Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Celebrities Tattoo-Johnny Depp Tattoos

Johnny Depp Tattoos



Johnny Depp has 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life, including an American Indian in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.

Johnny Depp Tattoos

Johnny Depp Tattoos

Actor Johnny Depp has the most tattoos in memory of the people and events that have marked his life. It is a kind of tattoos "reminders" on the life events. "My body is a kind of travel, that is, as the hands, in which each tattoo some importance, it is characterized by a certain event that you want to remember, but no matter, or use an ordinary knife or the make tatto at professional tattoo artists "said Johnny.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Traditional Tattoos-Japanese Tattoo

Japanese tattoos are known for their full body styling, bold lines, historic patterns and traditional images. The techniques for tattooing that developed in Japan used hand tools, and it wasn’t until the mid 20th century that machines first came to Japanese tattooing.


Japanese Tattoo

Japanese tattoo is called “irezumi” or “horimono” in Japanese. In Japan, tattoo is usually considered to be a symbol of a yakuza and tends to be perceived negatively by people. For example, many public bath facilities in Japan inhibit customers who have tattoos from entering. Traditional Japanese tattoo covers arms, shoulders, and the back. In recent years, it’s becoming popular for Japanese young people to get contemporary tattoos.


Japanese Tattoo

Friday, January 16, 2009

The Return of Eryn's Ink: Frankenstein's Monster and the Little Girl

At lunch, I ran into Eryn, whose yarn skull, was one of my favorite posts of 2008.

We've been exchanging messages for a while, and I have been anticipating another sample of her work (she has a lot of tattoos).

She has added to her yarn skull, and her whole right arm is a sleeve-in-progress. We decided to wait and showcase the whole limb when it's complete.

Her January offering was this brilliant portrait from the 1931 classic Frankenstein:


The picture above is the one I took, the one below is from the artist's portfolio:


This tattoo is based on this famous scene from the movie:



That's Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster and Marilyn Harris playing the little girl. The scene is simultaneously poignant and horrifying. It is a commentary on the innocence of childhood and society's destruction of that innocence through its creations. The little girl does not see a monster, but someone with whom to share a beautiful experience.


But the end result is tragic. The monster is even more innocent than the child, until his unintentional curiosity drowns the little girl.

The scene can represent many different concepts. One of which is the way society judges people based on the way they look. Adults see the creation as a monster, whereas the little girl sees him for what he is inside: a child with a curious innocence (soon to be lost).

Eryn has a lot of tributes in ink, commemorating "the darker things [she] loved as a child". This scene is her favorite one in the film, for all the meaning she finds in the brief couple of minutes therein.

The tattoo is inked on the back of her right calf. The detail in the portrait of Karloff as the monster is phenomenal:


The piece was inked by Randy Hall at Hero Tattoo in Conway, South Carolina.


Jeff Cribb, who founded the shop, is credited by Eryn as being the leading force behind the legalization of tattooing in South Carolina.

I also photographed Eryn's knuckle tattoos, which will be appearing in the future on KnuckleTattoos.com.

Thanks again to Eryn for sharing her awesome body art here with us on Tattoosday!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

On the Bookshelves: A Few More at Borders

On Tuesday, I stopped by the nearby Borders and ran into Jill, who referred to this post, about the books on the shelves that are tattoo-related.

She showed me the photography section, where I found three more titles of interest.

The first was this title, Suicide Girls: Beauty Redefined:


For those unfamiliar with Suicide Girls, click the link on the sidebar to get a preview. It's basically a pin-up site, and most of the models are copiously inked. They're a lovely lot.





~

Jill also pointed out this book, Heroines by Bettina Rheims:

Although not specifically tattoo-related, some of the models in this high-end photography book sport ink.



~

And the third book I spotted was Celebrity Tattoos: An A-Z of A-List Body Art: 16 Temporary Tattoos to Wear by Chris Martin.






It's been extremely cold this week in New York City, so the inkspotting has been minimal. Bear with us. Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training in less than a month, which means warmer weather is just around the corner!

Asian Tattoo Design-Taking Breath Tattoos

Tattoos:for some art,for other pain,for the third religion,for the fourth again,something else!One thing is certain:Tattoos have thousands years history.Singapore is at least three days to become a real paradise for tattoos lovers.For the masters of physical painting the fair was also a great opportunity to share their experience and advice.


