The Phantom Tollbooth
This belongs to Sara.
This is my tattoo from The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster. It's an original illustration from the book. The book has been a favorite of mine since childhood, and I knew that one day I would want to get a picture or text tattoo to represent it. I chose this particular drawing because it is my favorite part of the book. The main character, Milo, has just met Chroma, the conductor of the world's colors. He is responsible for conducting an orchestra that produces daytime and nighttime, sunrises and sunsets, and is the reason for the passage of time. Milo's responsibility is to wake Chroma up in time to conduct the sunrise, but instead he decides to attempt to conduct himself, and he accidentally conducts the orchestra through an entire week of time. The tattoo is of Milo sleeping on the conductor's music. I love this part so much because it is whimsical and beautiful, and as the rest of the book, makes you look at the everyday in a new way. It keeps me appreciating what I have, and the kid inside of me will always love the story.
Shel Silverstein
This belongs to Margaret.
I got this tattoo as a tribute to my favorite author, Shel Silverstein
. What better way to show your love for an author/illustrator than to have their work on you forever. I'll never
be without a book again. Done by Shelly Thompson at Magick Dragon Tattoo in Gainesville, GA.
A-K
This is Annie's tattoo.
As an undergraduate Psychology student, I chose to do my senior thesis on technology and the influence it has on our lives, which led me to realize the many, many ways in which we are somewhat losing our appreciation for simplicity and beauty. Books, for instance. There is something so contrived and superficial about having an entire book at your fingertips...on a screen. I started collecting beautiful old books, for the aesthetics and also for the principle that someday they might not exist as they do now. One of my favorites, and firsts, is an old cloth-bound dictionary from the 40's (volume A-K). I decided to get the design found on the spine of this book on my side, along with the letters A-K as they happen to be my initials. I hope it will remind me to continue to appreciate old things and their history as well as the importance of not getting ahead of ourselves.
The Vinegar Works
This is Amber's tattoo.
This is my second tattoo done in November 2010. It's from one of the title pages of Edward Gorey's The Vinegar Works
: Three Volumes of Moral Instruction. He is my favorite writer/ illustrator, and his pen and ink pieces translate so well into tattooing. I plan on getting more of his work done in the future.
Original art:
Molly Millions
This tattoo belongs to James Henry.
In 2010 I had a Neuromancer
tattoo done. Namely, the character Molly Millions. I got to show it to William Gibson when he was doing a book tour for Zero History. He liked it and actually commented it was one of the closest renditions of her he had seen. The tattoo was done by Carla Hopkins at Portside Parlor in Philadelphia, PA.
Stitches
This is Danny's tattoo:
It's a re purposing of an image from David Small's graphic novel "Stitches
". The specific scene that the image is from depicts how the author as a child used to hide from his awful upbringing within his imagination, specifically in his drawings.
I have to want a tattoo for six months consistently before i'm allowed to start allocating the money to get one. I got this because I wanted to have a reminder that no matter what i'm always the little kid who hides in books. Also Mr Small is from my hometown and I'm constantly trying to find a good Detroit tattoo. It was done by Alex at Three Kings tattoos in Greenpoint.
Argos
This is Anna's tattoo.
This is a tattoo I had done a couple of years ago of Argos, Odysseus' dog in The Odyssey
. I love the little side-story of the dog waiting for his master to return and being the only one who recognises him so much that I had to get it tattooed. There is nothing that makes me smile faster when I get home than my own three Argoses waiting at the door, tails wagging.
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