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Earlier this summer, I posted a couple of tattoos from Joe, seen here . Needless to say, Joe became a fan, and updated me with a new tattoo, below: Joe explains: "The picture is fresh from the artist finishing it. It is "C077X" and is a nod to James Franco and General Hospital . He is my fav actor and I have been watching  General Hospital for at least 21 years. It is the the tag that "Franco" sprayed on everything when he recently guest starred on GH as an artist/serial killer. His character's name is Franco, reflecting that art imitates life. A motto the actor and character believe, and so do I. That is why I got the tattoo. To prove art imitates life!" Photo Credit: ABC via http://sn.soapnet.go.com The tattoo was inked by Rob at Brooklyn Ink . Rob originally appeared here as a contributor here . And is one of several artists that has represented Brooklyn Ink over the years on Tattoosday. This label links all of the work from the shop previously...

The same night I met Brian , I met Rachel, who has eight tattoos. She shared this one with me: This piece on her left biceps is based on the work of artist Kurt Halsey . This little bird appears in multiple works by the artist, but Rachel imagined it for her own personal situation. She got it after a break-up a couple of years ago, and the tattoo gave her the strength to "let the bird go". In this case, the bird represents the ended relationship and the tattoo is a transitional piece that helped her recover from the difficulty of moving past it. From Memphis, Tennessee, Rachel had this inked at Underground Art Tattoos and Body Piercing by Chris Fitzgerald . Chris had been a piercer at the shop and then moved into tattooing. He has since left tattooing and moved to photography. His new business is Cult Noir Photography , and his work can be seen here . Thanks to Rachel for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

I met Brian in Barnes & Noble, Union Square, back in August and he shared two tattoos with us. Put your thinking caps on, folks, because Brian, who is a video artist (website here ), has very cerebral ink. First up is this tattoo, on Brian's left biceps: This tattoo is based on an illustration entitled "Every Night We Are Haunted by a Dream" by the artist Alfred Kubin (1877-1959). Jede Nacht besucht uns ein Traum (Every Night We are Haunted by a Dream) , ca. 1902-03 Pen and ink, brush, wash, and spray on paper 39.1 x 31.8 cm (15 3/8 x 12 1/2 in.) Albertina, Vienna Brian explained that this work corresponded very closely to the publication of Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams , and that Kubin's illustration represents "art between the cusp of pre-surrealism/expressionism and surrealism". It speaks to Brian's understanding of the perception of dreams and art. Brian also had these words inscribed on his inner right forearm: The words ...

I met Danny in Penn Station early in August just as he was about to board a train. Before he headed to his platform, however, he allowed me to take this photo of his tattoo-in-progress on his upper right arm: He explained that the koi swimming upward on his bicep represented that he was still moving upstream, that is, he was "still overcoming struggles, trials and tribulations". He added that he would get another koi on his left arm, facing downstream, when he had completed his struggle in life. Before we could talk further, however, he had to run for his train. Fortunately for me (and for you, dear Readers), he e-mailed me shortly thereafter with some more details: "The leaves are Japanese maples...Everyone gets the traditional lotus flowers, etc. But I chose a leaf that represents no religion or significant meaning to it. I would have gone with the Korean national flower [ Hibiscus syriacus ] but that, too, had meaning behind it. Many flowers that are traditionally on ...

Earlier this month, I met Steve on the D train, as we headed home to Brooklyn. He had a veritable panorama of fall foliage on his left arm and he happily shared his autumnal tattoos with us here at Tattoosday. It only seemed fitting that, as summer has ended, we celebrate the new season with some fall colors. Behold, Steve's sleeve o' leaves: The eleven maple leaves on Steve's arm were all inked free hand by Mark Harada at Manhattan's East Side Ink over four sittings. Steve acknowledges that the leaves changing colors represent a change, and these colorful symbols remind him that change is good. Happy Autumn to all! And thanks to Steve for sharing his fallen maple leaves with us here on Tattoosday!

I met Sara on the 36th Street subway platform in Brooklyn last month during the late afternoon rush hour commute. What can I say? I'm a sucker for words and this tattoo looked poetic: Sara filled me in. She has three tattoos and this passage "spoke to her". She wanted something religious for her 30th birthday. This is an excerpt (verse 4) from Psalm 37 in the Bible. The verse reads "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" [King James Version]. Sara changed the thee and thine to read me and my , respectively, making the verse more personal. This was tattooed by Alex Franklin at Brooklyn Ink in Bay Ridge. Work from Brooklyn Ink (and much from Alex) can be seen on this Tattoosday label here . Thanks to Sara for sharing her source of inspiration with us here on Tattoosday!

