Niki Returns with a New Tattoo by Dr. Lakra

I think I'm within the statute of limitations for Thanksgiving, so let me say I am also thankful for past contributors sending me photos of new work that they want to share with the Tattoosday community.

Take Niki, for example, who I met in the summer of 2010, and whose tattoo appeared here. Out of the blue she recently sent me this e-mail:

"about a year ago, you featured my beautiful cat memorial tattoo (by John Reardon, who was at Saved Tattoo at the time). i follow your blog regularly.  you always feature beautiful work with interesting stories attached. i just got a crazy new tattoo that i thought i'd send along, in case you think it's worthy of sharing.  it was done by the incredible dr. lakra in oaxaca, mexico."

 

That's pretty darn cool, if I do say so myself. Skulls are common tattoo themes, so it is exciting to see a spin on that idea, and what better way to honor getting inked by a famous Mexican artist than by getting a skull with a tattered lucha libre mask?

Thanks to Niki for staying in touch and sharing her new tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

You can see more art by Dr. Lakra here in his Google photostream.

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Neckface X Bad Sign Video

"During MOCA's Art In the Streets, the Neckface x Isaiah Seret collaborative film, Born Under a Bad Sign, was teased during the Levi's Film Workshop. The film is now set to world premiere at Art Basel in Miami this week, featuring a music performance by art-house noise band, Salem. Born Under a Bad Sign premieres on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at the historic Gusman Theater in Downtown Miami (www.gusmancenter.org)"

Neck Face X Isaiah Seret: Art in the Streets collab short film from Levi's Film Workshop.

[VIA Juxtapoz]

Amanda Nedham Illustration

Amanda Nedham combines various animal species to create an almost horrific image of conjoined bodies and impossible mutations....

[VIA]

AlexOne Solo Show Pics

Here are some great works by illustrator/artist, Alex One, who just opened his solo show at the David Bloch Gallery....

 See more HERE.

Miss Van

Miss Van has been one of my all-time favourite artists of the 21st Century and if you don't know her work, then you really really should. She informed me yesterday that an old friend of hers has done an extensive feature on her with approx. 70 images of her work, from old to new. It's well worth checking out....

 You can read the whole article and see all her amazing work from here: http://eurekart.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/miss-van/

'In Stock' & 'The Stockwell Winter Games' 4th Dec

'In Stock' & 'The Stockwell Winter Games' will be taking place on Sunday the 4th December starting at 1pm at Stockwell Bowels South London. Since the success of 'Out Of Stock', we have been busy organizing an event to better the last with the addition of the 'Stockwell Winter Games'. This new addition will be a test of nerve and character of those locals hardened enough to enter the competition. The Winter games will feature both BMX riders and Skateboarders (but no Scooterers or Roller Bladers I'm afraid) to include the majority of those that frequent the park. Events featured will include:

- The Hi-Jump: Competitors will face our height bar out of the sugar bowel. Last man standing wins!

- The Long Jump: Longest Ollie / Bunny Hop in 3 attempts wins!

- Fastest Lap: 3 attempts to set the fastest time round the set line.

- *ALL NEW* Timed run: 3 minute run around the park to show us what you got. Judges will rate your performance on skill / number of tricks / creativity.

- Best trick of the day: Best trick of the day in any event wins!

(Prizes supplied by DCshoecousa)

Any amateur skateboarder can enter so get down early to grab your place in the line up.

The day will continue on with 'In Stock' exhibition at The Queens Head Pub. This will start at 5pm there with the premiere of new DC flow rider Josh Jennings video edit (Nik Jones) and a mixture of old and new artwork, photography and film from the Stockwell locals. There will also be local bands and DJ's to entertain, many of whom you'll have seen down at the park....if you're local that is!

Inspirational Animations

I've been a big fan of more left field animation since Finger Mouse in the 80's. Since then there have been a ton  of seriously under rated animations released by independent studios ranging from the charming to the bizarre. Here is a selection of what I consider to be some of the best and most inspiring for their originality, approach and depth, some you may have seen others I'm confident you won't. Make sure to look up other work from these animators, you will not be disappointed. Enjoy!

Le Grand Sommeil - Dir. Pic Pic André / Belgium / 2003

My Bloody Lad - Dead Walter - Wizzprod

My Bloody Lad - Dead Walter - WIZZprod° from WIZZprod° on Vimeo.

