Happy Halloween from Tattoosday!

Here at Tattoosday, we're celebrating Halloween by posting the spookiest tattoo seen in the last month or so. Well, maybe not the spookiest, but certainly the most holiday-related tattoo:

This was offered up by Robert, who I met in Borders Penn Plaza last month. And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, that is Frankenstein driving a Chevy (that's the stick shift he's gripping). Robert credits Adel at Addiction NYC with this tattoo.

Thanks to Robert for helping us celebrate Halloween here on Tattoosday!

Ashlee Channels Snow White

This work in progress is on Ashlee's arm:

The tattoo features Snow White at the top of the arm, with the witch's hand proffering an apple, wrapping around the arm:

Ashlee explained that the tattoo is commenting on how superficial the world is and how the idea of Beauty was the downfall of the title character, at least until she was rescued from her poison-induced slumber.

The tattoo is the work of Eric at King Pin Tattoos in Harker Heights, Texas. Work from Kingpin appeared previously in August 2008 on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Ashlee for sharing her work with us here on Tattoosday!

Nesting Dolls and a Zombie, Courtesy of Kristin

Last month, I ran into Kristin at the Penn Plaza Borders store.

She has ten tattoos, but the piece on her shin was the first one I spotted:

These Russian nesting dolls represents the friendship Kristin has with her friend Kyle (thus, the merging of their names into "Kryle").

It was tattooed by Bret from Electric Tattoo in Pasadena, Maryland.

Kristin also shared another tattoo, one certainly more appropriate for our current season. Check out this amazing tattoo:

This cool zombie piece was inked by Kike Castillo at Timmy Tattoo in Huntington, New York.

Kristin says that Kike is one of her favorite artists and she is happy for him to provide her with great body art. "He needed someone," she told me, referring to this particular tattoo, and "I'm always game". Tattoo artists love clients that let them do their thing, and you can tell with this great piece of art.

Thanks to Kristin for sharing her cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Brian Littrell Tattoos

Brian Littrell is an American singer-songwriter, known as a member of the music group Backstreet Boys, and for albums such as Millennium and Black & Blue.

Brian Littrell has been spotted with a couple of tattoos, including a religious masterpiece on his left shoulder which contains a cross with clouds and sunbeams, the saying "Rock of Ages", along with an angel head and wings.

His other tattoo is an armband of lyrics reading "It was the 15th of June when she walked in my life, it was the first time someone said hello with her eyes".

Amanda's Phoenix

Amanda has two tattoos, one of which she shared with me at the end of August in the Penn Plaza Borders store.

This is the tattoo she designed:

Amanda was inspired by the "compelling mythology of phoenixes" and had Bobby at Modern Age Tattoo in Nanuet, New York, translate the design into the final product.

The quote, in Latin, "post tenebras lux" means "After darkness, light". This mirrors the life cycle of the mythological phoenix who dies, bound in flame, only to be reborn from the ashes. Clicking here will display the vast array of phoenixes that have appeared on Tattoosday previously.

In other words, even when things appear their darkest, affirmation is just within reach.

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

Amy Lita Dumas Tattoos

Amy Dumas, better known by her stage name Lita, is an American singer and professional wrestler, known for her work as WWE Diva.

Amy 'Lita' Dumas has a few tattoos which are quite visible, including an Asian oni demon mask on her right shoulder, plus numerous voodoo skulls on her left arm and shoulder area.

Lita is also said to have a few other tattoo designs, including Chinese symbols on her upper back, the word PUNK on her inner lip, plus the word REBEL in Russian located on her neck.

Gary's Three Knuckles Speak Volumes

I spotted Gary standing at the top of some escalators in Penn Station. As I passed him, I noticed he had knuckle tattoos so I stopped to ask him about them:

Gary explained that they are Korean characters

that translate to "Soo Bahk Do," or "The Way of the Striking Hand".

Soo Bahk Do is a form of martial arts that originated in Korea.

This unassuming gentleman has studied the form for seventeen years and is a third degree black belt. Gary studied at East Winds Karate in Port St. John, Florida.

The tattoo was inked at a shop on Eight Avenue in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Thanks to Gary for sharing his "striking" tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Bai Ling Lower Back Tattoo

Bai Ling is successful Chinese actress, featured in the movie The Crow and Red Corner.

Bai Ling has been pictured while donning temporary tattoos in the past, however it is believed that the cheetah on her lower back is indeed real. The animal design is also accompanied by what looks to be a Asian symbol of sorts.

The actress also possibly has a tattoo on her lower front hip area, which is unconfirmed.

Shino Lin Cross Tattoo

Shino Lin is a popular Taiwanese pop singer and actress, who has also been spotted with a rather large and highly detailed cross tattoo on her upper right arm.

