Nadir's LA Ink

Last month, my lovely wife Melanie was hospitalized with appendicitis. A bummer by all accounts, but on one occasion, when I left Maimonides Medical Center to grab a slice of pizza, I ran into a guy on Fort Hamilton Parkway named Nadir, whose forearm tattoo jumped out at me:

Nadir is an Angeleno transplanted here in the Big Apple, but he wears his hometown on his sleeve. The distinct LA logo, most commonly seen on the apparel associated with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a sign of civic pride. He credits Mikey Montoya, from Rube's Tattoo in Arcadia (east of Pasadena), with this piece.

Nadir also shared this tattoo, from the left side of his chest:

If that looks familiar, it is because it is the logo at the center of the Mexican flag.

This nod to his Mexican heritage was tattooed by Raul Suarez at Inkstop Tattoo NYC.

But most impressive was this piece on Nadir's right side:

 

Nadir explained that his father always listened to the musical group Los Tigres del Norte, and he grew up with their music playing in his home. He considers this also as an apt tribute to his heritage and upbringing.

He credits this incredible piece, which took six hours to complete (no easy feat, considering it's on his ribs), to Tom Tilden, co-owner of the aforementioned Rube's Tattoos, in Arcadia. 

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

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Hannah's Parrot is a Love Bird

I spotted this avian tattoo on the right calf of Hannah one afternoon in a Duane Reade store:

Hannah explained that this tattoo is romantic at its core.

Married couples often have pet names for one another, or nicknames, at the very least. Hannah and her husband Kevin are no exception to this rule.

They refer to one another as birds, extending the metaphor to calling their apartment their "nest" and their car as the "moveable nest".

So Hannah wanted a bird tattoo, with the plan for Kevin to get an owl tattoo to give them an avian set.

She took a photo of a blue and gold macaw with her to the artist Nalla Smith at Inkstop NYC on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This lovely parrot tattoo was the end result. Work from Inkstop NYC has appeared previously on Tattoosday here.

Kevin's owl is on hold while he finishes a Capricorn sea goat tattoo in progress on his right arm.

Thanks to Hannah (and Kevin) for talking tattoo with us here at Tattoosday and sharing their work. We're looking forward to sharing Kevin's finished tattoo in the future!

Victor's Homage to Kathy Olivas's Misery Children

Here at Tattoosday, the general rule is not to approach someone about a tattoo unless we can actually see the majority of the piece. Often, you can tell someone is inked based on design elements peeking out from under clothing. However, it seems to be in poor taste to ask someone about their work when you can't even see what it is.

Of course, there are exceptions.

For example, when I spotted Victor popping into an ATM vestibule at 7 Penn Plaza, I only saw a flash of color on his upper right arm, but I had a hunch it would be great.

I was right.

Victor is a fan of the artist Kathie Olivas, a multi-media artist who, among other things, has created the Misery Children. Check out the collection of her characters that he has circling his arm:

Victor followed up our meeting with an email that described Ms. Olivas's work, quoting from her website:

The tattoos are based on Kathie Olivas's artwork, her paintings and studies. "Sugary treats, dichotomous dreamlands, and the cute and corrupted all find their way into the brief calm before the rebellion that feature Olivas's series of characters known as the misery children."

This series of paintings and custom figures "focuses on imperfect characters that parallel" a vision of "post-apocalyptic conformity, uniquely documenting their own stories in a mysterious brave new world."

"The cast is inspired by early American portraiture that often depicted children as small adults in an idealized new land...They evoke a sense of temporality; [in which] childhood serves as a starting ground, a place where things begin." They also "personify 'cuteness' as more of a representation of projected innocence."

Victor's misery children were tattooed by Jose Soto at Inkstop Tattoo NYC.

Thanks to Victor for not only sharing the tattoos with us here on Tattoosday, but for introducing many of us to an exciting pop artist.


You can see more of Kathie Olivas' work on her cool website here.