Jesse's Religious Experience

Religious imagery is among the most popular of themes in tattoo art. There is, to the shrinking minority of people who don't like tattoos, a greater level of acceptance of Christian-themed body art.

[Jewish tattoos are coming along, but the majority of Jews have fundamental issues with ink on Jews. Islamic tattoos are less common, and I can't speak to their acceptance. Eastern religious tattoos may be the most popular of religious ink, but there is a greater understang of body art when it comes to Hindu and Buddhist themes. But I digress.]

I generally avoid talking to people about full sleeves, but when I started talking to Jesse while we were browsing the books at the Chelsea Salvation Army store, it was clear that his right sleeve, which continued onto his chest, was the most important work he had.


Jesse's ink is a reflection of his faith. It is inspired by religious images that he has come across while visiting churches in Europe. He couldn't give me the specific locations of the art which inspired his work (Rome, Paris), but I'd be happy to hear from readers who may recognize the
work.
Aside from the obvious depictions of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, Jesse also pulled up his shirt to show me the most recent of his ten tattoos, which was the extension of his sleeve into his chest:


All of this work was done by Mike Pastore at Masterpiece Tattoo in Staten Island, New York. Work from Masterpiece has appeared previously here.

Thanks to Jesse for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Free Tattoo Designs

Each and every one of us is always on the lookout for great deals and any way to save money that we can find. With the Internet being so popular these days, many people often turn to the Internet for free tattoo designs. For most of us, free is always the way to go. When you stop and think about it, a free tattoo design sounds a lot better than paying as much as $150.00 for one at a tattoo studio. The fact about it is simple - someone could just as easily draw their tattoo design themselves and then pay the tattoo artist to put the tattoo on them.

If you give it some thought, you may begin to wonder if free tattoo designs are actually worth it in the end. The fact of them being free is always great, although you may wonder if the design is something you would like to display permanently on your body. When you show your new tattoo to friends, they may think negative thoughts when you tell them that you got the design free off the Internet. Each and every time you show your tattoo people will want to know about the message and the design, which you’ll probably need to think about.

All of us are familiar with the old saying “you get what you pay for”, and it’s truly no different in this scenario. Although there are hundreds and hundreds of websites on the Internet that provide free tattoo designs, few of them are really worth the interest. Most of the free designs out there on the Internet are very poor quality. Therefore, it would be in your best interest to wait and have a professional tattoo artist make the design for you.

Those who choose to go with free tattoo designs will tell you that tattoos are very expensive and they can’t afford to have a professional tattoo artists draw up the design. Some people, when dealing with custom tattoo designs, will say that their tattoo artist doesn’t do custom designs or that he just don’t want to do theirs. Although most of this may be true to an extent, there truly is no better way to get a tattoo than using a design made by a professional tattoo artist.

As most already know, free tattoo designs are normally made by those who know next to nothing about tattoo designing. In most cases, these designs are made by someone who is looking to make a quick profit instead of a true professional tattoo artist. You can easily tell that they aren’t professional quality simply by looking at them. Most free designs have poor quality, poor lines, and often times the work appears to be made on a personal computer. You certainly wouldn’t want to use something like this with your tattoo – simply because you will be showing it the rest of your life.

If you spend a lot of time searching on the Internet for free tattoo designs, you may be able to find a few with good quality. There are some good quality designs out there, although you’ll probably have to search quite a bit to find them. It’s best to have an idea in mind about the tattoo you want then look for it that way. Although it may take you some time, you could very well find it. If you do come across it as a free tattoo design – you should always triple check the quality before you decide to have it done.

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John Paul's Gorilla Tattoo Recalls the Soviet Regime

On Monday, I met John Paul in Herald Square at 34th Street, after spotting a flourish of color on his inner bicep.

He was more than happy to show me this wonderful tattoo above.

John Paul explained that it is based on a prison tattoo from a Soviet Union gulag. The artwork represents a criticism of the regime of the U.S.S.R., depicting it, not as the common Russian bear, but as the brute gorilla. It is ham-fisted and out of control, with the symbolic hammer and sickle at the ready:


John Paul told me he is fascinated with the historic aspect of the former Soviet Union and the criticism of the regime as depicted in art, especially body art. Here's a great source if you are likewise interested in learning more about Russian prison tattoos:

The piece is incomplete in that one may notice the space below the gorilla has a banner that has yet to be filled out. John Paul said the original idea was to have the letters "FTW" for "Fuck the World" inked there, but he was not willing to have that permanently inked there. He is still deciding what to ultimately fill in the space.

This was tattooed about a year ago by Adam Warmerdam in Los Angeles. Adam is a free-lance tattoo artist in Southern California. It is one of four of John Paul's tattoos.

Thanks to John Paul for sharing this fascinating tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Popular Tattoo Designs

Tattoos are a common thing these days. They are more popular than ever before. Research has shown that nearly 1 in 4 people have at least one tattoo. There are many designs to choose from, giving people a chance to be creative. Below, we will take a look at some of the most popular tattoo designs.

