skin art tattoo chinese symbol

tattoo chinese symbol

skin art tattoo Scorpio

tattoo Scorpio

skin art tattoo cross and fish

tattoo cross and fish

skin art tattoo love

tattoo love

Chris "Birdman" Andersen Tattoos

When it comes to tattoos in the NBA, Chris "Birdman" Andersen is the reigning champ of the most tattoos in basketball.

Many of Chris Andersen's tattoos are on his two arms, these tattoos include, a giant skull wearing a crown, an eagle, chain links, a zombie looking tattoo of himself, two large Chinese symbols, one on each forearm. And of course, his bird wings, which are on the bottom portion of his biceps.

Some of Chris Andersen's other tattoos include, a pit bull dog on his chest, the words "Honky Tonk" on his stomach, and a player making a slam dunk, on his right arm.

Here we have some pictures of Chris Andersen and his tattoo designs.

Tattoorism: Aaron and Brandi Share Their Ink

We here at Tattoosday love our fans. However, sometimes when someone sends us a submission from abroad, we may be slow to post it. Brandi and Aaron's submissions are the extreme case in point.

Brandi e-mailed me back in April. Yes, as in that part of the calendar six months ago.

Oh, I had grand plan for the post, planning to unveil it to coincide with a cinematic release, or a DVD release, but I could never get the timing just right.

In the better late than never category, let me introduce you to a couple of tattoos that have been patiently waiting for their moment in the Tattoosday sun.

I'll start with Brandi's tattoo, which is on the front of her right shoulder:



Brandi explains:

"This tattoo is one I got on my 25th birthday but it had been 7 years in the making. I lived in Seattle, WA for 10 years (currently in Texas) and have always loved snowflakes so for my birthday I decided to get this tattoo in memory of my life in Seattle."

The second tattoo is from Aaron. Just to show you how long it has been, when they first sent the photo in April, Aaron was her boyfriend. In a follow-up e-mail a few weeks ago, Brandi called him her fiance, so congratulations are in order as well!

Here's Aaron's tattoo:



Yes, that is the crest of Gryffindor, the crest of one of the four "houses" at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy in the the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

Brandi explains:

This tattoo is the first installment of a sleeve project Aaron is in the process of that was started after I suggested to him he get it. He is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and I thought what better way to express his love for HP. The rest of the sleeve will be black and white illustrations from each book and I couldn't love him more for expressing his inner "dork."

I also am a fan of the series and have also share the qualities of dorkitude from time to time, so how could I not share this cool tattoo with our readers?

Both tattoos were inked at Epic Tattoos in Fort Worth, Texas. Nick Clark did Brandi's snowflake and Rudy Perez inked Aaron's Gryffindor piece.

Thanks to both Aaron and Brandi for sharing their work with us here on Tattoosday and for waiting so patiently for me to get around to posting their tattoos!

Jack Shares His Love for Graphic Novels

I had somewhere to be and a few minutes before I had to be there.

At the intersection of Clark and Henry Streets in Brooklyn Heights, I saw a guy stride into a corner bodega. Something told me to peek in. I did. And there, on the back of his right arm was a cool-looking tattoo.

So when he exited the store I introduced myself and we walked twenty yards to a well-lit frame shop to talk about his work.

His name is Jack and he works as a framer but is also a painter and fine artist. Feel free to check out his website here. His work is quite good.

He shared two tattoos with us, the first being the one on the main section of his back upper arm:


Jack is a fan of graphic novels and this piece is based on a panel from the a Hellboy book (Volume 6: Strange Places) by Mike Mignola.


The words in the upper corner of the panel are "I will cast off my afflictions...". The tattoo was done by Erick Diaz at Asylum Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

A Hellboy tattoo has appeared previously on the blog here. You may remember the name of Erick Diaz and Asylum Studios based on an appearance on Tattoosday previously from this amazing back piece.

Getting back to Jack, when he pulled up his sleeve, I saw this tattoo above the Hellboy design:


This art is based on the work from another graphic novelist, Anders Nilsen. The piece in question is from the award-winning Dogs and Water.


Jack credits this tattoo to an artist named Jasmine Morrell, aka Jazzy J, who he referred to as a "kitchen surgeon". In other words, this is an example of a home-inked piece, more commonly known as a kitchen table tattoo. Not to say that she is not a professional. In fact, Jack informs me that she is an artist at Atomic Tattoo in Austin, Texas.

Both pieces reflect Jack's love of graphic novels. He adds "I have 4 tattoos, all from comics, the earliest was a back piece from Winsor McKay's Little Nemo in Slumberland." Perhaps we'll see that here in the future!

