Tom's Sleeve is Based on Faith

I don't know what it was about March, but this final post of the month is the third featuring ink from a member of our Armed Forces.Tom is eventually going to have a full sleeve that accentuates his faith. The top of the arm is done, with the main focus on the guardian angel on his bicep:His grandfather...

Two Tattoos from Taylor

I met Taylor where she works at Kaleidoscope, a toy store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.I gave her a flier after admiring her really cool feather tattoo that was inked behind her right ear.A week later, I was zipping by on my bike and saw her on a break outside the store. That was when I had a chance to speak...

Mike's Incredible Aquatic Sleeve (and More!)

I had the good fortune of meeting Mike outside of Penn Station last week and, despite first noticing him because of his leg tattoos, he was extremely generous and unveiled an incredible sleeve that covered his right arm:Mike is a fisherman and a loves the brightness, color and variety of oceanic life....

Earl's Tattoo Honors the Fallen

It was the ring of bullets that first grabbed my attention when I spotted him in Penn Station:As a soldier in New York City's 69th Infantry Regiment in the New York Army National Guard, Earl has had the honor and privilege of serving in our armed forces overseas.But, like any one of these brave men...

Amy's Sugar Skull from New Orleans

Amy shared this sugar skull with me a week or so ago:Clicking this link will display the vast range of sugar skulls that have appeared here on Tattoosday over the years.They are one of my favorite types of tattoos to post, because they tend to vary from one to another and can be uniquely personalized.Amy...

Richard's Cybernetic Tattoos

I met Richard in the Amtrak section of Penn Station, which I have found to be a wonderful place to find tattoos from all over the world.He was in the New York area on business, having traveled from Oregon where he lives and runs his company, Out of the Box Mods, LLC.His tattoos are directly related...

Blocks of Lucky Ink: Heather's Tribute to Her Son

Heather has seven tattoos.The one I noticed that led me to approach her is not the one you're about to see. It is on her foot and, in her opinion, slightly "flawed," so she chose to share one that is nearer and dearer to her heart:The tattoo marks the birth date 3-28-99 and spells out the name Vegas,...

Laura's Goose Girl Tattoo

I met Laura in Herald Square last week after I spotted this phenomenal tattoo on her upper left arm:Laura explained that her mother had a lot of random books of fairy tales in their house where she grew up.One of her favorite illustrators was Arthur Rackham and this tattoo is based on the following...

A Selection of Jorge's Tattoos

I met Jorge last week at the top of the escalators leading from Penn Station to 7th Avenue.He has quite a few, and I took photos of the front and back of his left forearm.The inner part of his arm has this koi design:A friend of his did this for him, which he got for luck before going overseas with...

Nick's Tattoo Explores the Duality of Self

The past week has been a fresh reminder of how wonderful inkspotting is in New York City. When we have warm weather, that is.Today's contribution comes from Nick, who I spotted earlier this week inside the front entrance of a large chain coffee establishment.Nick has "eleven or twelve" tattoos, so we...

Two Small Tattoos from Samantha

I met Samantha in Penn Station when I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area earlier this week.This simple rose is just above her left ankle:Samantha got matching tattoos with her mother when she was sixteen. I joked with her that I shouldn't post that, since I've told my daughters...

Angela's Ambivalence About a Rose

Angela, a video editor, wanted a rose tattoo that would match her eyes and serve as a "permanent necklace". This was the result:Looks pretty good, right? Not so fast. It is not often that I get someone sharing a tattoo with which they're not completely happy. This is one of those cases.Angela had an...

Sean's Tattoo of Odin is a Tribute to His Norwegian Heritage

I met Sean earlier this week in Penn Station and he was kind enough to share this wonderfully-done tattoo of the Norse god Odin:In the epic poems at the center of Norse mythology, known as the Poetic Edda, one key section from a collection known as the H�vam�l features Odin hanging from the world tree,...

Two for Tattoosday: Vanessa's Ink (Two Hearts Beat as One)

I met Vanessa last week and she generously shared two of her wonderful tattoos.This piece on her inner right forearm was her first tattoo:This design is based on the album cover of Poison the Well's You Come Before You.Vanessa explained that this was the album she listened to when she was visiting her...

Stevie's Tattoo Calms and Inspires

Last Wednesday marked the official end to the veritable tattoo drought this winter in New York has afforded us here on Tattoosday.In addition to the three people I met at lunch, my train ride home and, subsequently, my day, was punctuated by a fleeting encounter with a woman named Stevie on the R train.I...

Two Tattoos from Devin

Last Wednesday I had a productive inkspotting lunch hour, which culminated with meeting Devin in front of Penn Station.Devin has three tattoos, two of which are in close proximity on his left forearm: The first of the two he shared was also his very first piece he got when he was eighteen:This "punk...

Tattoos I Love: Melanie's Hybrid Flower

This is another special edition of Tattoosday, a variation on the Tattoos I Know series. First seen on Valentine's Day, this is an episode of Tattoos I Love.This category is reserved for the ink on my wife, Melanie, who turns 40 today.Several years ago, I bought her a gift certificate for Body Art Studios...

Trina's Tattoo for Her Momma

The second subject of our March 10 tattoo bonanza is Trina, who sports seven tattoos, several of which are on her legs.After her sixth piece, her mother chided her, saying teasingly, "You have all of those tattoos, and none of them are for me?"The next tattoo solved that problem:Reading "I'll always...

Juan's Sleeve, Traditional Elements, Inked in the Bronx

A burst of pleasantly warm weather this week signified the end of a quiet winter.Posts have been scarce indeed, but I see busier times ahead.Wednesday afforded me my first "Tat* Trick" of 2010. That term, for those unfamiliar, is reserved for a day when I meet and photograph at least three tattoo hosts....

Amy's Circle of Sanskrit Honors The Loss of Something She Needed to Lose

It was one of those New York City Tattoosday moments, when you really hit it off with someone and a simple question about a tattoo turns into a lengthy conversation.I was coming home much later than usual and, at West 4th Street, where I'll occasionally switch from the A train to the D train, I spotted...

Hoot! Hoot! Thanks for Your Support!!

Last night at 11:37 P.M., someone in Fairfield, California googled "owl tattoos".Seventh on the list of results was the link to this tattoo:(the post here)This visitor registered Tattoosday's half a millionth hit, a number that seemed impossible when we first started out as a spin-off from BillyBlog...