The Tattooed Poets Project: Francesco Grisanzio

Every year I meet at least one of the poets featured on the Tattooed Poets Project. Francesco Grisanzio lives in New York and I got the chance to personally photograph his tattoos, which he offered up for us here on Tattoosday:

Francesco explained:

"My tattoos are of the characters from a comic strip I draw, or at least used to draw.

It's been a few years since I made a new strip. The comics haven't been published, but I did receive a great rejection letter from the paper at UMass Amherst when I was a student there.

They said something along the lines of 'We love the art, but you know that this content is unpublishable. Clean it up and we'll talk.'

The tattoos were done in Woonsocket, RI at American Art Tattoo."

Francesco offered up this poem:

Teenage Heaven

After Eddie Cochran

The Coupe, phone, big city—
freedom, Eddie, is what it boils down to.
Sharp crew cut cardigan,
our dearest son,
patriot, toe tap child rebel against homework,
enjoy the benefits of citizenship.
You’ve earned it.
Here’s three dollars.
Have a swell weekend.
We trust you not to make a mess.

But it’s not just youthful ignorance
or innocence where you choose to do what’s right on your own.
We’ve been to the drive in show,
seen peacock letterman, gorilla arm not content on headrest.
How dare you chuckle.  She’s just a child.
My God, Eddie, there’s nothing “little snack” about six hotdogs.
That’s beyond ingestion.  Where will they all go?
What are your intentions with our daughter?
We know she’s beautiful, but show restraint.
Little lady, you’re young.  This is heaven.
You can run.  This is America.
Please.  He’s an animal.  A beast.
And, Eddie, we’re very disappointed in you.

~ ~ ~

Francesco Grisanzio is currently working on his MFA in poetry at The New School. He earned his BA in English from UMass Amherst. His work has appeared or will be appearing in Word Riot, Fawlt, Why I Am Not a Painter, Strange Machine, and Interrobang!? Magazine.

Thanks to Francesco for his contribution to the Tattooed Poets Project on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2012 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission. 


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Dean's Wolverine Tattoo Shows Amazing Perspective

I met Dean outside of Penn Station late one Friday afternoon.

I was interested in talking to him about this leg tattoo:


When I approached him, he challenged me, asking if I knew what it was. There's nothing more embarrassing than misidentifying someone's tattoo, so I gave it a careful look.

"Wolverine?" I asked. In hindsight it seems clearer, but at the time I was worried about answering it incorrectly.


I passed the test.

Dean, possessor of seven tattoos, is a huge fan of the comic book superhero, and was even more so 15 years ago, when he had this done by his friend Shawn Adamczyk, who is co-owner of S&S Ink Spot in Columbus, Georgia.

What's remarkable about the tattoo is the perspective, as Wolverine himself is further back, on the side of the leg and, as he reaches forward with his claws, the character seems nearer, as the hand and razor-like talons dominate the top part of the shin:


The tattoo represents four sittings and approximately twenty hours of work.

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

Inked Up Angels: Part 1, Pink's X-Men

Back in April, I ran into two young ladies in Penn Station. Both were significantly tattooed and I was delighted when they agreed to talk to me and allowed me to snap a few photos.

In order to give each woman her proper due, I'll start with "Pink", who showed me her tattoo first.

Actually, she was already showing her tattoos. With a full leg sleeve and an estimated eleven pieces in all (approximately), she already had a lot of ink on full display.

She showed me her right bicep to exhibit the following piece in progress:


Pink advised me that this is a tattoo of Gambit and Rogue. Shwoing my ignorance, I questioned who they were, assuming they were characters from a comic. I was in the right neighborhood, as they are characters from the X-Men.

This piece was tattooed by Pat Sheridan at The White Lotus Tattoo & Art Gallery in Toms River, New Jersey.

As it turns out, both Pink and her friend Kat are part of a group called The Inked Up Angels (their MySpace page is here). The Inked Up Angels can best be described as a gathering of young ladies with tattoos who model, but without the nudity of the Suicide Girls.

If you head over to their MySpace page and root around the photos section, you'll see more pictures of Pink, including some cool shots where her other tattoos are viewable.

And, stay tuned for part two of this post, where Pink's friend Kat unveils what I can safely say is one of the most amazing tattoos I've ever had the pleasure to capture for Tattoosday.

Thanks again to Pink for sharing her work with us here!

An Inky Obsession with Hellboy

I met Daniel at Borders and I could tell, from a distance, his tattoo was pretty special. It was only when I saw it up close that I realized how cool it is:


This is based on a limited edition print of the comic book character, Hellboy.

Daniel is a fan of Mike Mignola's creation, one of his favorite comic book characters, and he acknowledges that he's "a bit obsessed" with Hellboy. His hope is to eventually devote an entire sleeve to him. Note the detail on the edges of the panel. This just wasn't the character, but the edges of the piece look as if ripped directly from a comic book panel.


This was inked by Simone at Rising Dragon in Manhattan, when it was still on 23rd Street. Daniel estimates that this finely-detailed piece took about four and a half hours of work to complete.


Work from Rising Dragon has appeared previously here.

Thanks to Daniel for sharing his Hellboy ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Galactus and Red Skull on The Right Arm of Thomas

Saturday night, I ran into Thomas, who was waiting for the B16 bus on 86th Street in Bay Ridge.

Thomas is a manager at Galaxy Collectibles in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The store specializes in comics and related items and Thomas' tattoos reflect his love of the Art of Comic Books.

Above we have the inner forearm, his right, which he has dubbed "The Bad Guy Arm".

On top is Galactus,


and below is Red Skull.


As he was showing me the tattoos, he was explaining the characters, where they first appeared, and who designed them.

Thomas explained that he didn't start out with the intention of having "themed" arms, but they just sort of "evolved". He started with Galactus, and then realized another piece just below it would make sense and fill the space neatly.

On his outer right forearm is the Green Goblin:



These were all inked by his friend Marc Redbeard at Groove Tattoo in Bay Ridge. Work from Groove has appeared previously here.

His next project is "The Good Guy Arm," his left, which already has a Superman logo and The Green Lantern.

Thanks to Thomas for sharing his cool ink with us here on Tattoosday!