tarmasz:tattoo

link here

i've been following more and more tattoo boards on pinterest as i fall deeper down that rabbit hole.  i particularly liked the work of tarmasz as i was looking around there this morning.

i don't have any problem with traditional tattoo style and i'm no expert (!) but i often feel like tattoo art can seem painfully generic.  the possibilities would seem as endless as with any kind of art work and i feel like tattoo imagery is woefully unexplored except in small pockets of the community.

it's been great for me to get a broader picture of body ink via pinterest.   i wish i had easier access to more tattoo artists than i do here in rural new hampshire.  and i'd wish for deeper pockets for all the tattoos i'd want to get! 

books+ink

this was a favorite book of mine as a teenager.  i reread it every several years but i'm afraid my old copy, with the cover half ripped off, did not make it with me in my house move last spring.  i think i'll look for a new one at the used book shop next time i'm in.  i'd be happy to find a vintage hardcover like the one above.  

speaking of favorite books, my first favorite childhood book was "the yearling" which i read multiple times always sobbing heavily the last 25 pages or so.  i think i've said this here before, but i remember the first time i read it i couldn't see the pages for crying so hard.  and then i had a pretty serious "harriet the spy" phase.  so my reading habits aren't always so intense, you see.  but i did read a whole lot as a girl.  i am grateful for this.  

i'm thinking of getting a tattoo of that book cover design above.  my boy ethan and i have an ink appointment in december together.  i'm so looking forward to this because i want another tattoo.  and because i love my boy.

sailor jerry collins

my boy's tattoo and the felice brothers

Ouchie. But he likes it.

bracelet tattoo

Here's the new tattoo. It took forever because matching up a design like this to fit properly around your wrist is not so easy. Doug, the tattooist, had to free-hand it in the end. This one hurt more that my shoulder tattoo. The inside of the wrist is a bitch. I'm not gonna lie. But luckily I'm pretty badass and I only cried twice. (Kidding. I tolerate tattoos just fine). It was pretty swollen and red the first night, however, but it's all good now. The tattoo will eventually turn a more greyish tone like my other one. The dark black lasts a couple months or so.

indulge me?

I've been collecting vintage blue&white pottery and now I'm wondering if I should do a tattoo based on one of these designs. I like the swirly design previously mentioned but ultimately I'm wondering if these types of patterns suit me more and over the long term. I really do appreciate any input. Thank you. You guys are sweet. And really funny. And good looking. I particularly like the outfit you picked out today.

three things i love this morning

First of all, take a look at that little folksy industrial cabin designed by green builder Jetson Green. I always love that corrugated metal siding when I see it. What an awesome material.

The second is an image from the portfolio of designer Kathy Dalwood. The combination of the two textiles on the chair and the picture above are so mega-delish.

And last, I'm getting another tattoo January 2nd and I'm trying to figure out what I want. I need to give the tattooist the design ahead of time so pretty much need to email him a picture in the next day or two. For the last few days I've set my mind on a bracelet with a wavy design and I'm thinking the purple one in the third image. But not purple per se. That's the other thing...should I stay with black/grey or go color? If you have any input please leave a comment.

stencils and tattoos

I was looking for an example of my tattoo as an old stencil on a wall and came upon this place located at the Ames Plantation in Grand Junction, Tennesse. You can read the story of it's relocation and renovation here. When I research original american wall stencil design I'm always in awe of the images I find and always despair over the beautiful work that time and neglect have erased.

I didn't find the image on the web I was looking for but I can recommend this author. She wrote the book about early american wall stencils where I found my tattoo. She has another book about painted floors which is next on my want list of books. The books are filled with a lot of information and color images.