Asian Tattoo Design

Asian tattoo design are increasingly popular,with the strong role played tattooed Hollywood stars.
"Many of the West loves Chinese culture and those in the East,attracted by Western culture.Such intercultural attractiveness as normal" said one of the artists who are represented at the fair.Tattoos are part of the Asian culture,for many Asians,however,a core symptom of cultural belonging.


Asian Tattoo Design

There are various tattoo techniques ,some of them are beyond the art and are regarded as a spiritual act.Special importance is also the place of tattoos:on the wrists to protect the soul,not to escape the body,while tattoos between thumb and index finger in the past,a signal that the person is a head hunter.


Asian Tattoo Design

Monday, January 12, 2009

Pink's Tattoos Described

Pink's Tattoos


Pink's Tattoos


Pink's Tattoos



Pink is known to have at least 22 Tattoos.She has many different styles and sizes of tattoos.
Here is a list of a few Pink's tattoos.

-On her left shoulder,a guardian angel
-A red star on her left hand
-A symbol for love and a red heart on her lower stomach
-On her left and right big toes:a red heart on each
-A Chinese symbol representing infinity above her right ankle
-On her left leg:dragon on her thigh, the words "Mr.Pink"on her inner thigh,Japanese symbol for good luck on ankle

Pink's Tattoos


Pink's Tattoos


Pink's Tattoos


Cat's Ink Pays Homage to Her Experience on the Ocean


Over the last few months, I have reconnected with old friends through Facebook, many of whom I haven't seen in years. In so doing, many have discovered my burgeoning interest in tattoos, and the manifestation of that in Tattoosday. Many of these old friends are inked and I've posted their work here (i.e. this one form Michael).

Today's post comes to us from Catherine, the only person with whom I went to high school and college.

After college, Cat returned to Hawai'i, where she re-connected with the ocean, paddling and, among other things, taking a voyage on the Hōkūle‘a, traversing the sea in the style of the ancient Polynesians who settled on the Hawaiian Islands. That's an oversimplification but, rest assured, the journey is quite different from booking a ticket on a cruise ship.

So, it made perfect sense to me when Cat sent me an e-mail with the subject line "Cat's Tat," accompanied by the photo of her ink:


This amazing tribal piece on her lower back pays homage to her love of the ocean and Polynesian culture. I'll let her explain the rest, in her own words:

I had this done for my birthday a few years ago by Tricia Allen, who is well recognized for her knowledge of Polynesian tattooing. She's pretty much in demand for work, and is often on the BIG big island for jobs and conferences. I had known her a little bit while I was taking classes at UH, and met her again on Rapa Nui - we had a mutual friend there. Anyway, she did it in her living room in Palolo. I was sitting on a stool, bent over, with my face in a pillow. I was beginning to feel somewhat like Pavlov's dog, because ever time the buzz started, I'd get tense. She also seemed to enjoy pointing out where nerve clusters were located (owww).

Here's the story/reasoning/rationale: I had gotten a small one after our canoe club won the state championship in 1993 - my crew won the "blue ribbon" race for women, having been second all season. Anyway, once I really got into sailing, I wanted to design a new one that represented what I had seen and done in terms of canoes (both sailing and paddling). Canoes and canoe related activities have taken me all over the Pacific: The Society Islands (including Tahiti), The Marquesas, Mangareva, Rapa Nui, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji. It took 7 years of my trying out different designs before I found the concept I liked. I went for a consultation with Tricia, who gave me the idea; the Marquesans often use the idea of the human face, where each feature is a symbol in it's own right. Tricia had given me a diamond-shaped example, and from that I immediately saw what I would do.

So - the Marquesan concept, the shape of the hihimanu - ray - represents the twin-peaked mountain of Mangareva. As we approached it from the sea, it looked like a ray emerging from the sea. The eyes are Hawaiian honu - sea turtle, the wings are New Zealand Māori-style naia - dolphins, on the sides of the eyes are Rapa Nui makohe - frigate birds (separate story here - not getting into it), the mouth and nose are a double-hulled canoe and sail, with waves on either side, and the tail is supposed to be moons (for navigation and tides) and fishhooks done in a Tahitian style. Kinda ran out of room at the tail end, though! The whole represents Tangaroa/Kanaloa, who is the Polynesia-wide god of the sea. Not that I've been out there a LOT, but I have been out there...you see the myriad incarnations of Kanaloa: the good, the bad and the truly frightening. I guess the design is in homage of what's out there...

