If you're new here, you should subscribe to our RSS feed.

Elza’s Fairy Tattoo

This is my fourth tattoo. It is a fairy tattoo - I got it as a birthday present for myself. The original plan was to have it on my belly but since I wanted the details as much as possible, I decided to put her on my hip.

I always wanted a fairy tattoo. All my other tattoos have been about something symbolic and simple (an infinity symbol on my lower back and my initial on my right foot), and one was to cover a scar (a flower on my left leg above the ankle).

To have this piece of art work on my body strengthens my love for tattoos. The process took about four hours and yes, it was painful. I can’t stop admiring this one and it feels good knowing that I now have my own fairy to keep me safe.

-Elza

Tattoo artist: Clay McKay from Anonymous Tattoo, Savannah, GA

Michael’s Sandman Tattoo

My Sandman tattoo - this piece of art from Neil Gaiman - as I’ve read it the first time about 10 years ago I absorbed it completely. Wikipedia says about it:

“The Sandman’s main character is Dream, who is essentially the god of dreams, but is displayed as being the personification of all sentient beings’ collective ability to dream and tell stories”

The wish to get a tattoo of Dream or Sandman as I like to call him grew over time but I was feeling unsure where to go and I wanted a particular picture of him as a tattoo. The breakthrough came in May 2006 as i met with some of my schoolfellows and one of them had a nice Tribal one his arm. I asked him where he’d got it from and some time later I sent an e-mail to www.gecko-tattoo.de and asked them if they could complete my picture of Sandman so I would get a full picture of Sandman to put on my chest.

We arranged a date and a few days later I went to Gecko Tattoo. It took 2.5 hours for Salva (specialised in Freehand) to complete it and everytime I look at I smile. Everytime I hear “Tear In Your Hand” by Tori Amos that got a reference to Neil Gaiman:

“..if you need me, me and neil’ll be hangin’ out with the DREAM KING.

Neil says hi by the way”

I feel good to have Sandman on my body and in a way in my soul.

Inshallah

Michael

Maggie’s Swallow Tattoo Cover-Up

I got this tattoo in summer ‘06, it’s covering up a spur-of-the-moment 18th birthday tattoo, which happened to be the good old Nirvana drunken smiley face (see picture below). I decided that I’d rather have a tattoo that had a meaning behind it, so I got this swallow to cover it up. It was designed and done by Sean at Voodoo Monkey in Cleveland, OH.

To me it symbolizes freedom. A few months before getting it I “left the nest” so to speak, and moved 1400 miles from home to a place I had never been before. The reason for the flower: the swallow will never be able to put it down, just like I feel I will never be able to settle down for too long in one place.

-Maggie

Tattoo Artist: Sean at Voodoo Monkey, Cleveland, OH

Original Nirvana Smiley Tattoo

Is that the coolest buffalo-on-a-bike tattoo you’ve ever seen, or what?!?

My new tattoo based on my buffalo-on-a-bike design, which is also uploaded a few pictures back. Why a buffalo on a bike? Do you really have to ask?

I’ve had this design idea in my head for at least a year. I had a guy I know draw a slightly different version of it a while ago, but this version I made myself by combining a buffalo silhouette that I found on the interweb with the bike symbol from a bike path sign. I had to stretch the buffalo’s legs a bit to fit them onto the pedals (buffalo aren’t exactly easy to anthropomorphise), and I angled the buffalo’s tail back with the wind, and then angled the front legs to rest them on the handlebars. It was fun. And now it’s permanently tattooed on my left shoulder.

I got it done at Shamus McInky’s in South Buffalo. The tattoo below it is from 1993.

-Thomas - Bike Blog

Christine’s Native American Turtle Tattoo

I lived in Florida for two years while I earned my associates degree. I am part Native American, and I have lived in five different cities. I always go to any pow wows held in the area. I loved living in Florida so much that when I saw the tattoo artist at the pow wow, I knew I wanted a tattoo to remember it by. I have only one other tattoo, and it’s from my home town.

I chose a Native turtle design because of the colors, because turtles live a long time (I would like to live over 100 years), and because turtles carry their homes with them, so they are always at home. I’ve lived all over, but I’ve always felt at home because I bring me with me.

- Christine