The story behind this piece is simple, every day, all across the world, brave men and women face death head on to save the lives of strangers.  Every time one enters a burning building to save someone, they take the chance of never walking out again.  This isn’t a tattoo about death, it’s about being proud of those who put their lives on the line every day.

Tattoo by Michael Ashworth, from Artistic Impressions in Katy, TX.

Here’s the other photo I mentioned earlier that was sent in by FemaleHumanoid.  The focus here is not just on the couple, but also their tattoos.  In fact I’d hazard a guess that the point of the photo is to showcase the work, that just happens to be on these two individuals.  As with the earlier post, you’ll definitely want to go to the gallery to see the full sized version of this photo so you can get a better look at the tattoos.

This may be my new favorite portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

Portrait by Matt Kramer from Mind’s Eye Tattoo, Emmaus, PA

Well today kicked off with an abstract take on a stork, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that storks deliver babies.

The lovely Ms. Gretchensarus here sent in quite a few photos to the BMEGirls gallery.  If you’ve got the time, head on over and check out more of this modified mom-to-be.

Today we’re going to be taking a look at the works of Michael Kozlenko, one of the many talented artists from Kipod Tattoo and Piercing in Tel Aviv.  We’ve featured works from Michael before, as well as other artists from Kipod.  Over the course of today you’ll be able to see a small preview of some of the many works that can be found in the Kipod Tattoo Portfolio.

In the final post of today’s artist profile, we’ll take a look at one of Michael’s non-portrait works.

Like the rest of today’s images, Michael sent in multiple pictures, highlighting each element of the tattoo.  By heading over to the Kipod gallery, you can see all of the smaller details in this piece.

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This badass skull was sent in by one of the newest IAM members, Glam Zombie.

He tattooed this piece on fellow artist Jason Angst.  You can see the skull in all it’s full-sized glory in the skull tattoo gallery.

Science has proven it time and time again that when it gets hot outside, BMEGirls will shed their clothing and take pictures.  Now for Iowa native TooGhoulForSchool, summer gives her a chance to stretch out on a hammock and soak up the sun.

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A little dash of mystery is a nice way to kick of the last day of ModBlog for the year.  Come Friday all the BME staff are going to be at BMEHQ for the BME New Year’s Eve Party.  You’re all invited, so if you haven’t made plans yet, check out the event page for all the details.

As for the mystery woman, all I can tell you is that Daniel from Brightmoor in Columbia, TN did her tattoos.

The interesting thing about tattoo cover-ups is how the artist chooses to use the space that is being covered.  It also depends on what the client wants as well.  Ideally the end result will be that the original tattoo is no longer visible, and for the most part that happens.  But what about that transition period?  The time when the cover-up starts, to when it is finished.  For large pieces with multiple sessions, this period could last weeks, if not months.  While this is going on something unique is formed, a blending of the two tattoos, where the old and new combine to make something uniquely beautiful.

An perfect example of this beauty is Siren’s chest piece.  With just the black outline and some shading done on the new skull tattoo, the bright colors of the old can be seen through the lines, resulting in a stunning image of a piece of art in transition.

While this is closer to a sugar skull than it is to a Shakespearean prop, the dramatic flair of this piece can’t be ignored.  Filled with religious symbolism, as well as some excellent almost watercolor-like shading, this is probably one of the finer skull tattoos I’ve seen in a while.  All credit goes to Beto Munoz from MonkeyProInk in Addison, IL.