Japanese Tattoo Artist
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Dwayne Johnson Tattoo (the rock)
Dwayne Johnson has a Brahma bull tattoo - he is a Taurus - tattooed on his right biceps and a large Polynesian-style tattoo piece on upper left arm and shoulder. Johnson, who is part Samoan, has claimed that the Polynesian tattoo is a traditional Samoan piece, but it more closely resembles Marquessan tattooing than the traditional Samoan Pe’a.
Claire's Hemaris Thysbe Flutters on Her Forearm
Butterfly tattoos can be a dime a dozen (no offense, butterfly fans), but moths, on the other hand often get a bum rap, taking a back seat to their more flamboyant insect cousins. To the chagrin of some inked lepidopterists, you don't see as many moth tattoos. This, however, is a lovely exception, perched on Claire's forearm:
This is Hemaris Thysbe, more commonly known as the Clear Wing Hummingbird Moth, a beautiful insect that gets its name from its large size and rapid wing speed.
Claire, who I met in Borders at 2 Penn Plaza, is originally from Vermont and this moth reminds her of back home. There are certainly no Hummingbird Moths fluttering about New York City!
She found a picture she liked and took it in to Yoni Ziebler at Brooklyn Adorned where he recreated this lovely specimen.
This is Hemaris Thysbe, more commonly known as the Clear Wing Hummingbird Moth, a beautiful insect that gets its name from its large size and rapid wing speed.
Claire, who I met in Borders at 2 Penn Plaza, is originally from Vermont and this moth reminds her of back home. There are certainly no Hummingbird Moths fluttering about New York City!
She found a picture she liked and took it in to Yoni Ziebler at Brooklyn Adorned where he recreated this lovely specimen.
Kristine's Globe and a Memorial for Mom
Kristine has seven tattoos, two of which she shared with us late last month in Penn Station.
The first one I noticed when she walked by was this piece from the back of her calf:
This is an homage to her travels, having recently returned from ten months in New Zealand. The Latin phrase below the globe, "On Omnia Paratus" translates to "ready for all things".
She also shared this lovely floral tattoo on her upper right arm:
Kristine explained that these tulips are a memorial to her mother, who passed away from lung cancer.
The first one I noticed when she walked by was this piece from the back of her calf:
This is an homage to her travels, having recently returned from ten months in New Zealand. The Latin phrase below the globe, "On Omnia Paratus" translates to "ready for all things".
She also shared this lovely floral tattoo on her upper right arm:
Kristine explained that these tulips are a memorial to her mother, who passed away from lung cancer.
Jessica's Chest Piece and a Tale of Two Tigers
There may be eight million people in New York, but it's still, at times, a small world town.
Last month in the Amtrak section of Penn Station, I spotted Jessica, a young woman with a beautiful tattoo across her chest:
This piece even was our banner here for a few weeks, thanks to Jessica.
The inscription reads "Never Love, Never Lose," which is certainly thought-provoking, a slight spin on the aphorism, "It is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all." It also recalls an Irish claddagh ring, with two hands holding a heart. Feathers on the ends of the hands were added to even out the design.
I particularly like the fact that Jessica is wearing a key around her neck and, in the photo, it is lying across the keyhole at the center of the heart.
Jessica collaborated with the artist known as Ollie XXX in Montreal. If you look at his portfolio on his site, slide 87 shows a brighter original version of the tattoo when it was first completed.
When I asked her how many tattoos she had, she said, twenty-two, and showed me her most recent, a Peanuts tattoo. When I inquired where she got it, she said Thicker Than Water on the Lower East Side. "Oh," I commented, "you got one of the $50 specials?" I knew that the shop had done a $50 tattoo event the previous Saturday. Jessica confirmed that she had, in fact, attended with a friend.
I continued, "Shon Lindauer was the artist for my tiger,"and I rolled up my pant leg to reveal the piece Shon had inked at the beginning of the year when they were in "Year of the Tiger" mode. Well, you could have knocked Jessica over with a feather and her aunt, who Jessica was seeing off at the station, was also surprised. Why?
