They Call Him Mr. Spades

I met Matt in Penn Station last month and he was happy to share a couple of his eight tattoos. The coolest one was this heart on his left arm:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_qSlnv1NHEoonpCTM2P9Y8ohF5b4alJn8z_8nsYtFPriQ1Dc3WH7IwLajdR9m6TOYCyHPkNCq8MPvNA5PVEPsAguvr_XwurB4cnx0oR6upqBgu32_5xTdjxsIM_3SJu1XmsGi9wlUMw/s1600/heart+skull+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_qSlnv1NHEoonpCTM2P9Y8ohF5b4alJn8z_8nsYtFPriQ1Dc3WH7IwLajdR9m6TOYCyHPkNCq8MPvNA5PVEPsAguvr_XwurB4cnx0oR6upqBgu32_5xTdjxsIM_3SJu1XmsGi9wlUMw/s640/heart+skull+wm.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />A closer look shows just how intricate this design is:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifahSjRHPHpYZogh8vp-N1THjJL2qCuXc7r4p-aB8Ir8BndIefTIHgKLs1L8x6FS1D8h4zdDj6C87ip7C3DGmHrBH6p8Lt-XkNR7V1H1EXwelj_H88SdsZW-oHfXnDF1pJ-OCzERZnV7E/s1600/heart+skull+detail+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifahSjRHPHpYZogh8vp-N1THjJL2qCuXc7r4p-aB8Ir8BndIefTIHgKLs1L8x6FS1D8h4zdDj6C87ip7C3DGmHrBH6p8Lt-XkNR7V1H1EXwelj_H88SdsZW-oHfXnDF1pJ-OCzERZnV7E/s400/heart+skull+detail+wm.jpg" width="358" /></a></div><br />Matt explained that the idea behind this tattoo is simply that there are two sides to everything. He collaborated on the design with the tattoo artist <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rosecitytattoo/photos/albums/sean-malone/1491774#mssrc=SitesPhotos_SP_AlbumTitle_ViewAlbum">Sean Malone</a>, who works out of <a href="http://www.myspace.com/rosecitytattoo">Rose City Tattoos</a> in Rahway, New Jersey.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEkh9j_LR3xhSciKIfvoHA4LGzYeltU8DN423ioSkRUTGLCvNiiL9rva91k7oQY4tjjwBo4ArHq82JoMN5CuoeJoEAbDoo_9KVzatCROQsmXy_zuZ4SZIbR2DYy2PCUrwYrBhgT9XsMg/s1600/rose+city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><br />Readers may notice that, in the top photo, there is a distinct outline of another tattoo on Matt's arm in the shape of a playing card spade. What started out as a random tattoo of another spade ended up giving Matt the nickname "Mr. Spades" and it stuck. Here's a shot of the coolest Spades tattoo, straddling both of Matt's inner forearms:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy_MOpCe_og4bmdtXJjYGImVSl3rax_kEAG-U62w-zkamPzp4aw8GNLMO5xvEThWKsEfmWCyqRabfCe4f9vvUhnsrU-ZN9EVhUSaK9YoZbGqzUJIIJlmzB_qE0PjREKczEzoFrvtPFWc/s1600/Mr+Spades+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipy_MOpCe_og4bmdtXJjYGImVSl3rax_kEAG-U62w-zkamPzp4aw8GNLMO5xvEThWKsEfmWCyqRabfCe4f9vvUhnsrU-ZN9EVhUSaK9YoZbGqzUJIIJlmzB_qE0PjREKczEzoFrvtPFWc/s400/Mr+Spades+wm.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br />Thanks to Matt for sharing these great tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

They Call Him Mr. Spades

I met Matt in Penn Station last month and he was happy to share a couple of his eight tattoos. The coolest one was this heart on his left ar...

