Celebrity Tattoos: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Chest Tattoos

Much like back tattoos, its relatively common to see tattoos on the chest as well, some of which are small tattoo designs but more commonly you will see a large piece of tattoo artwork or numerous collaborated tattoo designs on a chest.

Checkout these celebrities with tattoos on their chest, Robbie Williams has the phrase "chacun à son goût", Ozzy Osbourne has a dragon and a skull on his chest, Lenny Kravitz also has a rather large dragon and Dennis Rodman has two bulls and some tribal tattoos on his chest.

See these pictures of chest tattoos below.

Some other famous people with chest tattoos include, Pete Doherty with "Baby ---" on his chest, Marc Anthony has small cowboy design, Eve has two well placed paw prints, and Tommy Lee has two large tribal lion tattoos on his chest.

Both NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James have several tattoos on their chest, Joan Jett has a unique Y shaped tattoo on her chest and Billie Joe Armstrong has a car, skull and other tattoos on his chest.

I hope you enjoy these great pictures of famous people who have chest tattoos.

Virginia's Flowers Forecast Spring

This is a quick one for Monday morning, on the last day of February, with spring looming just around the corner. Here's one of Virginia's tattoos:

Virginia is a long-time reader and fan of Tattoosday who I have met on anumber of occasions. This is the first piece she has shared with us.

This floral tattoo is at the top of her right shoulder and was done by Craig Rodriguez at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn.

She explains further, "We are all hoping for an early spring. Daffodils and forget-me-nots. It is a memorial tattoo. I always bring yellow flowers to the cemetery when I honor my family members."

Work from Hand of Glory has appeared previously here on Tattoosday. A piece of Craig's was featured here.

Amen to the early spring! Thanks to Virginia for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Mark's Tattoo is Bound by Faith

I met Mark in Penn Station on Friday, as I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area. It was a rainy, unseasonably warm day, so I spotted his tattoos easily, as he sat in a short sleeve shirt waiting for his train.

Mark has six tattoos in all, and he shared this one on his left forearm:

There's a lot going on here, in this tattoo which was completed in two sittings.

In essence, this is a religious tattoo, which Mark considers an expression of his Christian faith.

The base of the tattoo may look familiar, as it resembles the caduceus, which is now a symbol of the medical profession.

However, Mark explained that this symbol was originally attributed to the cult of Mithraism that existed in Rome in the first to fourth centuries, before the city became the center of Christianity. The caduceus was originally attributed to the Roman god Mercury, and the symbol also important to the god Mithras. The Vatican in Rome is built over the remnants of Mithraism and Mark bears this symbol that represents that which Christianity replaced.

At the base of the tattoo are the letters "XIVI". This is the Roman numeral for "17". Again, there is more to this than meets the eye. Many may think that the number 17 in Roman numerals is written differently, as XVII. However, Mark explained that this reversal of letters is intentional. According to wikipedia, "In Italian culture, the number 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagramatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language it translates to "I have lived", the perfect implying "My life is over." (c.f. "Vixerunt", Cicero's famous announcement of an execution.)". It is this "I have lived" phrase that resonates most with Mark, who told me that the "XIVI" number is often seen on gravestones.

And finally, the word "SINNER," which runs vertically down the caduceus, is the belief that "we are all sinners". Again, this ties in deeply to Mark's faith.

The piece was tattooed by Matt Pope at Another Tat2 Shop in South Amboy, New Jersey.

Thanks to Mark for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Tattoosday Weekend Recap

I just wanted to share some interesting tidbits that have come my way over the last few weeks:

First, someone has been sharing links in the comments section anonymously on several recent posts. As is my custom, I only approve comments if they are related to the post in question. Nonetheless, the links point to a YouTube channel for Sullen TV. I thought I'd share one here, which features the artist Nikko Hurtado, and interested parties can explore their YouTube channel here.

The other day I came across a cool site called FreshTrends.com that has a really nice collection of body jewelry, a lot of which would look great with a new tattoo. It's definitely worth a look!

Last June, I featured this tattoo by artist Scott Campbell. I was recently told about this short film on the site Nowness.Be sure to check it out!

And finally, we're about a month away from April, and our third annual installment of the Tattooed Poets Project. I wanted to give a shout-out to one of last year's poets, Erica Rivera, whose tattoo was featured here. Her new book Maneater is available on Amazon:

Visit the Man Eater Facebook page for a taste of Erica Rivera's writing.

Repost: The World is Full of Kings and Queens

In lieu of something new, something borrowed, or something blue, I am offering up a post from three years ago, in Tattoosday's infancy, from January 2008:

I've been relying heavily on Tattoos I Know since the end of summer, but today, in the chill of January, I spotted a cool tattoo on a stranger and added him to the Tattoosday gallery:

It was in the mid-30's when I asked Frank about his tattoo. He gladly offered up his newest piece, this playing card queen.

