Results tagged “tattoo”

Back in July 21-year-old singer Rihanna was spotted inking up some others at East Side Ink tattoo parlor in the East Village. The problem is that's not so legal when you aren't licensed, so now the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has cited the shop for "operating with an unlicensed tattoo artist on site." Her longtime tattoo artist, BangBang, was the first to get marked by the singer, getting an "R" on his leg. Two other resident artists got the same; the owner says, "She hadn't done that before. We had a blast. It was so funny and cute." The fine could go up to around $2,000—but we're guessing that's pocket change for the singer, and maybe she'll help out her friends—though with all this publicity she's probably already done her part.

According to Rihanna Buff (your ultimate online Rihanna news source?), the singer was in the East Village yesterday getting tattoo lessons at East Side Ink. The fan blog reports, "All the black she’s been wearing is getting kind of repetitive, but I can deal with it." So understanding. Anyway, she was allegedly there for a sketching class; could Rihanna be looking for a second career? You know what...Rihanna says, "Just live your life/ay ay ay/Intead of chasing that paper." However, she does have an $18,000 a month rental in SoHo to pay for. UPDATE: TMZ went and ruined the fun, they posted about the illegality of Rihanna touching a needle without a license, and now the NYC Health Dept. are sending someone down to the shop. Meanwhile, the singer could be charged with three misdemeanors.

Last week, an 18-year-old Belgian girl claimed that a Romanian tattoo artist mistakenly put 53 tattoo stars too many on her face. Kimberley Vlaeminck, who said she wanted three stars near her eye, sued the tattoo artist for $14,000 for the cost of removing the tattoos, while Rouslan Toumaniantz maintained Vlaeminck wanted all 56 stars. Now the teen has confessed to her misguided desire: "I asked for 56 stars and initially adored them. But when my father saw them, he was furious. So I said I fell asleep and the that the tattooist made a mistake." As for Toumaniantz, he said the hubbub gave him publicity, but he will require clients to sign consent forms. It's unclear whether Vlaeminck is getting the tattoos removed, but if she does, it could take a while—as local dermatologist Dr. Jonathan Zizmor told us, "If you come in and say take it off in one time, it doesn't make a difference on the size. You have to come in multiple times so it goes away. Sometimes on certain colors it doesn't work well."

Feeling a pang of nostalgia for the former Revere Sugar Dome and factory in Red Hook? The site may have been leveled, but the spirit of it lives on. Gowanus Lounge received a photo (above right) from Adam Suerte of Brooklyn Tattoo, along with the story of a man and his wife who were leaving their home in Red Hook for Puerto Rico. "One of their favorite views down by the water was of the Revere Sugar Refinery. So, being a fan of my style, he asked me to do a drawing of the refinery, then tattoo it on him. And so it was." What demolished building would you have permanently placed on your skin?

A reader pointed out that though the Post and NY Times mentioned that Knicks captain Stephon Marbury had a new tattoo on the left side of his head, neither publication bothered to bless the public with an image of this new addition.

As if the graffiti and anti-hipster sentiments weren't enough to prove that Staten Island may indeed be Williamsburg II, the borough is raising the bar by opening up NYC's first ever tattoo museum! How hip is that? It's set to open this summer in a space above one-named local Dozer's Island Tattoo shop. The SI Advance notes that the plan is "to create three tableaux in the 500-square foot space, with automated mannequins depicting tattooing methods. Video and sound elements will add explanation and atmosphere to each scene." Other relics and photographs of the hundreds of firefighters who came in for their official commemorative WTC tattoos will also be on display. As a nice side note: All money from each of those tattoos has been given to firefighters and their families. Dozer is sure to be the main attraction of the museum, however, along with his 6-year-old son, who the paper claims is "an aspiring gynecologist."

Ashley Alexandra Dupre, also known as "Kristen," the high-class prostitute former governor Eliot Spitzer visited on Valentine's Day eve, strutted her considerable stuff at a New Jersey beach yesterday and there was a photographer on the scene to provide enough photos for the Daily News to give us this gallery.