The Tattoosday Book Review: Kat Von D's The Tattoo Chronicles

You can say a lot of things about Kat Von D. She is arguably one of the most well-known tattoo artists in the United States, if not the world. This fact, to old school tattoo enthusiasts, is not necessarily a good thing. She is the star of the hit "reality" series, L.A. Ink, has her own make-up line at Sephora, and on October 26, her second book, The Tattoo Chronicles, is being released by HarperCollins Design. And whether you love her or hate her, it's hard to argue the fact that this book, like its predecessor High Voltage Tattoo, is a lovely effort that looks and feels amazing.

Like her first book (reviewed last year on Tattoosday here), Kat Von D lets you into her world, with glossy detailed photos of her work and clients. But whereas her first book shows mostly her public persona, the new effort gives us an inside look at the inner thoughts and feelings of someone who is portrayed very much as a "character" on her television show.

It is L.A. Ink that has brought her fame, yet also the scorn and scrutiny of her detractors. The new book lets us peek behind the scenes and, if you didn't realize this already, the Kat Von D you see on the show is not the whole package. Through a diary/journal format, the reader is granted greater access to Kat's true emotions and feelings. We finally get to peek behind the character Kat Von D and meet the person.

It was on Page 44 where I first felt the facade truly come down. She talks about getting booed in the shop by "fans" who resent that she won't drop what she's doing to pose for photos for them, and there is the matter of the stalker who freaked everyone out in the shop. Granted, these are consequences nowadays for success of her order, but you certainly believe that such consequences were not anticipated when she headed down the road to fame.

It is also fascinating to read Kat's frustration with the onset of another season of L.A. Ink. If you're looking for validation that the only thing real on the show is the tattoos, it's here. I was reminded of Charles Bukowski's strong aversion to poetry readings. He despised them, yet they were often necessary as sources of income. The spectacle often outshone the poems. Similarly, L.A. Ink's forced drama often swallows up the tattoos, yet the drama drives ratings, which lets the series continue to showcase tattoos, which is why many of us tune in in the first place.

Whereas I found her journal entries fascinating, as I am sure most readers who are fans of the show will as well, there are still pages and pages of photographs featuring her work (drawings, sketches, and of course, tattoos) that are breath-taking in their beauty.

Viewers of the show  know that this book has been in the making for a while and it has found its way into plot points as well. Fans will also note that the author's relationship with Nikki Sixx, bassist for Mötley Crüe, runs throughout the volume (as it has in the reality series). However, 2010 has been a tumultuous year for the couple, having broken up, and then, quite recently, reportedly gotten back together. All that said, it's very interesting to read about the relationship with a future perspective.

Or, it isn't. If you're not interested in Kat's "personal" life, then perhaps you should pass on this book. I can see her detractors poring over the text, looking for evidence that reinforces their negative image of the artist, one that has been honed by the one-dimensional portrayal of her reality show and the tabloids.

For fans however, and the followers of Kat Von D's career, The Tattoo Chronicles, will be a treat, to be savored, an all-access pass to a window of her life, with a stunning visual guidebook to pore over, with evidence enough to back up her on-air claim of being so busy all the time.

My one criticism would be that we don't see enough of her tattoos, which is really what she is all about. I mean, sure it's interesting to see a full-page shot of her stuffed albino squirrels, but is it really necessary? I would have rather seen more art that she created, rather than collected.

However, in the end, I was delighted with the book. It really adds dimensions to one of the more dynamic celebrities in the tattoo industry. I doubt that it will turn detractors into fans, or fans into detractors, but it certainly provides those who admire Kat Von D for her art, a little more validation that she is a talented, complicated individual that can not only create amazing body art, but knows how to wow us with her pen, as well.

Missy's Initials, Illustrated by Gorey

I met Missy on the corner of 23rd and 7th back in the beginning of September and she shared her two tattoos, on both biceps.Her right arm bears this piece:

and her left shoulder hosts this cool image:

 

These images may seem familiar, because they are based on Edward Gorey's Alphabet.

Missy has the two pieces representing her initials, M and N. The right arm represents "M": 

And the left arm represents the "N" for her last initial:

Missy got these tattoos in Santa Cruz about ten years ago.

Thanks to Missy for sharing her cool Gorey tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Heart Not Time

"I do not like the concept of linear time," Fredrika said to me, "moments and feelings should be more important".

This was her thought behind this tattoo:

I met Fredrika in Penn Station last month and she was kind enough to share this tattoo on her forearm.

She has a lot of ink, but this is her favorite piece.

Fredrika hails from Hamburg, where she is lead singer for a band called Jaguar of My Dreams.