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack - Van Orman - Cartoon Network

Bevis and Butthead 2011 - Mike Judge - Mtv

The Tattoosday Book Review - Science Ink

If you’re still recovering from a day of camping out and fighting the crowds for Black Friday holiday gifts, might I suggest one more item for your list?

Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed was recently published by Sterling Press and it rates as one of the finer titles on tattoos that I have seen in while. Science Ink is written by Carl Zimmer, a science writer with great credentials and whose blog rates a spot on my blogroll shortlist.

I have been a fan of Carl Zimmer’s Science Tattoo Emporium since 2008, even warranting a mention in a stand-alone post here.

I was excited to hear last year that he was compiling a book on the subject of scientific tattoos, as, unlike a lot of the work in London Tattoos (my last review, which appeared here), the ink is drenched in meaning.

As a storyteller and a writer, I’ll admit to favoring tattoos that have stories and/or specific meaning behind them. Not that I don’t appreciate a fine work of  body art that is beautiful for beauty’s sake. I just find myself more intellectually stimulated by tattoos that pack a narrative punch. This is also why I dig literary tattoos.

All that being said, Zimmer should be commended for compiling a whole slew of scientific ink, and organizing it in such a thoughtful and pleasing way. Chapters are divided up by category (Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Earth Sciences, etc.) with photos of the contributors work, along with a paragraph or two devoted to explaining the accompanying pieces. These are not tattoos that resulted from walking in to a shop and picking flash off the wall. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Rather, we’re treated to tattoos that were clearly thought out and executed with the purpose of connecting to the individuals passion for their intellectual stimuli.


Tattoo purists may look at this book and cringe at the quality of some of the tattoos depicted. But the quality is not the point, and there is a lot of fine work, nonetheless. With a few exceptions, we are not seeing work contributed by tattoo aficionados. Instead, we get a glimpse of tattoos from people that you don’t normally associate with ink: scientists, doctors, university professors, and anthropologists. For that reason, Science Ink succeeds in drawing in the reader to the individual narrative behind the tattoo. What makes someone who is uninked take the leap and go under the needle?

Ultimately, it is the answer to that question that propels the mini-narratives forward and make Science Ink such a compelling read. Above and beyond the appreciation of tattoos, the book speaks to a larger audience, those who are steeped in the sciences and those who don’t consider themselves part of a “tattoo culture”. Ultimately, not everyone who is science-minded gets a tattoo related to their field, but a mathematician may understand someone’s desire to get an interesting equation inked on their forearm more than they would, say, getting a flaming skull or a scattering of cherry blossoms.

The biggest fault I find with Science Ink is not an original one. Marisa over at Needles and Sins voiced the disappointment in her review, as well, that the artists who created the body art are rarely named by the contributors. I always ask Tattoosday contributors to disclose their artists’ names to give credit where credit is due. Occasionally I  meet people who do not recall the names of their artists, but that tends to be a smaller percentage. Zimmer includes a thumbnail “visual index” of contributors. It would be nice, if there is ever a Science Ink II, to include an index of artists, as well. As a saving grace, Zimmer does credit the artists on his website here, but I only discovered that by accident.** I’d imagine, however, that to the bulk of the reading audience, the tattooist’s identity  is not as important and may seem extraneous, but for many it is nice to see credit where credit is due.

All in all, however, Zimmer hits the ball out of the park with a wonderful tattoo-themed product that I fully endorse and recommend.

With the holidays just around the corner, this would make a great gift for the science obsessed person in your life!

**After this posted, Carl Zimmer e-mailed me:

"Thanks! I agree that the artists should get credit. My designer and I put together a list, but a change in schedule prevented the publisher from putting it into the book. We'll be sure to get it into the next printing".

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Warriors Of Goja

Shaolin monks, you need to take a leaf out of the Warriors Of Goja's book. Now THIS is is a show! Intensity, stupidity, pain, comedy- brilliance! [VIA]

Dan Hillier New Website

Dan Hillier has a new website filled with his bizarre altered engravings etc.....

Thanksgiving Re-Post: Have a Happy and Safe Holiday!

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things, especially my lovely wife and two amazing daughters. You, the readers out there in the world, are also people for whom I am thankful. Mahalo, as they say in my childhood home, for visiting often.

I am also thankful for the month of November, which always seems to be a slowdown month for me and Tattoosday. My posting pace slows significantly, despite still carrying a backlog of posts from the summer. Consider them my tattoo acorns that I'm saving for those cold days ahead when a tattoo sighting in New York generally means someone has removed their gloves or scarf!