Now I'm contemplating the next one. I have some Cook Island Māori ideas, but I want to go there first. Have also had a few people ask me to design things for them. I have also met maybe three or four others with hihimanu on their lower backs...you see LOTS of tattoos at canoe regattas!
Mahaloa nui loa to Cat for sharing this awesome piece with us here on Tattoosday, and for providing such an in-depth explanation. Truly fascinating and inspiring! We're loking forward to seeing the next one!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Tattoos and Poetry: A Call

I received an e-mail today from Claire Askew, across the pond, who runs a publishing house over in the U.K.

Among her many projects (Read the Miagazine and One Night Stanzas), she is working on an anthology of poems about tattoos and tattooing. They're seeking submissions from poets all over the world, and I encourage people to contribute.

Check here for more information.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Michael Has an Ear for Music

Coming out of Penn Station, I spotted a guy on the escalator with an inked hand. Of course, I stopped him to talk tattoo, and he was more than happy to oblige.

Michael has eleven tattoos in all. Only four were visible, and he offered up this one:


He had this musical symbol (the treble, or G Clef) tattooed in his left ear,

because it made sense to him. He loves music, even music he doesn't understand. Michael has seen many people with musical notes inked on their bodies, but he thought it was significant to tattoo a symbol for something he loves on the part of the body where the music is received.

I asked him, on a scale of one to ten, ten being highest, how he had would rank the pain from having his ear tattooed. He said "6". And the most painful tattoo spot for him? "My thighs," he responded.

This note was tattooed at by a shop in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn by an artist named Steven. I am trying to confirm the name before linking it here.

I mentioned that Michael had three other visible tattoos. You can see them over here at Knuckle Tattoos.

Thanks again to Michael for sharing his musical ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Popular Tattoos-Zodiac Tattoos


Zodiac symbols

Zodiac symbols make very popular tattoo designs. Zodiac tattoo designs are available in different styles and in many colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, violet, as well as in black and white.Zodiac tattoos are one of the most popular tattoo deigns as people prefer to sport their own zodiac tattoos or the zodiac tattoos of their beloveds, on their bodies.


Zodiac symbols

Like the western zodiac,the Chinese zodiac is also divided into twelve symbols. However, they do not correspond to cycles within the year nor to constellations of stars but instead to a longer cycle of twelve years.Along with the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) and the calendrical movements of the moon, the animals of Chinese astrology represent twelve personality types.


Zodiac Tattoos


Zodiac Tattoos

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Popular Tattoo Designs-Celtic Tattoo

Celtic Tattoo


Celtic Tattoo



After a brief consideration, I decided to write something about Celtic Tattoos.
Celtic history goes back thousands of years. The early Celts displayed their skills in Celtic art forms such as metal, jewelry and weapons. The North American people who of Celtic origin wear these symbols as Celtic tattoos to show that they are of Celtic descent. Others may wear them to show their support for their culture, or just because they like them.

Celtic Tattoo
Celtic Peace Knot Tattoo by middlepoet

Celtic Tattoo



Celtic Tattoo


On the Bookshelves

Lacking new ink photos, I'd rather post something tattoo-related than nothing at all. So, here's a new feature on Tattoosday. An inventory of tattoo books currently on the shelves of a local New York City bookstore. Today's snapshot: my lunchtime haunt at the Borders in 2 Penn Plaza.


The Tattoo Encyclopedia – A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo by Terisa Green.



Read a review here.

~~~


Tattoo: From Idea to Ink by Joy Surles



Read a review here.

~~~

Permanence: Tattoo Portraits by Kip Fulbeck


I've actually read this one before. Great photos with accompanying mini-capsules about the tattoo or the model's experience with ink, in their own handwriting. Highly recommended.



~~~


500 Tattoo Designs by Henry Ferguson



~~~


Great Book of Tattoo Designs: More than 500 Body Art Designs by Lora S. Irish



~~~


Advanced Tattoo Art (How-To Secrets from the Masters) by Doug Mitchel



~~~



The Tattoo Sourcebook by Andy Sloss & Zynab Mirza



Hope you find this feature useful.