Thanks to Fredrika for sharing with us here on Tattoosday!

Rune's Viking Reflects His Cultural Pride

On a Friday last month, I ran into a couple from Denmark near Herald Square in the pedestrian median between Broadway and 6th Avenue.

The gentleman had a lot of work done on his legs, so I approached and introduced myself. Rune was kind enough to not only share a tattoo, but to pull up his shorts a bit to reveal this tattoo that ran from his mid-thigh down to his calf:

 

Rune explained that this Viking tattoo reflects the pride he has in the old history of the Norsemen that inhabited Scandinavia in the earliest part of the last millenium.

Rune credits Frans at Hugo Tattoo with this wonderful work.

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

Garnier hair color shades

Garnier hair color shades different hair colors that you can try out, dark hair color ideas are probably the safest option to go for. Garnier hair color shades look great on almost any skin tone, and with the varying shades of hair color,

Garnier hair color shades can also be of different shades. Most popular one is a deep Garnier hair, that resembles the bark of any average fully grown tree.

 one Garnier hair color that is sure to take your breath away. An intense Garnier hair, with hints of golden in it. One of the Garnier hair to be making the rounds of the celebrity and even the local hairdresser circuits.

Any Garnier hair color shades chart is incomplete without this Garnier  hade, and it is one of the most sought after Garnier hair color shades for women and men of any skin color. 

Brunette hair color shades

Brunette hair color shades A woman with any shade of brown hair can be called a 'brunette'. There are several different types of shades that come in the category of brunette hair. Brunette hair color most important point to note of brunette hair is that the individual strands of such hair.

A few primary Brunette hair color. Many more which even have light touches and accents of reddish and golden tones

Brunette hair color it is very essential that you also think about the tone of for your skin, pattern of Brunette hair color, and the hair length.

Black hair highlights

Black hair highlights safe and natural looking color options in highlights for black hair are shades of red, brown and yellow. Black hair highlights important that you distinguish between the right shade that goes with skin color and eye color. 

Black hair highlights with blonde highlights, accompany few brown highlights too, to merge the blond hair color better.

 Black hair highlights options of highlights for black curly hair and straight hair

shades of yellow, brown or red should have blackish brown eye color, dark brown, grayish blue, hazel colored with light flecks or dark blue

Dark red hair highlights

Dark red hair highlights,New Dark red hair highlights,Dark red hair highlights tips,Dark red hair highlights pictures. Dark red hair highlights are the thing for you. Dark red hair highlights shades of red color are popularly used as hair highlighting colors for brown hair. Some Dark red hair highlights of the most popular shades of red color include mahogany red Dark red hair highlights red highlights give a fiery look to your auburn brown hair.

 Depending on the shade of auburn you could intensify the redness. Copper red will look decent whereas fire red is a total party highlight color. Dark strawberry blond and strawberry gold blond highlights give a natural feel when streaked on auburn brown hair.

Dark red hair highlights in red hair will decide whether you will sport an attention grabbing or subtle look. your Dark red hair highlights is cut and styled also plays an important part in the final outcome. your base Dark red hair highlights is a lighter shade of red, then bright golden highlights will look gorgeous in your hair.

Red hair highlights

Red hair highlights  a warm complexion which can be freckled complexion, brown skin tone with pink or golden undertones, Red hair highlights complexion or pale complexion with peach or golden undertones.

 consider mixing blonde hair and red hair highlights for Red hair highlights or black hair for a multi-tonal effect.wash your hair with shampoo and condition your hair and check.Red hair highlights nice bright hair colored look, consider light strawberry blonde or bright copper red. 

Hair highlights pictures

Hair highlights pictures many techniques you can use for hair highlighting. Hair highlights can also be used to accentuate one’s features. Hair highlights the stylist colors the hair can help to brighten up your looks

Hair highlights technique to achieve either the bold look or even the subtle look that has a slight element of drama. girls use chunky hair highlight to try bright shades of colors on their natural hair. 

Hair highlights techniques you can use for hair highlighting. Hair highlights can also be used to accentuate one’s features. 

Adam Levine Tattoos

Adam Levine is a talented American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of rock band Maroon 5.

Adam Levine is covered in tattoos, including a full sleeve on his left arm which consists of designs such as triple 2's, which represents the first studio the band ever recorded in. Other artwork includes a plethora of different flowers, along side an acrostic guitar and mix of clouds. Also within his sleeve is a cherry blossom and dove, which is in remembrance of 9/11.

He has a large tiger tattooed on his right forearm and bicep area, plus a few unknown tattoo designs on his chest.

Adam also has a some artwork on his back and right shoulder, however we're not certain about these designs.