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

Justin Timberlake Tattoos

Justin Timberlake is the talented former lead singer of the pop group 'N Sync, and hugely successful solo artist, who has won six Grammy Awards.

Justin Timberlake currently has five tattoo designs on his body, including a beautiful large cross on his upper left arm.

He has a tattoo of a heavenly scene in the clouds with a cherub angel holding a banner with his mother initials, along with the words "Guardian Angel", this tattoo represents dedication to the christian faith and his love for his twin sister, who passed away at birth.

On his left leg, he has a rather simple band around his calf, with the astrological sign of Aquarius. Plus, a small Chinese symbol which stands for music and song.

On his right leg is a 'three in one' tattoo, dedicated to his success while in the group 'N Sync, there is a streak of flames, red carpet type rope and a puppet scene, which pays tribute to their first album, plus the 'celebrity' and 'no strings attached' albums.

Checkout these pictures of Justin Timberlake and his tattoos.

Daniel's Machine Head Tattoo

I met Daniel in Penn Station yesterday, one of the few people with short sleeves, and certainly the only person with visible ink.

Visiting from Perth, in Western Australia, Daniel has seven tattoos, and he offered up the piece on his left calf:


Daniel is a huge fan of the band Machine Head, and fans of the group will surely recognize that the piece is based on the Machine Head crest:


The Roman numeral MCMXCII refers to 1992, when the band released its first album.

Daniel has seen the group perform seven times (as of this writing). When I asked if the band had ever seen his tattoo, he did tell me that he had met their tour manager at their airport in Brisbane and he had given him backstage passes to the show. Unfortunately, his plans fell through and he wasn't able to make it to the concert.

The tattoo was done by Jonny at Abandoned Art in the Wanneroo section of Perth.

Thanks to Daniel for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday.

As a postscript, the woman that was with Daniel indicated that his chest tattoo was also very cool, but Daniel understandably did not want to go topless in Penn Station. He indicated he might send a photo in at a a later date, so stay tuned......

Sandra's Angel Reflects Her Vocation

I was folding clothes at the laundromat yesterday afternoon, bemoaning the fact that it appeared as if another weekend would pass without a new tattoo photo, when I caught a glimpse of some ink on the back of the neck of a fellow laundry-doer.

When I asked Sandra if she would share her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, she kindly obliged:


Sandra said that she originally saw a variation of this design online, but added the "S" for her name. She likes that this design looks, from a distance, like a caduceus, an ancient symbol that is often associated with the medical profession:

Sandra is a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit in a hospital ward that specilizes in treating patients with bone marrow and other forms of cancer. The letter S symbolizes her name and reflects her commitment to her profession.

This was tattooed by an artist named Mike, who works out of his home in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Sandra for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Johnny Depp Tattoos

Johnny Depp is the brilliantly talented and captivating, American born film actor and musician.

At last count, Johnny Depp had fourteen tattoo designs, including a Native American Head on his right bicep, which is a tribute to his ancestral heritage, the name "Betty Sue" inside a heart with tribal marking, which is dedicated to his mother, just above that tattoo is an inverted black triangle.

Johnny has a tattoo which reads "Wino Forever" on his upper right arm, it was originally a tribute to his former girlfriend Winona Ryder, and then read "Winona Forever".

He has the symbol from the movie "The Brave" on the inside of his right forearm, which is the first movie he directed.

The name of his daughter and first born child, "Lily-Rose" is tattooed on the left side of his chest.

A tattoo of a Swallow flying above the ocean during a sunset, with the name of his son "Jack" is on his right forearm.

Some of Johnny Depps's other tattoos include, the number 3 between his thumb and index finger on his left hand, he also has three small rectangles on his right index finger.

His most recent tattoos are, a quote which reads "Silence Exile Cunning" from the book by James Joyce A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Plus three small hearts on his left triceps, for his wife and children "Vanessa, Lily-Rose, Jack".

Johnny also has 3 tattoos on his legs, including a skull and crossbones with the phrase "death is certain", a question mark with an "X" in place of the dot, and three vertical stripes on his lower left leg.

Checkout these pictures of Johnny Depp and his tattoo designs.

Russian Criminal Tattoo Designs

If you're still looking for that holiday gift, you might consider some attire inspired by Russian criminal tattoos.

Last month, regular readers of Tattoosday may have noticed the ad that popped up on the left side of the blog, promoting a line of clothing from MiR1, an online shop run by a fellow Brooklynite named Roman, featuring designs based on and inspired by this style of tattoo.

Our good friends over at the Needles and Sins Tattoo Blog even featured Roman's online shop as part of their Holiday Gift Guide feature earlier this month. Their piece on Russian Criminal Tattoo Apparel appeared here. You can also check out their Facebook page here.