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Mrs. Dirtbird's Wedding Tattoo

Yesterday we enjoyed seeing <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducingdirtbird.html">the neck tattoo</a> of a Missouri-based artist nicknamed "Dirtbird," as well as <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducingdirtbird.html">a piece</a> he had inked on his friend Shawn.<br /><br />In addition to meeting both Shawn and Dirtbird across the street from where I work, I also met Katie, who half-jokingly referred to herself as "Mrs. Dirtbird". She shared this tattoo with us:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtpFWmwjxszJA4NTL5YiGmMyzqZsnOUiSLa6dP3AZb_8HP45ua470GZanLhuMoRKdwDYneRIk1FZx-fe0V7FPRaebtxordXrqwaUK5ZSpZprXFXj6vRbtlhC4lAUp3HaF9ToeOHTa0sI/s1600/Mrs+Dirt+Bird+wm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtpFWmwjxszJA4NTL5YiGmMyzqZsnOUiSLa6dP3AZb_8HP45ua470GZanLhuMoRKdwDYneRIk1FZx-fe0V7FPRaebtxordXrqwaUK5ZSpZprXFXj6vRbtlhC4lAUp3HaF9ToeOHTa0sI/s400/Mrs+Dirt+Bird+wm.jpg" width="357" /></a></div><br />Katie explained that this is a wedding tattoo. The piece depicts a heart, comprised of a male and female bird, sewn together. Since she married Dirtbird, this seems like and appropriate expression of their matrimony.<br /><br />The tattoo was inked by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/angie2_bap">Becky "Pink Eye" Ashcraft</a>, who works with Dirtbird at <a href="http://www.punkteur.com/">Punkteur Tattoo</a> in Joplin, Missouri.<br /><br />Thanks to Katie for sharing her cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Mrs. Dirtbird's Wedding Tattoo

Yesterday we enjoyed seeing the neck tattoo of a Missouri-based artist nicknamed "Dirtbird," as well as a piece he had inked on ...

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One Last Friday the 13th Post, for Melanie

So one of my friends Jenise had contributed to <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/08/tattoosdays-trip-to-hand-of-glory.html">the Great Friday the 13th Tattoo Experiment</a> and her votes for my tattoo were not along the finalists.<br /><br />She was also keenly aware that we collected $31 in donations for my tattoo, $11 more than needed. Ginger, another friend, had added a dollar to the kitty for my lovely Friday-the-13th born wife Melanie, so Jenise, in an effort to make the experiment a complete success, chipped in the funds to bring us to an even $40, and she, Ginger, and Melanie separately concurred that this design was the one for her:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjeUcBNGCali1Bg35bm2fCcXET5Lw3G_caLcHfnsmymw3ZY0lotWT3Z5LTxBx5pPy0LWTwxgFhi4vvV667UWtjkkckYSnQ_lkbIVIZWjx7rIE9JuTNxiKHqpDVub9cb6BFkA3w4ew/s1600/13+envelope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjeUcBNGCali1Bg35bm2fCcXET5Lw3G_caLcHfnsmymw3ZY0lotWT3Z5LTxBx5pPy0LWTwxgFhi4vvV667UWtjkkckYSnQ_lkbIVIZWjx7rIE9JuTNxiKHqpDVub9cb6BFkA3w4ew/s320/13+envelope.jpg" /></a></div><br />Much to our surprise, when we went back at 6:00 pm, business was brisk but it was only a 30-minute wait.<br /><br />Artist <a href="http://www.handofglorytattoo.com/pages/joey.html">Joey Wilson</a> tattooed the Zoe Sonenberg-designed flash piece right below Melanie's $14 Valentine's tattoo (that story <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/02/tattoos-i-love-sweethearts-for-my.html">here</a>).<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdHLHe6uam7F598juq-PsSe8v9OUwLo-T_SaTCF9EjHRWqEjPimwWSGmt-VzpsOpA1XbgJ3F-PRXz91CwHlWAW8SFTT0mjc28IVsUL2m3C2Ij_8zwqXl2ItZGgyZ0TQ2Q7bqWjLXP/s1600/Mels+seventh+tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdHLHe6uam7F598juq-PsSe8v9OUwLo-T_SaTCF9EjHRWqEjPimwWSGmt-VzpsOpA1XbgJ3F-PRXz91CwHlWAW8SFTT0mjc28IVsUL2m3C2Ij_8zwqXl2ItZGgyZ0TQ2Q7bqWjLXP/s400/Mels+seventh+tattoo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV45Tfp4_pQa3-vhoZ2EuFJdYHLymhO0iN8QfECeQCr1TRbVpiC-8rL71urG2lRBPAVR3IfnJapoeSCQrYw7gvGQ2t34YAxWTWekrY2dqFeWIQaXU_EqFigHEUCPa8vRiIHA5ceuN4/s1600/seventh+ink+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV45Tfp4_pQa3-vhoZ2EuFJdYHLymhO0iN8QfECeQCr1TRbVpiC-8rL71urG2lRBPAVR3IfnJapoeSCQrYw7gvGQ2t34YAxWTWekrY2dqFeWIQaXU_EqFigHEUCPa8vRiIHA5ceuN4/s320/seventh+ink+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The end result is lovely:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hcOFlC73740hCC8v38SYBZiusw9SAOMBrkk5S1XCCcNlvNmAGPTzon5wU9wbf5dCXOC-Ppmj2o_DCmw0-ZBd7e1AjUO_-o8AGb9XPIUhtjnVoPkOofH_E1CMbJBq1UlksgZaYkV2/s1600/final+13+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hcOFlC73740hCC8v38SYBZiusw9SAOMBrkk5S1XCCcNlvNmAGPTzon5wU9wbf5dCXOC-Ppmj2o_DCmw0-ZBd7e1AjUO_-o8AGb9XPIUhtjnVoPkOofH_E1CMbJBq1UlksgZaYkV2/s400/final+13+7.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />Thanks again to all contributors and supporters of Tattoosday through this process, and for everyone's patience while I went "off-book" for the last couple of days.<br /><br />We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

