bikin tattoos: Memorial

Showing posts with label Memorial. Show all posts

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Meister's Memorial Sparrows

Last month, I was leaving the Muhlenberg branch of the New York Public Library when I spotted a woman with two birds on the backs of her calves:

These two sparrows belong to Meister, who is also known as The Nervous Cook.

I love how these are not your typical tattoo sparrows, but are more lifelike than the traditional bird flash that is much more common.

She explained that these, two of her eight tattoos, are memorial tattoos, that she has "for three people that I lost, roughly around the same time." Meister elaborated:

"A best friend of mine passed away in a scuba accident - she's the female sparrow [on the left calf] ...

...and then two good friends of mine died within two weeks of each other ... totally just a a devastating series of unfortunate accidents."

These, along with most of her other work, were tattooed by Myles Karr, who works out of Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn. Meister indicated that these sparrows were done a while back, when Myles still worked out of the now-defunct 334 Bowery Tattoo. Work from Myles has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Thanks to Meister for sharing her beautiful sparrows with us here on Tattoosday! Be sure to visit her over at The Nervous Cook.

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Sunday, December 11, 2011

In Memory of Tama

Yesterday, my DVR finally managed to catch an episode of "Tattooed in Detroit," on Animal Planet.

Marisa over at Needles and Sins talked about the show here.

In a bit of a coincidence, shortly after watching the hour-long episode, which featured several memorial tattoos for owners' pets, I learned, via Facebook, that my nephew Ikaika, was getting more ink on Saturday.
Back in April 2010, I was back home in Hawai'i and I got a chance to take pictures of his tattoos, along with my other nieces and nephews. His post originally appeared on Tattoosday here, and since all the planets seemed to align (maybe it was the lunar eclipse), I thought I'd share his new tattoo with Tattoosday.

This is a portrait of Ikaika's pit bull Tama, who lived with him for 12 years.

The tattoo was done by James Cacal at Tattoo Krew Empire in Waipahu, Hawai'i.

A big mahalo to my nephew for sharing Tama's portrait with us here on Tattoosday!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Tattoo in Memory of Erin's Mom

I always feel privileged when I meet someone who is willing to share a tattoo that carries deep personal significance. Back in October, I met Erin while she was waiting for her train during the late afternoon in Penn Station.

Last fall, Erin told me, her mother passed away. When her mom’s next birthday approached, Erin and her sister planned a fitting tribute. A year ago today, they got this tattoo on their left biceps:

This design incorporates a heart, a triquetra (Celtic trinity knot) and something unique – their mother’s handwriting ("Love you always, Mom), including the x’s and o’s representing hugs and kisses.

This is a shining example of the type of memorial that has led to an increase in the popularity of tattoos. The inner left biceps is an ideal location due to its proximity to the heart.

Erin credits Brian Marsman at Powerhouse Tattoo Company in Montclair, new Jersey, with this piece. A piece by Brian also appeared here on the site a couple months ago.

Thanks to Erin for sharing this very personal tattoo with us here on Tattoosday. On behalf of our readers, I wish her happy memories on this anniversary of her mother’s birth.