Jessica pulled down her right sleeve to reveal a familiar, but more feminine version of my tiger from my calf.
Shon had inked a variation on the tiger for her in February. Jessica's aunt insisted we pose with our tigers together.
I love how the designs are so similar, yet hers is much more feminine (or mine is much more masculine).
Granted, inkspotting certainly reduces the odds, but nonetheless, our paths crossing still seemed incredibly amazing.
Last month in the Amtrak section of Penn Station, I spotted Jessica, a young woman with a beautiful tattoo across her chest:
This piece even was our banner here for a few weeks, thanks to Jessica.
The inscription reads "Never Love, Never Lose," which is certainly thought-provoking, a slight spin on the aphorism, "It is better to have loved and lost than never loved at all." It also recalls an Irish claddagh ring, with two hands holding a heart. Feathers on the ends of the hands were added to even out the design.
I particularly like the fact that Jessica is wearing a key around her neck and, in the photo, it is lying across the keyhole at the center of the heart.
Jessica collaborated with the artist known as Ollie XXX in Montreal. If you look at his portfolio on his site, slide 87 shows a brighter original version of the tattoo when it was first completed.
When I asked her how many tattoos she had, she said, twenty-two, and showed me her most recent, a Peanuts tattoo. When I inquired where she got it, she said Thicker Than Water on the Lower East Side. "Oh," I commented, "you got one of the $50 specials?" I knew that the shop had done a $50 tattoo event the previous Saturday. Jessica confirmed that she had, in fact, attended with a friend.
I continued, "Shon Lindauer was the artist for my tiger,"and I rolled up my pant leg to reveal the piece Shon had inked at the beginning of the year when they were in "Year of the Tiger" mode. Well, you could have knocked Jessica over with a feather and her aunt, who Jessica was seeing off at the station, was also surprised. Why?
Jessica pulled down her right sleeve to reveal a familiar, but more feminine version of my tiger from my calf.
Shon had inked a variation on the tiger for her in February. Jessica's aunt insisted we pose with our tigers together.
I love how the designs are so similar, yet hers is much more feminine (or mine is much more masculine).
Granted, inkspotting certainly reduces the odds, but nonetheless, our paths crossing still seemed incredibly amazing.
Garrett's Peacock Recalls the South
I met Garrett back in June in Penn Station when I was still reeling from the loss of my camera.
I had yet to replace my photographic equipment and I had yet to receive the loaner from my awesome friend Jill.
So, I did the best I could with a flash-less BlackBerry camera to capture Garrett's awesome sleeve:
Yes, folks, it's another peacock in our midst, in a summer during which we have been treated to a variety of peafowl.
Garrett's choice to get this tattoo stems from his love of these birds, combined with an appreciation of fashion, and how the peacock speaks to that sensibility. He also likes how the males are the fairer of the two sexes.
What's especially remarkable is that this is a black and gray tattoo, with no plans to take on any color ink.
The inclusion of magnolias, azaleas and violets, all in homage to the South, make this potentially dizzyingly colorful tattoo more remarkable in its basic palette. Rather than explosions of color, we are rewarded with subtleties of shading.
I had yet to replace my photographic equipment and I had yet to receive the loaner from my awesome friend Jill.
So, I did the best I could with a flash-less BlackBerry camera to capture Garrett's awesome sleeve:
Yes, folks, it's another peacock in our midst, in a summer during which we have been treated to a variety of peafowl.
Garrett's choice to get this tattoo stems from his love of these birds, combined with an appreciation of fashion, and how the peacock speaks to that sensibility. He also likes how the males are the fairer of the two sexes.
What's especially remarkable is that this is a black and gray tattoo, with no plans to take on any color ink.
The inclusion of magnolias, azaleas and violets, all in homage to the South, make this potentially dizzyingly colorful tattoo more remarkable in its basic palette. Rather than explosions of color, we are rewarded with subtleties of shading.
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