One Last Friday the 13th Post, for Melanie

So one of my friends Jenise had contributed to the Great Friday the 13th Tattoo Experiment and her votes for my tattoo were not along the f...

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The Lovely Tattoo of Legs Malone

I couldn't help notice the striking woman standing on the subway platform waiting for the R train. She was tall, had long shapely legs, a close-shaven head, and a small tattoo on the back of her left calf.<br /><br />The R pulled in and, as luck would have it, we sat down next to one another on the train.<br /><br />I had to introduce myself.<br /><br />Turns out, I was sitting with a burlesque performer named with the stage name <a href="http://www.myspace.com/legs_malone">Legs Malone</a>.<br /><br />We didn't have a lot of time to talk, as she was exiting the train a stop or two earlier than me, but she obliged me for a photo by taking my camera and shooting the tattoo on the back of her leg:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENzDMzUlR0WBH1lgDYWWSHtS1Y8pMc3ieeN13xa5m1m8Wf-zOrUM4_DaxUJFipafjVf3xFw_NHBlu8NmZFmAe0OZpGI74neQFhCmSM6bU67_qP2iknm8S2aVyp-8uuZNJ5x-nM6q/s1600/Legs+Tattoo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ENzDMzUlR0WBH1lgDYWWSHtS1Y8pMc3ieeN13xa5m1m8Wf-zOrUM4_DaxUJFipafjVf3xFw_NHBlu8NmZFmAe0OZpGI74neQFhCmSM6bU67_qP2iknm8S2aVyp-8uuZNJ5x-nM6q/s400/Legs+Tattoo+1.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br />She told me that this small tattoo (the only one visible on her frame) was inspired by a heart-shaped bruise that she wanted to replicate on her skin, but in a more aesthetically-pleasing way. The flowers around the heart are cherry blossoms.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9YTdaOh72PSJArO1Gt6VhBGYI1dd42_nzfqV8rPyl38B266eUfqz92mLU6vhRr6f8mEVBt2mDpC_UcHi0CHS9552rDOTRVZhkyjOl9V6bTAQM8hJ0lehyQKc3lUV75DV1wj0JT6u/s1600/Legs+Tattoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9YTdaOh72PSJArO1Gt6VhBGYI1dd42_nzfqV8rPyl38B266eUfqz92mLU6vhRr6f8mEVBt2mDpC_UcHi0CHS9552rDOTRVZhkyjOl9V6bTAQM8hJ0lehyQKc3lUV75DV1wj0JT6u/s400/Legs+Tattoo.jpg" width="333" /></a></div><br />The tattoo was inked at <a href="http://www.flyritetattoo.net/">Fly Rite Studio</a> by <a href="http://readstreettattoo.net/section/127188_Charlie_Foos.html">Charlie Foos</a>, who is now at <a href="http://readstreettattoo.net/home.html">Read Street Tattoo Parlour</a> in Baltimore. Charlie's work most recently appeared on Tattoosday <a href="http://tattoosday.blogspot.com/2010/06/sugar-skull-sunday-one-from-ryan.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Thanks to Legs Malone for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

The Lovely Tattoo of Legs Malone

I couldn't help notice the striking woman standing on the subway platform waiting for the R train. She was tall, had long shapely legs, ...

Read more »