Zoe's Birds, Aloft

I met Zoe a couple weeks ago when I spotted an incredible bird tattoo creeping up over her shoulder:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEU-Dsge4mLw00QYojN12Z81lwAdNfFJDRxMvaFvN-a15TRGh2m9PT5lGYlufQUrezu06yLyGL2X93XZcoFjtRbQ20HbROqrQxFWSsTBxfzJNU0kEZ5zThiO41lfV7GYqHhAaLCUtrjQ/s1600/zoes+birds+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEU-Dsge4mLw00QYojN12Z81lwAdNfFJDRxMvaFvN-a15TRGh2m9PT5lGYlufQUrezu06yLyGL2X93XZcoFjtRbQ20HbROqrQxFWSsTBxfzJNU0kEZ5zThiO41lfV7GYqHhAaLCUtrjQ/s640/zoes+birds+2.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br />What's especially mesmerizing about this tattoo is where it begins:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE6e0OydhTuQyAWlMHL8l1K1mIAzuUel0AKd8neGfv0WrjHizVMIYk9Vrd07VYmxqSGoQ8Hs0ZGTLuLmM0DviOqqNCe-5nsm1bSitZfzycs1QYFH6NA1YLnGnBsDLiQ_mJhaYOMjkRM4/s1600/zoes+birds+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIE6e0OydhTuQyAWlMHL8l1K1mIAzuUel0AKd8neGfv0WrjHizVMIYk9Vrd07VYmxqSGoQ8Hs0ZGTLuLmM0DviOqqNCe-5nsm1bSitZfzycs1QYFH6NA1YLnGnBsDLiQ_mJhaYOMjkRM4/s400/zoes+birds+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Starting in the middle of her back, this flock of birds lifts up off of her flesh, and flies over her shoulder.<br /><br />So from where did the inspiration for this tattoo come? Zoe explains:<br /><blockquote>"I stole the color combination and the silhouetted birds from my favorite album [<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deja_Entendu">Deja Entendu</a></i> by <a href="http://www.fightoffyourdemons.com/">Brand New</a>].<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjsH1DyM-zaYdmvJAGNcIG6-ejxm_KC9pLXib9pJfqFrPfu3wM5cYPlgM7d2Nj34aj47_hKjK94JyZkFOgG-NeSFm_9A4rcxc48utH2sROKskVMgukgXNZg8PClgRVAyUVT3feQh7uY8/s1600/art7.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjsH1DyM-zaYdmvJAGNcIG6-ejxm_KC9pLXib9pJfqFrPfu3wM5cYPlgM7d2Nj34aj47_hKjK94JyZkFOgG-NeSFm_9A4rcxc48utH2sROKskVMgukgXNZg8PClgRVAyUVT3feQh7uY8/s400/art7.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />I went in [to <a href="http://namebrandtattoo.com/home.html">Name Brand Tattoo</a> in Ann Arbor, Michigan] and gave [tattoo artist <a href="http://dawncooke.net/home.html">Dawn Cooke</a>] the music and said this is why ... it helped me get through a really bad point in my life. I told her what I wanted and she figured out the placement on my body. I originally wanted it straight across my back, but she worked with my body to get it on there ... after three hours of tattooing, I asked her if she put coloring in and she did. It's all free-hand."</blockquote><br />The tattoo took four hours in all to complete, and Zoe had nothing but praise for the artist and the shop. Name Brand, she said, "is great, super-relaxed ... they weren't judgmental [and] tend to have people with art degrees, which is really interesting." Artist Dawn Cook has moved, however, and now tattoos out of <a href="http://depottowntattoo.com/home.html">Depot Town Tattoo</a>, in Traverse City, Michigan.<br /><br />Thanks to Zoe for sharing her amazing tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!<br /><br />Asa an added treat, here's a track from Brand New, from the album that helped inspire this body art:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aMJIc9USE2U" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. </span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.</span>

Zoe's Birds, Aloft

I met Zoe a couple weeks ago when I spotted an incredible bird tattoo creeping up over her shoulder: What's especially mesmerizing about...

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