The Tattooed Poets Project: Theresa Senato Edwards

We are launching this second volume of the Tattooed Poets Project with Theresa Senato Edwards.

Theresa seemed like the ideal candidate to kick off the month, as she is the devoted editor of Holly Rose Review, a poetry and tattoo literary arts journal.

Theresa has four tattoos, and picked two to share with us here on Tattoosday.

Her first tattoo was this Celtic symbol on the left part of her upper back:
A closer look:


Theresa tells us that this is the:

"Celtic symbol for motherhood, two dots representing my two sons. The goldish dot for Richard, his birthday in November (November birthstone); the red dot for Troy, his birthday in July (July birthstone). I had asked my younger son, Troy, if he thought it would be cool to have his artwork on my skin forever. He did, so he drew it for me, looking at a pic I got off the internet. Tattoo by Mike Calamita, Lasting Impression Tattooing in Hopewell Junction, NY."

My favorite of Theresa's four tattoos was the third one she received, this holly rose:

Theresa explains that this holly rose is

"a holly branch wrapped around a bloomed red/purplish rose with thorned stem.... [and] symbolizes my parents: my dad's birthday was in December; the holly is one of the plants that represents December. My mom's birthday was in June; the rose represents June. They have both been dead for more than 15 years. I had this done in their memory. That's also where the title of Holly Rose Review comes from, although I didn't know that at the time I got the tattoo. Also done by Mike Calamita."

Check out Theresa's poem "Holly Rose," about this tattoo, over at BillyBlog. You can read more of Theresa's work over on her blog here.

Thanks again to Theresa for helping kick off our second annual Tattooed Poets Project!

Best Female Tattoo Pictures Gallery

Best Female Tattoo Pictures Gallery

Best Female Tattoo Pictures Gallery

Best Female Tattoo Pictures Gallery

Best Female Tattoo Pictures Gallery

The Tattooed Poets Project, Volume II

April is National Poetry Month!

Last April, I launched, with the cooperation of poets across the country (and one across the Pond), the "Tattooed Poets Project".

In addition to the "regular" Tattoosday features, every day in April we featured the tattoos of poets. Each post featured poet-contributed photos, with a link back to BillyBlog, where one of their poems was posted on the corresponding day.

Not all the poems were tattoo-related, but many were.

This year, we are resuming the project again, featuring more poets, and a few returning ones.

I enjoyed this adventure last year and am looking forward to another successful April!

Tom's Sleeve is Based on Faith

I don't know what it was about March, but this final post of the month is the third featuring ink from a member of our Armed Forces.

Tom is eventually going to have a full sleeve that accentuates his faith. The top of the arm is done, with the main focus on the guardian angel on his bicep:


His grandfather passed before he was born and he has always thought of him as the guardian angel that watched over him.

This piece was inked at Aces & Eights Tattoo in Augusta, Georgia.

He also has a couple of tattoos featuring angels on the inside of his bicep and on the outer section of his upper arm as well:


These were done at Third Dimension Tattoos in Marshalls Creek, Pennsylvania

Tom is a member of HHC 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.

Thanks to Tom for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Asian Dragon Tattoo

Asian Dragon Tattoo

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Tattoo Ideas With Butterfly

Two Tattoos from Taylor

I met Taylor where she works at Kaleidoscope, a toy store in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

I gave her a flier after admiring her really cool feather tattoo that was inked behind her right ear.


A week later, I was zipping by on my bike and saw her on a break outside the store. That was when I had a chance to speak to her about her tattoos and take the photos for this post.

This is one of her nine tattoos, and was done by an artist named Chris who works out of Puncture Tattoo in neighboring Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.


Taylor says the tattoo is inspired by the fact that she feels free-spirited, like a bird, and that her aunt, who died in a plane crash, used to call her a "little Indian girl". The dangling feathers behind her ear seem to capture both sentiments nicely.

