I'm Just a Bill, Yes, I'm Only a Bill

Last summer my small birthday gathering was punctuated by an unexpected gift from friends, Ronni and Wayne, and their kids Emma and Eric: a gift certificate for Brooklyn Tattoo, on Smith near Atlantic in downtown Brooklyn.

I was no stranger to the shop, in theory, having passed it many times and featured work by several artists (reviewable here).

Getting new work done is a cerebral process - I tend to think about it on different levels, and I pieced together a concept of a piece and then matched it up to Adam Suerte, based on what I knew of his style. The fact that I had a gift certificate made it easier, but it was this abbreviated exchange of messages that clinched it:

Me: Are you familiar with the "I'm Just a Bill" character from Schoolhouse Rock?

Adam: Oh yes, I am a product of Schoolhouse Rock and Saturday morning cartoons in general! ... Absolutely, i'd be honored to [do that].

That's all I needed to know that Adam was my guy so we met once to discuss layout and earlier today, the eponymous "Bill" was tattooed on my outer left ankle:

Photo by Adam Suerte

This is a raw, fresh shot from Adam's phone, and I must commend him for his excellent work, especially in light of my overactive nerves that sent my foot a-twitching throughout the process. I was a bit embarrassed because I've prided myself on sitting well, but when you don't have control over some reflexes, it can be stressful. However, Adam handled it well and did a great job. I'm extremely pleased.

Lest you not know what "Bill" is all about, he premiered in 1975 as part of the "America Rock" series is Schoolhouse Rock. Please, enjoy:

To celebrate my new tattoo, Adam has donated a t-shirt for Tattoosday readers:

It's a men's large, and if you post a comment below, or on the Tattoosday Facebook Page, or e-mail your name and address to tattoosdaycontests@gmail.com, you can win this awesome shirt.

The shop is also having a Brooklyn Bridge 130th anniversary group show in a couple weeks, which includes the $30 Brooklyn bridge tattoo specials. More on that when we get closer to the event.

In the mean time, be sure to enter to win the t-shirt by leaving comments.

Thanks to Adam for doing such a great job with the design, and to my friends Ronni, Wayne, Emma and Eric for helping make it all happen!

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