For the record, I have one of MiR1's hoodies and I'm very pleased with it. If the wind chill wasn't teens this morning, I might even wear it to work.

But I'm not writing about this to sell apparel. Of course, you won't be surprised to hear that Roman has tattoos that run along the themes featured in his clothing line.

He was kind enough to send along this picture:


As explained on the MiR1 site:

The cat has been a symbol in Russian criminal tattoo culture since the beginning, partly because the cat abides by it's own rules. There are many variations of the cat tattoo. The cat symbolizes a thief that is good at what he does. This tattoo can show a man's or woman's connection with the criminal world. The word CAT or "KOT" (in Russian)is an acronym as are many other normal words that are tattooed. KOT stands for "Korenoi Obitatel Tyurmi" or "Native occupant of Jail" as in Jail is my second home.

Roman was kind enough to elaborate on the origin of his tattoos:

The cats were done in Watertown Correctional Facility, by a man named Diablo. For 3 packs of cigarettes and some cakes, cookies, and various junk...Cats are supposed to bring good luck. One cat means u mostly act alone, two means usually with others or part of a crew. I really didn't care either way, I just like symmetry.

The hammer and sickles were done by a friend in the 90's...

I encourage readers to check out the clothing line over at their online shop here. And thanks again to Roman for sharing his own personal ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Allen Iverson Tattoos

Here we will feature the tattoos of the amazingly talented NBA all star basketball player, Allen Iverson.

Allen Iverson has nearly 20 tattoo designs scattered over his body.

The tattoos on his right arm include, the phrase 'Hold My Own', a skull head with an army helmet, the words 'Cru Thik' and 'Jewelz', plus a large black panther on his forearm.

The tattoos on his left arm include, a cross with the phrase 'Only The Strong Survive', a bulldog with 'The Answer' above it, 'Cru Thik' which is the name of his record company, 'Dynasty Radaz' a name that he and his friends called each other as kids, 'Fear No One' with an evil goblin creature, the word 'Strength' written in ancient Sanskrit, and finally the letters 'NBN'.

Allen Iverson has two tattoos on his chest, one of which is the names of his daughter and son 'Tiaura & Deuce', and the praying hands of Jesus with the initials of his mother and grandmother.

Iverson has a few tattoos on his neck, including two Chinese characters which mean 'loyalty' and the nickname of his childhood friend 'RA Boogie' on the right side of his neck. On the left side of his neck is a spider web with the letters 'C.T', along with 'Virginia' and 'Slim' which is his birth place and perhaps a nickname.

The tattoos on his legs include, 'East End' and 'Cru Thik', both of which run vertically down his legs.

Allen Iverson's newest tattoos are, the word 'FAME' 'F@#!? ALL MY ENEMIES' on his back. Plus 'Money Bagz' with a dollar sign on his left hand.

Checkout these pictures of his tattoo designs.

Darren's Trio of Tattoos

I was contemplating the best way to approach a rather imposing figure who was completely covered in ink, when Darren passed me at the entrance to K-Mart in Penn Station.

When I caught up to him in the store, I introduced myself and, being a piercer in a New York City tattoo shop, he was more than happy to indulge my curiosity.

Darren has three tattoos, all on his arms and crafted by Young Cho at Monster Tattoo in the Elmurst section of Queens.

The first piece, on his lower right arm, is a pin-up depiction of Lady Luck perched on a crescent moon:


The second tattoo is a half-skull that pays homage to Boys Night Out, a band in which one of Darren's friends plays:


This is the outer forearm on his left side.

Finally, we have this piece, which is more than just a few numbers and letters:

Located on his inner right forearm, this tattoo is translated as 40 degrees, 40 minutes, north latitude and 73 degrees, 9 minutes west longitude. These coordinates refer to a specific location in the world, in this case, a spot in the Great South Bay off the coast of Long Island. It was here that Darren's father loved to go fishing and the coordinates in question mark the spot where his father's ashes were scattered after he passed away.

I must emphatically state that this is one of the coolest memorial pieces I have seen. It is extremely thoughtful and creative, speaking to a point on the earth where Darren knows his father will remain, in spirit, for the rest of time.

I thank Darren for taking the time to stop and chat with me about his three tattoos here on Tattoosday!

Jason's Tattoo Reaps What it Sows

Today's tattoo belongs to Jason, who sports this nifty Reaper on his left forearm:


Inked by his younger sister, Mystie, who was an apprentice at the time in Savannah, Georgia, this is one of seven tattoos Jason has.

He had been working as a grave digger and headstone carver and, he said, "after burying kids younger than me," it made sense to get the tattoo. It's a reminder that "nobody's got forever".

Thanks to Jason for sharing his "grim" tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!