One thing regular readers may notice is that I tend to prefer singular tattoos, as opposed to larger "concept" pieces. This preference is what you see illustrated here on Tattoosday. However, once in a while, I see work  that, although atypical of our content, is irresistible. Just check out Khalil's sleeve, which I captured one day after work in Penn Station: Representing thirty-two hours of work by Mike Boissoneault at Black Lotus Tattoo Studios , in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Khalil explained that this vision represents a spin on a biomechanical design, "but more organic". To him, in a world in which people are becoming less human, this tattoo reminds him to be human. Here's a "fresher" shot from the Black Lotus website: Tattoo by Mike Boissoneault © 2008 Black Lotus Tattoo Studios Thanks again to Khalil for sharing this amazing work with us here on Tattoosday!

I met Christina one day after work while walking outside of Madison Square Garden. She had this incredible tattoo, which she gladly shared with us here on Tattoosday: This tattoo that covers her upper left arm was actually done in two segments by artist Orrin Hurley , who currently tattoos at Dare Devil Tattoo in Manhattan. As for the source material behind this beautiful tattoo, Christina chose a piece of art by Frances Olive Esme Eve : A closer look at the tattooed owl shows how it was changed, but you can still see that there is still a lot from the original design: The lighthouse was inspired by the Portland Head Light on Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Thanks to Christina for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday.

At the end of July, I ran into Stacy waiting for the F train at West 4th Street in Manhattan. She had a panther peeking out from under her shirt on her back, but we couldn't get the whole tattoo in a shot, so she offered up this piece on her right arm: Stacy is a poet and the Artistic Director of The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Church in New York City. She has been here five years and originally hails from Milwaukee . Living next to Lake Michigan has many benefits. Having always lived in a location near a large body of water, I can relate to her admiration for the beauty of a seascape, whether it be an ocean or a great lake. Stacy told me she enjoyed watching the tugboats in her home town, and that these small vessels are a "connective image" that draws her back to her original home. This tattoo was designed and inked by Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned . Work from Stephanie on Tattoosday can be viewed here . This is also the second tugboat of the summer. The...

Last month I met Melinda on the West 4th Street subway platform , a location I came to appreciate this past summer for its diversity of interesting tattoos. Our conversation began on the platform in Manhattan and ended in Brooklyn after a trip on the D train . Melinda has two tattoos and she shared this one, from her inner left forearm: She explained that this tattoo is based on the shield of Minerva (in the Roman pantheon) and Athena (in the Greek pantheon). The shield features the head of the serpentine-tressed Medusa who, if you didn't know, could turn creatures (men, mostly) to stone with a simple gaze. Melinda loves the contrast between the Minerva and Medusa figures and the relationship between the two mythologies. The tattoo was inked by Kelly Krantz , of the now defunct Hold Fast Tattoo in Brooklyn. Kelly now tattoos by appointment only, and more details can be found on his website here . Work by Kelly has appeared previously on Tattoosday here . Thanks to Melinda for he...

I spotted Tyler outside of my office building on Seventh Avenue last month. Actually, the first thing I noticed was Tyler's eagle: One of three tattoos he has, Tyler explained that he really likes traditional designs, and that eagles, in his opinion, are among the coolest animals. He also likes the way feathers look in tattoo designs, and this eagle's plumage is inked exceptionally well. He credits Jeremy at Imperial Tattoo in Portland, Oregon with this piece. Thanks to Tyler for allowing his eagle to fly here on Tattoosday!

I met Nick outside of Penn Station and, of his "six or seven" tattoos, he offered up this one: Nick had this AK-47 inked on his stomach to pay homage to his Russian heritage. He told me that this tattoo was done by Fernando Alvarez out in Los Angeles. Thanks to Nick for sharing his ink with us here at Tattoosday!

