Jacqueline’s Tribal Cover-up Tattoo Story

This was a coverup tattoo. It still has some work to be done as when I originally got it the original tattoo was horrifically scarred and still shows.

This tattoo was designed for me, but as soon as I saw it I fell in love. It stretches and grows…like a living thing.

It represents change to me, and the knowledge that even things that seem unchangeable will not last forever.

- Jacqueline

Tattoo Studio: ASI – Ogden, UT

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Jennifer’s Dragonfly Tattoo

I went and got my first and only tattoo for my 30th birthday last year (07). The dragonfly represents my grandmother who absolutely adored the dragonflies.

After she passed away my family would always say that every time they saw one flying around that it was her. So this is why I wanted the dragonfly. I also wanted to have it look as if it had just landed on my shoulder, hence the shadowing.

- Jennifer

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Jessica’s Ivy Tattoo

I was starting a new life. I decided to pack up and move to Korea. It was a new beginning, a time to grow. I wanted something that would remind me of my personal growth.

I researched symbolisms of strength. Found the Ivy. It’s a very strong plant that grows very quickly. It doesn’t need any sunlight, and fights it’s way through anything to get were it needs to go.

- Jessica

Tattoo Artist: Barry Buteau
Tattoo Studio: Planet Ink, Ontario, Canada

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Banana Tattoos on Emily and Her Friend

Well, it was my friend’s 18th birthday and she decided she reaaaallly wanted a tattoo that day. Just a split decision idea that would be on her for the rest of her life.

So I decided, “hell I’ll get one too!”

So she basically looked over at the first thing she saw in her room and we went with it! (she owned an Andy Warhol banana bag!) we are also huge fans of Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, and i can never get sick of them! so we got them within a couple hours of deciding.

- Emily B

Closeup of Freshly Inked Banana Tattoo

Tattoo done at Lucky’s Tattoo in Northampton, MA.
Our tattoo artist was named Nate. He is an extremely talented artist, I would recommend him to anyone! especially if you want great detail.

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Ashley’s Cherry Blossom Foot Tattoo

I really wanted a tattoo with my kids names in it somehow. I had no idea what I wanted to get. I went in to a local shop to talk to the artist about some ideas. He thought of a cherry blossom branch. I liked the idea, however I didn’t like both kids names written out in full. It didn’t look right. So we decided to sneak in the first initial of each of the kids names in to the middle of the flowers. A “C” for Cameron, and a “M” for Marley. There you have it! The story.

Closeup of tattoo – Can you find the kid’s initials?

Tattoo done at Elite Custom Tattoo by Bedo

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Dyanna’s Heart Tattoo Story

Here’s the story behind my heart tattoo. My mom raised me and my brother essentially alone. It was hard, but she did a great job. I love her to pieces, she’s my best friend.

Two years ago, my mom had open heart surgery. One of the valves in her heart was very leaky, and it caused her a ton of problems. She ended up being in the hospital for 2 straight weeks, recovering. She would’ve been out sooner, but she stopped breathing one day, and had to have a pacemaker put in.

The day she stopped breathing, was the first day I wasn’t going to go see her in the hospital, I called her room on my way to work, and someone picked up, said her name twice, and hung up on me. It had just happened. The entire experience was really hard on me, seeing my mom like that. She pulled through, and while I’ve always wanted one, I knew from then that I would get a tattoo in her honor.

So the heart has a bandage because it’s repaired. And it’s inside a rose because while it may be a slightly damaged heart, it’s encased in something very beautiful. (I asked my mom last year in preparation for this what her favorite flower was, and she told me roses. So last year for her birthday, I sent her roses to throw her off my trail. And it’s purple because if it was red there’d be too much red, and purple is my favorite color. Haha.)

Placement because it’s close to my own heart, it’s somewhere easily hidden/no one will see it unless I want them to.

Design and ink done by Mike Ski.

Tutu for funsies

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Les's Wild Geese Poem Tattoo

Yesterday, I went to the Body Art Expo at the Cow Palace, with the art in hand for a new tattoo.

The quote is taken from a poem called Wild Geese by Mary Oliver, which I first heard during a massage sometime in the mid-1990s, from a massage therapist I worked with regularly from 1993 to 2002. It spoke to me of the “I need to listen to myself” and to be present in my body.

I chose a Bernoulli spiral, because to me it represents growth, change, movement, cycles, and changing perspectives. The font is penshurst, which I like because of the curliques on the h, m, n, v and y. lj user=the_ogre helped me translate my concept into a design.

The original design, as shown here is slightly smaller.

Click for a picture of the final product, as well as more information about the tattooing process.

-Les

Israel’s Virgen de Guadalupe Tattoo

This was my first tattoo. As soon as I turned 18 I new I was going to get tattooed. For years I knew I wanted to get the image of the Virgen De Guadalupe somewhere on my body for life. I grew up in a catholic family going to church and all that good stuff. I always loved catholic art and the Virgen just seemed to draw me in.

Here in Escondido, CA we have about 7 or 8 tattoo shops. I knew most of the shop owners and their staff but I chose a hispanic/aztec tattoo shop, there I met Dominic Vasquez I told about what I wanted to get and he was excited because he said that he hadnt done one in color and done one so big before. I chose to get it from my wrist to the inner bend of my elbow.

I went in for 3, 2 hour sessions and in that time Dominic and I spoke a lot about everything from then on we became friends and to this day he is the only artist I let tattoo me. I have complete confidence in him. Even though he has moved multiple times I still get my ink done by him.

-Israel

Also check out Israel’s “Kid” Memorial Tattoo

Israel’s “Kid” Memorial Tattoo

This tattoo is a memorial tattoo. It is two doves holding a banner with the word “kid” on it. On December 7th, 2006 a great person left this place. My girlfriend’s 15 year old sister passed away. She was an awesome kid much wiser than her years. We were real close. Because of her sickness she couldn’t go to school so my girlfriend would bring her along when we would run our errands. I still think I am a kid at heart so I get along with kids I know how to joke around so we got along great.

As if having her wasn’t great enough she has a twin sister just as beautiful and just as amazing. Anyways, after she passed away I went to my tattoo artist and gave him an idea of what I wanted, trusting him I let him do whatever he wanted with the idea and he did. He freehanded the banner and the word. Kid is what I called her so I wanted to get Kid instead of her name because I wanted it to be more personal. Anyways I hope you enjoy it. R.I.P. Kid Love You.

-Israel

Also check out Israel’s Virgen De Guadalupe tattoo.

Shep’s Fallen Heroes Tattoo

My name is Shep. I just recently got this tattoo done in Anderson South Carolina at Artistic Ink. Lance Wilson hooked it up for me.

I choose this design for many different reasons. I am an Operation Iraqi Freedom war veteran, and a proud American. I am dealing with being out of the military right now. Its not an easy road to go down. For three years that was the life I knew and now I am starting over. Some times a fresh start isn’t the easy way to go. I picked this tattoo in part to help me remember the good times I had, and to honor those Heroes we lost during this time.

You can see there are 5 stars showing on the folded Burial Flag, those stars each represent one Hero from my unit. Some of those guys I did not know personally, but I occasionally cry for them and their families (as I type this). At any point in my tour I could have been represented by a burial flag.

The grieving mother/wife/sister is there to represent all who have lost someone due to war. I simply cant imagine how it would feel to lose a family member in this war. I hope I never have to find out.

This tattoo is very nice and a really cool looking tattoo, but it is much more than just another cool tattoo. This is to forever remember those fallen heroes.

-Shep