Monday, October 17, 2011

Tattoosday Giveaway! Ed Hardy - Tattoo the World

[This Contest is Now Closed]


We here at Tattoosday have in our hot little hands, a brand-spanking new DVD copy of Ed Hardy: Tattoo the World.

It's yours for the taking. All you need to do to win is leave a comment on this post, or on the post on the Tattoosday Facebook page, sometime this week and a winner will be selected from among those entries.



The winner will be announced Saturday along with my review of the movie.

More information about the film, including additional clips, can be found on its website here.

Negative comments will disqualify entries. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, but we want to keep things positive, folks!


This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. Video clip ©2011 Wabi Sabi Productions, LLC.

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.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Lourdes on Lourdes

Back at the end of August, I met a woman in Borders Penn Plaza who shared this tattoo:


This tattoo depicts Lourdes (officially, Our Lady Of Lourdes) and the woman who shared it, also named Lourdes.

She was in a hurry, so I couldn't get much more information. She credited the artist as "Sugarbear".

Lourdes promised to contact me with additional information, but I haven't heard back from her.

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



This entry is ©2011 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.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Tattoosday Book Review - Tattoo Sketchbook: Since 1966

We like to review books occasionally here on Tattoosday and wanted to say a little bit about Jim Watson's Tattoo Sketchbook, published earlier this year by ArtKultre, an imprint of Wolfgang Publications.


There's nothing fancy here, just 95 pages of solid tattoo flash by Jim Watson, who came up in the tattoo business long before it was a "respectable" multi-billion dollar industry.

Having cut his teeth in the legendary Cliff Raven's shop in Chicago in the late 1960s, Watson moved to his first shop in Denver, eventually landing in Phoenix, Arizona, where he owns Artistic Skin Designs and where, in 1991, he co-founded Superior Tattoo Equipment.


If you picked this up in a bookstore, it might not be on the top of your list as the tattoo book to buy, as it has a limited appeal to the general reader. But it seems like it would be an invaluable reference to the developing artist who is studying the art of tattoo. The flash is all crisply classic in its execution, and would fit right in with any tattoo artist's reference library.

Wolfgang Publications has a whole series of books that fit this category geared more to the mechanical side of tattooing. This volume fits in nicely to that genre and is a excellent snapshot of the sketch portfolio of the "classic" tattoo artist.

This entry is ©2011 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.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Joker Tattoo Meanings: Pictures And Inspired Design Ideas

Why are Joker tattoos such a popular design? They are likely more popular among those who are either devout fans of the Batman comic, movie and television series, or get pleasure from the association the joker has with mischievousness.

The joker meaning is usually one or the other - foolish or full of mischief and a little evil. The popularity of the Joker tattoo is more much dominant among men than women. However, we do see requests amoung women from time to time.

Joker Tattoo Meanings And Personality
They are often associated with having somewhat of an insane personality. The Batman series further popularized this notion. The type of Joker tattoo desired is dependent on the person choosing the design. The focus is typically on the smile because this is the distinctive characteristic of the Joker.

Also associated with a deck of playing cards, the Joker represents the only card in the deck that does not have a numerical value. As such, it is considered the 'wild card.' This is often why people get a tattoo of the Joker. They may see themselves as the 'wild card' in the deck of life. Others may choose the Joker because they enjoy card games or gambling.

Tattoo Design Techniques And Ideas
Colors and shading used to create a Joker tattoo are part of the detail that makes this a highly desirable tattoo. The detail and the mixture of the colors - green, yellow and black - are shaded to give the tattoo the look desired.

The makeup is often smeared around the mouth as well to give the Joker his evil and insane look. It is important that the tattoo artist master the lines and wrinkles around the eyes and mouth to get the right look of this tattoo.