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for a flurry of book reviews, just in time for the holiday shopping season and, in the mean time, enjoy this post from last Thanksgiving, slightly edited, which appeared here.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of the holiday, I am sharing this, my newest tattoo, located above my knee on my right thigh:

This was done at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn yesterday as part of the shop's $75 Thanksgiving Tattoo Special ...

For those of you just tuning in, check the pre-post here, which includes all the Thanksgiving flash designed for the occasion. I asked readers to vote on which tattoo to get, and this one sneaked out a narrow victory over the traditional Native American profile.


I like this design because it combines a lot of traditional tattoo elements and delivers an image with a sociopolitical subtext. We have the traditional American flag and handshake designs, but the added element of crossed fingers serves as a reminder that, despite apparent good intentions, there was subsequently a historical betrayal of that initial good will.


But that's just one perspective, of course, and the Thanksgiving holiday focuses on the positive in our society. The mere existence of the tattoo reminds me to be thankful, which I alluded to in my original post.


I was fortunate enough to have BJ as my artist again. He had inked my Friday the 13th tattoo last August, and I appreciate that he works quickly and concisely.

BJ at Work

It was nice, also, that this design was one of his contributions to the flash sheet, as he was kind enough to embellish slightly on the original design, and it always seems better when an artist is tattooing his or her own design. As for the idea behind it, he was trying to represent graphically a broken treaty. I'm extremely pleased with the end result.
...

I want to thank all of the readers who voted for designs, and for everyone who reads and supports the site.


And thanks again to ... BJ at Hand of Glory, and to my family, at home in Brooklyn and across the U.S., for their support

This entry is ©2010, 2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

AJ Fosik Wood Sculptures

AJ Fosik was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 2003, he received a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York. In the years since, Fosik has lived in various cities across the country including Denver, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. He is currently based in Portland, Oregon.

   

Fosik’s artwork explores the powerful medium of language and metaphor to emphasize narrative and interpretation. Using wood and found materials, he creates figural, eclectic and intricately designed three-dimensional works that intrigue and provoke.

   

Fosik’s animal subjects and anthropomorphized beings are built using a complex process in which each form is carefully handcrafted by arranging hundreds of pieces of individually cut and varnished wood, which the artist paints in vibrant colors and patterns.

 

Ultimate Star Wars Geekery

Kaiju Negora Toy

Max Toy Co. presents their latest creation with Konatsu, the Kaiju Negora (Japanese Monster Cat), and the images are of the US fully painted edition. Cast in a white vinyl with orange, black, pink, red, and yellow sprays it is also accompanied with his lunch, Kaiju Negora will be available for $40.

 [VIA]

1UP DVD Trailer

This looks like its going to be a killer video with lots of international spots being hit up by the amazing 1UP Crew.... [VIA]

3D Joe & Max X Reebok

This 3D anamorphic street art illusion was created at London’s West India Quays, Canary Wharf, on Guinness World Records Day. Reebok CrossFit has teamed up London-based street art duo 3D Joe and Max to complete what is now the world’s largest and longest 3D street artwork ever. It measures 1,160.4 metres square and is 106.5m long.

[VIA]

Mark's Dueling Sugar Skulls

On a Sunday back in July, I met Mark on the subway. He chose to share these tattoos among the many he has:

Full disclosure: it was this encounter that taught me an important lesson - my voice recorder doesn't do well on the subway.

I was able to ascertain that these companion pieces were inked with specific meanings. The blue tattoo on the right arm has the subtext of a break-up. Juxtaposed with that is the red piece which represents the rise of artistic expression.

These nearly-mirror image tattoos were credited to Shaun Carroll at Hod Rod Tattoo in Blackburg, Virginia.

Thanks to Mark for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I can contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

San Francisco Street Art: Part 2

More from the Mission.

Skating The NYC Subway

"NYC Transit Rules of Conduct: It is a violation to- Stand on a skateboard Jump the turnstile or enter the system improperly , Move between end doors of a subway car whether or not train is in motion , Damage subway or bus property - that includes graffiti or scratches Filmed and edited by Colin Read" [VIA]

The Invisible Bridge

"Bridges usually go right over water – they don’t even touch the surface. Surprisingly, if you submerge the vast majority of the structure under water, allowing pedestrians to effectively travel between the waves, it makes the whole experience of using a bridge much more exciting. " A very cool aquascaping idea by Ro & Ad Architects....

[VIA]