The One Where I Drew Jose Reyes' Tattoo

One night, as José Reyes stole yet another base for the New York Mets, I was inspired to draw a cartoon of him in “tornado mode.” Upon completing it, I uploaded the artwork to Twitter, and to my surprise, soon after the game ended, I received a direct message from José himself. He had seen it on his phone in the clubhouse.

José mentioned he really liked the cartoon and asked what I planned to do with it. I told him, “It’s for you… whatever you want.”

A few weeks later, I got a message from José’s good friend. They were at a tattoo parlor on Long Island, and José was about to get my cartoon tattooed on his leg. He wanted to know if I could stop by to watch him get inked.

No, I did not tattoo it myself on him. If I tried, I’d pass out at the first sign of blood. I will stick to paper.

So I showed up, and it turned out to be a cool experience. As a Mets artist, it was probably one of the most random yet interesting moments I’ve been a part of. 

It’s incredibly rewarding when someone appreciates your art so much that they decide to tattoo it on their body. Nowadays, artists often receive cease and desist letters for drawing professional athletes.

From time to time, I still bump into José Reyes out and about on Long Island. When I see him, I usually just smack my calf and say, “Nice tattoo.”