Jill Walks On with Her Ink

I spotted Jill in the beginning of November sitting in the New Jersey Transit waiting area at Penn Station.

She has eight tattoos, five are symbols and three are word-based, including this one on her forearm:

The one she shared with us is based on the song lyrics of U2 and their song "Walk On".

The letter G and the date refer to her grandmother and the day she died, March 2, 2010.

The lyrics are "And I know it aches/And your heart it breaks/You can only take so much/Walk on".

Jill said that listening to music got her through a difficult time and this song, in particular, carried and sustained her through the mourning process.

Coincidentally, March 2 marked the anniversary of her meeting the band in 2009.

She chose an Edwardian script and the tattoo was inked by Mike at Fat Kat Tattoos in Keyport, New Jersey.

Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Jill for sharing this special tattoo with us here on the site!

A little extra treat, video of U2's "Walk On":

Katie's Tattoos: A Tribute and a Memorial

I met Katie on 34th Street one afternoon when I stopped to ask her about her foot tattoo:

This tribute piece on her left foot is for her cousin, whose initials are JMS. The letters sit astride the ribbon designating awareness for the disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The two feet represent the fact that she helps raise awareness in the fight against MS by participating in an MS Walk each year.

For more information on MS, visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's website here.

Katie also shared with me these wings on the back of her neck:

The initials "MCF" refer to her brother Mark, who was killed with a friend a few years back when a train struck them. This memorial piece ensures that her brother is always with her.

Katie's tattoos were inked by Spencer at Fat Kat Tattoos in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from  Fat Kat has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Katie for sharing two of her four tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

A Yellow Rose for a Fallen Friend

I met Dan outside of Penn Station last week on a balmy December day.

He has 22 tattoos and shared this one from his right forearm:


It's a memorial piece for a friend who passed away in 2008.

Her initals are in the heart, which is pierced by a lone yellow rose. "She loved yellow roses," Dan told me, which led him do design this variation on the dagger-through-the-heart tattoo.

The piece was inked at Fat Kat Tattoo in Keyport, New Jersey. Work from Fat Kat has appeared previously on the site here.

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

Doug's Geisha

I met Doug on Penn Plaza on my birthday.

He has 14 tattoos and was, by chance headed down to Rising Dragon Tattoos in Chelsea later that day to get more work on a traditional Japanese piece by Horisei (see his work featured previously here).

The goal is to eventually cover his whole upper body with traditional Japanese tattoo art. He already has foo dogs, demons and kite masks. The favorite piece of his that I saw was this geisha:


Just stunning work!

This was done by Sam Hambrick at Fat Kat Tattoo in Keyport, New Jersey.

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