Frank is heavily-inked. He briefly flashed a leg and an arm covered with tattoos. But we stuck with this one. This particular piece, his newest, was done by Mike Profetto at Designs by Michael Angelo in Brooklyn.

When I asked him why he had this queen of hearts, he said it only made sense to complement the king of diamonds on the right side of his neck:

Incidentally, that's a spider on the back of his neck, between the two royal tattoos.

The queen, being the newer piece, is much brighter and crisper.

Frank is the first Tattoosday subject to offer up side neck pieces. He gave me his contact information, so I hope to feature Frank's work again in the future, with more detail about his tattoos, and the stories behind them.

Thanks again Frank!

*******

February 26, 2011: Alas, we never heard from Frank again....

Friday, February 25, 2011

THE NICE PICTURE TIGER LILY TATTOO

Tattoo art in the nice tiger lily tattoo. A afraid annual about signifies purity,but due to a all-inclusive arrangement of afraid kinds and afraid boom designs they can beggarly assorted and sometimes adverse things.

My collection tiger lily tattoo:

Back Tattoos

The back is an excellent location to get a tattoo, and seeing how it's the largest piece of real estate on the human body, many people choose to get very extensive tattoos on the back.

Many celebrities have tattoo designs on their back, checkout LeBron James who has the phrase "Chosen 1" on his back, rock star Tommy Lee has a tremendous amount of tribal artwork on his back, Jesse James has a 100 dollar bill with flames and David Beckham has several tattoos on his back including a crucifixion scene with the names of his 3 sons.

Checkout some pictures of back tattoos.

Nicole Richie has a cute pair of angel wings tattooed on her back, Megan Fox has a short poem that reads "We will all laugh at the gilded butterflies" on her back, Victoria Beckham has a quote from the Song of Solomon 6:3 "I am my love’s and my love is mine, who browses among the lilies." and rapper 50 Cent has "South Side" and a giant number 50 tattooed on his back.

Other famous people with back tattoos include, Ja Rule with crosses and angel wings, Davey Havok has large angel wings which covers his entire back, Josh Hartnett has a Celtic knot, Brandon Boyd has a pyramid with eye and wings tattooed on his back, basketball player Tim Duncan has a jester tattoo design, NBA player Carlos Boozer has a large archangel on his back, Chester Bennington has two dragons and the name of his band, and David Blaine has the "Christ of Saint John of the Cross" artwork tattooed on his back.

Lost and Found: Toni's Cameo

I'm calling this a "lost and found" post because it features a tattoo that was a buried treasure in my e-mail archives. I was sitting on my living room couch when the existence of the photo surfaced in my head. "Whatever happened to that e-mail?" I asked myself and, after a brief search I found it. So, let me explain....

At the end of November, my wife Melanie received an e-mail from someone she met through her job. She often encounters people with tattoos and, if the work is interesting, and the subject arises, she will act as an ambassador to Tattoosday.

Toni is one such person who checked out the site, took pictures of her tattoo, and sent them to Melanie. She showed me the photos and promptly forwarded me the e-mail, which then sat for a spell in my in box before I inadvertently filed it away until I recalled it two months later.

So, without further ado, here is Toni's tattoo:

Not only did Toni send along this picture of the small cameo tattoo on her wrist, she sent along a healthy story to accompany the piece. We'll let her tell us about it in her own words:

My mother passed away six years ago on 11/17/2004. For a long time I wanted to get a tattoo in memory of her without doing the RIP MOM thing I’ve seen so many times before. I think it’s nice, but it is not my style. A little over two years ago my sister and I were going out with some friends for dinner and my sister was wearing this very Victorian-style blouse. Pinned to the front collar of the blouse was a cameo that has been in my family for many years. It was passed down from my Grandmother to my mother and now to my sister. As soon as I glanced at it, it hit me! I will get a tattoo of this Cameo and then realized it would not only be for my mom. My mother, my sister, and I are obsessed with the Victorian era! We love everything Victorian. My grandmother loved the Victorian times as well.

So I decided to bring the cameo with me to Twin Moon Tattoo shop [in Floral Park, Long Island] and had the artist Cindy sketch the cameo ... I love this tattoo so much, not only because it represents an era that I love but it also represents the three most important women in my life: my Grandmother, my Mother, & my sister! [Cindy] thought it was a little strange that I wanted it just below the inside wrist of my right arm and suggested I put it on the back of my neck or make it really big and put it in the middle of my back. I had explained the meaning behind the tattoo and how important it was for me that I see it everyday....That being said, she agreed and sketched it the actual size of the cameo and tattooed it on the inside of my arm right below the wrist.

Thanks to Toni for sending along the photo and the story behind it to Melanie, and for consenting to share her lovely cameo tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!