Jake's Redd Foxx Tattoo Helps Us Celebrate Father's Day!

Last week, I posted about a trio of friends that had recently moved from San Francisco to New York, all of them inked.

Jake was the first of the three to share his tattoo with us, and it is such a good piece, I saved it for a special occasion, Father's Day:


This is, of course, a portrait of the great comedian Redd Foxx. People of my generation (X) remember him as the bristling curmudgeon in the sitcom "Sandford and Son".



For those who are unfamiliar with the series, the show is about a widower, Fred Sanford (Foxx), raising his adult son Lamont (played by Desmond Wilson), and their junkyard business. It was a breakthrough show that was one of the first on network television to feature a minority cast.

The father-son dynamic is an ongoing theme, and Jake recalls watching the show with his dad and it being a bonding experience.

His father passed away about four years ago this month from cancer. The tattoo is not only a tribute to the great comedian, but a reminder of the times Jake spent watching "Sandford and Son" with his dad. Jake added, "I'm pretty sure if [my dad] was still around, he would get a kick out of seeing Redd Foxx on my calf."

This amazing portrait was tattooed on the back of Jake's right calf by Greg Rojas at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco.

As we celebrate Father's Day today, I thank Jake for sharing this awesome tattoo with us here, and invite everyone to revisit the host of tattoos previously posted on Tattoosday that pay tribute to dads. Click here to see the lot.

And, as a special treat, in the spirit of the day, I present the following clip:



Happy Father's Day from Tattoosday!

Ashley's Trio of Tattoos

I've always said that Tattoosday is 50% about the tattoos and 50% about finding them. But once in a while, tattoos just present themselves and I can't contain myself.

Ashley is a case in point. She was at the laundromat the same time as I was, and she had two small tattoos inked on her feet. Out on the street, I likely would have let her walk by without stopping her, but there, as we stood around waiting for clothes to wash and dry themselves, it struck me as negligent NOT to ask her about the tattoos.

Ashley has three tattoos in all. The first one I noticed was this peace sign on her right foot:


It's a popular symbol, of course, and not simply because of what it stands for, but for the aesthetics of the shape.

Similarly, she has a small heart on her left foot:


What's interesting to me about this simple tattoo is the duality of the colors. Ashley says that the colors represent the "two polar sides" of her personality - the "mellow" green and the more exciting pink.

Both tattoos were done in the same sitting by an artist named Taz.

Ashley has a third tattoo, her first, which she was kind enough to share with me:


This star was inked by Joe at Studio Enigma (whose work has appeared previously on Tattoosday here). This is purely decorative, at the base of her neck, and she had it done with a close friend, who had the same design inked on her shoulder blade.

Thanks to Ashley for sharing these tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Amy's Variation on a Sailor Jerry Classic

I met Amy one day a few weeks back, outside of Madison Square Garden.

She estimates she has spent about 36 hours being tattooed, and that her body is "a work in progress".

She offered up this tattoo on her left arm, which is a modified version of a classic Sailor Jerry design:


The original concept is your basic naval tattoo design, with the "Stewed, Screwed, and Tattooed" slogan:

This piece has been elongated, with a few flowers added for that feminine touch, and the banner "1 Life" is inserted as a nod to the shop where she had this done.


This, along with most of her work, was tattooed by Branden Noetzel at 1 Life Tattoo in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Amy, who is a make-up artist by trade, also has the knuckle tattoos that read B-O-O-K W-O-R-M. I would have shot them for my friends over at KnuckleTattoos.com, but she's already on the site (see them clearly here). So, she offered up her two foo dogs (inked on her hands for protection) instead:


Thanks to Amy for sharing her great tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

Smiley Happy Pinup

Chris Burnett chanelling the Joker, perhaps. Previously featured here.

Smiley Happy Pinup

Chris Burnett chanelling the Joker, perhaps. Previously featured here.

A German Gypsy in New York City

I met Dominic a couple of weeks ago out in front of Madison Square Garden in Penn Plaza.

He was visiting from Cologne, Germany, and was displaying an arm with tattoos:



Dominic has seven tattoos, most of which are based on traditional flash art.

We looked specifically at his gypsy tattoo, which Dominic says is especially poignant:



Why is this piece so meaningful? Dominic says his family once was very well-off ("blue-blooded"), but they lost their fortune. As a result, he feels a certain kinship to the tattoo.

The tattoo was created by Carlos at Fine Line Tattooing in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Thanks to Dominic for sharing his gypsy with us here on Tattoosday!

Channelling Jime

Derek Zielinski's Jime Litwalk inspired piece.