Juan's Sleeve, Traditional Elements, Inked in the Bronx

A burst of pleasantly warm weather this week signified the end of a quiet winter.

Posts have been scarce indeed, but I see busier times ahead.

Wednesday afforded me my first "Tat* Trick" of 2010. That term, for those unfamiliar, is reserved for a day when I meet and photograph at least three tattoo hosts. Even rarer is the "Lunch Tat Trick," which involves me getting photos from three people (or more) in the course of an hour, on my lunch break.

So I am grateful for the following contributor, and the two three other nice people from the 10th of March.

I spotted Juan in Penn Station and he offered up this half-sleeve-in-progress, which includes a skull element and a panther :


Inked by Freddie Arroyo at Cool Hand Tattoo in the Bronx, this tattoo features his ideas and the artist's interpretation of the suggested design elements. The mask at the bottom of the design is one element I find exceptionally interesting, as it deviates slightly from what a traditional demon mask looks like, and takes on a slightly more original appearance which more likely reflects the style of the artist:


The work as photographed represents two sittings. Not seen in the shot above, but quite impressive, is the work and color of this flower, which is on the inside of the biceps, extending into the ditch:


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

* Ed. Note:Tattoo purists often raise an eyebrow at the term "tat" to denote a tattoo. I generally employee it when I am attempting a clever play on words. Sometimes, I fail.

A Tropical Tattoo on a Cold Winter's Day

While making a quick pass through Penn Station at lunch, I spotted this sweet tattoo on a guy waiting for his train:


Steph is a student out on Long Island who designs and draws up his tattoos and then has them inked.

The piece featured above was the first one that I spotted on him (he has eight in all), and he was willing to share it here.

Perched on his left bicep, It depicts a tropical setting, with bamboo and a panther, the main element in the tattoo.

This particular design was inked about two years ago by Chris at Tattooing by Richie in Elmont, Long Island.

Previous work from the shop has appeared here.

Thanks to Steph for sharing his self-designed body art with us here on Tattoosday!