Jack Nicholson And Heath Ledger Joker Portrayal
The Joker tattoo may be chosen because of the popularity of the movie or because the person is a fan of either Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger, who both played the infamous character. The latter is chosen as a remembrance to the actor. There are also plenty of Jack Nicholson fans as well who enjoyed his portrayal of the Joker and have gotten tattoos of his mischievous portrayal of the villain.

The Joker is portrayed as the bad guy, always making a mess of everything, but he is still considered by many to be charming and fun to watch. For many, this tattoo is chosen for the little 'joker' that lives in all of us. Some people get enjoyment out of the scoundrels as well as the good guys. The fact that they have so much fun while creating havoc just appeals to that side of us.

Joker Tattoo History And Popularity
This character first appeared in 1940 in the Batman comics. Since then, movies and television have given the Joker a status that has only grown more popular over the years. Celebrities are even sporting this tattoo. For example, the keyboardist for Bon Jovi has a Joker tattoo on his chest.

The popularity of this tattoo does not seem to be waning in the least. In fact, it is gaining. Jokers are present in Tarot cards as well and this has an entirely different meaning for some who choose this design.

The presence of the Joker in Tarot cards is dependent on the position. If it is facing upright, this is considered to be a sign of a new beginning. If it is facing down, this means there are important choices that must be made before starting the new beginning. The Joker in Tarot cards is referred to as the 'Fool'.

Crystal's Ice-Bat and Gloomy Bear (with a Nod to The Academy Is)

These tattoos, belonging to Crystal, date back to an encounter I had with her on the R train in Brooklyn back in June. She has 14 tattoos, and first shared this one, on her inner right forearm:



What is this? I'll let Crystal explain:
“It’s an Ice-Bat  [one of the Uglydolls] with the words ‘Dream of demons / while you sleep / that make you / stutter / when you speak’ – they’re lyrics from a song [“Down and Out”] by The Academy Is, a Chicago band. My best friend and I actually have the same words, different design on her arm. We met in Chicago … it’s kind of a way to show our support for the band but also for our friendship to each other.”  
Incidentally, The Academy Is announced just last week that, after eight years, they were breaking up.


This piece was done at The Chicago Tattooing and Piercing Company, but Crystal doesn't recall the name of the artist who did the tattoo.


She also shared this chest piece:




Again, Crystal explains it best:

 “I got started on it when I was 19 and I was in Atlanta and had just started college and went through a rebellious phase. … I’m in love with the main character which is Gloomy Bear … Gloomy Bear is kind of the doll that controls the boy…..”
More on Gloomy Bear can be learned on its designer Mori Chack's wikipedia page.

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


Here's a little bonus, The Academy Is performing "Down and Out" at an in-store event:



This entry is ©2011 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.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Four from Frank

It may be the middle of October, but I am still working with a handful of summer photos, like those I took of Frank, who shared four of his ten pieces with us.

The first one is by Cris Element at Puncture Tattoo Studios in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn:


He was reluctant to share the meaning of this tattoo, saying it was personal, but he did elaborate on three others, done by Taze at Groove Tattoo in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. This one, for example, he told me was because "I was born on June 7th [and] I got no luck so maybe I'll get some luck out of this tattoo...".


Frank indicated that the element of time figured into this piece, with the naked woman representing life, and the skull representing death:


And this one, also by Taze, represents that he had "the best times of [his] life skateboarding":

Thanks to Frank for sharing his ink with us here on Tattoosday!
 
This entry is ©2011 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.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Maria Shares a Valuable Wing

Last month I met Maria on the West 4th Street subway platform. She had this interesting tattoo on the upper right side of her back, and I was curious:


Maria explains:
"I'm a big gamer, and my favorite video game of all time is Super Mario Brothers 3. The P-Wing is the one item you always wanted to get."

Maria credited Rich Smith at Thicker Than Water Tattoo on the Lower East Side as the artist who gave her this wing.

My own appreciation for it it it's originality in contrast to the more common inking of angel wings on backs.

Thanks to Maria for sharing her wing with us here on Tattoosday!


This entry is ©2011 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.