Alyssa's Arabic Ink

It wasn't Alyssa I approached on a Friday afternoon outside of Madison Square Garden, but her friend, who had several visible tattoos.

However, the friend was unhappy with all of her ink, so I asked if anyone else standing with her if they had work they'd like to share.

Alyssa offered up this Arabic tattoo, behind her right ear:


The script is the transliteration of her name, Alyssa, which she said means "flourishing" in Greek.


Definitions I have found point to it meaning "rational," or "noble," rather than "flourishing". Nonetheless, it is widely regarded as a very pretty name.

This was tattooed at Crazy Fantasy Tattoo in Manhattan. Work from that shop previously posted on Tattoosday can be seen here.

It just so happened I recently read the book Arabic Tattoos compiled by Jon Udelson. It's an interesting look at the phenomenon of the increase in popularity of Arabic script tattoos, and well worth a gander.

My favorite Arabic tattoo that has appeared on Tattoosday is this one.

Thanks to Alyssa for sharing her tattoo with us here on the site!

Tattoorism: Brian's Ohm

This was sent to me by Brian, in Southern California, who's celebrating his birthday today. It's a stunning black and gray tattoo and well worth sharing here on Tattoosday:


Brian explains:

"This is my first tattoo and [it] meant a lot to me. It's an ohm, which is sort of a Buddhist peace symbol. It's sort of a reminder to me about what I have to do.


I wake up and see it, and it reminds me how to live my life and how to interact with others. Behind the symbol is a copy of my thumb print, just to make it a little more personal and how it pertains to my life...The artist is Placaso at Lowrider Tattoo in Orange, CA."

Thanks to Brian for sharing this amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday! And Happy Birthday, Brian!

We Pause Today for a Moment....

Technical problems today on the home computer, so instead, here's a great story on the Las Vegas Tattoo Convention last weekend.

Missy Needs a Miracle

I met Missy last month in Penn Station and she shared this, her first tattoo:


This is also the first Icelandic tattoo on Tattoosday!

The phrase in Icelandic, "Mér vartar kraftaverk" , Missy loosely translated as "I need a miracle". It is a memorial tattoo for a friend of hers who was killed after being hit by a car.

This tattoo not only serves as a memorial (she needs a miracle to bring her friend back), but also provides strength and prayers for any future challenges she may face in life.

The phrase was inked by Chi Chi Gunz at Silk City Tattoo in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Work from Silk City has appeared previously on our site here.

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

James Shares His Love of The Nightmare Before Christmas

I saw The Nightmare Before Christmas when it first came out in theaters and it instantly became one of my favorite movies.

I am certainly not alone in this sentiment.

I had always wanted a Nightmare tattoo, as many may agree, the artistic style of the film lends itself splendidly to a tattoo motif. The appeal is widespread, as evidenced by the popularity of the characters Jack Skellington and his girlfriend Sally in ink.

The style was most likely seen by the most people on the left arm of Daisy de la Hoya, one of the contestants on VH1's Rock of Love 2 "reality" show (and the subsequent spin-off, "Daisy of Love").

Nonetheless, despite the popularity of these tattoos, I will still happily post them here, when I find them, and they are offered. See these previous examples.

Several weeks ago, by the James A. Farley Post Office on 31st Street in Manhattan, I met James, who had this Nightmare sleeve:




James has liked the movie since he was young (which made me feel old) and is a huge fan. He has seven tattoos, but this piece, which was inked in five sittings, is the centerpiece of his collection.


The was inked at Whatever Tattoo in Manhattan. Work from Whatever has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Say what you want about the "trendiness" of Nightmare Before Christmas tattoos, but I think that their popularity stems not only from the love of the film, but the macabre side of traditional "dark" tattoos, softened by the warmth of a film that many associate with youth and innocence.

Thanks to James for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Lady Miscue of Delight

This was almost an orphan post, but I have enough to make it work.

Last month, I boarded the 2 train, downtown, and was standing next to a young lady with a colorful fairy on her upper right arm:


The woman's name was Elura, and she had this done at Daredevil Tattoo in Manhattan. Other work from Daredevil has appeared on Tattoosday previously here.

Alas, the train was noisy, and Elura was getting off at 14th Street, one station away. I asked her what the fairy was about, and she said, "She's Lady Miscue of Delight".

I scribbled that down and Elura said she would e-mail me with more detail. She never did and, try as I might, I couldn't figure out what looks like a fairy, and sounds like "Lady Miscue of Delight".

So that is what I will call her, until I have been corrected.

Regardless, thanks to Elura for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

UPDATE:

Jeremy, below, in the comments, suggested that perhaps Elura meant, Lady Miss Kier, of the musical group Deee-lite:



The photo indicates that may be correct. Thanks Jeremy!

Magie's Unique Sugar Skull, Inked by Big Ant (1978-2008)

I was a happy little inkblogger last Friday night when I made it to the 4th anniversary group art show at Tattoo Culture in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Happy, because I got to meet the awesome Marisa Kakoulas from the fabulous Needles and Sins tattoo blog, along with the equally-cool Brian Grosz, who is also a major creative force behind the site.

And happy because I was in a bright room with art on the walls, created by talented tattooists, and I was surrounded by people with incredible body art.

But therein lies the conundrum: great tattoos, in a hip tattoo setting, are top quality and, despite Tattoosday's success, I am still reluctant to whip out the Polaroid digital camera when, for all I know, the ink around me may have been professionally photographed and featured in glossy tattoo magazines.

So I had resigned myself to leave sans photos, knowing I had a groovy time and was able to meet other tattoo writers, when I noticed a very interesting sugar skull on the back of a young woman's right arm. Voila:


Of course I chatted a long time with Magie before I asked her if I could snap a picture, so I learned a bit about the tattoo before I asked.

Magie Serpica is an artist and tattooist who works at the newly-opened Bound for Glory Tattoo Studio in Staten Island.


The shop was co-founded by Nick Caruso who also tattoos at Flyrite Studio in Brooklyn. One of Nick's tattoos appeared here back in July on Tattoosday.

One of Magie's paintings was hanging on the wall at Tattoo Culture:

(reprinted with permission of the artist)

We talked at length about tattoos, what she called an under-served market on Staten Island (they are the first full-custom shop) in the borough (no flash on the walls, please) and have a promising future ahead.

We also discussed how difficult it has been in the past to be a female tattoo artist, how frustrating it is not to be taken seriously, and how Kat Von D. and the multitude of tattoo reality shows have helped break down the stereotypes and allowed Magie, as a female artist, to receive more respect as an artist.

Like most tattoo artists, Magie is covered in ink, with no idea how many tattoos she has ("If you can still see skin, it's not enough").

The sugar skull in question was tattooed by Anthony Gregory, aka Big Ant, a Staten Island artist who tragically passed away last year after falling ill in Las Vegas (see the sad news reported here).


She had asked him to give her a sugar skull and she had a general idea about his style, so she gave him total artistic freedom. The end result was fascinating - a unique, almost post-modern interpretation of a classic tattoo design. The angled perspective and the depth to the eyes give this tattoo a greater three-dimensional feel than your standard sugar skull.

I also like how the rose is just as important as the skull, its stem wrapping around it and adding another layer of depth.

I thank the good people at Tattoo Culture for opening their doors and allowing me the opportunity to meet some great people.

A special thanks to Magie for sharing her awesome tattoo with us here on Tattoosday. Be sure to visit her in the new shop, Bound for Glory, in Staten Island.

Here's hoping we'll see more of their work in the future!