I´m not alone in the shop anymore.

Here are some works from Lenny Lenert, who is working at Origin with me.

The Tattoosday Book Review: Ink Flamingos

Full disclosure: Ink Flamingos, by Karen E. Olson, features a tattoo blogger who is an instrumental figure in the narrative. I also have it on good authority that Tattoosday was, in part, inspiration for this plot point. And yes, Ms. Olson thanks me in the acknowledgements, much more profusely than I anticipated. All that being said, skeptics might argue that there was a snowball’s chance in hell that, here on Tattoosday, you’d see a negative review of this, the fourth installment in the Tattoo Shop Mystery series.

Fortunately for me, I have no moral dilemma, as Ink Flamingos is, like its predecessors, a great read. All bloggy plot points aside, I can whole-heartedly recommend not just the book, but all four volumes. They are consistently fun, humorous, exciting and, quite importantly, respectful to the tattoo industry and the good people therein.

Before I continue, however, I’ll point you to my previous reviews of  Driven to Ink, Pretty in Ink, and The Missing Ink for the whole suite of opinions on Ms. Olson’s tattoo-themed work. Click on the titles to be transported back in time to my reviews.

As flattering as it was to learn that I helped, in part, inspire the blogging aspect of this latest volume in the series, I took pause when I learned that the blogger was not a benign presence in the novel. Fortunately, Olson’s easy-going narrative style, transported me past my initial misgivings, and into the brisk current of the story. 

Despite the presence of the blogger, the real meat of the mystery derives from the dead rock singer, who appears to have been the victim of a an allergic reaction to some color ink, and a doppelganger/impersonator of our heroine, tattooist Brett Cavanaugh, that shines the spotlight on her as a suspect, at least in the eyes of some.

The whole cast of characters is back, as we watch Brett go very easily from being determined to not getting involved to rapid ascension into the thick of police matters. We get a little less Bitsy and Dr. Bixby, and a little more Joel this time around. But fans of Brett Cavanaugh's stormy love-him-or-hate-him relationship with her peer, Murder Ink's Jeff Coleman, will not be disappointed.

And, as always, the city of Las Vegas plays an important part, as well. With Brett Cavanaugh's shop being based in an upscale casino, the character of the city in the dessert is omnipresent.

Karen Olson continues to develop her characters and feature the art of tattooing at the forefront of her plot lines which, for me, is always entertaining. We've come far beyond the days of tattoos being nothing more than part of a murder suspect's characteristics, and tattoo artists being portrayed as suspects on the fringe of society.

If you are reading this and just learning about the series, head on back to book 1 and start from the beginning.

The series is fun and light, and treats tattooers and the tattoo industry with the respect and dignity it deserves. Remember, folks, these are murder mysteries, and their purpose is to entertain. Present volume included, Brett Cavanaugh has never bored me, and Olson knows how to spin a tale efficiently and with a sense of humor, as well.

Ink Flamingos is the latest journey into the world of Brett Cavanaugh, the best damn fictional tattoo artist I know. It's always a pleasure to join her as she unravels some mess, and I encourage Tattoosday readers to check out her shop in the pages of Karen E. Olson's books. It's a whole lot of fun and costs a lot less than getting a new tattoo.

Mariam's Brooklyn Bridge is with Her Forever

I ran into Mariam on the subway platform at 36th Street in Brooklyn a few Saturday nights ago. She shared this tattoo, much to my delight:

This piece, on her upper right arm, depicts the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge. Mariam explained that the view is from DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Underpass, to you non-New Yorkers).

Everyone usually has a refuge to which they can retreat to meditate and be alone. Mariam says that she will occasionally wander in Brooklyn Bridge Park, with its spectacular views of  lower Manhattan, and that this is the place she goes to clear her mind. This is why, on the rocks along the water, the words "for ever" are tattooed.

Mariam credited Alex at Stylez Barber Shop in Brooklyn as the artist who inked this tattoo. There's not a lot of info about this shop on the web, but they are located at 54th Street and 4th Avenue.

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

Lindsay's Two-Wheeled Tattoo

Bike messengers are daily presences in Manhattan and, in the summer, if you are lucky enough to spot one that is not whizzing by on the street, you can see some pretty interesting ink. In almost four years of Tattoosday's existence, I don't think I've ever featured a tattoo on a bike messenger, as they tend to be at work and/or in motion whenever I feel inclined to stop one.

However, last month, I was fortunate enough to catch Lindsay in the lobby of my office building and she shared this tattoo on the outside of her right calf:

This is one of nine tattoos that Lindsay has, and it seemed most appropriate to share, under the circumstances.


She says that this is a complete piece, despite many people mistakenly thinking it's not finished. She found the art on which it is based in an issue of Dirt Rag magazine. She explained that she worked with her friend Shawn Ramsey, who helped her take the original image and convert it into a tattoo:

"I worked in a printing shop at the time, so I printed this on a 8 by 10 to scale it so you could see how it fit in a magazine ... then [Shawn] finished it and it became a full color piece ... I really liked the sketch."

Lindsay also wanted to give a shout-out to Kenny Brown at Jack Brown's Tattoo Revival in Fredericksburg, Virginia, who she called her "favorite artist ever".Work from that shop has appeared once before on Tattoosday, here. Check it out, it's an awesome tattoo.

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

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Ryan’s Steadman Sleeve

I spotted Ryan in my local laundromat, a surprisingly good spot for finding tattoos in the neighborhood. As I mentioned a long time ago over on BillyBlog here, Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one of my favorite books, and the illustrations of Ralph Steadman only enhance the volume's sheer brilliance.

So, once I realized the theme of Ryan's sleeve, I hoped he'd agree to share his ink with us here on Tattoosday. Thankfully, he did:

Ryan is a native Brooklyn resident, and is a huge fan of Steadman. And this iconic image above graces the cover of Thompson's best known book.

The tattoo artist that Ryan is working with on this sleeve is Cris at Puncture Tattoo Studio in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn.

The figure at the top of this piece is the Steadman-imagined Hunter S. Thompson.

The image below Hunter is from the cover of Steadman's America:

Ryan says that all of this work spans "about a year and a half, altogether, session by session, [over] five or six sessions." He adds, "it’s not done yet, it’s gonna go all the way up ... I’ve just been at this stage for a little while now."

I was particularly interested in the piece with the American flag, which Ryan told me was from America, referenced above.

Ryan's work is certainly ambitious and the fact that he intends to continue the work into a full sleeve is certainly intriguing. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next!


Thanks to Ryan for sharing his work with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Happy 400 to us!

I just noticed we reached 400 followers on the blog, and what better way to celebrate than posting pictures of two dudes looking really smug about their hair... wait, what?

Anyway, this is what happens when you let Eckel play with extensions and Allan be, well, Allan.

Wait, did i just spend our celebratory-400-follower-post praising the two people who have never once posted on this blog?

When we reach 500, it's all about you and me, Nick!

Buying myself some time...

Really real post from Hong Kong coming up right here on the blog, as soon as we're not here, enjoying our vacation, anymore!
Sooo, later this week.
Hope y'all are well!

From our hotel

Still not answering emails, by the way.
Because i am on vacation.
It's something people do sometimes, or so i've heard, and in our case we actually don't have access to internet at our hotel.
So yeah, it'll all have to wait until i get back.
Also, sending me the same email twice, or a reminder after just a few days of no reply, will not make me answer your mail faster. More like the contrary.
(Sorry if that sounded a little harsh, but really, what's so important it can't wait a friggin week? Not much.)