Unlike the first time I met Taylor, on this occasion she was wearing a shirt that showed off this cool tattoo at the top of her back:


Taylor explained that she loves cats and her sister's gray cat Dusty passed away from breast cancer, which has also been a disease that has run in her family, as well. She had the tattoo artist, Peter Cavorsi, of Body Art Studios, model this piece based on Dusty's eyes.

As always, Peter did a superb job. He is no stranger to Tattoosday, having inked one of my tattoos (seen at the bottom of the page) and several of my wife, Melanie's. This link will show you all of Peter Cavorsi's work that has appeared on the site over the last two-and-a-half years.

Thanks again to Taylor for sharing her two beautiful tattoos on Tattoosday!

Best Tattoo Art Line Horsefly Design

Best Tattoo Art Line Horsefly Design

Sexy Latino Girl Tattoo Lower Back

Sexy Latino Girl Tattoo Lower Back

Best Gallery Tattoos

Because getting a tattoo is such a major life decision - one that you can never truly take back - you need to make sure that you find the single tattoo that is going to make you happy for the rest of your life. Since the parlors themselves tend to limit the amount of designs the available, one of the best places to go is a tattoos gallery.

What is a Tattoos Gallery?

There are types of galleries available. There are galleries that display tattoos that people have already gotten - these are tattoos that are already on the bodies, with user photos and forums - and there are galleries that have tattoo designs that you can use for your next tattoo, completely printable galleries with over 10,000 different designs.

This type of tattoos gallery also comes in two types of its own. There are some that give you a huge library to search from, but you can only buy a single tattoo that costs you as much as 15 dollars. On the other hand, there are other galleries that, for 30 dollars or less, you can get access to 10,000 designs that you can choose from at any time in your life. Meaning, even if you find the single tattoo you want right away, if you decide you are going to get another tattoo later, you still have 9,999 tattoos to go without having to pay any extra money.

You may only need a tattoo once, but paying 15 dollars for a single tattoo is clearly not as valuable as being able to purchase access to 10,000 tattoos for just a few dollars more. And with that type of tattoos gallery, you can be completely sure that when you find the tattoo you are looking for, you are going to be satisfied with it.

Access to a Tattoos Gallery

Your search for your next tattoo should be something that you are continuing to do until the day that you decide to make your final purchase. By looking through extremely large galleries, especially galleries of tattoo designs themselves, rather than just tattoo showcases on people's bodies, your choice of the type of tattoo you will get is something that will not be rushed.

Puma Tattoo

Animal Tattoo

Mike's Incredible Aquatic Sleeve (and More!)

I had the good fortune of meeting Mike outside of Penn Station last week and, despite first noticing him because of his leg tattoos, he was extremely generous and unveiled an incredible sleeve that covered his right arm:


Mike is a fisherman and a loves the brightness, color and variety of oceanic life. Such things translate well to the body's canvas and make for some amazing tattoo work...


The giant octopus actually curls up over his shoulder and onto his chest, with one tentacle moving down his arm....


The deep sea diver punctuates the middle of his arm...


At the bottom of the arm are tropical motifs including a huge tiki god and a hibiscus....


On the inside of his inner bicep is this fish which is a cross between an anglerfish and a razorfish:


And we ended with this piece that was so fresh at the time, that Mike had to peel back the protective plastic covering this amazing blowfish:


The artist behind this amazing work is Steve Woison formerly of Electric Tiki Tattoo in Patchogue, and now at Studio 520 in Oakdale, on Long Island.

Thanks again to Mike for taking the time to share his amazing aquatic sleeve with us here on Tattoosday!

Bridal Henna Palms - Two Artists at work

The artists of Spirit Vision Henna are practicing Bridal Henna for the 2010 season.

This photo shows the work of two artists working together to create a wedding henna.

Each has a slightly different style, but you can see that the patterns are complimentary, and accomplished in 45 minutes for both hands.

We will continue to work to improve so that we may provide intricate full bridal tattoo in a timely manner.

Please contact Ann George at 904•993•7466 for more information about henna tattoo for wedding parties, and other events.