Tribal tattoos are among the most popular designs. They have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years and they are always evolving and becoming more and more complex with their designs and styles. Tribal tattoos can either be the traditional black style that cover the arms and the legs or the more colorful styles that can cover every area of the body. The colorful, more modern look is becoming more and more popular when compared to other styles.

The “old school” styles of tattoos are also popular. Anchors and things like that are making a great comeback these days and not just with sailors. These styles were very common and very popular back in the 60s. They are rapidly gaining their popularity back, as females and males are getting anchors and swallow designs tattooed on them more and more.

Lower back tattoos are the most common for women. The lower back is one of the most sexual and sensual areas on a women, making the ideal spot for a tattoo. Tribal designs are the most popular, although flowers, dragons, and other symbols make great tattoos as well. The lower back offers plenty of natural curves as well, which can make for an innovative tattoo. Often times, women tend to include tribal that spreads, covering the base of their hips as well.

Dragon designs are another popular type style of tattoos. They were popular in the past, and are now starting to get their popularity back. There are a lot of different dragons to choose from, including the mythical dragon and ancient Chinese dragon. Dragons are great on the chest for males and the back for females. Dragon tattoos can be virtually any size, although most males tend to have them cover one side of their chest or the upper region of their arms.

Celtic tattoos are also popular as well. They are mostly seen with those who have a Celtic heritage, although some with no Celtic heritage have them as well. They offer a variety of symbols and designs, providing universal meanings for everyone. Often times they are mixed with tribal tattoos to create a more innovative tattoo.

There are several other types of tattoos out there, although the above are the most common. Tattoos can be very creative and innovative; it all depends on what you want. If you’re looking to stand out and be truly creative – you can always have a professional tattoo artist design one for you.

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Mara Shares a Decorative Tattoo

I met Mara this afternoon in the plaza at the corner of 39th Street and Broadway. She was kind enough to share the above tattoo, inked on her left forearm.

She talked to me as she finished her soup, and I'm appreciative of that, as I felt a little guilty intruding on her lunch break.

Mara notes that this piece is "purely decorative". It was tattooed by Stephanie Tamez at New York Adorned, based on a design created by her friend Katherine Irwin.


The tattoo is inspired by the work of Aubrey Beardsley (who provided inspiration for a previous Tattoosday entry here). The lines and design, especially the peacock feathers, have a Beardsley-esque feel to them.


Thanks to Mara for sharing this beautiful tattoo with us!

Saint Lucy Graces David's Arm

**This post was updated for clarification of facts on October 13, 2008.

As Autumn advances on New York, tattoos have been less frequently spotted by yours truly, but a recent streak of warmer temperatures have extended the season just a bit.

I spotted the above piece on David's right bicep last Saturday at a green market in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

The tattoo was inked as a result of David taking care of a neighbor's dogs for a spell up in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1992. The neighbor had grown up in Syracuse, New York. and attended St. Lucy's Church there. The original Syracuse, in the province of Syracuse, in the region of Sicily, in Southern Italy, was where Saint Lucy was born and martyred. She is also known as the Patroness of Syracuse.

David and his neighbor had a mutual friend who was a tattoo artist and the neighbor arranged for the artist to do the tattoo for David as a form of payment for the favor.

The basis for the artwork, which is a portrait of Saint Lucy, was a Jane's Addiction concert t-shirt, circa 1991 and the Ritual de la Habitual tour. The tattooist had a close affinity for Saint Lucy, as he had gone to a church named for her, and she is the patron saint for the blind.

I was unable to find art on the shirt, but I did find the following poster art:


and this additional image, credited to a prayer card, which bears a striking resemblance, and may in fact be the basis for the concert poster and shirt art:

David indicates that the shirt looked more like the prayer card than the poster.

According to her story, her eyes were gouged out prior to her execution, and as a result, when depicted in art, two eyes appear on a plate in the portrait. In the case of this tattoo, they appear to the left of the piece:


Her eyes are often regarded as holy relics.

David also admires her as she is seen as one of the earliest feminist figures in Christianity. He also notes that he gave his friend/neighbor the concert t-shirt which inspired the tattoo, due to his relationship with St. Lucy's Church in Syracuse, NY.

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

Tattoo Posts That Go Bad: Peeping Kanji

Last October, I posted a a tattoo belonging to a guy named John here. His friend Donna also had tattoos and tried to show them to me on her lower back/waistline, but she understandably couldn't successfully reveal them fully without lowering her pants to an uncomfortable level. She said she would send me better pictures. She never did. But I kept the post in my drafts folder under the title "Peeping Kanji". Unfortunately, the Kilroy-was-here-esque tattoos could not be deciphered by Kwok, my subject matter expert on the Chinese language.

So is there any value to these pictures? Maybe, maybe not. But I want to wish them adieu and maybe their inclusion here will prompt Donna to finally getting around to send me the photos.




I'd love to know what these kanji mean. Guesses anyone?