Lisa's Guardian Angel

I met Lisa recently on the subway platform at West 4th Street.

She had this cool tattoo on her right forearm:

The tattoo, which took four hours to complete, is Lisa's guardian angel.

Lisa told me that this is a representation of her guardian angel, a "spiritual guide," although she emphasized that she's not religious.

She had the basic idea for the tattoo and took it to Scott Campbell at Saved Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She pointed out that she absolutely loves the work he did with the shading in the tattoo:

Work from Saved has appeared previously on Tattoosday here. This, however, is the first work we've seen by Scott Campbell in our travels.

Thanks to Lisa for sharing her angelic tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Chris Interprets Heaven and Hell

Last month I met Chris, from Malden, Massachusetts, and he shared this incredible sleeve, still in progress. He estimates that it represents 25 hours of tattooing.

The overall motif of the sleeve is heaven and hell, and Chris was kind enough to address several elements in the design, many of which are deeply personal.

Chris began this tattoo's journey to acknowledge his first year of sobriety from alcohol and drugs.

It is an omnipresent reminder that "hell is always an arm's length away". The angel resides in heaven and the gates of heaven, on the inner arm, represent the goal, or entry into heaven.

Rising up toward heaven are two figures reaching toward this goal. The pair aiming for heaven represent two of Chris' friends, both who overdosed and died, having perished in the hell of addiction.

Chris drew me attention to Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell.

To him, the three heads of the hell-hound represent alcohol, opiates, and cocaine, the three substances to which he had been addicted.

This sleeve is the work of the tattoo artist Rafael Serrano, formerly of The Painted Bird, in Medford, MA.

Thanks to Chris for sharing this deeply personal tattoo in progress with us. We're hoping to get updates in the future when more work is done.

We appreciate Chris' forthrightness and strength, and wish for his continued recovery.

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!

Sandra's Angel Reflects Her Vocation

I was folding clothes at the laundromat yesterday afternoon, bemoaning the fact that it appeared as if another weekend would pass without a new tattoo photo, when I caught a glimpse of some ink on the back of the neck of a fellow laundry-doer.

When I asked Sandra if she would share her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, she kindly obliged:


Sandra said that she originally saw a variation of this design online, but added the "S" for her name. She likes that this design looks, from a distance, like a caduceus, an ancient symbol that is often associated with the medical profession:

Sandra is a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit in a hospital ward that specilizes in treating patients with bone marrow and other forms of cancer. The letter S symbolizes her name and reflects her commitment to her profession.

This was tattooed by an artist named Mike, who works out of his home in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Sandra for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Sandra's Angel Reflects Her Vocation

I was folding clothes at the laundromat yesterday afternoon, bemoaning the fact that it appeared as if another weekend would pass without a new tattoo photo, when I caught a glimpse of some ink on the back of the neck of a fellow laundry-doer.

When I asked Sandra if she would share her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday, she kindly obliged:


Sandra said that she originally saw a variation of this design online, but added the "S" for her name. She likes that this design looks, from a distance, like a caduceus, an ancient symbol that is often associated with the medical profession:

Sandra is a nurse in an Intensive Care Unit in a hospital ward that specilizes in treating patients with bone marrow and other forms of cancer. The letter S symbolizes her name and reflects her commitment to her profession.

This was tattooed by an artist named Mike, who works out of his home in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Sandra for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Tay's Angel Reminds Him of a Battle Won

There are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I know that may cliché , but at its core, there is the kernel of truth. All it takes to remember this is to cross paths with someone who has overcome the odds to prevail in life.

Yesterday I met Tay in the Borders on Penn Plaza, and he shared this tattoo:

Here's the complete piece:

Inked on his inner left forearm, this angelic image is a product of an idea of a spirit watching over him, He gathered a couple of photos for reference and presented them, along with a short written paragraph about the concept, to a tattoo artist at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. It was the tattooer who gave Tay the writing assignment. I am impressed that the artist would incorporate that into his creative process, and it makes perfect sense.

Although Tay is not religious, per se, he wanted something spiritual to remind him of his guardian angel that helped him overcome the mortal challenge of cancer.

As it turns out, Tay is a survivor, who has been cancer-free for ten years after a victory over acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tay notes that, all it takes is a look down at his arm to remind him that he has come a long way from the lows of facing one's mortality at such an early age.

I want to thank Tay for sharing his tattoo with us here. And I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the Tattoosday readers!

Tay's Angel Reminds Him of a Battle Won

There are many things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. I know that may cliché , but at its core, there is the kernel of truth. All it takes to remember this is to cross paths with someone who has overcome the odds to prevail in life.

Yesterday I met Tay in the Borders on Penn Plaza, and he shared this tattoo:


Here's the complete piece:


Inked on his inner left forearm, this angelic image is a product of an idea of a spirit watching over him, He gathered a couple of photos for reference and presented them, along with a short written paragraph about the concept, to a tattoo artist at Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts. It was the tattooer who gave Tay the writing assignment. I am impressed that the artist would incorporate that into his creative process, and it makes perfect sense.

Although Tay is not religious, per se, he wanted something spiritual to remind him of his guardian angel that helped him overcome the mortal challenge of cancer.

As it turns out, Tay is a survivor, who has been cancer-free for ten years after a victory over acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Tay notes that, all it takes is a look down at his arm to remind him that he has come a long way from the lows of facing one's mortality at such an early age.

I want to thank Tay for sharing his tattoo with us here. And I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all the Tattoosday readers!

Kevin's Angel Tattoo Inspires

I spotted Kevin at the corner of 33rd Street and 7th Avenue and asked him about his incredible tattoo covering the majority of his left arm:


His upper arm has a cross on it, so Kevin worked downward on the arm. The angel is based on the sculpture of "The Angel of the Waters" in Central Park's Bethesda Fountain.



He subsequently added the banner that reads "Veni Vidi Vici" on the back side of the forearm:


This famous Latin phrase, attributed to Julius Caesar, means "I came. I saw. I conquered." In his mind, this sums up Kevin's life, having moved from a town of 70,000 people to a megopolis of over 7 million, attaining a senior position with a fashion corporation.

Kevin is particularly happy with the detail in the wings and the angel herself.


Ray Jerez at Inborn NYC on the Lower East Side of Manhattan is the artist behind this tattoo.

Thanks much to Kevin for sharing his amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!