Earl's Tattoo Honors the Fallen

It was the ring of bullets that first grabbed my attention when I spotted him in Penn Station:


As a soldier in New York City's 69th Infantry Regiment in the New York Army National Guard, Earl has had the honor and privilege of serving in our armed forces overseas.

But, like any one of these brave men and women can tell you, they have seen their share of sorrow when they have lost fellow soldiers in the war in Iraq and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Earl's way to honor them has been to inscribe on his flesh "For the Fallen," and the initials of those that have died for their country, each bullet representing someone he knew.


On his right arm, he has this tribal piece with a military inscription:



The phrase "Mess with the Best, Die like the Rest" is one of those military slogans that is designed to inspire the soldier and intimidate the enemy.

All work was by Mark Madden at Madd Grafix Tattoo Shop in Buffalo, New York.

Thanks to Earl for his duty to this country and for sharing his memorial ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Wing Tattoo

Wing Tattoo

Most wings tattoos come off the shoulder blades and go down the back. but this wings tattoo is unique. It comes off a central hub, which happens to be a lock, and goes across the upper part of the back and wraps onto the shoulders. This design is not very common, especially with the lock. This design is obviously meant to be a more masculine tattoo, with a rougher look and a darker shading then the common wings tattoo design. The edges of the wings have a ruffled look to them, and the shading on the tips of the wings is more pronounced then usual. The wings in this design or more symmetrical then most wings tattoos are, and the artist even equaled out the shading on each wing. One really uncommon feature of this tattoo is the lock. Most wings tattoos are meant to look like they are sprouting out of the back, but this tattoo is showing that the wings are being held together with the lock. The shading on the lock even has a masculine look to it, with a darker shading. Though not the stereotypical wings tattoo, it is still a great design and a great piece of artwork.

Wing Tattoo

When most people think of wing tattoos they think of designs that include angel or fairies. Or they thing of designs that include butterfly or dragonfly wing. But, really this is a limitation of the wing tattoo. The design is so versatile that almost anything can be incorporated into it. One of my favorite all time designs involved a wall clock that had wings sticking out from the side of it. Another design that I have seen recently involved a picture of a family pet with wings coming out of it’s sides. It was done really well and was used as a memorial for a deceased dog. But, the tattoo in the picture takes it all. It’s a Detroit Red Wings tattoo!! It was gotten by a die hard hockey fan who wanted to show his support of the team. It’s a really cool design but it gives me pause for a moment. What happens if the team changes it’s emblem or is sold to another team? Will the bearer of this wing tattoo still want to keep the logo on his skin? These are all important considerations that you need to make before getting any design inked into your skin. Logos and trademarks may seem cool at first but the longevity of the symbol may be limited.

Best Tribal Tattoo Art

Best Tribal Tattoo Art

Sea-faring Polynesians from Samoa colonized the Marquises Islands as early as 300 A.D. They were warring tribes who sometimes cannibalized their enemies. Marquesan art is very uncommon. Most tribal tattoos are done with one specific object and the size variation is minimal. This is not so with the Pacific.

African Tribal tattoo art

Tribes in Africa do not use pigment for tattooing, they cut the skin and either the wound is packed with a substance so that it becomes raised or it is rubbed with ash or sand until the wound rises up, then the scar is the tattoo.

Borneo Tribal tattoo Art

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The Dayak people reside here for centuries, they believe that spirits are in everything around them. For this reason they believe that by tattooing an object or creature on them they can draw energy from these spirits.

While the tribal tattoo was originally used to identify members of specific tribes, represent battles fought, and to serve as the symbolization of social status, today tribal tattoo art is a popular fashion. a lot of people today choose various designs simply for aesthetic reasons. Some of the most popular designs include dragon, butterfly and sun tribal tattoos. This tattoo can be put virtually anywhere on the body, The back and arms are usually the most common areas where people have them applied, but the ankle, calf, and chest are also used.

The Tribal tattoo art expresses personal freedom and uniqueness of the wearer. Tribal art has a simple appeal that reinforces a positive feeling about ourselves and connects us to ancient mystery of the tribal rituals, which faded away with history.