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!

KRAZY BEE：KID

Posted by 彫倭 Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato

自分がデザインを手がけたKRAZY BEEの商品の受付が開始されました。Tシャツ、パーカー、タオル等。自分が手がけたのは10商品程で、全てのデザイン、カラーリングにおいてKIDくん本人の意見を取り入れ完成させました。

I did artwork for MMA fighter KID Yamamoto's KRAZY BEE gym. T-shirt, hoody, towel and about 10 product. I got KID's idea and I made them.

特にこのTシャツにはKIDくんの意向が強く取り入れられています。大晦日の試合の入場用です。このTシャツを着てリングへ向かいます！テレビ観戦の人も是非このTシャツを着て応援して下さい！！

KRAZY BEE web shopで注文可能です。

彫倭

This hardcore T-shirt is the special. It's for KID's next fight on Dec 31. KID and his team will wear it and walk for the ring!! Get this T-shirt and support him! You can order it at KRAZY BEE web shop.

Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato.

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!

佐々木明：Alpine Skier Akira Sasaki

Posted by 彫倭 Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato

アルペン・スキーヤー佐々木明の為に自分がデザインしたスキースーツが出来上がり本人に届いたようです。昇り龍に（明くんが北海道出身なので）アイヌのモチーフが散りばめられています。今現在はヨーロッパでワールドカップ出場中で、まずは来年のバンクーバー・オリンピック出場枠獲得を目指します！応援お願いします！！！

彫倭

Japan's top alpine skier Akira Sasaki. I did artwork for his ski suit. It's for the World Cup and Vancouver Olympic! Go Akira!!!

Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato.

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!

蓮：Lotus

Posted by 彫倭 Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato

海外からのお客さんだったので４回で終わらせました。額が内側までぐるっと回っているので、この面積を４回で終わらすのは自分もお客さんもちょっとキツいです。が、限られた時間の中で終わらせることが出来たので正直ほっとしました。キズが治るときれいなグラデーションになります。

彫倭

He's from Australia. 3 lotus and few petals with water background. We didn't have enough time so we had 4 sessions to finish it. It will be smooth gradation after heal.

Akilla a.k.a. Horiyamato.

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!