This Christmas season has looked quite different for most of the world due to the global pandemic, but these Christmas Tattoos are sure to help make the season bright! Wishing all my readers a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.
What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
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Kewpie dolls have been seen on old school flash sheets since the early 1900’s, and have gone through fazes of popularity. The original creator of these cuties was Rose O’Neill, an American poet and artist who was famous for being the best-known and highest paid female commercial illustrator in the US at the time. The original designs were made for Ladies Home Journal in 1909 as cupid dolls, with “Kewpie” being a fun variation of the word “Cupid.” They were then put into comic strips also written and Illustrated by Rose O’Neill, and were also used in multiple advertisements such as Jell-O and Kellogg’s corn flakes, among others.
Some notable tattoo artists that first started putting Kewpies in tattoo flash were Percy Waters, Milton Zeis, and Bill Moore. They were very popular designs in the early 1900’s, but faded in popularity in the 1950’s.
It was tattooer Mike “Rollo” Malone that brought Kewpie tattoos back into popularity, drawing many variations of the Kewpie to suit all sorts of tattoo collectors.
Kewpies were also made into the famous dolls we know now, also originally designed by Rose O’Neill. Some notable features of Kewpies as dolls, drawings, and tattoos include a (usually) nude Cupid-like child with a chubby belly, a kind of topknot hairdo, and originally, a red heart and blue wings painted on the chest and back. Rosie cheeks and a mischievous smile were/are also key elements. These dolls were made of many materials including hard plastic, vinyl, cloth, and more. The original dolls are still recognizable with Rose O’Neills name on the bottom of their feet, and are often worth quite a lot.
While most Kewpies were nude, in the 1920’s they started being made with clothing and uniforms such as firemen, cowboys, soldiers, musicians, and more. Today, as tattoos these impish characters are usually still done in an old school American traditional style, and feature most of the same original features previously listed. Many artists get creative and turn famous celebrities or characters into Kewpies, or make them a bit darker by giving them weapons or even making them into horror icons.
Do you have a Kewpie tattoo?
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Palm tattoos have been growing in popularity over the last few years, but people are still divided on the longevity of the pieces (as well as how much they have to hurt).
Palms are of course a high touch part of your body, and go through a lot of wear and tear. So putting a tattoo on it might seem pointless to some if it’s just going to fade immediately.
I have seen a fair number of healed palm pieces that haven’t required touch ups, even after years of wear.
A long lasting palm tattoo seems to require two things; Solid black lines, and proper aftercare. If you’re able to more or less not use that hand during the majority of the healing process, your tattoo shouldn’t scab much, and should settle in nicely. Obviously that’s not doable for everyone, but it definitely plays a part.
Do you have or want a palm tattoo?
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Francesco Ferarra works out of Fronte del Porto Roma in Rome, Italy, and also sells prints here.
Francesco does classic old school tattoos that are bright and vibrant in colour, with bold black lines. Looking at Francesco’s work, you’ll only see black, red, and yellow/gold making up these beautiful pieces.
His portfolio includes both one shot smaller pieces, and large full back or front pieces. Among these gorgeous designs you’ll find classics such as the Rock of Ages, Sun Dance, devils and angels, lady heads, and animals such as snakes, eagles, and butterfly’s.
Whether you live in Rome or are passing through, Francesco is another must see artist.
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