Squid Ink

This outstanding cephalopod tattoo was sent in by Margaj, who had the tattoo done by Ania from Szerytattoo in Warsaw.  The style is fantastic, with the abstract elements almost making the octopus appear as an ink blot.  It gives motion to an animal that is rarely ever seen at rest, while also giving the impression that the octopus is underwater, without explicitly drawing the water in the form of waves.

Wet and Squidgy in the Middle


We showed off Babylovedoll yesterday in all her orange glory, and today it’s a pleasure to start the day with this piece, described only as “orange,” by Terry Ribera, who’s been splitting his time between Avalon Tattoo II in San Diego, California, and Daredevil Tattoo in New York City. It’s pretty easy for bio-mech stuff to end up looking samey, but Ribera’s work is so damn solid it’s pretty hard not to appreciate. What can I say? I’m a sucker for citrus-powered limbs.

Pain Solution US Tour

Håvve Fjell and Pain Solution are back in the United States soon, touring with The Sqidling Brothers Circus Sideshow, and perhaps most excitingly wrapping up their tour in Dallas for the suscon with a performance with Stelarc (generally considered one of the grandfathers of modern suspension, along with Fakir Musafar). Jump to the website for up-to-date tour info, but here’s what’s been announced:

To get an idea of what Pain Solution‘s shows are like, check out these videos:

And as to the show with Stelarc, I’m not sure what they have planned for Dallas, but here’s what they did in Oslo last year. This is not something you want to miss — it’s one of those “once in a lifetime” events that will change the way you look at suspension. Any performer or practitioner able to make it to Dallas should do everything they can to make it!

Flight of the Locust

When it comes to distinct styles, Ania from Szerytattoo in Poland has a style that just jumps right out at you.  If you remember back in January, I posted a fantastic octopus piece by her.  This time we have her interpretation of a locust in flight.  mOshpit_panda, the owner of the tattoo, made the trip to Warsaw specifically to get it done in Ania’s distinct style.

Ania doesn’t have her own portfolio gallery yet, so for now you can see this and some of her other works in the miscellaneous tattoo gallery.

She’s not a dummy

Last week we got a look an an octopus tattoo by Ania from Szery Tattoo in Warsaw, Poland.  Well this week we’ve got another artist from the same shop, Aldona.  The two tattoos below are just a small sample of the works that have been submitted by her recently, and each and every one is just as impressive.

The first is an abstract piece that incorporates a large birthmark on the owner’s arm.

The second is a piece that pays tribute to Salvador Dali.

Be sure to check out all the tattoo galleries for more examples of Aldona’s work.

The penguin flys on…

Currently modblog regular, Penguin Boy, his partner Baron Von Geiger (amazing earlobe weight lifter) and the rest of The Squidling Bros. are on tour with the Coney Island Cockabilly Roadshow.

I don’t make it out to shows too much anymore, but this may be worthy of making an exception for. Hell, they are even performing with Hick’ry Hawkins, a cat I used to watch at local South Carolina venues a bunch back in the nineties.

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For tour dates, keep on keeping on.

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Don’t Masquerade


The last time we saw Cole up there, he was showing off that handsome chest piece, and understandably so! This time around, however, his clothes have tragically disappeared somehow, though this calamity at least allows us a convenient vantage point of the cephalopodic addition to his side by Jay at Trigger Happy in Vancouver, British Columbia. After the jump, we get a better look at a few things that are mildly obscured in the above photo.

How to Build a Boat


As part of our ongoing effort to bring you the absolute best in both knuckle and cephalopod tattoos, here’s some hand-work by Asa Rogers at Art With Heart in Denver, Colorado. It’s common knowledge that I can’t help but find endearing stylistic mishmashes, and this Asian lettering/”Book Worm”/sea-creature battle just plain does it for me. (The brilliant coloring doesn’t hurt.)

And before anyone pipes in with a worry or complaint that they either (1) already have “Book Worm” on their knuckles or (2) were planning on getting it and this just ruins their day…cheer up. If there’s a fine club of which to be a part, I think this would be it. On that note, what’s everybody reading this summer? Let’s hear your recommendations, ModBloggers. Oh, and of course, the other hand of above set is conveniently placed after the jump.

Struck the Hour


And here we have a fine rendering of what I can only assume the final days of World War III will look like, once society as we know it has crumbled and all that remain are the giant squid and steampunks, fighting for a world no longer worth living in.

(“The squid and the ship are based on one of my own illustrations,” says the wearer. “I sent the rough to Russ (Abbott) and two days later I was getting it done in one sitting whilst leaning over a fold out metal chair (at the Boston Tattoo Convention). Gotta love conventions for that. If I had been in Georgia, it would have been over a month waiting period to get it down.”)