissional o mercado, estudando seus aspectos minuciosamente para acertar em cheio no sucesso.

Ser tatuador empreendedor está ao alcance de todos nós!

Mas bem, já ia esquecendo... Com o reconhecimento vem a fama! Com a fama vem a vaidade. “Esse é o pecado capital que o diabo mais gosta”. O ser humano na sua essência tende a ser vaidoso e isso atrapalha um bocado. Poucos são os merecedores e visionários do sucesso. Sabem por quê? É fácil. Por que poucos o entendem e quase ninguém reconhece o verdadeiro valor que ele tem. O sucesso e o reconhecimento afloram a vaidade. Esse sentimento atrapalha e nos torna cegos. Até mesmo muitas vezes nos faz esquecer quem verdadeiramente somos!!!

Sendo assim caros amigos, essa é minha receita para vocês se tornarem profissionais de sucesso e tatuadores completos de A a Z.

Aos vaidosos e as “estrelinhas” de plantão um sincero tapinha nas costas... Aos profissionais que sabem respeitar até o valor das suas agulhas, um forte abraço e minhas saudações.

Que a força esteja com vocês sempre...

Rodrigo Carvalho - Salvador

Summer's Celtic Cross Honors Her Father

I see a lot of crosses in my travels through the streets of New York City, so they don't generally grab my attention.

This one, however, did:



There's nothing necessarily magnificent about this tattoo, but it just goes to show that a crisp, simple tattoo can be as aesthetically pleasing, sometimes moreso, than an overly-wrought elaborate design.

Summer had this memorial piece done for her father, who passed away in 2005. His initials grace the center of the cross.

It was inked in Tattooville in Linden, New Jersey. This piece is on Summer's left bicep, she also has the comedy/tragedy masks on the right shoulder blade portion of her back.

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

Geraldine's Joseph (With a Nod to Green Day)

It was my boldest moment as a tattoo solicitor to date. A half-dozen or so Green Day fans were decamped in the early afternoon near the artist entrance at Madison Square Garden. Green Day was playing that night and I saw one person inked, a woman, but I chose to announce to all: "I write a tattoo blog and was wondering if any of you had Green Day tattoos?"

Sadly the answer was "no," or, I should say, not exactly.

The woman I spotted before spoke up and we chatted about her ink. She was okay having me take the following photo, one of the few I've posted in which you can identify the tattoo contributor:


Her name is Geraldine and the tattoo she is displaying is a memorial piece for an ex-boyfriend who recently passed away.

Joseph was a musician and died of a heroin overdose.

Geraldine is a huge Green Day fan and Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer for the band, has the name Joseph on his arm, in honor of his son.


Geraldine chose the same font as Billie Joe's Joseph tattoo and noted that, in the song "Jesus of Suburbia" the first three letters of each word in the song title spell out the first three letters in the name Joseph.


She had this tattoo at Ink Inc. in Kingston, New York.

Thanks to Geraldine for sharing her story and tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tattoo Night Show 2009, Salvador

Uma noite com muita tatuagem, música e arte é o que promete a Tattoo Night Show 2009. Grandes nomes da tatuagem baiana, concursos de melhores tatuagens, bandas e DJ´s são algumas atrações da segunda edição do evento. O Tattoo Night Show é realizado pela ACCTTB Associação Cultural e Cooperativa de Tatuadores, e a Boomerangue Eventos. Os tatuadores serão premiados com troféus e certificados de reconhecimento do profissional.

Quando: 09/09/09
Quanto: R$ 9,99
Onde: Boomerangue
Endereço: Rua da Paciência, nº 3007, Rio Vermelho - Salvador
E-mail: atatuadores@bol.com.br
Telefone: 3495.0182

Critérios e informações relativas as inscrições de tatuagens no concurso

- As tattoos deverão ter nó mínimo quinze centímetros.
- Apenas serão aceitas participações de tatuagens finalizadas e cicatrizadas até o momento da apresentação.
- A taxa administrativa para inscrições em nove categorias, mais cinco cortesias a R$ 120,00.
- A taxa administrativa para inscrições em quatro categorias, mais duas cortesias a R$ 60,00.
- A taxa administrativa para inscrições em uma categoria a R$25,00.
- Inscrições: Bingha Tattoo - Tel: 3264.5322, Metal Tattoo - Tel: 3495.0182 e Kaya Tattoo - Tel: 3328.3970

Fotos Tattoo Night 2008

Elaina's Ink: The Mermaid and the Tarantula

Elaina has eighteen tattoos. And not to heap loads of praise on her, but her work is brilliant.

It was the mermaid on her inner right forearm that first grabbed my attention:


She told me that the drawing was indicative of her state of mind at the time it was inked. Her boyfriend had just moved out and she was feeling reflective (thus the hand mirror).


Elaina later followed up with an email, further clarifying the tattoo:

"I realized today when you asked me the significance of my mermaid tattoo that I probably would have been better quoted saying the absolute truth. The underlying universal secret wish of all girls and women alike... I've always wanted to be a mermaid."

But Elaina had more to share. Much to my delight, she lifted her skirt on her left side to reveal this wonderful tattoo:


The spider is modeled after her mother's pet tarantula, Shelob, who is named for the giant spider in The Two Towers, book two of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I asked her what Mom thought of her ink and Elaina rolled her eyes and said that her mother recently wept when she told her she was planning her nineteenth tattoo. And, Elaina added, her mom is no stranger to ink. She told me that her mom was tattooed by legendary tattooist Lyle Tuttle during the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You tour.

The mermaid was tattooed by Claire at Funcity Tattoo in Manhattan. The spider on Elaina's thigh was done by Neal Aultman at Physical Graffiti in New Jersey.

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