I met Simona in Park Slope, Brooklyn, back at the end of July. At the corner of Prospect Avenue and Prospect Park West, just outside of the Holy Name Church . Simona had an unusual script around her right bicep: This is written in Tengwar , a script created by J.R.R. Tolkien to represent the Elvish tongue. The text displayed here is the beginning of Aragorn 's coronation speech in The Lord of The Rings trilogy. The line displayed is "Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien," which means "Out of the Great Sea to Middle-earth I am come". This tattoo was inked by one of the best tattooers of script around, Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned . Work from Stephanie has appeared previously on Tattoosday here . Simona also had this on her inner left forearm: That is Hebrew for " chai " or "life". She placed the tattoo there because that is where Jews who were interned during the Holocaust had been tattooed by the Nazis. It's tattooed there as an expre...

When I met Chloe back in July, I didn't think that the tattoo she offered would be saved for an anniversary, or a special occasion, but that is how it played out. In fact, when I approached her in the Union Square Barnes & Noble, I was more interested in a design on her thigh. However, she dismissed that tattoo, one of her first, and offered up this relatively crude rendering of the American flag: By crude, I mean unpolished, and I do not mean it disrespectfully. For Chloe disclosed that this was a "stick and poke" tattoo that she and her friend Luke had given one another when in school. Chloe was a Visual Arts major and explained that, in college, everyone seemed to be "poo-poohing on America," and this bothered her. It is occasionally the case where college students, from their campuses, speak out against our country. But Chloe and Luke wanted to make their own personal statements. "We do have a lot here," she told me, and expressed her dismay at...

Earlier this week, author Karen E. Olson released the third installment of her Tattoo Shop Mystery series, Driven To Ink . For those readers who may not be familiar with Ms. Olson's series, you can check out my reviews of the first two books, here ( The Missing Ink ) and here ( Pretty in Ink ). The series features Brett Kavanaugh, a Las Vegas-based tattoo artist, and a cast of supporting characters, from her police officer brother Tim, to fellow artist and competitor Jeff Coleman, owner of the shop Murder Ink. Kavanaugh's staff at The Painted Lady, a high-end tattoo shop at the Venetian Hotel and Casino , also offers up some memorable characters, including Bitsy, the diminuitive shop manager. Driven To Ink , like its predecessors, has an "only in Las Vegas" feel, with a well-crafted narrative that, this time around, revolves around a drive-thru wedding chapel called "That's Amore" that features a handful of Dean Martin doppelgängers crooning, you g...

Here's another orphan post. I took the picture, got the name, a shred of info, and passed a flier. And even though I saw Heather, the host of the tattoo, a week later, walking by me one day in a hurry, I never got to the bottom of this tattoo. So it goes.... Heather credited this to an artist named "Joanne" with a long French name. Any guesses? Anyone? Let's find this Orphan a home....

Sleeve tattoos are pieces of body art that's performed on the limbs of the body and tend to wrap around the limb in a sleeve-like fashion. Done in 3 different ways: quarter sleeve, half sleeve and full sleeve, this type of tattoo is now one of the most popular types of body art performed. Sleeve tattoos, like every other type of tattoo tend to have their most prominent and most common types of designs. For example: Tribal, Japanese and Dragon sleeve tattoos are constantly requested in tattoo parlours throughout the world. Tribal, Japanese and Dragon tattoo designs generally have a very artistic and spiritual look and appeal to the tattoo and are therefore very popular among male tattoo enthusiasts. Females who enjoy getting tattoos rendered tend to go for more feminine artwork, such as flowers and animal sleeve tattoos. As with any piece of permanent body art, sleeve tattoos cannot be removed without using an extremely invasive procedure that will damage the skin for t...

Sleeve tattoos are pieces of body art that's performed on the limbs of the body and tend to wrap around the limb in a sleeve-like fashion. Done in 3 different ways: quarter sleeve, half sleeve and full sleeve, this type of tattoo is now one of the most popular types of body art performed. Sleeve tattoos, like every other type of tattoo tend to have their most prominent and most common types of designs. For example: Tribal, Japanese and Dragon sleeve tattoos are constantly requested in tattoo parlours throughout the world. Tribal, Japanese and Dragon tattoo designs generally have a very artistic and spiritual look and appeal to the tattoo and are therefore very popular among male tattoo enthusiasts. Females who enjoy getting tattoos rendered tend to go for more feminine artwork, such as flowers and animal sleeve tattoos. As with any piece of permanent body art, sleeve tattoos cannot be removed without using an extremely invasive procedure that will damage the skin for t...