Tiger Tattoo

Celebrity Ink - Angelina Jolie

Kanji for "courage" matching ex-husband Johnny Lee Miller on inner left forearm(lasered off).

Tennesee Williams quote,"a prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages" on inner left forearm.

Chinese dragon with "Billy Bob" for ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton (lasered off).

Latitude and longitude co-ordinates for her 6 children and partner Brad Pitt on upper left arm.

"know your rights" (the name of a song by The Clash) at nape of neck in gothic script.

Kanji for "death" on upper left shoulder (lasered off).

Buddhist Pali incantation in Khmer for adopted Cambodian son Maddox "May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides." done by Thai artist Sompong Kanphai.

Arabic  script reading "strength of will" on inner right forearm.

Latin quote "Quod me nutrit me destruit", meaning "What nourishes me also destroys me" on lower abdomen.

Dragon on lower left abdomen, covered up with a solid black cross.

Tribal wings on lower back.

Tribal dragon tattoo on lower back covered up with traditional Bengal tiger also done by Sompong Kanphai in celebration of her Cambodian citizenship.

Roman numeral XIII (to note her lack of superstition) to which she later added V MCMXL, the date of a speech by Winston Churchill "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat"

Runic letter "H" for brother James Haven and ex-boyfriend Timothy Hutton.

Letter "M" on heel of right palm for late mother Marcheline Bertrand.

Swirls added to Roman numeral and lat-longitude tattoos.

Tattoo on right inner thigh only confirmed as a being a tattoo for partner Brad Pitt. Speculated thus far to say "Whiskey Bravo" the phonetic spelling for Brad's initials, William Bradley. 

"Death could come at any time", Angelina Jolie says. The tattoo is a strong reminder to live fully in the moment and never have regrets." (About her first tattoo of the Japanese Kanji for Death) "I didn't get the tattoo for the dark reason everyone thinks."


"Usually all my tattoos came at good times. A tattoo is something permanent when you've made a self-discovery, or something you've come to a conclusion about."


Jolie says her tiger tattoo is a favorite of her kids.  "They talk to it all the time.  They like to say hi to it and paint it with fingerpaints.  It's like a little friend."


"I dropped my pants in a tattoo parlor in Amsterdam. I woke up in a waterbed with this funky-looking dragon with a blue tongue on my hip. I realized I made a mistake, so a few months later I got a cross to cover it. When my pants hang low, it looks like I'm wearing a dagger!"

Sources: Mario Testino, Vogue March '04, Jan '07, Marie Claire Oct '10, Vanity Fair Jan '11, Reuters, Trish Talk

Celebrity Ink - Adam Levine

Shark on right ribs.

Eagle on upper ribs, across torso.

"Tapas" in Sanskrit on left upper chest.

Tiger on right arm-inner elbow.

"Mom" on right outer forearm.

"Los Angeles" on right upper arm.

Paw print with "Frankie Girl" on right upper shoulder blade for his Golden Retriever.

Full sleeve on left arm - acoustic guitar, "222" the room number of the first studio that Maroon 5 recorded in, dove and cherry blossoms in remembrance of 9/11, Roman numeral "X" marking when he and bandmate Jesse Carmichael got together, when Songs About Jane went platinum and the 10 year anniversary of the band.

Sources: UK Cosmo, We Heart It, The Examiner

A Drop of Barney

Name: Jake or Barney- whatever makes you comfortable.

Age: 27 and a half

Tell me about yourself: I’m a Civil Engineer, working at a great firm in Collingwood (don’t pay enough but there is a great culture here- that being said I’m completing this in work time). I live in Prahran, spend a lot of my spare time at the gym, going to gigs, surfing and being “socially active”. Music is one of my true passions, I spend a lot of money on CD’s and gigs, I used to play a lot of guitar- but being a single man, there is not a lot of time for it anymore. I’m a patient type of person, a pacifist of sorts but I have no tolerance for people that do not use common sense.

How many tattoos do you have: I have one moderately large tattoo. If I was going to get one I was going to do it properly.

Age when you got your first tattoo: 26

Do you have a favourite tattoo?: Not particularly. I think a lot of musicians with numerous tattoos (even of clashing themes) have a really good spread of tattoos. I find a lot of people with a lot tattoos look like they have been rushed and they come off as looking like stickers pasted across their bodies.

Any more tattoos planned?: Perhaps in the future. It will either be a small piece (text or something) or another larger piece that compliments my original artwork. I may also get my tattoo tidied up a bit around the edges.

Favourite style of tattooing?: I do like oriental. Although it has been done to death now.

Any other modifications? Piercing etc.?: For me to know you to find out!

What is your tattoo story?: I had wanted a tattoo for around 5 years- but could never afford one. I wanted a koi to start with but this had been done by everyone. I like the blossom trees and saw an energy drink advertisement that inspired me further. It wasn’t until I saw an oriental tiger that the concept clicked - I had my unique tattoo.

I was going through a bit of a rough patch, had to cut back on my partying/drinking a bit and in doing this I realised that it would be the perfect time to get the tattoo. I wanted to do it for myself, and it was something I had wanted a long time. It was quite an emotional thing getting the tattoo because I was one step closer to closing that shit chapter of my life. Once I had the tattoo, I realised I needed this- it was right.

After taking this bold move, my life and thoughts about life have changed a lot. I can honestly say my tattoo has experienced one of the most rewarding, adventurous and amazing years of my life. I’m sure that the tiger and I will have a lot of adventures to come, our next, being a trip to South America.

There is no real significant meaning to my tattoo. I didn’t want there to be a meaning behind it. It is neutral. No one else influenced me. If my thoughts on life change, my tattoo won’t. That being said I’m a fanatical Richmond supporter, if I ever have kids- it makes it easier to explain and I’m never going to stop supporting the tigers.

I love my tattoo but I’m still scared of it. I’m not sure when, or what I’ll get next, but I have never regretted getting a tattoo. It was an adventure and now it is a journey.

Tattoo by Craig Riley at Dangerzone Tattoo