Body Tattoo - blog about tattoo art

When, on July 31, 2007, I posted my first installment of the weekly Tattoosday feature on BillyBlog, I didn’t know what I had started.

Had you told me then that, a year later, Tattoosday would have spun off from BillyBlog, that it would have set a personal best in July ‘08 with over 13,000 hits, and that I would be posting daily, I would have been skeptical.

Nonetheless, that’s what has happened. And, although I expect a drop-off in visits as summer ends and shorts and tank tops give way to jeans and long-sleeve shirts, I am pleased with how Tattoosday has progressed.

I want to thank everyone who has visited and contributed to the success of Tattoosday. It’s still a little baby blog by blogosphere standards, and its stand-alone self (apart from BillyBlog) doesn’t celebrate a full year until September 8, 2008, which is BillyBlog’s 3rd anniversary.

The lingering question is this: will Tattoosday surpass BillyBlog in traffic by then? As of July 31, Tattoosday had just over 48,000 hits in a little less than 11 months, whereas BillyBlog is at 63,500 hits just a month and change shy of 3 years. Check back on September 8 to see what happens.

Inkily yours,

Bill

Although most piercings heal well without any major issues, sometimes they can lead to difficult and painful problems. If you’re having a problem you can’t identify or aren’t sure how to fix it, these articles may help you.

Migration and Rejection
If you’ve got a piercing that seems to have moved or shifted or is suddenly causing unexplained pain, it could be a migration or rejection issue. Find out how to determine what’s going on with your piercing and if there is any way to save it.

Infection, Growths, Bumps, Cysts and Keloids
A bump isn’t “just a bump” when it’s growing on or around a piercing. This article can help you identify what is causing the growth and how to deal with it.

Metal Hypersensitivity
If you’ve had your piercing for weeks or months and it just refuses to heal no matter what you do, it could be an allergic reaction to your body jewelry. Learn the differences between the different types of metals used to make body jewelry and find out what might be a better option for you.

Sorry. Couldn’t resist that title.

I ran into Damien near Fashion Institute of Technology earlier in the week, and her bright, colorful tattoo just jumped right off of her in the sunlight.

She explained to me that it is based on a photograph of the Pistol Star Nebula, as seen from the Hubble telescope:
She stumbled upon the photo on the NASA website and loved the shape of it. Anyone who has seen the photos from the Hubble, which are in the public domain, should agree that they are spectacular visions from beyond our world.

The book designer and novelist Chip Kidd coincidentally posted this past week, on his website about a new book for which he had designed the cover (here), the images on which were from the Hubble eye on the universe.

This piece was inked by Chris Kowalski, a tattooist in Toronto at Abstract Arts Tattoo and Body Piercing, and is one of seven tattoos that Damien has.

I noticed after the fact, while glancing at her website, that the tattoo is inked above a pre-existing piece, as evidenced in this photo from her site:

Aside from the symbol for infinity and the arrows pointing out from all directions, I cannot speculate on the meaning of this earlier tattoo, but am hoping she will offer up an explanation at a later date.

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

Flower tattoo art has been & still is very popular especially with the ladies.

Having a tattoo says something very personal about you; it defines your inner & outer self.

There’s nothing new about that, tattoos were originally used as symbols of identity. Throughout history they’ve been used to show which tribe groups of people belonged to.

Therefore when you decide to have a flower tattoo it is very important to choose carefully so that you have a flower or floral pattern that is fundamentally ‘you’.

Of course some flowers have meanings attached to them.

Here are just some for you to consider:

Bluebell= humility
Carnation=fascination, Love
Daffodil= the sun is always shining when I’m with you.
Daisy=innocence, loyal love, purity
Dandelion=happiness, faithfulness.
Fern=magic, confidence.
Holly=domestic happiness.
Iris=faith, hope & wisdom.
Ivy=wedded bliss
Lily=It’s heavenly to be with you.
Poppy=imagination.
Rose=happy love.
Tulip=believe me.

Those meanings aside you may just be after a very attractive floral design or pattern. I’ve seen some really lovely flower tattoo art designs lately.

After trolling around parlour after parlour and not really seeing anything that was ‘me’ I turned my search to the web and was very pleasantly surprised.

I hadn’t appreciated that the online tattoo galleries have regularly updated designs so that they are at the cutting edge where tattoo art is concerned.

The poor old tattoo artist in his parlour can’t hope to keep up with them.

Once you’ve logged into these sites you can browse through thousands of designs & when you’re truly happy with a design, you just print it out & take it to the tattooist for him to do his bit!

Try them out for yourself if you’re after up to date unique flower tattoo art, you won’t be disappointed!

“When I first became familiar with tatoos, Retinol products were only available by prescription, so it never occurred to me to wonder if they were okay for tattoos. I have a new tattoo and my favorite lotion has some form of retinol in it, and it gave me pause. Is there any general school of thought about the use of retinoids on tattoos? And does the age of the tattoo make a difference?” - jzm

Note: This topic and others reside on the message board. Please post your comments there in order to contribute to the conversation.

I met Bryan last week outside of Penn Station. He has “7 or 8″ tattoos, and he offered up this piece from his left leg.

It’s a recreation of a pulp book cover that depicts a woman holding a photograph of a crime in progress, just as the man in the photo who is the perpetrator, is entering the room, gun drawn.

The woman appears to have just developed the picture and her face is wracked with frightened recognition of the fate that is about to befall her.

Bryan recalls coming across this image when he was a teenager. I have a distinct feeling that I’ve seen this image before as well, but I was unable to find the source material. If anyone knows the title of the book upon which this tattoo is based, please let me know.

Bryan also likes the core element of photography within the tattoo, as he has always been interested in that art form, and he still considers photography a hobby.

This piece was inked by Jason Goldberg at Olde City Tattoo in Philadelphia.

Thanks to Bryan for sharing this amazing leg piece with us here at Tattoosday!

Getting a tattoo is probably one of the most satisfying forms of self expression, but on the same token should not be taken lightly. Once the decision has been made to go through with the procedure, you are usually left with even more questions.

Aside from the first and foremost decisions,such as “who should I go to, what about the risks of infection, and what is within my budget?” the larger and more thought provoking questions are about what to get and why.

For some,the reason for being tattooed could come from a life altering experience,such as the loss of a loved one,or on the reverse, maybe the birth of a child. Others might base their choice on something more spiritual or maybe an expression of their heritage or ancestry.

Regardless of your motivation, the problem remains. What is the perfect design for me? This is where the artist of your choice comes in. He/she will undoubtedly have a large portfolio of their work and an even larger gallery of possible designs. But what if after countless hours of searching,you still cannot seem to find that elusive design that will become permanently embedded in your skin?

The answer to this question can usually be found while discussing ideas with the artist, and having a custom design drawn for you personally. If none of the aforementioned ideas seem to bring you to your ‘perfect’ design,there is another route to take, that I will share with you later.

Up to this point I have been discussing many questions and possible solutions that could benefit men and women alike. However, when the discussion turns to women and tattoos, there seems to be even more questions and possible solutions.

The simple fact that women are obviously built much different than men poses many more challenges for the artist. Aside from the size and shape differences,there are numerous other choices to be made concerning design and style. This forces the artist to keep an even larger cache of design possibilities.

If this all may seem a bit overwhelming, don’t worry. This is the age of the internet and there is a world of resources at your fingertips, if you just know where to look. For you ladies out there, I have found an excellent e-book written by a woman for women that covers everything you should know about getting tattooed from start to finish.