Double Mastectomy Reconstruction:

Below are pictures of the final phase of a double mastectomy reconstruction that I tattooed this afternoon.

The tattooing took less than an hour, but it really is the "putting the cherry on top" moment of reconstruction. I consulted with the client for well over a year and I am now confident the scarring had gone down enough to tattoo over.

I have done reconstructive tattooing before and continue to encourage inquiries. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I will have healed pictures in a few weeks.

Luis Shares Two Lotería Cards

I met Luis in Borders, Penn Plaza, last month and asked him about his tattoos. He has more than fifteen altogether, and three are based on Lotería cards, which are used as part of a Mexican bingo game, as well as in fortune-telling.

He shared two of these cards with me and explained that, as a first generation Mexican-American, these Lotería cards remind him of growing up.

The first one he explained is number 21, La Mano:

Luis explained that he relates to this card because "la mano" is Spanish for hand, and  he is a builder/electrician/carpenter by trade. He considers himself a "designer of ideas," and because he works with his hands, this is an appropriate card to have as a tattoo.

The second one he let me photograph is number 27, El corazón:

This card is appropriate, according to Luis, because "El corazón" means the heart and, Luis said, smiling, "I've got a big one".

There are a lot of different artistic representations of these cards out on the web, which tells me that they serve as inspiration for a lot of people.

Image courtesy of "The Lucky W" Amulet Archive by Cat Yronwode

Luis had these tattoos done by a tattoo artist named Fish, who was visiting Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn, but generally works out of Th'ink Tank Tattoo in Denver. Work from Th'ink Tank appeared here once before.

Thanks to Luis for sharing these two Lotería cards with us here on Tattoosday!

Pictures from the last week or so:

Stacy Pershall, author, stopped in to have this quote and flowers tattooed on her. We were videoed while tattooing. When I've got a link or more info regarding the project, I'll let you know. Until then, just know that Stacy's really awesome and you should go buy her books.

Simon came back to work on the "Mom" arm. Orchids and Chicken Pot Pie. More to come....

Lettering on Olga.

Manny's first piece!

A really pretty, soft piece I got to do on Wendy. Had a blast!

I love working on my sister.

We added some more water to Deniz's Mucha-inspired mermaid.

Marisa's Polychrome Calves

I met Marisa walking down 40th Street in Manhattan late one October afternoon. She had just crossed Broadway when I spotted her and asked her about her tattoos. Namely, these two gracing the back of her calves:

These tattoos are based on the work of artist John R. Neill, who illustrated L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz books. The female figure in both designs is Polychrome, the Rainbow's daughter.

Both legs were tattooed at Rock Star Tattoos in Honolulu. Conor did the left calf:

and Kazan did the right:

Marisa has 11 tattoos in all. Incidentally, having heard she grew up in Hawai'i, I played the small-world game with her and discovered we both had the same history teacher, two decades apart, when he taught at different schools.

Like many people who have Oz tattoos, Marisa loved the books and was inspired by the magic in them, vividly illustrated.

Thanks to Marisa for stopping on the street and consenting to share her wonderful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Blackwork forearm

Image name: Blackwork forearm

Comments: The freshly done forearm tattoo is influenced by ancient Celtic motifs. It is also a cover-up of a older tattoo on the inside of the arm.

African-inspired Sleeve

Image name: African-inspired Sleeve

Comments: This is a detail from a sleeve and shoulder piece that is African inspired.

Pentagram Sleeve

Image name: Pentagram Sleeve

Comments: Following the client's wishes, this sleeve involves a pentagram around the shoulder with geometrical patterns for the rest of the arm.