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Saturday, April 27, 2024

Inking Well

Stories that aim to capture, catalogue and celebrate Chicago’s tattoo art.

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Chicago tattoo artist Allie Marie gives pets a permanent spot on their owners' bodies
By Katie Anthony
 
Dina Psihou wants her tattoos to adorn people like "permanent jewelry."
Wicker Park tattoo artist focuses on ancient Greek artifacts inspired by her roots
By Mary Norkol
 
COSTA RICA-TATTOO-CONVENTION
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What's in that tattoo ink? Don't panic, but be careful before getting that sleeve
Reactions to tattoo ink are rare, but a team of researchers found some of the dozens of inks they tested contained chemicals or pigments that could cause allergic or other health-related reactions. Make sure to work with a trained artist who follows good hygiene, a chemistry expert cautions.
By John Swierk
 
two headed calf
1970s poem 'Two-headed calf' inspires song and tattoo for Ravenswood resident
By Mary Norkol
 
Praying hands tat
Grandmother-granddaughter tattoos, inked at Roscoe Village parlor, honor faith, family
By Mary Norkol
 
Rat Tattoo
Chicago newcomer found solace in a strange place — the rat hole. Now he tattoos it on his clients.
By Mary Norkol
 
Rachel Thornburg’s Taylor Swift-inspired tattoo reads “too soft for all of it” along with an anatomical heart and flowers.
With tattoos, Swifties are sure to never forget Taylor Swift’s Soldier Field shows last summer
By Mary Norkol
 
Cheyenne Enderson’s embroidery-style tattoos include complicated designs with lines and shadows that help a piece appear three-dimensional.
Chicago tattoo artist Cheyenne Enderson finds a niche in realistic patch tattoos
By Katie Anthony
 
Elisa Espinosa and Zach Gronewold (left) dance at their wedding reception in July, with the tattoo she got for the occasion visible on her back, and jazz musician Bradley Parker-Sparrow shows off his tattoos, bearing the titles of four of his albums, at his Lake View studio.
2 favorite tattoo tales from a Sun-Times series highlighting Chicagoans’ body art
By Mary Norkol and Katie Anthony
 
Sun-Times reporter Mary Norkol displays one of her own tattoos — a sword shaped like a pen.
Getting tattoos put me at odds with my parents. Maybe the clash was what we needed.
By Mary Norkol
 
Lorenz Elion shows off his tattoo depicting his childhood home and where he grew up in Englewood.
‘Only the strong survive,’ Englewood man’s tattoo serves as a show of pride in his neighborhood
By Mary Norkol
 
A Shel Silverstein-inspired tattoo that features two sketched characters hugging one another.
In Lake View man’s tattoos, a nostalgic cast of characters
By Katie Anthony
 
Askhat Kobekpaev and Kate Herrington married in 2017 after meeting on Tinder. She inspired him to become a tattoo artist.
From Tinder to tattoo artist and Kazakhstan to Chicago
By Mary Norkol
 
Bradley Parker-Sparrow, a professional musician and producer for 50 years, sits at his piano in his Lake View home.
Bradley Parker-Sparrow’s album tattoos are a tribute to the start of his jazz career
By Katie Anthony
 
Lynne Ingersoll, 78, has gotten 11 tattoos in the past three decades, mostly of big cats and other animals.
At 78, this retired librarian from Blue Island has 11 tattoos
By Katie Anthony
 
Crystal McHenry shows off “get what you get” tattoos she got from Brown Brothers Tattoo in Humboldt Park.
These Chicago tattoo parlors let chance (and a gumball machine) choose your design
By Mary Norkol
 
BriElle Munizzi’s tattoo on her upper right arm that spells out “Sun-Times” in tribute to her family’s Sunday morning ritual when she was growing up of reading the paper together.
Ex-South Sider BriElle Munizzi’s tattoo pays tribute to her family’s Sunday ritual: reading the Sun-Times
By Katie Anthony
 
Graham Ellinghausen, 26, got the Marina Towers tattooed on his thigh after living there when he moved to Chicago after college.
Why a former Marina Towers resident got a tattoo of the corncob buildings
By Katie Anthony
 
Elisa Espinosa and Zach Gronewold hold hands at their wedding reception. Espinosa’s tattoo was customized to complement her dress.
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something tattooed
By Mary Norkol
 
Adam Goldberg shows off his bike tattoo and the bike he inherited from his family.
This bike helped Adam Goldberg find solace during the pandemic, so he had it tattooed on his thigh
By Mary Norkol
 
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